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Something I found among my old files, a "Free Child Admission" flier for Jeremy Allen's Grand Illusions magic show in the Wisconsin Dells, when it was at the CHula Vista Resort in 2009. After that, the show moved to it's own location in the Dells downtown area, where Jeremy Allen amused audiences with all sorts of tricks for the better part of a decade. Now, the Grand Illusions Theater's building is slated for demolition to make way for yet more redevelopment, which means the Grand Illusions are likely moving to an even "grander" home in the future.
This was a really (like ridiculously so) glossy card, and as such it's reflected all sorts of smudges onto the Epson V33 that aren't visible to the naked eye, and very well may just be on the scanners' glass too. Of all the scans, this was the "best" of the bunch, apologies I couldn't get it to scan in better.
|Aug 19 '18


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I don't think so. I will still continue to scribble ideas and words of wisdom that I read. I cannot imagine abandoning my pens and highlighters in their vibrant colors.
I enjoy collecting notebooks. By the way, I am not the only one. I discovered that there are several blogs and podcasts about pens and notebooks.
These are the ones I use to copy the original, practical ideas of creative educators.
I keep a French looking, made in China, notebook that I call 'Odds and Sods to Share with students.'
Tomorrow I will tell my ELLs that Harvard is right. When interacting and annotating text, students should give the ubiquitous highlighter a rest and use pencil to underline and circle.
Research into retrieval strategies that best help students include the flash card. The highlighter effect on revising is similar to coloring in with a puce-clored Crayola marker.
Got to love Quizlet.

subset: commoncrawl


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Snoopy presenta: Por los viejos tiempos
After finding out her grandmother won't be visiting for Christmas, Lucy decides to cheer herself up by throwing the ultimate New Year's Eve party. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown tries to fulfill one of his resolutions before the clock strikes midnight.
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family
Director: Clay Kaytis
Actors: Charlie Boyle, Cory Doran, Etienne Kellici, Hattie Kragten, Jacob Soley, Katie Griffin, Lexi Perri, Maya Misaljevic, Rob Tinkler, Terry McGurrin, Wyatt White
Duration: 40
Release: 2021
IMDb: 7.4


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We know the law, we have experience in its application and we are rigorous in the precision of our advice and sponsorship, maintaining our professional practice under a culture of rigor in respect to the norm, focused on the fulfillment of the interests of our clients, always following our ethical and moral values and principles.
We are known for accompanying and advising our clients in a personalized, comprehensive, creative and efficient way to make decisions in their projects, objectives and initiatives. Our objective is to generate long-term relationships with our clients, with a professional, strategic and efficient service that generates and exceeds the expected results.


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Volunteering Event – 30 January- Common Along
On the common
- 30 Jan 2020
- 10am - 3pm
- Southborough
Join us for the usual, thinning and scrub clearing in various locations on the common.
Venue- Southborough common, TN4 0RU
All tasks are led by qualified Countryside staff who provide all tools and training.
Please wear suitable clothing and bring a packed lunch. We provide drinks and biscuits.
For more information please call 01580 212972
About Kent High Weald Partnership:
KHWP is a non-profit making countryside management partnership started in 1991 and based in the Borough of Tunbridge Wells.
We work with the whole community, linking people and the countryside, by raising awareness and encouraging action through various projects and events.


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Ask any parent you know and she's bound to tell you she wishes she could help out more at her child's school. We all know that parental involvement is a crucial part of a child's education, but with so many of us trying to juggle commitments at work and commitments at home, it doesn't leave a whole lot of time for volunteering in the classroom. But that doesn't mean you can't provide some valuable support to your child's teacher. Consider these non-classroom based ways to volunteer:
- Ask your child's teacher what she needs for the classroom and buy it. Twenty-five years of teaching in the Maine school system has taught kindergarten teacher Carol Turner that "parents want to make themselves available but they don't know in what way." Turner says that sometimes parents don't know how to help because teachers aren't communicating their need for supplies. "Especially new teachers are reluctant," says Mrs. Turner. "They think if it's going to cost money, then they shouldn't be asking for it, when, in fact, parents would be more than happy to help, especially if they can't make it into the classroom." Most of the time the supplies teachers need are small necessities a school budget may not provide for: Ziploc bags, tissues, an extra pair of snow pants to keep in the classroom or, Turner says, "it can be as simple as purchasing office supplies."
- Create a virtual bulletin board. If you think that sitting in front of your computer won't be very helpful to your child's teacher, then ask yourself: when was the last time you really read one of the crumpled-up missives from school that made it out of your child's backpack and onto the kitchen counter? Setting up and maintaining a classroom website that parents can check for announcements and needed supplies is a great way to volunteer. Not only does it reduce the amount of paper coming home, but it reduces the teacher's workload too; all she needs to do is email you with updates.
- Be kind. In-kind donations are a way to give of yourself; you may not have the money to buy supplies for the classroom, but you surely have a talent or skill from which a teacher could benefit. Put your green thumb to use: consider planting a classroom garden and providing the students with tips of how to take proper care of it. Use your artistic eye to create a community display of student artwork. Help fix the wobbly bookshelves in the classroom or, better yet, build some new ones for your child's teacher. No matter what your field of expertise is, there's a way to use your talents to improve your child's classroom.
- Be a new-age PTA parent--participate online. As James Martinez of the National PTA tells us: "Technology has certainly played a huge role in parent involvement. Our PTAs are having meetings online and they're hosting podcasts. If you want to be involved, but you don't have time, you don't have to go to the meeting; you can watch online or go to the chat room." Of course, online participation can't take the place of the social component of PTA meetings, but it can help you be involved if meetings are scheduled during your workday.
- Be an old-fashioned PTA parent--be a room parent. Dedicate yourself to helping the classroom teacher prepare materials and coordinate events. According to Turner, not only can a room parent "help with the logistics of whatever is needed," but there's always a need for someone to help out with all the prep work that goes into daily classroom activities: cutting, laminating, photocopying and library cataloging. Most of these things can even be done in your own living room.
The bottom line is it doesn't matter how you volunteer—just that you do it! Whether you're buying, building or behind the scenes, your child (and his teacher) will benefit from your participation.


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Detecting And Controlling Insect Vectors In Urban Environments: Novel Bayesian Methods For Complex Spatial Data
Date of Award
Degree Type
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Graduate Group
Epidemiology & Biostatistics
First Advisor
Jason A. Roy
Second Advisor
Michael Z. Levy
Efforts to control the spread of vector-borne diseases often focus on the vector itself. Here, we develop novel methods to strategically guide the search for vectors over urban landscapes. The methodology is motivated by Triatoma infestans, the vector of Chagas disease, a re-emerging vector in Arequipa, Peru. We first propose a novel stochastic epidemic model that incorporates both the counts of disease vectors at each observed house and the complex spatial dispersal dynamics. The goal of our analysis is to predict and identify houses that are infested with T. infestans for entomological inspection and insecticide treatment. A Bayesian method is used to augment the observed data, estimate the insect population growth and dispersal parameters, and determine posterior infestation probabilities of households. We investigate the properties of the model through simulation studies and implement the strategy in a region of Arequipa by inspecting houses with the highest posterior probabilities of infestation and report the results from the field study. After piloting this model in the field and assessing the strengths and weaknesses, we propose a much faster method that extends a Gaussian Field (GF) model to incorporate the urban landscape. GF models can be used to create risk maps of vector presence across large urban environments. However, these models do not typically account for the possibility that city streets function as permeable barriers for insect vectors. We extend GF models to account for this urban landscape. We demonstrate our method on simulated datasets and then apply it to data on T. infestans. We estimate that streets increase the effect of distance on the probability of vector presence at least 1.5 fold compared to the undivided environment. Lastly, we propose a Bayesian generalized multivariate conditional autoregressive approach to jointly model the distribution of vectors, T. infestans, with the proportion of vectors that carry the parasite of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi. We demonstrate the properties of the model using simulation studies, and apply the method to data from Arequipa.
Recommended Citation
Billig, Erica, "Detecting And Controlling Insect Vectors In Urban Environments: Novel Bayesian Methods For Complex Spatial Data" (2017). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 2193.


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GENEVA, Switzerland – Formula 1 CEO and chairman Chase Carey says that Liberty Media has begun to narrow down its target cities for a second grand prix in the United States.
Liberty Media completed its takeover of F1 in January, with Carey being appointed the sport's new chief in place of Bernie Ecclestone.
Liberty has expressed a desire to expand F1's footprint in key markets such as the United States, with a second grand prix to accompany the existing USGP at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas being a key objective.
Speaking to reporters at the FIA Sport Conference in Geneva earlier this week, Carey confirmed that Liberty was continuing to explore options for a second US race, narrowing down the possible locations.
"There's probably some that we've ruled out, but it's certainly more than a few. We still have multiple cities, and in a couple of cities, there are multiple options or multiple potential options," Carey said.
"I don't think we're going to get too deep into what I think are private discussions. I think these discussions are better-had privately between parties. We're not looking to go out and publicly play cities against each other and venues against each other.
"I think we want to make a decision that's best on the merits for the sport and its fans. It's a priority so we're actively engaged on it. We're moving forward, but we're not going to put a deadline on it or go through the process publicly."
Carey has previously expressed a strong desire to take F1 to big cities all over the world, and named New York, Miami and Las Vegas as possible targets for street events, although he recognized that getting grands prix in the very heart of them may prove difficult.
"I don't think they'll be [permanent] tracks, because I guess the cities we've cited like New York, Miami, Las Vegas, there aren't tracks. So we're not going to build a track in Miami or New York," Carey said.
"But I don't think we're going to be racing down 5th Avenue in Manhattan either, so I think we like the connection to cities.
"By definition in those certain places we'll use street races that will be upgraded to a place where they have the quality and requirements necessary to host a race.
"So clearly there will have to be things done to make that circuit ready."
F1 is also set to put on more events in cities in host nations in the lead up to grand prix weekends, with several days of activities being the goal for Liberty moving forward in a bid to build interest.
"We'd like to be connected to the city. In many ways if you want a week-long event the events up to the race weekend are probably more city-centric and you evolve towards the track as you get to Friday, Saturday, Sunday," Carey said.
"So having that connection to the city is something that we lack. I think we can make it work in places where they're further afield as some of the historic tracks exist, but I think that connection to the city enhances the ability to engage the city.
"Silverstone is a way outside London and yet we're going to have stuff in London that is celebrating the week in Silverstone.
"So just because you have the distance, I think if we have the opportunity to be more connected to the city, we think that presents interesting and fun opportunities."


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Thing #4 – God Commanding Violence in the Old Testament
This one was beyond embarrassing. This issue calls into question the biblical claim that God is loving and good.
Of course, as a kid I grew up with lovey-dovey Christianity, believing that Jesus was all about loving everybody. But at the secular art college where I studied painting, my seasoned, cynical, liberal arts professors reeeelly pressed this point of the supposed "two different Gods" presented in the Bible – the Old Testament God of vengeance vs the New Testament God of love. And the Old Testament God was not merely passive-aggressive, or theoretically OK with violence. At times He specifically commanded Israel to mercilessly slaughter even the women, children, and animals of Israel's enemies Furthermore, Israel was initially the aggressor, with "God's blessing," wiping out people groups with the aim of occupying their land. On one hand, the OT presents the idea that YHWH is unique, and above all other gods, but His commands to Israel to slaughter her enemies suggests that He is no different from any other war-like, barbaric, us-vs-them god.
Furthermore, I hope we can all agree that "God wants me to kill these people" is horrible foreign policy for our world, yet we still have precisely this kind of reasoning guiding militant Islam today. How can Bible lovers like myself say this thinking was OK for ancient Israel but not for contemporary Islam?
In light of Israel's role in the world as stated in the Bible, I see three reasons for God commanding violence:
1 – The "J"-word
If God conceived and created all of life, then He has ultimate authority, and we are accountable to Him. The Bible portrays all of humanity as lost and dying. With Abraham, God established the nation of Israel and explicitly stated that Israel's role in the world was to be a blessing to all the families of the earth (Gen 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14.) He promised a land to Abraham's descendants at this time. Later, under Moses, God delivered His Torah (Law) to serve as a guide to His "witness people" and a witness to the surrounding nations (Deut 4:7,8.)
So…how does killing off the surrounding nations constitute being a light and a blessing?
Initially, the Torah states that God was using Israel as an instrument of His judgment against the inhabitants of the Promised Land. It says He withheld judgment against those inhabitants for 400 years "until their iniquity was complete" (Gen 15:15,16.) We are told the nature of their iniquity: rampant violence and murder, thievery, rape, prostitution, incest, bestiality, and child abuse including routine child burning in sacrifice to their false gods (Lev ch 18, specifically v 24, 25.) This describes a society, most of the inhabitants of which would be imprisoned or on death row in our legal system. This was a time before there was such a thing as spiritual re-birth, or even 12-step programs. The picture is of a society openly practicing evil (which always entails harming others,) liking it that way, and passing it on to their children. For example the story of Sodom says that the men of the city, "both young and old, to the last man" came out to gang rape Lot's guests.
Justice is part of goodness and love. It is not good or loving to any party to let a playground bully have his way everyday with the other children on the playground. Good authority must step in to keep evil in check. It must also be remembered that Israel herself was not exempt from judgment. God promised to use the nations to visit the same judgment upon Israel should she turn from God's covenant, as eventually happened.
If the idea of God using Israel to judge the surrounding nations is objectionable to you, I would sincerely like to hear your ideas as to what you think God should have done instead to keep violence and evil in check. (Call out the UN Peacekeeping Force?) Even today, the world's peace loving and "enlightened" nations are sometimes forced to revert to warfare in order to keep greater evils in check. Ultimately the spiritually corrupt state of the human condition is the reason God sent a Savior. In part, the Torah was designed as a temporal agent to set a reasonable standard for Israel and the nations until the Messiah's coming (Gal 3:23-25.) The whole batch of humanity was lost, and pretty much rotting from the inside out.
2 – Extreme intervention
Many Bible critics seem to assume that if God commands something anywhere in the Bible, then He must think it is categorically right and good. But we can easily see that this is not the case, neither in the Bible nor in the rest of life. For example when my children were toddlers, I absolutely did not allow them to cross the street by themselves. Now that they are grown, I expect them to.
Similarly, one can't isolate a biblical command of God and claim that it represents God's perfect ideal when the whole of the Bible claims that it does not. The Bible's linear, progressive, unfolding revelation is consistent both with itself and with the world we know. If a skeptic's argument ignores the whole, he forfeits his right to argue against the legitimacy of the Bible. His argument is simply reduced to "I really don't like that part of the Bible." To which I might reply, "I'm with you bro. I don't like that part either. And apparently God didn't like it either, seeing as He sent a Messiah."
A benevolent doctor may prescribe chemotherapy for a cancer patient, even though chemo would be a terrible prescription for a healthy, cancer-free person. The benevolent doctor may even need to amputate a limb in order to save the larger body, though this would appear unspeakably cruel to an uninformed onlooker. However, it would be wrong to call the character of the doctor into question unless he goes around sadistically cutting limbs off of healthily functioning people.
Perhaps God viewed the cutting off of the depraved nations inhabiting the promised land as an amputation; an intervention necessary to spare the larger body of the human race, until such time as something better – true healing and guidance – could be brought into play. The cancer of sin threatened to bring judgment down upon all of humanity again, as with Noah's flood. Eventually, God's Messiah would come to deal with the sin issue once and for all. God would judge sin in the Messiah, and introduce the possibility of spiritual rebirth to humanity.
The Bible states that God is not categorically happy with slaughtering evil people. Several times He states that this is not His first choice: "As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked should turn from his way and live…" (Ezek 33:11, see also 18:23 & 32.)
3 – Prefiguring better realities
Now comes a surprise. In a previous post I wrote of God's vision for Jewish-gentile unity, and how the coming of the Messiah has made this possible. The apostle Paul writes of this unity in an often-overlooked passage in his letter to the Romans, chapter 15:8-12. Here he quotes prophetic passages from Moses, King David, and the prophets to make his case:
"For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised [the Jews] to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. As it is written,
'Therefore I will praise thee among the gentiles, and sing to thy name'; [David – Ps 18:49]
And again it is said, 'Rejoice, O gentiles, with his people'; [Moses – Deut 32:43]
And again, 'Praise the Lord all gentiles, and let all the people praise Him'; [David – Ps 117:1]
And further Isaiah says, 'The root of Jesse shall come, He who rises to rule the gentiles; in Him shall the gentiles hope.'" [Isaiah – 11:10]
Don't these Old Testament quotations sound nice? They're not. In what appears to be a feat of dishonest interpretive gymnastics, Paul cites one of the bloodiest Psalms of David as a prophetic statement on Jewish-gentile unity! Psalm 18:49 is, in fact, David thanking God for giving him victory over his gentile enemies. In other words, he killed them. This Psalm contains statements such as,
"I pursued my enemies and overtook them; and did not turn back till they were consumed. I thrust them through so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet…" and, "…I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets." (v 37, 38, & 42)
Wow. What possible justification could Paul have for using the warrior-king's exultations to speak of unity and friendship with the nations?
Well…exactly the same justification that he had to interpret every other aspect of the Mosaic Covenant as a foreshadowing of the new and better spiritual realities that arrived with the Messiah's New Covenant. From top to bottom, every aspect of the Torah and the prophets has been (or will be) fulfilled in the Messiah, and is now translated into spiritual terms, according to the teaching of Jesus and His apostles. This is not some interpretive sleight of hand. This IS what all the Torah and the prophets pointed to and looked forward to. This is what all of creation and its Creator have been waiting for. It's the historic coming of salvation and the kingdom of God, entering into our present, corrupt age. It comes with an invitation, with the aim of eventually unifying all things (Eph 1:9,10.)
Specifically, New Covenant teaching acknowledges a warfare, but says we no longer fight against flesh and blood. Neither are our armor and weaponry material (Eph 6:11-17.) We still invade nations on behalf of a kingdom, but we bring a message of love and salvation, never a sword. We do hope to see the inhabitants of all nations individually surrender to Israel's God, but not as prisoners. We surrender to the Lordship of Jesus, becoming spiritual sons and daughters of our Creator, and co-heirs with believing Israel.
In keeping with this radical New Covenant way of thinking, Jesus says things like, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies…" (Mt 5:43,44.) And we have apostolic teaching agreeing, "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God…" (2 Cor 10:3-5.)
I don't believe that King David had the slightest inkling that what He was writing had anything to do with an eventual New Covenant wherein God's people would love their enemies. Nor did Moses have a clue that the feasts of Israel in Leviticus had anything to do with prefiguring the work of a Messiah who would come two millennia later. These prophets were immersed in the dispensation of the Old Covenant under which they lived, and what they wrote was in complete fidelity with that context. The fact that there is a precise, uncanny correspondence between the Old and New Covenants over a period of several millennia is due only to the genius of God.
Clearly, Mohammad also had no inkling of these things when he founded Islam, 600 years after Jesus established His New Covenant. Despite the Koran's repeated claims that it supports the Gospels, it clearly does not. In fact the Koran contradicts all that Jesus accomplished, reverting back to physical terms and conditions similar to those of the old Mosaic Covenant, including the recognition and slaughter of Islam's human enemies. Islam's prophet was a warrior. There is no new covenant in the Koran.
In the teaching of Jesus and His apostles we see a revolutionary, seismic change that far transcends the time in which it was written. Specifically, in the New Covenant of Jesus we see the elimination of ethnic differences (no Jew or Greek,) status and economic differences (no slave or free,) and gender differences (no male or female.) Freaking revolutionary.
"For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus…" (Gal 3:27-28; also Col 3:9-11.)
(Thanks to Pastor Jonathan Williams for first pointing out the Romans 15 passage to me.)


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In the Web journalism world, it is hard to find someone who has been more of a pioneer than Jim Brady. From being a print sports reporter to becoming the executive editor at Washingtonpost.com to, most recently, launching (then leaving) TBD.com as the general manager, his career path is a proven track record committed to exploring Web journalism.
For this week's post, I had the privilege to "talk" with Brady a few days after he was the guest host on #wjchat, a weekly Web journalism chat held through Twitter. There were a few questions we had to cut because of time and hope to ask and explore them here. [NOTE: Play back the raw interview here]
Can you tell me a little about your background? Mainly, what was your first Web journalism job? How did you start? What was the environment like at the time? The culture?
The first Web job I had was in 1995. I'd been a sportswriter at The Washington Post for a while, and had always been interested in new media, as they called it back then. I had a Prodigy account, an AOL account and even an eWorld account. Loved the idea of getting information whenever and however I wanted, but there was no practical application for a journalist to work online in the early 1990s. But then The Post launched a subsidiary called Digital Ink, and I joined in April 1995 to help it launch The Post's first online adventure. We were a channel on a dial-up proprietary system called AT&T Interchange, which launched in late 1995. But we jumped on the proprietary bandwagon right as the Web took off, so we quickly shuttered our presence on Interchange and I was sports editor [for] the team that launched Washingtonpost.com in June 1996.
The culture was totally freewheeling and wide open, and none of the Web-print newsroom tensions existed at that point because, frankly, very few people at the paper gave a crap about what we were doing. We had an amazing creative bunch of folks there at that time, and many of them are still in digital media. It was a blast.
You have an amazing Web journalist, pioneering career. Your last adventure was with the D.C. local start-up TBD. Can you describe the news org for folks? And, the question on people's minds, the reason why you left it?
The concept of TBD was to produce a local news operation that wasn't just on the Web, but OF the Web. What that meant, in my view, was avoiding the trap of producing traditional journalistic forms and just throwing them up on the Web. To truly be OF the Web, you have to produce journalism in ways that works in that medium. Sometimes, that still means producing a traditional all-text narrative. But, more than that, it means truly engaging with your audience, which we did via very aggressive conversation and newsgathering done via social media, via live chats and by building a network of more than 200 local blogs and linking to them and selling advertising for many of them. Being of the Web means linking to other sites, so that you can become the first stop for readers interested in a topic and expose them to multiple voices in a region. It means not viewing mobile at something you have to do to check a box, but truly making an effort to produce a mobile site that thinks about that kind of information someone would want when disconnected from a laptop or desktop. It means not viewing the Web as just another platform. I hate the term "platform agnostic." I think it's totally backwards. Some content works on multiple platforms; most of it does not. So we tried to blend these elements — all of which had been done separately in other places — into a unique local blend. And the audience response and traffic suggests TBD is on to something. And many of the calls I've gotten about consulting are asking for guidance on how we built TBD, which suggests others see it as a viable model as well.
As for why I left, despite the vision I just laid out, ownership of the company I worked for, Allbritton Communications, suggested we were out ahead of the audience and that we should scale back some of the aforementioned elements and focus on hiring more reporters and scaling back on the stuff I thought made us unique. We tried to find a middle ground, but in the end, there just wasn't any. Both sides were pretty strong-willed in what they thought was right, and, as I told my friends, when you get into a significant dispute with the owner of a company, you're always the one who ends up leaving. 🙂
True. What do you make of the reactions about your departure? It seemed to be the talk of Web journalism, for better or worse.
Well, I think the fact so many people were so surprised suggests to me that they also thought we were doing something interesting, different and worth watching. Don't get me wrong, there was a lot we were still struggling with, and the site launched with about half of what we originally envisioned. So we had a ways to go. But the reaction, the comments I've gotten and the desire for many others in media to get more details on what we were doing suggests there's something there. And people should continue to keep an eye on TBD. Erik Wemple is a tremendous editor, Steve Chaggaris has done an amazing job leading the TV side of TBD and there's a ton of talent there that will continue to do interesting things, assuming management doesn't declaw the good ideas over the coming months.
You talked a little about it during #wjchat, but can you talk about what's next for you. What are you looking for? You mentioned people want to talk to you about replicating TBD's successes, is that the immediate future for you? What's your dream gig, anyway?
Honestly, I don't know at this point. Going to start consulting next week, and have a few gigs lined up, some longer term and some one-day jobs. But I want to be patient and wait for something that's the perfect fit. I know what I don't want to do, and that's go back into a newsroom full-time and evangelize the Web anymore. I freely admit to being tired of that particular part of working in legacy media. I have reached the point where, after 15 years, the burden of proof really needs to shift to those who have decided to keep their heads in the sand. I don't think I should have to explain to journalists why they need to pay attention to the Web; I think the companies they work for are owed an explanation by those folks as to why they're not paying attention. To be fair, I think those folks are in the minority in newsrooms now, but many still holds positions of significant power, and getting the Web and print or TV or radio to work together requires real effort from both sides, and that effort needs to start from the highest levels of a company. But if I can find a job where that's not a key component, that's great. But what's most important to me in the next job is to replicate the startup feel that the folks at TBD had for a while. The ability to launch something new, with a talented staff you get to hire and supportive management, is something I want to do before I get out of the business. I felt like we were close to that at TBD, but didn't quite get the complete support of management there, though Robert [Allbritton] deserves a lot of credit for having the guts to support the idea.
Why do you think that is… that makes leadership/management still not understand or value the Web and its opportunities/possibilities? And what advice, if any, do you have to those that are still in newsrooms fighting this good fight?
Well, let's be honest: A lot of it has to do with revenue. The legacy businesses still drive a significant majority of the revenue. And no one is suggesting — as I often see ill-informed types write on Twitter — that most of us digital types want companies to shut down those businesses. We don't, and they can't. But you see places where 80 percent of the revenue is from a legacy business, and 90 percent of mindshare is going toward the legacy business. To me, to have an effective long view, companies should be spending half their mindshare trying to build a business model in the medium that is clearly going to the future of most of these companies. That's the frustration. I think people get that the Web is a huge part of the future, but for whatever reason, it's still hard to get those folks to actually focus on it.
As for those still fighting the good fight, my advice is the same as its always been: To be successful getting newsrooms engaged in fighting on the Web, you have to show them what they get out of it, other than an occasional pat on the back. Find a few pioneers in your newsroom who are willing to try anything, then make sure the rest of the newsroom knows about those successes, which inevitably appeals to the competitive nature of journalists. And do everything you can to make sure successes are celebrated at the highest levels of the company. One of my criticisms of the management at Allbritton is that they never got TBD and Channel 7 together to share an overall vision of why the entire project had been greenlit. You need air cover from management in cases where you're trying something new. The mangers and staffers lower down in the org have to make the day-to-day work, but without public top-level management support, it makes the battles in the trenches much harder.
Can you briefly talk about how you got started with TBD. Did someone approach you? Did you pitch the idea to someone?
I met with Robert Allbritton when I was doing some consulting for Politico, and he asked me what I was interested in doing next, and I mentioned local as something – based on my experience at The Post – [that] seemed like a real opportunity. He was interested, so I went off for a few months and pulled together a business plan, a competitive analysis and a strategy for the site. He thought about it for a while, and decided to go ahead and do it, to which I owe him greatly.
Because of time, we had to cut out some audience questions from #wjchat … I'd like to ask you a couple of them here. The first one is from Saleem Khan (@saleemkhan): If you were launching a news startup today [@TBD-scale and bootstrapped] what would you do differently?
First one is obviously [to] pick a niche. (Although we did that at TBD as well, though it was a big niche called "local"). As for what I'd do differently, I think the first part is to have a sales force with deep digital backgrounds. That was the original plan at TBD, and we hired some talented people with digital chops. But the company changed the structure before launch, and all those folks were put under the TV sales structure, and all soon left. I think that was a mistake. The TV sales forces did a pretty good job of selling the site once it launched, but we struggled to get traction in any sales area outside straight CPM-based display, and I don't think that's enough to support the site long term. That's why we had the blog network and wanted to focus on selling geo-targeted ads and maybe even get into providing some self-serve tools for smaller local advertisers. But we didn't get anywhere with those, and do think some other revenue streams will be needed. So my biggest piece of advice is to hire people who know the medium in which you're living.
The next question comes from Sarah Fidelibus (@verbalcupcake): What startups have particularly impressed you? What have they've gotten "right"? Who has a biz model that you think is working well? Examples? What are they doing right, and how so? (These were two separate tweets from Sarah.)
I think there are different types of startups that have impressed me, and in different niches. On the news side, I do like what many of the non-profits are doing. I think ProPublica does phenomenal work on the investigative and data sides, and it's been interesting to track local startups like MinnPost, Texas Tribune, Voice of San Diego and Bay Citizen. I also find myself fascinated by location-based services like Twitter and Gowalla. I am not quite sure how they tie into local journalism yet, but there's an answer there, which [is] why I check in just about everywhere on FourSquare. I think that's the only way to really learn about these things. I am also really interested in what SB Nation is doing here in DC. They've done a great job of aggregating strong voices throughout the world of sports, telling stories in a more fun and more open way than most sports sites, and they seemed to have managed to tap into the community nature of sports that even an amazing site like ESPN can't quite go at as hard, because they have so much stuff from their various platforms to promote.
As for the business models, I think we'd all agree there [isn't] a massive list of new news sites that are making a ton of profit at this point. Honestly, that's part of the reason the TBD idea seemed so interesting for me to pursue: I think, even if we figure out how we best evolve journalistically to the Web, it won't much matter if we don't get the business side figured out. And as someone pointed out during the wjchat the other night, I think the business side is farther behind in figuring out the Web than the newsrooms are. But neither side is where it needs to be yet.
Agreed. The last crowdsoured question comes from Andy Boyle (@andymboyle): I heard you very much dislike the "Web producer" title of people. Or so you said at Nebraska. Tell us more?
Yeah, not a big fan of that title, but only because I don't think a lot of people in legacy newsrooms know what the hell it means. As a result, I think sometimes Web producers are treated like technical people and not the journalists that they almost always are. So you hear stories where a Web producer is handed a headline and blurb to post by a newspaper staffer because that person doesn't realize the producer actually can do that task as well. There are a lot of titles on Web teams that don't always explain what someone actually does. Sad that issue still exists, but I do expect that, over time, titles will flatten out and everyone will understand what everyone else does. But, sadly, we don't seem to be there yet. I think, what it really comes down to is that, as long as people understand your skill set and what you do, you can give them the title of the "king of the universe" if you want. Understanding who someone is ends up being far more important than what they're called.
Titles certainly have been somewhat of a joke in the Web journalism world. I was feeling good about my "Director" title until I met a "Senior Director." But putting those labels aside, how do you describe your skills… how do you describe what you do in journalism? Meaning, I'm a journalist… more specifically a Web journalist. But, I've been describing what I do as being more like a Mad Scientist for journalism. A guy that bridges tech and journalism for the advancement of storytelling/journalism. How would you/do you describe what you do?
I am a journalist who speaks multiple "languages," if you will. I understand the differences between platforms. I am a journalist who advocates assessing a story first, and then determining the best tools to tell it effectively, as opposed to going into a story knowing it'll be text or video or photos, etc. But it's a good question. I've never really boiled it down to a sentence. I guess I'd call myself a journalist who has found his true home in digital, but still rents a house in other media.
Ha! Well said, sir. I have so many more questions to ask… but we are running out of time. Let me ask you one final question that I've been asking journos for the last few months. In your career, you've had your ups and your downs… not to sound to negative, but as Web journos we get frustrated… but any way you look at it, we're still here trying. Why? Why do you stay in this business? What keeps you going and fighting and evolving? Why are you a journalist?
Well, as to the question of why, I saw "All the President's Men" in the theater with my parents when I was seven, and am probably still one of the only kids who always thought it was a cooler movie than "Star Wars." So I fell in love with journalism at that point. But in the early years of my career, I started getting really interested in technology as well, and damn near almost quit the business in 1992 to go get a computer science degree. So the last 15 years of my life have been wonderful, as I've gotten the chance to mix two real passions. As for why it's important to keep pushing, it's trite and simple: The journalism business — and I use the word business intentionally — is in trouble, and journalism remains a crucial piece of our democracy and I fear for its future. Even though the money isn't where it needs to be on the digital side, I find it thrilling to be aboard the ship that [is] going to eventually be the rescue ship. So that, to me, is where I find the excitement and desire to charge on. Having said that, I'm at a point now where I'd rather go off and build a whole new digital ship and leave the evangelizing to others. I'm starting to believe the future of journalism may well be a whole host of shiny brand-new ships as opposed to the repainted ships of old. I expect the major media companies of today to be around going forward, but they're going to have to survive against a whole host of new competitors.
Well, I never thought I'd see a sentence that [would compare] both "All the President's Men" and "Star Wars" … perhaps one can argue that Woodward and Bernstein were the Luke and Han for newspapers in their day.
I always said that the character of Darth Vader had nothing on Ben Bradlee in that movie. He was a much cooler cat, if you ask me.
Ha! Well, thank you Jim for taking the time. I really appreciate it.
My pleasure. Thanks for the great questions, and for hosting wjchat the other night. Fun times.
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Robert Hernandez is a Web Journalism professor at USC Annenberg and co-creator of #wjchat, a weekly chat for Web Journalists held on Twitter. You can contact him by e-mail ([email protected]) or through Twitter (@webjournalist). Yes, he's a tech/journo geek.


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Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Germany are spending at least 0.7% of their gross national income (GNI) on development aid, Belgium only 0.49%. 0.7% is the minimum to which Belgium has committed itself internationally and in its coalition agreement. Within development aid expenditure, the government should spend at least 15% on health, including sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Restraints in Belgium's support for the uptake of HIV
The direct expenditure for the uptake of HIV and AIDS dropped by 17%, from €15.6 million to €12.9 million. The majority of the expenditure in the health sector would be beneficial to the uptake of HIV though. However, attention for HIV in other sectors, such as education, infrastructure or agriculture dropped from €305 million to €284 million in expenditure that would also benefit the uptake of HIV. All this while for countries with high HIV-prevalence rates, a multi-sectoral approach to the epidemic is the only effective and sustainable answer. Sensoa thus recommends increasing the expenditure for the uptake of HIV and not to limit attention for HIV to the health sector.
Lack of transparency in Belgium's support
72% of all expenditure in the health sectors would be contributing to some degree to 'reproductive health, maternal, neonatal and child health' (RMNCH), as indicated by the RMNCH marker. The share of expenditure benefiting RMNCH increased substantially, up from 55% in 2015. A positive development indeed. Most projects and programmes only contribute 25% to RMNCH. Thus, the relative weight of the theme puts the figures into perspective. Projects and programmes that have RMNCH as their primary target remain limited. They account for €11 million or 7.8% of the total expenditure for health and reproductive health in 2016.
While the RMNCH marker gives us an indication of the attention for reproductive health, it remains difficult to concretely assess how much Belgium supports access to contraception, prevention of sexually transmittable infections and HIV, comprehensive sexuality education and other essential dimensions of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Sensoa asks the Belgian development cooperation to improve the mapping of its specific expenditure for these themes and to demonstrate its achievements as regards sexual and reproductive health and rights, family planning in particular.
In humanitarian crises there is a need for information and awareness around sexual and reproductive health and rights. In crises, people often lack essential services that protect them from unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmittable infections and sexual violence. It is positive that 60% of the humanitarian aid is earmarked to contribute to RMNCH, yet, here too we lack information as to what this implies concretely in terms of support for sexual and reproductive health.
The full report is available in Dutch and French.


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Readers' Choice Awards Humble Harbord Once Again!
Harbord Insurance is once again humbled and thankful to have been voted Best Insurance Broker by local Greater Victoria, BC readers! We are committed to delivering an exceptional experience to every single one of our clients, so it's absolutely fantastic that this has been recognized!


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Image:Iraqi security forces gather to advance towards the centre of Ramadi city, December 25, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer
By Ahmed Rasheed
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi troops have pushed deeper into the heart of the last remaining district held by Islamic State in the city of Ramadi, despite being slowed by bombs and booby traps, army spokesmen said on Saturday.
Recapturing Ramadi, which fell to the militants in May, would be one of the most important victories achieved by Iraq's armed forces since Islamic State swept across a third of the country in 2014.
Soldiers advanced overnight in the Hoz neighbourhood that houses the provincial government compound, the target of an attack that started on Tuesday, joint operations command spokesman Brigadier Yahya Rasool said.
"The counter-terrorism forces are within 800 metres (0.5 mile) from the government complex," advancing by about 1 km in the past day, Rasool said. "Air strikes helped detonate explosive devices and booby-trapped houses, facilitating our advance," he added.
Special operation commander Sami al-Aridhi said the plan was "to liberate all of Ramadi from three sides".
"Our troops are now advancing towards their targets but were delayed because the criminals have booby-trapped everything," he said.
Ramadi is a provincial capital in the fertile Euphrates River valley, just two hours drive west of Baghdad. Most remaining civilians in the Islamic State-held central district have taken shelter in the city's hospital, knowing that the army will not target it, Rasool said.
He declined to give a time frame for the final onslaught to dislodge the militants. "The campaign's priority is to avoid casualties among civilians and the troops, no matter how long it takes," he said.About 120 families were rescued from the combat zone on Saturday after securing safe routes for their exit and they were taken to a camp near Habbaniya, north of Ramadi, according to a military statement broadcast on state TV.
Military officials had said on Wednesday the offensive to retake the central district should take several days.
The Iraqi government forces are backed by air support from an international coalition led by the United States. Shi'ite militia units backed by Iran, which have played a major part in other government offensives, have been kept away from the battlefield in Ramadi to avoid angering Sunni Muslim residents.The city is the capital of mainly Sunni Muslim Anbar province.
The government said it would be handed over to the local police and to a Sunni tribal force once it was secured.Ramadi was Islamic State's biggest prize of 2015, abandoned by government forces in May in a major setback for Baghdad and for the Iraqi troops that have been trained by the United States since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
After Ramadi, the army plans to move to retake the northern city of Mosul, the biggest population centre under Islamic State control in Iraq and Syria.
Dislodging the militants from Mosul, which had a pre-war population close to 2 million, would effectively abolish their state structure in Iraq and deprive them of a major source of funding, which comes partly from oil and partly from fees and taxes on residents.
"The liberation of dear Mosul will be achieved with the cooperation and unity of all Iraqis after the victory in Ramadi," Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Friday.
(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed. Writing by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Digby Lidstone)
Copyright 2015 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.


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Mumbai: Set to make a debut in Anupam Kher's Ranchi Diaries, Soundarya Sharma promises to be one of most noteworthy newcomers this year. Essaying the role of Gudiya, who aspires to be Shakira in the highly anticipated small-town tale, the gorgeous actress has attracted a million of followers over social media.
An insider informs that Soundary a narrowly escaped death by accident, with minor injuries on her back, while shooting for her debut. A close source informs, "After the accident, the shoot was suspended and Soundarya resumed shooting after two days."
Soundarya went on to say, "We were shooting on one of the highways in Ranchi. I was supposed to get out of a tow truck and walk into a car. But because of brake failure, the truck almost collided with me. Fortunately, I dodged it and escaped with bruises."


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Does Poor Nutrition Affect Your Skin?
Your skin plays an important role not only in how you look, but also in how you feel. Healthy skin maintains a proper barrier between your internal organs and your environment, keeping pathogens and other toxins out. While multiple factors, including your genetics, hygiene and other lifestyle habits, contribute to the health of your skin, poor nutrition has a detrimental effect on your skin tissue.
Fat, which is an important component of your diet, plays an essential role in your skin's health. Your skin uses fat to form a waterproof barrier. Essential fatty acids contribute to skin health -- omega-6 fatty acids promote healthy skin growth, while omega-3 fatty acids help to prevent dry skin. A poor diet puts you at risk of an omega-3 fatty acid deficiency, and, as a result, you might notice skin and hair problems.
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, maintains your skin's health. Together with vitamin E, it protects your skin cells from sun damage. Consuming vitamin C also helps you make collagen, a protein important for your skin's structure. A diet poor in vitamin C puts you at risk of developing scurvy, a condition that causes skin lesions. Vitamin D also helps maintain healthy skin. It controls the growth and development of cells in the deep layers of your skin and protects your skin from the sun's harmful rays. As a result, low vitamin D levels leave you more vulnerable to sun damage, negatively affecting the health of your skin.
Men should consume 90 milligrams of vitamin C daily, and women should consume 75 milligrams. All adults need 15 micrograms of vitamin D each day, according to the Institute of Medicine.
Zinc deficiencies negatively impact your skin. Normal zinc levels help support healthy skin cell turnover, while zinc deficiency can cause abnormal skin pigmentation, lead to skin lesions and put you at risk of dermatitis. A deficiency also causes hair loss and stunts nail growth. Men need 11 milligrams of zinc daily, while women require 8 milligrams. A diet low in selenium -- an essential mineral involved in protecting your skin from the sun -- can also cause problematic skin conditions. Individuals suffering a selenium deficiency face a higher risk of skin cancer. Selenium deficiency can also slow hair growth, lead to hair loss and prevent normal skin cell development. Your diet should include 55 milligrams of selenium daily, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements.
Eating for Healthy Skin
Maintain a well-balanced diet to prevent nutrient deficiencies that affect your skin. Fruits and vegetables provide you with vitamin C, while fortified dairy products boost your intake of vitamin D. Add fatty fish, such as salmon or tuna, to your diet, because they provide beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, as well as vitamin D and selenium. Eat nuts for a skin-healthy snack rich in zinc, selenium and healthy unsaturated fat, including omega-3s.
If you already suffer from a skin condition you think might be related to a nutrient deficiency, seek medical attention. Your doctor can determine the underlying cause and then recommend an appropriate treatment to complement a healthy diet.
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Omega-6 Fatty Acids
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Linus Pauling Institute: Micronutrients and Skin Health
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin C and Skin Health
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin D and Skin Health
- Linus Pauling Institute: Minerals and Skin Health
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin C
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin D
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Zinc
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Selenium
Writer Bio
Sylvie Tremblay holds a Master of Science in molecular and cellular biology and has years of experience as a cancer researcher and neuroscientist. Based in Ontario, Canada, Tremblay is an experienced journalist and blogger specializing in nutrition, fitness, lifestyle, health and biotechnology, as well as real estate, agriculture and clean tech.


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Irish Times about the International Camp
Here it is more easy: I don't feel the border between ability and disability'
More than 500 people from 20 countries attend Order of Malta summer camp
They came from Beirut, New York and everywhere in between. They arrived by bus and plane, some in wheelchairs and some with crutches. More than 500 people from 20 countries descended on Clongowes Wood College in Clane this week for the Order of Malta's international summer camp for young people with disabilities.
"It's a little bit like hosting the Eurovision," said Rosemary Keogh, chief executive of the Order of Malta. "The camp has been going for 30 years now. Ireland hosted it twice before, and three years ago we offered to do it again, so here we are."
Some 180 people aged between 18 and 25 have been taking part in the week-long camp in Co Kildare. They all have a physical or intellectual disability, and some have both. Every country team brought their own volunteers and helpers, joining 170 Irish volunteers at the college.
Read further
Irish Times / Alison Healy
Photograph: Frank Miller
First published: Fri, Aug 16, 2013, 22:35


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Up, up and away
Ministers have failed to tackle "insatiable" demand for air travel
AFTER dithering for decades, ministers have finally agreed what to do about London's airports. Stansted is to have the first major new runway in the south-east for half a century. But the aviation white paper, due on December 16th, will leave open the door for further development of Heathrow. It will also propose higher taxes on air travellers which will be announced by the chancellor, Gordon Brown in his pre-budget report next week.
Air passenger duty, which is currently between £5 and £40 per ticket depending on distance and class of travel, is likely to be increased by as much as half. That would raise its annual yield to about £1.4 billion and cover much of the environmental cost of aviation. The Treasury estimates that the external costs of aviation greenhouse gases will treble over the next three decades from £1.4 billion to £4.8 billion in 2030. The European Environment Agency says the total environmental costs of British aviation, including noise, local air quality and global warming, already exceeds £6 billion a year.
Even though Stansted has been fingered for expansion, Heathrow is still likely to get more flights. At present, its two runways are used either for take-off, or for landing, but not both at the same time. This gives locals some relief from noise. The government is now considering allowing both runways to be used simultaneously for landing and take-off. That would increase capacity by more than 10%—roughly 50,000 slots—and would infuriate local residents' groups. The current limit of 480,000 flights allowed at the airport would have to be raised. And the white paper also leaves open the possibility of a third runway at Heathrow within 20 years.
The problem of excess pollution tipped the political balance against Heathrow's early expansion despite strong economic arguments. Ministers were warned that an additional runway would result in several thousand residents living near the airport being exposed to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in excess of permitted EU levels.
The precise numbers are in dispute. The government's consultation document suggested that by 2015 as many as 35,000 people could be exposed to NO2levels of more than 40 micrograms per cubic metre, the EU maximum level. BAA, which operates Heathrow, has commissioned independent research which suggests that fewer than 10,000 people could be affected. BA, the airline which dominates Heathrow, claims in a legal opinion submitted to the government that "the technical evidence points to the EU regulation being met" by the time a new runway is in operation in ten years' time. Ironically for the airlines, most pollution around Heathrow is caused by cars and vans, not planes. One possible solution is a congestion charge to restrain traffic growth around the airport.
Airlines are complaining, but environmentalists are likely to be unhappier with the white paper. The tax rise will do little to restrain the soaring demand for air travel, which is forecast to treble from 180m to 500m passengers a year by 2030. The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution has said that if air travel is not restrained, British airports could be serving more than a billion passengers by 2050. The government deserves credit for taking decisions from which its predecessors have shied away. But there are bigger problems, and harder decisions, to come.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline "Up, up and away"
From the December 6th 2003 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contentsExplore the edition
More from Britain
Emigration is in the air for Britons
Plenty of people want to come to Britain. But lots also want to leave
The Conservative Party's addiction to brawling
The recreational-violence theory of politics
Does Britain have a problem with R&D spending?
Quality matters as much as quantity


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In Part 3 of this series, I gave examples of finding the Routes of Things using the Unified API. This article focusses on the "Arrivals of Things" – how to find out when services are going to arrive on those routes.
As before, all of the API examples in this page are live, however they do not include API authentication tokens. This means that if you follow the link as is, you will be using anonymous access, which is throttled for fair use, so you may get a 403 response. We recommend for your own development that you obtain an "app_key" and "app_id" by registering here. The data in these examples will be in JSON format, so installing a JSON formatter plugin in your browser will help you read the data returned.
Ride on time
Let's start with the most prominent example of arrivals, shown when viewing a nearby stop:
The API used for the arrivals board is the Arrivals detail on the StopPoint entity. So if you know the StopPoint id (which is a NaPTAN code) you can quickly get the arrivals of all services (Dan gave lots of tips on how to find StopPoints and their ids in Part 2 of this series – you'll also see them in URLs as you navigate stop pages). This API can also be filtered by mode and line, which is useful for busy transport hubs that serve lots of routes.
[ { "vehicleId":"LJ09KOU", "naptanId":"490006170S", "stationName":"Haggerston Station / Downham Road", "lineId":"243", "lineName":"243", "platformName":"KJ", "direction":"outbound", "destinationName":"Waterloo", "timestamp":"2015-11-07T12:31:48.839Z", "timeToStation":338, "towards":"Aldgate or Old Street", "expectedArrival":"2015-11-07T12:37:27Z", "timeToLive":"2015-11-07T12:37:57Z", "modeName":"bus" }, //etc...
The response tells us a number of useful pieces of information. We get the Platform-level StopPoint id and platform name, so we know exactly which platform this service will arrive at (for a simple bus stop as above, there is usually only a single "platform", but at a bigger bus station or tube station, this can be used to retrieve additional information about the platform e.g. accessibility).
Most importantly, we get the time-to-station in seconds, and the expected arrival time in UTC. The API also provides a time-to-live, which indicates how long this prediction is valid for.
Train in vain
Let's also look at a Tube station, to demonstrate how the unified API uses the same concepts across all modes.
[ { "currentLocation":"At Platform", "destinationName":"Morden Underground Station", "destinationNaptanId":"940GZZLUMDN", "direction":"inbound", "expectedArrival":"2015-11-07T13:01:49.928Z", "lineId":"northern", "lineName":"Northern", "modeName":"tube", "naptanId":"940GZZLUODS", "operationType":1, "platformName":"Southbound - Platform 2", "stationName":"Old Street Underground Station", "timeToLive":"2015-11-07T13:01:49.928Z", "timeToStation":0, "timestamp":"2015-11-07T13:01:49.928Z", "towards":"Morden via Bank", "vehicleId":"005" }, // etc...
The response is very similar to the bus example – giving the same arrival time, platform and service information. With tube, additional information on the current location of the train is available. Unlike the bus example though, the vehicleId for a tube service is dynamically generated for the service. Developers should note that while train running numbers are usually unique (for each line) it is quite possible to have more than one train with the same timetable number in service during times of disruption. Some will also disappear when they enter depots or sidings as this data only shows trains 'in passenger service'. (Hat tip: commenter John Murrell).
The API can also be used to get the arrivals for a whole line or service:
- https://api.tfl.gov.uk/line/victoria/arrivals – All the arrival times on the entire Victoria line;
- https://api.tfl.gov.uk/line/243/arrivals – All the arrival times on the 243 bus route.
So if you really want to work out if buses really do travel in groups of threes, this is the API for you!
Time is on my side
I've demonstrated how easy it is to get the current departure times, so it should be easy to build a live departure board of the sort seen at bus stops, tube platforms or on our website. To keep the board up-to-date, a naïve approach would be to regularly poll the API to show the user the latest information as their service approaches. But this would waste a lot of bandwidth on mobile devices, especially where the information hasn't changed since the previous API call. It's also inefficient for our API to serve: the data is difficult to cache because it's constantly changing, and each group of users at a stop will want slightly different information. Our usual strategy of Varnish caching with horizontal scaling doesn't really work.
A more efficient approach is to subscribe to notifications of the arrivals, which we call predictions. The Unified API provides a SignalR hub for predictions, where developers can subscribe to a line or stopPoint. They are then pushed notifications using whichever mechanism the SignalR client determines is the most efficient. Usually this is web sockets, falling back to long-polling on older browsers. The initial subscription and subsequent notifications can be seen if you open the developer tools on your browser.
It's easy to use our SignalR client in your own application – you just need to include the hubs JavaScript, and this will give you a connection object, which allows you to subscribe to a prediction "room" for a line or stop. The callback provided to showPredictions will be called whenever a new prediction is made available. In the code snippet below, we initialise the connection and subscribe to the notifications for Old Street station (NaPTAN code 940GZZLUODS) on the Northern line.
$.connection.hub.url = "https://push-api.tfl.gov.uk/signalr/hubs/signalr"; var hub = $.connection.predictionsRoomHub; // when we receive a push notification we will update the board... hub.client.showPredictions = updateBoard; $.connection.hub.start().done(function() { // here we subscribe to Old Street on the Northern Line var lineRooms = [{ "LineId": "northern", "NaptanId": "940GZZLUODS" }]; hub.server.addLineRooms(lineRooms) });
You can play with the full demo at jsFiddle here, source code is on Github.
We'd love to find out what you're building with this data, what is most useful to you and if you feel that anything important is missing from the Unified API. Please do let us know what you think, or ask any questions you have on our arrivals data in the comments below.
Update 18/04/2016: Live tram arrivals data is available:
We have recently integrated live tram arrivals into our predictions API, using exactly the same model and query style as the tube, bus and river arrivals. You can get all the tram arrivals in a single API call, or use just for a single station as shown below.
[ { "id": "1158109161", "operationType": 1, "vehicleId": "2531", "naptanId": "940GZZCRWCR", "stationName": "West Croydon", "lineId": "tram-1", "lineName": "Tram 1", "platformName": "Eastbound Platform", "direction": "inbound", "bearing": "", "destinationNaptanId": "940GZZCRELM", "destinationName": "Elmers End", "timestamp": "2016-04-18T16:03:27.728Z", "timeToStation": 0, "towards": "Elmers End", "expectedArrival": "2016-04-18T16:03:00.657Z", "timeToLive": "2016-04-18T16:03:00.657Z", "modeName": "tram" },
(10/05/2016: Updated the signalR link to a newer demo using the latest SignalR.)


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Garuda Indonesia LCC subsidiary Citilink will focus on domestic expansion & profitability in 2015
Garuda Indonesia budget subsidiary Citilink has further delayed the launch of scheduled international services as it focuses on its goal of achieving its first annual profit in 2015. Citilink will instead pursue less risky domestic expansion in 2015 and has begun operating seasonal international charters during periods of weak domestic demand.
Citilink has been the fastest expanding airline in Indonesia over the past four years as it has pursued strategic growth in an attempt to close the gap with rival Lion. Citilink accounted for about 14% of passenger traffic among Indonesian LCCs in 2015 compared to less than 4% in 2010.
But Citilink's rate of expansion is slowing as it starts to focus more on profitability. Citilink was in the black for the first time in 2H2014 and is confident it can be profitable for the full year in CY2015.
Citilink passenger numbers have increased seven fold since 2010
Citilink has been the fastest growing airline in Indonesia since 2011, when it took its first A320 and accelerated expansion as part of an attempt by the Garuda Group to compete more aggressively at the bottom end of the market against market leader Lion Air. Citilink was established back in 2001 but in its first decade operated a small number of 737s and had annual passenger traffic that never exceeded slightly more than one million.
Citilink's annual passenger numbers have increased seven fold since 2010, when it carried only 1.1 million passengers. Passenger traffic was up 41% in 2014 to 7.6 million, representing the fourth consecutive year of growth exceeding 40%. Citilink recorded 87% growth in passenger numbers in 2013, 76% in 2012 and 42% in 2011.
Citilink annual passenger numbers: 2010 to 2014
Citilink monthly passenger numbers: Jan-2010 to Dec-2014
Citilink is still much smaller than Lion Air but its rapid expansion has enabled it to narrow the gap. Citilink's share of the Indonesian LCC market also has grown as a result of the Jul-2014 shutdown of Tigerair Mandala and capacity cuts at Indonesia AirAsia that were implemented in 2Q2014.
Citilink's share of Indonesian LCC sector approaches 15%
CAPA estimates Citilink accounted for about 14% of Indonesian LCC passenger traffic in 2014. In 2010 it accounted for only a 3.7% share and was by far the smallest of Indonesia's five LCCs.
Citilink will almost certainly overtake Indonesia AirAsia in 2015 as the second largest Indonesian LCC. Citilink expects to carry about 11 million passengers in 2015 while Indonesia AirAsia traffic will likely remain flat at slightly less than 8 million as it is not pursuing any fleet expansion for the second consecutive year.
Indonesian LCC annual passenger traffic (millions) by carrier: 2010 to 2014
|2010 pax
|Lion Air
|Indonesia AirAsia
|Wings Air
Lion+Wings (Lion Group)
All airlines in Indonesia are grouped by Indonesia's DGCA into three categories – no frills, medium service and full service. Citilink, Indonesia AirAsia, the now suspended Mandala, Lion Air and Lion regional subsidiary Wings Air are the only airlines in the no frills category.
The categories are used by the Indonesian government to determine fare ceilings and floors. The three categories are also used to determine what an airline can sell as an ancillary or must include with the base fare.
See related reports: Indonesia's price floor for airlines is misguided, a bad precedent and will be counterproductive
Airlines in the no frills category are free to charge for checked bags, drinks and food. Citilink, Lion and Wings however have always included 15kg of complimentary checked luggage. Citilink has so far decided 0 against pursuing a pure LCC model because it feels it needs to match Lion, its main competitor.
Indonesia AirAsia follows a purer LCC model and remains small in the domestic market But Indonesia AirAsia is the largest carrier in Indonesia's international market, based on passenger numbers and seat capacity.
AirAsia is continuing to focus primarily on Indonesia's relatively underserved international market with the planned launch of long-haul LCC start-up Indonesia AirAsia X.
Citilink currently only operates scheduled services in the domestic market. Lion has a small international network consisting of only four destinations.
Meet Citilink's new CEO Albert Burhan at CAPA's Airline Fleet and Finance Summit in Singapore on 2/3 March, and talk fleet plans with 50 airline executives - at Singapore's Capella resort
Click here for more info and registration
Citilink further postpones international expansion
Citilink launched its first international route in Mar-2014, a daily service from Surabaya to Johor Bahru in southern Malaysia. But as CAPA previously highlighted the route was cut after only one month. At about the same time Citilink decided against launching five other international routes which were part of the initial business plan for 2014 – Surabaya to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and Bali to Kuala Lumpur, Perth and Singapore.
See related reports:
- Garuda's Citilink to expand into international market, starting with Malaysia, Singapore & Australia
- Garuda Indonesia LCC subsidiary Citilink will focus on the domestic market as fleet growth slows
Citilink initially pushed back the launch of services to Kuala Lumpur, Perth and Singapore until 1H2015. But Citilink's new CEO Albert Burhan tells CAPA that the launch of scheduled international services has been pushed back until at least late 2015. Most likely Citilink will now renter the scheduled international market in 2016.
Mr Burhan said the focus in 2015 will be on further domestic expansion as well as international charters. Citilink launched charter services to Saudi Arabia and China in early Feb-2015.
Citilink sees opportunities in the international charter market
Citilink currently operates three weekly flights from Jakarta to Jeddah with fuel stops in Medan and Mumbai. Citilink is committed to increasing charters to Jeddah to six weekly flights from 1-Mar-2015 and intends to change the second fuel stop from Mumbai to Ahmedabad.
Citilink has also lined up contracts covering a total of 28 return charter flights to China in Feb-2015, the equivalent of one return sector per day. Mr Burhan says the commitment for China will reduce to 18 return flights in Mar-2015 as the number of Saudi Arabia flights spool up.
Citilink has not had to reduce domestic capacity to accommodate the new charters as its fleet is expanding in 1Q2015 by two aircraft. One of these aircraft was delivered in Jan-2015, giving Citilink a fleet of 33 aircraft, while the second delivery is slated for Mar-2015.
Citilink plans to increase domestic capacity in 2H2015 as the aircraft now used for international charters will be moved into the scheduled domestic market. Citilink also plans to add another three A320s over the last three quarters of 2015, giving it a year-end fleet of 37 aircraft. These three aircraft are slated to be delivered in May-2015, Aug-2015 and Nov-2015.
Citilink is waiting until the second half of the year to pursue domestic expansion as demand in the Indonesian domestic market is typically stronger in the second half.
Citilink is not intending to operate charters on a year-round basis but is keen to continue operating charters during off peak periods in the domestic market. Citilink is contracted to operate the Saudi Arabia charters until Jul-2015 while the China charters are currently contracted through Mar-2015.
Citilink expects break-even in 1Q2015 followed by profitable 2Q and 2H
The charters are attractive as all the seats are completely underwritten by agents, guaranteeing a profit on every flight. It is generally difficult to be profitable in the domestic Indonesian market in the first half of the year. But with the charters Mr Burhan believes Citilink will be able to post a break-even result for 1Q2015 and be profitable in 2Q2015.
As Citilink should be able to be profitable in 2H2015, the airline will likely end the year in the black. "My focus this year is to really make the airline profitable," said Mr Burhan, who was promoted from CFO to CEO after former Citilink CEO Arif Wibowo was appointed Garuda CEO in late 2014.
(Initially Mr Burhan was appointed interim CEO but was appointed permanent CEO in mid-Feb-2015. Former Garuda treasurer Mega Satria has been promoted to replace Mr Burhan as Citilink CFO.)
Citilink was consistently in the red from mid-2012, when it transitioned from a Garuda Group unit to subsidiary, through 2Q2014. Citilink accumulated losses of about USD100 million in its first two years as an independent subsidiary. Prior to mid-2012 there is no available financial information as Citilink operated at the time as a unit under Garuda.
As CAPA previously highlighted, Citilink was in the black for the first time in 3Q2014 with a net profit of USD4 million. The Garuda Group has not yet released figures for 4Q2014 but Mr Burhan confirms Citilink was again in the black in the most recent quarter.
See related reports:
- Garuda Indonesia 2015 outlook: slower, but still double digit capacity growth as new CEO takes over
- Garuda Indonesia outlook brightens as slower international expansion leads to financial improvement
The focus on the domestic market is sensible as the launch of scheduled international routes would represent a significant and risky investment. Domestic market conditions have improved significantly since 1H2014, when all Indonesian carriers were impacted by depreciation of the rupiah and political uncertainty. International services would almost certainly be loss-making, at least in the initial phase, jeopardising Citilink's goal of positing a profit for CY2015.
Citilink remains 100% Garuda owned - for now
Profitability is important as it would make it easier for Citilink to pursue a potential spin-off and initial public offering. The Garuda Group, which completed its own IPO in early 2011, has previously stated it may look at a separate listing for Citilink at some point in the future.
In 1H2014 the group attempted to secure a strategic investor for Citilink, which would have raised cash for expansion and brought in international LCC expertise. But the timing was poor as Citilink was unprofitable and market conditions in Indonesia were very challenging when Garuda solicited offers from Asian LCC groups and other potential investors. This impacted the value of Citilink, resulting in relatively low bids for the strategic stake, and the Garuda board concluded it was better off retaining its 100% stake in the LCC.
Garuda is not currently considering a second attempt at a strategic stake sale. At this point it views a strategic sale as unnecessary and believes it can improve Citilink's position without outside expertise.
This assessment is reasonable given the unique characteristics of the Indonesian domestic market and the fact that Citilink is now a relatively well established LCC. Its current fleet of 33 aircraft make it the sixth largest LCC in Southeast Asia. (Wings Air is slightly larger by fleet but as Wings only operates turboprops Citilink is much larger based on weekly seat capacity or annual passenger numbers.)
Top 10 Southeast Asia LCCs ranked by fleet size: as of 25-Feb-2015
|Lion Air
|Cebu Pacific Air
|Thai AirAsia
|Wings Air
|Indonesia AirAsia
|AirAsia X
|Nok Air
But Citilink will eventually need to reevaluate selling a stake in Citilink or pursuing an IPO. From a group perspective Garuda will also need to reconsider using Citilink in the international market. While it is sensible for Citilink to focus now on the domestic market and profitability this is not necessarily the best strategy for Garuda given the huge challenges the group faces in the international market.
Garuda has been restructuring its international operation, which drove losses at the group in 2014 as yields and load factor dropped. Garuda has dropped two international destinations (Brisbane and Taipei), postponed the launch of three new international destinations (Mumbai, Manila and Nagoya) and reduced capacity to several international destinations (including Melbourne, Sydney, Tokyo and Osaka).
More adjustments are expected as Garuda continues to review its international operation and increases its reliance on partners as part of an attempt to return to the black in 2015.
See related report: Garuda Indonesia further adjusts its international network with cuts to Australia and Japan
Citilink rejects taking over Garuda international routes for now. But getting the right group strategy must be the next step
Citilink could be part of the solution to Garuda's international challenges as the LCC would be a more suitable option for leisure focused routes that are currently unprofitable at the full-service brand. But Citilink rejected proposals in 2014 from Garuda to take over some of these routes including Bali-Singapore and Bali-Perth.
These were arguably the right decisions for Citilink, which is managed independently of Garuda and is able to make its own network assessments. The proposed international routes would also likely be loss-making for Citilink as the Citilink brand is not well known outside Indonesia, which makes it difficult for the LCC to compete in routes that rely heavily on inbound traffic.
Bali-Perth and Bali-Singapore are both large routes for AirAsia, which has a much stronger international brand. Jetstar also competes in both these routes and entered the Perth-Brisbane market in 2014, making it difficult for Garuda to maintain its Bali-Brisbane service. Garuda operated its last flight to Brisbane on 1-Feb-2015.
During the current phase of its development it makes sense for Citilink to focus on the domestic market and achieving profitability. But the group dynamic is a little different. Garuda now faces a difficult decision on whether to maintain several regional loss-making routes until Citilink is ready for the international market or retreat, leaving a void for other LCCs.
Garuda also may need to withdraw from medium-haul routes that are more suitable for Asia's growing crop of widebody LCC operators. The group strategically should look at handing some of its A330s to Citilink, particularly as Garuda now finds itself with excess widebodies. But the current domestic focus at Citilink means the group will likely not look at a widebody LCC operation for some time, again leaving an opening for other LCCs particularly Indonesia AirAsia X.
Citilink will add domestic routes in 2015 but not many new destinations
For 2015 Citilink plans to focus mainly on expanding to existing domestic destinations through additional frequencies on existing routes and new point to point routes. Mr Burhan expects only one or two domestic destinations to be added in 2015.
Citilink currently has a network of 22 domestic destinations covering western and central Indonesia. Citilink does not yet serve eastern Indonesia but believes eastern Indonesian markets are at least for now not thick enough to support LCCs.
Citilink sees opportunities in 2015 to connect the dots with new point to point routes that are currently unserved or under-served. For example Bandung-Lombok and Pekanbaru-Palembang were both launched in mid Feb-2015.
There could also be some opportunities in 2H2015 to add flights at both Jakarta airports – Halim and Soekarno-Hatta – but this hinges on additional slots becoming available. Citilink currently has about 60 daily flights in the Jakarta market, including about 20 from Halim and about 40 from Soekarno-Hatta.
As CAPA highlighted in Aug-2014, Citilink had been hoping to increase operations in the Jakarta market in 2H2014 to about 90 daily flights by securing additional slots at both airports. But the additional slots did not materialise and Citilink instead expanded at its other bases.
In addition to the two Jakarta airports Citilink has bases at Batam, Bali and Surabaya. The bases outside Jakarta could again see most of the expansion if additional Jakarta slots cannot be secured.
Citilink expects 30% ASK growth in 2015
Overall Citilink is planning ASK growth of about 30% in 2015, roughly matching the 33% growth in ASKs for 2014.
The ASK growth in 2015 is mainly driven by capacity that was initially added in late 2014. Citilink took delivery of five A320s in the last four months of 2014. A total of eight A320s were added in 2013 with the other three aircraft being delivered around the middle of the year.
The eight A320s added in 2014 included the first two aircraft from Citilink's 50-aircraft order with Airbus. The A320 that was received in Jan-2015 also came directly from Airbus.
The initial 30 A320s in the Citilink fleet were all sourced directly from leasing companies. But all the additional A320s in the Citilink fleet plan are now slated to come from its order with Airbus, including the four remaining deliveries for 2015.
Citilink's original fleet plan envisioned seven more leased aircraft in 2015 and 12 deliveries in total. Citilink earlier decided to slow down fleet expansion in response to unfavourable market conditions.
Citilink currently has 12 more A320ceos on order along with 35 new-generation A320neos. Mr Burhan says Citilink now plans to take seven additional A320s in 2016 and its last A320ceo in early 2017. Citilink is also slated to take the first six of its A320neos in 2017, which will give the LCC a fleet of 51 aircraft (45 A320ceos and six A320neos) at the end of 2017.
Citilink fleet summary: as of 24-Feb-2015
|In Service
|In Storage
|On Order
|Airbus A320-200
|Airbus A320-200neo
|Boeing 737-300
Citilink A320 fleet: end 2011 to end 2017
|A320 Fleet
|End 2011
|3 A320ceos
|End 2012
|14 A320ceos
|End 2013
|24 A320ceos
|End 2014
|32 A320ceos
|End 2015
|37 A320ceos
|End 2016
|44 A320ceos
|End 2017
|45 A320ceos and 6 A320neos
Citilink will double its fleet again by 2021
Mr Burhan says Citilink plans to take the last of the 35 A320neos it has ordered in 2021. The current fleet plan envisions a total of 71 aircraft by the end of 2021 including 35 A320neos and 36 A320ceos. Citilink plans to return nine of its leased A320ceos by the end of 2021 as their leases expire.
Doubling the fleet over the next six years is reasonable given the opportunities to further expand domestically and – eventually – in the international market. This also represents a slower rate of growth compared to the last two years. Citilink has doubled its fleet over the last two years albeit on a much smaller base.
Having significantly improved its position Citilink in 2015 will become the second largest LCC in Indonesia.
It will never approach market leader Lion, which already operates over 100 aircraft, but has succeeded in narrowing the gap and gain market share.
The current focus on profitability and the domestic market is well founded, giving Citilink a brighter outlook. But strategically Garuda will need to start looking at – sooner rather than later – using Citilink in the regional international market and potentially in the medium/long-haul sector.
CAPA Fleet and Finance Summit
Newly appointed Citilink CEO Albert Burhan will be speaking at CAPA Fleet and Finance Summit in Singapore on 2/3-Mar-2015. For more information on the upcoming summit, visit the event website.


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Author:John Hay
- Abraham Lincoln: A History (with John George Nicolay, 1890) [10 volumes]
- The Bread-winners (1883)
- Castilian Days (1875) (transcription project)
- Pike County Ballads and Other Pieces (1871)
- Poems (1890)
- "Reid, Whitelaw," in Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography, New York: D. Appleton and Co. (1900)
- "Abraham Lincoln" in The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, 1914.
- Castilian Days: studies of Spanish life and character (1871)
- (tr.) The Republican Movement in Europe by Emilio Castelar
- The Bread Winners
Works about HayEdit
- "Hay, John," in The American Cyclopædia (1879)
- "Hay, John," in Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography, New York: D. Appleton and Co. (1892)
- "Hay, John," in The New International Encyclopædia, New York: Dodd, Mead and Co. (1905)
- "Hay, John," in A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature, by John William Cousin, London: J. M. Dent & Sons (1910)
- "Hay, John," in Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed., 1911)
- "Hay, John," in The New Student's Reference Work, Chicago: F.E. Compton and Co. (1914)
- "Hay, John Milton," in The Encyclopedia Americana, New York: The Encyclopedia Americana Corporation (1920)
- "Hay, John," in Collier's New Encyclopedia, New York: P. F. Collier & Son Co. (1921)
Some or all works by this author were published before January 1, 1927, and are in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. Translations or editions published later may be copyrighted. Posthumous works may be copyrighted based on how long they have been published in certain countries and areas.


text:
KIS at a Glance
Vision, Mission, and Core Values
Strategic Plan
Safeguarding and Child Protection
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Our History
School Calendar
Welcome to KIS
Why KIS?
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Download Prospectus
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Grade Comparison Chart
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School Shop
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Physical Education
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Athletics and Activities
Extra-Curricular Activities
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We believe that language underpins the foundation for thinking and the development of self-expression. Students from many linguistic backgrounds come together to learn, with English being their shared language, the language of instruction and inclusion at KIS.
The acquisition of more than one language enriches personal growth and promotes international understanding, therefore, knowledge of a second language is an essential element of the International Baccalaureate programmes. Additionally, KIS supports the IB's beliefs that continued development of mother tongue language is crucial for maintaining identity, cultural understanding and empathy.
As outlined in our 2020-25 Strategic Plan, KIS is excited to build upon our language offerings and language programme framework schoolwide over the next few years as part of a focus in this area of school development.
Please see the list of languages that KIS offers below, where Language B refers to language acquisition and Language A refers to mother tongue language learning:
Offered by KIS
Additional Mother tongue languages that are, or have been, supported at KIS through the Other Languages Programme are:
The school can support parents and arrange other mother tongue languages to be held in the school. In some special circumstances, other Secondary Language B's may be requested as well.
The English as an Additional Language (EAL) programme has been developed to help non-native English speakers attain a high level of English proficiency in order to access the curriculum, interact with one other, and participate to the fullest extent possible in school life. Students receive EAL support according to their individual needs. This is provided during the regular school day, either in the classroom (Primary School only) or by individual or small group support (or a combination of both.)
Students in Secondary School must have a certain level of competency in English in order to be successful with the KIS Middle Years Programme and be fully prepared to work toward the IB Diploma. Students who enter KIS from Grade 6 and up who require English support will enter an EAL programme designed according to their English language proficiency. They will not study English, Humanities and Science until such time as they are able to participate fully in these classes without support. Other subject areas such as Math, Thai Studies, Design, Physical Education, the Arts, and Advisory will take place within the mainstream classroom. Students must complete the EAL programme by the end of the 9th grade in order to be prepared for the demands of the Diploma Programme. Please note that students will only be admitted to KIS if they are expected to be fully mainstreamed by the end of Grade 9.
For Early Years students who are not yet proficient in English, language acquisition occurs through language immersion; organized and spontaneous play and group activities help develop comprehension skills and establish a more extensive vocabulary, to support immersion in the classroom.
Since language skills at all levels are key to accessing the curriculum, KIS has developed extensive strategies, curriculums and procedures to ensure that language is a focus in all learning areas across the school.
The Thai Language programme supports the mother tongue of our host country students, and together with Thai Studies meets the Thai Ministry of Education approved language and culture curriculum. All Thai students are required by law to participate in this programme throughout their school years. For Secondary School Thai students who are unable to participate in this programme (where Thai is not a mother tongue - often due to having lived overseas), Thai B is available upon request. In the Primary School, students join the Thai as an Additional Language Programme. Likewise, Non-Thai Students who make Thailand their home and can speak Thai fluently may be assessed and join the Thai Language Programme.
The Thai as an Additional Language (TAL) programme has been developed specifically for Primary School students with native languages other than Thai. It provides learners with an insight into the unique language and culture of our host country.
In the Secondary School, Spanish and Mandarin (Language B) are offered as a second language to non-Thai students and as a third language option for Thai students. Students typically require a minimum of three to four years of instruction to be eligible to continue with Language B in the IB Diploma programme. Late entry into the Spanish or Mandarin programme is possible, however, students who join a Language B course after 7th grade are less likely to be proficient enough to study at the Language B level in the DP. An alternative course for beginners is offered in Mandarin and Spanish in the Diploma Programme. This course is known as Ab Initio and is an equally acceptable course for earning an IB Diploma and for university admissions.
KIS will assist in setting up additional mother tongue language programmes upon request. This can be done at primary and secondary levels through after school classes, personal tutorials and small group tuition.
Secondary students whose mother tongue is neither Thai nor English may decide to take their mother tongue as their second language as an independent study unit. This option allows students to continue their mother tongue studies to an advanced secondary level all the way to IB Diploma. This course of study requires home support and understanding of the challenges of independent study. Parents are required to discuss the logistics of this option with the Principal.
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Ken Ware has been with Mission Outreach for three years. He uses his mechanical and over-the-road driving skills to keep Mission Outreach rolling. His Class A CDL license allows him to do what he loves to do: "drive, meet new people, and demonstrate how we care for others." Throughout his career, Ken has worked as a driver/trainer, welder, fork-lift operator and in construction.
Ken drives many of the long trips to Wisconsin to pick up medical supplies and equipment. He enjoys seeing the joy on the faces of our recipients and gives respect to all those who serve in the developing world.


text:
Story by
Matthew Panzarino
Matthew Panzarino was Managing Editor at TNW. He's no longer with the company, but you can follow him on Twitter. Matthew Panzarino was Managing Editor at TNW. He's no longer with the company, but you can follow him on Twitter.
Twitter is now available in five new languages including both Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Hindi, Tagalog and Malay. These new choices join the 12 other languages that Twitter had already supported.
Twitter uses a crowd-sourced translation that uses 290,000 volunteers to translate Twitter.com as well as support pages and Twitter apps. Twitter says that it will be adding more languages to its Translation Center soon including Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish and Hungarian.
You can change your language preference for Twitter by going to your Settings page at Twitter.com after logging in and selecting a language there. Once you hit save all of the portions of Twitter that aren't Tweets should be more familiar to you.
Update: This article has been updated to reflect a change in the languages offered from Filipino to Tagalog on Twitter's blog post.


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Steven Spielberg's bad endings
Munich (2005) THE ENDING Eric Bana has sex with his formerly estranged, recently pregnant wife in a scene intercut with a mass murder. Then the movie closes on a warmly lit shot of the Twin Towers. THE PROBLEM It's not 9/11. It's one of the most unfortunate lovemaking scenes ever filmed.
War of the Worlds (2005) THE ENDING Tom Cruise returns his daughter to his estranged, pregnant wife, who is living happily on a warmly lit, miraculously undestroyed street in Boston. THE PROBLEM One of Spielberg's most brutal films ends with one of his most treacly moments.
Minority Report (2002) THE ENDING Cruise reunites with his estranged, pregnant wife and the film's psychics live happily in a warmly lit cabin in the woods. THE PROBLEM The dystopian flick winds down with a coda that absurdly contradicts the film's noir trappings.