text:
The Siren Series
JH Audio partners with Astell&Kern
Jerry Harvey is known worldwide for his innovative custom and universal In-Ear Monitors (IEMs). Jerry's two decades worth of experience of in-ear technology has created a high-quality standard in the HiFi community.
The Sirens Series gets a makeover
JH Audio and Astell&Kern are collaborating to bring you revamped versions of the Sirens Series IEMs.
JH Audio introduced Roxanne, the first of the Sirens, in 2013. Roxanne took the world by storm with the IEM containing 12 drivers per side and a variable bass output that allows the user to adjust the bass to his or her sweet spot. Now, in collaboration with Astell&Kern, JH Audio redesigns the Sirens Series to match perfectly with AK Music players.
A&K and JH Audio launched the first line of "reference" In-Ear-Monitors (IEMs). Reference is a term used by studio engineers for the best or "reference" gear. Made for Astell&Kern's DAP sound signature, JH Audio Layla, Roxanne, Angie and Rosie IEMs create "staging and transparency...only reserved for some of the best top-of-the-line full sized headphones" [Peter Pialis, Headphone.Guru, 2015].
Who's your favorite Siren? See Comparison Chart
The Sirens Series Design and Technology
Astell&Kern Roxanne II IEM
JH Audio Full Metal Jacket
Your favorite JH Audio Sirens get a makeover with Full Metal Jacket design.
In the Full Metal Jacket Siren Series line all of the IEMs are fashioned out of either solid Titanium (Layla) or Aluminum (Roxanne, Angie, and Rosie).
The Siren Series IEMs are designed to be used as a Mastering reference tool because the high driver was designed for optimum top end extension with minimal distortion.
The mid driver is perfectly flat from 10Hz to 5kHz, and the low driver is designed for steeper low pass with virtually no distortion.
Avaiblable on Layla II, Roxanne II, and Angie II
SoundrIVe technology is JH Audio's proprietary mini quad drivers.
Layla II - 12 drivers Roxanne II - 12 drivers Angie II - 8 drivers
FreqPhase corrects Time and Phase of multiple Drivers. The Waveguide ensures each driver signal arrives within 0.01 milliseconds, resulting in a Phase coherent IEM.


text:
Episode 96 – Jackie Buntan
In this episode of The Striking Corner podcast we speak with up and coming women's Muay Thai fighter, Jackie Buntan. Training out of Boxing Works in Torrance, California; Jackie has been active in Muay Thai since she was 11 years old and won her first TBA Muay Thai World Expo title at just 13 years old.
We discuss Jackie's journey in Muay Thai and discuss the recent news that she has signed with rapidly flourishing Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and MMA promotion ONE Championship.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Study: 233 Million Women Will Be in Need of Contraception by 2015
Modern methods of birth control are increasingly prevalent, but demand outpaces their distribution.
- We're Less Likely to Recognize Symptoms of Depression in Men
- Romance Trumps Friends With Benefits
- Hospitals With More Facebook 'Likes' Have Lower Mortality Rates
Worldwide access to all forms of birth control has generally increased since 1990, but needs are nowhere near met. By 2015, according to new data published by the United Nations Population division in The Lancet, 233 million women who wish to put off or prevent childbirth will not have the resources to do so -- the study only looked at married women, not men or sexually active, single men and women.
That lack of contraception may actual become more of a problem is not immediately apparent. Unmet need for contraception among married women worldwide actually decreased between 1990 and 2010, from 15 to 12 percent. And the prevalence of modern methods of contraception increased, from 55 to 63 percent.
The twist is that "need" is a subjective measure, interpreted as a woman's desire not to have a child within the next two years. As contraception becomes more prevalent, it also becomes more desired. As social norms regarding family planning change, unmet need actually increases, because more women decide they want to put off or stop having more children. In commentary accompanying the article, for example, it is pointed out that:
...the most marked increase in use, from 12 percent to 33 percent, has taken place in eastern Africa, largely because of greater government commitment and improved community-based services. However, unmet need in this subregion has decreased only modestly, from 30 percent in 1990 to 26 percent in 2010, indicating that increased need, stemming from sharp reductions in desired numbers of children, has almost matched increased use.
The study's authors developed a statistical model that accounts for this effect, and that they believe more realistically estimates the growing demand than past efforts to do so. Population growth, too, is factored into their analysis.
In the developing world, the authors project that an estimated 834 married women will wish to prevent or delay childbirth; 204 million will either have access to no contraception or will rely on "traditional" methods, like withdrawal or periodic abstinence. The unmet need in the developed world will comprise of 29 million women.
In some countries, the initial push for increased access and education has yet to come. In Africa, 23 countries still had less than 20 percent prevalence of contraception by 2010, and in 12 African countries, as well as in Yemen, Haiti, and Samoa, unmet need was over 30 percent. And the need for contraception among unmarried, sexually active women has yet to be systematically analyzed, but will likely contribute to demand.
The full study, "National, regional, and global rates and trends in contraceptive prevalence and unmet need for family planning between 1990 and 2015: a systematic and comprehensive analysis," is published in The Lancet.


text:
Search Results for Tag: CO2
Climate Change: The longer we wait the more expensive it will get.
The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) recently released a new study that offers two different and probably controversial results. At first the researches say that everything is going to be extremely expensive the longer we wait until political leaders get active. "Global economic growth would be cut back by up to 7 percent within the first decade after climate policy implementation if the current international stalemate is continued until 2030", the paper says. That's an awful lot compared to the 2 percent that are expected if there's a climate agreement reached by 2015.
The researchers conclude that it is most relevant to not further postpone mitigation to keep climate targets (the 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels-target e.g.) in reach. "Economists tend to look at how things balance out in the long-term, but decision-makers understandably worry about additional burdens for the people and businesses they are responsible for right now. So increased short-term costs due to delaying climate policy might deter decision-makers from starting the transformation. The initial costs of climate policies thus can be more relevant than the total costs", lead-author Gunnar Luderer says.
On the other hand Ottmar Edenhofer, he's the co-author of the study and chief-economist of PIK, formulates a goal that could make it possible to keep the earth's rising temperatures below the 2 degrees-target mentioned above. But his demands seem to be quite optimistic. At first, he said, a wordwide carbon trading system must reach prices for CO2 emission rights of 20 to 50 Euro (27 to 67 Dollar) per ton. That would be the only way to increase the price of fossil energy sources at a level that could force the industries to switch over to green energy alternatives. Here we should keep in mind that a ton of CO2 is currently traded at just about 3 Euro (4 Dollar) in Europe.
According to Edenhofer especially technologies for carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere might be required in the future to reach the climate targets. This implies the use of bio-energy alongside wind or solar power, with plants consuming CO2, combined with carbon capture storage (CCS), storing underground the emissions from biomass combustion. The longer it takes to start climate policies the higher is the world's reliance on these technologies will be, the study adds.
For the study the scientists produced 285 alternative climate change mitigation scenarios, with varying assumptions on the course of international climate negotiations on the one hand and on the other hand the availability of low carbon technologies from solar and wind power to bio-energy, CCS and energy efficiency. For the economic evaluation, they considered indicators like mitigation costs, energy prices or potential financial transfers induced by an international carbon market.
DateSeptember 22, 2013
Tagsbiomas, ccs, CO2, ecology, economy, edenhofer, emission trading, energy, luderer, pik, potsdam institute climate impact research, solar power, trading, wind power
FeedbackComments deactivated
Live like millions of years ago?
You might not have realized it, but last Friday something quite historical happened: For the first time since the Pliocene (about five to three million years ago) CO2 concentration in the atmosphere crossed the 400 parts-per-million limit. The last time that much carbon dioxide was in the atmosphere, the Arctic was ice-free, the Sahara desert was a savanna and the sea level was 40 meters above today's level.
Measuring this carbon level is kind of a family business: More than 50 years ago, Charles Keeling started measurements on the dead Mauna Loa volcano, where air quality is very good. Back then, in 1958, CO2 concentration was around 315 ppm – compared to 280 ppm on preindustrial level. Today, his son Ralph Keeling continues the measurements.
The overall trend is increasing, though CO2 levels fluctuate periodically from winter to summer season, when plants naturally fix more carbon dioxide due to leaf growth. Scientists attribute this overall increase to anthropogenic CO2 emissions – mainly from burning fossil fuels.
Within the last ten years, CO2 concentration has risen by two ppm per year. If the world continues emitting carbon at this pace, the next important threshold is not far away (german link). CO2 concentration may not rise upon 445 ppm CO2 (445 molecules of carbon dioxide in one million molecules) if the two degree target is to be met, scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) say.
DateMay 15, 2013
FeedbackComments deactivated
Exploring the North – treasures under the ice cover
Our Global Ideas reporter Gianna Grün recently made a trip to the Arctic Circle and has written about tracking reindeer, an encounter with Sami herdsmen and sleeping in a hotel made entirely of ice. Check out her latest article from the freezing North.
What looks like a lovely winter wonderland landscape is in reality a perfect source for building material. No, I'm not talking about the few trees on the horizon – the resource slumbers below the snow cover! Hidden from the eye, the Torne river flows below the snow. Well, at least the part that's not frozen. But the more interesting part is the ice cover. In March, i's thick enough for ice block harvesting to begin.
Some 2,500 of such 1.8 ton blocks are cut out in March and April to build a new hotel made of ice near Kiruna, Sweden. When spring arrives in other parts of the world, the ice is in perfect condition for building a new hotel from scratch next winter. The ice is at least 80 centimeters deep and crystal clear due to the high water quality of the Torne river and its perfect velocity and depth. Upstream, the water flows too fast and stirs up sediment from the river floor. Downstream from here, the water is too still and lacking in oxygen so you get milky ice.
Though it is quite cold up here in the North, building doesn't begin right after harvesting. While the old ice hotel is literally melting, the 5,000 tons of newly harvested ice are stored over the summer. From April until October, the storage hall is cooled to minus six degrees Celsius. That requires almost 240,000 kilowatts of energy, which comes from renewable sources. Between November and March, no cooling is required since the outside temperature is cold enough. Thanks to the massive blocks of ice and the isolation, the entire place stays cool enough.
When construction begins in winter, the ice hotel builders arm themselves with electric irons and smoothers. Well, not for cleaning their teeth or ensuring wrinkle-free shirts, but for the fine tuning. After chain saws, tractors, snow cannons, snow throwers, wheel burrows, spades and chisels have got the basics in place, the finer details, embellishments and sculptures are readied to give the whole space a cozier feel despite the cold.
It takes six to eight weeks to set up the whole hotel. Apart from ice, a special mixture of ice and snow called "snice" is used as a kind of mortar. In addition, some wooden structures are built in the ice to support the very high and steep arches and a few reindeer skins cover some surfaces.
Apart from offering visitors the unusual experience of sleeping in a room surrounded by ice, the hotel is also trying its hand not just at cutting its carbon output but actually becoming CO2-negative. So far, it's reduced overall energy consumption by 20 percent. But in future, it aims to cut CO2 in its immediate surroundings by an amount that exceeds its overall energy consumption.
Do you know of similar projects that use building materials lying right at the doorstep, without harming the environment?
DateApril 11, 2013
TagsArctic circle, building, CO2, ice, icehotel
FeedbackComments deactivated
Is the ocean to quit it's job?
Silently and mostly unrecognized, ocean is doing a yet quiet good job for the climate: it absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere and dumps it into the deep. That is one of the reasons, why climate did not further heat up within the last decade – although world keeps emitting lots of CO2.
But now researchers found that the Atlantic ocean absorbs less CO2 than usually – and also figured out the reason for this. It's because the so called "meridional overturning circulation" slows down. Before you now think "I'll never get this" – hang on. Sounds more complicated than it actually is.
The overturning circulation works like this: In the Atlantic ocean, water flows northwards – from the warmer Southern part into the colder Northern part. There, the water cools down, becomes saltier and sinks into the deep. There this so called deepwater flows back towards the South, warms up there and is welling up in consequence. Back at the surface in the Southern hemisphere it is, where ocean water takes up the antropogenic CO2.
Now, due to global warming, also ocean surface water – even in the Northern usually colder part of the Atlantic – warms up – and does not sink to the deep. This in turn slows down the overturning circulation. In consequence of this slowing, CO2-saturated water is not dumped into the deep as usual, but stays rather close to the surface. In consequence, less CO2 can be taken up from the atmosphere.
So the research team scientifically proved that we actually are destroying those natural systems that normally help keeping CO2 levels low – by emitting more and more CO2 and warming up the planet with its ocean.
DateFebruary 24, 2013
TagsAtlantic ocean, carbon dioxide, climate change, CO2, global warming, ocean, overturning circulation
FeedbackComments deactivated
Keep to +2 degrees might not prevent permafrost from melting
Large parts of the Northern hemisphere from Alaska to China hold a dangerous treasure. 24 percent of this land's ground is frozen throughout the year – so called permafrost. It holds more than 1,000 gigatons of the most dangerous greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide and methane. Release of those would accelerate climate change to great extend.
Now, researchers found evidence that permafrost could start melting already at a 1.5 degrees Celsius rise in temperature. Also, the world already warmed up by 0.6 to 0.7 degree Celsius compared to the preindustrial level. So adding another 0.8 could already let permafrost melt.
That's at least what happened in former times, as the scientists from Britain, Russia, Mongolia and Switzerland found out. They went into Siberian caves located along the 'permafrost frontier' studying stalactites and stalagmites as they function as a kind of climate archive – they only grow when liquid rainwater and snow melt drips from the surface into the caves.
"The stalactites and stalagmites from these caves are a way of looking back in time to see how warm periods similar to our modern climate affect how far permafrost extends across Siberia", said Dr Anton Vaks of Oxford University's Department of Earth Sciences, who led the work.
The amplifying effect on global warming the release of greenhouse gases held in the permafrost would have, exceeds everything climate models yet suggest. So, though almost 200 nations agreed in 2009 to the 2 degree target for global warming, this may not be enough to keep permafrost from melting and thus to mitigate climate change.
DateFebruary 22, 2013
Tags1.5 degree, climate change, CO2, global warming, methane, permafrost, Siberia, thawing
FeedbackComments deactivated


text:
Oct 192017
Working with Liskeard Town Council, Graphic Words produced this 12 x DL page (A3 folded) leaflet. We designed and laid out the leaflet, and assisted with editing the images and text content.
For the "centre spread" we created a map showing the town centre streets and surrounding area, using a "fish-eye" approach to include those elements of the town's surrounds which the Council wished to include. The leaflet also incorporates key phrases in the Cornish language.


text:
- Despite the obvious Fridge Logic, the baby Nidoqueen are actually very cute. Of course their parents are supposed to be super clones so...
- It's not as prominent as some of the other examples, but Meowth bonding with Mewtwo's group and ultimately deciding to help them unselfishly just for the sake of it - something which happens often with the trio of villains in the movies. Because of it, at the end the three have no intentions of taking advantage of Mewtwo and company at all, and everyone trusts them to never to reveal to their boss what transpired despite the hefty reward they would get for doing so.
- Meowth's big speech at the end, which doubles as a Moment of Awesome for him.Meowth: It's only natural to wonder about who and where you came from and someday these little ones are gonna want some answers. Only there won't be any, not if you make everybody forget! So what if their parents were clones? They're all living creatures. They deserve to live, and they deserve to know about themselves as much as you, or me, or anybody does! That's what we think.Meowth Clone: (meows in agreement)Ash: I think we should remember too. Meowth is right.Brock: And just forgetting things doesn't change the fact that they happened.Misty: Don't you think everybody deserves to know who they are, and where they came from?Mewtwo: ...Yes, they deserve to remember.
- Ash's speech to Mewtwo about helping someone in need just for the sake of it.Mewtwo: Why, why are you helping me?Ash: Well for one thing, you saved my Pikachu. That's a good reason.Mewtwo: The only one?Ash: Do you always need a reason to help somebody?
- The whole scene where Ash is helping the injured Mewtwo is a genuinely sweet moment, especially when taken in contrast with Mewtwo Strikes Back.
- The scene where Misty and Brock, barely knowing a thing about Mewtwo, immediately jump to defend him from Giovanni and Team Rocket is both awesome and heartwarming at the same time.
- The Ending, with Mewtwo departing once again. Only this time with him letting Ash and Company and Team Rocket remember him, and even thanking and promising to always remember them. On top of that, he smiles during the scene.
- Mewtwo calling for Ash at the end.
Heartwarming / Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns
Go To


text:
The World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium
Teach Local – Reach Global
The World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC) was established in August 2002 at the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE) in Alberta, Canada. WINHEC's aim is to bring professionals together to achieve common goals through higher education. Members come from many different countries and a variety of diverse areas such as university departments, research organizations and government agencies.
WINHEC's vision is that, 'We gather as Indigenous Peoples of our respective nations recognising and reaffirming the educational rights of all Indigenous Peoples'. In pursuit of the vision we share a collective goal of Indigenous Peoples of the world united in the collective synergy of self-determination through control of higher education. In doing so we have the common objective of being, committed to building partnerships that restore and retain indigenous spirituality, cultures and languages, homelands, social systems, economic systems and self-determination.


text:
Class of 2016 still has 10 chances to fortify Browns in 2018
BEREA The John Dorsey regime just finished a draft yielding nine new Browns.
Would you believe that's less than the number of players still on the roster from Sashi Brown's 2016 draft?
The survivors are wideouts Corey Coleman, Ricardo Louis and Hollywood Higgins, defensive ends Emmanuel Ogbah and Carl Nassib, linebacker Joe Schobert, offensive linemen Shon Coleman and Spencer Drango, and tight end Seth DeValve.
If four or five of them play important roles as they mix with Dorsey's new wave of players, it would be a big help.
It sounds ludicrous to suggest Brown's 2016 draft wasn't bad if one looks past handing quarterback Carson Wentz to the Eagles in a grab-bag trade out of the No. 2 spot? That decision left a mark.
But that ship has sailed, and the Browns have who they have from that draft.
Comparing Cleveland's 2016 yield to the drafts of the division rivals, the Browns still have a chance to come away with a net advantage.
Corey Coleman (No. 15 overall) has been a disappointment, but there's still a chance he could emerge with a veteran quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, and an improved receiving group that might change his landscape.
Ogbah (No. 32 overall) quietly formed a bond with 2017 No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett. They were beginning to play well as a tandem before Ogbah got hurt (Garrett was fine with not drafting Bradley Chubb, because of Ogbah).
Schobert (No. 99 overall) came into his own at middle linebacker and went to the Pro Bowl.
After that, the Class of 2016 gets sketchy.
Nassib (No. 65 overall) was a late bloomer at Penn State, and that's what he'll have to be to stick around in Cleveland.
Shon Coleman (No. 76 overall) started every 2017 game at right tackle, but that is free agency pick-up Chris Hubbard's job now. Coleman will have to win the left tackle job to start. Drango (No. 168 overall) played 606 snaps in 2017, mostly as Joe Thomas' replacement at left tackle. His best shot is to stick as a backup.
DeValve (No. 138 overall) played 531 snaps in 2017, but that was partly because rookie first-round pick David Njoku wasn't ready for a heavy load.
Louis (No. 114 overall) and Higgins (No. 172) did little to impress in their first two seasons.
Kindred (No. 129 overall) played 690 snaps, more than any Browns safety other than Jabrill Peppers (805) in 2017. Peppers and former Packers first-round pick Damarious Randall stand to get the bulk of the safety work this year.
But this is not to suggest 2016 was a pivotal draft class. It is part of the argument that, at some point, the Browns needed to draft competitively relative to the Steelers, Ravens and Bengals.
In this case, there's a good chance they did as the picks reach their third seasons.
Each of the three division rivals had three picks in the top 100 in 2016. A progress report on how they are faring:
Ronnie Staley (No. 6 overall) started 15 games at left tackle in 2017, missing a game with a concussion.
Defensive end Kamalei Correa (No. 42 overall) has been in on 13 tackles (no sacks) across two seasons as a backup defensive end.
Defensive end Bronson Kaufusi (No. 70 overall) has appeared in three games across two seasons.
Cornerback William Jackson (No. 24 overall) missed his rookie year with a pectoral tear. He made an early splash in 2017, returning a pick against Aaron Rodgers 75 yards for a touchdown, but it was his only interception. He played 61 percent of the Bengals' defensive snaps as the third cornerback.
Wideout Tyler Boyd (No. 55 overall) made 54 catches for 603 yards in 2017. He was on the field for 32 percent of the offensive downs.
Linebacker Nick Vigil (No. 87 overall) played special teams as a rookie and started 11 games in 2017 before going on injured reserve.
Artie Burns (No. 25 overall) started at cornerback opposite ex-Brown Joe Haden in 2017.
Sean Davis (No. 58 overall) started at strong safety and was in on 92 tackles.
Javon Hargrave (No. 89 overall) played 46 percent of the 2017 snaps at nose tackle.
The discussion sets up this week's Around the NFL column, in which we will explore the tremendous advantage the Browns had both in number and position of draft picks in 2016, '17 and '18. We'll take a quick peak at every top-100 draft pick made by an AFC North team in that span.
Check back at www.cantonrep.com/browns this weekend or look for it in The Canton Repository's Sunday sports section.
Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or
On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP


text:
Nigerian Militants Attack Oil Pipelines
By VOA News
25 May 2009
Nigeria's main militant group says it has attacked major oil pipelines in the oil-rich Niger Delta, preventing five flow-stations from feeding Chevron tanks.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, said (in a statement) Monday that the out-of-operation stations are Alero Creek, Otunana, Abiteye, Makaraba, and Dibi.
There was no immediate confirmation from Chevron.
The attack on the pipelines comes as the Nigerian military expands its operation against the rebels in the oil-rich south.
Sunday Nigerian soldiers rescued three Filipino hostages being held by rebels.
The Nigerian state minister for petroleum said recently that three-and-a-half years of violence in the Niger Delta has reduced Nigeria's oil production to less than half of its total capacity.
Niger Delta militant groups began a campaign against the government in 2006. MEND, the largest of the groups, says it wants more of the region's oil wealth directed to impoverished local residents
The Nigerian government dismisses the militants as criminals.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
|Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list


text:
Offutt Air Force Base is located right outside of Omaha, Nebraska, in the city of Bellevue. It's known as the home of the 55th Wing, the largest wing of the Air Force's Air Combat Command. Because it's the largest wing, active military members are constantly moving in and out of the Omaha area, which can create some challenges for Airmen and their families, particularly when it comes to where to store their belongings.
Omaha self storage can be a great solution. In fact, storage facilities throughout Omaha offer a variety of storage features, such as vehicle storage, that Airmen stationed at Offutt Air Force Base can use to their benefit. And with Storage.com, you can find Omaha mini storage without having to drive around town or check out different websites.
During the moving process, a new living space might not be immediately available, so renting an Omaha storage unit is the perfect way to smooth the transition. While you're waiting to get into your new home, you can store furniture, appliances, boxes, and even vehicles. Almost all facilities offer month-to-month leasing, too, so you only pay for the time you'll need storage.
For many Airmen, Offutt Air Force Base is a temporary stop—whether for a few weeks, a few months, or a year. Instead of investing in a house when you know you're going to be moving again in the near future, you can rent an apartment. But, unfortunately, that often means downsizing possessions, as space in an apartment is limited. If you supplement your apartment's space with an Omaha storage unit, however, there's no need to downsize. You can keep nonessential furniture and belongings in a storage unit temporarily until it's time to move.
Especially for Airmen leaving the country, vehicle storage is a popular option. Cars and motorcycles that won't be used for extended periods of time need to be kept in storage to prevent damage from Nebraska's bitter winters and stormy summers. It's cheaper than renting out a parking space in long-term parking, too.
Many storage facilities in Omaha offer quality vehicle storage options that will keep vehicles in great condition so they're ready to run whenever you return to use them.
Even if you're leaving Offutt Air Force Base to head to another base, Omaha self storage can be useful. You might find that the Omaha area is where you want to live after active duty is over, or perhaps you're just leaving the country and need somewhere to keep your belongings. Whatever the case, moving your things with you might not be an option. Fortunately, a storage unit in Omaha can provide an affordable solution compared to continuing to pay for living space you're not using or paying to move belongings at every stop.
Thanks for visiting Storage.com to find Omaha self storage near Offutt Air Force Base!


text:
Select a folio in Manuscript A
Ms A 12r
[12r°] Oh! everything truly smiled upon me on this earth: I found flowers under each of my steps and my happy disposition contributed much to making life pleasant, but a new period was about to commence for my soul. I had to pass through the crucible of trial and to suffer from my childhood in order to [5] be offered earlier to Jesus. Just as the flowers of spring begin to grow under the snow and to expand in the first rays of the sun, so the little flower whose memories I am writing had to pass through the winter of trial.
All the details of my Mother's illness are still present to me and I recall especially the last weeks she spent on earth. Céline and I [10] were like two poor little exiles, for every morning Mme. Leriche came to get us and brought us to her home where we spent the day. One morning we didn't have time to say our prayers and during the trip Céline whispered: "Should we tell her we didn't say our prayers?" "Oh! yes," I answered. So very timidly Céline told Mme. Leriche, [15] who said: "Well, my little girls, you will say them," and placing us both in a large room, she left. Céline looked at me and we said: "Oh! this is not like Mama! She always had us say our prayers with her."
When we were playing with the children, the thought of our dear Mother was with us constantly. Once Céline was given a beautiful apricot, and [20] she bent down and said to me: "We are not going to eat it; I will give it to Mama." Alas, poor little Mother was already too sick to eat the fruits of the earth; she was to be satisfied only in heaven with God's glory and was to drink the mysterious wine He spoke about at the Last Supper, saying He would share it with us in His Father's Kingdom.The touching ceremony of the last anointing is also deeply impressed on my mind. I can still see the spot where I was by Céline's side. All five of us were
© Washington Province of Discalced Carmelite Friars, Inc
View the embedded image gallery online at:


text:
How do I install and configure a new Windows 2000 DNS server to prepare for a new AD Domain?
The Domain Name System (DNS) is the Active Directory locator in Windows 2000. Active Directory clients and client tools use DNS to locate domain controllers for administration and logon. You must have a DNS server installed and configured for Active Directory and the associated client software to function correctly. This article guides you through the required DNS configuration.
NetBIOS name resolution (WINS server, LMHOSTS file, or NetBIOS broadcast) is still required for earlier versions of Windows to resolve network resources on an Active Directory domain.
DNS Server Requirements for Active Directory Support
Microsoft recommends that you use Microsoft DNS Server as supplied with Windows 2000 Server as your DNS server. However, Microsoft DNS is not required.
The DNS server that you use:
Version 8.1.2 and later of BIND (a popular DNS server implementation) supports both the SRV RR and dynamic update. (Version 8.1.1 does support dynamic updates but it has flaws that were fixed in 8.1.2.) If you are using a version of BIND that does not support dynamic update, you need to manually add records to the DNS server.
Note: Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Server DNS does not support the SRV record. Use DNS Server that is provided with Windows 2000 Server.
Starting with a Windows 2000-Based Stand-Alone Server
This server becomes a DNS server for your network. You can also promote it to the domain controller role at a later time.
In the first step, you assign this server a static Internet Protocol (IP) configuration. DNS servers should not use dynamically assigned IP addresses, because a dynamic change of address could cause clients to lose contact with the DNS server.
Configure TCP/IP
- Click Start, point to Settings and then click Control Panel.
- Double-click Network and Dial-up Connections.
- Right-click Local Area Connection, and then click Properties.
- Click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click Properties.
- Assign this server a static IP address, subnet mask, and gateway address. Enter the server's IP address in the Preferred DNS server box.
- Click Advanced.
- Click the DNS Tab.
- Select "Append primary and connection specific DNS suffixes"
- Check "Append parent suffixes of the primary DNS suffix"
- Check "Register this connection's addresses in DNS". If this Windows 2000-based DNS server is on an intranet, it should only point to its own IP address for DNS; do not enter IP addresses for other DNS servers here. If this server needs to resolve names on the Internet, it should have a forwarder configured.
- Click OK to close the Advanced TCP/IP Settings properties.
- Click OK to accept the changes to your TCP/IP configuration.
- Click OK to close the Local Area Connections properties.
Note: If you receive a warning from the DNS Caching Resolver service, click OK to dismiss the warning. The caching resolver is trying to contact the DNS server, but you have not finished configuring the server.
Install the DNS Service
Continue to the next step to install Microsoft DNS Service:
Install and Configure Windows 2000 DNS Server
Next, after installing and configuring DNS, proceed to the next 2 steps:
Promote This Server to Domain Controller (Optional – Recommended)
Promote this server to the domain controller role by using the Dcpromo.exe utility.
After the server has been promoted to the domain controller role, the DNS server can use the Active Directory Storage Integration feature (this is the recommended path). Proceed to the next step if you want to use Active Directory Storage Integration for DNS.
Enable Active Directory Integrated DNS (Optional – Recommended)
Active Directory Integrated DNS uses the directory for the storage and replication of DNS zone databases. If you decide to use Active Directory Integrated DNS, DNS runs on one or more domain controllers and you do not need to set up a separate DNS replication topology.
- In DNS Manager, expand the DNS Server object.
- Expand the Forward Lookup Zones folder.
- Right-click the zone you created, and then click Properties.
- On the General tab, the Zone Type value is set to Primary. Click Change to change the zone type.
- In the Change Zone Type dialog box, click DS Integrated Primary, and then click OK.
- The DNS server writes the zone database into Active Directory.
- Right-click the zone named ".", and then click Properties.
- On the General tab, the Zone Type value is set to Primary. Click Change to change the zone type.
- In the Change Zone Type dialog box, DS Integrated Primary, and then click OK.
Promote and Demote Domain Controllers in Windows 2000 – 238369
HOW TO: Use DNS to Find Networked Resources in Windows 2000 Server – 300386
Setting Up the Domain Name System for Active Directory – 237675
More in Active Directory
How to Enable and Use the Active Directory Recycle Bin
Nov 21, 2022 | Michael Reinders
How to Use LAPS to Manage Local Admin Account Passwords in Active Directory and Azure AD
Nov 14, 2022 | Michael Reinders
Zoom Adds New Email and Calendar Products to Improve Collaboration
Nov 9, 2022 | Rabia Noureen
How to List All Users in Active Directory
Nov 7, 2022 | Michael Reinders
Budget for Operational Resilience in 2023
Oct 20, 2022 | Russell Smith
Choosing between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi
Oct 17, 2022 | Sukesh Mudrakola
Most popular on petri


text:
12.11.17On Increasing 'Positive Variance' in Teaching and Curriculum
In their new book The Power of Moments, Chip and Dan Heath describe a principle some high performing organizations use to grow successfully: "Reduce negative variance and increase positive variance." This idea is relevant in at least two aspects of running and improving schools.
First, one of the strongest ways a school can make a difference in student achievement is to have a coherent approach to teaching, one that outlines a shared understanding of "how we do it"—things that comprise a schools core approach that everyone is expected to do. The school should name the things that are part of "how we do it" and then provide training so predictable implementation errors are reduced. That's a way of both aligning and implementing a philosophy but also of reducing negative variance.
But it's super-important to balance that reduction of negative variance with an understanding of the benefits of "positive variance"… the idea that people who have achieved proficiency with a skill should have the freedom to personalize and adapt.
Personalization allows people to match the technique to their own unique style—to be both themselves and part of a system.
Adaptation encourages them to find ways to use the technique better—to find ways when it works better in certain situations—to identify times not to use it, etc.
You can see that play out in this fantastic video produced by Navigator Schools in California and which I posted about last week. There are clips of six teachers using the Turn and Talk technique (#43 in TLAC). There are consistencies—shared expectations to help reduce negative variation—but there are also differences—each teacher has their own style. And they use the technique differently. This models and embraces positive variation.
The principal, Heather Parsons noted, "Each teacher has their own unique way of approaching the Turn and Talk, but all of them expect 100% engagement as well as conversation courtesy such as SLANT and TRACK."
I think this is hugely important. As people develop proficiency you want guardrails; as they show mastery you want to give them reasonable (often not unlimited) freedom to adapt. I call this decision rights. And without them, I think, your organization can be "good" but probably not great.
This idea of reducing negative variation and increasing positive variation is even more important in the area of curriculum and lesson planning—one of the fastest changing areas of schools right now.
Background: Wisely many schools have realized that asking teachers to both teach and plan as many as four or even five lessons per day can make the job unsustainable—exponentially so for teachers in their first years of teaching. Both teaching and planning take more time and focus and a lot of people think most people can't reliably learn to do both at the same time and survive—why not learn to master your teaching by using someone else's lesson plans, then after you've master the teaching part, you can begin planning.
The result, among many networks of schools has been centralized lesson planning—another word for centralized curriculum, really. A team of teachers or a lead teacher develop plans that teachers spend a bit of time preparing and then use. or schools use a new breed of curriculum with daily lesson plans such as KIPP Wheatley (which I mention because it's one of my favorites).
This approach does an outstanding job of reducing negative variance. It's harder to be under planned or unplanned. It's harder to make a terrible plan. It's harder to work yourself to death your first year and therefore more likely you will be back for year two.
But to lead to "great" not just "good," centralized lesson planning also has to allow for and even encourage positive variance.
There are I think two things that have to be contemplated to make that work.
The first is lesson preparation—to develop a lesson preparation process that encourages teachers to be prepared to make adaptations. Choosing the single most important part of the lesson and scripting an exemplar are good examples of this. If a teacher runs out of time—as we so often do—I don't want her to cut things at random from the lesson. I want her to protect the most important parts. And that means intentionally thinking about them in advance. And if I want her to be able to respond well to student errors, I want her to have thought through what an ideal—exemplar—answer looks like by writing one out herself. Only then can she really identify the gaps. But the idea here is that it's not enough to just give teachers a lesson—I want to build shared processes for preparing with flexibility. If there's a weakness in how many school use KIPP Wheatley for example, it's in not being systematic enough in outlining the processes that lead to success in teaching a lesson someone else wrote for you: What does it mean to sit down the night before to get ready to teach what you haven't also designed?
Even more important is the second step: Decision rights: At some point I want people to earn decision rights—the right to change add to or even drop aspects of the shared lesson—at some point in their journey to earn the right to make it optional. What I am describing is progressive decision rights, I think, meaning that as teachers increase their proficiency and maturity we want them to begin embracing variation. This is a good thing for them. It's how they learn to adapt and problem solve. And it's how they get their lesson to be an expression of 'them' which means a better lesson and a happier teacher—and, it shouldn't need to be said, keeping good teachers happy and gratified is a hugely important issue for any school.
But this positive variance is also a good thing for organizations. It's how they learn and grow and problem solve too. It's how they develop the group of expert teachers who will be their next generation of lesson planners. The freedom to pursue positive variance is, I think, necessary and critical to organizational health and greatness. No, I don't want a first year teacher going off and teaching what's in her heart until she's taught several hundred well-planned lessons designed by a master. But after that I do want her teaching what's in her heart. And I want to learn why it's in her heart and when it succeeds to replicate it. So as we move towards daily lesson plans in many of our top networks, I encourage you to think about how and when teachers earn the opportunity for positive variance.


text:
This mesmerizing video shows how a glass chandelier making from scratch. Making and bending and shaping crystal into what you want it to be looks like so much fun. The piping hot crystal (which is made from a mixture of silica sand, lead, potash and other ingredients) is heavier and more sparkling than glass and glows this vibrant hue that doesn't look like it's from this planet.
Regardless of which camp you fall into, you've probably never considered the process behind creating a genuine glass chandelier from raw materials. Lucky for us, the Science Channel went behind the scenes to film the elaborate glass-working process required to build the fanciest 150-pound lighting mechanism imaginable. Here is how a 24-arm crystal chandelier is made.
This is a peek inside the Baccarat crystal studio


text:
Frankfurt Knows It Sucks, Needs Government's Help To Force People To Live There
Here's the thing: Frankfurt isn't Paris. Or Amsterdam. Or Dublin. Or Italy. Or even Cologne. It knows this. And it knows no one chooses to live there. They have to live there, because they want to work for a bank or work for something else that works for a bank, and due to an accident of history Frankfurt got to be Germany's, and by extension continental Europe's, financial center.
People used to living in a real city—London, for instance—are generally not eager to spend their weekends hiking in the hills, or being unable to purchase any consumer goods between 4 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Monday. Like the other 717,624 people drearily passing their lives along the Main, the Brexit refugees have to be given no other choice. This, according the Association of German Banks chief Michael Kemmer, is the government's job. And it's not doing a very good job.
"There needs to be a clear political commitment to Frankfurt as a financial centre. This needs to come from the federal government, from the state of Hessen, from the city of Frankfurt," he said.
"I'm not saying German politicians are against this. I'm saying that in my opinion this political commitment could be a bit louder … they need to market the financial centre more aggressively. The French and Paris are being far more active."
German bankers in call to lure London business to Frankfurt [FT]


text:
ROCK HILL, S.C. — An accident involving a back hoe on Saturday, November 26th, left an 18-year-old construction worker from North Carolina dead.
Eighteen-year-old Maynro Perez of Charlotte, was working on the Giordana Velodrome on Cherry Road in Rock Hill when he was injured by the back hoe. He was immediately taken to Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill, where he died soon after from his injuries.
The details of the accident have not yet been released.


text:
Why Did Americans Use the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima?
The Americans used the atomic bomb on Hiroshima because the Japanese refused to surrender when facing conventional warfare. Although the Japanese position was hopeless, they continued to fight, and casualties were rising.
In the middle of 1945, Germany had capitulated, and the American forces were overwhelming Japanese opposition. The Americans demanded Japanese surrender in the Potsdam Declaration, but rather than accept the terms, the Japanese increased resistance. In order to quell the Japanese forces, the United States needed to demonstrate indomitable force.
Many generals advocated continuing traditional warfare, including heavy bombing of the Japanese mainland, coupled with a massive invasion. This operation was code named "Operation Downfall." However, while this approach may have proven successful, the generals estimated that up to a million U.S. soldiers could die in the action. President Truman balked at such a death toll, and opted instead to use an atomic bomb, which had recently been developed by the Manhattan Project.
The bomb was intended to warn Japan of the devastating force possible from the U.S. military forces so that they would have no choice but to surrender. Hiroshima was selected as it was a major manufacturing hub. When the bomb was dropped, 80,000 civilians were killed immediately, and a huge number were injured. However, the Japanese did not surrender immediately after the bombing; instead, the United States had to drop a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki to bring about Japanese capitulation.


text:
The house, estate and gardens at Cadhay have been evolving since they were first recorded in 1550.
To go there is to walk into a garden which is one of the most tranquil gardens I have visited.
Travelling to Cadhay will take you through some glorious Devon countryside, so by the time you arrive your senses are already tuned into the natural beauty of the region.
The Gardens
Within the gardens there are some magnificent specimen trees. These lead the eye into the surrounding parkland where more trees help to soften the edges so it appears that this man made garden is part of the whole landscape, and that the landscape is at one with the garden. This is just one aspect of what makes Cadhay such a special place.
Of course this visual spectacle does not happen by chance; it has taken hundreds of years plus the resources and care of the many owners to create what we see here today.
All of this natural beauty provides a perfect setting for the beautiful stone manor house that sits within its grounds. With such ease it effortlessly enhances the picture from the many view points within the gardens. The weathered stone walls with their well appointed windows and chimneys provide a detailed backdrop to the many borders and trees and views across the lawns.
The Plantings
The plantings are both ancient and contemporary and can be seen from many points around the garden. Some of the best are viewed across the large ponds towards the house and park.
Within the old walled garden many changes have taken place, however the tradition of growing and cutting flowers for the house is still carried out by the garden staff. The beds and borders however are dug not just by the garden team, but also by local gardeners who can apply for an allotment plot to grow their own crops in.
Cadhay is a working estate and the owners welcome visitors to view the gardens, attend functions in the Granary building, rent the Old Coach House or Stable Cottages, and for some lucky people, there is the opportunity to stay in the main house itself.
I hope you enjoy watching the short video which we filmed at Cadhay, and that one day you are able to make a visit yourself. If you do I think you will be captivated by the magic of this ancient and beautiful place.
For more details about the gardens and visitor opening times see the website: www.cadhay.org.uk


text:
Barbadian businessman says his home was the real target
Four British tourists just learned what most Bajans already know: litigation, especially against government, is dangerous business in Barbados.
The Brits rented a holiday home not knowing that it was next door to the family home of David Weekes: a Barbadian international businessman who has become a very inconvenient thorn in the side of both the Barbados and CARICOM governments.
"David Weekes told this newspaper he was certain his home was the target of what he suggested was a fire bomb. Weekes explained that since his house was the only one in the area which was normally occupied, the assailants or assailant could have aimed their wrath at the next door home because the lights in it were on."
… from the Barbados Today article Fire bombed
At 2am on Tuesday April 3, 2012, an unknown person (or maybe more than one) firebombed the Brits' holiday rental home with two exploding incendiary devices. Fortunately, no one was injured – but next time it could be different.
Why do we say "next time" people could be injured? Because there will be a next time, if not in the Weekes case then in some other legal battle. Barbados has a long history of incidents like this related to legal and other disputes. This is certainly not the first arson or similar attack associated with a Barbados court battle and it is unlikely to be the last considering our island's recent history. We'll get to that history in a minute, but for now let's look at the litigation involving Mr. Weekes and the Barbados and CARICOM governments…
"Law Courts of Barbados seems unwilling or incapable of adjudicating my CARICOM civil suit"
… David Weekes, Barbados business owner and inventor
David Weekes is the inventor of a software and hardware visa solution that he claims Caricom stole from his company and used to issue visas during Cricket World Cup. Mr. Weeks claims that he showed the system to Caricom in 2003, and that Caricom used the software and system without his authorization in 2007. Weekes filed a lawsuit in 2007.
Adding credibility to Mr. Weekes' case is that in October 2006 – just before Cricket World Cup – some Barbados Government people accidentally left a black folder at the Hilton Hotel, Bridgetown. When the staff saw the papers had Mr. Weekes' name on them, they contacted him. Aha! According to Mr. Weekes, the Barbados Government papers showed that "confidentiality surrounding certain trade secrets Weekes had divulged to CARICOM representatives during many months of meetings had been compromised. Another company got the contract he was expecting." (see Patrick Hoyos' column at The Nation: David vs legal Goliath)
'Normal' in Barbados lawsuits: Delay the court case. Attack all the family. Steal the home.
David Weekes says powerful, connected lawyers of Carrington & Sealy were able to 'rush' their litigation through the Barbados court while stalling Weekes' litigation.
Now throw in another layer: Weekes borrowed money to patent the visa software, and he put his home up as collateral – with the Barbados Central Bank guaranteeing the loan. Now Mr. Weekes is about to lose his home…
As Mr. Weekes explained it in a recent letter to Barbados Attorney General Brathwaite (and copied to all the news media and blogs – full letter later in our post)…
"(My home) is advertised to be auctioned by none other than (CARICOM lawyers) Carrington and Sealy on April 18th.
The travesty and injustice of this situation can be couched in one salient fact. The same CARICOM lawyers of Carrington & Sealy whom, like you, I have beseeched for the documentation at caption i.e. the Instruments of Ratification, from 2007 until now, are the same parties who have been able to rush concomitant litigation through the Barbados courts and get a judgment against David Weekes and IBIS Latin America Corp – two of the plaintiffs in CARICOM's litigation!
This Carrington and Sealy, while stalling our substantive CARICOM case, aided by the fact that the Law Courts of Barbados seems unwilling or incapable of adjudicating my CARICOM civil suit, have simultaneously been able to put my company in court and get a civil judgment, against me, in a personal capacity, not my company, for default on a Central Bank backed Guarantee.
This is the same security my company used to finance the commercialization of the technology that I purport that CARICOM purloined!"
… Business person David Weekes in a letter to Barbados Attorney General Brathwaite
For 5 years CARICOM & Barbados Government refuses to provide Copies of Ratification
It gets even worse, folks. The Barbados Government and CARICOM have a real interest in not providing Mr. Weekes with access to government records that will assist his lawsuit… so Prime Minister Stuart and Attorney General Brathwaite put Mr. Weekes on 'ignore'. He can ask and demand all he wants, but CARICOM and the Barbados Government want him destroyed, so they will not provide the records he needs to pursue his case.
The message of firebombs delivered at 2am
We don't expect that the police will do anything substantial to find the culprits who arsoned what they thought was the Weekes family home: the police are pre-disposed to look the other way when the victim is suing the government. If you need some examples of this normal police blindness, neglect and complicity, just read on.
The Weekes case is yet another real lesson to international investors who might be considering Barbados as an investment or business location. If the deal goes wrong and you go to court, you will soon discover that litigation in Barbados carries risks that aren't part of the court process in New York or London – like firebombs at your family home.
Barbados is a wonderful country with good, friendly and loving people – but we have some serious problems with rule of law, less than independent courts, disappearing government files and court cases that take up to 20 years to reach trial. Throw in the usual threats, arson and intimidation against persons who stand up to the small cartel that runs this place and you'll see that business, investments, oversight and legal recourse in 'Little England' aren't exactly as advertised to prospective foreign investors.
Barbados Free Press has been highlighting this problem for over seven years in hopes of driving change, but this latest arson (yet again!) against a family home shows that when it comes to doing business with and in Barbados… investors and business people had better be prepared for big trouble if it goes wrong – because law suits in Barbados are dangerous business.
A bit of Island History…
When you're growing up, Bim seems so big – but soon you learn how small this place is both in physical size and in how connected everything is to the few cartels that exercise power. When the interests of these cartels are threatened, there is no limit on how vicious and lawless they can become. My fellow Bajans might recoil in horror that I am saying this aloud, but they won't dispute the truth of it.
For the law is merely a tool to be used by those in power as a weapon or a threat – or ignored or sidestepped when convenient. That's why then Prime Minister Owen Arthur appointed his Attorney General and drinking buddy as Chief Justice! When he did that the separation between the government and the court vanished. It can truly be said that under Chief Justice SIR David Simmons, the Barbados Labour Party was the court, and the court was the Barbados Labour Party.
In truly free countries a change in the Constitution or founding documents is approached with extreme caution, and with lengthy due process and respect for history, citizens and a realization that when you mess with the foundation sometimes the whole house suffers. One changes a house foundation with the utmost of care and caution.
In Barbados our elected representatives of the day change the Constitution on a Wednesday afternoon with a week's notice and zero public discussion. That says everything about how our political elites view themselves, the people and the laws. (It is quite possible that with the cartels' disdain for the law and due process that Barbados never legally ratified the CARICOM documents that Mr. Weekes is seeking – and that is the reason that CARICOM and the Barbados government are ignoring him.)
The end result of this elitist arrogance is that when the ordinary person takes the government or the cartels to court, or otherwise threatens them with the truth… very very bad things can happen. Family members lose their jobs. Businesses and homes arsoned. Government Health Inspectors suddenly decide that your farm or restaurant is a hazard when last week it was inspected with no faults. Human feces is smeared on the door handle of your business. 'Stray shots' hit your home, (quite by accident you know). Your child is yanked out of class and interrogated…
…or maybe the police search your vagina looking for documents that prove rent fraud.
Yes. You read that last sentence correctly.
Man, the police can't even solve the assassination of retired Barbados Immigration Chief and former Assistant Superintendent of Police Kenrick Hutson who was gunned down in front of his home on Friday December 28, 2007 while his wife and daughter were inside. What did Hutson know? Who did his knowledge put at risk?
The memory of Kenrick Hutson and how he was assassinated four years ago is long gone from the Barbados news media.
This isn't the Barbados of the Daily Mail travel section, you know. Not by a long shot.
Further reading that will make your hair stand on end…
February 11, 2007: Lawsuit Alleges CARICOM Stole Cricket Visa Technology From Bajan Inventor
February 10, 2007: CARICOM visa regime stumped by lawsuit?
Other incidents of arson, threats etc. connected with anti-government disputes and litigation…
Former Barbados Advocate Editor Says Owen Arthur, Mia Mottley "Evil As Hell The Lot Of Them"
"We were not surprised by the lack of (police) response, especially after repeated death and rape threats against myself and wife and suspected arson attacks were never satisfactorily investigated, despite overwhelming evidence of the source."
…Barbados hotelier and British foreign investor Adrian Loveridge talks about Barbados Police and crime in Selective Denial, Cover-up by Barbados Commissioner of Police
Barbados Police Out Of Control – Journalists Arrested For Reporting On Crooked Cops
Typical Barbados Justice System Follies: Another Police File "Missing" at Director of Public Prosecutions Office
Time To Obtain Justice In Barbados Courts: 17 Years… or Never
Secret Documents Show How The Barbados Government Used The Military To Destroy A Canadian Investor
Arson, Burglary, Bedroom Spying – Three Separate Incidents Make A Bad Day For Fired Barbados Journalist Who Is Critical Of Government
Nitin Amersey – Sea Cotton Story: When The Barbados Government Sent In The Military To Overrule The Barbados Courts!
COVER-UP: Royal Barbados Police Force Ignores Violent Threats To Businessman
Barbados Government Against Witness Intimidation – Unless Done By Powerful Government Insiders
Secret Withdrawal Of Bribery Charges Against Barbados Cop Stinks Of Corruption At The Highest Levels
We Publish All The Documents: Barbados Director Of Public Prosecutions, Police Sgt Paul Vaughan And The Blank Search Warrant Scandal
"In the early hours Tuesday, December 19, 2006 – a few days before Christmas – officers of the Royal Barbados Police Force descended like a gang of wild thugs upon the sleeping family of Mrs. Ronja Juman.
Her offense was not having paid back-rent to her landlord – who happens to be Charles Leacock, Queens Counsel, and the Director of Public Prosecutions for the sovereign nation of Barbados. One of the most powerful men on the island, Mr. Leacock arranged to have officers of the Royal Barbados Police Force collect his back rent from Mrs. Juman – in particular a corrupt police officer named Sgt. Paul Vaughan…
…When Sgt. Vaughan and his police officers entered Ronja Juman's home, terrorised her sleeping family and dragged her off half-naked to the police station for a vaginal search and interrogation over Mr. Leacock's unpaid rent, they used a blank, pre-signed search warrant – a highly illegal act."


text:
Your office copier is an essential piece of equipment, but you probably don't give it much thought beyond pressing the right buttons to print your documents. However, like all machinery, copiers are prone to breakdowns and malfunctions, and when the copier is down your business could grind to a halt. Taking care of your copier with these tips can help prolong it's life and efficiency.
Get the Right Machine and Learn How to Use It
You can't expect a low-end copier to keep up with a high volume of printing, copying, and scanning. Underutilizing your printer can be a problem as well, and not just for your budget. You should pick a copier that matches your workload requirements, and train all employees how to use it. Taking the time to learn about the various functions, as well as how to change the paper and toner can help you get the most out of your copier.
Treat it Right
Copiers, like other machinery, need some special care. Keep food and drinks away, as a coffee spill could destroy your copier. You should also be careful with sharp objects. Scratches on the copier glass can degrade the quality of your copies. You should also be sure to clean your copier according to manufacturer recommendations. This may include regular dusting of the components and vacuuming of the paper drawer. Copiers should be shut off or put in hibernation when not in use. Also remember to clear the hard drive periodically, and be sure no data remains on the hard drive when it's time to trade in the copier.
Partner with MPS
A Managed Print Services provider can help make maintaining your copiers easier and more cost efficient. MPS providers can monitor your print fleet looking for problems proactively, allowing repairs to take place before your equipment shuts down. This combined with regular maintenance can help keep your copier humming along with minimal downtime.
For many offices, the copier is an indispensable piece of equipment. By taking care of your copier and partnering with a Managed Print Services provider, you can enjoy a well-functioning copier with minimal downtime for many years to come.
Have you played our Documents in Jeopardy gameshow yet? Test your document knowledge and you could win an iPad PRO!


text:
Eskom will now implement stage 6 from 12 Pm on Wednesday, until further notice. Due to a high number of breakdowns since midnight, including…
Memeburn's 50+ prominent South African journalists on Twitter
The rapid uptake of Twitter by the general public is often ascribed to celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher, Lady Gaga, and Demi Moore. In South Africa, with the most followed users being mainly celebrities, the situation is similar.
Though this may be true, less recognised, however, is the role the media has played in publicising Twitter. From the New York Times' Nick Kristof to CNN's Anderson Cooper, journalists have taken to Twitter with a gusto.
South African journalists have done the same right along with their international counterparts.
Whether it's been traditional South African media publications looking to Twitter for a gauge of what South Africa's general sentiment on a given topic is — a questionable practice at best in the South African context — or with national debates being sparked off on Twitter, the social network, as in almost every other nation, has gained an incredible influence in the media.
Equally so, even if they aren't the most followed users on Twitter, journalists have gained immense influence and prominence on Twitter.
For this reason, we at Memeburn decided to compile what we believe is a list of the 50 most prominent and influential South African journalists on Twitter. Some of them may already have reached the heights of South Africa's media industry, while others are still climbing that ladder, but all of them are igniting some of the most important conversations shaping South Africa's future in bursts of 140 characters or less.
The 10 listed first — not necessarily the top 10 — comprises those journalists in print, television, and other forms of media who not only shape the conversation on Twitter, but in the real world through their publishing or managing some of SA's top media titles, or influence wielded through television and radio.
Name: Ferial Haffajee
Platform: City Press
Factoid: One of South Africa's leading media practitioners, was previously editor of the Mail & Guardian and a Memeburn contributor in its early days.
Name: Nic Dawes
Platform: Mail & Guardian
Factoid: Before taking over the M&G editorship in 2009, had started out as an investigative and political reporter (read Dawes' interview with Memeburn here).
Name: Vanessa Raphaely
Platform: Associated Magazines
Factoid: Recently stepped down as editor of Cosmopolitan SA (read Raphaely's Q&A on blogging, fashion, and 21st century media with Memeburn here)
Name: Redi Tlhabi
Platform: Talk Radio 702, 567 Cape Talk and a TV show
Factoid: Probably the most influential radio journalist around today.
Name: Ray Hartley
Platform: Sunday Times
Factoid: Has tweeted considerably less these days since becoming editor of the Sunday Times, but one of the early, early adopters.
Name: Yusuf Abramjee
Platform: Primedia
Factoid: Immensely influential in South African media through his roles as head of News at Primedia Broadcasting and the chairman of the National Press Club
Name: Phylicia Oppelt
Platform: The Times
Factoid:Won the 1st for Women Insurance Brokers Women in The Media Award for her editorship of The Times
Name: Peter Bruce
Platform: Business Day
Factoid: Is also a
Name: Janine Jellars
Platform: Seventeen Magezine
Factoid: Her first issue as the new editor of Seventeen magazine recently hit news stands
Name: James Myburgh
Platform: PolitcsWeb
Factoid: Holds a DPhil in Politics from St Antony's at Oxford
Name: Branko Brkic
Platform: Daily Maverick and iMaverick
Factoid:Serbian-South African
Name: Aki Anastasiou
Platform: Talk Radio 702
Factoid: Was the first to bring "Pigspotter" into South African and global prominence after writing about him
Name: Jannie Momberg
Platform: News24
Factoid: With News24 always topping the lists of most popular websites in SA, its editor Momberg wields immense power in SA's online news world
Name: Sam Mkokeli
Platform: Business Day
Factoid: Only opened his account in January, a (fast learning) "Twitter chick"
Name: Brendan Boyle
Platform: Daily Dispatch
Factoid:Previously the Parliamentary Bureau Chief of Avusa Media
Name: Carien Du Plessis
Platform: iMaverick and Daily Maverick
Factoid: Has been rumoured to go to press briefings just for the snacks
Name: Charl Blignaut
Platform: Freelance
Factoid: Pop culture for this pop culture critic is a lot more than Britney Spears
Name: "Dorothy Black"
Platform: Women24
Factoid: Her real name is a closely guarded secret, known only to a select few
Name: Gill Moodie
Platform: Freelance
Factoid: Recently moved to Cape Town and quit smoking
Name: Gabi Ndebele
Platform: City Press
Factoid: Her many well thought-out opinions extend beyond her beat
Name: Gus Silber
Platform: Freelance
Factoid: Creator of the very popular South African version of the "Hitler meme"
Name: Hilton Tarrant
Platform: MoneyWeb
Factoid: Was awarded the 2006 Telkom ICT Journalist of the Year award for the online category and also writes for Memeburn
Name: Ivo Vegter
Name: Ivo Vegter
Platform: Freelance
Factoid: Big, really big, believer in free market economics
Name: Jason Von Berg
Platform: dstv.com
Factoid: One of the first multimedia journalists in SA
Name: Karyn Maughan
Name: Karyn Maughan
Platform: eTV
Factoid: Reliably live-tweets from press-conferences and court cases
Name: Kevin McCallum
Platform: The Star
Factoid: SA's (unofficial) Chief Sports Livetweeter
Name: Kgomosto Matsunyane
Platform: Multimedia
Factoid: Studied politics in the US
Name: Khadija Patel
Platform: iMaverick and Daily Maverick
Factoid: An excellent Twitter-curator, separating truth from rumour, on breaking news from the Middle East
Name: Lerato Tshabalala
Platform: Sunday Times LifeStyle
Factoid: Celebrated for giving a voice to the young urban black woman in her very entertaining fortnightly column in Sunday Times
Name: Lester Kiewit
Platform: eTV
Factoid: Will often tweet pictures and updates of his reports as he compiles them, giving an early taste of the evening news
Name: Lihle Z Mtshali
Platform: Sunday Times
Factoid: Will drive you mad with jealousy as she regales you with stories of life in the glamourous Big Apple
Name: Lindo Xulu
Platform: Financial Mail
Factoid: Writes and tweets about the news that isn't on the front page of your newspaper, but should be
Name: Simon Dingle
Platform: Finweek Magazine and Brainstorm
Factoid: Initially started out in the broadcasting industry
Name: Mandy Wiener
Platform: Eyewitness News
Factoid: Tweets from many press conferences, and introduced central character in the Brett Kebble affair, Glen Agliotti, to Twitter
Name: Matthew Du Plessis
Platform: Mail & Guardian and a column for Cosmoplitan SA
Factoid: Writes some of the
strangestmost original columns
Name: Michelle Solomon
Platform: Freelance
Factoid: A name to remember, as Business Day editor Peter Bruce wrote
Name: Nadia Neophytou
Platform: Freelance
Factoid: Best known for her work as an Entertainment Reporter for Eyewitness News and also contributes to Memeburn from New York
Name: Nickolaus Bauer
Platform: Mail & Guardian and SAfm
Factoid: Also moonlights reporting on the goings on in SA Twitter for the Mail & Guardian
Name: Osiame Molefe
Platform: Daily Maverick and iMaverick
Factoid: A qualified chartered accountant
Name: Samantha Perry
Platform: ITWeb and Brainstorm Magazine
Factoid: Shares a wide range of content from across the web
Name: Simon Williamson
Platform: iMaverick and Daily Maverick
Factoid: South African journo, who was based in Hong Kong, and has recently moved to New York
Name: Sipho Hlongwane
Platform: iMaverick, Daily Maverick, and columns for Cosmpolitan SA, 2oceansvibe and The Big Issue
Factoid: Crossed
swordskeyboards with the ANC Youth League
Name: Stephen Grootes
Platform: Eyewitness news, Daily Maverick, and iMaverick
Factoid: Often is the one who comes up with the hashtags used by South Africans when tweeting about news
Name: Tecla Ciofli
Platform: YourLMG Magazine
Factoid: Her blog was a finalist in the best music blog category in the 2010 SA Blog Awards
Name: Verashni Pillay
Platform: Mail & Guardian Online
Factoid: Been known to stir the right kind of controversy
Name: John Robbie
Platform: Talk Radio 702
Factoid: Started out life as a professional rugby player, going on to represent the British and Irish Lions
Name: Phillip de Wet
Platform: iMaverick and Daily Maverick
Factoid: The Daily Maverick's "live-tweeting specialist" according to his profile on BizCommunity
Name: Siki Mgabadeli
Platform: SAFM
Factoid: Primarily a financial journalist was a senior business news anchor at CNBC Africa
Name: Toby Shapshak
Platform: Stuff Magazine
Factoid: Has covered politics, sport and technology, run online papers and edited a men's mag
Name: Chris Roper
Platform: Mail & Guardian online
Factoid: On top of his duties as the M&G online editor, also has a very entertaining website, with the tagline "stupidity is its own reward"
Name: Duncan McLeod
Platform: TechCentral
Factoid: Was associate editor at the Financial Mail before founding TechCentral in 2009
Name: Roger Hislop
Platform: Gearburn and freelance
Factoid: Contributing editor for Memeburn's gadget sister site
Name: Mandy de Waal
Platform: iMaverick and Daily Maverick
Factoid: Also edits a "bitchin" online business magazine
Name: Nechama Brodie
Platform: Freelance
Factoid: Not only does she write, she sings and plays guitar, and is a boxer


text:
- Description
Product Details
Limelight Women Zora Boots
Limelight Zora Women's Boot
Kick Back In Casual Comfort With The Zora Women's Boot From Limelight. A Clean Silhouette And Delicate Wrap Detail Make This Look Ideal For Any Outfit.
- Patent Upper
- Wrap Detailing
- Zipper Closure
- Heel Height: 3½"


text:
How to use Internal Links In Your Content for SEO
It's no mystery that content is king for Search Engine Optimization. Anyone that writes content knows that you have to cater your writings to both your audience and search engines. The ever-changing formula that is a search engine needs more than just your content alone. Internal linking now supports your traffic more than it ever did.
What is an internal Link?
Internal links are hyperlinks on another page or source on the same domain.
What is an external Link?
An external link is, as you guessed, the opposite of an internal link. And external link goes from another website to your site. External links are important for referral traffic.
Why is Internal Linking Beneficial?
Internal linking is important for 3 reasons.
For SEO: Passing authority from one page to another.
When a website links from one page to another, it gives credibility to your page. Internal links don't increase your websites overall authority, but it does pass authority between the other pages on your website.
For usability: Guiding your audience to high value, converting pages.
Sometimes pages attract many, many visitors. Typically this is because they're already ranked highly or they're shared a lot. These are your conversion champions. Somewhere within your high-traffic pages, link to your high-converting pages.
Conversion: Encouraging your audience to a call-to-action
In most instances, our goal as digital marketers is to prompt your audience to do something. Do your marketing campaigns encourage your audience to take action in any way (call, email, visit a page, etc).
How many internal links?
In all cases, you should never have more than 75-100 links per page, including your navigation. Keep in mind that a large navigation drop down menu can make your internal links add up quick. However, be reasonable. What is reasonable? Nobody really knows. We like to sit at 3-4 internal links per 500 words. There's no right or wrong answer…but we suggest what would be helpful to your audience.
How do I use my internal links?
When possible, write your internal links like Wikipedia does. Use keywords that make sense for your anchors.
How do I decide which links to use?
First, you must recognize that some of your pages are stronger than others. Analyze your pages to see which ones have the most traffic. The best links are the ones deep within a website's structure. Really keep in mind your user's interests and reading flow. When you have an internal link, you're showing your audience that the information is so important that you've already made a "shortcut" for them to go straight there.
Internal linking isn't terribly hard by any means. It's quick, easy, and free. When you have consistent internal linking you're giving off a stronger SEO profile. Do you have internal links structured into your content? Did you know it's never too late to go back through your old content and add internal linking? Let us help you with your content writing and give you the help you need to develop a fantastic internal linking process!
Contact Us
We want to hear from you, so what are you waiting for? Contact us today.Get In Touch
Posted In: SEO and Search Marketing


text:
Glassbusters Inc. is a Glass Company located in Mesa, Arizona servicing both residential and commercial customers. We have been serving Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale, and several other suburbs across the valley for over 25 years. We are known to offer high quality workmanship and materials at competitive prices!
Our Mesa glass shop specializes in glass repair and replacement, custom mirrors, glass shower doors, plastic / safety glass, tabletops, storefronts, screens, window replacement, and much more.
Call (480) 994-5855 for a Free Price Quote!


text:
For a few minutes early on, the game seemed competitive. Syracuse's Melissa Piacentini matched an earlier goal from Boston College, and goalkeeper Jenn Gilligan held off numerous BC attacks to maintain a 1-1 score. There was only so much the junior keeper could do to defend the barrage of shots coming her way, though. Eventually, she conceded two more goals in the period. By the early part of the second period, the BC women's hockey team had thrown open the floodgates.
Throughout its 10-2 victory on Saturday, BC's offense remained patient while controlling the puck on Syracuse's end. The team rarely wasted a possession, consistently battering the front of the net. The Eagles' forwards held better position on their defensive counterparts in this space all afternoon, leading to a commanding 41-17 shot advantage in the game.
Take a pause there, though. Shot differential may say a lot about a matchup, but it doesn't tell the whole story. Just look back to last fall, when No. 4 BC fell to a sub-.500 Syracuse team, 4-1. This loss knocked the Eagles from the top four for the remainder of the year. The shot totals in that game: 44-29, BC.
The difference this year?
"We were able to finish on our opportunities," said BC head coach Katie King Crowley. "Last year, when we were out there, we had opportunities and we didn't finish."
The return of Alex Carpenter did not hurt either. BC's leading scorer during the 2012-13 season missed college hockey last year to play for the U.S. Olympic Team. She waited only one period before returning to BC's score sheet, assisting the Eagles' fourth goal of the night. After adding another assist at the end of the second period, she burst out in the third, netting two goals over a span of 20 seconds.
"It's definitely different when you come back," Crowley said. "I think she's doing a great job. There were some times when I thought she should have passed instead of shot—there were a few times she was trying to make that extra play. She's obviously a great player, and we're happy we have her back."
This offensive onslaught came at an opportune time for BC, which padded its lead in the debut of its newest keeper, freshman Katie Burt.
"I thought she did great," Crowley said. "She stopped the puck when we needed her to, especially at the beginning of the game. I thought she held down the fort when it was only 2-1. I was happy with the way she played. I was happy for her to get that win. She's only 17. She was a young kid coming in, playing in her first college game, and I thought she did a great job."
After two games, the Eagles have provided plenty of reasons to get excited about the season. Two double-digit scoring totals and just three goals allowed shows incredible potential on both sides of the puck.
The scariest part for BC's opponents: everyone is involved. Eleven different players took a shot on goal in the first period alone for the Eagles on Saturday. Ten finished with at least one point, and four finished with at least five. Where last year's team relied most heavily on current junior Haley Skarupa to score, that pressure has been lowered and diverted to Carpenter and others, including five freshmen.
It would be comical to consider BC maintaining a 10-goal average, especially with stouter competition ahead. But if BC's lines can continue to work and develop together, it will likely cause more than a few headaches for Hockey East goalies this year.
Featured Image by Emily Fahey / Heights Editor


text:
This luxurious 5-bedroom villa offers an unrivaled standard of living with outstanding panoramic sea views. The villa was designed to create the ideal open plan lifestyle whilst maintaining a high level of privacy. All 5 bedrooms are en-suite and have been appointed with LCD TVs, luxury king size beds, air conditioning, safes and finished with chic Thai ornaments and artworks. Offering a Large lounge/diner, fully fitted kitchen, large outside covered sala and sundecks, open plan relaxation areas, large infinity pool and bar area. No expense has been spared in the design, construction, and furnishing of this Villa. This stunning property offers expansive views over Chaweng, Chaweng beach and beyond.
Built up area: 752 Sqm's


text:
St. Anthony
Monday - Friday: 8:15 am
Saturday: 4:00 pm
Sunday: 9:30 am
Confession (St. Anthony)
Saturday 3:00 pm
St. Thomas
Sunday: 8:00 am
Mass Times
SCRIP Schedule
Our Liturgical Ministers include: Lector/Reader, Eucharistic Minister, Altar Server, and Usher. Thank you to all who volunteer! We are always in need of more. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the parish office at 715-257-7684 or CONTACT US.
Training will be provided.
If there are some dates that you know that you will not be available, please CONTACT US before the next schedule comes out. Thank you!


text:
Showing gallery: Readathon 2020
Welcome to Readathon 2020
You are welcome to set a certain goal you would like to reach.
The goal of readathons is to help your students read more during a certain time period than you would any other time.
Some examples of
goals: 100 books, 1000 books, 4 books, 1500 pages, half of my TBR pile.
Share the file below and get feedback from your students.
ONLINE LIBRARY - Read-A-Thon 2020
See how many students read every day - Answers Link
Good Luck!!!!


text:
Motorola Droid X2 to Be Available in Some Stores Tomorrow
Earlier today, Verizon finally made the long awaited successor to the original Motorola Droid X, the Motorola Droid X2, official and announced that it would go on sale online tomorrow and in stores in May 26th. However, if you don't want to get it online, it looks like numerous retail locations will have the device in stock tomorrow.
According to Droid-Life, Best Buy and GoWireless will have the device available for purchase, in store, starting tomorrow. No reason was given as to why the device would be available there before the 26th but who's complaining?
If you try and waltz into a Verizon store trying to pick this thing up, you'll probably get laughed out of the place so don't bother going that route.
The Motorola Droid X2 will feature a 1GHz Dual Core processor, 4.3″ qHD display, 8MP camera, Android 2.2 with Android 2.3 coming, mirror mode to stream video and pictures to your HDTV, mobile hotspot support, and SWYPE keyboard pre-installed.
Oh, and it's not free. It'll cost you $199 on a new two year contract with Verizon.


text:
Well good day!
This post is basically just a breakdown of what I do in the morning to my face before work. I find this process to work out the most for me at this very moment, and I am sure it will not be the same for now, but this is what I do now.
After Morning Shower
I make sure to wash my face with warmish water while in the shower, and end my shower with cold(ish) water in order to close my pores and keep my hair from getting to frizzy.
For my face, I try to use as many natural products as possible, just so I know exactly what is going onto my face; it is also easier to decipher exactly what does or does not work with your skin.
Moisturizing and Prepping for the dayI feel like your skin care routine should be ever changing, especially for combination skin like mine, because what I use really depends on what my skin needs for that season, or even that day.
Okay, so what I like to do, is assess the state of my face that morning and work from there. So, I have provided a horrible photo for you to follow along with (Yes, I use bathrobes, and yes, that is a baby pink one).
As you can see from the picture, my eyes are sill quite puffy from sleeping. Also there is (always) discoloration and dehydration in my under eye area from, you guessed it, lack of sleep. My nose area is oftentimes red and oily, however, due to me constantly blowing my nose, it is redder than usual, dry, and sore.
Alright now that all of that is out of the way, lets get to work.
First thing I will do is take a small bit of coconut oil and rub it around my eyes. This is not only to moisturize, it also moves around any remnants of makeup that the face wash might not have gotten off.
The next thing I do is take a face wipe and wipe off the excess coconut oil and also just to quickly wipe down my whole face, focusing on my hairline just to make sure there is no hair products that may have gotten on my face.
Next up I get the holy trinity of products to face the current wintry air.
Lotion (Preferably unscented)
Coconut Oil (I use this in every aspect of my life)
Glycerin (100%)
Next thing I do is take a bit of lotion and mix a bit of glycerin with it. I would say about 3 parts lotion and 1 part glycerin.
I do not recommend putting straight glycerin on your face, because it can overly dry out your face. I feel like I should do a whole post about glycerin, because its honestly there's so much to know about it.
Also side note, glycerin is water soluble, which means you need to make sure your lotion is water based, otherwise it will not mix.Anyway, I basically just put that all over my face, except for under my eyes (because there is already coconut oil). Then I just massage it into my face for about 20 to 30 seconds, to loosen any wrinkles and to just stretch out all of them face muscles. FT I enjoy putting on some music and lighting an incense while I get ready in the morning.
So at this point, I could technically be ready for the day, but alas, we need some makeup. You can check out my next post to see the basic makeup products that I use for a regular work day.


text:
Commentary: The Co$ts of Being a DoctoR
I start this article with a disclaimer: I am not here to comment on the decreasing salaries of physicians or the knowledge that I will never get paid the way the prior generation of doctors got paid. It is hard for me (and the American public) to feel bad for anybody making more than $200,000 a year when the median household income in the nation is in the mid-$40,000 range.
What this article is about is the absurd costs of becoming a doctor (both in medical school and residency). Let me tell you my story to put things in perspective:
I went to a state undergraduate university and, thankfully, left that school with no debt. I then entered a public medical school, with no way of paying the tuition on my own. I faced the decision of taking out loans or dropping medicine and doing something else. I stuck with it — like many of my colleagues — because I could not imagine not being a doctor…and honestly I was naive about the financial hardships I would undergo. I lived at home for two of the four years of medical school, was single for three of those four years, had no kids, and had amazing parents who subsidized my living arrangement with home cooked meals and car insurance payments.
Despite that, at the end of my medical school education, I had acquired $180,000 in Sallie Mae loans (close to the national average), almost all of them with an interest rate of 6.8 percent. To put that into perspective: My monthly interest accrual was around $1,020 a month, and good old Aunty Sallie would capitalize the interest into the principal at the end of every year! Then came residency. Finally, a salary of my own. Or so I thought. The average resident's salary starts between $40,000 and $50,000 a year. At 70 to 80 hours a week of work, that comes out to $9.50 to $12 an hour. Most residencies prohibit moonlighting (for reasons beyond my comprehension—I say ironically!), so the money you get from your institution is the only money you get.
I cleared about $3,000 a month after taxes. One thousand dollars went to paying just the interest on my loans and never touching the principal, and $1,200 went to paying rent (I live in New Jersey, where that is at par for a modest 1 bedroom apartment). I was left with $800 to spend on food ($100-$300, thank God for a mother and mother-in-law who have phenomenal cooking skills), gas ($160), car payments ($200) because you cannot move between three hospitals on public transportation, insurance payments ($200), cell phones ($80) with no landline, internet ($50), and, well… there is no money left. So, I guess I could have just paid the minimum on my loans and have had money for heat and electricity. Problem is, that after five years of residency, I would have owed Ms. Mae close to $250,000.
This is the thing… I was better off than many residents. I had parents who gave me money when I was short and paid my EZPass bills. I went to a public undergrad school (many people I know have debts in the $350,000 range when starting residency). I never had any large unexpected costs during my training (e.g., medical bills, big car bills/accidents). For much of my training, I was not yet a parent. Residency sucks… and not just because of the intensity of the training and the stress of trying your best to become a decent physician.
The real impetus for me to write this has to do with the loads of money I recently dumped to fulfill the next step of my 'training.' What many people outside of medicine might not know about are the enormous costs of tests and licensing that doctors are required to complete to practice medicine. United States Medical Licensing Examination ® Step 1,2,3 tests cost about $2,200. The American Board of Internal Medicine exam costs about $1,200, and the American Academy of Pediatrics board exam costs a whopping $2,250. Most residents spend about $1,000 to $2,000 on prep courses and materials for each of these exams while in residency. And then, there is licensing: a New Jersey state license costs about $1,100. The Drug Enforcement Agency/State Controlled Substance (DEA/CDS) licenses cost another $760, and there are others, depending on your practice. All of this occurs before you make 'doctor money,' all while your student loans continue to grow.
My concern is not for my own misery… that time has passed. My concern has to do with the next generation of physicians who have already started pre-med tracks in their undergrad colleges. What type of candidates will medicine attract when the associated costs of becoming a doctor are no longer the extreme intellectual rigor and high academic expectations of the training… but instead, financial suffering? To put it in plain English… Who in their right mind would do this when you know you are putting yourself, and potentially your family, in great financial peril?
My inner optimist tells me that there will always be a group of highly motivated people who will bear the difficulties, because the goal is lofty and righteous enough to keep their eyes on the prize. But what are we saying as a society when we make an education in healing so difficult to attain?
Ahmad Yousaf, MD, is the 2015-16 Ambulatory Chief Resident in Internal Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
Enjoyed reading Khabar magazine? Subscribe to Khabar and get a full digital copy of this Indian-American community magazine.
blog comments powered by Disqus