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Almost a year after learning she was ranked the number 1 soprano singer in the Rhode Island Music Education Association (RIMEA) All-State Jr. Mixed Chorus, Katherine Connors is headed to Nashville, Tenn. to sing her heart out with the 2013 National Association for Music Education (NAfME) All-National Honor Choir.
Connors, a sophomore at Warwick Veterans Memorial High School, is one of more than 670 high school musicians that will travel to Nashville on Oct. 26 for a four-day, three-night trip, concluding with a performance at a gala concert in the Presidential Ballroom of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. The Choir consists of 300 talented singers from across the country; the concert will also feature an All-National Honor Concert Band, Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble. All of the All-National Honor Ensembles consist of high school musicians who qualified for state-level honor ensembles.
This is only the fourth year this national choir has been featured; previously NAfME sponsored only regional ensembles.
This exciting journey began last November when Connors auditioned for the All-State Jr. Mixed Chorus, which consists of the best singers from the seventh, eighth and ninth graders in the state.
While 15-year-old Connors had the honor of being the number one-ranked soprano singer out of the students that auditioned in her age group, Nancy Kennedy, the director of choirs at Vets, pointed out that a number of her students were ranked in the top portion of their singing groups in both the Jr. and Sr. Mixed Choruses (the Sr. division consists of 10th, 11th and 12th graders).
"I had several top scoring students in All-State last year," said Kennedy, beaming with pride.
Following the success with the All-State Chorus, Kennedy encouraged Connors and other students to audition for the All-National Honor Choir toward the end of the 2012-2013 school year. They sent in audition videos, and waited for the results.
"I got an e-mail in August saying that I got in, and I was really excited," said Connors, adding that there may have been some jumping and screaming involved.
While Connors is the only student from Vets, and from Warwick schools in general, to be selected for this year's Choir, she is not the first Hurricane to do so. Kennedy explained that in 2011, her student Michael Ryder was in the Choir and the two traveled to Washington, D.C. for the performance.
"We hope to continue this in the future," said Kennedy, adding that there are a number of incredibly talented students in the Vets Choir programs.
But for the moment, Kennedy is helping to prepare Connors for her performance in Nashville. Kennedy will travel with Connors to Tennessee serving as a chaperone.
Connors explained that her four-day trip begins with three days of rehearsal with the Choir, under the direction of Rollo Dilworth, a well known composer, arranger and conductor. "He is a really big name in the Chorale world," said Kennedy.
Connors can expect to rehearse for almost eight hours each day before the performance on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 30.
The performance is part of NAfME's annual conference, so the audience will consist of music educators from around the country, and Kennedy predicts some "Nashville somebodies" to be in the crowd.
In an effort to prepare for the performance, Connors has begun working on the seven songs she will have to perform, four of which are not even in English. Connors and the rest of the Choir are singing two Latin songs, one Greek song and even a song in Indian. Connors is listening to sound files of the songs to learn the pronunciation.
"It's all just so exciting," said Connors. "I'm really excited to work with the director."
She is also excited to have the opportunity to visit Nashville, one of the most musical cities in the country.
"That's one of the things about having it in Nashville," said Kennedy, who pointed out the previous three concerts were in Washington, D.C. in conjunction with National Education Week in June. While Kennedy said it was great getting to see the sites in the nation's capital, having the opportunity for some music exposure is a little more fitting.
In between their hours of rehearsal, Connors and her fellow singers will get to attend a concert at the Grand Ole Opry, a songwriter's presentation and a performance of the Walt Disney musical, "Tarzan."
Connors is also excited to meet more students who share her passion for chorus.
"I'm excited to meet all of the kids because they are just as interested in music as I am," said Connors.
Although she has been singing in school choirs since elementary school, Connors says she does not come from a musical family and only started taking music very seriously in eighth grade. She took private vocal lessons in eighth grade but is between teachers right now.
Kennedy predicts that there were singers somewhere in Connors' family to give her such talent.
"Some people are gifted with a beautiful instrument even if they don't know how to use it," said Kennedy. "Katherine is gifted with a beautiful instrument, and thankfully she is learning how to use it."
Kennedy also pointed out that Connors is very driven when it comes to her singing and is never content. Even being the number 1 soprano in the All-State Junior Choir, Connors knows there is more she can strive for.
Following her trip to Nashville, Connors will continue to pursue top honors for high school singers, and will audition for the RIMEA All-State Sr. Mixed Chorus this November.
"I know it's going to be a lot more challenging because there are singers with even more experience," said Connors, referencing the fact that she is now on the younger side of this chorus as a sophomore.
"I definitely want to continue to study music through college and I want to make it part of my life," said Connors. "But I don't know how big of a part."
For now, Connors is enjoying being a part of the Vets Chorus family; she is in Concert Chorus, Chorale and Jazz Chorus.
"I like them a lot," said Connors. "I like the gospel stuff we do [in Chorus]. It takes a lot of energy."
The week after her performance in Nashville, Connors will take the stage in the Vets Auditorium for the annual Harvest Concert on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m., performing with all three Vets singing groups.


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Joined: 30 May 2000
Posts: 22
Location: Ontario, California, USA
Posted: Tue May 30, 2000 3:55 pm
Post subject: general reply
i worked background on the concert scene filming (i.e., i was an extra) for nine days...mark is not actually singing; most of the girls working background were prettier than the "hot babe" contestants; every one of the band members is exceptionally cool; and while i have rservations about mark as a metalhead, he doesn't do a bad job of it. i'm listening to priest as i type, how apropros...oh, and blas elias is not only gorgeous, he's extremely cool to talk to. any questions?
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Joined: 11 Apr 2000
Posts: 391
Location: scottsdale
Posted: Tue May 30, 2000 6:50 pm
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Did you actually meet Mark? I have heard that he is really short! Is that true? I heard like 5'7 at most!
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Annie M
Joined: 08 Jan 2000
Posts: 1683
Location: Muskogee, OK, USA
Posted: Tue May 30, 2000 7:14 pm
Post subject:
Mark Shields (this site's webmaster) has met him and says he is 5'10". They met last Oct. at the 3K premiere. But i have heard others say other things, also...
Personally, I think 5'7" to 5'9" is the perfect height for a guy, but then I am 5'4", and I don't like REALLY TALL men.
Annie M
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Joined: 30 Mar 2000
Posts: 467
Location: Paris, France
Posted: Wed May 31, 2000 2:27 pm
Post subject:
IMDB claims Mark is 5'7"
Which is my height... without heels...
** applepie **
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Joined: 30 Mar 2000
Posts: 467
Location: Paris, France
Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2000 12:35 pm
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Then again, IMDB also claims he's married so...
The only way to find out is if the next person who meets him brings along a measuring tape...
** applepie **
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Joined: 30 May 2000
Posts: 22
Location: Ontario, California, USA
Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2000 3:42 pm
Post subject:
the two times that i talked to mark, he was sitting down...rumor was about 5'6" on his height, but don't know. if i get back on the show, i'll see if i can get an official measurement.
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Joined: 11 Apr 2000
Posts: 391
Location: scottsdale
Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2000 5:41 pm
Post subject:
Okay, I say this in no way to insult Mark in any way. There is no way he is 5'10!!! Granted I have not had the pleasure of meeting him but I have spoken to people that have and they all said he was really cute and nice, but he was really short!!
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Annie M
Joined: 08 Jan 2000
Posts: 1683
Location: Muskogee, OK, USA
Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2000 8:03 pm
Post subject:
In the interviews that I have read, he is always described as being sort of "compact".
They say it differently, but what they mean is, he is not real tall, but is so muscular and built that you don't really notice his (lack of) height. I don't see what the big deal is about shorter men anyway. Most of the really foxy guys I have known were NOT over 5'9". I guess to me, "short" is less threatening or something. And to see a so-called short man who is really strong and in shape is very sexy I think.
Not that I am belittling (excuse the pun) tall guys, but it seems like tallness is always acquainted with sports, power, strength, stamina, etc. I think that is too stereotypical. Lots of men under 5'10" have it where it counts!! And you don't have to climb a ladder just to kiss 'em!!
Annie M
[This message has been edited by Annie M (edited 01 June 2000).]
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Joined: 21 May 2000
Posts: 32
Location: Wisconsin
Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2000 1:49 am
Post subject:
I've never stood beside him either, but did anyone see that picture of him and Charlize Theron?
There's a picture out there somewhere, where he is standing next to her and is obviously a lot shorter than she is.
I went to one of the websites about her and it says she's 5 foot 9. Granted she was probably wearing some heels, but no heels are that high!
It doesn't matter to me anyway, I like his face.
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Annie M
Joined: 08 Jan 2000
Posts: 1683
Location: Muskogee, OK, USA
Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2000 8:31 am
Post subject:
I think he leans toward being shorter than taller. Anyway, I like his EVERYTHING...!
Annie M
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Storm Brian hit Sussex today, with coastal winds reaching between 50 and 60 miles per hour and huge waves crashing against the coastline.
Many people braved the spray to get photos of the sea as it battered the land.
Here are some photos of the sea today at Hastings, Brighton, Worthing and Selsey near Chichester.


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Looking for a friendly Japanese city with great food? Book flights to Osaka and enjoy a stroll to Osaka Castle or go shopping in Shinsekai. For the best view take the futuristic elevator to the top of the Tsutenkaku Tower. You will immediately notice that cartoon characters play an important role here. Another famous lookout for panoramic views of the city is the Umeda Sky Building. How about a close encounter with a whale shark? Visit the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. Here you can admire these giants of the sea!
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If you're a Java developer and you need JDBC 4 features like auto-loading, SQL exception handling enhancements, XML support, DataSet implementation of SQL, it makes sense to use the JDBC 4 compatible IBM Data Server Driver with IDS instead of the Informix JDBC driver. There are various other good reasons for switching to this driver, and the Feb 24 Chat with the Lab, starring the IBM JCC Development Manager Satheesh Bandaram, will look at the top 10. Below are the details..
INVITATION:Informix Chat with the lab - Wednesday, Feb 24
Date: 02/24/2010
Time: 10:30 - 12:00 CST (GMT-06:00)
Presented By: Satheesh Bandaram (IBM)
Informix Chat with the Lab - Wednesday Feb 24, 8:30 AM Pacific, 10:30 AM Central, 11:30 AM Eastern, 4:30 PM London, 5:30 PM Paris
Topic : Top 10 reasons to consider IBM Data Server Driver for JDBC and SQLJ for IDS serversIBM Data Server Driver for JDBC and SQLJ (also known as JCC driver) has been enhanced to support IDS servers since the Cheetah (IDS 11) release. This common driver for all IBM data servers have several advantages over Informix JDBC driver, especially in the areas of JDBC 4 capability, transaction-level work load balancing with Mach 11, tight integration with Websphere, pureQuery and other IM products, support for secure SSL among others.Join IBM JCC Development Manager, Satheesh Bandaram, at the upcoming Informix Chat with the Lab as he discusses best practices around usage of IBM Data server driver for JDBC and SQLJ for IDS. He will examine the migration path, challenges you might encounter and some useful tips.Jerry Keesee, Director of the Informix Lab will introduce the call and Satheesh Bandaram, IBM JCC Development Manager will be our technical speaker.Presentation material will be available at www.ibm.com/informix/labchats prior to the event.Questions, comments or to be removed from this distribution: email@example.com
To register for this event use the following link:
https://events.webdialogs.com/register.php?id=d44771608d&l=en-USIf clicking the above link does not work, please copy the entire link and paste it into your Web browser.For webinar-specific questions, contact the moderator. For technical support, contact email@example.com. at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The do-it-yourself culture may mean big business for home improvement stores, but it may also lead to big headaches for electrical workers
I would never tell anyone that they can't work on their own home, [but] with the advent of [big box retailers], I think DIY electrical work is not only here to stay, but will, in the future, get worse. The sad part of this story is…how many houses have, and will, burn down because of DIY electrical work?…As we all know, every joint is a potential fire. The problem with DIYers is that they don't know it.
— as posted on an Internet message board for electrical workers
You wouldn't think that three letters could be capable of creating so much controversy, but the acronym "DIY" can elicit such a complicated combination of reactions and emotions at its mere mention that you may want to reconsider bringing it up in casual conversation with anyone in the electrical industry. Despite its widespread acceptance among weekend electricians who may be more concerned with finishing a home improvement job quickly than doing it safely, for those in the electrical industry "do-it-yourself" has transcended its literal meaning to represent a frustrating — and potentially dangerous — trend.
As its name implies, do-it-yourself (DIY) electrical work cuts out the middleman — in this case the electrician — and puts the tools in the homeowner's hands. And taken from a purely business perspective, that proposition ultimately begs the question, How much work are electrical contractors losing to the exploits of weekend handymen? As it turns out, not that much. In an informal poll conducted on EC&M's Web site, only 30% of respondents claimed to have lost business to do-it-yourselfers.
Of course, it's difficult to count the money you don't make, so those results may not paint the most accurate portrait of DIY's effects on the electrical construction business. If unqualified homeowners are routinely biting off more than they can chew with complicated electrical installations, it might be fair to assume that contractors are actually benefiting from fixing the problems created by those do-it-yourselfers. Fair, but not completely true. Another 30% of contractors surveyed said their businesses have received a bump from fixing DIY projects gone wrong, but "bump" may be an exaggeration. Of those who said the DIY trend has helped their business, 74% brought in less than $25,000 as a result of fix-up work and only 3% made more than $100,000 bailing do-it-yourselfers out of their homemade jams.
If it's not an issue of money, could the fuss be related to legality? In some states like North Dakota, where electrical licensing and inspection laws are less strict, homeowners may be tempted to finish their basements and do the wiring themselves after construction of the home is complete. If the contractors of record for these homes are less than thorough when noting exactly which parts of the homes they wired, it's conceivable that those contractors could find it difficult to prove they weren't responsible if DIY electrical work leads to a fire. However, as many inspectors and contractors will tell you, homemade wiring jobs are typically so recognizable that a forensic investigation would exonerate the contractors and relieve them of any liability.
Even considering the issue of safety offers more questions than answers with regards to how do-it-yourselfing has become such a contentious subject. It seems that every electrician and inspector — including those interviewed for this story — has encountered at least one homemade wiring job that would bolster the case for outlawing DIY electrical work altogether. Yet almost all of that anecdotal evidence comes with a happy ending that involves fixing the problem and averting disaster. Rarely, if ever, do you hear, "If only we'd gotten there a day earlier." The factual evidence offers scarcely more help. In 1999, only 29 of the 170 nationwide electrocution deaths were attributable to household wiring, circuit breakers, or fuses. Bill King, chief engineer for electrical and fire safety for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, will allow that DIY projects gone wrong are responsible for some of those deaths, but the details are sketchy.
So what's the big deal?
Despite the common argument that so-called "big-box retailers" like Home Depot and Lowe's are at fault for creating the demand for home wiring in a kit, the results of EC&M's poll show that an equal number of electricians think home improvement stores are simply responding to the demand. While 37% of the survey respondents place the blame for the DIY phenomenon on stores like Home Depot, 42% believe the homeowners themselves are responsible. No matter who's responsible for its popularity, DIY is big business. Since 2000, Home Depot has enjoyed revenue gains of more than 27%, bringing in $58.2 billion in 2002. And with state and local laws that continue to permit homeowners to work on their own homes, that chicken/egg argument could rage on for some time.
Regardless of whom you ask, though, one issue is common to every answer. DIY electrical work has the potential to be so dangerous because the average weekend wirer adheres to a simple, but uninformed, motto: "If the light comes on, it must be wired properly." And no matter what their other reasons are for having a problem with DIY, all of the respondents put this one at the top of their lists.
The issue of DIY has no right or wrong answers, no clear cut solutions, so EC&M asked representatives from three teams involved — state inspectors, contractors, and DIY dealers — to weigh in on the subject. And whether you agree with them or not, their thoughts and experiences may bring the muddled subject into clearer focus.
The inspector and the electrical board.
When it comes to shoddy electrical installations, it's safe to say that Dick Owen has seen it all. With a chuckle that suggests the story he's about to tell would be funny if it weren't so scary, the senior electrical inspector for the city of St. Paul, Minn., recounts an instance in which a handyman took his right to home improvement to extremes.
"We had this rockhead who, while rewiring his house, took the service drop off the side of his house and hooked the end of it on to a metal railing on his house to get it out of the way for the time being," Owen says. "The ends were open, and there was no insulation or tape over it. That railing would have been energized to 240V, and if someone were to walk by and brush it, there would have been a problem."
Although stories like that aren't necessarily commonplace in St. Paul, the fact that it happens at all is indicative to him of not only homeowners' disregard for the hazards of electricity but of their insistence on doing things their way, no matter the risk. "There are a lot of people who think, 'My home is my castle, and I can do what I want with it, and you don't have the right to come in and tell me whether I did it right or wrong,'" he says.
That "my-way-or-the-highway" attitude may be true, but only to a certain extent. In Minnesota, as is the case in most states and local municipalities, persons may conduct electrical work on their own homes, but anything other than minor repair work is subject to inspection. The problem, Owen says, is that few homeowners apply for a permit or submit their work for an inspection. "Technically, you have to get a permit for something as simple as installing a ceiling fan, but I can probably count on the thumbs of one hand how many times we've gotten [an application for a permit] in those cases," he says. "There's really no way to tell, but I would say that we get permits for 50% to 60% of residential work that's done."
The percentage of homeowners who apply for permits to conduct electrical work in North Dakota could be even smaller. Only 2% of all electrical permits applied for so far this year have been issued for residential work, but with a mostly rural population and considerably softer guidelines governing what must be inspected, Don Offerdahl, executive director of the North Dakota State Electrical Board, predicts that number fails to tell the whole story.
In either case, inspectors may never see that unlicensed installation, and if they do, it might not be until several years — or even decades — later. "You're not going to get into the basement of a home that was built back in 1945 unless there's some work being done in there," Offerdahl says. "If someone comes in and does some [legitimate] work, they're our best resource, and they'll let us know that we need to come out and take a look at it."
What makes the situation more frustrating for Owen is that even when homeowners apply for a permit and submit their work to inspection, it may not be enough. "Inspectors spot check because there's just not enough time in the day," he says. "They expect licensed electricians to know what they're doing, so there's less of a concern that they might do something you won't catch. But with the homeowner, you really never quite know. You can't assume that the things you don't see or don't have time to tear apart are OK."
What both states have done is take advantage of the one thing they can control: information. Offerdahl and the North Dakota State Electrical Board have promoted May as Electrical Safety Month by holding educational seminars and bringing the issue of unsafe electrical installations to the attention of local lawmakers. And although interest has waned among the public in recent years, Owen's office has participated in several neighborhood home remodeling shows in an effort to guide homeowners in safe wiring practices. "The chances of do-it-yourselfers disappearing are slim," he says. "So we just take the attitude that if they're going to do it, we might as well keep them from hurting themselves."
The contractors.
Even though repairing DIY work gone awry has been a boon for Sentry Electric in Lincoln, Neb. — it accounts for 25% of the outfit's $1 million yearly residential tally — President Brian Allison would just as soon see that well run dry. "I would gladly give it up," he says of DIY repair work. "It's not easy to explain to a client that we have to cut holes in his walls or ceilings to find failed splices or that what was expected to be a $100 charge will cost an additional $500 to $600 because we have to repair existing wiring that has 'worked fine for the last 20 years.'"
Until recently, the laws governing electrical installations in single-family dwellings in Nebraska made it possible for homeowners to do their own work without obtaining a permit and thus slip under the state electrical board's radar. The Nebraska State Electrical Act has been amended to require inspections for all new single-family dwellings and changes to existing homes, but Allison doesn't see that stopping the homeowner who's intent on doing his own work. "In either case, I don't think that will make a bit of difference to the do-it-yourselfer," he says. "He's more than likely not planning to take out a permit or have his installation inspected anyway."
And although he may not believe those changes will have an effect on the frequency of DIY installations, he is confident they'll reduce the chances that he or any of his fellow contractors could be found liable for shoddy or dangerous DIY work. "That's where the State Electrical Act becomes our friend," he says. "Once we take out a permit and it's been inspected, we are relieved of a great deal of that type of liability."
Butch Paschal, president of Houston-Stafford Electric, offers a vastly different viewpoint. Although his outfit, which is a $150 million operation, deals exclusively in new construction and therefore would rarely, if ever, deal with repairing DIY work, he has no problem with homeowners taking on their own electrical work and is confident they know when to say when. "Do-it-yourselfing, in general, is a good thing if a homeowner is technically qualified to be doing whatever it is they're doing," he says. "[DIY] isn't something that's ever going to be much of a problem. People understand that electrical work is dangerous because of what it exposes you to: either the potential for electrical shock while you're doing the work or the potential for fire if you do it incorrectly. People don't want to burn their houses down, so they don't do it if they're not qualified."
Houston-Stafford's focus on new construction offers Paschal a unique view of the trend, though. Just because a home isn't complete, that doesn't mean the future owner won't try to make some "upgrades" along the way, even if it means doing it under cover of darkness. "They don't want to pay the builder's prices, so they go to Home Depot and find that recessed light cans are cheap and wire is cheap," he says. "And while they're at the store, they pick up the how-to book that shows them how to wire everything, so they go out and put in six lights and run a switch. But that can create a problem when we figure it out because we don't want people doing work that we're going to end up picking up liability on later if something goes wrong."
Although he maintains he hasn't seen a significant problem, Paschal says the home improvement stores have made it easy for homeowners to do their own work because they give them the tools to do it. Allison, however, takes a more hard line stance, placing the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the big box retailers. "Home improvement stores provide equipment to the homeowner that should only be installed by a professional," he says. "Just having the materials and a multi-tool does not give them the knowledge needed for a safe installation. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to sit in a hot tub wired by a homeowner, yet home improvement stores will sell a 50A GFCI hot tub package to homeowners."
The dealers in DIY.
A complaint leveled at home improvement stores by so many in the electrical industry is that although providing homeowners with the tools to do their own electrical work can be bad, offering poor instruction on how to do that work is worse. Despite electricians' claims to the contrary, John Simley, a spokesperson for Home Depot, says the company's sales associates don't provide advice on wiring and they won't quote the NEC. "We generally advise people to seek the advice of a qualified electrician or municipal building inspector, and that for insurance purposes they get a building inspector's blessing on the work," he says.
In fact, Simley says, the company takes its responsibilities as a home improvement retailer very seriously. "When you're a store — and it doesn't matter if you're an electrical supply store or a big box store — you've got an obligation to the customer to make sure they know what they're doing," he says. "You can't prevent them from doing the work, and if their options are to do the work in two hours for $25 or have a contractor come in and do it for $250, it's their right to do it themselves."
Part of that obligation is making sure electrical department managers are licensed electricians. However, that isn't a rule. Part-time sales associates aren't required to have a back-ground in electrical work, but Simley is confident they fulfill their obligations to the customers — when the customers are listening. "It's a human system, and you never know if when you impart information on someone that they've heard you correctly," he says.
Other outlets for home repairs information like DIY TV shows have drawn less ire from electrical industry professionals, due in large part to the relatively tame nature of the projects they tackle. Almost everyone who's ever considered retiling a bathroom floor or installing a ceiling fan has heard of Bob Vila and "This Old House," but the increasing demand for home improvement how-to's has spawned entire cable TV networks devoted to the subject. DIY Net is one such resource for the couch potato who doubles as a home improvement journeyman. However, unlike how-to books or the electrical department manager at Home Depot, DIY Net's shows have a limited time frame in which to describe a project.
Karen Daniel, director of programming for the network, says those time restrictions limit shows like "Ask DIY," in which qualified professionals answer frequently asked questions on various home improvement subjects, to covering the basics. "We can only devote five or six minutes to a segment," she says. "If a segment covers something electrical, we don't want to do anything too complicated because we don't want viewers to attempt something that's out of their league, and we have to have enough time to show them how to do it without compromising safety."
And if the tutorials are still too complicated for the average viewer, they may still help. "The viewers may not want to attempt some of the things we put on air, and we hope that by watching it they might be empowered to know enough not to try it."
Even though the network runs a standard disclaimer twice an hour that advises viewers to seek professional help if in doubt about any procedures, Daniel says they're looking into instituting a rating system that would categorize each project as suitable for beginners, intermediate handymen, or experts. "I would hope that most people would have the sense to know better — particularly in the case of something that can be as scary as electricity — than to try something they're not capable of," she says. "We don't want people to get in over their heads, so [rating the shows] is the best way we know how to protect the viewers. We can't police the world, but we try to help."
Policing the electrical world may sound like a good idea to those who view DIY as a problem, but as far Bill King of the CPSC is concerned, that's not likely to happen. "'Regulating' is a dirty word around here," he says. "We're in the age of deregulation."
So for now, homeowners' only protection against the potential dangers inherent to DIY wiring may come from themselves. "I get dozens and sometimes what seems like hundreds of homeowners calling up and asking about electrical work," Dick Owen says. "I just tell them, 'If you're not sure what you're doing, don't do it, and hire someone who does.'"
Sidebar: Harder Than it Looks?
With continued emphasis on the importance of ground-fault protection in kitchens and bathrooms, installing a GFCI has become a common weekend project for do-it-yourselfers. Home Depot's how-to Web page categorizes such a project as "easy," but not everyone we talked to is convinced. The range of answers we received when asking whether it really is easy offer some insight into why the debate over DIY has become so contentious.
"You would think that a homeowner should be able to replace a standard outlet with a GFCI without too much trouble. The GFCIs are getting a little better now, too, because they've got the line and load terminals on there so that if they do hook up backward, the outlets won't work."
— Dick Owen, senior electrical inspector
"Sure, it's easy if all the conditions are right — that is, a large enough box with the same number and colors of wires as shown in the instructions. If not, the greater majority will more than likely not be installed safely."
— Brian Allison, electrical contractor
"If you're going to do it, it's not that complex of a piece of work, because you're just changing out one receptacle for another — it just happens to have a GFCI breaker in it."
— John Simley, Home Depot spokesperson


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You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'accessibility' tag.
Embodiment is the tangible representation of a idea or concept such as disability. It is taking the socio-cultural concept of disability and giving it tangible form such as emotions, thoughts, and abilities. It is how society's view of disability and people's experiences and perspective shape who they are. For example, how stigma shapes a person's ability to interact with the world socially or how depression shapes perceptions of self and the world. It is using disability to express oneself or to communicate something. For example, an artist using his mouth to paint because he is an amputee. It is understanding the concept of disability from the perspective of lived experience as in the disabled person's emotions, ability, and thoughts. It is changing your views and how you interact based on their lived experience. For example, asking questions and clarifying instead of forcing a person with a speech impairment to repeat themselves.
**Based on information from readings for DSAB 602
Laura MacKenzie loves to learn about the world around her. She adores animals and has a dog and cat. She is always observing, thinking, and analyzing. Her goal is to become a police consultant/instructor on community relations and disability. Laura is enrolled in the Advanced Certificate in Disability Studies here at CUNY SPS.
Part 5: Perceptible Information, the fourth principle of Universal Design
by Antonia Levy, Christopher Leydon & Chris Kchao
This month we discuss the fourth principle of Universal Design (UD), Perceptible Information, meaning that "the design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities."
Guidelines for adherence to this principle include:
- Use different modes (pictorial, verbal, tactile) of presentation for essential information.
- Provide adequate contrast between essential information and its surroundings.
- Maximize "legibility" of essential information.
- Differentiate elements in ways that can be described (i.e., make it easy to give instructions or directions).
- Provide compatibility with a variety of techniques or devices used by people with sensory limitations.
Practical examples for this principle are tactile features on numeric keypads for blind users, which usually include a dot on the 5 key, a tactile circle on the enter/confirm button and a tactile x on the cancel/clear button. Consumer devices such as thermostats or infrastructure such as pedestrian signals now employ a combination of tactile, visual, and audible cues to be accessible to all.
In education, this principle calls for providing essential information in a variety of modes (e.g., written, symbolic, tactile, verbal) thereby ensuring effective communication with all users regardless of their sensory abilities. This includes making all (online) instructional materials accessible to users of screen reading software as demonstrated in this video.
For an expert account of how screen readers, we turned to guest contributor Chris Kchao, who handles assistive technology in the Office of Student Disability Services here at CUNY SPS.
Screen readers, sometimes referred to by the general term screen access programs, allow blind or visually impaired users to gain access to written information on electronic devices. Text is typically either read aloud by a synthetic voice or output to a refreshable Braille display. The function of a screen reader is not simply to render any text available on screen, but to facilitate interaction between the person and the user interface. In practical terms, the screen reader doesn't just voice the text, but also provides contextual information about the item being read (whether it's a menu, button, checkbox, link, etc). For instance, here's the output from the NVDA screen reader when a user presses the Windows start key:
Start menu, Search Box, edit: Search programs and files.
By way of these prompts, a user is informed not only of what the screen says, but also how to proceed. Among other things, we're told that a menu is present, and that we're focused on an edit field in which we may begin entering text.
When a screen reader encounters a document embedded on a website or posted in a Blackboard course site and the user opens it, that document also needs to be accessible to the screen reading software in order for a visually impaired person to access the content. PDF documents, for example, are only accessible when text contained in them is searchable. They should include other "hidden" features, called tags that are added for accessibility purposes only and have no visible effect on the PDF. Such tags include descriptive text for images (called Alt Text) or structure tags (called headings) added to titles, subtitles, etc.
Note that most PDFs created using a scanner are considered inaccessible because they are simply images of the page, which means that a screen reader cannot recognize any of the text. For various ways to make PDF documents accessible to all, see our quick guide or video tutorial with detailed instructions.
PDFs may also be created by conversion from another type of file, such as Word or PowerPoint. If you follow accessibility guidelines when creating those source documents, and then "save as" a PDF, the accessibility features such as headings or Alt Text for images will carry over into your PDF document. See our Accessibility Resources Site for additional tutorials explaining how to create accessible Word, Excel, and Powerpoint documents as well adding captions to your YouTube videos.
This article is part of an ongoing series introducing the concept of Universal Design (UD) as it applies to the context of higher education and to our work at CUNY SPS. Each installment covers one of the seven principles of UD with practical examples for both faculty and staff, including things you might not immediately associate with accessibility—or inaccessibility. Catch you next time!
Questions or feedback? Email Antonia Levy or Christopher Leydon.
Part 4: Simple & Intuitive, the third principle of Universal Design
by Antonia Levy, Christopher Leydon & Julie Maybee
Simple & Intuitive, the third principle of Universal Design (UD), refers to the use of any product being "easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level." Guidelines for this principle include:
- Eliminate unnecessary complexity;
- Be consistent with user expectations and intuition;
- Accommodate a wide range of literacy and language skills;
- Arrange information consistent with its importance; and
- Provide effective prompting and feedback during and after task completion.
General design examples for this principle include the moving sidewalks found in airport terminals and other public spaces, or the kind of lavatory faucets that make their operation readily apparent and relatively easy.
Remember instruction manuals that either use overtly technical terminology or visual instructions that are impossible to follow? Instructional materials would be readily accessible to more people if they take into account the principle of simple and intuitive design, for instance by combining plain language and drawings alongside the text. Avoiding unnecessary complexity and jargon applies to any instructions—including those created by university offices for use by staff, faculty, and students.
The design of our campus facilities should facilitate immediate understanding about the purpose and utilization of each design feature. Moreover, its means of use should be intuitively obvious so that it operates as anticipated by the user who can, therefore, use it spontaneously.
For a faculty perspective this month, we invited Julie E. Maybee, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Lehman College and Adjunct Associate Professor of Disability Studies here at CUNY SPS, who suggests a number of ways to apply this principle to the design of online and hybrid courses in Blackboard (Bb).
To make course navigation more simple, I aim to minimize the number of clicks required for students to figure out what work they need to do each week. I create a folder for each week in a content area on Bb called "Weekly Modules" or "Weekly Folders." The folder description includes the date range for each week, as well as special due dates (such as for essays, or drafts of the final paper)—hence, the "Weekly Folders" section almost serves as a course calendar as well.
Each of the folders contains all the work the students have to do for that week. Moreover, in the interest of simplicity, each folder has the same structure:
- An item introduces the week's topic and study questions or learning outcomes;
- A list of assignments students have to complete during that week—i.e., what to read, what work to submit, etc.;
- A list of the week's readings; and
- Links, with assignment instructions, to the specific Bb tools students will use to submit their work, e.g. a link to the relevant discussion board (or blog) or to submit an assignment.
Each folder is thus a completely self-contained place where students can go to complete all their work for the week.
There are also a few ways to make the course design more simple and intuitive. For one, providing multiple access points to the same items can help your students to navigate the course site more easily. For example, aside from the links in the Weekly Folders, I provide shortcuts to the discussion board or blog on the course menu for faster access. In addition, I create a link to the "Help with Writing the Final Paper" folder both within the "Assignment Information" section (for students looking for information about the assignment) as well as the "HELP!" section of the course (for students who think in terms of needing help with the paper). In other words, whichever way they might think, students will find a link to the information they are looking for in either place.
Also, limiting the variety of tools you assign is an easy way to simplify the design of your course—for both the instructor and the students. Each feature in Blackboard works a little differently; e.g., replying to a discussion forum is different than commenting on a blog or editing a wiki, and using the assignment tool is different from taking a test. So, instead of trying to use them all, I give similar assignments from week to week, or at least in multiple weeks. For instance, in some of my courses, students do the exact same discussion assignment for weekly readings: students must post four posts to the discussion board, some of which must answer study questions I provide on each of the readings, and some of which must respond to my or other student's posts.
Making your assignments repetitive also helps to convey your course expectations to students. When an assignment is the same every week, students will find it easier to learn what they are expected to do, and they also have multiple opportunities to learn (and respond to) your expectations for that kind of assignment. If you then grade the discussion every week—preferably by using rubrics, which Blackboard makes fairly easy to do—you will also be providing consistent feedback to students that helps them to understand what these expectations are.
Last but not least, assigning different levels of writing assignments helps to accommodate students with a wider range of literacy and language skills. Since I do not typically grade discussion posts for grammar and style, I use the discussion board as a place where students can write more informally. Short blog/paper assignments can be helpful as a scaffold for the final paper by giving students lower-stakes opportunities to practice skills they will need when completing the more significant assignment later. In my own discussion posts and in grading feedback, I encourage students to provide citations to back their claims, to interpret quotations in their own words, to offer scholarly evidence from the readings for their views, and so on.
These are just a few ideas about some of the ways our courses can be more simple and intuitive—and hence more accessible—for students.
This article is part of an ongoing series introducing the concept of Universal Design (UD) as it applies to the context of higher education and to our work at CUNY SPS. Each month we cover one of the seven principles of UD with practical examples for both faculty and staff, including things you might not immediately associate with accessibility—or inaccessibility. Catch you next month! Questions or feedback? Email Antonia Levy or Christopher Leydon.


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Whether it is a house move or an office move, Removals Unlimited is Bournemouth's removals company of choice.
We have extensive experience within the Dorset area and each member of our team has received the relevant removals training, so when it comes to moving your belongings we have total confidence in our ability to deliver and take personal responsibility for your possessions.
We are always on time and therefore very reliable. We have accumulated a wealth of knowledge when it comes to relocation methods and strategies – you can be sure that we will be as efficient as possible.
Our fleet of luton vans is fully insured with full comprehensive insurance. Our business has £50k in transit insurance and £1M liability insurance. All our luton vans have tail lifts.
We also facilitate card payments.
Moving Services
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"Moving contents of a 4 bedroom house. I contacted Removals Unlimited, re moving our house contents, less than 10 days before we actually moved. Morgan was brilliant, as nothing was a problem, he was so helpful in every way and very efficient and careful with all our belongings. On the day, we had a long delay between moving out and then into the new house, and again this was no problem for Morgan and his team. Absolutely first class service, I would highly recommend this company."
Julia in Poole
"Large 3 bedroom top floor flat move. Morgan was great to deal with and I would highly recommend his company. We had exceptional communication leading up to the move including two site visits, which was reassuring and useful to plan the move. Morgan was friendly and couldn't do enough to help. The move itself went very smoothly, despite some difficult items. The team were friendly and courteous. They completed the work in just over the time they estimated but were not in a rush to leave, helping us put everything in place and get it assembled. They were very careful to avoid damage. Will definitely be using them again."
Daniel in Alum Shine
"Large 4 bedrooms flat move from Bournemouth to Suffolk. This is by far the best removal company I have ever used (and I've moved a lot). They go above and beyond expectations to ensure the move is as stress free as possible. Best price , best service , best everything ! This was a big move from a four bed in Bournemouth to a 2 bed in Suffolk, it ran smoothly from start to finish and I can't emphasise enough, how impressed I was. Everyone should use this company !"
Trace in Ferndown
It's no secret that treating someone well and being treated well makes you feel good. People spend too much time at their job to not enjoy it. Many companies are starting to evolve into a versatile work environment. With new generations entering the workforce, the pressure to follow suit is on the rise. Here at Removals Unlimited in Bournemouth we have a very low turnover of employees.
Whilst I was spending some time with my eldest in our local playground in Bournemouth, Mia couldn't help but notice the amount of rubbish floating around. So, I asked Mia if she would fancy cleaning the park next time around and she immediately responded positively through her kind heart for nature. On that day I ordered 2 grabbers and here we were planning on our next 'little project'!
Every move is unique, this is why at Removals Unlimited in Bournemouth we always takes the time to meet with every client face-to-face making sure we listen and assess your relocation requirement in details. Some requirement might be simpler than others but all are different. We will give guidance that will help your move go as safely and efficiently as possible.
Moving into a new home can be a complicated process at the best of times. Even with the help of a professional estate agent, and plenty of support from your friends, it's safe to say that moving is one of the most stressful experiences a person can have. However, when you find yourself with only a week- or less to get everything sorted, it can feel as though you're going insane!
As wonderful as it can be to take the next step in your journey with a brand-new house, moving is generally considered to be one of the most stressful events in life. Getting all your belongings safely transported and set up in your new home is an exhausting and overwhelming process. That's why it's so important to have a strategy in place for simplifying your move.
You've finally found the perfect home, and moving day is fast approaching.
With a little luck, you've already stocked up on boxes and bubble wrap, and you'll have done your research to make sure that you're getting the support of a reliable moving company. Of course, there's still plenty of things that you'll need to do before you can…
Another happy customer taking advantage of our fantastic man and van delivery service!
We were delighted to have been commissioned to deliver a large antique circular painting to Cambridge (Worth thousands of pounds!).
It was important to our customer to find the correct outfit for...
When we initially observed the current removals market before starting our company we immediately sensed that there was a gap.
Nearly 6 months on, we are pleased to see that we are filling that gap through our passion for perfect customer service and our hard work looking after...
Spend some time considering how you are going to pack your possessions. Books are easy but heavy, valuables need careful wrapping and will take time, and some furniture may need to be dismantled.
- Start early. Packing always takes longer than anticipated, particularly when you start reminiscing over old photographs stored in the attic...
Unless you travel light, you won't be able to unpack everything in the first day, so it's worth deciding what you might need easy access to soon after you cross the threshold of your new home.
- Pack an 'essentials' box for the first night in your new home and carry it with you...


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Prince Fielder's towering three-run homer in the sixth inning put Detroit ahead, and the Tigers held on Monday night for their fourth straight win 4-3 over the Minnesota Twins.
Fielder hits three-run homer in victory over Twins
Prince Fielder's towering three-run homer in the sixth inning put Detroit ahead, and the Tigers held on Monday night for their fourth straight win 4-3 over the Minnesota Twins.
Detroit trailed 3-1 when Andy Dirks reached on a bunt single and Miguel Cabrera walked. Fielder hit the first pitch over the wall in left-centre for an opposite-field homer. That part of the fence is about 405 feet from home plate.
Max Scherzer (3-0) allowed three runs and six hits in 7 1-3 innings. He struck out 10 without a walk. Drew Smyly finished the eighth and got the first two outs of the ninth, and Joaquin Benoit finished for his second save.
Mike Pelfrey (2-3) allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 1-3 innings.
Dirks also homered for the Tigers, and Josh Willingham went deep for Minnesota.
Pelfrey, who signed with the Twins in the off-season, entered the night with a 7.94 ERA, but for the first five innings he quieted a Detroit lineup that had just scored 25 runs in a three-game sweep of Atlanta.
Then in a blink, the lead was gone when Fielder connected for his sixth homer of the year.
The free-swinging Braves struck out 39 times in those three games against the Tigers, but Minnesota has done a good job making contact all season. The Twins entered the day with only 150 strikeouts, the second-fewest in baseball, and they pecked away early against Scherzer.
Willingham opened the scoring in the first with a solo shot, his fifth homer of the year. Two singles and a wild pitch put men on second and third in the second, and an RBI groundout by Aaron Hicks made it 2-0.
Dirks homered in the third, but the Twins answered immediately the next inning with Oswaldo Arcia's run-scoring double.
But Pelfrey couldn't hold the Tigers down for long enough, and once Detroit took the lead, the Twins didn't come close to scoring on Scherzer. He struck out the side in the seventh and fanned Brian Dozier to start the eighth before departing. Scherzer threw 114 pitches.
Smyly and Benoit finished. Closer Jose Valverde was given the night off after pitching the previous two days.
NOTES: A comebacker by Pedro Florimon appeared to hit Scherzer in the back in the second, but the Detroit right-hander was able to recover and make the play. … Cabrera's hitting streak ended at 12 games. … Detroit ace Justin Verlander (2-2) takes the mound Tuesday night against Minnesota's Vance Worley (0-3).


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New BlackBerry Starts Selling in U.K. as Investors Retreat
LONDON—Research In Motion Ltd.'s new BlackBerry Z10 phone began selling Thursday in the U.K., the first market that serves as a test of the device's broad consumer appeal.
Mostly absent from the rollout in the U.K. were the long lines that often accompany a new Apple Inc. iPhone launch. And some stores operated by the nation's biggest mobile operators reported receiving a small supply of the Z10, or none at all.


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New in Labs: Google Search right in Gmail
I used to have a problem. People would ask me questions, over chat or email, and I'd have to leave Gmail to search Google for an answer. Then I'd have to select the answer, copy it, go back to Gmail and paste the answer into the chat window or my reply. Sometimes I'd get distracted and forget to go back to Gmail, and I'd have to go through it all again when I remembered what I'd been doing.
With the new Google Search experiment in Gmail Labs, my problem is solved. When you turn this feature on from the Labs tab under Settings, you'll see a new search box on the left side of your inbox, like this:
Type your search in, and a window (like a chat window, but a bit bigger) appears at the bottom of your screen with the first few search results.
You can click on a search result and it'll open up in another window (or another tab) so you can make sure it's what you're looking for. Once you're sure it's a result you need, moving your mouse over the result back in Gmail reveals a pull-down menu that lets you do stuff with the search result.
What's in the menu depends on what you're doing in Gmail:
- If you're reading a message, you can start a reply to the message with the search result as the first thing in your reply.
- If you're writing a message, you can paste the result, or just the URL into your message.
- If you're chatting with someone, you can send the result via chat.
- You can also always compose a new message to send the search result.
If you have keyboard shortcuts turned on, typing g and then / will take you to the search box when you're not composing, and Ctrl + g will do it when you're composing (that's ⌘ + g for Mac users).
Like all things in Gmail Labs, we're going to be tinkering with it, so let us know what you think.
Oh, and one other thing: with all the stuff we've been adding to Gmail Labs lately, the left side of your account might be getting crowded. A lot of the people who've been playing with this new feature have found it useful to turn on "Navbar drag and drop" in Labs so they can move the web search box up to the top where it's easy to get to.


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The Culture Diaries
A Week in Culture: Sadie Stein, EditorBy Sadie Stein
4:00 A.M. I can't sleep. Because I just moved from Brooklyn into Manhattan, my books aren't unpacked, and so my reading options are limited. The only books I have handy are on decorating—although it's usually a pretty theoretical study in my case. The pattern of the boards on the floor of this new apartment reminds me of floors I saw in Kraków when I visited there with my father, and I've decided rather grandly to do a sort of prewar Eastern European motif. (Again, this is probably theoretical. ) Wonder vaguely where one would find a tiled stove in New York.
I read a few chapters of the inimitable Dorothy Draper's Decorating Is Fun!, which is filled with gems like "It is just as disastrous to have the wrong accessories in your room as it is to wear sport shoes with an evening dress," as well as the somewhat less helpful "I don't believe anything can do as much for a room as a glowing fire in an attractive fireplace. Men and dogs love an open fire—they show good sense. It is the heart of any room and should be kindled on the slightest provocation." (That said, I'm guessing Alexa Chung or someone is wearing sports shoes with an evening dress as we speak, and probably causing a sensation. Imagine a world with rules and dicta. The mind boggles.)
5:30 A.M. Finally manage to drift off for a few hours, until a handyman unexpectedly knocks at the door at 7:45 to wash the windows. It occurs to me that this is just the sort of dubious ruse a murderer or thief might use to gain entrance to someone's apartment; let him in anyway.
9:00 A.M. I pass an angry-looking gentleman on the way to the subway.
"Hello," I say.
"Bloomingdales, Bloomingdales!" he shouts.
3:53 P.M. I get some sad family news. Internet is in and out here, but in a good moment, I find my favorite Barbara Pym quote: "The small things of life were often so much bigger than the great things … the trivial pleasure like cooking, one's home, little poems especially sad ones, solitary walks, funny things seen and overheard."
4:45 P.M. My old boyfriend e-mails me about a recent fight he got into at a dinner party, over collective nouns. "I was quite put out, let me tell you," he says. Read More


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Contrary to what one can believe, the shoes do not make a difference between the feet of men and women! As a result, determining your exact size is child's play, especially since there is only one size chart for both sexes! !
To verify this, we are voting a 1: 1 scale print meter. To print your pedometer, click on this link
Thus, you will be able to notice that your size is good after verification.
First and foremost, your foot must be naked for the measurement to be effective.
(The measurement is taken from the convexity of the heel to the end of the most prominent toe)
If your size is not "full" (example: 38.5 or 39.5 etc ...) and the model you want to order does not offer a half-size, we advise you to take the size larger than the your. Therefore, if you put on a 38.5 then you will order your pair of shoes in 39.
Nicla leather white-orange 1937
No customer reviews for the moment.


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Latest News
In Luxor, Egypt's tourism center, voters shun Muslim Brotherhood candidate
The pleasure boats sit idle on the Nile, the hotels are empty and the magnificent temples have precious few admirers these days.
Egypt's post-uprising tourism slump, felt keenly in this southern city that was once the capital of ancient Egypt and stands near the Valley of the Kings, where the boy king Tutankhamun was entombed, was the backdrop to voting Wednesday in the country's historic presidential election.
Voters – urban and rural, Islamist and liberal – all said they hoped that a new administration would get Luxor's lifeblood flowing again, though their preferences for the right man to revive the tourism industry varied widely.
From interviews with voters at polling places throughout the city and outlying villages, it appeared that the Islamists were divided, tourism workers favored liberals and the sizable Coptic Christian community trended toward members of Hosni Mubarak's old regime.
Luxor residents say the past year's decline in tourism is the worst since a deadly mass shooting here in 1997. The city took at least five years to recover from that, and residents worry that they could face the same fate now unless Egyptians elect a president who'll diversify the economy and steer other types of industry to their region.
"Tourism is connected to every family in Luxor, directly or indirectly," said Mohamed Orabi, 60, an accountant by day and restaurateur by night. "Even a woman raising chickens in the village – the people who buy eggs from her work in tourism, and if they're not working, they don't buy."
Of the 13 candidate names on the ballot, the ones voters mentioned most were the pro-reform Islamist Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, Ahmed Shafik, who was Mubarak's last prime minister, and the Arab nationalist Hamdeen Sabahi.
"We just can't guarantee how the country would look under an Islamist president," said Souad Ayad, 47, a Copt who was swayed by Shafik's blatant pitch for a return to the old regime's predictable, albeit authoritarian, model.
Not one voter McClatchy interviewed mentioned Amr Moussa, the former Arab League chief and presumed front-runner, though he enjoys support from some tourism workers for his image as a beacon of "stability," Egyptian shorthand for the halcyon days before disruptive protests became commonplace.
Another conspicuously unpopular contender was the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi. Even many former Brotherhood supporters shied away from him out of fear that an Islamist president would scare off foreign tourists or because they worried that the group was on track to a political monopoly like that of the former ruling party of Mubarak, whose cronies got sweetheart deals here on once-lucrative tourism projects.
"For Parliament, OK, but that's enough. The Brotherhood shouldn't control everything," said Mustafa Mohamed, 25, who runs hot-air balloon tours and voted for Aboul Fotouh. Mohamed said his business had dropped by 60 percent since the uprising against Mubarak.
Luxor residents said they'd seen no evidence to back the interim government's optimistic projection, as reported by news agencies, that the number of tourists visiting Egypt this year would rebound to pre-uprising figures of 14.5 million, generating about $12.5 billion.
The tourism sector, said to employ one in eight Egyptian workers, was devastated when the rebellion and turbulent transition period forced millions of would-be tourists to cancel their travel plans.
"If tourism isn't working, there should be other industries, but there isn't. If there's no tourism, there's nothing," said Mahmoud Abdel Sabour, 41, an out-of-work cruise-ship singer who voted for Sabahi, the Arab nationalist.
Abdel Hamid el Senussi, a Muslim Brotherhood politician who won a seat in Parliament representing Luxor, said the platform of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party protected the tourism sector but also would introduce new types of industry to Luxor and other southern cities.
Sitting on a wooden bench among his neighbors in the mostly unpaved village of Madamood, Senussi described the Brotherhood's vision for Luxor and its environs should Morsi win the presidency: power stations, paper mills, a tomato-paste factory.
The men surrounding him nodded, and chimed in with their own ideas.
"We need a safety net," Senussi said.
McClatchy special correspondent Mai Shams El-Din contributed to this report.


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Strong First Half Powers UCSD to Senior Night Win Over Sonoma State, 62-47
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LA JOLLA, Calif. - Megan Perry and McKennan Bertsch scored 11 points apiece as UC San Diego used a strong first half to take down Sonoma State, 62-47, Saturday on Senior Night at RIMAC Arena. Kim Manlangit, Erin Dautremont, Rachel Marty, Stephanie Yano and Perry were honored before the contest in front of the home crowd as part of the celebration.
The Tritons improve to 15-9 overall and 12-8 in the CCAA following the win. UCSD now sits in a tie for third place in the conference with Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills, who the Tritons play next week on the road. The top six teams in the standings advance to the conference tournament. Sonoma State falls to 4-20 overall and 3-17 in league play.
With the scored tied 17-17 at the 8:18 mark, the Tritons closed the first half on a 21-5 run to take control of the game. The streak was started with a three from Marty, highlighted by a trey from Yano and finished off by a layup from Haley Anderson.
UCSD shot .462 in the half, including a mark of .429 from deep on six-of-14 attempts from beyond the arc. Perry scored all 11 of her points in the half, which included a trio of threes.
The Tritons eventually grabbed their largest lead of the night in the second period of 24 points, 54-30, with 10:15 remaining following a pair of free throws from Dana Webster. UCSD closed out the win with strong shooting from the charity stripe to win 62-47.
Perry, in her final home game, finished four-of-eight from the field and added two assists and three rebounds to her line. Bertsch concluded the night perfect from the floor on four attempts and grabbed seven rebounds. UCSD also received seven points from Yano and Anderson each, six from Dauremont and five apiece from Webster and Marty.
As a team, the Tritons finished .373 from the field on 19-of-51 shooting compared to SSU's .302 mark on 16-of-53 shooting. UCSD also finished 16-of-22 from the free-throw line. UCSD outrebounded the Seawolves by a margin of 46-32 and outscored SSU in the paint 14-8.
UCSD concludes its regular season on the road next week, playing at Cal State L.A. on Friday, Feb. 28, and at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday, March 1. Both games tip at 5:30 p.m.


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PSA About Bullying From The MLB Reports Via Lori Martini: I'm Not Perfect Video Featuring Dance Moms Miami Cast
Posted by chuckbooth3023
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Wednesday December 19, 2012
Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024 & Lori Martini (Senior Reporter and Baseball Writer): Follow @LoriMartini
Earlier this year, I had the great honor of meeting Lori Martini. She was instrumental in helping me set the 'World Record for Fastest To See All 30 MLB Parks' in April, by attending 10 Games with me. We had a nice little media blitz around the whole trip. I even interviewed Lori as our Citi Field Expert. The next week, she wrote a great review about the New Marlins Ball Park, that is one of the highest viewed on the internet and has also written a few other articles. Later on in the summer, Lori interviewed Yankees Prospect Tyler Austin for the MLB Reports. Before any of this all happened, I was already a fan of Lori's music prior to meeting her in person. Her songwriting is incredible and she is finally receiving some recognition for it. Lori has now used that recognition for a greater cause….
In April of this year, Lori Martini's song "I'm Not Perfect" was placed on Dance Moms Miami and subsequently Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition on Lifetime. Since then, the song has exploded and has inspired many young girls and boys. It has become their anthem as it deals with accepting yourself for who you are and champions anti-bullying. There are hundreds of fan made videos that combined have over 1 Million hits and counting. These kids are doing covers of the song; they use it for their dance recitals; for their school projects; for anti-bullying videos; they score it to their favorite shows, dancers, singers and artists etc.
In addition these girls look to Lori for guidance. She has inspired a few fans to start writing lyrics and they come to her for critique. She also talked one such tween out of committing suicide and has inspired her to write stories to get her feelings out. This girl now writes for her school paper and is thriving.
If this weren't enough, Lori also went on a 2 month Fundraising campaign, in order to collect enough money to write and produce her very own anti-bullying concept video. This video came as a huge project that Lori gladly undertook because it conveys an important message. It was also a costly venture. Lori put forth an incredible effort to make this happen by selling a lot of her own Baseball memorabilia and New York Mets Tickets. Lori does as much charity work as I have ever seen by anyone in my life. This is just another reason why she is a such a fantastic role model for young people. When doing research for her Citi Field Interview earlier this year, I saw years upon years of helping friends through Suite Parties at Citi Field…or running marathons for Team McGraw and helped a friend raise money and awareness for Brain Cancer.
This anti-bullying concept video is a PSA I am proud to promote on this website. All of us have seen bullying take place in our lives and personally affect our loved ones. This problematic behavior is not subsiding in our world as the recent Cyber-Bullying Death of Amanda Todd (from British Colombia Canada) illustrates a new wave of bullying not seen before by previous generations, in addition to many bullying tactics that have always gone on. I have many nieces and nephews already in or entering grade school. I BELIEVE it is our civic duty to raise as much awareness as humanly possible with whatever power or authority we can—-when it comes to something so brutal in this world as 'Bullying.' I urge you to do the same. I will always promote a PSA such as this—and especially if it is one of our writers who has the cause.
Here is the official video for "I'm Not Perfect" which features the cast of Dance Moms Miami:
You can purchase I'm Not Perfect on iTunes:
As well as a Karaoke version:
*The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com*)
Thank you to our Senior Reporter and Baseball Writer Lori Martini, for helping to prepare today's feature on The MLB Reports. To learn more about Lori Martini and her story click here, you can also follow Lori on Twitter: Follow @LoriMartini Follow @Shortfilmcaught Follow @LMartiniMusic and check out her song 'Believe' here on Youtube, (Formerly Justin Turner 's walkup song for the Mets and was recently heard on VH1's House of Consignment.) A great role model for young people, Lori Martini is an accomplished actress, songwriter, and die-hard Mets fan.
***Here are some more links to check out Lori Martini's brilliant work as a Songwriter, Actress and Producer.***
Please e-mail us at: email@example.com with any questions and feedback. You can follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook. To subscribe to our website and have the daily Reports sent directly to your inbox, click here and follow the link at the top of our homepage.Follow @mlbreports
Like us on Facebook here
About chuckbooth3023I played competitive baseball until 18 years old and had offers to play NCAA Division 1 University Baseball at Liberty University. Post-concussion symptoms from previous football and baseball head injuries forced me to retire by age 19. After two nearly made World Record Attempts in 2008, I set a New World Record by visiting all 30 MLB Parks (from 1st to last pitch) in only 24 Calendar Days in the summer 0f 2009. In April of 2012, I established yet another new GWR by visiting all 30 Parks in only 23 Calendar Days! You can see the full schedule at the page of the www.mlbreports.com/gwr-tracker . In 2015, I watched 224 MLB Games, spanning all 30 MLB Parks in 183 Days. Read about that World Record Journey at https://mlbreports.com/183in2015/229sked2015/
Posted on December 19, 2012, in The Rest: Everything Baseball and tagged @LMartiniMusic on twitter, @lorimartini on twitter, @ShortFilmCaught on twitter, abby's ultimate dance competition, amanda todd, american idol, bowie alexander, bullying death, Chuck Booth, citi field, cyber bullying, dance moms miami, devyn rush, hannah epstein, heyugly.com, im not perfect on Itunes, justin turner, kimmy kopke, Lori Martini, lucas triana, new york mets, PSA bullying, sammy small, youtube. Bookmark the permalink. Comments Off on PSA About Bullying From The MLB Reports Via Lori Martini: I'm Not Perfect Video Featuring Dance Moms Miami Cast.
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Optical wireless may be the answer to dropped calls, and more
Anyone who has tried to make a cell phone call from a crowded football stadium has had a taste of what engineers call spectrum crunch. The looming problem, and the reason for all those dropped calls, is that there's not enough bandwidth to accommodate the exploding use of wireless mobile applications. "This is an engineering problem we need to solve," says Mohsen Kavehrad, W.L. Weiss Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering. That's the philosophy behind the Center for Optical Wireless Applications (COWA), a National Science Foundation-funded collaboration between Penn State and the Georgia Institute of Technology.


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Home >> Course Descriptions >> College of Education
Analytic Techniques in Applied Behavior Analysis
Three semester Hours.
This is the second of a three-course sequence. These courses cover academic content required to take the Behavior Analysis Certification Board Examination. This course covers more advanced behavioral principles and provides an in-depth review of applied behavior analytic techniques. It covers BACB exam task areas including conducting behavioral assessments, designing effective behavior change programs, and applying behavioral procedures consonant with ethical standards. Students will apply behavior analytic principles toward the improvement of socially significant behaviors in a wide range of settings as well as to evaluate the effects of behavioral procedures. Prerequisites: EDSE 5325 and EDSE 5360.
Home - General Information - Student Services -
Academic Undergraduate Regulations -
Undergraduate Degrees - Academic Graduate Regulations -
Graduate Degrees - Course Descriptions - Faculty -
Appendix A - Appendix B - Appendix C - Appendix D


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We've already sung our praises for socially conscious jewelry line Sequence, and it's safe to say we're pretty big fans here at the R29 office. So, it's only natural that we would indulge ourselves in a little style-out challenge with three of our staffers using Sequence's most versatile accessory (what, you don't do that?).
That's right, we asked assistant fashion editor Willow Lindley, staff writer Lauren Caruso, and director of event marketing Guia Golden to put their unique spins on Sequence's 'X' Knots Necklace. To make matters even more interesting, not only did these lovely ladies style the necklace differently, but each wore it as a completely different accessory. How's that for versatility?
Click through to see the lineup, and don't forget to tell us which is your favorite...if you can choose, that is.


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And yet another treasure found from BOOKSALE! Can you ever believe my luck?
Jakob Kuisl is the official hangman of Schongau (a town in Bavaria). There has been a sudden commotion in Schongau. A boy has been found dead and incidentally has the witch's mark on him!
The town goes berserk as rumors of witchcraft spread.
Martha Stechlin, a midwife who brought Jakob's children to being, is the main suspect. She was immediately held in captive and due for stating a confession that would determine whether she will be burned at stake.
Meanwhile, Johann Lechner (court clerk) is provoked to act upon the matter swiftly for he does not want things to get out of hand as it did seventy years ago. Half of the women of Schongau were burned at stake seventy years ago, everyone was accused of being a witch.
The hangman strongly believes that Martha is innocent. Although he understands what the court clerk's intentions are, he couldn't help but meddle in the case.
Together with his daughter Magdalena's swain (Simon Fronwieser, the town physician's son), Jakob delves in deeper in this medieval mystery crime!
I like it as much as I didn't like it. I have mixed feelings about this international bestseller. The prolonged agony of reading this book is tiresome. It was all too much but all too little. I don't really know what I want from this, really. It's just that, though I've enjoyed the medieval feel of it and having to encounter words such as doublet, tankard & wench, I needed something more emotional. The title as well is a little too misleading. Halfway through, I was thinking 'ooh, Magdalena is the witch! She is!'.
It's not a disappointment. It was still worthwhile.


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[ncc-announce] RIPE 63: Meeting Plan Update
RIPE NCC Meeting Coordinator meeting at ripe.net
Thu Oct 6 13:39:43 CEST 2011
Dear colleagues, It is less than three weeks to RIPE 63, taking place from 31 October to 4 November at the Hilton hotel in Vienna. ------------------------------ Meeting Plan ------------------------------ The draft meeting plan has been updated at: http://ripe63.ripe.net/programme/meeting-plan/ A list of talks will be published shortly. ------------------------------ Hotel Cut-Off Date ------------------------------ The Hilton am Stadtpark Hotel offers RIPE Meeting attendees a special rate of EUR 185 (incl. breakfast). To take advantage of the discount, be sure to book your room by *today, Thursday, 6 October*. We can also suggest alternative hotels within walking distance to the meeting venue. Find information about hotels in Vienna at: http://ripe63.ripe.net/getting-there/alternative-hotels/ ------------------------------ Registration ------------------------------ You can register for RIPE 63 online at: http://ripe63.ripe.net/registration/register/ ------------------------------ More information ------------------------------ Stay tuned in the coming weeks for regular updates at: http://ripe63.ripe.net/ Regards, The RIPE Meeting Team RIPE NCC


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Revived Detroit revs up lobbying
The American auto industry is roaring back — to K Street.
A year after President Barack Obama touted the success of the auto rescue in his State of the Union address, General Motors and Chrysler — Detroit's two rescued automakers — have rebuilt their lobby shops and are back spending millions to influence lawmakers on issues that can make or break their bottom line, like taxes and trade policy.
Story Continued Below
It might seem like a brazen move for the auto giants, since taxpayers took a $1.3 billion loss when the government sold off the last of its Chrysler stock last year. And the government is supposed to do even worse when it dumps the last of its GM stock in the coming months.
But it's become standard operating procedure in the post-bailout era: big banks, insurance companies and now automakers laid low on K Street for a time, but got right back into the influence game as soon as they felt they had the political cover to do it.
GM spent a combined $17.9 million on lobbying in 2011 and 2012, while Chrysler more than doubled its spending last year to $5.6 million. Even Ford, which did not take federal dollars, increased its spending on lobbying to $6.8 million last year.
( Also on POLITICO: Michael Mullen joins GM)
"I still think it's outrageous that General Motors stole some $20 [billion] or $30 billion from taxpayers. I'm sure, to them, that's chump change," said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who was running for president against then-Sen. Obama at the time of the 2008 bailout.
While it's certainly legal for the companies that have received a government bailout to continue lobbying, it's not necessarily popular on Capitol Hill.
"Everybody's entitled to their lobbying — it will probably be a good employment program for some Senate staffers," McCain quipped of the automakers' K Street profile.
(A lso on POLITICO: TARP watchdog rips 'excessive' pay)
McCain voted for the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program that allowed the Treasury Department to buy assets from financial institutions. But he joined other Senate Republicans to block a $14 billion rescue plan narrowly tailored to aid GM and Chrysler.
The government is expected to unload the last of its stake in GM — 300 million shares, or nearly 20 percent of the auto giant — over the next year at a significant loss. Ally Financial, GM's former finance arm, still owes more than $11 billion.
The Treasury Department has discretion over when to sell the position the government has in the automakers, but reportedly is looking to get a share price in the mid-$30s. GM's stock price would have to hit $70 a share for the U.S. to break even on the bailout.
Some see the industry's growing Washington footprint as a good sign.
One of the bailout's biggest cheerleaders, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), said the auto industry's growing presence on Capitol Hill reflects its recent success and is evidence the emergency aid was the "right thing to do."
"There's no question they're roaring back. We've saved a million jobs. They are back adding jobs," Stabenow told POLITICO. "The companies are making money, they are hiring people — there is no question they're back."
And don't take her word for it, she said. At last month's 2013 North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards, GM's Cadillac ATS and Chrysler's Dodge Ram 1500 took home top prizes.


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Old Trojans don't die. They just move to Newport Beach.
Wealthy alums here venerate a winning USC football tradition. Houses hang USC banners and flags, Cardinal and gold colors are everywhere. I am grudgingly tolerated as a Cal-Berkeley alum. A whole lifestyle revolves around SC football in Southern California.
The alums here were furious at the performance of the team this year and the direction they felt the program was going. Alums here make major gifts to the athletic department, and the disgust felt with Lane Kiffin made it certain that his days as head coach were about to end.
Athletic Director Pat Haden was a major star at quarterback for the football team back in the 1970's. He epitomizes the spirit of Troy. He was successful as a pro player, as an attorney/investor, as a television analyst. He is whip smart and as he watched the team get blown out at Arizona State, with the defense giving up 62 points, it was the final straw. And he pulled the plug mid-season.
USC has always benefited from its location in Southern California when it comes to recruiting. Fourteen million people live within a couple hours of the campus and enough football talent plays at the high school level here to stock multiple programs at the highest level. Recruiting had fallen off this year, and as the disasters piled up, it was likely that recruits would shy away and pick other schools.
Kiffin did not create the restrictions on depth, which came from prior NCAA sanctions. Watching WR Marqise Lee, their best player, participate on special teams showed how thin that depth really was. SC has virtually unmatched tradition, a wonderful campus, state-of-the-art facilities, great weather, and when the Trojans can't recruit well, it doesn't make sense.
Lane Kiffin appeared to lose the confidence of the players. He could not decide on a starting quarterback all summer. That is a position that requires the most learning and reps possible. He insisted on calling plays and the offense was conservative and unproductive. This is much of the same team that was rated No. 1 in preseason polls in 2012. SC has had a long tradition of halftime adjustments that allowed them to dominate in the second half. But this year they seemed to play worse as the game went on. This is the school that produced Heisman quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer, and should have a reservoir of talent at the position waiting their turn to start.
Kiffin unnecessarily had an often contentious and secretive approach toward the press in Los Angeles. He had a series of incidents that reflected on the integrity of the institution. It is not easy to follow former Coach Pete Carroll, who became an icon in Southern California, but weak people skills will not work.
There is a heavy classic rivalry between USC and UCLA. Trojan fans watched Coach Jim Mora completely turn around a UCLA program, which had years of losing. That program is on the rise, with a Heisman-type quarterback and great defense. Although UCLA has had great players and success in the past, Los Angeles was an area dominated by SC football and UCLA basketball.
Massive revenue flows from a winning football team. Not only does the athletic program benefit from alumni largesse, it seems to motivate overall giving to the school. Success on the gridiron affects television and radio rights, marketing and sponsorships, memorabilia sales and the ability to fill the Coliseum with higher priced seats.
Ed Orgeron is the interim replacement, but SC needs a charismatic figure who can handle the team, the press, alums, recruiting and everything that goes into a program. A college football coach has more ability to shape a program then any other type of coach. He has to go out and sell to produce his roster.
Football, with more than a hundred players, is an organizational challenge. He has to recruit young men still in adolescence, and project their developmental curve over four years. These are young men, often not totally mature, in large numbers, they have to be students to stay eligible. The ability to relate to and motivate, one of Pete Carroll's strengths -- is critical.
Has the head coaching job at USC lost its allure and desirability? No. Sanctions will ease over time. The resources available to support the program are stunning. The new coach does not need to compete with Carroll's shadow. And USC, along with Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, Notre Dame and some others, is still a mecca for potential football greatness. Trust Pat Haden to make a wise choice that restores the SC heritage.
-- Leigh Steinberg has represented many of the most successful athletes and coaches in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing and golf, including the first overall pick in the NFL draft an unprecedented eight times, among more than 60 first-round selections. His clients have included Hall of Fame quarterbacks Steve Young, Troy Aikman and Warren Moon, and he served as the inspiration for the movie "Jerry Maguire." Follow him on Twitter @SteinbergSports.


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Mini 11.5 inch Lava Lite Lava Lamp
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