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(Pocket-lint) - Porsche revealed its new Cayman in Los Angeles yesterday at the 2012 LA Auto Show, and we were in town to get a first glimpse. The sister car of the Boxster unveiled earlier this year in Geneva, the Cayman appears at first glance to be very much a "same again" piece of design and closely follows the Porsche evolution-not-revolution design philosophy.
READ: 2011 Porsche Cayman S review
Look a bit closer though and there are some big (for Porsche) changes here. Lighter, longer and lower with a longer wheelbase than before, the whole proportions of the car are now shifted rearwards somewhat, with a longer, fuller rear end, which sees the previous car's flying buttress rear wings and duck's-back tail end disappear. In its place you have a look that is more mini 911-like in silhouette.
In our view that's not a bad thing. And, that said, you're unlikely to mistake a Cayman on the road for a 911 as it adopts the Boxster's new, distinct form and rear light treatment and those different doors (previously, 911s, Caymans and Boxsters shared exactly the same door).
Inside there's good news too. The new interior of the Boxster is adopted too – complete with that rising centre tunnel that was inspired by the Panamera. It's a much classier place to sit than before and we like that you can now add splashes of contrast colour - on the show car there was a grey-with-tan scheme - without having to paint the entire interior, dashboard and steering wheel a shade of tan or red if you weren't keen on black leather seats.
You get a bigger, quicker-reacting centre touchscreen too and the right-hand dial of the gauge pack is digital so that it can display things like the turn-by-turn navigation instructions. The only problem with all this that we can see is that to make your interior not look bare, Porsche makes you p(l)ay that clever trick of spending thousands on options. You get all the buttons that flank that centre console functioning only if you tick boxes for extras such as special suspension, exhausts and so on. Oh, and full leather across the dash top will likely cost extra too.
Still, all signs are that you'll forget about that once you get behind the wheel and head out on a drive. The Cayman's lighter than before and sits on a new chassis which has more even weight distribution. This extra lightness means that the engines are downsized, with the Cayman now coming with an entry level 2.7 litre flat six engine.
Fitted with the automatic double-clutch "PDK" gearbox most owners will choose, it will fire the car to 60mph in 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 164mph (in Germany). And when you're not driving like that, it should be capable of around 35mpg and 180g/km emissions. Pretty good for something so scrorchio, we think.
Of course, you can have a 6-speed manual gearbox too and there's the obligatory higher output S model with a 3.4 litre engine that drops the 0-60 run down to 4.7 seconds. Expect both to make you feel like a driving god and make a rather wonderful noise.
Of course, the engine's still in the middle of the car, behind you and your passenger's heads which is not only central to the driving experience, but allows Porsche to offer the on-going novelty of two boots - one in the front under the "bonnet" and another under the rear hatchback. Fast and practical? What's not to like?
The basic price will start at £39,694 when the car goes on sale in the UK in next spring. Expect to be looking at a good few grand more once you've ticked a few very necessary options boxes.
Is that good value? Well, it's always been odd that Porsche charges more for the Cayman – a coupe – than it does the Boxster with it's more complex/expensive-to-build droptop and the extra sensory experience open driving brings. And the Boxster's now a car that even the most blokey of blokes ought to be happy to be seen in. But if you must have a coupe, then we suspect that the new Cayman might give big brother 911 something to think about – especially given that car costs at least 30 grand more.
Chances of it being the best sports car in Porsche's range? Let's just say we can't wait to drive it.


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Top flight deals to Austin (AUS)*
Kuala Lumpur(KUL)toAustin(AUS)
Fly to Austin with KLM
Together with our global network, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines offers flights to Austin, serving Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). Book your next flight to Austin with us and let us take you where you need to go, all while being committed to get you there on time. Our flights fit your schedule, not the other way around!
Top Austin Attractions
- State Capitol: a historical building completed in 1888 in Downtown Austin, containing the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and the Office of the Governor.
- Barton Springs Pool: a recreational outdoor swimming pool that is filled entirely with water from nearb natural springs.
- LBJ Presidential Library: the presidential library and museum of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th President of the United States.
- Mount Bonnell: a prominent point alongside the Lake Austin portion of the Colorado River in Austin.
- HOPE Outdoor Gallery: a community paint park located at 11th & Baylor St. in downtown Austin.
What's the best way to get around Austin?
The Austin Metro is a reliable and efficient service that runs throughout all the neighbourhoods every few minutes. Affordable, quick, and easy to use, it also stops every few streets throughout the city.
What's the weather in Austin?
The hottest summer months in Austin are July and August, averaging 30°C (86°F), while the surrounding months average 22°C (72°F). May is the wettest month of the year, so bring a raincoat.
Weather in Austin
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38 °CWednesday12/08/2020
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37 °CMonday17/08/2020
36 °CTuesday18/08/2020
*All amounts are in MYR. Taxes and carrier surcharges included. No booking fee applicable (credit card surcharge may apply).


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Meet the meat artist
Have you ever wondered about the difference between prosciutto di Parma and prosciutto San Daniele? Are you mystified by the curing process? Do you constantly confuse coppa and capicola, salumi and salami? Do you love bresaola even though you have no idea what it is?
Well, if you're interested in improving your Italian meat knowledge, Speak! Language Center, an Italian language and cultural center local in the Glass Building downtown, is offering a talk and tasting called Prosciutto 101, hosted by master chef and butcher Christopher Mattera, chef-charcutier at Belmont Butchery in Richmond. Mattera heads what Food & Wine magazine has called "one of the best" charcuterie programs in the country, and learned his craft in Tuscany from Italian master meat artist Sergio Falaschi.
Of course, you'll be tasting the meaty treats that Mattera has cured himself, sipping the appropriate Italian wines for each bite, and improving your Italian meat IQ. The event takes place on Saturday, September 26 from 5-7pm. Pre-registration is required and the cost is $45 per person. So head on over the Speak! website and find out more


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are people for fukkin real. does a cheap tapco stock,and pro mag drum make a $800+ Saiga??
Damn, I know a shop down the road from my house selling bone stock S12's for $650.
I think this kind of mentality is bull shite and these fuggers should be flogged!!
OH well, I guess I'll just sit here and pet my S12 I got during the Hoebama scare for $650............


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The "Focus on Four" initiative started in June 2017 and the purpose of this program is to provide 4 hours of free early education to 4-year-old children during the summer months.
With the "Focus on Four" program, children received educationally rich content and experiences that helped better prepare them for kindergarten. Thirty-three of our students enrolled in this program experienced a 95% increase in their skill set! We were fortunate to receive $38,800 of funding from the David Lucas Foundation, James E. Huffer and Betty J. Huffer Foundation, Gannett Foundation, West Bay Club Charitable Foundation and Target. We are excited to announce that this year we are partnering with Florida Gulf Coast University academically and financially to expand the "Focus on Four" program.
Posted 11/8/17


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Conservation and Environment in Peru: Monthly Updates
This is always an interesting time of year in the rainforest as cold weather is not uncommon, rains are infrequent and animals begin courtship and mating so that their young are born to coincide with the start of the bountiful wet season. In other words, the jungle becomes noisy and almost frenetic as animals search constantly for both food and a mate! These natural cycles and basic instincts have been manifested in Taricaya by one of the most bizarre set of circumstances I have witnessed in over 15 years in the jungle.
Over the last few weeks we have been visited every night by a huge male jaguar (Panthera onca) intent on mating with Preciosa, our resident female. We first encountered her suitor early one evening as we were performing our final check on the animals for the night. He was standing in the middle of a trail just a few feet from the female's enclosure. Many people would consider the presence of such a powerful animal a threat but this is not the case and the male ran off after just a few seconds. However, this piqued our interest and we decided to install our sensor cameras all around the rescue centre to discover if he would return or not. The answer was a definite yes! For close to a month we recorded his behaviour on film as he was captured on camera every night and often during the day. Both wandering around the centre but most often just lying next to the cage and interacting with Preciosa.
The fascination of seeing a wild jaguar apart, this behaviour, whilst unusual, is actually very satisfying. The Taricaya reserve is obviously in great shape and the presence of jaguars and pumas (Puma concolor), like the one we caught on film last month, is an excellent indicator that the ecosystem is very healthy and these alpha predators can find food in the area. The second pleasing aspect is that the male jaguar, whilst uncomfortable with direct human contact, kept returning to the site and this displays increased confidence in the area. Hunters and loggers are a thing of the past for Taricaya and the adjoining national park and the animals are back to stay!
Elsewhere in the animal rescue centre we have been working hard to rebuild the small cat enclosures. In a remodelling project we have basically razed the existing cages to the ground and started again with galvanized poles and cement bricks. As you all know, wood has a very limited life span in the hot humid conditions of the tropics and it is false economy to have to replace cages every couple of years. This, coupled with, the distress caused to the animals by temporary small cages means that we are systematically replacing old cages with new animal-specific enclosures. We have completed the primate section and tapir paddocks. The puma has its brand new cage and next to follow are the small cats and bush dog. Currently, we house two margays (Leopardus wiedii), one jaguarondi (Puma yagouaroundi) and a short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis) and the new small carnivore section will have inter connecting doors to allow the easy transfer of individuals between cages. This stress-free management should help encourage captive breeding success as we aim to emulate our success with the tapirs (Tapirus terrestris).
On such a note, I am very excited to announce that we have had our second successful captive birth at Taricaya. Our razor-billed curassows (Mitu tuberosum) rescued from Lima have now settled in well enough to start mating and just a couple of weeks ago our first young chick hatched alive and well. This is great news as the curassows were badly malnourished on arrival and we were doubtful as to their survival chances much less anything else. However, a good diet and space to exercise has done the trick and I am confident that we can continue to see our two mating pairs breeding. These large ungainly birds are the first to disappear in areas impacted by humans as they make easy hunting. As Taricaya is now a safe environment I hope we can release them back here into an area where they were once common and their cackles can become a regular sound in the jungle we protect.
The turtle project has continued since I last reported and after a successful trip to the Heath River with the Ese'eja community of Palma Real we have continued to monitor our own island in the Madre de Dios River. Fluctuating river levels and the seasonally cold nights meant that it was hard work patrolling the beaches. We went days without a single nest and then several females would lay their eggs in one night. This meant that the work was often frustrating but everybody stuck at it and we were able to reach a final total of close to fifty nests. This may not appear to be a staggering number but the turtle species (Podocnemis unifilis) is suffering with the increased mining activity and more fishermen placing their nets in the rivers. One satisfying result from this year is that our weekly turtle censuses performed by boat produced sightings of several individuals with the characteristic mark on its shell. All our young hatchlings are marked before release and the presence of marked adults/juveniles in the area means that we are making a difference. As our released turtles reach breeding age we should see an increase in the number of nests and the populations should begin to recover over time.
Next month I shall be reporting on the baby turtle releases and the success of our pilot project with the local community.
We continue to monitor the reserve with our sensor cameras and this month we caught a beautiful ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) on camera underneath one of the camp bungalows! These diurnal cats are very reclusive and its familiarity with the camp area could suggest that this individual is one that we released four years ago. It is impossible to confirm this theory as the leather collar we placed on the released cat will long since have disintegrated and fallen off but it is very interesting that just a few days later we saw an ocelot swimming in the river just up from the pilot farm. Whether it is the same animal or not the sighting is very encouraging. As I said earlier, these rare predators residing in the reserve is a testament to all our hard work and as Taricaya reaches its 12th anniversary in November we can be very proud of all that we have achieved.
As we continue to hang our mist nets and walk the trails we push forward in our biodiversity research. This month we caught a new species of bird for the area and it was a small but striking flycatcher. The white-bellied tody-tyrant (Hemitriccus griseipectus) was caught near some stands of bamboo on the western limits of the reserve and this specialist is a rare sighting even though its range is wide. In other words, it can be found in many areas but not in high numbers! Our mist nets have thrown up some other surprises in that we have caught some birds that were ringed in our initial study in 2004. Most people would associate small understory birds with a high-risk short life cycle. Predation and resource competition are fierce and we have now captured several birds that must be at least ten years old. This sort of data is very important because when you study animal populations and their dynamics it is not just necessary to discover what is present in the area but also how populations evolve and change over time. For example, if small manakins have survived a decade then their territories must be well defined, their displaying leks nearby and much more….
After twelve years of research and hard work we are now in a position to start analysing data from over long periods of time and this coupled with our inventories can help us understand how the most diverse ecosystem on the planet changes and adapts over time..
That is all for now but there will be lots more to report on next time as we close out yet another year in the Amazon and our piece of paradise here in Peru…
Stuart Timson
Conservation Director
Projects Abroad
1st November 2013


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Bauer, Carrasco to start Indians' twin bill
BALTIMORE -- The Indians' probable starters for Friday's doubleheader against the White Sox have not been a secret, but now they are official.
Cleveland manager Terry Francona confirmed on Thursday that right-handers Trevor Bauer and Carlos Carrasco will be called up from Triple-A Columbus to start in the twin bill in Chicago. Bauer will technically be recalled from Columbus, and Carrasco will be added as the 26th man on the roster.
The Indians have not announced the subsequent move to add Bauer to the rotation.
In 12 starts for Triple-A Columbus this season, Bauer has gone 3-2 with a 4.12 ERA, compiling 67 strikeouts against 36 walks in 65 1/3 innings. The righty has made three spot starts for Cleveland this season, going 1-2 with a 2.76 ERA. In 16 1/3 big league innings this year, Bauer has 11 strikeouts and 15 walks, but he has held hitters to a .161 average.
Carrasco was optioned to Triple-A on Monday, but the goal all along was to utilize Major League Baseball's 26th man rule (as stipulated in the Collective Bargaining Agreement) to bring him back on regular rest for the start against the White Sox. After his outing in Chicago, Carrasco can be sent back to Triple-A for four days prior to returning to Cleveland's rotation.
In four starts for the Indians, Carrasco has gone 0-3 with a 7.78 ERA. On Sunday, he took the loss against the Twins after giving up three runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander has gone 2-0 with a 3.21 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings in 10 games at Triple-A this season.


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0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.
Haha. Can you envisage us struggling to offload him back to Turkey for circa £5-10m in the summer?
I've been smoking since I was 15. I'm 60 now. Nothing much has changed. Except me.
Best non-sequitur I've seen on here for a while. Enjoying Chrimbo?
Drunk peej is back and as incoherently beautiful as ever.
Walsh is probably one fuck up away from being binned, so he best have it right with this fella
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On November 11, 2012, Airport Authority employees donated their time and effort toward a volunteer event sponsored by "Waves of Appreciation," an organization created by Pepperdine University alumni. The paramount goal is to give back and show gratitude to service men and women as they travel home for the holidays to see their loved-ones.
Approximately 15 Authority employees joined a larger group of volunteers for an afternoon of stuffing 3,500 goody bags of nonperishable food items to be distributed at San Diego International Airport.
Waves of Appreciation partnered with the United Services Organization (USO) at SDIA for the bag distribution, which took place prior to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The bags helped sustain many of the young service members who might have otherwise traveled hungry during the holidays.
And the USO located at SDIA has bragging rights! Ours is the only USO in the United States that distributes these bags of delectable delights ever year. So kudos to the USO and Airport Authority volunteers — way to exhibit that Community Strategy!*
* The Airport Authority's Community Strategy is "to be a trusted and highly responsive regional agency."
Filed under: Airport Employees, BY AMBASSABLOGGER AUTHOR, In the Community, Suzanne (Real Estate Management Department) |


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Hearings and Business Meetings
May 26 2011
FULL COMMITTEE BUSINESS MEETING: to consider pending energy legislation (Hearing Room SD-366).
SD-366 Energy Committee Hearing Room 10:00 AMThe purpose of the Business Meeting is to consider pending energy legislation. If needed, the business meeting may reconvene Thursday afternoon (Hearing Room SD-366).
S. 630 - A bill to promote marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy research and development, and for other purposes;
An original bill to provide for the conduct of an analysis of the impact of energy development and production on the water resources of the United States, and for other purposes;
An original bill to promote the domestic development and deployment of clean energy technologies, and for other purposes;
An original bill to amend the Federal Power Act to protect the bulk-power system and electric infrastructure critical to the defense of the United States against cybersecurity and other threats and vulnerabilities;
S. 699 - A bill to authorize the Secretary of Energy to carry out a program to demonstrate the commercial application of integrated systems for long-term geological storage of carbon dioxide, and for other purposes;
S. 757 - A bill to provide incentives to encourage the development and implementation of technology to capture carbon dioxide from dilute sources on a significant scale using direct air capture technologies;
S. 916 - A bill to facilitate appropriate oil and gas development on Federal land and waters, to limit the dependence of the United States on foreign sources of oil and gas, and for other purposes;
S. 917 - A bill to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to reform the management of energy and mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf, and for other purposes.


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Fri 03
On the road
Tour dates! This is where I travel around the country, perform to packed houses, and dangle babies off balconies. No, wait, that's Michael Jackson. I just read from my book, sign copies, and answer questions. But still! You should come along. It'll be fun.
I'm doing two appearances this month: one in New York and one in LA. If you can't make it but want to get your hands on a signed copy, contact either bookstore and have them reserve one for you.


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Hey so i've been at this for like a month trying to get some kind of RAT to work for me... I need it for when I go on vacation.
Take a look at these two screenshots:
1. http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/9906/tadah.png
Yes! it works when I have my internal ip address in the server.
2. http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/4471/connectionj.png
Erm, when I switch to my no-ip address... For some reason, it doesn't show up in my connected computers list. However, it DEFINITELY shows up in the list of connections...
So.... what's the deal here?
My port is open. It's been forwarded to my internal ip. My no-ip address definitely works, it brings me to my router settings page. And my DNS settings are definitely all updated so it's none of that jazz...
What the HELL is the problem?
Yes, these computers are mine own so I'm not doing anything illegal here!


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I started this year with one little word as my guide: Seek I have seen scrapbookers use this method to motivate their year and have always loved the idea but never done it. This year I thought I would try it out. So I thought and thought and finally settled on Seek.
Psalm 9:10
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord , have never forsaken those who seek you.
This year I want to seek God more and improve me personal relationship with him because the last couple years I have been way to lax and excused my laziness with being a new mother. But there are no excuses in my book for not working on my relationship with God. So I strive to seek God and His plans for my life as best I can.
This year I want to seek myself. In that I want to find my niche, be confidant in myself, body image, personality, beliefs, everything, and that will take some seeking to get there because I always had issues with confidence and knowing exactly who I am. I don't know if I will get to the point of being perfectly myself as we are always changing and nobodies perfect. I would like to start down that path of loving myself and being happy with what I am and where I am currently instead of always dreaming of what could be.
This year I want to seek how to make these last months as a family of three memorable and also seek out how to be a great mother as we transition into being a family of four. My husband and I fully believe our children are the Lords and He has intrusted them to us to care for, love, and raise them in a Christ like manner. I haven't been doing the best job on being a fun and Christ like mom lately with feeling so awful with this pregnancy but I am hoping to seek out how to find that balance for the rest of my pregnancy, and continue it throughout the year.
This year I want to seek out simplicity. I have to much stuff. :) To put it simply! ha. I would like to declutter, detach myself from stuff, and get rid of things. This also stretches to organizing and being on top of things like meal planning, activities and such. I am relatively organized but I like pretty things and my crafting, thrifting, vintage loving self has issues with leaving things behind. ;) So seeking simplicity is a must this year as our family expands.
Do you have a word this year? I would love to hear about it or just your goals.
The photos in this post have nothing to do with my word of the year. I did the 10 on 10 and haven't got to post them yet. But as you can see it was a lazy day at home. ;) One of the best ways to spend your day.
Thanks for stopping by!


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sell wood living room furniture-white rose
Supplier Details
Shenzhen Adiskoda Import&Export Co., Ltd
Free Member (2011)
[ Shenzhen, GU, China ]
Business Type: Manufacturer
Supplier has 5,498 products
Quick Details
Packaging and Delivery
Product Description
sell wood living room furniture-White rose
1,Pattern:teddy bear, rose, cat, girl, plant etc
2,Color:amy green, sky blue, off-white, red brown, wine red etc
3,Material: MDF& schima wood
4,Delivery time: 15-30days according to size of order
6,FOB port: Shenzhen,China
7,Mixed order accepted
8,OEM order warmly welcome
9,Distributor welcome!
Basic Information
About Us
Shenzhen Adiskoda import & export Co.,ltd is a sophisticated and professional leading manufacture specializing in producing all kinds of craftwork , handicraft , furniture and decoration made of wood , cloth , rattan ,iron and steel ,they are all works of applied art , beautiful and exquisite beyond compare . Our products are very popular among USA ,Japan , Singapore ,China 's mainland , Taiwan , Hongkong and so on .
Established in 2001 , located in Shenzhen , Guangdong province , Adiskoda covers 7,000 square meters , owns 500 excellent people . In order to improve the quality of products and meet the international development, Adiskoda has passed ISO 9001:2000 and GPC in 2005. A wealth of experience in the production of handicrafts and furniture , combined with aggressive development and management team, allows us to occupy a leading position in the same industry . We has indeed won a good reputation among the customers .
Adhering to the concept of creating a better life , high quality ,innovation and customer first , Adiskoda has outfitted advanced automated machines and modern technologies, with ongoing capital investment, Adiskoda will always try his best to offer you the most fashionable, most comfortable, and price competitive craftworks and furniture. We already have many types that let you fondle admiringly , our R&D team can also design according to your actual needs .OEM is available .
Member History
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text:
Tackling major environmental issues is beyond most of us and probably best left to the professionals which we should watch like hawks BTW. Jumping into fix oil spills and chemical leaks is certainly beyond the scope of my expertise (and my bank account). But I believe that we can take steps to conquer the areas that are under our control... and a great place to start is our own homes!
What I plan to do is do is post a series of ideas on easy ways to green your home and make it more environmentally friendly AND if you or your kids suffer from allergies (like my girls) I believe that we will see an improvement in those telltale runny noses and red, itchy eyes that tug on our heartstrings.
Just so you know, I'm going to be working right along with you. My plan is to not only provide tips for greening YOUR home but I'm going to be making improvements on mine. The first order of business is going to be the bedroom and then move on to other areas of the house.
Since my baby was born with so many allergies and breathing problems I've made the switch to green cleaning products and pesticides. But after reading how many ounces of dustmites can hide in pillows and bedding (not a major environmental issue but important to me especially when it affects my family's breathing) I have to believe that things need to be taken a step (or three or four) further.
I want to make every room in my home clean and green from the kitchen to the laundry room and everything in between. Forget spring cleaning, winter is when the house is airtight and we have no choice but to get one on one with allergens.
So, we are going to explore greening each room of the home, step by step. We may not be able to afford expensive stuff like installing solar panels but the little things that we do add up. Come back tomorrow (and every day after, pretty please?) to see my daily (if all goes well) tips for greening your home.
I'm not going to tackle the heavy lifting, just give some information on how to make
choices that, if we all participate, will not only have a positive environmental impact but help our kids not suffer from bedding allergies and the like.
As I walk you (and me) through the tips for greening your home I hope that we will learn together how to make decisions that used in conjunction with energy saving and recycling practices will leave a better world for our children.
Remember that our goals are to:
- Recycle to limit waste
- Save energy
- Protect and preserve our natural resources
- Avoid exposure to toxic chemicals and pesticides
- Reduce allergens (This may or may not have something to do with major environmental issues but it's a personal goal worth exploring with you since so many of you also have babies with extreme allergies)


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Save Design
Available in: ArcFM (Workflow Manager toolbar), ArcFM Viewer for ArcGIS Engine (Workflow Manager toolbar)
Enable: No session currently open
While making edits in ArcFM Viewer or Designer, you may make changes to your current open design. Simply click the Save Design button.
Should Workflow Manager be unable to save the design, it will automatically export the design to an XML file and the user will receive an error message with a path to the XML.


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Can anyone give me an explicit isomorphism between $SU(2)$ and the three sphere?
What about for higher spheres? This question link text seems to indicate that there exists a homeomorphism from $SU(n)/SU(n-1)$ to the $(2n-1)$-sphere.
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Can anyone give me an explicit isomorphism between $SU(2)$ and the three sphere?
What about for higher spheres? This question link text seems to indicate that there exists a homeomorphism from $SU(n)/SU(n-1)$ to the $(2n-1)$-sphere.
Elements of $SU(2)$ look like this: $$ x = \begin{pmatrix} a & - \overline{b} \\ b & \overline{a} \end{pmatrix},$$ where $|a|^2 + |b|^2 = 1$. This follows easily from $x^* = x^{-1}$. So you map that matrix to the point $(a,b)$ in $\mathbb{C}^2$, and this is your diffeomorphism.
$SU(2)$ is a group of unitary quaternions $U(1,H)$, which are of form $a + bI + cJ + dK$, with $a^2+b^2+c^2+d^2=1$. This is clearly $S^3$. The action of unitary quaternions from the right preserves complex structure acting from the left (or vice versa), this gives a map from $U(1,H)$ to $U(2)$. It also preserves the complex volume, because quaternionic structure can be used to define the symplectic form.
Regarding the higher dimensional question:
Please try to figure this out yourself. Just think about the map from SU(n) to $C^n$, mapping each matrix to the first column. What is the image and what is the preimage of each point in the image? Hint: confirm that it suffices to figure out the preimage of (1,0,...,0) and all other preimages are essentially the same.
Just write $SU(2)$ in some local coordinates (some of the standard systems are the double-polar system (a.k.a Hyperspherical coordinates) or the single angle coordinates (a.k.a Hopf coordinates) and then one sees that the special unitary condition forces the $4$ parameters you will need to satisfy the $3$-sphere equation. Hence one gets an explicit local map to the $3$-sphere by mapping that matrix to the ordered tuple of $4$ numbers. Smoothness is assured since the functions are all polynomials.
These coordinate systems make what MTS said below explicit.
After all one is very likely to want to do some geometry on $SU(2)$ now that one knows it is $S^3$ and these coordinate systems are naturally adapted to do them. Like computing vielbiens on $SU(2)$ in these systems look very natural and make the symmetries of the spherical structure underneath very clear.
A related extra stuff:
One can look up a very nice analysis of this in the first chapter of Gregory Naber's book "Geometry, Topology and Gauge Fields" Volume 1.
In that section he will do what gets called the Heegard Decomposition of $S^3$ using very simple high-school maths!
Basically Naber will rationalize why these coordinate systems are in some sense natural.
You can also look up these analysis in these two write-ups I had done during my undergrad , this and this one.


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Google Vows Blockade if France Charges for Links
Oct 19, 2012 9:37 AM PT
In a letter to several French ministerial offices, Google has warned that it could exclude French media sites from its search results if the country implements a proposed law that would force search engines to pay for content, according to AFP.
The letter reportedly said that such a move -- which would force Google to fork over money simply for linking to French media -- would threaten Google's existence and, ergo, would force the search engine giant to blacklist French sites.
Google added that it funnels 4 billion clicks per month toward French media websites and shouldn't be treated as a threat to business.
The proposal comes a month after French newspaper publishers pressed the government to require search engines like Google to pay for their content.
Prior to this week's letter, Google France said that such a law would be detrimental not only to news websites' traffic, but to the Internet itself.
Man Tracks Wife's Alleged Rapist on Facebook
A man in the UK used Facebook to track down the man who allegedly raped his wife in 2001.
According to The Telegraph, the man claimed he was using Facebook to organize a surprise party for his wife. Under this guise, he extracted the whereabouts of the supposed rapist and then beat him up.
The alleged rapist, Andrew Marsh, 27, was later arrested and charged with rape, according to The Telegraph. Marsh denies that rape, and the trial is currently ongoing.
Anonymous Associates Publish Name of Bully in Suicide Saga
People claiming to be associated with the hacker group Anonymous have published documents and a video with the name of the person they believe harassed Amanda Todd, a 15-year-old Canadian who committed suicide last week.
According to Naked Security, Todd was the victim of relentless cyberbullying. Her classmates were reportedly invited to join a Facebook page that included a topless photo of Todd, who in September posted a distressing YouTube video detailing the awful treatment.
A month later, she took her own life.
Naked Security is surely not alone in questioning the tact of posting the suspected bully's name. There is no proof given to the claim, for starters, and it seems that a better move may have been going to the police instead of making unsubstantiated claims on the Web.
Apple's iPhone 5 Supply Shortages Examined
Despite initial sales that exceeded other iPhone models, iPhone 5 purchases have fallen short of some analysts' expectations -- owing, at least in part, to a supply shortage.
According to The Wall Street Journal , an executive for Apple supplier Foxconn, which assembles the iPhone 5, said the new device is the most difficult it has ever assembled. The exec said that the complicated design has caused a learning curve for assembly, adding, "Practice makes perfect."
Apple had come under fire for the ease with which the iPhone 5's metal casings got scratched. The material used for the casing is lightweight and thin -- selling points of the device -- but nonetheless susceptible to nicks. Foxconn, in turn, has had to take steps to prevent scratching.
The much-publicized unrest at a Foxconn plant in China was partly because of the metal casing, the executive said.
Speaking of Foxconn: James Fallows of The Atlantic published a blog post with photos from a Foxconn plant. There is nothing uproarious in the collection, but it is a good, candid look inside the plant.
Nokia Posts Big Loss on Slumping Smartphone Sales
Nokia announced Thursday that it lost 969 million euros, or nearly $1.3 billion, in the third quarter, a 14-fold increase from its third quarter losses last year.
According to The New York Times, the company cited a steep drop in smartphone sales. This, the company said, was because customers are waiting for Nokia's next generation of handsets that Windows Phone 8.


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top-down investing(redirected from Top-Down Equity Management System)
Top-Down Investing
An investment philosophy that considers macroeconomic factors. When making investment decisions a top-down investor first considers the broad condition of the economy, then factors affecting specific industries expected to outperform the economy, and, finally, individual companies expected to do the best in those industries. Proponents of top-down investing argue that it identifies good companies more efficiently, while critics contend that it does not let the investor know the details of each specific stock. See also: Bottom-up investing.
top-down investing
Making investment decisions by first focusing on economic forecasts and then evaluating prospects for individual industries and companies. Compare bottom-up investing.


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✔63 lovely cute apartment decorating ideas on a budget 17
The Hidden Treasure of Apartment Decorating Ideas Decorating ideas can differ based on the space. Apartment decorating ideas give you the opportunity to devote a personal touch to the space. You could find that they are amenable to your decorating ideas. Next distinctive home decor ideas ought to be extra attractive that are in a position to boost your area decor. The Birth of Apartment Decorating Ideas The direction you arrange your furniture all around your carpet should be contingent on the size of your carpeting. It will be placed on most of the floor. Large heavy furniture is not just hard to move around, but it may also make your space look instantly cramped. New Step by Step Roadmap for Apartment Decorating Ideas If space is a problem, many unique covers and tarps are readily available to aid protect your investment. It's smart to select the largest one it is possible to fit in the space. Although less space usually means a more compact carbon footprint, you don't need to sacrifice style as a way to do something green. Home is somewhere to express your life and fashion. Just because your house is pint-sized that doesn't indicate you've got… Continue Reading Read More


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Good ideas for many people, but. . . In my case--single mom, and thinking of taking my son (14) to Europe-- I think safety and security will trump a lot of this, so I'll have reservations and may tour with a group. I do plan to do a lot of research and follow the spirit of getting the local experience (I especially like the grocery shopping idea). Any other ideas?
The 7 Rules of Budget Travel
I'm a big believer in the popular environmental mantra: "Think Globally, Act Locally." When it comes to saving the planet, that saying is as true as it is simple.
And when I travel, my rule of thumb for keeping it green and keeping it cheap is: "Think Locally, Travel Globally." You'll usually find the most eco-friendly and genuine travel experiences when you spend less — not more — and get local, no matter where in the world you're wandering. It's all about traveling independently (not in a tour group or packaged tour) and drilling down to the local level, getting a true sense of place by experiencing it as if you live there.
Here's how:
Guidebooks kill
Consult a good, locally researched guidebook like those in the Lonely Planet series for basic background and logistical info before you travel, but don't use it to plan your every move, like where you'll stay, eat and hang out. By the time a guidebook recommends something, it's usually overrun with tourists (and overpriced).
Travel without reservations
Except for perhaps the first night or two when you're traveling overseas and going to be suffering from jetlag, avoid making advance reservations at hotels and other accommodations before you leave home. You'll generally pay a lot more for lodging reserved from overseas, and they're rarely the type of local, affordable places you can only find once you're there. Plus, advance reservations limit your ability to be spontaneous in your travels.
The "Three L's Rule" (Look for Lines of Locals)
If you're looking for a good meal or friendly place to have a beer, put away your guidebook and open up your eyes and ears. Looking for where the locals hang out and chatting it up with them is the best — and cheapest — way to travel.
Local transportation and short distances are best
To travel slowly, covering short distances, and staying places longer is the key to really getting a sense of place and people. Linger in places you've never heard of and where you don't see another tourist; don't plan an itinerary that's just one popular tourist destination (AKA "trap") followed by another. Taking public transportation, hiking or bicycling will give you a great opportunity to meet local people and see how they live. Plus it will save you a busload of traveler's checks.
Cheap sleep
Americans can travel to almost anywhere in the world and pay top dollar to stay in an American-style hotel, just like the ones back home. Why even bother to travel if that's what you want? Look for locally owned, "mom and pop" places to stay, pensions and public camping facilities (sometimes free). Check out youth hostels, couch surfing and house swapping for a highly affordable, and rewarding, travel experience.
Prepare at least some of your own meals
Sampling the fare in local restaurants is one of the joys of travel, but you'll sell your trip short — and spend a lot more — if you don't at least occasionally pick up some groceries from a local market and prepare some of your own meals. Maybe it's just simple breakfast foods or picnic supplies. Shopping for food where the locals shop is one of the most enlightening cultural experiences I know of when you travel, and it just happens to make travel much more affordable.
Keeping it green when you travel
Not surprisingly to this Green Cheapskate, a recent study commissioned by eco-friendly lodging chain Element Hotels found that 41% of the people they surveyed said that their vigilance about conserving resources is "due to the economy" (i.e. "It saves me money!"), while just 28% said it was "due to the environment." The upshot is that when people travel, their eco-conscious habits often slip; they're not as vigilant about things like turning off the lights in their hotel room, since they're not paying the electric bill. Don't leave your eco-ethics at home when you hit the road this summer, because you can't fool Mother Nature.
This post from the Green Cheapskate by Jeff Yeager is republished with the permission of The Daily Green. Check out more great content from The Daily Green:
- 30+ Ways to Save Money By Going Green
- 10 Ways to Save Money On Gas Without Replacing Your Car
- Top 10 Weird Uses of Vodka
- 6 Safe Green Investments
- How to Pay 50 Cents (or Less) for a Gallon of Gas
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I agree with most everything you wrote. However, I DISAGREE with you comment about where to eat and sleep. I have stayed at many great guest houses and eaten in many great local restaurants after they have been in Lonely Planet (most of these places were in South East Asia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand).
If you stay away from guest houses and restaurants just because they are included in Lonely Planet, you will be missing out on many WONDERFUL places.
I like to visit a mix - some places in Lonely Planet and some not in Lonely Planet.
I agree and disagree. I think some guidebooks are better than others. For Europe, use Rick Steves books. He really finds good deals and forums on his site are really helpful. I think when traveling to a new country, it's good to have a few nights in a nice hotel because traveling can be overwhelming, especially in a big city.
And I think when you are traveling and have taken the time to go to a new destination, you shouldn't cheap out on yourself. Sometimes you need to see the tourist traps. My visit to Toledo, Spain was amazing and it is a total tourist trap, but it was just beautiful and I am so glad I didn't miss it.
I really love the Couchsurfing experience, though. I have both hosted travelers and been hosted myself. It's phenomenal.
I really love the slow traveler website - lots of great tips. And a good google search for people's trip blogs will also yield a wealth of personalized resources.
I have to agree with the author more so than anyone else here - Lonely Planet is a great resource, and often forms the backbone of my research for things to do and see in most destinations (primarily because it is in English, whereas alot of local written material is written in the local lingo) and also for details on connections between towns or places (so I know whether I have to catch a bus, or a train, or a boat to get from A-B and what the best deals, at least at time of writing, were). I also nearly always double-check those details on websites like WikiTravel, which tend to be more frequently updated than the book (as quickly as minutes after a change in details is found, compared to 3 years or so).
Most of the time, when looking at places to stay, I have just lobbed up and then been able to bargain a rate better than offered for reserved rooms. Also, the few times I have checked out places mentioned in Lonely Planet, they have jacked their prices by as much as 50% of the rates in a book less than 3 years old, and are much less likely to move on price.
Which brings me to a very good, general rule, which was unfortunately missed in the article...
BARGAIN! Dependent on the country, market and product involved, you should realise that in areas tailored to tourists, or if you are obviously a tourist in a country which is economically weaker than home, the first offered price will often be inflated. That is inflated to a point where, as a tourist, and when you compare it to what you could buy back home for the same price it is cheap, but no local would even consider paying that same amount.
The problems which arise from people failing to bargain is that the next tourist may be given an even higher price (as the vendor sees just how far they can inflate the price before losing sales) and for some long-term travellers, the difference between paying US$5 and US$6 a night for a place can be quite noticeable.
These are just my thoughts, but they have been cultivated by six months of backpacking through SE Asia, and so I am not just talking out my rear.
Oh, and Booked Tours, specifically those paid for before you get into the country you are touring, normally end up being massive money-grabs. For the same tour as you may pre-book from the States for US$500, you could probably get the same sights and equivalent travel arrangements for US$250 or less by making your own arrangements and bargaining on the ground. Sure you trade off a bit of security in doing so, but I have also heard of people where the group tour has evaporated partway through and they have been in an even worse situation as they have already paid for the rest of the tour which they are no longer getting...
I've found that an important part about travel is knowing WHEN to travel, HOW to travel, and not being afraid of searching around a bit for some good deals (ie, know how to read a map!). I recommend renting a car, not taking the train, to get to places nobody goes, and not make any reservations! I did this on a European roadtrip several years ago. Before I went, I did some basic research, looking into various hotels in and around the prime cities I'd be traveling to (Dresden, Prague and various cities in Vienna, Switzerland and Bavaria). This would be my emergency list. However, I never had to use it. I would literally just keep driving until around 9pm or so and start checking out the places that are advertised on the side of the road. And there are a lot! I would always get amazing rates. I stayed east of Dresden for 56 Euros. I stayed in Cesky Krumlov for 49 a night. I stayed near Regensburg for 69 Euros... and that room was amazing, it was like a hunting lodge, vaulted ceilings. That was the most expensive place I stayed. If you go online or read in the books, they will always say "you must always reserve your hotel ahead of time!" and then their prices will be 100, 200, 300 Euros. This is complete hogwash. They do this because they know it scares the heck out of people who have never traveled in Europe. And so you call them and they charge you this high price without even considering vacancies. But if you are willing to take a risk a little, do some exploring, and you just walk in unannounced to a guest house or hotel that has a bunch of vacancies at 9pm or 10pm, you'll get a great deal. Guaranteed. However, if you only use the train, only use the most traveled hotels and guest houses, and only travel when everyone in the world is traveling, then you will pay tons of money to do it.
Kathi--I hope you don't let being a single mom keep you from really planning the trip of your dreams. You need to ask yourself whether your fears are truly rational or more along the lines of people who are afraid to fly because they *perceive* it to be more dangerous than driving in a car. Indeed, as a single woman you're probably safer traveling around Europe than you would be going about your daily business in most major U.S. cities.
The sorts of petty crime that can be a genuine nuisance (pickpocketing, theft of cameras, bags, electronics, etc.) are pretty gender neutral, and probably most likely to occur in precisely the sorts of "touristy" locations that a package tour will steer you toward.
And having a 14-yo man/boy in tow is an added bonus! You should think of yourselves as a Pinky-and-the-Brain duo--it's the perfect combo for taking over the world! Recruit him to help out with researching destinations, activities, plane fares, housing options, etc.
Thanks for the comments.
I,too, caution against being, well, too cautious when you travel. It defeats the whole purpose of travel. Particularly if you're planning a trip to a place like Europe, I'd view it as no more risky than a trip to your local shopping mall (in fact, less risky)
In my own life - and travels - I've stopped paying what I call the "fear tax"--- all of the extra money we pay (and freedom and joy in life we sacrifice) because of preceived risks and fears, most of which are just that ... "preceived," or rather "conceived" by someone who wants to charge us a Fear Tax.
Of course there are no guarantees of safety in life or in travels, no matter how much extra you pay. The only way to entirely avoid risk is to be dead. That said, I've been traveling solo, often by bicycle, since I was 15 years old. Yeah, I'm a guy, and times were different back then ,,,, but I still do it todat, all around the world, and - you know what? - nothing awful has ever happened. The only time in my life I've ever been robbed was on my home from the office on evening in Washington, DC. Go figure.
Stay Cheap!
-Jeff Yeager
Thanks for the ideas. Pinky and the Brain -- haha! We do have some time to plan while we're saving up the money, so I'll definitely give this some thought!
I'm a single mom with a teenage daughter. They are an independent bunch and need time alone. I research the heck out of where we are going(mostly USA but had a week in Paris) and make reservations in fairly cheap hotels. If you don't speak the language a concierge is invaluable. Also find hotels near cafes or such. If you stay in one place long enough, the teenager can go out alone with confidence. Early morning is a great time to see the things your son does not want to-he can sleep in and lounge around for a bit at the hotel. If you both have a cell phone and access to cash(both for emergencies only) you will feel more relaxed.
I agree with most of your points here, but I would especially like to comment on the guidebooks part. I agree that most guide books are a bit out of date and not too useful on the what to see what to do part, and so my husband and I have started writing our own, called Tips For Costa Rica . We actually live here in Costa Rica and our idea is to currently update the website for people who have purchased the book, that way if anything changed we'll be the first to know about it (since we're locals) and can inform our buyers asap!
Thanks for the blog here, I hope you like our idea, and feel free to check out our site too!
Take care!
nice tips - although travelling without reservations would cause me no end of stress - i'd be constantly worrying about where i'd be sleeping
Stateside traveling without reservations could leave you without a place to stay at all. Some cities will fill to capacity or the only places left involve 3am gunfire.
We have found a couple of options for hotel savings in the US, you can get some of the same deals in major European cities. Hotwire or Priceline coupled with sites like BetterBidding. Those sites use other travelers data to figure out what hotels the mystery hotels are so you know exactly what your bidding on or at least a good idea of maybe 2 hotels. We have gotten $300+ dollar rooms for just over $100. Another option that fell into our laps involved staying in Kenosha WI for the weekend. In order to get a sane rate on the room ($90 a night) on the lake we had to stay 3 days. Otherwise the room would have been $280 a night. So we took the Metra train into Chicago on the $5 weekend pass.
No tolls, no expensive parking. We did hop cabs a few times because we could not find the bus stops, our printed maps were too vague. So I suggest having a data plan on your phone at least for your vacation so you can map streets wherever you are. Some major cities have a google maps integrated transit tool.
We probably spent less than $150 for 4 people to spend the day in Chicago, go to a museum, eat dinner and do some shopping, have coffee etc.
It's interesting to hear about the "fear factor" of traveling without reservations. Honest to god, most years I'm on the road 3-6 months out of the year (in the U.S. and abroad), and I can count on one hand the number of nights I've made advance hotel reservations (and those are usually cases when someone else is paying the bill and so they make a reservation for me). That said, I've never, even once, been unable to find a place to stay, and I usually land the lowest possible price, because I can talk to manager/clerk directly about discounts, etc. and I/they know that the room is likely to be vacant that night if they don't rent it to me. Give it a try sometime and you might be surprised ... it's not only possible, but it's so liberating to not be locked into having to be some specific place at some specific time when you travel.
Stay Cheap!
-Jeff Yeager
Great tips here. With the cost of traveling these days, any budget tips are useful. Thanks for sharing.
Great ideas! Going on forums of popular vacation planning websites such as Tripadvisor can also help find recommendations from others who have already visited the country/city and found any good deals on travel method/food/accommodation etc.
I think its a great idea to chat up with locals, if language isn't a bar. Even if it is- they are likely to help out compared to a Frommers etc


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Statement of Dennis Van Roekel on ESEA Reauthorization
March 9, 2010
Submitted to the
Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions Committee
United States Senate
Chairman Harkin, Ranking Member Enzi, and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today about the essential role of preparing students for success in the 21st Century and how the Elementary and Secondary Education Act must be redesigned to achieve this goal. I commend the Committee for convening a hearing on this very important issue.
As a 23-year veteran classroom math teacher, I have the great honor of being here today representing 3.2 million members who all believe in the power of education to transform lives. NEA members include teachers and education support professionals, higher education faculty and staff, Department of Defense schools' educators, students in colleges of teacher education, and retired educators across the country.
Today, I will talk about K-12 education in the U.S. economy. I will also present NEA's views on revitalizing the public education system, redesigning schools and revamping accountability systems for 21st century learning, and ensuring sustainability of public education.
The public education system is critical to democracy. Its purpose is to:
- maximize the achievement, skills, opportunities and potential of all students by promoting their strengths and addressing their needs, and
- ensure all students are prepared to thrive in a democratic society and diverse changing world as knowledgeable, creative and engaged citizens and lifelong learners.
However, today, students' success in school depends in large part on the zip code where they live and the educators to whom they are assigned. There are great teachers and education support professionals at work every day in this country who show up excited to teach students and feed them nutritious meals, help them travel safely to and from school, and make sure they attend schools that are safe, clean, and in good repair.
Students who struggle the most in impoverished communities too often don't attend safe schools with reliable heat and air conditioning; too often do not have safe passage to and from school; and far too often do not have access to great teachers on a regular and consistent basis. We must address these opportunity gaps if we are to strengthen our economy, prepare our students to compete, and build the educated workforce necessary.
What we have today is an interdependent, rapidly changing world, and our public school system must adapt to the needs of the new global economy. Every student will need to graduate from high school, pursue postsecondary educational options, and focus on a lifetime of learning because many of tomorrow's jobs have not even been conceived of today.
I think we can all agree that our public schools need a wholesale transformation with the resources to match our commitment. We cannot leave a generation of students behind by continuing to deny them the best education this country has to offer. Instead of being first in the world in the number of inmates, let's work to be first in the world in the number of high school and college graduates.
As President John F. Kennedy said in 1961 and it still holds true now: "Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. Our requirements for world leadership, our hopes for economic growth, and the demands of citizenship itself in an era such as this all require the maximum development of every young American's capacity. The human mind is our fundamental resource."
Simply put, we need a new vision of 21st century learning. My testimony today will lay out the inextricable link between investment in education and a strong, competitive nation and will discuss how we must approach ESEA reauthorization from an economic development framework.
But I would be remiss if I did not point out that the best laid plans for 21st century learning will not succeed without a true partnership of change between educators, school boards and school districts. Simply put, reform in schools does not succeed without true collaboration among all those involved in creating, funding, and delivering quality education services to our students. We have to all shoulder the responsibility and hard work it will take to be sure schools improve dramatically, particularly for students who need the most. And we cannot continue to shun proven school improvement models because they don't generate as much press coverage as others.
We know schools improve when educators are respected, treated as professionals, and given the tools they need and the opportunity to improve as a team for the benefit of their students. For example, Broad Acres Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland is a high-poverty, previously low performing school. In April 2001, all staff at Broad Acres Elementary School had the option to make a three-year commitment to the school and its students. This commitment included working the equivalent of 15 extra days paid by a supplement to be used to extend the workday every Wednesday until 6:00 p.m. for planning sessions, study groups, and examining student work. Sixty percent of the staff elected to stay. According to the school district's website, students met the proficiency standards for adequate yearly progress in math and reading for the most recent year available. The student body is 99 percent minority and 88 percent qualify for free and reduced price meals. Furthermore, at Broad Acres, 30 percent of the teachers have more than 15 years of experience, 52.7 percent have 5-15 years, and only 16.4 percent have less than 5 years of experience. It appears from those numbers that Broad Acres has successfully retained experienced educators and probably also attracted newer ones who are staying.
K-12 Education in the U.S. Economy
Every child and young adult has surely heard the following: "To get ahead in life, get an education." This is a belief often repeated among noted economists and education experts, and is borne out by numerous studies. As Paul Krugman, New York Times columnist and Nobel Prize winner has said, "If you had to explain America's economic success with one word, that word would be "education. … Education made America great; neglect of education can reverse the process." Former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has also stated, "The best approach is to give people access to first-rate education so they can acquire the skills needed to advance."
Besides the benefits to individuals, society as a whole also enjoys a financial return on the investment in higher education. In addition to widespread productivity increases, the higher earnings of educated workers generate higher tax payments at the local, state, and federal levels. Consistent productive employment reduces dependence on public income-transfer programs and all workers, regardless of education level, earn more when there are more college graduates in the labor force. (Education Pays, The College Board, 2007.)
The provision of a quality K–12 public education plays a crucial role in the individual and economy- wide acquisition of "human capital." The economic payoff to individuals of increased schooling is higher earnings throughout their lifetime—a market-based individual benefit. In addition, a considerable number of benefits from a quality K–12 public education—the spillover effects extend beyond individuals. Wolfe and Haveman (2002), economists noted for their efforts to put a monetary value on some of education's spillover effects, argue that the value of these spillovers for individuals and the economy is significant and that it may be as large as education's market-based individual benefits. For example:
- Cutting statewide public K–12 expenditure by $1 per $1,000 state's personal income could (1) reduce the state's personal income by about 0.3 percent in the short run and 3.2 percent in the long run; (2) reduce the state's manufacturing investment in the long run by 0.9 percent and manufacturing employment by 0.4 percent. Cutting statewide public K–12 education per student by $1 would reduce small business starts by 0.4 percent in the long run. Cutting statewide public K–12 expenditure by one percentage point of the state's personal income would reduce the state's employment by 0.7 percent in the short run and by 1.4 percent in the long run.
- A reduction in a state's aggregate home values is likely if a reduction in statewide public school spending yields a decline in standardized public school test scores, if in the long run people leave or do not enter the state because of test-score declines. A ten percent reduction in various standardized test scores would yield between a 2 percent and a ten percent reduction in aggregate home values in the long run.
- Reduction in a state's aggregate personal income is also likely if a reduction in statewide public school spending yields a decline in "quality" of public education produced and a long-run decrease in earning potential of the state's residents. A ten percent reduction in school expenditures could yield a one to two percent decrease in post-school annual earnings in the long run. A ten percent increase in the student–teacher ratio would lead to a one to two percent decrease in high school graduation rates and to a decrease in standardized test scores.
Investing in education will help prevent harmful cuts in programs, preserve jobs and reduce unemployment, thereby strengthening state and local economies.
- According to the National Governors' Association, "Long-term prospects for strong economic growth are hampered by the high school dropout crisis … Dropouts costs the United States more that $300 billion a year in lost wages and increased public-sector expenses … the dropout problem is a substantial drag on the nation's economic competitiveness."
- The latest study from the Alliance for Excellent Education, The Economic Benefits from Halving the Dropout Rate makes a powerful connection between easing the dropout crisis and strengthening local economies. Over time, for example, budgets that provide education and other basic services to economically disadvantaged people can increase their chances for solid jobs and productive lives and thereby reduce income inequality. Social spending, including education spending, often has a positive effect on GDP, even after weighing the effects of the taxes used to finance it.
- A series of careful studies presented at the Teachers College Symposium on Educational Equity at Columbia University found that, among other things that a high school dropout earns about $260,000 less over a lifetime than a high school graduate and pays about $60,000 less in taxes. These same studies also found that America loses $192 billion—1.6% of our Gross Domestic Product—in combined income and tax revenue with each cohort of 18-year-olds who never complete high school. In other words, for each year's high school graduating class, the amount they would contribute to this nation's economy over their lifetime in terms of their income and the taxes they pay would be larger by $192 billion if all of their same-age peers completed high school as well. The annual loss of federal and state income taxes associated with the 23 million U.S. high school dropouts (ages 18 – 67) is over $50 billion compared to what they would have paid if they had graduated.
- A survey for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston showed that an educated, qualified workforce was by far the most important consideration of firms when deciding where to locate.
- And a study for the World Bank showed that public investments in K-12 education yielded an annual return of 14.3 percent in additional revenue and reduced expenses, while the long term return on common stocks was only 6.3 percent a year.
- Two Harvard economists, Lawrence F. Katz and Claudia Goldin, studied the effect of increases in educational attainment in the United States labor force from 1915 to 1999. They estimated that those gains directly resulted in at least 23 percent of the overall growth in productivity, or around 10 percent of growth in gross domestic product. (What's the Return on Education, Anna Bernasek, The New York Times, December 11, 2005). They found education programs have contributed to economic growth while also increasing opportunities for individual advancement. Near-universal public education has added significantly to U.S. economic growth, boosted incomes, and lowered inequality (Goldin and Katz, 2008).
It is clear that when faced with the choice of (1) increasing revenue statewide to continue supporting the provision of quality public K–12 education or (2) cutting support statewide to public K–12 education to forestall a tax increase, a state's long term economic interests are better served by increasing revenue. (NEA Working Paper, K-12 Education in the U.S. Economy: Its impact on Economic Development, Earnings, and Housing Values. Thomas L. Hungerford and Robert W. Wassmer, April 2004). Yet, according to NEA's own research, almost no states are currently funding their educational systems adequately and most states are around 25 percent short of funding their systems at a level adequate
These findings take on a particular significance in the current economy. State budgets typically lag any national economic recovery by a year or longer and, as a result, budget gaps will continue into fiscal year 2011 and beyond. In fact, the aggregate budget gap for fiscal year 2012 is expected to be larger than the 2011 gap, largely due to diminishing federal stimulus funds. For many states, 2011 will mark the third consecutive year in which budget balancing actions will be needed to close sizable budget gaps. According to the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) just issued Policies for Increasing Economic Growth and Employment in 2010 and 2011, "Many states have experienced a high degree of fiscal stress and are expected to have large budget gaps in the next few years. Eighteen states have budget gaps larger than 20 percent of general fund expenditures…"
The federal government, which, unlike most state governments, is not prohibited from running an annual budget deficit, is best suited to help state and local governments maintain educational funding during cyclical downturns. According to CBO, "Federal aid that was provided promptly would probably have a significant effect on output and employment in 2010 and 2011. Such aid could lead to fewer layoffs, more pay raises, more government purchases of goods and services, increases in state safety-net programs, tax cuts, and savings for future use."
The evidence is clear that investment in education is essential for a strong economy and a well- prepared workforce, and that the federal government must step up at this critical juncture. This sort of investment in education as a means to stimulating economic growth is not unprecedented. In the last century, both the G.I. bill and the National Defense Education Act of 1958, which appropriated $1 billion dollars for science education, helped propelled economic growth.
Leaving states to cut education more deeply to balance their budgets without additional federal aid is short-sighted. Lessening the quality of education a student receives today as a result may be irreversible. Long-term productivity growth and a higher standard of living are dependent on an educated workforce. Investing in education is investing in the future growth of the country.
Additional funding for public primary and secondary schools, however, will not generate greater student achievement unless the funds are used wisely. The remainder of this testimony will focus on how we must retool our education system for the 21st Century.
Revitalizing the Public Education System
It is important to recall that 1965 was one of the notable years in the history of education in America. That year, as part of his War on Poverty, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to reduce inequity by directing resources to poor and minority children and signed the Higher Education Act (HEA) to provide more opportunities and access to postsecondary opportunities for lower and middle-income families. "Poverty has many roots," Johnson said, "but the taproot is ignorance."
Poverty is still an issue in this country, and unfortunately we still have schools that lack resources, committed and effective leadership, and enough great teachers and education support professionals to reach every student. Schools in struggling communities too often have high dropout rates, and the cycle of poverty continues.
The federal government must be engaged in these issues, offering the only remaining leverage point to hold states accountable for remedying these untenable inequities. Later in this testimony, I will address our recommendation that the federal government require states to put together adequacy and equity plans that outline how they will address these inequities.
NEA also stands ready to help do something about it—we must break this cycle of poverty. And we are ready to work with our partners, community by community, to revitalize the public school system and redesign schools for the 21st century.
Redesigning Schools for 21st Century Learning
To be clear, however, educating every student so they can succeed in this country is not enough today. We live in a global society and our students will have to compete with people from across the world.
We need a world class education system that will prepare students to become critical thinkers, problem solvers, and globally competent. To prosper, graduates must learn languages, understand the world, and be able to compete globally, and we must benchmark our educational goals against other nations with strong education systems. If we collectively work toward that outcome, it is expected that the United States gross domestic product will be more than one-third higher in the next 70 years.
To meet the challenges of the 21st century, we must transform the system by demanding sweeping changes that changes the dynamic—significantly higher student achievement and significantly higher graduation rates for all groups of students.
Our vision of what great public schools need and should provide acknowledges that the world is changing and public education is changing too. NEA's Great Public Schools (GPS) criteria require not only the continued commitment of all educators, but the concerted efforts of policymakers at all levels of government. These criteria will prepare all students for the future with 21st century skills; create enthusiasm for learning and engaging all students in the classroom; close achievement gaps and increase achievement for all students; and ensure that all educators have the resources and tools they need to get the job done.
The criteria are:
- Quality programs and services that meet the full range of all children's needs so that they come to school every day ready and able to learn.
- High expectations and standards with a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum for all students. Curriculum and assessments must focus on higher order thinking and performance skills, if students are to meet the high standards to which we aspire. Students will be better prepared for the rigors of life and citizenship after school if they have had access to a broad, rigorous, relevant curriculum that prepares them for a variety of postsecondary educational and career options. Students' access to core academic content areas that incorporate 21st century skills as well as fine arts, civics, and career and technical education helps inspire their creativity, helps connect their school work to their outside interests, and can help keep them engaged in school.
We must support innovative public school models of education that inform and accelerate school transformation efforts and prepare students for citizenship, lifelong learning, and challenging postsecondary education and careers. The federal government can play a critical role in increasing educational research and development and providing a clearinghouse for innovative promising practices.
- Quality conditions for teaching and lifelong learning. In an effort to obliterate the "corridors of shame" that exist and repair or rebuild crumbling schools, we also must focus resources on infrastructure. President Obama's administration and Congress already have taken a giant leap forward in this respect when they passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). ARRA included billions of dollars in aid that can be used to help update schools. We are pleased that both the House and Senate have passed legislation to extend and strengthen this program.
We also know that if we are to revitalize our public schools, we must address the design of public schools. Schools today must work for students in rural, urban, suburban, and exurban areas. In rural areas, for example, broadband access is key to ensure students have access to virtual, supplemental material and support that is not available in their physical location. By creating this technology gateway, educators can also obtain high-quality professional development to which they might otherwise not have access.
Schools and classrooms designed for 21st century learning also must be designed for universal access to ensure the inclusion of the widest spectrum of students. Every effort should be made to reduce the barriers to learning so that every student reaches his or her potential and dreams.
- A qualified, caring, diverse, and stable workforce. Investments in teachers' and leaders' knowledge and skills are essential to all other reforms, and pay off in higher achievement. Strong preparation, mentoring, and professional development, as well as collaborative learning and planning time in schools, are the building blocks of any successful reform. We must ensure students have access to accomplished educators by requiring high standards for entry into the profession and by offering incentives to teach in hard-to-staff schools. We recommend creating a prestigious national education institute and provide incentives to states to create world-class teacher preparation programs that attract the top tier of college graduates nationally.
Teachers and education support professionals must be respected as professionals by ensuring they are part of critical decisions affecting students, schools and themselves. We also need to encourage school leadership to be effective in both operational and instructional leadership.
- Shared responsibility for appropriate school accountability by stakeholders at all levels. We must obtain the full commitment from all policymakers—at the federal, state, and local levels. We also must involve our communities and partners, including governors, state legislators, mayors, county officials, business partners, the faith-based community, the civil rights community, and parents and families, to name a few. It will take the concerted effort of all of these stakeholders working with superintendents, school boards, and educators to ensure that all of our schools become the modern, safe, vibrant centers of the community that they can become.
- Parental, family, and community involvement and engagement. Through more than 125 initiatives in 21 states, NEA's Public Engagement Project is demonstrating the essential role of school-family-community partnerships in student achievement. Our findings echo those of a six-year-long study of multiple data sources conducted by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University: such partnerships contribute to increased student attendance, improved performance on standardized tests, higher high school graduation rates, and college-going aspirations.
- Adequate, equitable, and sustainable funding. Resources must be adequate and equalized across schools. We cannot expect schools that lack strong and prepared leaders, well-qualified teachers, and high-quality instructional materials to improve by testing alone. We must ensure adequate and equitable funding for schools and fully fund critical programs such as Title I and IDEA and we must help states and districts to identify disparities in educational resources, supports, programs, opportunities, class sizes and personnel (including the distribution of accomplished educators) through required Equity and Adequacy plans.
NEA is part of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills -- a unique public-private organization formed in 2002 to create a successful model of learning for this millennium that incorporates 21st century skills into our system of education. The members of this Partnership believe that policymakers today have an opportunity—and an obligation—to move forward with a new direction for teaching and learning in the 21st century (The Road to 21st Century Learning: A Policymakers Guide to 21st Century Skills, Partnership for 21st Century Skills).
As laid out in the Partnership's guidebook, The Road to 21st Century Learning: A Policymakers Guide to 21st Century Skills http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/downloads/P21_Policy_Paper.pdf) we see
"…a growing sense of urgency that the nation must act now to ensure that future generations of Americans can participate fully in the democratic process and the competitive global economy. Education is the foundation of democratic institutions, national security, economic growth and prosperity—and Americans cannot be complacent about improving the quality of education while competitors around the world are focusing on preparing students for the demands of this century. Only recently, the National Science Board, a federal advisory panel established by Congress, warned that the United States faces a major shortage of scientists because too few Americans are entering technical fields and because of the burgeoning ranks of highly competent scientists in other nations.
America risks losing its long-standing preeminence in science, engineering, technology, medicine, defense, business and even democracy. Without many more highly educated, highly skilled young people to carry the torch of inquiry, innovation and enterprise into the future, American dominance in these and other endeavors may fade…
There is broad consensus among educators, policymakers, business leaders and the public that schools today must do a better job of preparing young people for the challenges and expectations of communities, workplaces and higher education. Moreover, there is broad consensus about the knowledge and skills that are essential in the world today—and about the educational model that would make schools more relevant to the world again as well. This model emphasizes that students today need 21st century skills to guarantee America's success tomorrow."
Incremental changes yield incremental results. We must be bolder. A legislative tweak here or a regulatory toggle there will not lead to the fundamental and transformative changes in education we all seek. When we address change, we have to focus on significant and sustainable improvement in the rates of achievement for all students, but especially poor and minority students.
According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, integrating 21st century skills into K–12 education will empower students to learn and achieve in the core academic subjects at much higher levels. These skills, in fact, are the learning results that demonstrate that students are ready for the world. It is no longer enough to teach students the 3Rs; we must also teach the 4Cs of creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking.
The Partnership calls on policymakers to imagine:
- A place where all children master rigorous core academic subjects
- A place where teaching and learning are relevant to life outside of school
- A place where all children understand and use the learning skills— information and communication skills, thinking and problem-solving skills, and interpersonal and self-directional skills—that lead to high performance in school and in life
- A place where vital new academic content is part of the common core curriculum
- A place where professional development and teaching strategies enable educators to help students gain the knowledge and skills they need
- A place where every student, teacher and administrator has on-demand access to 21st century tools and technologies and uses them to work productively
- A place where 21st century tools and context are embedded in core subjects and assessments
- A place where all students—including those with learning or physical disabilities and those who are learning English—can show what they know and can do with all of the knowledge and skills that are valued in the world
The Partnership members know that schools like these would be intellectually stimulating environments for students, teachers and administrators alike. Communities, employers, colleges and universities would be proud to welcome graduates of 21st century schools as the best prepared generation of citizens in American history. Reaching this vision is both important and possible—and it rests in the hands of policymakers today. It is this vision that Congress should have at the forefront as you reauthorize ESEA.
Revamping Accountability Systems for 21st Century Learning
In order to support public school improvement, states should have well-designed, transparent accountability systems that authentically assess both student learning and the conditions for its success, focus on closing achievement gaps, help to monitor progress, and identify successes and problems. We should not continue the unhealthy focus on standardized tests as the primary evidence of student success.
Achievement is much more than a test score, but if test scores are still the primary means of assessing student learning, they will continue to get undue weight. This is especially problematic because the tests widely in use in the United States, since NCLB narrowed the kinds of tests in use, typically focus on lower level skills of recall and recognition measured with multiple-choice items that do not adequately represent higher order thinking skills and performance. These are unlike the assessments that are used in high-achieving nations that feature essays, problem solutions, and open-ended items and more extensive tasks completed in classrooms as part of the assessment system. Achievement must take into account accomplishments that matter in the world outside of school, such as: Are you prepared for college or trade school? Can you form an opinion about something you read and justify your opinion? Are you creative? Are you inventive? Can you come up with a variety of solutions when you're faced with a problem?
The federal government should use the ESEA implementation process, along with those associated with other federal programs, as mechanisms to incentivize states to devise comprehensive accountability systems that use multiple sources of evidence (including rich, meaningful, and authentic assessments, such as developing and/or using native language assessments as appropriate for students until they gain proficiency in English as determined by a valid and reliable measure). Instead of the current NCLB system that has resulted in a significant narrowing of the curriculum, state accountability systems should be designed to support efforts to guarantee every child has access to a rich, comprehensive curriculum. Such systems also should:
- Align with developmentally appropriate student learning standards;
- Require the use of multiple, valid, reliable measures of student learning and school performance over time and assess higher-order thinking skills and performance skills;
- Replace AYP with a system that recognizes schools that make progress toward achieving learning goals and correctly identifies struggling schools in order to provide needed support instead of punishment;
- Recognize the unique instructional and assessment needs of special populations, including students with disabilities and English language learners by designing standards and assessments that are accessible for all students; and
- Foster high-quality data systems that are both longitudinal and complete and that protect student and educator privacy and improve instruction
These state systems should evaluate school quality, as well as demonstrate improvements in student learning and closing of achievement, skills, and opportunity gaps among various groups of students. NEA has developed a comprehensive diagnostic tool called KEYS to assess school climate and success unsing a variety of indicators. There are also important and highly informative surveys such as the Teacher Working Conditions survey (pioneered by the Center for Teaching Quality) and the Gallup student survey that should inform states' educational approach and accountability system as it relates to school system quality.
As states design these evaluation systems, the design team must include practicing educators to ensure that the system can yield clear and useful results. The results of these evaluations should not be used to punish and sanction schools. Results instead should be used to inform state, local, and classroom efforts to identify struggling students and problematic school programs so that states, districts, and educators can provide appropriate interventions and supports for improvement.
When considering individual schools that need significant reform or turn-around efforts, I strongly urge you not to be too prescriptive—as we believe the US Department of Education's regulations in Race to the Top have been—in outlining specific methods of transforming schools. For example, we believe that turnaround assistance teams, such as those so successfully employed in North Carolina and Kentucky, serve as a highly effective, proven model of turning around low performing schools. We also believe that teacher-led schools have shown remarkable results in improving student learning. These two models were not inlcuded in the RTTT rules as allowable turn-around approaches. Such narrow prescriptions for school overhaul are predictive of one thing: diminished opportunity and tools to reach and turn around MORE schools.
Ensuring Sustainability of Public Education
Transforming America's public schools is a daunting task. It will take the concerted efforts of all stakeholders and the commitment to continue the effort until every student has access to a great public school.
At the core of this effort is ensuring the fiscal stability of the educational system so that the energy of stakeholders can be spent on how best to serve students.
As we have said in the past, the federal government should require states, as part of their application for federal education funds under ESEA, to develop "Adequacy and Equity Plans." Through these plans, states will demonstrate where there are disparities in educational tools and services, as well as opportunities and resources. The plans will outline steps underway or planned to remedy the disparities. The process of developing the plans should bring together stakeholders within the state to devise a plan to meet adequacy and equity goals, and for the first time significant federal resources could serve as a powerful incentive that spurs action on this issue. This effort will help elevate the commitment to all students and build a shared understanding of what it will take to support them.
The design of federal approval and monitoring should be one that sensibly supports adjustments and flexibility as states pursue their goals and work toward eliminating disparities, without ever losing sight of the fact that the richest country in the world can provide every student with a quality education.
We know the road to economic stability and prosperity runs through our public schools, and we know that every student deserves the best we can offer. It is now time to deliver. NEA stands ready to do its part.
Thank you.


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Cops: Teen driver hits snowbank, overturning vehicle
A teenage motorist drove into a snowbank after crossing into an oncoming lane in Holbrook early Saturday, overturning his vehicle into a tree, Suffolk police said.
The unidentified 18-year-old driver was behind the wheel of a 2007 Honda sport utility vehicle heading northbound on Patchogue-Holbrook Road, south of Broadway Avenue, shortly before 2:30 a.m. when he entered the southbound lane, hit the snow and overturned, police said.
The driver, who was not injured, and a 16-year-old female passenger, escaped from the vehicle before emergency personnel arrived. The passenger was sent to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in East Patchogue with minor injuries.


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Good Morning GalaxyEpisode 1 "Holes in the sky"
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In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren :)
Not too many this week...but still probably too much right? Never! :)
For Review from the publisher:
April 2010
(from publisher website)
Practiced by countless siblings but mastered by few - here is the definitive guide to the martial art of tormenting your brother or sister.Bro-jitsu is a highly stylized form of physical and mental combat that has been practiced and honed to perfection over countless millennia by billions of human beings who all have one crucial thing in common: annoying siblings. The book breaks down Bro-jitsu into three strategies: offensive moves, defensive moves, and psychological manipulation. Each section delivers step-by-step instructions on performing crucial techniques, from the classic Wet Willy to the inventive Full-Body Defensive Fish Wiggle. No sibling should be without it!
Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder -- I have Poison Study and I really should read it :)
Traded with fellow blogger
ARC of Fallen by Lauren Kate - This one has been getting mixed reviews and I can't wait to read it.
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - woo hoo!
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