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Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
1703 North Beauregard St.
Alexandria, VA 22311-1714
Complete Customer Service Details
by Daniel R. Venables
Table of Contents
In my 30-plus years as an educator, I have realized that many teachers and administrators find looking at and making sense of data an unpleasant task for many reasons. Some find it just too intimidating to plow through table upon table of numbers and try to make sense of them. Others have an unspoken but underlying belief that data do not really tell them anything important.
Others experience a painful flashback to the math and statistics courses with which they struggled in college. And for others—arguably, most—there isn't enough time in their busy workday to submerge themselves in graphs, tables, and charts to produce what they think will be, in the end, facts about their students' learning that they already knew or at least suspected. Add to this the fact that for other, more seasoned teachers, reviewing data was not done for many years in education, so their prevailing attitude is "We got by just fine without it."
Of course, in our post–No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and present Common Core State Standards (CCSS) era, we know differently. We know that to not review state and CCSS data is to put our students at certain, even measurable, disadvantage. Data aren't everything, to be sure, but they represent the best, most reliable way to see where students currently are in their learning and to identify instructional actions to get them to where we would like them to be. If we don't use data to do so, we are left to rely on our hunches for making important instructional decisions. As we'll see, hunches are sometimes wrong. Even if our hunches are wrong only 25 percent of the time, that's still a lot of time to spend trying to fix problems that may only be symptoms of greater, more encompassing issues that may well go undetected. That's time we don't have. Educators are experiencing an increasing sense of urgency to fix problems related to student achievement and can't afford to misdiagnose students' learning gaps. Now more than ever, we need to be right in what we believe those gaps are and in what we believe their root causes are. A careful look at quality, relevant data can help us achieve this goal.
In helping schools review and respond to their data, I have seen a tendency for administrators to provide year-end data to teachers and let teachers decide what to do with it. This approach often results in teachers and teacher teams giving the data a cursory look, with no intent to use the data to make instructional changes. This pattern does not reflect teacher disinterest in improving student achievement as much as it does their general discomfort with turning numbers into action.
This feeling has partly to do with the size and kind of data teachers are often asked to review. For example, large macrodata, such as end-of-course test data, seldom produce specific, nuanced instructional changes. In the absence of more detailed microdata, teachers respond to large data with an equally broad brush: "We can see our students with disabilities are sorely lacking in proficiency," or "Once again, our girls have outperformed our boys in reading comprehension." Little useful information is gleaned by taking such a cursory look at the data; therefore, teachers will revert to the status quo, and no real instructional change is likely to result. It's not that teachers resist changing instructional practice (although some do), but more that, in many cases, the data are revealing things the teachers already knew.
The problem lies in viewing only the macrodata and stopping there. It turns out that the kinds of information that can provide the impetus for real change lie in the details—the microdata. A good place to start, macrodata may tell us what is happening and perhaps even to whom it is happening, but to find out why it is happening and how to fix it, teachers and teacher teams need to turn to the more detailed and frequent microdata. To help review and implement this sort of data, I have developed the Data Action Model.
The Data Action Model is a systematic process for reviewing and responding to data. I have already noted that teachers are generally good at looking at data; the extent to which that review translates into changes in the classroom is quite a different matter. The Data Action Model helps. It begins with a structured look at the macrodata and then drills down into the smaller microdata, often bringing in additional relevant data to fully understand the root causes of any learning gaps that are uncovered. Then learning gaps are linked to corresponding instructional gaps, and the process culminates with a goal-driven action plan, complete with a metric for assessing the effectiveness of the plan once implemented.
The Data Action Model is composed of three main phases: Gathering and Reviewing Data, Identifying Gaps, and Planning for and Evaluating Action (see Figure 1). Each of these phases is incorporated into five data meetings. Each data meeting is broken down into manageable steps for teacher teams to follow. The process is cyclic in nature; once a team has met its data-driven goal at the end of one cycle, the team begins anew and explores new data (or returns to the original data set) to uncover other learning and instructional gaps needing remedy.
One cycle of the Data Action Model normally requires five separate hour-long meetings from start to finish. Depending on the nature of the data used in the first meeting, this meeting time might be shorter. The Data Action Model normally spans approximately nine weeks (one grading period) if the meetings are held weekly. This is because there is a four-week Implementation Period between Data Meeting 4 and Data Meeting 5 (see Figure 2).
What to Do (and in what order)
Data Meeting 1
Reviewing existing data and asking questions
Data Meeting 2
Triangulating the data
Data Meeting 3
Determining gaps and goals
Data Meeting 4
Planning for action
Conduct a Strategies Search; then
PLC Meetings 1–4
Implementation period (four weeks)
Look at student and teacher work; troubleshoot obstacles; look at texts, research.
Data Meeting 5
Evaluating success and determining next steps
It should be pointed out that the data meeting template in Figure 2 presupposes that the data initially reviewed by the PLC are broad data, as in end-of-course or Common Core assessment data. These data are most likely reviewed in August or September, at the start of the school year. However, teacher teams will revisit this template once the year has begun (but before new macrodata such as Common Core assessment data are in); in this case, most PLCs are reviewing district benchmark data, teacher-designed assessment data, or pre-test data on an upcoming unit they are planning. With pre-test data or data derived from diagnostic assessments of untaught material, the cycle of meetings varies, as shown in Figure 3 (also see "Using backward-looking data" and "Using forward-looking data" in Data Meeting 5, and Figure 12 on page 111).
Reviewing pre-test data and identifying learning gaps
PLC Meetings 1 and 2
Implementation period (two weeks)
Note that when teams begin with pre-test data on a unit they are preparing to teach, the cycle is shortened considerably. Most units are approximately two weeks from pre-test to post-test. That means the full data cycle is at most four weeks, often shorter. It also means that teams should allow ample time between gathering pre-test data and teaching the unit so that they have time to decide on instructional strategies before actually teaching the unit. Otherwise, teams tend to rush straight from identifying gaps to teaching standards the way they have always taught them, without regard for what might actually be the best way to teach those standards. The result, too often, is that no actual instructional change occurs.
More than once, I have referred to the notion of cycles. Although the length of the cycles varies considerably—as in the case of the cycles depicted in Figures 2 and 3—the Data Action Model is necessarily cyclic in nature. Data are reviewed, gaps are identified, goals are set, and action plans are implemented, and that cycle is repeated as new data are reviewed, new gaps are identified, and so on. This is to be expected.
That said, it is also somewhat restrictive to think only in terms of cycles. The danger is that teacher teams will try to pigeonhole cycles into fixed time frames that, in reality, may or may not be applicable to the content targeted in any one cycle. Cycles vary in length and must remain flexible if they are to be useful. Teams should be aware of this point as they map out their cycles.
Initially, I organized this book by chapters that each described a step in the Data Action Model. However, teacher teams who actually used the model were more interested in what should be happening at each meeting—not at each step. They were spot-on. If the Data Action Model is to be truly useful to teams trying in earnest to follow it, it should not be organized by steps but, rather, by meetings.
Based on this important feedback, I completely reorganized the contents of this book to be set up primarily by meetings as opposed to steps. The result is more PLC-friendly, as it delineates what should be accomplished at each PLC meeting. Data Meeting 1, then, is the first chapter; Data Meeting 2, the second; and so forth.
Throughout this book, I use the terms PLC and teacher team to refer to the same thing. While I acknowledge that the term PLC encompasses some characteristics that may or may not be present in all teacher teams, for our purpose here, I use the two terms interchangeably. The same is true for my use of the terms PLC coach and PLC facilitator, both of which I use to refer to the teacher who leads the teacher team. Finally, I often refer to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) simply as the Common Core, as they tend to be called in most education circles these days.
In the chapters that follow, we will explore these phases in detail and illustrate implementation of each one with vignettes of schools that are using the model. (All vignettes are fictional, describing schools that are composites of actual schools, and all names used are fictional.) Before we turn to what should happen during Data Meeting 1, it is important to be clear about what we mean by data, where we find them, what types exist, and how those can be used to improve teacher and student performance.
Copyright © 2014 by ASCD. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication—including the drawings, graphs, illustrations, or chapters, except for brief quotations in
critical reviews or articles—may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from ASCD.
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Remote Content By Folder Requires Restart
Decide whether to allow or block remote content in messages by comparing the names of the folders in which they are located to configured regular expressions.
Help in reminding mails to be answer or sent again. Choose a reminder date for each received or send message that are highlighted in the message list, depending on their status (expired, soon to exprire, to be reminded). Sending a reminder is eased.
FileLink Provider for OwnCloud and NextCloud
Uploads your large attachments to your OwnCloud or NextCloud server and instead inserts a public link into your email.
Remove Duplicates Requires Restart
Removes duplicate messages
Colored Folders Requires Restart
Add colors to your folders in Thunderbird!
Must-have for better organisation + intuitive and speedy workfow...
This is project "Color Folders" (originally by Fisheater), corrected, resurrected, restaurated, extended and republished.
Delete Trash Button Requires Restart
Adds an Empty Deleted button to the Toolbar
Monterail Dark 2 for TB>68 Requires Restart
Monterail Dark, a Thunderbird theme inspired by the mockup of Monterail
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Monterail Full Dark, a Thunderbird theme inspired by the mockup of Monterail
Mail Merge Requires Restart
Create and Save or Send Multiple Individual and Personalized Messages from a Draft
AttachmentExtractor Continued Requires Restart
This add-on is a (work in progress) fixed version of the original Add-on "AttachmentExtractor" which is no longer supported and fixed by the original author.
It Extracts all attachments from selected messages and then can delete, detach...
Todo.txt Requires Restart
Thunderbird extension for the Todo.txt application
Deselect on Delete Requires Restart
Disables selection of the next message when deleting
ConfirmBeforeDelete Requires Restart
Ask a confirm before to delete some items
Remove Duplicate Messages (Alternate) Requires Restart
Search and remove messages which are the same as other messages in your mail folders (referred to as duplicates or dupes).
Duplicate Contacts Manager Requires Restart
This Thunderbird add-on searches address book(s) for pairs of matching contact entries.
It can automatically delete entries that have equivalent or less information than the other one.
Any remaining matches are presented for manual treatment.
QuickArchiver Requires Restart
Clean up your inbox! While moving a mail the first time, QuickArchiver remembers the destination folder and enables you to move further mails with a single click. You can apply rules by sender, recipient and subject.
Xpunge Requires Restart
Empties the Trash and Junk folders, and compacts folders in multiple Thunderbird accounts.
Gmail Buttons Requires Restart
Adds message-specific buttons to Thunderbird that are consistent with the way Gmail handles Trash and Spam.
gContactSync Requires Restart
Synchronizes contacts & groups between Thunderbird and Google Contacts.
English-Russian dictionary
Spelling of English and Russian words
To create your own collections, you must have a Mozilla Add-ons account.

subset: commoncrawl


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With a vast in-house capability, Deconstruct have provided new subterranean environments for a number of clients taking the enablement phase of a project through the high-risk section to enable a main contractor to follow on and complete the project.
This ensures risk focus is correctly attributed to overarching Cost versus Value and Risk versus Delivery.
- Bulk excavation
- Drainage
- Underpinning
- Concrete works
- Temporary works
Deconstruct have created large basement spaces under existing structures up to 9 metres in depth and 50 metres in length and width. This very specialist aspect of our business incorporates sub-structure temporary works design and extensive deep under-pinning, often incorporated into concurrent demolition or alteration packages.
We should be pleased to assist on pre-construction to ensure efficient and effective delivery of these disciplines.
- Submit an enquiry
- Call us today on - 020 7734 6655
- View our Case Studies....


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Fulbright / Camões Institute for Cooperation and Language Open Study / Research Award
Deadline for applications is October 8, 2019, for AY2020/21
The Fulbright Study / Research Program is designed to give U.S. citizens opportunities for personal development through educational and cultural exchange.
Grant Duration and Period
Grant Duration: 8 months.
Grant Period: October 1 to May 31.
Grantees are required to attend a mandatory on-site orientation in Lisbon, in late September, before the beginning of their grant. The Fulbright Commission will cover accommodation in Lisbon for grantees placed outside of Lisbon.
Candidate Profile
Applications are welcome from candidates at all degree levels who have completed a Bachelor's degree before the start date of the grant.
Projects should be in one of the following fields of study:
- Culture
- Translation and Interpretation
- Learning Evaluation and Certification
- Portuguese Language Teaching Pedagogy and Didactic
- Distance Education
- Linguistics
- Literature
These fields are limited to subjects related to Portuguese language and culture and preference will be given to projects that are especially relevant to Portuguese-American cultural relations.
Candidates must be mature and self-motivated individuals who are capable of working independently with little supervision.
Portuguese Language Proficiency
Recommended – Intermediate (1-2 years college or equivalent)
Intermediate Portuguese language proficiency is strongly recommended by the beginning date of the grant. However, a higher level of proficiency may be required, commensurate with the proposed study/research project.
Knowledge of Portuguese language and culture is particularly relevant to promote a deeper engagement with the host community.
Although the Fulbright Commission does not sponsor Portuguese language and culture classes, we encourage candidates to check with their proposed hosts if such possibility is available at the institution.
Candidates should include the Language Self-Evaluation and Foreign Language Evaluation forms with their online applications.
Grant Activity and Affiliation
Grant Activity: Projects may include university coursework, scientific research in a research center, independent library or field research, classes in a music conservatory or art school, or a combination of these.
Fulbright grantees may register as special students, and thus be able to attend courses relevant to their projects but are responsible for the payment of any tuition fees associated.
Affiliation: Candidates are responsible for arranging their own host affiliation and must submit letters of invitation/affiliation with their applications.
Before beginning their online application, candidates should research their affiliation, taking into consideration the faculty, programs and/or research of relevant departments in a diverse number of institutions, but should also seek information about the institution's location.
Information about the Portuguese System of Education, Higher Education Institutions and Research Centers in Portugal, as well as information about tuition fees for international students, can be found on the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education's Study & Research in Portugal website: https://www.study-research.pt.
Other institutions not listed can still be considered suitable hosts. Candidates should confirm with the Fulbright Commission in Portugal before seeking a letter of invitation.
Candidates residing in Portugal at the time of the application, or any time thereafter, are not eligible for a Fulbright grant to Portugal.
Candidates enrolled in a graduate studies program in Portugal at the time of the application or in the subsequent academic year, or candidates who hold a valid visa during that period, are not eligible.
Dual U.S.-Portuguese citizens are eligible to apply but will only be considered if they don't have extensive experience in Portugal.
Fulbright grantees must apply for a Temporary Stay Visa at the Portuguese Embassy in Washington, D.C., or at one of the Consulates in the United States, before travelling to Portugal.
For more information about visas, consult with the Embassy of Portugal in Washington, D.C..
Award Benefits
Fulbright Award benefits are for one academic year only, i.e., the duration of the grant:
Stipend: Maintenance allowance of €10,000 (divided into 8 monthly installments of €1,250).
Travel: Travel allowance of €850 (one-time payment intended as a contribution to international travel between the U.S.A. and Portugal, to be paid with the first monthly allowance).
Insurance: Accidents and Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE).
Housing: No housing allowance is available.
Tuition: Tuition fees are not covered by the grant benefits.
Dependents: Dependent support is not available.
Number of Grants: One Grant.
Applications: Applications must be submitted through the Fulbright U.S. Students Program website: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/countries/selectedprogram/202
For more information about grants for U.S. Students in Portugal, contact Dora Reis Arenga (email@example.com).


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Best International Travelling Guidelines for Smooth Sailing
Jobs today are often with a lot of pressures and whenever you are lucky to have a break, you should enjoy to the maximum. Such a break needs planning and it's time for you and your family and friends to travel abroad. There are critical points you should pay more attention to a you plan to sail across the world. Getting organized well will ensure that you save a lot and avoid too much headache in the process. These guidelines provided will start you up in your plans.
One of the first things you should do after you post up at your destination hotel is to get your business card from that hotel. Though it may seem weird, it is very important. This will help you especially if you get lost in a place and that will return you on track.
We used to think that folding clothes is the best thing to do but they should actually be rolled. To ensure that you will pack as many clothes as possible, it's time you start rolling them. When you do this, you will have more space in your suitcase and it will also reduce the number of wrinkles compared to folding.
You should take the most convenient and affordable lots. When you do this, your flight will not be interfered with. Those lots that are found away from the airport are often cheap and good. Thus if you are a thrifty traveler, you should go for this lots. considering that off- airport lots are often the last to fill up, you will pack at a distant lot if you are someone who often operate on rush hour for flight. To ensure that you will not start mini- marathon at the last minute, you should ensure that you give yourself enough minutes for traveling to the airport.
Smart travelers always ensure that they make early reservations. This is critical during peak travel times. This is so important in that it will guarantee you your spot on the flight. You should get to the airport an hour before the flight time to get your ticket before a long line that will involve tiresome waiting. Ensure that you read more on the website of this company you have selected to travel with.
It is very necessary that you pack your carry- on well. Be cautious not to forget your carry on that is packed properly. It is all about first things first and you should get those very crucial items into the carry- on first. You should also be careful to avoid being the unlucky person who losses packed bag as this will ruin your trip. Ensure that you visit various pages that will give you more info on such flights.


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Panel at the Jfokus conference for the Java 20th Anniversary about all of the "Forgotten Bytes" in the history of Java. Panel members included Arun Gupta, Gerrit Grunwald, Kirk Pepperdine, Toni Epple, and James Weaver.
For more videos and information about the Java 20th Anniversary, check out the new community space at OTN:


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Les Heures De Raison – Soy Un Caballo – SOLD OUT
- Sous Les Paupières
- Volet
- Comme On Va Bien
- La Bibliothèque
- But Will Our Tears
- Robin
- La Chambre
- Au Ralenti
- La Raison Du Plus Fort
- La Lumière Sur La Pelouse
- La Droiture
- Passer Des Jours
"…smooth harmonies and a smoother pop sensibility…as sophisticated as a Parisian boulevard as diffident as exhaled Gauloise smoke, as cool as Jean-Paul Satre and as romantic as the Left Bank."
– Nick Southgate, The Wire
"…an album that enchants and leaves you to imagine."
– Neil King, FATEA
"…believe us if we say that YOU SHOULD REALLY try to get your hands on Les Heures De Raison."
– http://www.listentoeurope.com/
"From the land of chocolate, lighter than air, Soy un Caballo's Les Heures de Raison feels like it was recorded inside a magical ball of soft cotton candy. In Spanish, "Soy un Caballo" translates as "I am a horse"; much more than a horse, this two-piece sounds like a rainbow-colored, winged unicorn. This is enlightened music. It is, if you will, bossanova for fairies.
Based in Brussels, Belgium, the real-life couple of Aurelie Muller and Thomas Van Cotton came together after playing for years in separate projects-like Raymondo, V.O., and Melon Galia-and formed Soy un Caballo. Their style is sophisticated and adorable, and if you haven't yet experienced it, you need to hear them. They sing romantic, intimate songs in the language of love and play the xylophone, which might be a good explanation for why they chose Sean O'Hagan (from High Llamas) to produce Les Heures de Raison. (Those familiar with this genre know how much he loves marimbas.) Multi-talented Will Oldham, who makes good music and boring movies, is a guest vocalist on "La Chambre," singing in French and doing it tres bien!
None of the twelve songs on this debut album are simple, and there's not a single wasted note in them either. Each one of these tunes cast a honey-dipped sense of place and space. Just as their music is seasoned with lots of tiny wonderful details, the CD cover and booklet are full of funny, witty, and cute illustrations that were created by Muller herself. This is an excellent record and it makes me very happy, particularly now that Belgians have something besides beer and waffles to get excited about."
– Laura Koffler, http://feministreview.blogspot.com/
"Aurelie Muller and Thomas Van Cottom, combine forces with Louisville's Will Oldham with breathtaking results.
Delicate and frail, Soy Un Caballo's ('I am a horse' in Spanish) music is calm and uplifting. Crossing Sufjan Stevens-esque harmonies with boss nova guitars Muller's childlike, crystalline vocals soar high over a light shimmer of melody and beats whilst Oldham's deep husky harmonies – all the better for being sung in French – only add to the magical, dreamlike quality of the album.
With its seemingly minimalist approach to music – with guitars, piano and shuffling drums guiding the listener through this absolute gem of a release – it comes as a surprise to find help from members of Beirut, The High Llamas and Raymundo.
However this is where its charm lies, for it is clear to see that tracks such as 'Volet', 'Au Ralenti' and 'La Raision De Plus Fort' have all been put together with exquisite care and attention to detail. From the rich choral harmonies to the tinny computer loops, there is no unnecessary note, no spare lyric. Cottom and Muller have managed to astonish and awe with their heady mixture of fantasy and reality breathing life and sunshine into this wonderful release."
– Charlotte Otter, NewNoise.net
"Call it global village music: on "La Chambre", Belgian boy/girl duo Soy un Caballo (Spanish translation: "I'm a horse") and Louisville's Will Oldham sing entirely in French over what is essentially indie-fied bossa nova. Backed by nothing but an acoustic guitar, a Rhodes piano and a brokedown rhythm preset, Oldham and Aurélie Muller sound weightless and content, their half-sighed verses resolving into sweet choral refrains. Of course, the language doesn't hurt either; it's downright charming to hear Oldham's woodsy Kentuckian palette wrap itself around a French lyric."
– Pitchforkmedia.com
About Soy Un Caballo:
Soy Un Caballo are Aurélie Muller (ex-Melon Galia, Raymondo) and Thomas Van Cottom (ex-Venus, V.O.).
Together they produced a delightful album, with a little help in the shape of a great group of musicians:
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy (singing in French)
Sean O'Hagan (The High Llamas)
Jesse Vernon (Morning Star)
Kate Stables (This is the Kit)
Delphine Bouhy (Adrian Boult, Par-rondo)
Cédric Castus (V.O., Raymondo),
Boris Gronemberger (V.O., Raymondo, Françoiz Breut),
Julien Paschal (Sharko, V.O.)
Charlie Francis (R.E.M., The High Llamas, Turin Brakes producer).
The album was originally released on Matamore (Belgium) but was distributed in the UK by Folkwit. It acheived distribution worldwide and notably a release on vinyl by Minty Fresh (USA). Soy Un Caballo toured extensively including several UK tours and went on to record 2 split singles (limited edition vinyl 7″) with Sam Genders (Tunng) and This is the Kit on London's Need No Water label. The latter being the final release before they disbanded in 2010.


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Well, it's ... something. Athon Sports has released its American Athletic Conference preseason team and a single, solitary Husky found his way onto the first team: Tight end Sean McQuillian.
It's an interesting choice if for no other reason than Phil Steele's AAC preseason squad had just one UConn first-teamer, but it was playmaking wide receiver Geremy Davis. And in recent weeks we've heard a lot about cornerback Byron Jones, whom first-year coach Bob Diaco has called "one of the best players in the country"
Like Steele's list, Athlon named Jones to its second team along with defensive tackle Julian Campenni and the aforementioned Davis. Meanwhile, Jones' secondary mate, safety Obi Melifonwu. garnered third-team honors.
Diaco has high expectations for Melifonwu, the 6-4, 215-pounder who earned his way into the starting lineup last season.
"Obi, in time, will be the best or one of the best safety prospects in the country," the coach said. "He has unbelievable skillset, crazy. I've been around some great safeties. He's the most talented safety I've ever been on a team with physically. Just talent. (Notre Dame) had a first round draft pick, a pro bowl safety in Harrison Smith. From a talent standpoint, (Melinfonwu) the most talented safety I've ever been around."
If Melifonwu emerges as that type of talent, no one will remember these preseason lists other than to mock them.
Athlon also has the Huskies finishing 5-7 (which was their record in their first two seasons under Paul Pasqualoni before falling to 3-9 last season) and 3-5 in the AAC. That would be good for sixth place.
And all this brings us to the point we make every offseason, where it seems fitting to end with a quote from former Huskies coach Randy Edsall. In 2010 after the Huskies were picked fourth in the Big East, Edsall had this to say: "My reaction is the same as it was last year. Who cares? We don't get excited about preseason polls. It's all about what you do on the field."
Huskies Land One Player on Preseason AAC List
Well, it's ... something. Athon Sports has released its American Athletic Conference preseason team and a single, solitary Husky found his way onto the first team: Tight end Sean McQuillian.


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I've been using Git as my primary version control system both at work and for personal projects for awhile now. While I think that git has become pretty widely accepted (perhaps even ubiquitous), acceptance rates seem higher among non-Windows developers. This is purely anecdotal and based only on my own experience, but it seems like a Windows developer is less likely to be comfortable using
Git than developers that work on other platforms.
I suspect this is due in part to the fact that some Windows developers don't like using the command line (more on that later) and Git is primarily a command line tool. I also think that there isn't much in the way of "getting started" literature out there aimed at Windows developers who want to use Git. I can't make people love the command line (even though I try!), but I can create a Git tutorial aimed at Windows developers.
Why Should I Care About Git?
You should care about Git because it's a good version control system. Also, if you ever want to work on an open source project the odds are pretty good that it'll be hosted on GitHub and you'll need at least some proficiency with Git in order to contribute to it. I also think that working with highly distributed teams (e.g. teams where all members live in different parts of the world, have different schedules, different commit habits, and varying levels of network connection quality) is going to become a lot more common in the future. Because Git is a distributed version control system (DVCS) it lends itself very well to working with these distributed teams. I'll elaborate on the virtues of using a DVCS in a future post.
What About Other Distributed Version Control Systems?
I know git isn't the only show in town. I have actually used Mercurial pretty extensively in the past and I really like it. That said, this post is about git. If you prefer a different DVCS and want to read a post about it, then you'll need to find a different post to read (or write your own).
The command line? Seriously? What is this 1985?
Yes. The command line. You're going to want to use the command line for a lot of the things that you'll do with Git. I sprinkle in some external GUI apps here and there in my workflow where they make sense, but Git is a command line tool and you'll need to embrace the command line if you want to use it effectively. Also, once you get used to it it's not that bad.
If you're a software developer the command line shouldn't scare you.
Getting Setup
Getting setup to use Git effectively on Windows isn't as painless as some other version control systems, but if you follow these steps below you'll be up and running pretty quickly.
Before we dig in here, I want to address a tool that you might feel is conspicuously absent from my instructions below: GitHub For Windows. I don't use GitHub For Windows; not because I don't think it's a good tool, but because I feel like it glazes over too many of Git's internals. I understand that the folks who built it are probably just trying to make Git really accessible to developers who haven't used it before, but in my opinion they go a bit too far. That said, if you want to use GitHub For Windows I recommend just installing it and not following my directions below. They've designed that tool to be a sort of "one stop shop" for getting up and running with Git on Windows so it should be all that you need. I'll briefly address some other good tools worth checking out at the end of this post.
If you want to work a bit closer to the bare metal of Git (and I recommend that you do), then read on:
1 – Get Chocolatey
You already use Chocolatey to install tools for your dev workstation right? If not, why not? You can find and install all of the tools I'm going to mention here without Chocolatey, but using Chocolatey will make things easier. In addition, Chocoately will encourage you to become a bit more comfortable with the command line. If you've never heard of Chocolatey you should read up on it here: https://chocolatey.org/about
To install Chocolatey open a PowerShell prompt as an Administrator and run the following:
iex ((new-object net.webclient).DownloadString('https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))
You may need to re-start the prompt when you're done. Get in the habit of running the PowerShell prompt as an administrator, since you'll need to in order to continue using Chocolatey to install the rest of the tooling.
2 – Get Git for Windows
Next, install the git for Windows client. If you're using Chocolatey, all you need to do is run the following at an Administrator PowerShell prompt:
choco install git
This will install git with the default options that make the sense for most Windows users. You can read more about those options on the package description page: https://chocolatey.org/packages/git
If you hate convenience and would rather install this manually, you can download and run the installer from here: http://git-scm.com/download/win
If you install git manually, be sure to choose the "Use Git from the Windows Command Prompt" option on the "Adjusting your PATH Environment" step of the install. This will put the git executable itself into your PATH variable and let you run the git commands from a PowerShell or regular Windows command prompt in any folder on your machine.
You'll probably also want to use the "Checkout Windows-Style, Commit Unix-Style" option on the next step of the installer. I won't go into detail on this option here, but if you're developing on a Windows machine just go ahead and use this option.
3 – Get posh-git (Optional)
If you like using PowerShell and want to interact with git primarily through the command line interface (and you should!), then you'll probably want to use posh-git. This set of PowerShell scripts customizes your prompt when in folder that contains a git repository and gives you an easy way to see what branch you're currently on, if you have any pending changes, if you're ahead or behind the default remote repository, and tab auto-completion (e.g. start typing a branch name you want to checkout and hit tab to auto-complete the name). If you're using Chocolatey getting posh-git installed is as easy as running the following at your PowerShell prompt:
choco install poshgit
If you're not using Chocolatey you can still get posh-git working, but it's a bit more involved. You can find instructions in the README.MD file available on the home page for the posh-git project on GitHub: https://github.com/dahlbyk/posh-git/blob/master/readme.md
After you get posh-git setup you'll need to restart your PowerShell prompt in order for it to be initialized. You may notice the following message: "Warning: Could not find ssh-agent". You don't need to worry about this for right now, but we will discuss using ssh in a later post in this series. If this message is annoying and you want to just make it go away for now, you can use the answer on this StackOverflow question to let posh-git find the ssh-agent executable:
4 – Get SourceTree (Optional)
While Git is a command line tool, you will often find yourself wanting to do things with it that are easier done with a GUI. Git for Windows does come with some rudimentary GUI tools, but there are better ones available. I'm partial to Atlassian's SourceTree myself, but there other good ones out there. You can install SourceTree using Chocolatey with this command:
choco install sourcetree
Note: Atlassian ships updates to SourceTree pretty regularly, so the version that you'll get from the Chocolatey package feed may not be the latest one. SourceTree will, however, automatically prompt you to update to the latest version when you run it.
The Chocolatey package will install SourceTree in a way that will let you find and run it from the Start menu. The first time you run it you'll be prompted to accept the end-user license and be prompted to do some general configuration for things like BitBucket (their answer to GitHub) and creating SSH keys. You don't need to do any of that for now, but we'll talk more about that in another post in this series.
If you'd rather just download SourceTree and install it manually you can get it here:
After installing SourceTree, be sure to run it, then go to Tools -> Options. Configuration Git options is one of several things that I think is best done using a GUI tool. Be sure that the "Allow SourceTree to modify your global Git and Mercurial config files" option is checked. Then be sure to fill in the "Full Name" and "Email Address" fields in the "Default user Information" section. This information will be used any time you add commits to a Git repository. For now, the remaining options should be OK with the default values.
5 – Get git-credential-winstore
If you use Git from the command line and interact with remote repositories, you'll quickly find that it can get annoying when you have to keep typing in your password every time you want to push or pull changes to and from the remote. Some of the 3rd party GUI tools (like SourceTree) have the ability to store credentials, but that only works if you use those tools exclusively for interacting with remotes and I usually like to use the command line interface for this type of thing.
Fortunately there are tools that make this easier. We'll talk more in a future post about using the 'ssh-agent' utility mentioned in step 3 to make it easier to use SSH authentication for remote repos. For now we'll keep things simple and rely on talking to remotes via HTTPS connections In order to do this without having to type in our password every time we want to interact with the remote, we can install the git-credential-winstore utility. This utility will give you a Windows credential dialog when you first interact with a new remote. The credentials that you enter will be stored in the built-in Windows credential store and automatically re-sent with each subsequent request.
To install this utility with Chocolatey:
choco install git-credential-winstore
If you want to install it manually and/or read more about it you can do so on the project site:
5 – Configuration
Most configuration options for Git can be set globally for all repositories, or at the individual repository level. We'll talk about repository level configuration later, but for now you might want to set some configuration for your user. This configuration is defined in a '.gitconfiguration' file that will be in your "C:\Users\<name>" folder (assuming Windows is installed on your C drive). You can open this file up with a text editor but most of the GUI tools will help you edit it. SourceTree doesn't expose a lot of Git configuration options in its GUI, but other tools do a really good job of this (see the note about Git Extensions below).
Other Tools You Might Like
There are lots of 3rd party tools available to make your life easier with Git. The list above represents the ones that I've found most useful and keep coming back to. Here are a few others that you might want to check out:
- Visual Studio Tools for Git – This allows the source control functionality built-in to Visual Studio to recognize and work with projects that live in a Git repository. If you really like Team Foundation Server and are comfortable using the source control windows within Visual Studio you might like this. Personally, I prefer to just work with tools external to Visual Studio. The best feature of the Visual Studio Git tools is the automatic creation of a sensible .gitignore file when you create a new project (more on .gitignore in the next post). It's worth noting that as of Visual Studio 2013 the Git tooling is built-in and doesn't require a separate download and install.
- TortoiseGit – If you're coming from SVN and use TortoiseSVN then TortoiseGit might make the transition easier. You get some Windows context-menu commands and some GUI tooling to manage repos, make commits, push/pull, etc.
- Git Extensions – I really like Git Extensions. It's not as pretty as SourceTree, but it's very full-featured. It can integrate with Visual Studio to give you context-menu access to file-specific info (e.g. blame and commit history) from the Solution Explorer. The best feature of Git Extensions, however, is the GUI for setting up configuration options available under the 'Settings' dialog. You get a nice checklist of configuration settings that you might want to set, and a nice form to change your text editing and diff tools. It's worth installing this utility just to run through the settings one time even if you don't use it in your day to day work with Git.
Up Next…
In the next post in this series we'll talk about creating, cloning, and managing repositories for Windows development.


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Our clients
We work with a very broad and diverse range of clients and constantly strive to strengthen existing relationships and to forge new ones.
We have a long history of working with the UK Department for International Development (DFID), European Commission, World Bank, African Development Bank, a wide range of UN agencies, and most of the European bilateral donors, including Danida, the Netherlands and Finnish Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Sida, Norad, Irish Aid and GIZ.
We work for a number of philanthropic foundations and private sector organisations including The Rockefeller Foundation, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Mastercard Foundation and The Co-operative Group, as well as a wide range of UK and international NGOs. We also work with developing country governments directly, and other organisations such as TradeMark East Africa, Council of Europe, the Global Development Network, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) International, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and many more.


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2017 Dodge Rampage Release Date Review
2017 Dodge Rampage Release Date Review – New Dodge Rampage 2017 will certainly become a non-conventional and really modern-day pickup. The exterior as well as inside are expectes to be the give a one in the town type of the looks that will have some resemblances with the previous, yet look really unique and attractive by all specifications. It is meant to be a vehicle, yet it does not look entirely like a vehicle. It is expected to be larger than the previous. Considerable amounts of enhancements not readily available in the previous are anticipated to be available in this one by the time it is ultimately provided available for sale. The launch day for 2017 Dodge Rampage is unknowned specifically, but there are indicators that it will be launched occasionally in the 4th quarter of 2014.
2017 Dodge Rampage Release Date
The Fiat Strada truckette sold in 2017 Dodge Rampage Europe, Mexico, as well as South America has a unitized body ahead- or four-wheel-drive formats. A four-door version belongs to the new generation due next year. To skirt the poultry tax obligation, FCA's Toluca, Mexico, plant is the inevitable Rampage making site.
2017 Dodge Rampage Specs
2017 Dodge Rampage likewise brings information. It will be loaded with a 5.7 liter V8 HEMI engine with Chrysler's Multi-Displacement Systems and the front wheel drive (FWD) as standards. This is very powerful engine is qualified to deliver up to 345 horse power, and becomes mated to a five speeds automatics transmissions engine. In buy to supply the very best energy economic climate rates, 2016 Rampage could be supplied with diesel engine as well.
2017 Dodge Rampage Engine
2017 Dodge Rampage Turbocharged 1.4-liter as well as normally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinders, mated to six-speed guidebook and also nine-speed automatic gearboxes. Grapevine news holds that it will be featuring a 5.7 litre V8 engine that will certainly have the ability to summon up to 345 horse power and also naturally a really robust torque. The 2015 version brings with it a 3 litre V6. This is a great enhancement from its predecessor. The fuel consumption scores should be someplace within the brace of 15 and also 18 mpg.
2017 Dodge Rampage Rivals
and the rivals of 2017 Dodge Rampage is the New mid-size pick-ups from GM, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota, plus mint-condition Subaru Bajas.
2017 Dodge Rampage Price
Late next year, with a 2017 Dodge Rampage base price around $17,000. Possibly– Ram officials remain emphatically mum about a prospective upcoming mid-size pickup.
source : caranddriver


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Prepare for New CSA
Jul 02, 2013 05:49PM
Amy Likins and Christian Echele, of Synergy Organic Juice Bar and Café, are starting up a community supported agriculture (CSA) program with several local farmers, including David and Michaela Watson, of Suncrop Farms, in Defuniak. Families will have the ability to order produce and pick up what's growing locally in the region on a weekly basis.
The CSA is scheduled to launch in the fall, but until then, Synergy will extend its hours on Wednesday nights until 7 p.m. over the summer for a "local market", along with the produce that is available any time the café is open. Bulk and pantry items will be for sale, and the all-organic juice bar will be open, as well.
There are many benefits to choosing food that is grown and prepared in locally. It is fresher, cleaner and uses fewer resources in its production, including fuel, travel time and storage. Plus, there's the human contact with those that work hard to feed us all.
Location: 120 Miraclestrip Pkwy. SE, Ft. Walton Beach. For more information, call 850-865-4919.


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Antonio Vázquez Brust, or Tony, is an Argentinean urban planner and information technologist who spent the first ten years of his professional career designing and maintaining large-scale computer systems. After completing his Master of Science in Urban Informatics in May 2017 with a perfect GPA of 4.0, Tony returned to Argentina to launch a new Data Lab at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella's School of Government, and to work as an urban data science consultant for the think tank CIPPEC.
While at Northeastern, Tony collaborated with the Boston Area Research Initiative, conducting original research at the intersection of urban science and public policy. He also interned at The American City Coalition. This is Tony's Northeastern story…
"When people ask me what I do, I like to tell them that I'm a hybrid—both a computer scientist and an urban planner, the two degrees I got back home before coming to Northeastern."
According to Tony, cities are, without a doubt, the most complex systems ever created by humans. Economy, sociology, geography, and even geopolitics were always part of urbanism. But now, information technology is playing an increasing role in how we understand and shape cities. Precisely because of how much is at stake, Tony wanted to dig deeper into urban-focused data science, becoming a practitioner with a humanist agenda.
He applied to and qualified for the Argentine Presidential Fellowship in Science and Technology, a Fulbright-managed scholarship. After looking at other urban informatics programs, Northeastern stood out to Tony because of the depth and orientation of its curriculum.
"Comparing programs, I felt that here I would get the chance to hone a comprehensive set of skills, with a focus on research and policy impact as opposed to, say, an entrepreneurial approach. I'm very happy with that decision."
There were many courses that Tony considers transformative because they changed or expanded the way he sees complex processes.
However, he says that the most influential coursework was PPUA 5262 "Big Data for Cities," an introductory course into the urban informatics program.
"I think of it as a microcosm of urban informatics as a whole. During that semester we learned programming skills, applied statistical analysis, developed some cool visualizations, dabbled with GIS, conducted fieldwork to compare our data with the ground truth, and even presented to Boston city officials. All of this using open data that the city of Boston regularly updates and makes publicly available."
After completing his first semester at Northeastern, Tony was invited to join the Boston Area Research Initiative where he used big data to identify indicators of gentrification, track them across time, and assess their impact. The goal of this project was to capture insights that might shed light on the gentrification process, as well as to obtain a full set of indicators that might be shared with policymakers. Tony maintained a blog about his original research at the intersection of urban science and public policy.
He created the visualization on the left to demonstrate hourly tweeting activity in the Greater Boston area.
"I view research projects as an integral part of my education. I learn way faster when I'm immersed in a project with tangible consequences."
Tony completed an internship at The American City Coalition, a nonprofit organization focused on neighborhood revitalization.
The American City Coalition has partnered with the Boston Housing Authority to help rebuild some of the city's public housing projects as mixed-income communities.
"They were looking for someone to help them with hard technical problems, research and analyze housing data, and build a database of affordable housing around the city. But there was also a social and policy-aware component of my tasks. As we interacted with many different stakeholders, I also created maps and visualization tools to help communicate our findings and enable discussion, and I developed strategies to relocate tenants in a fair way that will move during the project. This was exactly the kind of challenge that really pulls me in: a mixture of technical, social, and policy factors with results at stake that I care about."
Tony received two awards from the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs: the Barry Bluestone "Think and Do" Award, given to the capstone project that embodies the School's ideal of timely, evidence-based, policy-focused research that addresses an important problem for a client with intent of positive social change, and the Outstanding Academic Performance Award, given to the graduate—Master's or PhD—with the highest GPA.
For his capstone, Tony worked with a team of graduate students to assess the ability of cities to manage federal grant funding for the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Their assignment was a continuation of a fall 2016 capstone project that investigated federal grant oversight and administration practices in cities.
After graduation, Tony returned to his hometown, Buenos Aires, to launch a new Data Lab at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella's School of Government.
He teaches courses in the Master of Urban Economics Program at Universidad Di Tella, as well as an analytics class for urban planners at the University of Buenos Aires.
Tony also consults for the Argentine government and researches the spatial spread of endemic deceases using big data analysis.
"There's a lot to be done when it comes to integrating analytics with government-backed open data initiatives, as a tool for policy making, but particularly to bring citizens into the process, engaging them as active participants in city governance. Technology, by definition, is a tool to transform reality. We don't need to be passive while it's being wielded. Let's make sure it's always used to empower, and not to curtail our right to the city and our right to make and re-make our cities and ourselves."
Learn more at:
School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs—Northeastern University


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Advertising Agencies in Danbury, CT
Comprehensive list of direct, brand, media and internet (website, search & email) advertising companies in Danbury, CT. Read unbiased reviews, ratings and recommendations.
Business Listings
Mediassociates: We're the media agency you've been looking for. From TV to online, print to radio, we turn your advertising budget into more measurable impressions, leads and sales. Today, everyone talks about ROI and the need to make marketing more accountable. Our advertising measurement systems tell you which media components work, for rapid ROI improvements.
Deltron Designs is a complete-service ad agency specializing in corporate branding with high impact advertising materials and effective, specifically targeted marketing strategies. Whether your firm is 100 years old and in need of a new corporate image, or if you're just starting out, our knowledge in creating the correct impression with your prospective clients will give your firm the edge it requirements.
Coffee News is an entertaining weekly publication provided to restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, auto repair shops, doctor's offices -- anywhere people go to have a bite to eat or wait for an appointment or service. Coffee News has the week's funniest and most unusual news stories, jokes, trivia, amazing facts, and more.
What do you want from your web page? From building the site to driving traffic to it, significantly moving you up in search rankings to motivating site visitors to action, we bring you results. If you want to gain and motivate online audiences, you only need One Web Source.
KatArt Graphics is a complete-service web and print design agency located in New Milford, CT with comprehensive in-house production services. Because we handle the process from 1st idea to final completion, we deliver what you need faster, more creatively and more cost-effectively. We have been delivering graphic services for almost twenty years.
New Boy Scouts website wins National Excellence in Marketing award. Launching a new product or service area? SandorMax marketing strategies can supply your roadmap to business success. Featured strategy project: SandorMax developed an aggressive marketing program for AMS Consulting, resulting in 200% sales growth.
It's important, above all else, to make sure you give back to your community when you achieve success. That is why there's no greater feeling for Park Group Solutions than to be capable to deliver back to our home state. The media landscape of today is a lot different than it was just a several short years ago. Just as fast as the advertising technology changes, the trends in marketing change.
For over twenty five years, MCG has been a leader in Brand Development, Strategic Initiatives, Mergers and Acquisitions, Marketing and Advertising, Technology Integration and Creative Implementation. We assist our customers in developing and achieving strategic goals, supply representation where customers require confidentiality in evaluating an opportunity or seeking a change in business direction,


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September 1, 2009
Lumenhaus: Virginia Tech's 2009 solar house team recently moved its 800-square-foot entry in the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon, known as LUMENHAUS, from the College of Architecture and Urban Studies' Research + Demonstration Facility on Plantation Road to the Blacksburg Square shopping center on South Main Street.
LUMENHAUS is a zero-energy home that can be completely powered by the sun. Other sustainable features include the use of passive energy systems, radiant heating, and building materials that are from renewable and/or recyclable sources.
Moving LUMENHAUS to Blacksburg Square will allow the Solar Decathlon team to attach solar panels to the roof and add other finishing touches before its next stop, Washington D.C.
The house will be displayed outside the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. for most of September. In October, LUMENHAUS will be on the National Mall along with other entrants in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009. And Virginia Tech is one of only two U.S. universities invited to compete in the first Solar Decathlon Europe, which will take place in Madrid in June 2010.
Previous News Item ------ News Item Archive ----- Next News Item


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This week for Book Series Wednesday I'm covering the sequel trilogy to The Dark Elf Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore, it's The Icewind Dale Trilogy.
Plot Synopsis: Even in Icewind Dale, Drizzt Do'Urden was not fully accepted, except by the dwarves whom he had eventually befriended. He roamed the tundra, hunting down yeti and giants that threatened the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale. That's where his story begins once more.
Plot: The plot for this trilogy is much better than The Dark Elf Trilogy. It's a pity that I can't call it amazing, like I might have if I was still a 12 year old enjoying this book for the epic fight scenes and not for the plot. The plot is fairly standard D&D stuff, expect magic and lots of battles.
Characters: Finally we get a look at other characters, like Bruenor and Wulfgar. They help to liven up the books, although like I said above it's not enough for me to call this plot amazing.
Overall: If you like Dungeons and Dragons, or you liked The Dark Elf Trilogy, you might like these books.
For those who like: Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy, Epic Fight Scenes.
Not for those who don't like: Any of the above, or want better plot driven stories.


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Buried Treasure Pirate Purse
DiscontinuedProduct # RA5938
Product Includes
- Purse
Purchase Product
Sorry, this item is Out of Stock
Product Description
Keep valuables close at hand with our buried treasure pirate purse - a practical costume accessory for our pirate costumes! Faux brown leather covers the exterior of the purse while the interior is covered with red satin fabric. It secures with Hook and Loop fastener and has a gold carrying cord. The colorful jewels on either end of the purse add to the realistic pirate look. Make the most of your pirate costume with more fun accessories, like a pirate sword or peg-leg pirate boots!
Recommended Accessories
Recommended Costumes


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Birties of Worcester has ceased trading and the gallery has been sold
This website will remain active in a more compact format to provide news of where David Birtwhistle's original paintings, reproduction prints and cards may still be seen and purchased. David'sCV and sample works are also hosted here. For those unable to visit the venues or events we are still able to provide some mounted reproductions by post (for further information see our Reproductions page). Please note, however, we are no longer able to accept credit/debit card payments for items purchased directly from David Birtwhistle.
Please continue to use the email@example.com email address. Your email will be forwarded to us.


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The bar and bistro have been carefully revamped with original stripped wooden floors, an array of bespoke furniture, old maps and artwork of the local area.
The picture postcard views are from every window and draw your attention to the magnificent views. Looking North, the sweeping beaches lead the eye towards Bamburgh castle and Holy Island on the horizon, whilst the busy harbour is just 200 yards along the road, with boat trips out to the Farnes, departing several times daily.
The bistro offers an insight into the local produce that can be found in Northumberland. Due to their passion for food and wine, Rob & Tegan are using the best of the regions producers to support a menu of simple honest food. Whilst one of the signature dishes on the Bistro menu is a slow cooked Northumbrian beef, with red wine, smoked bacon, garlic & thyme.


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Using the Services of an Ecommerce Web Design Company
There are still lots of people today who underestimate the importance of having a website that is stylish as well as effective. An ecommerce web design company can be just as important as a company that focuses more on the technical aspects of Internet business and websites today. Any article about ecommerce platforms will usually touch on the importance of good web design under these circumstances, and that the aesthetic aspects of an ecommerce platform can make or break a business.
When it comes to conversions, the look of a website and online business really does make all the difference in the world for a number of reasons. For one thing, people expect websites to look good now and expect that all people who have web presences make sure that they maintain those web presences correctly. The people who do not meet those fairly low standards are going to be suspicious and they're going to fall below their competition very quickly.
People have a huge abundance of choice on the Internet. Taking one's business elsewhere on the Internet means spending a few additional seconds searching for a different business online, which doesn't really represent much of a deterrent. Many people actually think that it's a good idea to search for lots of different businesses online anyway, since they think that they're fully researching all of their different options in the process. Giving people any reason to take their business elsewhere online is terrible when it comes to the future of one's conversions, or even the future of one's traffic after enough time has gone by online.
Businesses that are working in any sort of vertical market are going to have to work even harder at establishing good website conversions. Vertical markets are targeted at niche customers. It is possible to make a lot of money even in highly niche markets online today, but making a good enough impression on potential customers is that much more important as a result.
The programmers who create the sites in the first place need to make them easy to navigate, especially when it comes to preparing the websites for a mobile platform. However, people can't just rely on programmers to help them with this part of the process. Programmers are typically people who are concerned with how well a website functions, but many of them couldn't care less about the look or the feel of a website, and they're not interested in how outside people are going to react to a given website.
Business owners are going to need to hire people who specialize in making sure that websites actually work well. Any ecommerce web design company is going to have plenty of people who have been doing this sort of thing for years and years and through several different developments in Internet web design. People who hire ecommerce web design companies are going to be able to increase their web conversions immediately.
A visually appealing website is sometimes going to manage to draw people in without even making it clear what the website is about, since many people are simply going to be pulled in by the appealing graphics or layout. In the culture of the Internet today, it is easy to find websites that look painfully generic, which makes the websites that have actually been professionally designed stand out even more. This is the era of free web design software, where people have made it possible for everyone who wants a website to make a website.
People who want their own stores online have lots of different ecommerce platforms that will give them the opportunity to make their own stores, and all of those stores are going to look the same to the people who have spent enough time on the Internet after a while. It's more important to create a website that looks good and a website that looks different in a world in which having a website or even having an online business is very easy. The ecommerce web design companies that people will hire can give them the conversions that they have always wanted, since people are going to be that much more motivated to sample their products due to the manner in which the products are presented.


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Posts tagged 'Alexandra Hospital'
Alexandra Hospital
Alexandra Hospital also provides Free Shuttle Bus Service for its patients and vistors. It operates from Monday to Saturday (except Sunday & Public Holiday).
The Free Shuttle Bus Service will make 3 stops. It starts picking up people from Queenstown MRT (Taxi Stand) and will alight people at Alexandra Hospital in front of Clinic A and at the main lobby. It will only pick up people from the Main Lobby to Queenstown MRT.
Check here for the Timings of the Shuttle Service!


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About us - Certifications
Mechanical Air Service is proud of its commitment to education and training. We believe this is
one of the significant value added services we provide our clients. We are regularly called upon to
analyze poor performing systems installed by other vendors.
Why should you care?
These certifications and association participation demonstrate our commitment to our industry
and our clients. The HVAC, Radiant and Geothermal industries are constantly evolving. It takes
full management commitment and a great deal of effort to stay up to date on the changing
technologies and ways to more effectively apply these technology changes to benefit our clients.
We hold weekly training sessions and have on staff a Credentialed Community College instructor.
C-20 Warm Air Heating & Air Conditioning
C-10 Electrical
C-4 Boiler, Radiant/Hydronic Systems
AEE (Association of Energy Engineers)
Senior Member
• Certified Energy Manager (National Registration)
• Certified Lighting Efficiency Professional (National Registration)
California Environmental Protection Agency
• Cal-EPA Registered Environmental Assessor
California Home Energy Efficiency Rating System
• We have on staff two Certified HERS raters
RPA (Radiant Panel Association)
• Certified Radiant Designer
• Certified Radiant Installer
Wirsbo is a major supplier of top quality radiant heating products.
• We are an HCT (Home Comfort Team) contractor which identifies us as having been factory trained and gives the Wirsbo products we install a longer warranty.
Lochinvar Boilers - Factory Trained
We are a factory trained Water Furnace dealer. They are a premier manufacturer of geothermal heat pumps.
IGSHPA Certified Contractor
ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, Air Conditioning Engineers)
Full member. This association writes the standards for the HVAC industry.
AIHA (American Industrial Hygiene Association)
Accredited member. This association is the #1 association regarding indoor air quality testing procedures and research.
AEE (Association of Energy Engineers)
ACCA (Air Conditioning Contractors of America)
California Environmental Protection Agency
We are a member of the USGBC council and support the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards for sustainable building practices.
RSES (Refrigeration Service Engineers Society)
RPA (Radiant Panel Association)
California Home Energy Efficiency Rating System
IGSHPA Certified Contractor
• Since 1977 over 95% of our clients are
from referrals.
• Our response time on service requests or project estimates is unmatched.
• Over 85% of all service calls are completed
on the first visit because of our extensive vehicle inventories.
• Projects are completed on time and on budget.
This database saves you money and dramatically improves the level of
service to you.
Residential | Commercial | Forensics | Indoor Air Quality | Green Energy Services | Awards | Certifications | Community
Home | Free Pool Heat | Duct Cleaning | Geothermal Systems | Radiant Floor Heating | Employment | About Us | Contact Us


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I am grateful to Regina Andari of Splitcoast Stampers http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/gablebox/ for the template and instructions for my project of today, a "gable box" - a small box with a top which looks like a roof, to contain a small gift.
We have been invited out to lunch tomorrow (actually, later today! - I'm still up at 1 a.m.!) by a very special family friend; I wanted to take a little present for her and thought the usual box of choccies could be improved upon somewhat, so I made this to contain some choccies instead!
It's really hard to get the colours exactly right on the photo, particularly in artificial light, and especially when the colours are very subtle, and blended, but I think you can get the idea.
I made the box from a piece of buff coloured cardstock, and the side panels were cut from a lighter shade of beige. These were then decorated and applied.
The flower was made from some bits from the big bunch of silk flowers I bought for a song at our village fete recently. The centre was made from a small pink flower which I spritzed with Tim Holtz DIY glimmer mist (Spun Sugar and Perfect Pearls). The outer part is made from a wrecked bright yellow chrysanthemum - still lots of that one left for future use! which I sprayed first with some more DIY glimmer mist, this time using Pumice Stone, and then a little in the centre, using Chipped Sapphire. I had to be very careful with this as it's a very strong dark blue colour. Applied onto the dulled yellow of the flower, it turned a lovely shade of green. Of course, the whole flower has a slight iridescence to it from the Perfect Pearls in the glimmer mist. This piece of silk chrysanthemum was then crumpled up in the centre and glued. I also added a sprig of red twiggy stuff from a large bowl of potpourri on our sitting room table! (Too good not to use!)
Before assembling the box, I inked the top part and the corners of the box with a little Tim Holtz Forest Moss Distress Ink, darkened with some Pumice Stone Distress Ink. I added some rubber stamping on the handles, using Tumbled Glass Distress Ink, the blue blending with the green to produce a darker green.
I then decorated the panels by applying some colour directly from the stamp pads onto my glass craft mat, using Distress Inks in Tumbled Glass, Spun Sugar and Bundled Sage, which I then spritzed with water, and laid the panels face down to pick up the colour. I dried them with the heat gun, and repeated the process until I was satisfied with the depth of colour. I then used one of Tim Holtz's small masks (swirl) and applied Forest Moss and Pumice Stone Distress Inks to reveal the pattern. After this I rubber stamped the panels using Tumbled Glass, which turned slightly green over the greenish background. Under the flower there are some leaves stamped using Bundled Sage Distress Ink.
I inked lightly around the edges of each panel using Pumice Stone Distress Ink, applied the flower to the front panel, and then glued the panels to the sides of the box. I cut the handles using a circular punch - the instructions specify an oval punch but I do not have one of these. The finishing touches were the ribbon to hold the handles together, and the small butterfly - and, of course, the choccies inside, with pink tissue paper scrumpled up on top.
This is a very nice shaped box, and easy to assemble. There is no template to print out; the instructions are just for cutting, scoring and folding, and then glueing together. It was cut from a single piece of card.


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I've been interested in sailing since the summer after seventh grade. My first exposure came as a 12 year-old at Camp Sea Gull. This proved to be the first of 6 summers for me at that Arapahoe, NC sailing camp. Here I learned about points of sail, rigging, and reading the wind from the cockpit of a Sunfish. Soon after learning the basics, I began sailing Hobie Cats – faster, and somewhat more intricate sailboats. After a couple of summers, some racing, and countless capsizes there was no turning back for me. Sailing would always be a passion of mine. As a counselor at Camp in later years, I headed up "Hobie Beach," passing on what I knew of the boats to the campers and learning much about general boat maintenance and repair.
Beyond Camp Sea Gull, I had the chance to crew with my cousin Hubie in the NC State Championships and the Junior Nationals in Santa Cruz, CA. Although I didn't stick with racing, I picked up more than a few tips about sailing theory and practice from the knowledgeable sailors I came into contact with. Cruising and pleasure sailing would prove to be my fascinations. There's just nothing more satisfying than slicing through the water with the sun on your back, wind in your face, and no pressure sitting on your shoulders; riding the breeze with a pair of sails.
I spent two college spring breaks this way – one in Key West ('01) and another from FT. Lauderdale to the Bahamas ('03). Several friends and I bareboated a 36′ Catamaran PDQ in '01 and a 50′ Beneteau in '03. To prepare for spring break, I took a coast guard course in navigation and am in the process of getting my 6-pack license. Also, my Uncle Bobby Poteat donated his old Hobie 16 to me to feed my interest. I use the Hobie generally for day trips to Jordan Lake or weekend getaways to the beach.
I came into contact with Chris and Jackie through my Aunt Hannah Poteat (same family as Bobby and Hubie – although she might not always claim one or both). In normal Christmas holiday-talks about post-graduation plans, I told her that I would be moving to Atlanta in the fall, but had no plans for the summer. She connected me with Chris, having heard about the upcoming trans-Atlantic passage. After emails throughout the semester (my last one at UNC), it it was decided that Bill (another cousin – different branch of the tree) and I would crew for the voyage. We packed up our things after graduation and landed in Beaufort, where SHIBUMI and the other four passengers were anchored.
We stayed in Beaufort for several days, getting to know one another and the boat. We cleaned and organized some sails, but mainly waited for a weather window suitable for departure. Soon enough we hauled up the anchor, stopped off for a night at Cape Lookout, and then set sail East – a direction I don't usually head from the Outer Banks.
Shortly after watching the Cape sink below the horizon, we began learning the routine of life at sea. Our three hour shifts would find us usually in the pilothouse, keeping a watch on the boat. From here we could control most aspects of the sailboat. We'd tend to the engine systems, watch the sail sets (and their relation to the wind), and avoid any traffic (including a large warship).
With our days now changed into "cycles," as we lovingly referred to them, life slowed down. We brought a plethora of movies, but didn't tend to watch them, opting instead for novels or journaling. Even filling out the position and weather log on the hour grew to be exciting – although catching fish or altering the sails ended up being the feature events of a given day. Actually, the weight of a average day was spent napping, trying to catch up for having been on watch half of the night.
But the constant cycle of watches was well worth it when I found myself sitting out on the deck on a sunny afternoon, cruising east across the open water to 25 knots of southern wind. Maybe some of the dolphins would make their daily appearance , maybe a sea gull would fly by (even 1000 miles out), or maybe nothing at all would happen, and I would just sit there alone with the endless rolling waves.
I saw a lot this trip; I watched the Atlantic change from the gentle rolling described above to relentless gale-force winds (look up the "Beaufort Scale" on Google) and then back again to calm. I learned how to use the wind's power, and maybe more importantly, when you should let it go on past. Also I watched six people interact over an extended period in close quarters (with nowhere to go). No one was thrown off the boat, so I guess we all learned to deal with each other – and ourselves. And finally, I saw six people work together and finish with not only a spectacular result, but a marvelous journey.
TJ's Little Known Favorite Things at Sea


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Christmas Love Kissing
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Christmas Love Kissing game information:
This Christmas you are in snow hill for a holiday with your girlfriend ! In this romantic place you both kissing each other but can you imagine what will happen there is some children stare at you. Make kiss passionately without getting caught by the children otherwise you will lose a life. Just make kiss watchfully to fill the kissing loader within specified time duration in each level.
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Trucking can be challenging when freight shipping to New York City because of its size and dense population, but it doesn't have to be with FreightCenter. We have an extensive network of freight partners that know how to navigate the complex road infrastructure, as well as provide multimodal options to ship goods to the rest of the country and the world. The bridges and tunnels of New York City are controlled by the Port Authority of NY & NJ.
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A heritage walk around the historic canal tunnel and hill at Blisworth is being held at the weekend. Over and Under Blisworth Hill, organised by the Stoke Bruerne Canal Partnership, will include a boat trip and return walk.
The group will be leaving from outside the Museum at Stoke Bruerne at 9.30am on Sunday, May 22.
Join a boat trip through the tunnel on trip boat NB Charlie with a commentary about the construction of the 200-year-old canal tunnel which is almost two miles long. Enjoy refreshments whilst viewing the murals at Blisworth Tunnel Hut, then walk back over the top of Blisworth Hill to Stoke Bruerne with walk guides who will point out features of interest relating to the canal and its construction.
Suitable clothing and stout footwear are recommended. The cost of the event is £6, £4 for children and advance booking is required via Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum. Call 01604 862229 or email firstname.lastname@example.com as capacity on NB Charlie is limited.
The boat and walk is being organised by Stoke Bruerne Canal Partnership in conjunction with Stoke Bruerne Boat Company and neighbouring Blisworth Canal Partnership. The partnership, as well as providing the refreshments, will be running subsidised trips for Blisworth community organisations in the opposite direction, as part of their pledge to connect people with Blisworth Tunnel and the local canal.
Visit www.blisworthcanalpartnership.org and www.stokebruernecanalpartnership.org.uk


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research partners
Ph.D. students
consortium members
Piotr Gwiazda
Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics
University of Warsaw
Banacha 2,
02-097 Warsaw
phone: +48 22 5544551
fax: +48 22 5544700
Structured population models of cell aging and differentiation
Piotr Gwiazda (MIM, University of Warsaw) and Anna Marciniak-Czochra (IWR, University of Heidelberg)
in collaboration with Benoît Perthame (Pierre & Marie Curie University, Paris)
The project is carried out by Grzegorz Jamróz at University of Warsaw
This project is devoted to mathematical modelling, analysis and simulation of stem cells renewal and differentiation, in particular the role of replicative senescence in hematopoiesis.
Hematopoiesis is a multi-step process, in which relatively small population of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) gives rise to all types of blood cells. Understanding of the mechanisms governing this process is of central interest in stem cell biology, especially because of its clinical impact. High regenerative properties of HSC are used to reconstitute blood structure of patients after treatment with high-dose chemotherapy.
One established method of modelling of such hierarchical cell systems is to use a discrete collection of ordinary differential equations, each of which describes a well-defined differentiation stage (e.g.,[2]). However, there are indications that the differentiation process is less rigid and that it involves transitions which are continuous, along with discrete ones.
The aim of this interdisciplinary project is to develop and analyse new structured population models of hematopoiesis in the form of coupled systems of transport equation and ordinary differential equations. In particular, the models will account for the phenomenon of replicative senescence of adult stem cells. The aim is to explore if replicative senescence is important for human hematopoiesis and how the cells at different differentiation stages are affected by the process of aging.
This aim will be achieved through a close collaboration with the experimental group of Prof. Anthony Ho and Dr. Wolfgang Wagner (Heidelberg Medical Clinic), and comprehensive analytical investigations of the model equations. The method of relative entropy has proven to be a very useful tool to investigate the convergence of solutions to steady states in growth and cell division models [1,3, 4].
Analytical work will be handled in collaboration with Prof. Benoît Perthame. Advanced numerical methods developed in the group of Prof. Rolf Rannacher (University of Heidelberg) will be applied to simulate the models.
[1] P. Gwiazda and B. Perthame, (2006)
Markov Proc. Related Fields
: 413-425.
[2] A. Marciniak-Czochra, T. Stiehl, A.D. Ho, W. Jäger and W. Wagner, (2008)
Stem Cells Dev.
: 1-10.
[3] P. Michel, S. Mischler and B. Perthame, (2005)
J. Math. Pures Appl.
: 1235-1260.
[4] B. Perthame, (2007) Transport equations in biology,
Frontiers in Mathematics. Birkhäauser Verlag
, Basel.


text:
Professor Brian DeMare specializes in modern Chinese history.
Research Interests
A cultural historian studying the Communist Party's great enterprise, Professor DeMare researches how Chinese citizens have negotiated with the politicization of their everyday lives. Mass campaigns, revolutionary art, and rural cultural workers are the primary concerns driving his research agenda. His new book Mao's Cultural Army: Drama Troupes in China's Rural Revolution, explores the political uses of cultural performance in the rise of the Chinese Communist Party and the early years of the People's Republic of China. He is currently writing and editing books on the epic land reform campaigns that shook the Chinese countryside during the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Teaching Interests
Professor DeMare offers a wide selection of courses on East Asian history. Survey courses cover the entirety of Chinese history, from Peking Man to the post-revolutionary era. Seminars allow students to delve into a variety of topics, including imperialism, gender, and empire.
Selected Publications
Mao's Cultural Army: Drama Tropes in China's Rural Revolution
Charting their training, travels, and performances, this innovative study explores the role of the artists that roamed the Chinese countryside in support of Mao's communist revolution. DeMare traces the development of Mao's 'cultural army' from its genesis in Red Army propaganda teams to its full development as a largely civilian force composed of amateur and professional drama troupes in the early years of the PRC. Drawing from memoirs, artistic handbooks, and rare archival sources, Mao's Cultural Army uncovers the arduous and complex process of creating revolutionary dramas that would appeal to China's all-important rural audiences. The Communists strived for a disciplined cultural army to promote party policies, but audiences often shunned modern and didactic shows, and instead clamored for traditional works. DeMare illustrates how drama troupes, caught between the party and their audiences, did their best to resist the ever growing reach of the PRC state. This is the first book in the new Cambridge Studies in the History of the People's Republic of China series.
"The Romance and Tragedy of Rural Revolution: Narratives and Novels of Land Reform in Mao's China"
Clio: A Journal of literature, History, and the Philosophy of History. Summer 2014, Vol. 43, #4
Click here to read a PDF copy of the article.
"Local Actors and National Politics - Rural Amateur Drama Troupes and Mass Campaigns in Hubei Province, 1949-1953"
Modern Chinese Literature and Culture, Fall 2012, Vol 24, #2
Click here to read PDF copy of the article.
"Casting (Off) Their Stinking Airs: Chinese Intellectuals and Land Reform, 1946-52"
The China Journal, #67, January 2012
Click here to read a PDF copy of the article.
Fellowships and Awards
Young Mellon Professor, 2014-2016
Tulane University's School of Liberal Arts awarded Professor DeMare a Young Mellon Professorship in recognition of his research and teaching contributions.
Visiting Fellow, 2012
Professor DeMare was selected as a Visiting Fellow by the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU). While in residence at FAU, Prof. DeMare conducted a research at the Shanghai-Academy of Social Sciences (SASS) archive, lead seminar discussions and gave a lecture on his most recent work. Prof. DeMare also presented his research at the Free University of Berlin.
FAU Visiting Professorship Poster
Peking University Harvard-Yenching Fellowship 2005-2006
National Security Education Program David L. Boren Fellowship, 2004-2005
Fulbright-Hays Fellowship, 2003-2004


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Every year, countless dogs in the United States are abandoned by their owners, left to fend for themselves or await death out of sight from the people they thought they could trust.
While all too often, unloved and alone, they do indeed meet that sad fate, there's a glimmer hope for those pets - thanks to people like Marina Tarashevska.
Warning: Video contains graphic footage
Tarashevska, a dog rescuer in Texas, is the subject of a troubling exposé by the Dallas Morning News, which casts light on an issue of national importance. Nearly every day, the 28-year-old ventures out to a forest in southeast Dallas that's long been a popular place for people to abandoned their dead, dying or unwanted pets. Her goal is to bring justice for the deceased and, in the best cases, salvation to the living.
While walking with a news crew through the illegal pet dumping ground, a literal boneyard of discarded dogs, the urgency of her work couldn't have been exhibited more clearly.
Cameras were rolling as Tarashevska sifted through decomposing bodies of dogs in search of some marker identifying their owners. That's when, not far off, she spotted a dog still alive amid all that death: a frightened Rottweiler she swiftly brought to safety.
The abandonment and stray pet problem is hardly limited to the Dallas area, which, as the Morning News' reporting notes, is fraught with issues surrounding animal management. But elsewhere, similarly shocking sites can be found in unseen corners of cities and towns across America.
An estimated 4 million dogs are abandoned yearly in the U.S. - a rate of more than 10,000 per day. Of those, many will struggle to stay alive as strays, while others will be taken to already overcrowded animal shelters where a high percentage end up being euthanized.
The epidemic of pets in need is too great for volunteers like Tarashevska to solve on their own, though even a small rise in public action could alleviate it greatly.
Visit the Humane Society to learn about what you should do if you encounter a stray pet in need.