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Crestron Flex
Crestron Flex for Microsoft Teams
DigitalMedia NVX Series
Smart Soundbar
New Crestron Remotes
Campus Technology Design Center
Crestron Fliptops
Crestron Mercury™
DM Lite
DigitalMedia Matrix Switchers
Exploring Avia Audio DSP
Horizon Keypads
Crestron Zoom Rooms
XiO Cloud
Crestron Control Systems
Crestron Amps
Crestron Enterprise Audio
Crestron Pyng®
.AV Framework™
Crestron RL® 2
Commercial Lighting
DMPS3 Series
Commercial Speakers
Residential Speakers
Crestron Connectivity Solutions
Crestron PinPoint™
Crestron Room Scheduling
Crestron Fusion®
Crestron SR
Crestron Studio®
Network AV
Residential Lighting Solutions
Shading Solutions
Touch Screens and Remotes
TSW Signature Series
Workplace Technology Design Center
Enterprise Solutions
Corporate Solutions
Residential Solutions
Education Solutions
Government Solutions
Hospitality Solutions
Commercial Lighting Solutions
The only UC and AV all-in-one tabletop solution.Read More
Best-in-class audio solutions for commercial and institutional spaceRead More
Monitoring & Scheduling SoftwareRead More
Control any room, the entire home or facility, conveniently from any of our beautiful, stylish touch screen or remote control.Read More
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Wireless lighting control made easyRead More
Our new brushless motor provides greater reliability, much longer life, and ultra-quiet operation.Read More
4K60 4:4:4 HDR over standard 1Gb network AV solutionRead More
FlipTop™ Connector Plate, DisplayPort
Provide panel-mounted connectors for Crestron FlipTop™ 600 Series.
Crestron® FTA-CP Connector Plates are designed for use with 600 Series FlipTops™ to provide panel-mounted connectors within the FlipTop™ connection compartment. Up to four connector plates can be installed in a single FlipTop (refer to the FlipTop spec sheet for additional information). An assortment of connector plates is offered:
(1) HDMI® Type A
(1) HDMI Type A
(1) DisplayPort
(3) RCA (composite video & stereo audio)
(2) USB Type A
(2) USB Type B
Note: The FTA-CP-HD-101 has a minimum TMDS bandwidth of 10.2 Gbps and is capable of passing video signals up to 4K60 4:2:0 and 4K30 4:4:4 maximum.
To configure a complete 600 Series FlipTop with your choice of finishes, cables, cable retractors, connector plates, and power outlets, please use the online Crestron FlipTops Configuration Tool.
This product may be purchased from an authorized Crestron dealer. To find a dealer, please contact the Crestron sales representative for your area. A list of sales representatives is available online at www.crestron.com/salesreps or by calling 800-237-2041.
The specific patents that cover Crestron products are listed online at: patents.crestron.com.
Certain Crestron products contain open source software. For specific information, please visit www.crestron.com/opensource.
Crestron, the Crestron logo, FlipTop, and FlipTops are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Crestron Electronics, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. HDMI and the HDMI logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC in the United States and/or other countries. Other trademarks, registered trademarks, and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Crestron disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. Crestron is not responsible for errors in typography or photography. Specifications are subject to change without notice. ©2017 Crestron Electronics, Inc.


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QAA offers a number of tailored services aimed at supporting the development of quality assurance systems and quality assurance professionals. We provide a range of bespoke capacity building and advisory services to universities, government bodies and quality assurance agencies across the world to enable them to enhance their approach to quality assurance:
- Data-led quality assurance advice and guidance programmes
- Bespoke risk-based external analysis and advice
- Facilitated enhancement and capacity building programmes
- Institutional support and developmental programmes
All of our work is delivered by quality specialists with sector-leading experience gained from within UK and international higher education institutions and quality agencies.
Case study - University of Exeter: Strategic analysis of quality processes
QAA worked with the University of Exeter to review the University's programme and module approval and amendment processes. The project resulted in a report that provided several recommendations for change and development, including the streamlining and simplification of business and academic approval processes, and the standardisation of data. The University of Exeter found the process to be a positive and beneficial experience, working with our higher education experts to formulate and create a roadmap for future development.
Find out more about our work with the University of Exeter by watching our short film or reading the case study.

subset: commoncrawl


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Pre-sale € 11,50 | use the coupon code: adambarnes for free entrance
Adam is celebrating his birthday and invites you and your friends to the party! Get your online ticket and use the coupon code: adambarnes for free entrance (max. 4 tickets per order)
Adam Barnes is a melancholic songwriter from Oxford. A reserved and humble 26 year old personified through relatable lyrics and his ability to lean on contemporary hooks of 20th century folk music. He thrives in both the quietest moments as well as the rawest emotional outbursts.
Supported also acts like Matt Simons, William Fitzsimmons, Pete Doherty, Courtney Marie Andrews and Slow Club.
Sophie Morgan is a young singer-songwriter from the North West of England. Initially discovered by The Verve's Simon Jones whilst singing at a wedding, Sophie released her debut EP 'Annie' in October 2017. This received support from BBC Introducing Merseyside and her Waterboys cover 'The Whole Of The Moon' (on the EP) was heard by Mike Scott who subsequently invited her to open for the band on their 16-date European tour in October/November 2017 (including a date at AFAS Live in Amsterdam). 2018 has seen Sophie work on a new EP ('Sons & Daughters') which is due for release on 21st September. In April she supported Allman Brown (with whom she shares management) on a tour of Ireland.
Wijzig je instellingen of bekijk ons privacy statementPrivacy policy | Sluit


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Event box
APA the Easy Way
How do you write a paper in APA format? Walk away from this workshop knowing how to write a paper in APA style and how to incorporate cited references.
Related LibGuide: APA Formatting and Style Guide by Michael Epstein
- Date:
- Thursday, February 22, 2018
- Time:
- 4:00pm - 5:00pm
- Location:
- Seminar Room
Registration has closed.
Event Organizer
Hugh Burkhart


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Nic Rudnick, Group CEO of Liquid Telecom, at the official Neotel launch
Launch day marks new era of investment in Neotel's network and services
February 10, 2017, Johannesburg: South African communications network operator Neotel has today officially become part of the pan-African telecoms group Liquid Telecom, marking a new era of investment in Neotel's network and services across South Africa.
Through substantial new capital from Liquid Telecom, which is a subsidiary of Econet Global, a revitalised Neotel will emerge on the South African market with significantly enhanced service offerings for enterprises and consumers.
Over the coming months, Liquid Telecom plans to make extensive upgrades and expansions to Neotel's network, delivering greater levels of high-speed connectivity to more customers across South Africa.
Liquid Telecom also plans to make substantial investment in Neotel's data centre capabilities, which currently include two Tier 3 designed state-of-the-art data centres in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
For the first time, Neotel's operations and focus will also become pan-African. Its network in South Africa will link together with Liquid Telecom's extensive fibre footprint to offer access via a single connection to over 40,000km of cross border, national and metro fibre networks. This will give Liquid Telecom unrivalled reach across Eastern, Central and Southern Africa.
"I am delighted to officially welcome Neotel into the Liquid Telecom Group," says Nic Rudnick, Group CEO of Liquid Telecom. "Today is an important new chapter for Neotel. The refinancing of the company's balance sheet will see a revitalised Neotel enter the market with the ability to offer consumers and businesses greater quality services and products delivered through world-class networks. As Liquid Telecom continues to grow, we are committed to maintaining our entrepreneurial spirit, encouraging innovation and delivering on our vision of a more connected Africa."
Liquid Telecom and 30% equity partner Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH), a community-based South African investment group, have been preparing for the integration of Neotel since receiving regulatory approval for the ZAR 6.55 billion acquisition in December 2016.
Key facts about Liquid Telecom's acquisition of Neotel:
- Liquid Telecom has a strong history of acquiring businesses and transforming them to profitability. Neotel will benefit from Liquid Telecom's pan-African experience and technology leadership, helping to enhance systems and processes across its operations as well as drive profitability.
- The acquisition includes two of Neotel's Tier 3 designed state-of-the-art data centres in Johannesburg and Cape Town, which offer a combined 1,700 square metres of rack space. The facilities serve major carriers, ISPs, enterprises and international service providers, and will complement the East Africa Data Centre, which Liquid Telecom operates in Nairobi, Kenya.
- Liquid Telecom's growth strategy combines strategic acquisitions across Africa with ongoing investment in the rollout of fibre. It also recently completed the acquisition of Tanzania's leading ISP Raha, which will see further investment in both Raha's network and services across Tanzania.
Munir Bharwani, Director of Startel Tanzania Ltd and Infinity Africa Network Ltd (left), at the signing ceremony with Nic Rudnick, Group CEO of Liquid Telecom (right)
Acquisition signifies further investment in the rollout of new fibre across Tanzania
February 3, 2017, Dar es Salaam
Pan-African telecoms group Liquid Telecom, a subsidiary of Econet Global, is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of Tanzania's leading internet service provider Raha.
Munir Bharwani, Director of Startel Tanzania Ltd and Infinity Africa Network Ltd (left), at the signing ceremony with Nic Rudnick, Group CEO of Liquid Telecom (right)
As the company's new majority shareholder, Liquid Telecom will strengthen Raha's position in the Tanzania market through further investment in both its network and services.
Raha will become part of Liquid Telecom's extensive fibre network, providing businesses with access to one single network that runs all the way from Cape Town up through Dar es Salaam and onto Nairobi, stretching over 40,000km and connecting 12 countries.
It will also enhance Liquid Telecom's award-winning East Africa Fibre Ring, which connects Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania with direct connectivity to international subsea cables. It is the region's first fully redundant fibre ring with multiple routing options, ensuring that customers are not affected by fibre cuts and network outages.
"We welcome Raha as the latest exciting addition to the Liquid Telecom group. Tanzania is a rapidly growing and dynamic African market, and through this acquisition we will be able to greater support the demand for internet access across the country," said Nic Rudnick, Group CEO, Liquid Telecom.
Raha currently serves over 1500 businesses as well as a growing number of retail customers with a range of connectivity solutions, including fibre, satellite, WiMAX and Wi-Fi.
Liquid Telecom plans to invest further in the rollout of fibre across Tanzania, enabling greater access to high-speed, reliable broadband for more businesses and households. The rollout of new fibre will also help provide high-speed connectivity to more state schools across the country, supporting key education initiatives by the Tanzania government.
In addition, Liquid Telecom will explore ways to develop and enhance Raha's data centre facilities in Dar es Salaam.
Liquid Telecom also plans to significantly increase the number of free Wi-Fi hotspots throughout Tanzania, helping to bridge the digital divide by providing more of the population with access to the internet. Raha has already introduced over 150 free Wi-fi hotspots across all major cities in Tanzania, which are currently enjoyed by over 150,000 unique users.
"With Liquid Telecom's support, Raha can explore new ways to increase connectivity within Tanzania as well as to the rest of the region. We will also benefit from the group's skills and expertise, helping us to achieve our vision of a more connected Tanzania," says Aashiq Shariff, CEO, Raha. "Our rollout plans will allow us to extend fibre coverage to thousands of new customers and create hundreds of new jobs."
Additional information about Raha:
- As one of the first companies to bring internet to Tanzania when it launched as a dial-up service in 1996, Raha has played an important role in improving internet access across the country.
- Raha was also the first company in Tanzania to offer dial-up access, VSAT services, fixed wireless, cable-based internet, WiMAX and finally fibre.
- It operates a 400km metro fibre optic network throughout the Central Business District (CBD) of Dar es Salaam as well as other areas of the Tanzania capital.
- The company has built a dynamic and innovative reputation amongst Tanzania consumers and businesses, and in 2015 collected the prestigious Brand of the Year Award (Africa) at the Social Media Awards Africa (SMAA).
- Internet penetration in Tanzania has increased rapidly in recent years reaching 34% in 2015. Mobile subscriptions increased by more than 24% in 2015 to 39.8 million, while the number of internet users rose 52% year-on-year to reach 17.26 million last year, according to TRCA.
Kwesé TV –Africa's newest pay TV network – is the exclusive African broadcaster of REVOLT TV, the American multi-platform TV Network owned by international music and business mogul, Sean "Diddy" Combs. Kwesé is the first international distribution partner for REVOLT.
REVOLT was introduced to the African market earlier this week when Kwesé launched its full entertainment and sports bouquet in Ghana, Zambia and Rwanda. The landmark agreement brings the latest breaking music news, artist interviews, exclusive performances and original programming to African audiences, exclusively on Kwesé TV channel 605.
"Having REVOLT as part of our premium entertainment offering is a significant feat, we're excited to be the broadcaster bringing this stable to Africa" explained President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Econet Media, Joseph Hundah. "We are gearing up to be the home of world-class and exclusive entertainment programming for the continent. Kwesé is dynamic, innovative and fresh and our channel mix reflects this."
REVOLT is known for providing fresh and engaging music, lifestyle and entertainment programming, a natural fit for Kwesé which is focussed on providing content that is relevant and premium. REVOLT is available to the continent through Kwesé's multi-platform offering including linear TV, mobile app, web and streaming services, delivering premium entertainment to viewers anywhere, anytime, on any screen.
"When I introduced REVOLT, I wanted to build a platform that would inspire creators around the world and open doors for artists on a global scale," stated REVOLT Chairman Sean Combs. "To launch in Africa is a huge honor for me and this deal illustrates the true impact REVOLT has on the culture here at home and abroad. "
Viewers can enjoy exclusive shows such as The Breakfast Club, a daily topical radio-style TV program reporting on the world's biggest music stories and news, REVOLT Sessions which showcases intimate musical performances from the world's most loved artists and new undiscovered talent, as well as the REVOLT Music Conference which features an unprecedented line-up of keynote speakers, panellists, and performers who converge in Miami to help viewers understand and navigate the music business. This month, REVOLT's programming schedule will also include the 5th annual Global Spin Awards, recognizing music's top DJs from around the world, along with the network's #BlackExcellence programming in celebration of Black History Month.
"Our new agreement with Kwesé marks the next frontier outside of our distribution in the United States and the Caribbean," said REVOLT Executive Vice President and Head of Content Distribution, James Brown. "This deal reinforces how our core programming strategy, which is centered around music, resonates around the world. We are thrilled to be working with a powerhouse such as Kwesé TV to bring the No. 1 name in music to the continent of Africa."
REVOLT is a leading pop-culture source offering expertly curated music programming, spanning all aspects of the music industry, and engaging youth-focused conversation on air, online and on-demand. The channel joins Kwesé's impressive entertainment line-up which includes a broad mix of exclusive third part channels, television favourites and original programming.
To subscribe to Kwesé's pay TV network in Ghana, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe visit www.kwese.com for more information. Viewers outside these markets can access selected programming from Kwesé through Kwesé's mobile app.


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321 Studios is heading to court to find out why you can legally make copies of video tapes and CDs, but not DVDs.
Matt Berger, IDG News Service Friday, October 04, 2002
321 Studios is set to release a product that it claims will allow consumers to make perfect copies of their DVDs, but before the product hits the market, the start-up must first weather a legal storm brewing in its path.
The software maker plans to release on October 31 a product called DVD X Copy, which allows users to create "bit-for-bit" copies of their DVDs using a standard recordable DVD drive, says company president Robert Moore.
While the software promises to give consumers the same privileges they have for copying VHS movies, it is potentially against the law, according to industry experts. A U.S. legislation called the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act deems it illegal to distribute tools that circumvent copy prevention technologies used to protect DVD content. That is just what 321 Studios' software does.
<LJ-CUT text=" --More--(26%) ">
Encryption Systems
Movies are stored on DVDs using an encryption technology called Contents Scramble System, or CSS. 321 Studios has designed its software to copy a movie to blank DVDs using a freely available decryption technology called DeCSS. At least two federal courts have already determined that it is illegal under the DMCA to distribute DeCSS, says Fred von Lohmann, senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who specializes in fair use and intellectual property.
While 321 Studios has not been asked to stop distributing an existing version of its software, which allows users to copy a DVD onto a CD, Moore says he is not waiting for a lawsuit to land in his lap. The company has taken a preemptive strike against its movie industry foes by filing a lawsuit aimed at protecting the software from being squashed.
Moore and his lawyers argue that people should be able to create backup copies of their DVD movies, just as they can copy VHS movies or music CDs. It's a matter of fair use, they say. If a DVD is damaged, for example, a user should be entitled to own a backup copy. The DMCA, however, has so far hindered such technology from being distributed, and critics are attempting to get the legislation modified.
What About Fair Use?
"We believe those provisions in the DMCA are unconstitutional because they basically trump the fair use rights," says Michael Page, an attorney with Kecker and Van Nest in San Francisco, who is part of the legal team representing 321 Studios in its lawsuit. "If you make it illegal to make a backup copy of a work that you lawfully own, you have overstepped the legitimate bounds of the Copyright Act."
The DMCA ties the hands of software makers, says von Lohmann, who has helped fight similar cases against the DMCA. It is not against the law for users to own copies of their DVD movies, but the DMCA prohibits the distribution of any tools that make such copying possible.
"If someone wants to make fair use of a DVD they bought, they need to circumvent the copy protection technology to do that," von Lohmann says. "The DMCA would arguably make that illegal.
"If nobody can build the tools, then essentially we've all been denied our fair use rights," he says. [...]
That preemptive strike has prompted a legal spar. Nine movie studios named in the company's suit have asked the court to throw out the motion for a declarative judgment. The U.S. Department of Justice has also filed a motion to intervene in the case, and is backing the movie studios in asking the court to throw out 321 Studios' motion for dismissal.
A hearing on that leg of the lawsuit is scheduled to take place on October 15 in San Francisco, 321 Studios says.
another attack on the DMCA
One Response:
I read an article a while back (alas, I have no URL for it), according to which fair use isn't actually guaranteed by the Constitution at all. Rather, it is granted in section 107 of the 1976 Copyright Act. The Constitution's wording on copyright is in article 1, section 8:
To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;
It's certainly an interesting point of view, given the common use of the phrase "constitutionally granted fair use rights" or similar. Since I am not a lawyer (or even an American), of course, I can't comment on its accuracy.
On the plus side, this is the first article on the DMCA I've seen in a long time that doesn't use the phrase "chilling effect". But then it's not invoking the First Amendment, either.


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Providing Vision and Goals with Policy
Policies provide guidance, structure and vision for a school district. As the voice of the school board, policies carry the echoes of past board decision-making but also provide guideposts for the future.
The policies adopted by a school board have the force of law in the school district. The guidance that a board provides through its policies are critical to the successful operation of a school system.
It is essential, therefore, for a board to think through the principles by which it wants a school district to be governed and to record these principles in the form of comprehensive written policies.
In this chapter, you will learn the basics about school board policy and how effective policies can support student achievement.
Leading by Policy
Policymaking is one of a school board's most important jobs. In fact, Colorado law requires school boards to adopt policies and prescribe regulations necessary for the efficient administration of the district [C.R.S. § 22-32-109(1)(b)]. Therefore, it is important for each board member to attain a basic understanding of what policy is.
In Brief: Boards and Policy
"Policies are principles adopted by the board to chart a course of action. They tell what is wanted and may include why and how much. They are broad enough to indicate a line of action to be taken by the administration in meeting a number of day-after-day problems; they need to be narrow enough to give the administration clear guidance."Through policies, a board establishes the organizational structure, educational program objectives and operational practices of the district. Policies should state a board's expectations and desired results and articulate why the board believes achieving the results are important. Well-planned, clearly written and up-to-date policies are the basis for governing students, evaluating staff and more. They also provide the board with a framework to:
- Keep the community informed about the board's philosophy and actions
- Provide a forum for involving the community in the district's educational programs
- Improve board/superintendent/staff relationships
- Provide a means for staff members to assess their individual roles in achieving the board's stated results
- Enable partnerships in the policy development process
- Notify staff, students and community of their rights and responsibilities
- Provide fair, reasonable, consistent and impersonal treatment of issues
- Eliminate the need to make a new decision each time there is a recurring situation
- Comply with state and federal laws that require specific policies
- Fosters stability, continuity and accountability
Creating, implementing and monitoring policy allows the school system to exhibit consistency, stability and, most of all, accountability.
Developing Policies
The need for new policy or to review existing policy originates from two main areas:
- Policies necessitated by board discussions with community members, students, parents and staff members.
- Policies required by state or federal laws
- Organization of the school district
- School board operations
- School administration
- Fiscal management
- Support services such as transportation and food service
- Facilities
- Personnel
- Instruction: philosophy and programs
- Students: discipline, conduct, attendance, grading, etc.
- Community and parent relations
- Relations with other education agencies and organizations
The Policy Adoption Process
A board creates, reinforces or negates policy every time it makes a decision. If a board has no written policies or if the policies are not kept up to date, the operation of a district will be inconsistent and inefficient.As a starting point, a school board must have a policy that outlines the process of policy adoption. Maintaining such a policy assists a board in approaching policymaking in a concise and consistent way. Since there are many factors to consider with the development and revision of board policy, a board should adopt a policy regarding the process it wishes to follow to accomplish this important task.By consistently using a defined approach to policy adoption and by asking the right questions, a board can see beyond immediate circumstances and formulate sound policy on the basis of agreed-upon criteria. A policy-analysis model should recognize legal and other practical constraints yet remain focused on objective outcomes. Local criteria are important, including the mission and goals of the school district and the context of the community being served.
When considering policy options, these questions should be asked:
How does the policy advance the best educational interests of all students?
This question can easily be overlooked in the heat of a policy debate on specific issues. Policies must be carefully formulated to address the needs of all students and must not ignore the concerns of any specific demographic group. For example, policies addressing academic standards should not ignore students with disabilities, who may require modified standards.
How does this policy support the mission and goals of the district?
Comparing a policy to the district's mission and goals is a crucial component in effective policy analysis. If such a comparison reveals little or no correlation, or even a negative correlation, a board should closely examine the policy or revise its mission and goals.
What do current educational literature and research say that is relevant to the policy?
Reviewing educational literature and current research can point a board in productive directions and keep it from making policy mistakes. For example, studies of student achievement in relation to class size are worth investigating in relation to policies on teacher assignments.
Recommended Policy Model
This criterion justifies updating and revising policy on an ongoing basis. It is important to repeal policies that are obsolete or no longer appropriate due to adoption of new programs. For example, a policy that does not allow students to bring personal technology devices to school would be inappropriate if such devices are now being used as instructional tools.
How is the policy related to other board policies?
By asking this question, a board can guard against one policy contradicting another and ensure that individual policies support each other. The definition of "immediate family," for example, should be consistent throughout personnel policies that address leaves of absence.
Is compliance with the policy likely to be consistent?
High expectations are an important attribute of effective schools and the board's expectation of compliance with policy should be high. If the board cannot reasonably expect a high degree of compliance with a policy, it should rethink the policy.
How can a board evaluate the effectiveness of the policy?
To answer this question, look again at the first question – the relationship of the policy to the best educational interests of students. A board should develop a comprehensive system to measure the effectiveness of its policies to ensure that reasonable progress is being made toward achieving a board's policy goals.
What external support does the policy require?
As soon as a policy requires external support, a board 's control over compliance is diminished. Parents can be asked to help support attendance or homework policies, for example, but they cannot be forced to comply.What will it cost, in human and fiscal terms, to implement the policy?
The time administrators and teachers will spend implementing a policy is an important consideration. Also important are costs related to the physical plant or other budgetary concerns, all of which must be weighed against the importance of the policy issue. Cost should not be the single controlling factor in formulating policy. If a specific policy is vital to supporting the primary mission of the district, the board should shift the necessary human and fiscal resources from low-priority items to those identified as crucially important.What steps will be taken to implement and enforce the policy?
A policy that is a well-kept secret will not fulfill its purpose. The administration must clearly define what strategies it will employ to achieve the policy's desired results and continuously monitor the effectiveness of the strategies. For example, a policy on bullying prevention must be well communicated to staff and monitored to ensure students and staff are complying with the policy.
Is the policy understandable and clear?
Ask someone who is not involved in the school district to read and interpret the proposed policy or policy change to gauge its clarity.
How is the policy affected by federal and state law?
This is an important criterion because the autonomy of the district's operation depends on a board's ability to operate within the limits of federal and state law. However, the complexity of the law should not be used as a barrier to thoughtful policy discussions.For more comprehensive topics and learning opportunities related to school board work, visit our Learning Center.


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Closure of Premises Associated with Persistent Disorder or Nuisance
Reviewed June 2017
Part 1A of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 sets out provisions relating to the issue of closure notices, and the making of closure orders in respect of premises that cause significant and persistent disorder, or persistent serious nuisance to a community. Part 1A of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 has been replaced by Part 4 Chapter 3 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which came into force on 20th October 2014.
Section 11D of the Act sets out summary offences relating to closure notices and closure orders.
Section 11D states:
(1) A person who remains on or enters premises in contravention of a Part 1A closure notice commits an offence.
(2) A person who
(a) obstructs a person acting under section 11A(7) or 11C(2)
(b) remains on closed premises or
(c) enters closed premises
commits an offence.
A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable on summary conviction
(a) to imprisonment for a period not exceeding 51 weeks or
(b) to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale
or to both.
A person who has a reasonable excuse for entering or being on the premises does not commit an offence under subsection (1) or (2)(b) or (c) (as the case may be).
When reviewing offences pursuant to section 11D(1) [remaining on or entering premises in contravention of a Part 1A closure notice] or section 11D(2)(a) [obstructing a person serving a Part 1A closure notice] the reviewing lawyer must be satisfied that the requirements set out in sections 11A(1)-(8) of the Act have been complied with in respect of the authorisation, issuing, content and service of the closure notice.


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IOCL Western Region Jobs 2018 Recruitment Notification From Trade Apprentice – 110 Vacancies
IOCL Western Region Recruitment 2017 for Trade Apprentice Posts: Indian Oil Corporation Limited Western Region has Released Recruitment Notification for Trade Apprentice – 110 vacancies. Interested for getting Trade Apprentice Vacancies, may Apply Online on or before 13-02-2017 hrs on wards.
Recruitment details are giving below…
Advt. No. IOCL/MKTG/WR/APPR./2016 for Technician/Trade Apprentices
Job Location: Western Region
IOCL Western Region Recruitment Vacancy Details:
Total Seats: 110 Posts
Name of the Post: Trade Apprentice
1. Maharashtra: 34 Posts
2. Gujarat: 51 Posts
3. Madhya Pradesh: 24 Posts
4. Goa: 01 Post
Education Qualification:
Qualified Diploma in Mechanical Engineering/ Electrical Engineering/ Electrical & Electronics Engineering/ Instrumentation Engineering/ Instrumentation & Control Engineering and B.Sc (Physics, Maths, Chemistry/ Industrial Chemistry).
Candidates Age:
Candidates age limit is 18 to 24 years as on 01-12-2016. Age relaxation is as per Govt rules.
How to Apply:
Interested candidates can Apply Online Application forms by visiting the website "www.iocl.com" from 01-02-2017 to 13-02-2017 Hrs on wards.
Important Dates:
Online Application Begin Date: 01-02-2017 Hrs.
Last Date for Applications: 13-02-2017 Hrs.
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Friday, July 28th, 2017
Today we start a month long series exploring how best to introduce your friends to the games you love. This week we feature a fantastic interview with Brian Frost full of great info about how to introduce people to X-Wing Minis. Some links from the interview:
Posted in Blog, Fantasy Flight, Featured Post, Miniature Games, X-Wing Minis | No Comments »
Friday, July 21st, 2017
This week the "Oscars of Boardgames" – the Spiel des Jahres – were announced in Germany. In response we talk about some of the winners and also talk about a whole bunch of other great board games we've been playing. The guest interview with Ben, Steven, Fred and Sam is especially worth listening to.
Posted in Blog, Board Games, Featured Post | No Comments »
Friday, July 14th, 2017
We take on a big, important, topic today: Why do people game? From social interaction to the challenge of learning something new there are a lot of reasons that gaming is important to all of us at Battleground.
Posted in Blog, Board Games, Events, Featured Post | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 5th, 2017
Amanda gets a chance to talk about the story of Hour of Devastation as well as the art and flavor that backs it up. She and Andrew are super bummed that they're going to miss the Magic pre-release weekend, but are determined to provide our listeners with a lot of information about what's going on and what's coming out this week.
Posted in Blog, Events, Magic: The Gathering | No Comments »


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GOLD Quaker Valley girls lacrosse
History is a river that flows from the confluence of commitment, camaraderie and concrete intention. The Quaker Valley girls lacrosse team waded into the current and pulled a glistening nugget from the white water of opportunity.
The Quakers became the first lacrosse team from The Times� area to win a WPIAL championship when Emily Dando scored the tiebreaking goal with 1:23 remaining to lift the Quakers to a 12-11 victory over Shady Side in the WPIAL Division II girls championship.
For their effort, the Quakers have been selected as The Times� Athletes of the week.
Rachel Ganz (four), Natalie Bouchard (two), Elizabeth Harrison (two), Dando (two) and Nina Bartling (one) provided Quaker Valley goals. Freshman goalkeeper Emily Jabro made a key save with 22 seconds remaining to secure the victory.
Alexia Periera, and then the partnership of Caroline Gensheimer and Bartling, forced turnovers in the closing moments that led to the decisive goal. Periera�s defense in the second half shut down Shady Side standout Piper Person in the second half.
�Our whole team knew it was time to step up,� Bartling said.
Bartling passed possibility to Dando, who crossed the goalie�s face and fired a low shot.
�It hit her foot and I was mad at myself. But I watched it and it just kept rolling.�
It was carried by the current of history.
�We were all so unbelievably happy,� Dando said. �We started to hug each other. We started to cry. It was the best feeling ever.�
SILVER Ashley Adams
Ashley Adams embraces competition. She excelled at soccer and basketball, and spent time involved in softball, volleyball, cross country and tennis.
�I�ve dabbled in a lot of things,� she said.
But she was drawn to the small circle from with a discus or a shot put, or possibly a dream, can be launched.
Adams, a senior at Freedom, realized a dream when she won the PIAA Class AA girls shot put and discus championships this past weekend at Shippensburg University. For her performances, which capped a year in which she was Pennsylvania�s indoor and outdoor shot put champion, she has been named a Beaver County Times athlete of the week.
Adams� success over the weekend extended to competition outside the track meet. She defeated Freedom track coach Ed Shepherd 6-3 in their traditional championship weekend cribbage match.
�I let her win to boost her confidence,� Shepherd said.
- Nick Goodell, Ambridge, was named the Most Valuable Player in WPIAL Class AA boys volleyball, while Evan Fullerton, Luke Ecimovic and Adam Greco were named first team all-WPIAL. Darren Jones and Brian Presto earned second-team recognition.
- Omar Hyjek, Chad Kosanovich, John Yankello and Ian Pegg won a gold medal in the Class AA boys 3200 relay at the PIAA track and field championship.
- Josh McFrazier, New Brighton, won a silver medal in the Class AA boys 110 hurdles at the PIAA meet.
- Todd Thomas, Beaver Falls, won a bronze medal in the Class AA boys long jump at the PIAA meet.
- Tabitha Bemis, Quaker Valley, and Keri Dantley, West Allegheny, each won two individual medals at the PIAA meet.
- Jon McElwain, Riverside, set a Beaver County record in the boys 3200 at the PIAA meet.
- Dorian Goosby-Dean of Quaker Valley, Laura Conrad of Freedom, Chris Kimbrough of Center, Elise Farris of Hopewell, Brian Stefanick of Blackhawk, Matt Whiteleather of Rochester, and boys relay teams from Beaver Falls (400) and Center (1600) won PIAA medals.
- Keri Falk, Riverside softball, pitched a three-hit shutout over Bishop Canevin in the WPIAL Class AA semifinals. Chelsea Evans had two run-scoring singles.
- Alex Knox, Moon Area, retired three consecutive batters with a runner at third base and the score tied 13-13 in the 13th inning of a WPIAL Class AAA semifinal game with Hopewell. Brett Hoffman won the game with a two-run single in the 14th.


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In this day and age, a lot of people are openly gay. I haven't kept up with the news but I think the law has been passed for gay people to get married. It doesn't really affect me because I'm straight but not a lot of people are comfortable with it yet. I don't know why they have a problem with gay people because it doesn't concern them. The way I see it, if there are a lot of gay guys in the city then it's all good. The more gay guys there are, the more girls that will be left for the straight guys unless the majority of those girls are lesbians then that's not so good.
I was introduced to this gay thing back in high school. There was this one guy who everyone thought was gay. I don't want to be a stereotype and agree but he sort of fits the profile. His name is Ren but he preferred to be called Renier, as if it was French. When I heard that, I assumed he was gay but I think that was his full name. The thing was, I have never met the guy. Everything I knew about him was from word of mouth. There were people saying that he had a website where he's laying on the beach in his Speedo. If that doesn't say gay, I don't know what does.
I didn't actually get to meet him until my college year. Some of the friends that I made in college knew him from high school. My friend and I were chilling in the food court when he walked over to talk to her. Because we were alone he immediately asked if we were dating. Right away we declined. They talked for a bit as I remained quiet. I didn't know him but I knew of him. I was afraid that the next thing that came out of my mouth would be some gay remark. Then he turned to me and asked if I was a model. I didn't know what to say so I just shook my head. Ren, oh sorry, Renier was a model agent and he has his own model/talent search company. He told me that if I wanted to do some modeling work, I should give him a call and he left his business card.
I think from that day, my perception of gay people changed forever. I no longer judged them because they were gay. I respected their decision to be the way they are. The gay people that I know are really nice people. You have no idea how nice some of them are. They complement everything about you. I rarely get complements from people so I appreciate it when I do get them.
I have a friend in Ottawa that is gay, well bisexual. Back when we were younger, I assumed it but I never asked him. I assumed he was straight or one of those Casanovas that always has girls around him. But then one day, he messaged me on MSN. I was away for the first few minutes but I replied when I got back to the computer. He started to tell me how I looked really hot. At first, I was like, "Alright then.†But he continued to complement me. Eventually, he wanted me to take a picture without my shirt on. I was comfortable talking to gay people but I wasn't that comfortable to take a picture and send it to him. That's just a little awkward for my liking.
A lot more people are starting to be open about this kind of thing. I think it's getting to the point where nobody really cares if they're gay or not. The only people that seem to care are those who work for the church. They opposed to it because the bible is against it. As for me, I think they should let them be. Who are we to interfere? If God didn't want them to be gay, he would come down and tell them. Otherwise, it's their lives and they can live it the way they want.


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In the wee hours I finished reading If You Only Knew by Kristan Higgins
I thought the book was rather entertaining maybe even one I would consider a page turner. I loved the way it ended.
My favorite quote from the book:
"What some people don't understand about new clothes is it's not about the clothes. It's the promise of how happy you'll be when you wear them, the wonderful things you'll be doing in them, how people will look at you and say, yes, there's a woman who really likes herself." P.263
Here is a synopsis of the book from the back cover:
"Letting go of her ex-husband is harder than wedding-dress designer Jenny Tate expected…especially since his new wife wants to be Jenny's new best friend. Sensing this isn't exactly helping her achieve closure, Jenny trades the Manhattan skyline for her hometown up the Hudson, where she'll start her own business and bask in her sister Rachel's picture-perfect family life…and maybe even find a little romance of her own with Leo, her downstairs neighbor, a guy who's utterly irresistible and annoyingly distant at the same time.
Rachel's idyllic marriage, however, is imploding after she discovers her husband sexting with a colleague. She always thought she'd walk away in this situation, but her triplet daughters have her reconsidering her stance on adultery, much to Jenny's surprise. Rachel points to their parents' perfect marriage as a shining example of patience and forgiveness; but to protect her sister, Jenny may have to tarnish that memory—and their relationship—and reveal a family secret she's been keeping since childhood.
Both Rachel and Jenny will have to come to terms with the past and the present and find a way to get what they want most of all."
My favorite review from goodreads.com states:
"…While infidelity, divorce and lies are explored in this book, the delightful way of writing that Kristan Higgins has, along with some of her trademark humor – which is a little muted in this book, all combine to make If You Only Knew a read that I loved.
Great cast of characters, tough issues for them to grapple with, ones whose lives I became invested in.
Only disappointment was – "What, you mean the book has ended. No….!"
I felt the same way, although the book is a lengthy 412 pages I felt that I could have kept reading because I liked the characters so much.
Although I enjoyed this book I did not love it enough to keep it on my shelf. I plan on lending it out and eventually donating it to the library. I give it four out of five stars.


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If you'd like to learn more about Instrumentl visit the site at grants.instrumentl.com or email the founders directly at: email@example.com


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MIT Creates a Way To Separate Oil From Water Magnetically
Researchers at MIT have created a method to separate oil from water using magnets. This is of growing importance as oil spills occur more frequently around the world and the need to separate oil from our natural water rises. The method to separate oil from water created by MIT has great potential as the need for this maneuver rises in society. So how does it work? By mixing water repellent, ferrous nano particles into the oil, they are able to separate the mixture from the water at a later time.
It is a simple method that can be used
on a larger scale and deployed at sea for days or weeks, where electrical power is scarce and maintenance facilities limited.
The use of this technology can reduce costs and increase effectiveness of clean up efforts. Let's look at a couple reasons why it is important to separate oil from water in an oil spill situation. According to the New York Times in 2010,
As of Aug. 16, more than 7,000 birds, sea turtles and dolphins have been found dead or debilitated in the gulf since the oil spill began. A majority of the dead were not visibly oiled, and officials have yet to determine why they died. But they have confirmed that many more animals are dying than during the same time period in previous years.
It is not necessarily that the spilled oil killed the animals, but that the oil disrupted a delicate ecosystem in which the animals lived and the failure to quickly and effectively separate oil from the life giving water of their ecosystem was detrimental to their life and impaired their ability to survive. The U.S. Department of Commerce: Office of Response and Restoration talks about the detrimental effects of oil on marine life including both animals and plants.
Spilled oil can harm living things because its chemical constituents are poisonous. This can affect organisms both from internal exposure to oil through ingestion or inhalation and from external exposure through skin and eye irritation. Oil can also smother some small species of fish or invertebrates and coat feathers and fur, reducing birds' and mammals' ability to maintain their body temperatures.
The health of our ocean ecosystems and bodies of water depend on action that is both quick and effective. This method of used to separate oil from ocean water could lead to a quick way to deal with one of society's ever prevalent tragedies.
Researchers did not mention possible negative effects that mixing in ferrous nano particles will have, if any, but I suppose for right now it is better than oceans full of oil.
Go science!
About ES Fein
I love to get lost. I have found that when you are lost, you are often heading in the right direction. A friend of mine once told me, "trying to find heart, we stumble through insanity." I desire freedom, growth, compassion, and empathy for the world, so these words are what I practice most often, regardless of how insane the world and its inhabitants seem. The only way to truly grow is by growing together.


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Posted: 27 March 2011 Updated: 07 April 2011: minor revisions
This is my opinion. If you wish to communicate your opinion regarding this topic, you can contact me at cdoswell at earthlink.net - either use the email hyperlink or cut and paste after replacing _at_ with @. However, if you're not willing to have your comments posted here, along with my response, don't waste my time or yours.
The central element of atheism is the absence of belief in the existence of a supernatural deity of the sort described in the major monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). Contrary to many claims by theists, it does not follow logically that atheists share the belief that said deity does not exist. Some atheists may make such a claim, but that belief isn't universally held amongst atheists, who are united only in the agreement of not believing in a supernatural deity. Note that so-called agnostics are atheists who choose not to take the additional step of asserting an absolute belief in the non-existence of a deity. This may seem like hairsplitting, but one essential characteristic of atheists is that their beliefs are all over the place. Discussions among atheists often are characterized by intense hair-splitting and even acrimony! There's no universally-accepted atheist creed, there's no atheist dogma, there are no atheist churches, no atheist liturgy, and there are no texts held to be sacred that define atheist beliefs. Contrary to many claims by theists, atheism is not a religion in its own right -- it's the negation of any religion based on a supernatural deity! Atheists only agree about one thing: non-belief in a supernatural deity.
From dictionary.com - the most pertinent definitions are indicated in red text:
a. to be persuaded of the truth or existence of: to believe in Zoroastrianism; to believe in ghosts.
b. to have faith in the reliability, honesty, benevolence, etc., of: I can help only if you believe in me.
Some interesting material there, especially in definition #1, which specifically excludes having absolute proof. If one has absolute proof, naturally, belief is inescapable. Absolute proof is pretty difficult to come by, as I will explore below. To have finite confidence implicitly admits the logical possibility that the belief could be wrong! Consider the definition of faith from the same source:
Arguably the most relevant definition of faith, as I'm seeing things, is #2. Faith and belief are closely intertwined, evidently.
One very compelling way of developing belief in something is via logical proof, as in mathematics. A logical proof is predicated on some set of axioms (assumptions that are not subjected to any standard for proof but which form the basis for a logical system) and some method for manipulating concepts within the possibilities defined by that set of axioms. Many of us encountered this for the first time during high school geometry. Using logic based on this, for example, within the set of axioms associated with Euclidean geometry, it is possible to prove the Pythagorean Theorem. If you grant the assumptions, you must accept the inevitability of the Pythagorean Theorem -- in other words, the proof of the Pythagorean Theorem makes belief in it unavoidable.
Of course, the validity of the axioms are open to question (not sacred!), and it's quite possible to image a non-Euclidean geometry (e.g., geometry on the surface of a sphere), where the theorems may have to be modified to account for a new set of axioms. Mathematical proof is, within its logical constraints, not subject to reconsideration or re-examination. Once a proof has been established, it's for all time. Someone may construct a different proof from the first one, perhaps more "elegant" but the hypothesis remains proven forever after the first proof has been completed and verified to be logically correct.
As discussed elsewhere (e.g., here and here), science does not generally provide such absolute proof. Scientific understanding is always provisional and open to reconsideration. Hence, the very notion of "scientific proof" is an oxymoron. There's no "proof" of anything in science that even remotely compares to the absolute solid permanence of mathematical proofs. Nevertheless, some scientific ideas (the Laws of Thermodynamics, the Law of Gravity, the Theory of Relativity, the Laws of Quantum Mechanics) have been so thoroughly tested and confirmed by all those tests that they may seem immutable and proven beyond question. That would be a misunderstanding of science, however, as these ideas may yet be superceded in the future.
Despite the apparent volatility of its ideas, scientific understanding has proven to be very useful when applied to the real world. For example, although Einstein's Theory of General Relativity is widely accepted as having superceded the Newtonian Law of Gravity, NASA still uses Newtonian physics to guide their spacecraft about in the solar system with remarkable success. In order to have their spacecraft succeed in their missions, it's just not necessary to complicate Newtonian physics with the subtleties of Einstein's relativity concepts. The notions of Einstein have supplanted those of Newton in an abstract sense, but in the pragmatic world of guiding objects through space on long journeys between worlds, Newtonian physics continues to be quite accurate and effective. Relativistic corrections of Newtonian predictions are trivial at the speeds available to existing spacecraft!
If scientific "proof" is never absolute and absolute proof is only a logical abstraction, what's left? Let's consider the issue of the existence of a supernatural deity, the fundamental point of conflict between atheists and theists. Given that absolute proof is not possible, on what basis might one choose to accept the existence of a deity on the rational basis of a preponderance of the evidence?
If we wish to consider the content of the sacred texts of the monotheistic religions as "evidence", a number of issues regarding those documents must be recognized:
Therefore, these "sacred" documents are essentially of no value in establishing the historical or scientific veracity of the events described therein. They don't describe the results of scientific experiments, they don't offer hypotheses about how the natural world works, they don't constitute a science textbook, nor do they even meet reasonable criteria for a history textbook.
To the limited extent that these "sacred" writings intersect science, it's evident that their content is nothing more than mythology and superstition. Their "explanations" of events explain nothing -- attributing something in the natural world to a supernatural deity constitutes no explanation at all. This is the ultimate deus ex machina, in fact! The extent to which they've been written and/or inspired by the wishes of a supernatural deity is essentially unknown and unknowable, but given the inconsistencies and internal contradictions, the authorship or inspiration of an omniscient and omnipotent being seems pretty implausible. Hence, they cannot be considered credible in their own right unless one accepts the sacred origins of their content solely on faith (i.e., without evidence). Thus, their content can provide no evidence for any rational, evidence-based argument.
Some of the people mentioned in these texts are historical figures, whose existence has been or can be confirmed by archeological investigations. What the bible has to say about such historical figures may or may not be accurate. However, the central figures of the so-called New Testament (e.g., Jesus) are not historically-validated. That is, there's no independent historical evidence to support all of the (sometimes inconsistent or contradictory) accounts given in these sacred texts.
Strict reliance on the accounts given in religious documents is basically not even remotely credible by any reasonable standard of scientific evidence in support of the historical events described therein. It's just not possible to use these "sacred" documents to validate anything by any reasonable, rational reasoning process.
Atheists frequently make the assertion that it's impossible to "prove" a negative proposition. The basis for such an assertion is that no matter how implausible some hypothesis might be, to show that it's absolutely not true would require a comprehensive knowledge of everything for all time, which is clearly impossible. For instance, I might postulate a being made up entirely of a plate of spaghetti and meatballs that has created us and the universe; apparently, a pretty powerful pasta dinner. To show that such a being absolutely does not exist, I would have to show by some logical argument that such a being is in fact impossible. Such a demonstration is evidently well beyond my capabilities, despite the clear evidence that it's pretty much unlikely. You can argue, for instance, that no plate of spaghetti and meatballs has ever even shown any sign of being capable of thought, let alone the ability to create the universe. However, such an argument is empirical rather than logical -- that is, it's based on existing evidence. There may be a pasta dinner plate somewhere in the universe that is sentient and in fact is omniscient and omnipotent. To say that an omniscient, omnipotent pasta dinner is impossible is to claim your own omniscience, at the very least -- and it's not clear how you would know such a thing as fact. Unfortunately, no human being can make such a claim legitimately. This hypothetical being must remain a logical possibility, no matter how absurd it might seem. I just can't "prove" logically that such an all-powerful dish of pasta and meatballs doesn't exist somewhere!
Of course, it can be quite possible to "prove" some sorts of negative statements, provided the standard of "proof" is not absolute. Suppose I postulate that the President of the United States is a being made up of a plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Given that many of us followed the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States, and we regularly see broadcasts of his news conferences and various Presidential activities, it would be reasonable to consider this an empirical demonstration of the negative: the President of the United States is pretty evidently not a being made up of a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, although it's likely he's eaten such a meal (perhaps many times). Unfortunately, common, everyday experience is not even up to the standards of scientific evidence (such experience would be described as anecdotal evidence), so it's quite far from a purely logical argument capable of providing absolute proof. Nevertheless, many of us accept our own personal experiences as pretty compelling evidence that the US President is not a being made from a plate of spaghetti and meatballs.
One logical possibility is that we could all be Trumans, living a life that is actually an elaborate hoax perpetrated on us by someone or something -- a vast conspiracy aimed at fooling us into accepting a complicated illusion as reality. I would feel very sorry for someone laboring under such a notion, but it must remain a logical possibility since I can't "prove" it's not true. The trick about logical possibilities is that many of them can be absurd (as is my example about the spaghetti dinner President), but it generally is not possible to rule them out via some absolute proof using logic alone! My inability to prove absolutely a negative proposition (i.e., a supernatural deity does not exist) does not equate to a logical necessity to accept the counter-proposition (i.e., that a supernatural deity does indeed exist)!
Proponents of a supernatural deity, on the other hand, have accepted (mostly on faith passed on to them by their religious teachers) the hypothesis that this postulated being exists. In the times that the putative sacred texts were written, supernatural events seemingly were more or less commonplace: two millenia ago, Jesus walked on the water, he turned water into wine, raised people from the dead, fed the multitudes on five fishes and two loaves of bread, etc. The deity of the Old Testament spoke to prophets in the late Bronze age via burning bushes (that weren't consumed), parted the waters of the Red Sea, turned Lot's wife into a pillar of salt, and so on. Assuming that these events were what they're claimed to be (rather than pure fictional fabrications, illusions performed by deceivers, or misinterpretations of natural events by late Bronze age peoples not far removed from being nomadic hunter-gatherers), they would constitute compelling evidence for the existence of a deity capable of violating the very laws of the natural world that he/she/it created in the first place!
If I'd witnessed just one such miraculous and obviously supernatural event of the sort described above, I'd have become a believer instantly. Unfortunately for me, and all the rest of us living at present, it seems we no longer have the luxury of seeing miracles performed or having the deity speak to us. In fact, our deity at present seems hell-bent on avoiding any overt evidence of his/her/its existence! Why the change of heart? What divine purpose is revealed by this stubborn reluctance to provide incontrovertible evidence for his existence in this day and age? Unlike the citizens of biblical times, we're required to accept this whole schtick on faith! The justification is that the deity works in ways unknowable to us. Why didn't he create us to be smart enough to understand the reasons for the things he does? Why would a creator value the adoration of people he created to be incapable of grasping what he's up to? Sorry, that makes no sense to me!!
Again, in the biblical past, the deity spoke with people frequently, in addition to performing supernatural feats. Although the deity couldn't reveal himself to mere humans as it seems his splendor would have disintegrated them on the spot, he managed to communicate with many biblical prophets from time to time, at least in the Old Testament. If one assumes that Jesus of the New Testament was, in fact, one and the same with god the father (and the holy spirit), then the deity was just blabbering on with folks all the time for decades. But following the resurrection and ascencion of Jesus, now the conversation is all one-way, apparently.
Of course, many people in the present era claim to have heard the words of some supernatural being. Some of them go on to found cults of followers. But it's generally acknowledged that people who claim to have heard directly from some supernatural deity either are lying or simply are not sane! Hearing voices in one's head is symptomatic of paranoid delusions, not divine intervention. People have murdered others because they felt they were commanded to do so by such voices (or by religious leaders making the claim of having heard the voice of the deity). This is not evidence for the existence of a supernatural entity, but simply the hallucinations of people who have succumbed to irrationality, perhaps as a result of some chemical imbalance in their bodies!
And various religious fanatics occasionally claim to have received "signs" from their deity about what to do. Since straightforward conversations with the deity no longer take place, for mysterious reasons known only to said deity, believers have to interpret events as indicating their deity's will. This can have interesting or even sinister interpretations.
But aren't monotheistic religions based on irrational faith rather than evidence? Some people choose to interpret natural events as evidence for their chosen supernatural deity. Since prehistoric times, people have seen various natural hazards as the wrath of their chosen deity for putative misdeeds by the people. Although no one can "prove" in an absolute sense that these events are not the actions of a deity enraged by our defiance of his/her/its laws, science now offers a very different view of them: these are natural processes, indifferent to the havoc they may cause humans as the Earth responds to natural forces we humans are quite capable of understanding. We have no evident need to postulate a deity to explain natural hazards because rational science has moved beyond mythology!
What sort of evidence might one be able to muster for the non-existence of a particular supernatural deity? Several folks have compiled whole books (e.g., here and here) and developed websites designed to show the "evidence" against the existence for the supernatural beings described in monotheistic religions. I applaud such efforts, as they constitute a major reason why someone should be skeptical about the deities proposed in the major monotheistic religious cults (Yes, I consider them cults!). But they fail to attain that impossibly high bar of absolute proof (of the sort embodied in mathematical, rather than scientific, "proof" standards). Thus, it remains the case that the existence of the postulated deity is at least a logical possibility. You could characterize my atheism as being of the agnostic variety, as I'll explain below.
But consider the pragmatic, relatively attainable standard of scientific evidence. The Law of Gravity first proposed by Isaac Newton has been mentioned as an example of how scientific evidence can be pretty compelling, even if it's not absolute proof. Suppose you were to dispute the Law of Gravity on purely logical grounds. How confident would you be that you could, for instance, hurl yourself off a precipice into a canyon two hundred meters deep and yet gravity would not operate on you according to Newton's Law of Gravity so as to dash your fragile body on the rocks below? In Quantum Mechanics, extremely unlikely events on a large scale are considered possible, although at very, very low probability. Hence, by pure logic, it's possible you could survive the experience of throwing yourself off a cliff (without a parachute, of course), but it's extremely unlikely! So unlikely as to render it pragmatically impossible, even if the logical possibility of survival still exists.
If you believe in a deity who blesses you with faith in him/her/it, then perhaps you would trust that your deity would intervene on your behalf when you jump off that cliff. Just how confident are you that your deity will act to prevent your death? But wait! If that deity were to perform such a "miracle", that would constitute stunning new evidence of his/her/its existence! Unlike in biblical times, your deity apparently is unable to intervene because it would give away his/her/its existence (Exactly why is this forbidden, now? The reason for this change is not very clear.). Too bad for you, though -- despite your unwavering faith, the outcome is almost certainly your demise on the rocks at the base of the precipice. Masking his/her/its existence apparently trumps saving you, but at least you get to go to heaven and live in eternal bliss in compensation for your faith. But wait! Isn't suicide a mortal sin? Oops! Sorry, but you're set to live out the rest of eternity in torment for the sin of killing yourself. But your deity loves you!! Perhaps you wish to conduct this scientific experiment yourself as a test of your faith? Show me how sincerely you believe in your deity!
Although people can choose to interpret events however they wish in a free society (Theocracies are almost universally intolerant of interpretations they haven't sanctioned!), it seems to me that although the evidence against the existence of a supernatural deity is pretty strong, it falls short of absolute proof, and always will. If this deity relents and starts allowing miracles and speaking openly to us again, we might then conclude that such demonstrations constitute pretty extraordinary evidence of this deity's existence. Asking for evidence of extraordinary claims doesn't seem to me to be such a bad thing. We scientists do it all the time as a matter of course. After all, it's only clerics and other believers who are proposing the existence of an all-everything supernatural being. It might be presumptuous to ask a deity for evidence, but why not when a human does so? The clear conclusion, since they inevitably begin to rationalize why they can't do so, is that these humans simply are unable to provide such evidence! All they can offer are excuses and pseudo-explanations for their lack of proof.
Scientific standards of evidence allow us in some cases to act as if absolute proof has been demonstrated, even though it has not, in purely logical terms. Thus, the example of the Law of Gravity shows us a standard of evidence that permits us to assume this law is absolutely true, even though we have to admit logically that absolute proof of the Law of Gravity has not been achieved.
In the absence of compelling evidence for the existence of a supernatural deity, and the vast accumulation of evidence that indicates strongly the lack of any necessity for accepting the "God Hypothesis", it seems to me that I can act as if I believe that your supernatural deity doesn't exist, even though I have to admit to an extremely low probability that I could be wrong. That is, when I behave as if I believe that a supernatural deity doesn't exist, I'm really saying that on the evidence I now have, I can only believe in that non-existence as a provisional hypothesis. It's not a matter of faith, equivalent to believing in such a deity, at all. If such compelling evidence as I've described can be shown to demonstrate the existence of a supernatural deity, then I'll change my opinion. This is what scientists do. This is how rational arguments based on logic work. In exactly the same way that I "believe" in the Law of Gravity, I "believe" that a supernatural deity doesn't exist. Faith has absolutely nothing to do with that conclusion! If it were based on faith, then I would simply close my mind to any argument, which is what stubborn believers do -- nothing rational could ever serve to change an opinion based entirely on faith.
The "sacred" texts of the monotheistic religions are laced with logical inconsistencies, contradictions, and outright errors about historical events. These documents are incapable of providing a logical, scientific, historical basis for any rational debate about the deities they purport to describe or the religious dogma they present. Where is the objective evidence outside of these texts for the existence of a deity? In the complete and utter absence of such evidence, the logical necessity is to reject that hypothesis -- until such a time, if ever, that strong evidence for the existence of a supernatural deithy can be offered and considered in a rational debate. In rational debate, extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence, so anyone claiming to have "proven" the existence of a deity must provide some very compelling results, indeed! My choice not to believe in a supernatural deity is consistent with the existing absence of such extraordinary evidence, whereas belief in the existence of the putative deities of the major monotheistic religions is inconsistent with the evidence now available.


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Black tea is probably the most popular drink in the world beside coffee. The beverage first rose to popularity during the transition between the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty in China around 1590. Before that, the Chinese would only traditionally drink oolong and green tea. According to a legend, the invention of black tea was an accident. It happened when a band of army stopped the production of green tea in a factory. Because of the interruption, the tea leaves were exposed to the sun for a longer time than it was intended to be and the oxidation process occurred. It turned the color into reddish or blackish and the taste into slightly more aromatic. This was how the first black tea, or known as Lapsang Souchong back then, discovered. However, "black tea" was a term coined later by Dutch and British traders.
Black tea can be made from any type of tea as long as the leaves are dried under the sun for a longer time. The processing of the tea is what sets it apart from other types of tea. However, the most prominent and widely available kinds of black tea are produced from Camellia sinensis and Camellia assamica.
Black tea is very nutritious. In fact, a 100-g serving of black tea contains the powerful antioxidant theaflavin, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, sodium, a whopping 37 mg of potassium, a little amount of fluoride, and many other important nutrients.
1. Boosts Cardiovascular Health
Your heart is a very vital part of your body. It pumps oxygenated blood to every inch of the body, making your other organs and each cell in you function well. It also removes the toxic carbon dioxide from your system. For this reason, your heart needs to be perfectly healthy to avoid dangerous complications. Fortunately, you can take black tea regularly to keep your heart well-functioning. The flavones that are present in the tea can maintain and improve cardiovascular health.
It is confirmed by multiple scientific studies that drinking 3 cups of black tea or more every day can lower the risk of coronary heart problems. Some other studies also found that the consumption of black tea is associated with the decreased mortality by ischemia, myocardial infarction, and other cardiovascular problems. According to the latest study published in 2017, black tea is revealed to have a positive impact on heart health. Among the 350.000 women and men ranging from 30-79 years old in China who regularly consume black tea for seven years, it's shown that they have a lowered risk of suffering from ischaemic heart disease and other major coronary events compared to other population who don't consume black tea. Black tea achieves this by reducing the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, including the triglyceride levels and the ration of LDL to HDL cholesterol.
Black tea may also prevent atherosclerosis, which is the blockage of the artery walls due to the plaque buildup. Atherosclerosis is a dangerous health condition because it may lead to severe coronary heart disease. The biggest factor that is behind this condition is the free radicals in the body. Scientists at the University of Maryland published a study in 2004 which found the link of antioxidants in black tea and the reduced activities of free radicals that contribute to atherosclerosis. According to the study, drinking three cups of tea every day can reduce atherosclerosis risk up to 11 percent.
2. Helps The Fight Against disease
People who are battling with disease are among those who will be benefited from regular consumption of black tea. This is because the consumption of black tea may prevent or reduce the risks of certain diseases. A 2013 study in American Journal of Epidemiology mentioned the effect of black tea on prostate disease. The flavonoid-rich drink was taken by among 58.000 men in the Netherlands who reported some disease risk factors. At the end of the study, the researchers mentioned that the consumption of black tea reduces the risk of prostate disease risk. The black tea intake is particularly good to fight diseased cells because it contains multiple flavonoids like catechin, kaempferol, myritecin, and epicatechin. The tea reduced the lower risk of late-stage prostate disease but didn't seem to have any associations with earlier stages of disease.
The Netherlands study was not the only study published on the subject. In 2016, scientists published the result of their study on how theaflavin-3 that is present in black tea fiercely fought the development of ovarian disease cells, including the cells that are resistant to cisplatin. This result is impressive as cisplatin is said to be the among the top most effective antidisease medicines. In addition, the theaflavin-3 is also found to contain fewer toxins that won't harm healthy ovarian cells. This is a very impressive findings considering that many antidisease drugs kill both healthy and diseased cells.
The National disease Institute also cited a finding that suggested that tea contains polyphenols that can reduce the growth of the tumor. Similar to green tea, drinking black tea regularly can reduce the risk of disease because of its antioxidant properties that fight free radicals. However, black tea effects apply to fewer kinds of disease. According to the studies, the black tea is most effective on prostate, bladder, and lung disease. Black tea can also reduce the risk of ovarian disease because of its theaflavins content.
Despite those promising study results, some other studies also suggested that black tea may weaken and slow down the effect of chemotherapy as a disease treatment by stimulating the genes that can reduce cells' sensitivity to the therapy. The studies on this matter are conflicting so this shouldn't be the only treatment people take to treat disease. What is agreed by scientists is that drinking around six cups of tea every day can strengthen the status of antioxidants?
3. Reduces Diabetes Risks
Diabetes is one of many chronic health conditions that should be feared by many people since its presence is ever-growing around the world. People with type-2 diabetes needs to be very careful in their sugar and carbs intake if they don't want serious complications to arise. Fortunately, fighting diabetes can be as simple as drinking black tea every day. A study in the journal Diabetologia looked at the relationship between tea consumption and the progress of type-2 diabetes. It was a longitudinal research with over 40.000 participants in the duration of 10 years. Based on the study, the researchers found that drinking tea and coffee might result in the reduction of type-2 diabetes risk. The relationship was clearly shown among the research participants. To be specific, those who drink at least three cups of tea or coffee every day have their type-2 diabetes risk lowered by around 42%. Because of this, black tea should be a part of your diet if you are concerned about diabetes or are already showing diabetic symptoms.
4. Prevents Strokes
Along with heart diseases, stroke is also a fatal condition that can be prevented by drinking black tea regularly. A daily consumption of the tea may significantly lower the risk of ischemic stroke, according to a study published in 2009. The researchers found that those who took at least three cups of tea daily experienced a decrease in stroke risk by around 21% when compared to other test subjects who consumed less than a cup of black or green tea each day.
5. Soothes An Upset Stomach
An upset stomach may seldom be a life-threatening condition, but it's still dangerous and can even be paralyzing if the pain is intense. And if you also experience diarrhea along with the upset stomach, then you probably need a cup of strong black tea to alleviate the pain and reduce diarrhea. A cup of black tea contains tannins that possess an astringent effect that works on your intestinal lining. This will provide a calming effect and soothe the inflammation in the intestines. As a result, your diarrhea will be reduced.
However, the caffeine content of the cup of black tea may also make you dehydrated. You may be concerned about this if you are already suffering from the loss of liquid due to diarrhea. You can choose a cup of decaffeinated black tea instead. Black tea, both as a beverage and in tablets, is very effective at managing acute nonbacterial diarrhea. It is also not expensive and safe to use even for kids.
6. Possesses Antibacterial Properties
Beside soothes nonbacterial diarrhea and upset stomach, black tea also possesses strong antibacterial characteristics. According to researchers, the phenolic compounds and tannins in black tea have a potent ability to prevent the growth of some bacteria. Tannins are toxic against fungi, bacteria, and yeasts while phenolic compounds have lethal antimicrobial activities. In addition, it's easy for human's gastrointestinal tract to absorb the non-polymeric phenolic compounds. As a result, it's very effective for these antibacterial components to be taken orally. This is the reason why some people consume a cup of strong black tea with honey to treat the symptoms of H.pylori bacteria infection that can trigger ulcers.
7. Reduces The Level of Stress Hormones
One of the most powerful benefits of black tea is the ability to ease stress. Coffee is also a mood-altering beverage, but for some people, the energetic effect of coffee comes with jittery effects. On the contrary, tea has a good reputation as a drink with a more balanced caffeine effects. Aside from improving energy levels, it can also be very relaxing and stress relieving. Multiple studies by researchers around the world have confirmed that black tea can bring down the level of stress hormones, for example, cortisol, and reduce the drinkers daily stress levels.
According to one particular study, black tea is more potent at reducing stress level compared to other caffeinated drinks with no other similar substances to the tea. The experiment had 75 healthy tea drinkers that were split into two groups drink different types of beverages: the first group took the caffeinated black tea while the other drank another caffeinated-beverage with similar taste but no other active tea compounds present. Then, a stress-inducing situation was tested on the subject mimicking the stress of everyday life. The researchers analyzed the levels of stress hormones, blood pressure, and heart rate. What were the findings of the study? Unsurprisingly, those who drank the real black tea experienced a reduction in their levels of cortisol hormones compared to the other group. The people in this group were also more relaxed and reported less stress. In addition to this stress-lowering property, the group who drink real black tea also experienced a lower activation of blood platelet. This reduces the risk of blood clot formation and heart attack.
8. Promotes Stronger Immune System
The antioxidants in black tea can help you fight the free oxygen radicals by stabilizing them. These oxygen radicals can be dangerous for your health as it disrupts the normal function of cells and mutates DNA. As a result, the inflammation will happen in your cells and tissues, leading to chronic and potentially fatal diseases. The activation of the inflammatory pathways in your body can also put your body in a constant state of stress. More stress will lead to more inflammation and this continuous circle will hamper your health. You will also be vulnerable to contagious diseases. Because of this, you need to control the free radicals in your body by consuming enough antioxidants. Drinking black tea is one of the best things you can do to get rid of these oxygen radicals. Thereby, it also restores your normal body functions and boosts your immune system.
9. Promotes Healthy Bones
Bones are important body organs that support and protect the other organs in your body. Unfortunately, as you get older, the density of your bones will decline along with its strength and function. Weak bones will make you unable to perform your daily routines as easily as it was when you were younger. Fortunately, you can boost your bones health by drinking black tea regularly. According to scientists, the people who regularly drink black tea can have their bone density restored since black tea can substitute the loss calcium. When your bone density is good, the risk of fractures which is a common problem in elderly will also be reduced. You no longer have to fear osteoporosis and all discomforts that it brings. For this reason, it's recommended that people over 30 years old drink black tea as a part of their daily diet to promote stronger and healthier bones.
10. Boosts Cognitive Functions
Your brain may also be benefited from a regular consumption of black tea. Black tea may improve your cognitive functions in many ways. First, it's a good beverage to drink for people with short attention spans as is improves mental alertness. According to the study published by some scientists in The Netherlands, the subjects who drank black tea regularly had the best attention span as well as better visual and auditory attention. This is due to the L-theanine in the tea that can modulate brain functions and stimulate human attention mechanism.
Black tea may also reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Based on a 2017 study published in Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging by researchers at the University of Singapore, people who drink at least three cups of black or green tea daily will have a lower risk of dementia compared to other older adults who don't by around 50%. In addition, those who are genetically at risk for suffering from Alzheimer's disease may also have their risk reduced by a whopping 86%. This research confirmed the earlier studies discovered that drinking tea regularly is associated with a better cognitive performance.
The neuroprotective effect of black tea's polyphenols also reduces the risk of Parkinson's disease. These neuroprotective properties will be effective only when the tea leaves are brewed loose or in tea bags, or in other words, consumed as tea beverages.
11. Aids Weight Loss Program
Being overweight and obese is not only a matter of appearance. Obesity is, in fact, the root cause of multiple chronic and life-threatening diseases including diabetes, high cholesterol problems, and even heart diseases. Just like green tea, a cup of black tea is the perfect drink to aid your weight loss program. The regular consumption of tea along with a set of healthy diet and other lifestyle changes can help you lose some weight. According to some Californian researchers, the tea can inhibit the activity of inflammation-inducing genes and therefore reduce the amount of visceral fat. Because prolonged inflammation may contribute to weight gain, regular consumption of black tea may reduce inflammation-induced obesity. In addition, drinking black tea can also reduce the levels of your body triglyceride.
12. Promotes Healthy Digestive Function
Black tea can also boost the overall health of your digestive function. A healthy gut is important because it can protect you against various diseases. Your gut is home to a number of bacteria creating a balanced ecosystem for the best function of your body. You can maintain the balance and improve your gut health by consuming black tea. Black health can cultivate the growth of good gut microbe. It is believed by scientists that the polyphenols in tea can act as prebiotic which promotes the growth of good gut bacteria. In addition, polyphenols also inhibit the growth of bad bacteria that can mess with the balance of your gut microbe system. Because of this, it can treat stomach ulcers effectively and reduce the risk of colorectal and stomach diseases.
13. Boosts Oral Health
Most of the time, brushing your teeth every day is not enough to maintain an excellent oral health. Your oral health is an important matter to take care of if you don't want to suffer dental problems like cavities or a toothache. Besides maintaining a healthy routine that is instructed by your dentist to protect your teeth and mouth, you can also consume black tea regularly to boost your oral health. It will protect your teeth against cavities, dental plaque, and decay. In addition, it also makes your breath fresher.
These positive effects are due to the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of black tea that ensures the hygiene of your teeth. It prevents staphylococcus and other bacterial infections. In addition, black tea also contains fluoride that can stop the development of dental caries. This combination of positive characteristics makes black tea the perfect beverage to incorporate into your routine as a method to promote oral health.
14. Promotes Healthy and Beautiful Skin
Skin is the largest organ of your body with many functions. The organ is constantly at work but it needs proper care because of the delicacy. Your skin is always exposed to the environment that often is not hygienic. Microbial colonization can lead to skin infections. Because of this, you need to protect yourself by regularly consuming a substance with antimicrobial properties. Black tea's flavonoids and catechins can help you achieve this result. In addition, its polyphenols and other antioxidants can fight free radicals and prevent premature aging. These compounds will prevent the formation of wrinkles and dark spots that are the first symptoms of aging. Compared to other types of tea, the anti-wrinkle agent in black tea is more potent. The richness in antioxidants also automatically reduces the risk of skin disease.
Black tea can also alleviate eye puffiness that can be a serious concern for aesthetics. Puffy eyes make you seem tired and lack of energy. Try applying some bags of black tea under your eyes for around 20 minutes each day to see a decrease in eye puffiness in no time.
15. Treats Hair Loss
Hair fall and premature balding is a disturbing problem that can make you lose confidence real quick. The good news is that drinking black tea will make you fight hair loss from the inside. The antioxidants in black tea reduce inflammation and stress that contribute to premature hair loss. In addition, the fermentation of black tea and Aspergillus sp. may boost hair growth when applied topically. Your hair will also be shinier and looks more alive when you do this treatment along with drinking the tea every day.
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