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College History
Mission/Vision Statements
Philosophy, Values and Purpose
Contact Information
Shawnee Campuses
Campus Security
Students Right to Know
Board of Trustees
Faculty & Staff
Annuitants Association
Educational Center
Facility Usage Policy
Computer Usage Policy
Employment at SCC
Student Services
Computer Usage Policy (Policy Manual: Section 4369)
who utilize the SCC computing facilities and information resources are
bound by this policy.
General Responsibilities
The Computer Usage
Policy applies to all members of the College community using the institution's
computer resources. This includes administrators, faculty, staff, students,
and members of the community. Use of computer resources includes utilizing
computer equipment at any SCC facility including various computer labs,
classrooms, offices, libraries and the use of the SCC servers from any
Computer accounts and computer access are privileges and
require the individual user to act responsibly. By using the SCC accounts,
users have agreed to respect the rights of other users and accounts, to
use the account only for school-related purposes, and to safeguard the
integrity of the system and its related physical resources. Users have
agreed to observe all relevant laws and institutional policies regarding
information resources.
All user files, including
e-mail files, are not to be relied upon as confidential. SCC explicitly
does not guarantee or warrantee the confidentiality of these files. It
is the practice of the Information Technology Department (IT) to respect the
confidential nature of user files, but reserves the
right to view or alter user files when it is necessary. For example,
files may need to be examined or accessed in the event of unauthorized
use or misuse, or due to corruption or damage. Any IT employee must have
their director's permission prior to investigating
a user file.
All users must follow all relevant copyright laws. US Copyright
law governs reproduction and distribution of software and other material,
including text, fonts, graphics, sound, video, and others. The End User
License Agreement (EULA) for a product specifies the conditions under which
a user may copy or install a product. The EULA purchased by the institution
also controls the number of users who may utilize the product. Please review
the EULA for complete information on your rights as an end user of these
Misuse of computing, networking,
or information resources includes but is not limited to the following:
All existing federal and state laws and College regulations apply, including the laws and regulations that are
specific to computers and networks, and those that may apply generally to personal conduct.
Misuse of computing, networking, or information resources may result in a loss of such privileges.
Deliberate violations of these policies will be dealt with in the same manner as violations of other college policies
and may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.
SCC Supported
The institution's IT department will provide
support for application software that is licensed and owned by SCC. Freeware/Shareware
programs are not supported unless they appear on the supported software
list. Individuals who utilize SCC computer equipment are responsible for
contacting the IT department prior to purchasing or installing software
programs. In an effort to promote system stability and compliance, the
IT department reserves the right to uninstall any programs that are found
to be illegal copies, not owned by SCC, or interfere with the operation
of any system or network. For a current listing of supported software, please
contact the Director of Information Technology.
More Information Contact:
Chris Clark - M.I.S. Director
at 1-800-481-2242 ext. 3233 or e-mail


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I am the new District Leader for the Illinois Valley for the Illinois Association of Teachers of English (IATE), a part of the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE).
It was also our annual convention just last weekend up in Oak Brook, Illinois. I learned a ton of new things, like the fantastic idea of the "novel reduction." I can add that to literature circles and then actually do independent reading of whatever the heck book they want to read. Cool. Plus, I got to meet keynote speaker Tim Duggan, a professor who puts out CDs of Shakespeare and poetry with real music. I also got to meet and hang out with the hilarious Illinois Author of the Year, Simone Elkeles.

subset: commoncrawl


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In the wake of the Rachel Dolezal controversy and my critique of Identity Politics I feel it necessary to discuss further the importance for revolutionary praxis of breaking away from sectarian politics. If we are to create a political movement to counter the hegemony of Global Capitalism it must be a unified movement. The problem with Identity Politics is that it fractures the Left into an inordinate number of varying identity groups. This form of politics leaves us with conversations about the comparative degrees of oppression faced by transgendered white women versus gay men or women of color. We are repeatedly left to debate whose victimhood is more legitimate, creating a kind of language turf war wherein the battles are fought within the movement itself over placement in the hierarchy of oppression rather than in developing a unified revolutionary praxis for countering the hegemony of Global Capitalism.
The practical, concrete result this ideological formation has on street level political activism is the dominance of Movementism. Movementism is purely a reactionist enterprise. It tends to take the form of political activism in response to a single issue: the war in Iraq, police brutality, abortion restrictions, voter disenfranchisement, etc. As a result of this disorganization and spontaneous formation there is very little that the organizations formed around these issues can actually accomplish. Their disunity from the rest of the goals of the Left is precisely the reason that they generally fail to achieve their aims. They only appear spontaneously in the wake of an immediate crisis, feeding off the energy of the local populace to fill their ranks. Once that energy dissipates, as it always does when people begin returning to their normal lives, the organization falls apart, slipping back into obscurity.
We need to develop a movement across the left on the basis of a shared political line in opposition to Global Capitalism just as the Bourgeoisie united as a single class in opposition to Feudalism. We must take the various forms of oppression which exist under Capitalism and bring them within a unified politics. Instead of arguing over the hierarchy of oppression we must identify the various expressions of oppressions under Capitalism as anachronisms within the context of a better world and should thus be abolished along with their progenitor, Class Society, the modern formation of which is Capitalism. We need political organizations that live within, and recruit from, their communities around the country, devoted to the daily task that is the construction of revolutionary organizations capable of creating and promoting a revolutionary politics and the concrete strategy for its practical application.
The economic crisis that has brought suffering to so many millions of Americans would have been an excellent opportunity for these organizations to begin their practical efforts toward seizing political power through the established channels were these kinds of organizations being built in the preceding decades. However, Capitalism is yet again in crisis and the Left in America remains utterly impotent to do anything about it. This is not to say that the Left should ignore reformist struggles aimed at incremental improvements. Any reformist legislative campaign that is likely to be enacted and thus likely to improve the lives of millions of Americans, like the expansion of insurance and access to Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act, should be supported. But surely that does not mean that reformist struggle should be the only practical political activity of the Left.
The struggle for the overthrow of Capitalism through political revolution should not remain merely an academic, theoretical exercise. We need to develop practical tools for concrete revolutionary praxis all the while incorporating, and focusing, the energy of spontaneous political activism in the wake of crises into our paradigm. When these crises emerge there must exist revolutionary political organizations that the mass of the people can turn to for assistance. And these organizations must exist within and be derived from all the communities, but particularly those communities with the least access to the established avenues of political participation. As Marx correctly concluded the slaves make history, for they have nothing to lose but their chains. Certainly this will be a herculean undertaking.
Nevertheless, if the Left in America wishes to address and solve the many challenges that face not only the country but the planet, with climate change being the most dire, then this sectarianism must not persist. We have spent far too long huddled in our individual corners, fighting our own small, individual battles against attacks on the environment, anti-poverty programs, reproductive rights, voting rights, police brutality, corporate crime, and so on. Without a unified front there can be no long term victory in any of these fights. For there is too much money and power behind the counter-revolutionary forces within our society who desire to see the perpetuation of Class Society in the form of Global Capitalism for it is from the maintenance of the status quo that they benefit. Not to mention those who want to see the achievements of human liberation and progress rolled back. I hope to continue my investigation into this issue by researching the thought of revolutionaries past and present who also struggled with these same concerns.


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Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2015 > Mulayam Singh Yadav and BJP
Mainstream, VOL LIII, No 39, New Delhi, September 19, 2015
Mulayam Singh Yadav and BJP
Sunday 20 September 2015
Despite the Samajwadi Party supremo, Mulayam Singh Yadav's tall talk of being a great champion of socialism, standard-bearer of secula-rism and great crusader against communalism, his decision of quitting the grand secular alliance in Bihar is nothing but a clear move of his closeness to and having a secret deal with the BJP which is implementing the RSS agenda of making India a Hindu country and establishing here a state based on Hindutva. The following instances justify the contention that Mulayam Singh has a secret deal with the BJP.
The Mulayam Singh Government during his Chief Ministership submitted an affidavit to the Allahabad High Court that L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharati were not responsible for the demolition of the Babri mosque. Another example of Mulayam Singh's closeness to the BJP is that in UP during the Samajwadi Party Government, Madrasas were considered to be centres of terrorist activities and only those Madrasas got government grant in favour of which certificates had been issued by the local administration that those were not centres of terrorist activities.
The administrative machinery of the present SP Government, like the previous SP Government, in UP is full of anti-Muslim bias. A number of horrible anti-Muslim riots have taken place under the present government and the Muzaffarnagar riots are the worst example and no action was taken against the culprits with Muslims having suffered heavily. Similarly no action has been taken against the PAC which was responsible for committing atrocities on Muslims.
There is not a single Urdu medium school in UP which again proves the closeness of the SP to the BJP.
At the Patna Convention Mulayam opposed Laloo Prasad Yadav's resolution demanding resignation of Narendra Modi from the Chief Ministership of Gujarat on account of the genocide of Muslims in that State in 2002.
The last session of Parliament had been successfully stalled by the Opposition led by the Congress but Mulayam Singh deserted the Opposition. Prime Minister Modi is full of praise for Mulayam Singh and describes him as a great democrat and this goes to fully justify this conclusion that Mulayam Singh is a staunch ally of the BJP.
Mulayam Singh has been following the footsteps of his mentor, Dr Lohia, who had joined hands with the Jana Sangh, the predecessor of the BJP, to dislodge the Congress from power.
Dr M. Hashim Kidwai, (Ex-Member, Parliament)
C-501, Rosewood Apartments
Mayur Vihar, Delhi-110091


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text:
Newest Additions
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Today is a beautiful, warm clear summery day, but by this time next week, I might have a more swampy version of this drawing. You see, there has been a heap of rain in the last week or so in the Fitzroy River catchment area (second biggest river catchment in Australia), and in about four days time, they predict that the river will reach flood levels of around 8 metres. That's not enough to cut off the town and flood the airport like last year's 9.2m but it will turn Depot Hill into an island, and the swamp store will again get its floor boards wet. Most houses in that part of town are on stilts, as they are through most of Rocky, but the store isn't… if you look carefully you will see the tide marks on the power pole from last year.
To put last year's flood into context, it was the fourth worst since they started keeping records and isolated the town for two or three weeks. That won't happen next week, but again the Swamp Store and the surrounding houses will be swamped!


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Transparency Market Research Report Added "Ethylene Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019" to its database.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/02/2014 -- Ethylene is a colorless flammable gas with a musky odor. It is the simplest alkene and unsaturated hydrocarbon after acetylene. It is extensively used in the chemical industry. In addition, it is used in agriculture as a plant hormone to ripen fruits. Ethylene is used to produce ethylene dichloride, ethyl benzene, polyethylene and ethylene oxide among others. Industrial reactions of ethylene include polymerization, oxidation, alkylation, halogenation and hydrohalogenation among others. Furthermore, it is used as an anesthetic agent and as a welding gas.
Browse the full report with request TOC at http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ethylene-market.html
The basic raw materials for making polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, butyl rubber and acrylics among others are obtained from ethylene. Ethylene is a prime driver for chemical production. The production of ethylene is anticipated to revive in the North American region on account of the abundant availability of natural gas liquids feedstock at economical prices. In addition, the production in Europe is expected to get affected due to the high crude oil prices.
Ethylene is produced by two processes viz. by steam cracking of paraffinic hydrocarbons and by separation from refinery gas. It is used as an intermediate to produce other raw materials which are subsequently used for various applications. For instance, ethylene is oxidized to produce ethylene oxide which is used to manufacture detergents and surfactants. In addition, it has applications in automotive industry as an antifreeze. Moreover, other ethylene intermediates are used for packaging, insulation, tires and footwear among others.
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The increasing applications of ethylene intermediates in various industries are expected to drive the demand for ethylene within the forecast period. However, ethylene is combustible and carcinogenic. Thus, stringent regulations on the use of ethylene are expected to hamper the market over the next few years. In addition, volatility in the feedstock cost trends may curb the demand for ethylene in the near future.
Asia Pacific is expected to exhibit the fastest growth in the ethylene market followed by the Middle East. Many new capacities are expected to open in Asia and the Middle East in these next few years. Emerging economies such as India, Indonesia and Vietnam are expected to have high potential demand for ethylene in this region over the forecast period. In addition, India recently increased its olefins capacity in the recent years. For instance, GAIL, HPL and IOC have contributed to the overall growth of the ethylene market within this region. China is expected to dominate the supply and demand for ethylene and its derivatives in the near future. The production and demand in North America, Europe and Japan is expected to be steady in the near future. North America is expected to witness substantial growth within the forecast period. However, Europe may show a steady growth within the forecast period. Europe, being uncompetitive in chemical production may focus on lower volume, higher-value specialty products to survive in the market.
Some of the major players of the ethylene market are BASF, Chevron Phillips, Dow Chemical, Equistar, ExxonMobil, Formosa, Ineos, Sasol, Shell Chemical and Westlake among others. In May, 2014, LyondellBasell acquired permission for a multi-plant ethylene expansion program in order to increase its annual ethylene capacity by 1.85 billion pounds in North America. Merger and acquisition activities are expected to be on rise within the market over the forecast period.
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Stereo 6454 023
Side 1
A1. All you need is love
A2. Okaasan (little bird)
A3. Thoroughly modern Millie from the film
A4. Imogene
A5. Helados
A6. Up up and away
Side 2
B1. Can't take my eyes off of you
B2. South of the border
B3. Sunspot
B4. Windy
B5. Cornflake
B6. Flowers to Moscow
Produced by : Hugh Mendl & Michael Dacre Barclay


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In the poll released yesterday, College Insider's Mid-Major poll ranked SHU women's hoops 24th out of 25. This is the first time the Pioneers have ranked in the poll this season.
Sacred Heart is off to its best start in program history with a 9-1 record and have defeated all but one opponent (Quinnipiac) by double digit figures in each of the nine wins. The Pioneers led by Callan Taylor (Overland Park, Kan.) (17.3 ppg) and freshman Gabrielle Washington (Mesa, Ariz.) (12.3 ppg) are averaging 67.3 points per game.
The Pioneers and Robert Morris (25) are the only teams that represent the Northeast Conference in the rankings. Long Island also received votes, but not enough to make the list.
In October, Taylor was the only NEC player named to a preseason Mid-Major fourth All-American team.
The Mid-Major polls ranks teams from the America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Great West, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt and West Coast conferences.
The Pioneers head to Albany this weekend to take on the Great Danes Sunday at 2:00 p.m.


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Gibson Theatre
1 person favorited this theater
I am almost convinced almost any town of any size had a movie theatre or the "picture show " in the state of Georgia. Gibson, Georgia, a town I have been through is about as small as one can get and have a theatre.
I have a nose for old theatres and I can say I never saw a building in that town that looked like a movie theatre. But they had the Gibson Theatre. I searched Martin Theatres and Pal Theatres and neither one of them ran it in the late-1950's. Gibson, located at the cross roads of State Highway 102 and 171 did have their movies booked by ABC Theatrical Enterprises out of Jacksonville, FL, in 1956.
Hopefully, someone else can add more to this old and forgotten theatre.
Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
Any extra help would be great,guys.
Gibson is small, it's population in 2000 was 694, of course years ago it could have been larger.
More info, photos or an address would indeed be helpful.
Bob.It wasn't much bigger.i was surprized when i found it in my 1956 Motion Picture Almanac.
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater


text: Last time they nearly destroyed L.A., now they're about to break China! Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker reprise their roles as mismatched detectives in this smash-hit follow-up that's even "faster and funnier than the first!" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone). Reunited in Hong Kong, the two cops look forward to a much-needed vacation. But their plans go up in smoke when a bomb explodes in the American Embassy. Suddenly, they're tracking a group of slippery suspects, including a beautiful assassin (Zhang Ziyi) and a mysterious mobster (John Lone).


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The purpose of White Balancing is to find the most accurate color rendition in your photos. Digital sensors are especially sensitive to the different types of light sources that you may be shooting under (sunlight, fluorescent, incandescent and so on). A good photographer should not only be aware of color rendering issues related to white balance, but they should have a plan or a process in place to correct the problem. Cameras will have an auto-white balancing mode which are, for the most part, pretty good. But they are far from perfect, especially under unnatural light sources. For the purpose of metering, your camera sees in shades of gray, and sometimes the cast of a light source can throw off such balancing.
The ExpoDisc is one of the many tools designed to help correct the problem in the camera. The people at ExpoImaging, Inc. were kind enough to loan me an ExpoDisc Neutral to evaluate and review for Shutter Photo. A Portrait version is also available which adds a bit more warmth to your photos. The package I received is exactly like the retail package and includes everything you see in the photo above. Contents included the ExpoDisc, a carrying pouch, a lanyard (with quick-release), a quick-start guide, an instructional CD and an evaluation/inspection card (verification that the ExpoDisc was tested and meets their strict guidelines). Though I'm sure you will want to read everything I have to say, let me cut to the chase and start off by saying that I am sorry to have to send it back. It has already been added to my wish list. But it is not perfect and it is not a device for every application.
The Importance of Getting it Right In-Camera
Before I launch into the review of the product, I want to start off by briefly discussing why getting the White Balance correct in the camera is so important. I have been witness to many a conversation about whether such a tool is necessary if you're shooing in RAW – the opposition arguing that you can balance as part of your workflow. While this may indeed be the case, it's time and effort wasted when a tool, such as the ExpoDisc, would save you a great deal of time on large sets. Those of you who shoot in JPEG would have the most interest in White Balancing, because a compressed JPEG may not contain enough information to get back to an accurate white balance. And even if you want warmer or cooler photos, you need to start somewhere, and starting with an accurate white balance is ideal. Whether you make money from your photos or not, there are certainly better uses for your time.
Using the ExpoDisc
The ExpoDisc works like a lens filter in the way that it fits on the end of your lens (or your filter stack). Unlike a typical filter, it does not screw onto the lens. It has three spring-loaded ball bearings around the lip so that it can easily snap onto and hold firmly on the lens while you take your measurement. When I requested the ExpoDisc for review, I was informed that the size should correspond to the filter size of your lens for best results. I requested one to fit my largest lens. Ignorantly, I assumed that it would be fine to just just hold the larger ExpoDisc in place while taking readings with my smaller lenses. But this turned out to be a lot more cumbersome than I expected. Not because of the ExpoDisc's design, mind you. Rather my camera requires me to hold a button with my left hand to put it in metering mode, then I need to take the reading with the shutter button (right hand). In theory, I could set it in mode before holding the disc in place, but it is still a bit more juggling than would be necessary. Though the lanyard certainly helped, this was not easy to do while holding it with my smaller lenses. With my larger lens – the one the ExpoDisc was fitted for – this was not a concern at all because it just snaps into place and stays there until you're done metering. So I certainly appreciate that bit of advice, and I would offer the same: If you choose to use an ExpoDisc, get one that fits your lens.
Taking a reading with the ExpoDisc was quite easy. Though the process may vary between camera manufacturers, I essentially snapped the ExpoDisc onto the end of my lens, switched to "Pre-set" white balance, pressed and held the white balance button indicating that I was going to take a reading, and took the reading. About 90% of the time, the reading was accurate, and my test photo yielded results I was happy with. For the other 10% of the time, I had to take a new reading while aiming the camera differently. For example, when I was taking a reading outside with snow, I found it more effective to meter from the sky.
The Results
In my experience, the ExpoDisc worked best under natural light. To be fair, my camera's auto white balancing also works best under natural light. I experimented with the ExpoDisc for street photography, and I experimented with it in rural, urban and suburban environments. I tried it on sunny days, on cloudy days – I even tried it once in the rain. In all cases, the results were predictable: The ExpoDisc performed well – but only slightly better than the auto white balancing. But my eyes were opened after a snow storm that piled close to 30″ on our front yard. Under cloudy skies with white lawns and salty pavements, I took this set of photos of my front walk. Please note that I did not make any adjustments to either image. The auto white balancing was clearly thrown – everything yielded a bluish cast. The brick of my house appeared purple with drab grout. The pavement was unnatural and the snow – well, you can tell it's snow, but frosty would look sickly. So I snapped on the ExpoDisc and pre-set my white balance. The results of my photos from that point on were mind blowing. As you can see, the pavement looks like concrete, the brick is brick colored, and the snow looks white. Snow is incredibly difficult for the mechanical eye to to get right. Your camera wants to believe that snow is gray, so the built-in meter almost always gets it wrong. Experienced photographers now how to expose and meter for snow. But without some white balancing solution, your camera is not going to get it right. Gray cards are one thing, it's an object in a scene that you meter from. But where I was skeptical of the ExpoDisc was in a situation just like this – I was not expecting a snap on filter to be able to accurately meter a snowy scene. But it worked well, and the snow storm – if nothing else – would have sold me on the ExpoDisc.
Artificial lighting is always tricky. Fluorescent and Compact Fluorescent lighting is cool and causes a bluish cast in your photos. Incandescent lights – especially soft lights and warm lights – will cause a yellow or even orange color cast. The other problem with artificial light is that it dissipates very quickly – its influence on a scene can change within a couple of feet. It's very difficult to balance under artificial lighting, which is why studio lighting is such an important (and expensive) aspect of a portrait photographer's trade. Hobbyists rarely have such luxuries, however. Rarely have I seen a white balancing solution that works perfectly. I'm sorry to say that the ExpoDisc is not an exception. Like many other solutions before it, the ExpoDisc was inconsistent under incandescent lighting. Most of the time it worked, but sometimes, it did not. One lamp in particular was cause for some problems – a 150 Watt 3-way incandescent bulb. In the illustration at right, I have provided three photos. The top was taken with the camera's automatic white balance, the bottom with the preset form the ExpoDisc. The center shot was manually adjusted to more closely match the actual color profile. As you can see, the camera's automatic sensor overcompensated and made the shot too warm. The use of the ExpoDisc resulted in a bluer cast, which is odd considering the source casts a very warm. In this case, I would say that the ExpoDisc yields no clear advantage. No matter how you spin it, the majority of photos with incandescent lighting will need to be verified in post-processing. The only possible advantage is that the ExpoDisc provides is to get you closer to the actual white point as a starting point for your corrective measures. It is, in my opinion, much easier to warm up a photo than to make it cooler without loseing fidelity. The ExpoDisc got me to a manageable white balance. But it is certainly not the perfect solution for such conditions.
Update (Feb 22, 2010): After conducting a series of additional tests, we discovered that if we removed the lamp shade, the resulting image while using the ExpoDisc for balance was not nearly as blue. There was still a slight bluish cast, but the resulting image was fairly close to actual colors – much closer than the example above. We would still consider incandescent light a difficulty of the ExpoDisc system, however, as there would not be an easy way to check – for certain – the accuracy of the color profile before continued shooting. On the other hand, a good photographer already knows not to trust shots under incandescent light, and likely has a back-up plan in place for such photos.
Update (April 21, 2010): Further lab testing debunked our findings. For the full story, read our follow-up post.
To be completely fair, the ExpoDisc performed incredibly well under fluorescent and mixed (fluorescent and incandescent) light. The photo at the top of the page showing off the contents of the package was taken under mixed lighting: Compact Fluorescent, standard fluorescent tubes and an incandescent lamp. The ExpoDisc worked perfectly in this case.
Final Thoughts
I was skeptical at first, but a few weeks spent with the ExpoDisc quickly changed my mind. I'm a believer now. I had expected the color correction to be inaccurate much more often. In fact, the only time I experienced any sort of incorrect white balancing was under a 150 Watt warm incandescent light bulb – but it was still fairly close, significantly closer than the automatic white balancing, and still much closer than the incandescent setting on my camera. The snap-on feature is a nice touch. When I was advised to select a filter that would fit my lens, my first misconception was that I would have to screw it onto my lens to take a reading – an annoyance I did not want several time throughout a photo walk. I was happily surprised with the ExpoDisc arrived and I did not have to worry about that. The pouch and lanyard were also nice touches. I fastened the lanyard to my camera bag so that it was in easy access, and it was protected from clumsy fingers dropping it to the ground. It's also a good length to hang around your neck.
For those of you shooting under the controlled environment of a studio – this may be easier, but it may not be ideal for your fine-tuning minds. Studio photographers may still favor the over-sized (not as easy to carry) gray cards for their white balancing needs. But for the rest of you, the ExpoDisc is a fine tool to carry with you. It's small, it's accurate and convenient. It will also save you time in post processing – and who wouldn't want that. I find the ExpoDisc to be more accurate and certainly more easy to use than pocket-sized gray cards in the field. Anyone who's tried to shoot in the city will certainly appreciate not having to place a card just right in order to meter for white balance.
As I mentioned earlier, the ExpoDisc comes in two varieties: ExpoDisc Neutral, which I tried, and the ExpoDisc Portrait, which yields a warmer cast. Though I did not test the Portrait, it is my opinion that the Portrait iteration is a bit too specialized. As combined with a preset in your favorite photo editing software, your photos could easily be warmed up routinely since the starting image is corrected. So I'm not so sure the Portrait version is worthwhile.
To be blunt – I will be purchasing one of my own as soon as my budget allows. The cost is about $70-$105 (USD) depending on the size of the filter you need. Without trying one out for myself, I would have said that was too expensive. But after using one, I'd say it's a fair cost. It certainly saves a ton of time and frustration. So yes, this is on my wish list, and I expect to have one of my own before too long.
This is a Shutter Photo Recommended Product
If you are interested in the ExpoDisc, it is available at Amazon and at BH Photo. Just make sure to select a size that best fits your lens.
Things We Liked
- Accurate under most lighting applications.
- Easy to use with your camera
- Small – fits in your pocket easily.
- Snaps onto the lens easily without the need to screw it into place.
- Easy carrying options – lanyard and carrying pouch, quick access while in the field.
Things We Didn't Like
- Not perfect under all light sources, such as some incandescent light Update (April 21, 2010): Further lab testing debunked our findings. For the full story, read our follow-up post.


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This is my playground for poetry written for children with ideas and inspiration for writing your own poems. Come on in. Sit for a spell, have a cup of words to swirl around and make your own cup of poetry. I'm so glad you are here. I hope you'll find the Kingdom of Poetry a fun place to be.
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Clouds cover
over the moon.
Dawn is coming,
will be here soon.
Rain, rain, rain.
Chickens quiet,
they are still.
Sun is peeking
over the hill.
Rain, rain, rain.
Downspout water
in a rush
welcomes morning.
All is hush, with
Rain, rain, rain.
Posted by Joy at 1:28 AM
Labels: children's poem, children's poet, children's poetry, downspout, Joy Acey, Princess of Poetry, rain, sun
2 comments:
- AnonymousMay 26, 2017 at 7:30 AM
Love your watercolor and poem, Joy.ReplyDelete
Your brushstrokes and words are gentle and calm― in perfect harmony with the lovely images you paint.
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Are you open for tours?
We are not open to the public daily, however we have open house tours as well as travel for other events frequently. You can see upcoming open house dates & events on our calendar. All other showings are scheduled by appointment only.
How much does a tiny house cost?
All of our tiny homes are custom, so the price depends on many factors- trailer length, finishes, options selected, etc. We will be happy to provide you with a custom quote, based on your specific needs. On average, our homes range between $35,000-85,000.
Financing is available in some states.
What type of vehicle do I need to move/travel with my tiny house?
You will need a 3/4 ton vehicle or larger to comfortably tow your Tiny House. (For example, a Ford F250, Dodge RAM 2500, or equivalent)
How long will it take to build my tiny house?
Our current production time is 140-170 days. Keep in mind, any changes you request during the building process may cause delays beyond our control.
How will I heat and cool my tiny house?
Electric split unit heating & cooling systems are available, as well as pellet stoves, propane heaters, wood stoves, ceiling fans etc.
How are water, sewage and power handled?
Most models have traditional RV-style hook-ups to receive water directly to the plumbing systems. However, if you do not have any utilities available, we offer an off-grid utility set up. There are many options when it comes to off the grid. When building your home, we will add a freshwater holding tank, along with black and gray water holding tanks. This will all be discussed in much further detail during your initial build meeting.
All models have a grey-water holding tank for elimination of your hand washing, sink and shower water. The black water holding tank is for your toilet waste. There are many styles of toilets available depending on your needs and specific preference. We offer RV style, composting, incinolet, and dry flush style toilets.
Standard models have a 50 amp, 220v to the home. Having this allows you to run the entire home off of a standard electrical outlet. For off-grid models, generators and solar panels are available.


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Lockerbie bombing witness reported to have died in Malta
A key witness whose evidence helped to secure the conviction of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi over the Lockerbie bombing has died, it is understood.
Maltese shopkeeper Tony Gauci died of natural causes at his home at the age of 75, the Times of Malta reported.
It is understood the authorities in Scotland have been made aware of the death.
Tony Gauci's evidence helped secure the conviction of Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi
Mr Gauci ran a clothes shop in Swieqi, Malta, at the time of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 and claimed that Megrahi bought a piece of clothing found among the debris of the aircraft.
His evidence helped to secure the 2001 conviction of the former Libyan intelligence officer for the atrocity in which 270 people died, including 11 people on the ground.
But some doubts were subsequently raised about Mr Gauci's reliability.
Megrahi was the only person to have been convicted of the bombing over the south of Scotland on December 21 1988.
He was jailed for life but an investigation by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) led to a finding in 2007 of six grounds where it is believed a miscarriage of justice may have occurred, paving the way for a second appeal.
The Libyan dropped that appeal in 2009 before being released from jail on compassionate grounds due to his terminal prostate cancer. He died protesting his innocence in Libya in 2012.
The trial judgment detailed how the three judges were satisfied Megrahi had walked into Mr Gauci's shop and bought items of clothing which ended up packed around the bomb that exploded in a suitcase on board the flight.
But the SCCRC said doubt had been cast on some of the evidence which helped convict Megrahi, in particular evidence relating to the visit to Mr Gauci's shop.
New evidence suggested the clothing had been bought at a time when there was no evidence that Megrahi was in Malta, said the SCCRC.
And other evidence not available at the trial undermined Mr Gauci's identification of him, it said.
In his last interview, Megrahi insisted he had ''never seen'' Mr Gauci and had not bought clothes from him.
In 2014 Scotland's then Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland, reaffirmed his belief in Megrahi's guilt.
The following year, Scottish prosecutors revealed they have identified two Libyans as suspects over the atrocity.
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Shrek Toys - Where to Buy Shrek Plush Toys, Figures, Donkey, Fiona and Puss in Boots Toys
Shrek Toys - Shrek Plush Toys
One of the greatest things about Shrek plush toys is that they can be enjoyed by even the youngest of Shrek fans due to their lack of moving parts.
They make great bedtime companions, are perfect for pretend play but also dress up the decor in a Shrek decorated bedroom.
Just about every lovable character in all the Shrek movies has been produced in the plush version.
These characters include:
- Shrek plush
- Donkey Plush
- Fiona Plush
- Puss In Boots
- Dragon Plush
- Baby Shreks
- Baby Donkeys
- Gingy
- Pinnochio
Shrek Forever After Smack Back Toys - NEW Toys For New Movie
There are a bunch of new Great Shrek toys that have just come out to celebrate the long awaited 4th Shrek movie titled Shrek Forever After!
Released just in time so Shrek fans can re-inact their favorite parts from the movie.
The Swamp mini figures are a popular favorite, because they include all of the most popular characters in the movie. They are small and easy to carry around and can provide hours of pretend fun play! There are at least 4 different sets that contain different characters.
The Ogre Attack Disco Ball is another big hit this season and are already selling out quickly!
The Felicia and Fergus figures with their high chair and stroller are just too adorable to miss out on and there is a new plush figure included as well named Sir Squeakles.
Shrek Toys - Shrek Action Figures - Young and Old
Shrek action figures are the perfect gift for Shrek fans that are a little older.
Luckily there is a large selection of these Shrek toys as well.
There are the larger 6" Shrek figures - many that have moving ability such as a punching Shrek or a kicking Donkey and they also have the more affordable mini action figures sets.
The Mini action figure sets are great for fans, because again they have almost every Shrek character available from the movies, which will provide hours of fun as fans duplicate some of their favorite scenes from the Shrek movies.
Simply click on the blue link next to each item for larger images and more details. (Sorry the pictures of the mini figures here are a little small.)
To see more of these items, please visit Shrek Dolls.
Shrek Toys - Shrek Boardgames
There are also many fun Shrek boadgames for kids of all ages to enjoy.
These games are perfect for family game night, because adults can enjoy them as much as their kids.
Some of these games include:
- Shrek Operation Game
- Shrek Chess Game
- Shrek Surgery Game
- Shrek 2 Monopoly Junior Game
- Shrek Memory Game
- Shrek Swamp Party DVD Game
- Shrek's Flipped Out Fairytales
- Shrek UNO Game
Shrek Toys - Shrek DVDs
Your kids will watch these movies over and over again.
Here are the Shrek DVD movies in all their glory.
You can purchase Shrek, Shrek 2 or Shrek The Third separately or you can decide to purchase the Trilogy pack and get all three movies at once.
There are also special edition Shrek DVDs such as Shrek 3D - Party in the Swamp.
Shrek Toys - Shrek Video Games
Due to Shrek's popularity, there are video games for almost every gaming system out there.
There are a bunch of Shrek video games for:
- Playstation 2
- Xbox
- Wii
To see a much larger selection of Shrek Video Games, toys and collectibles please visit Shrek Toys and Collectibles.
Shrek Toys - Shrek Video Games for Xbox 360
Shrek Toys - Shrek Video Games for Wii
Other Toy Sites of Interest
- Hot Christmas Toys for 2010 - Hot Holiday Toys for 2010, Most Popular Christmas Toys for 2010 and Mo
- Squinkies Bubble Pack - Squinkies Playsets, Squinkies Surprise, Squinkies Figures, Squinkies Toys an
- Buy Zoobles Online, Zoobles Spinmaster, Zoobles Figures, Zoobles Playsets, Zoobles Toys and More!
- Furreal Furry Frenzies - Furreal Friends Furry Frenzies, Furry Frenzies Pets, Furry Frenzies Playset
- Kung Zhu Pets - Kung Zhu Accessories, Kung Zhu Battle Hamsters, Ninja Hamsters, Special Forces Hamst
- Toy Story 3 Toys - New 2010 Toy Story 3 Action Figures, Toy Story 3 Figures, Full Size & True to
- Scooby Doo Figures - Scooby Doo Figure, Scooby Doo Mystery Mansion, Scooby Doo Mystery Machine, Scoo
- Barbie House - Barbie Doll House, Barbie Dream House, Barbie Townhouse, Barbie Houses and More!
- Barbie Castle - Barbie Castles, Barbie Doll Castle, Barbie Princess Castle, Barbie Swan Lake Castle,
- Ken Doll - Ken Dolls, Barbie and Ken, Prince Ken Dolls, Beach Ken, Toy Story Ken Dolls, Twilight Ken
- Imaginext - Fisher Price Imaginext, Imaginext Toys, Imaginext Castle, Imaginext Toy Story, Imaginext
- Disney Princess Doll - Disney Princess Dolls, Disney Dolls, Disney Doll Princess, Disney Baby Prince
- Rudolph Reindeer - Rudolph Red Nosed Reindeer, Rudolph Misfits, Misfit Toys, Rudolph Toys, Misfit Is
- Hogwarts Castle - Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle - Room Decor, Toys, Games, Collectibles and More!
- Slytherin - Slytherin Crest, Slytherin Banners, Slytherin T Shirts, Slytherin Scarf, Robes, Collecti


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Pocket-Sized Powerhouses: Color Lessons From Fearless Small Spaces
For most small spaces, the color of choice is white. White is bright, it's safe, it makes small rooms seem larger. But that doesn't mean that color doesn't have a place in petite spaces. Here are five apartments that buck the trend, and prove that sometimes, a little bit (or a lot) of color in a small space can be just right.
One way to add color to a small space is with a single big color statement. In Emily's 600-square-foot Houston home, a pane of brilliant blue wraps one side of the living room. The rest of the colors in the room are fairly muted, so the space feels cheerful and dynamic, but not overwhelming.
In the living room of Kate's 500-square-foot West Village apartment, there are a few bright spots against a background of white. A consistent color scheme (red and blue) keeps the feeling of the room cohesive.
Marcus, who lives in this 270-square-foot apartment spotted on AD Russia, has also opted for brightly colored accents in a white room. The different elements don't really "match," but there's enough negative space between the pieces for the effect to be cheerful and not chaotic.
In this stylish New York studio apartment from Afternoon With, Patrick shows how you can use color as a neutral. The space's walls and ceiling are painted in a soothing light blue, which serves as a backdrop for the natural tones of the furniture, and little accents in other colors, particularly green.
Pati, who lives in this 840-square-foot UK apartment spotted on Desire to Inspire, has chosen to go for broke with black. This is essentially the same strategy as in Kate's space, but instead of placing colorful elements against a white backdrop, here the background is black. Brightly colored elements (like the candlesticks, the painting, and even the plant) shine against the dark field. It's an unusual choice for a small space—but also a very striking one.
What do you think? What colorful, bold tricks have you tried in your own home that work?


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Washington: The Obama Administration hopes that the US Senate would soon approve the nomination of the new Ambassador to India, the top diplomatic post lying vacant since May, once the White House announces it.
"I think everybody agrees that we should have an ambassador to India in place.
And as soon as one is nominated, we`re hopeful that the Senate will move forward as quickly as possible," State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters.
Her remarks came on a day when Secretary of State John Kerry in a newspaper article accused the US Senate for holding the confirmation process of permanent ambassadors in as many as 40 countries.
"Make no mistake: Vacancies in so many world capitals send a dangerous message to allies and adversaries alike about America`s engagement.
"The length and number of these vacancies compromise US national security. In the Middle East alone, the tragic conflict in Syria and rising extremism threaten a region where we have extensive economic and security interests," he said.
"The Senate, to its credit, confirmed ambassadors to Egypt and Iraq last month, but more remains to be done. The Senate must quickly approve ambassadors to Algeria, Kuwait and Qatar, just three of the countries where we have pressing security interests," Kerry said.
Psaki told reporters that countries like Qatar, Algeria, and Kuwait have nominees pending for approval by the Senate.
"In Africa, nearly a full 25 per cent of our total ambassadorial presence on the continent is pending before the Senate and has been for over eight months," she said, hoping that same would not be the case when the White House announces the nomination of US Ambassador to India.
The post of top American diplomat in India is vacant since (then) US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell left in May after an eventful stint. The White House is yet to announce a replacement for her.