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The Southern California Independent Booksellers Association pulled out all the stops for children's books at its annual trade show and Authors Feast last weekend at the Renaissance Hotel in Los Angeles.
More than one-third of the 50 authors at the Authors Luncheon and Authors Feast were authors or illustrators of children's books, and both of the afternoon kids' panels were packed. SCIBA's commitment to children's booksellers is longstanding, reinforced this year by the organization's decision to include children's bookstores on its annual Bookstore Tour. Based on the general buzz at the show, the market for children's books seems to be holding steady in a challenging economic time. Kristen McLean, executive director of Association of Booksellers for Children, traveled to the trade show to participate and moderate both panels.
"The New Age of Reading: A Look at the Most Interesting Developments in Children's Literacy and Digital Content" kicked off the afternoon of educational outreach and discussion. "Kids' books account for 10% of the market, and are the best lens through which to view trends of reading and consumer habits," McLean told the audience of booksellers, teachers, and librarians. "Paper books and electronic books will continue to exist side by side as time goes on."
McLean explained what she considers to be the four key trends in children's books, beginning with the concept of transmedia. Prior to the age of the Internet, she said, book marketing was limited to traditional avenues of print and radio advertising and author tours. Transmedia, however, allows publishers to spread both content and ideas to a variety of media platforms, including Smartphone apps, Web sites, movies, and social networking. For users of transmedia, the ability to research authors and books creates a gateway for many kinds of exploring. "From now on this is the way young readers will be in the world," McLean said.
In the concept of the second trend, information moves from a cathedral, or single-expert viewpoint, to a marketplace model that embraces many points of view in a wide-ranging environment. As an example, McLean described the successful self-directed inquiry of a student named Griffin Black who single-handedly, using tools found on the Internet, built a replica of the electric guitar used by Mike Campbell of the rock band The Heartbreakers.
McLean introduced several collaborative Web sites while describing the third trend: the consumer as creator. The first, Fanfiction.net, allows young writers to post stories and share them with other users; at present the site has 2.2 million stories in 39 languages. On the Figment.com site a similar literary engagement for young people is in beta form but will soon expand to its full scope of collaborative writing posts. "The audience is creatively inspired to participate on these sites," said McLean. "Kids can take full advantage of collaborative experiments and personal expression."
The final trend focuses on the child's inner circle, where peers and family members become the dominant influencers to determine what content is worth looking at. Citing that these trusted and valued sources are more meaningful than anything children can get from the outside world, McLean argued that advertising is "no longer effective" and publisher and author Web sites aren't used that much anymore. "More often than not," McLean noted, "kids find books by researching authors they're already familiar with, or they go with books that friends recommend. Browsing in bookstores is another way that they're finding new books."
The second panel, "Books vs. Bullying: Fighting One of Today's Most Insidious Problems with Great Books," generated a lively and emotional response from audience members, many of whom were parents with kids who'd experienced the effects of bullying in one form or another. Joining McLean to discuss the issue were Andrea Vuleta, buyer for Mrs. Nelson's Toys and Books in La Verne; author/illustrator Kathryn Otoshi (One and Zero, KO Kids Books), whose laryngitis caused her to provide written comments only; and Mary Hanlon Stone (Invisible Girl, Penguin), a district attorney for Los Angeles County who handles criminal juvenile cases, many of which involve bullying.
Otoshi explained that One was originally conceived as a book with characters that had faces, but she then decided to simply use colors to represent the feelings and emotions inherent in bullying. "This works well because there are no particular people in the book," said Vuleta. "There are no stereotypes, and it's very simplistic, which makes it easier for the child reading the book to absorb the information and causes adults to really ponder it, too."
Hanlon recalled a court case of a young female student who was called a whore during an off-campus incident, resulting in her being ostracized at her school. The D.A. decided it best that she bring all the mothers of those concerned together for a meeting to discuss how best to deal with the situation, which was ultimately a very effective tool. "Bullying is a vicious cycle that has to be broken," Hanlon said. "Parents have to set the example for relationships among kids to improve."
With the exception of the Montessori schools, which have a "peace curriculum," McLean said that it's difficult to determine how many school systems, if any, have adopted anti-bullying books for classroom use. An extensive list of suggested titles compiled by McLean that range from early childhood books to middle grade novels was distributed during the panel discussion. Her favorite anti-bullying picture books include Doodle Bites and Hello, Tilly by Polly Dunbar (Candlewick); Goggles by Jack Ezra Keats (Viking); and Chester's Way by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow). In the nonfiction YA category, Queen Bees and Wannabees: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and the New Realities of Girl World, by Rosaline Wiseman (Random House) received particular mention, and middle-grade novels Bystander by James Preller (Feiwel and Friends) and Dexter the Tough by Margaret Peterson Haddix (S&S) were also highlighted. "Books like these give us the opportunity to lay down the baseline of moral codes for kids," Vuleta said. "They bring in the empathy card, which is very important and also serve as our salvation as adults."
The panelists all agreed that it's essential to expose kids to great books as they move through the difficult phases of adolescence and young adulthood. "Booksellers can and should take the role as leaders in the community," McLean urged.
Later in the day Vuleta raved about several of the new books for the holiday season. She is particularly looking forward to Nathan Hale's The 12 Bots of Christmas (Walker), Rosemary Wells's On the Blue Comet (Candlewick), The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi (Simon & Schuster), and School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari (Little, Brown). "Right now [our sales are] up about 8% in books," Vuleta said, "although we're down in toys, and I'm not sure why."
Kris Vreeland, manager of the children's department at Vroman's in Pasadena, noted that customers started buying Christmas books "as soon as we put them out, and I'm hopeful that we'll have a great season despite the unpredictable aspects we're all facing." She's noticed a trend that points to "feel-good" titles and classic books that families can all read together. Among her picks for the holidays are: The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson (HarperCollins); Marla Frazee's The Boss Baby (S&S/Beach Lane), which won SCIBA's best picture book award for 2010; It's a Book by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook); The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby (Scholastic); and Ellen Hopkins's Fallout (S&S/McElderry).
"I'm excited about the Christmas rush," said Vreeland. "I think we all are. It's the time of year when one-on-one selling is the most meaningful, and that's what bookselling is all about."


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Travis Gould
Travis J. Gould
Physics and Astronomy
Assistant Professor
Carnegie Science Hall, Room 334
Ph.D. and M.S. in Physics, University of Maine, Orono
B.S. in Physics, Minor in Mathmatics, University of Maine, Orono
My research interests are at the interface between optical physics, nanotechnology, and biophysics. More specifically, I am interested in fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy, diffraction-unlimited microscopy (nanoscopy), adaptive optics, and their application to biological systems.
Fluorescence techniques are invaluable for investigating biological questions. Their non-invasive nature and live-cell compatibility provide an attractive counterpoint to electron microscopy. Unfortunately, the spatial resolution of conventional fluorescence microscopy is limited by diffraction to ~250 nm. The length scales relevant to many biological processes are on the order of tens of nanometers, an order of magnitude smaller than the resolution limit. Therefore, developing novel fluorescence microscopy techniques for biological imaging at the nanometer scale is an exciting field that is growing rapidly.
Please visit my lab website for more information: Gould Research Group

subset: commoncrawl


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Gardai have arrested five men and uncovered what is believed to be a bomb after stopping a number of vehicles close to the border in Co Louth.
It is believed that the device was in the process of being transported across the border.
It's also thought that it was destined to be used in an attack in Northern Ireland, possibly on the security forces.
The operation by armed gardai took place near Kilcurry, Dundalk earlier this evening and the men arrested ranged in age from early 70s to mid 50s.
They are detained at Drogheda and Dundalk Garda Stations under the provisions of Section 30 Offences Against the State Act.
Gardai believe they have foiled a major incident being planned by dissident Republicans.


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I'm a Bike Courier!
My wife recently started a children's clothing company called Mint + Chip. She does lots of custom orders, and sells various kids stuff that she makes at home. I'm no expert, but I'm told it's well made quality clothing and she enjoys hammering away on the various sewing machines.
She sells her goods via her Facebook page, and if someone lives within a reasonable distance from our home, it's free delivery. It's free delivery because I'm the unpaid bike courier.
Every day at lunch I'm told what package needs to be delivered to what address, and I plan my route accordingly. I love it. On days when there are no deliveries, I'm actually disappointed.
No pressure, but if you'd like to ensure I have more free deliveries to make, spread the word about Mint + Chip.
Comments (7 - click here to join in!)
Is Waterloo region considered a reasonable distance? A delivery or two out here would certainly help increase your monthly mileage.November 6, 2016 @ 9:23 AM
Haha! The problem is time... I'd have to quit my fulltime job to make that delivery.November 6, 2016 @ 9:41 AM
What's the origin of her business's name? #nosy
@Rob J
She bought this fabric that kind types of ice cream flavours on it and one was mint and chip. And since it's her favourite flavour of ice cream, she thought it would make a good name for her biz.November 6, 2016 @ 5:13 PM
It's great to be able to get some exercise AND accomplish some work/a mission at once. Are you a "winter rider" when it starts getting snowy and icy? Just curious how the winter season might alter things.
I happened to see this the other day in the 24 Hrs freebie. Perhaps you know most of it. I'm not a serious enough biker - just here and there mostly on trails/sidestreets - that I ever thought of eye protection - but this section of the story sure makes me reconsider that:
"Cranwell told us a story about riding near the lake recently, when he wasn't wearing eye protection. "Then I get a gnat in the eye," he recalls. "And my eye swells up, and it's streaming tears, and I'm trying to see out of my one eye the rest of my way home, and it took a couple days for it to clear up." To help against blowing snow, dust or pesky gnats, make sure to pick up proper cycling eyewear (although some riders also opt for ski goggles on severe weather days)."
November 6, 2016 @ 5:36 PM
Ugh. :-/
Yes, I bike all year round. Snow doesn't stop me. The only time I'll skip a ride is if it's under -20 or if it's actively snowing hard and the ploughs haven't got out yet.
Here's something I once wrote about cycling Toronto's winters. http://www.torontomike.com/2015/11/how_to_bike_torontos_winters.htmlNovember 6, 2016 @ 6:25 PM
Oh yeah, I meant to comment on the gnats.
They're midges, and I know them well! Here's something I wrote about them: http://www.torontomike.com/2015/05/midges_by_lake_ontario_in_toronto.html
I find them much worse in the spring and they really only bug me for a few weeks.... but without a doubt, when they're bad, you'll get them in your eyes, up your nose and in your mouth. Then, one day in late May, they're gone.November 7, 2016 @ 2:27 PM
Only 7 comments? C'mon, we can do better... Leave a comment above and let's keep this conversation going!


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To bring photos from my minds eye - to the public through the lens of my Nikon D90 ∧ D80
Wednesday, 4 June 2014
6 comments:
- This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...
Mac: Now I must say that is a first for me. A bottled greenhouse, what a good recycling idea.
- Wednesday, June 04, 2014
- Lew said...
Fantastic use for old plastic bottles! Your bar is much better stocked than we are, LOL. Love the make over!
- Wednesday, June 04, 2014
- Craver Vii said...
The greenhouse is amusing. I wonder how long it took to collect all those 2-liter bottles. Good thing they weren't of the green variety, which were hanging on the wall... we all know how that turned out.
- Wednesday, June 04, 2014
- Christine said...
Love the greenhouse; what a neat idea. And I think my favorite is that round bottle display. I love the colors and shapes. Cheers!
- Wednesday, June 04, 2014
- Jackie said...
That 5th photo has your signature/style all over it. I would have been able to pick it out as "Stewart's" from anywhere.
Lovely bottle photos....great colors, as usual.
- Wednesday, June 04, 2014
- Betty Manousos said...
wow, great header pic!
lovely bottle shots, too:))
- Sunday, June 15, 2014


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Pulling off four-wheel drifts in any front driver takes more than just a dexterous a-pedal foot. It also takes more yanks on the e-brake than a kid riding a Big Wheel. Google Video coughs up a clip that shows the results of those skills, made even harder by the book-like aerodynamic profile of a pair of minivans. Now we're wondering if the rear wheels are made of hard plastic. [Update: Reader Zac keeps us honest — the vehicles in the video are not actually minivans, they're Japanese high-roof keicars, meaning they're about half the size of a standard-issue minivan, though with the same hideous aerodynamics.]
Crazy Japanese Mini-vans drifting [Google Video]
Google Video Mining: Drifting RC Cars [internal]


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One of the hardest things for any orator to do is to give a successful stump speech before a hostile audience, and that is just what Sarah Palin did on Saturday, April 16, 2011, in Madison, Wisconsin at a tea party rally. Union rent-a-mobs were out in force, drawn like flies to sugar by the presence of Palin, always a mesmerizing target for the denizens of the Left. During her speech you can hear constantly in the background their continual attempts to shout her down. Go here to Ann Althouse's blog to see some of the charming signs carried by the Union mob and her comments on their attempts to drown out Palin. (The height of courage was shown when the Union thugs attempted to drown out a 14 year old girl who was speaking.) Palin did not back down an inch, giving a pugnacious, fighting speech, that not only took on Obama and the spend-us-into-bankruptcy-Union leadership, but also the clueless Gop establishment. It was a bravura performance, and the best stump speech I have seen since Reagan rode off into the sunset. Here is the text of her speech with my comments:
Hello Madison, Wisconsin! You look good. I feel like I'm at home. This is beautiful. Madison, I am proud to get to be with you today. Madison, these are the frontlines in the battle for the future of our country. This is where the line has been drawn in the sand. And I am proud to stand with you today in solidarity.
Note the use of the term solidarity, and it will not be the only time she uses it. Palin wasn't born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and her family members belong to unions.
I am here today as a patriot, as a taxpayer, as a former union member, and as the wife of a union member. What I have to say today I say it to our good patriotic brothers and sisters who are in unions. I say this, too, proudly standing here as the daughter of a family full of school teachers. My parents, my grandparents, aunt, cousins, brother, sister – so many of these good folks are living on teachers' pensions, having worked or are still working in education.
Not us versus them, but just us. Palin is talking to union members over the heads of their union bosses.
A pension is a promise that must be kept. Now, your Governor Scott Walker understands this. He understands that states must be solvent in order to keep their promises. And that's what he's trying to do. He's not trying to hurt union members. Hey, folks, he's trying to save your jobs and your pensions! But unfortunately some of your union bosses don't understand this, and they don't care if union members have to be laid off. No, they want to protect their own power, and if that means forcing a governor to lay off union workers, then so be it; they've proven that that is fine with them. But that's not real solidarity! Real solidarity means coming together for the common good. This Tea Party movement is real solidarity!
The Tea Party as representative of true solidarity. Her use of that term I think is deliberate and echoes Solidarity in Poland in the eighties, which was primarily a political movement with roots as a union. She is also telling the truth as to pensions. Unless there is radical change, public employees around the country will not be paid their pensions. A glide path to state bankruptcies will take out public employee pensions, and anyone who denies that simply isn't dealing with reality.
Well, I am in Madison today because this is where real courage and real integrity can be found. Courage is your governor and your legislators standing strong in the face of death threats and thug tactics. Courage is you all standing strong with them! You saw the forces aligned against fiscal reform. You saw the obstruction and the destruction. You saw these violent rent-a-mobs trash your capital and vandalize businesses.
No mincing of words here. Honest union members were very ill-served by the non-stop thuggery done in their name in Madison.
Madison, you held your ground. Your governor did the right thing. And you won. Your beautiful state won. And you know what – people still have their jobs because of it! That's courage. And that's integrity. And that's something that's sorely missing in the Beltway today.
Scott Walker a possible Palin Veep? She holds him up as a model and then blasts the DC Beltway.
Because let me tell you what isn't courageous: It's politicians promising the American voters that, as we drown in $14.5 trillion debt, that they're going to cut $100 billion out of this year's budget. But then they cave on that and they reduce it down to $61 billion after they get elected. Then they get in there and they strike a deal and decide, nah, they will reduce that down to $38 billion. And then after some politics-as-usual and accounting gimmicks, we find out it's not $38 billion in cuts. You know that $38 billion – we don't have it; we're borrowing it. We borrow from foreign countries to give to foreign countries, and that's insanity. We find out it's not even $38 billion; it's less than $1 billion in real cuts. Folks, that $352 million in real cuts – that's no more than the federal government is going to spend in the time it takes us to hold this rally today! That is not courage; that's capitulation!
Note here that Palin isn't blasting the Democrats but turns her fire on the GOP establishment in Congress, and rightly so. Assuming she runs, one of her main targets will be a GOP establishment that often seems to specialize in disappointing Republican rank and file. This will be dynamite in GOP primaries, and is clearly a foretaste of the type of insurgency campaign Palin plans on running.
Now, there's a lesson here for the Beltway politicos, something they need to understand; the lesson comes from here in Madison. So, our lesson is to the GOP establishment first. And yeah, I'll take on the GOP establishment. What more can they say about us, you know?
The GOP establishment has always been an enemy of Palin from her days running against an entrenched and corrupt Republican party leadership in Alaska, to the savage backbiting by GOP insiders during and after the campaign of 2008 against her. Tea Party conservatives are just as opposed to the GOP leadership as Palin is, and she thus joins them in a crusade against a common foe. Brilliant!
So, to the GOP establishment: if you stand on the platform, if you stand by your pledges, we will stand with you. We will fight with you, GOP. We have your back. Together we will win because America will win!
If the GOP wants to govern as conservatives everything is fine.
We didn't elect you just to re-arrange the deck chairs on a sinking Titanic. We didn't elect you to just stand back and watch Obama re-distribute those deck chairs. What we need is for you to stand up, GOP, and fight. Maybe I should ask some of the Badger women's hockey team—those champions—maybe I should ask them if we should be suggesting to GOP leaders they need to learn how to fight like a girl!
"Fight like a girl!", an instant classic tagline. Palin would get my vote as the only "real man" in the current flock of GOP hopefuls for 2012! She serves notice on the Republican leadership that the Tea Party and rank and file Republicans are not going to settle for the usual Democrat-Lite act of many elected Repbulicans.
And speaking of President Obama, I think we ought to pay tribute to him today at this Tax Day Tea Party because really he's the inspiration for why we're here today.
Obama, the father of the resurgent Conservative movement!
That's right. The Tea Party Movement wouldn't exist without Barack Obama.
Absolutely corrent. Obama has raised up more opponents to the Democrat Party than any president since Andrew Jackson.
You see, Candidate Obama didn't have a record while he was in office; but President Obama certainly has a record, and that's why we're here. And hey, media, it's not inciting violence and it's not hateful rhetoric to call someone out on their record, so that's what we're going to do. We're going to do it to be clear. That's right: we're here, we're clear, get used to it!
Obama has a record now to be attacked, unlike 2008, and the media in 2012 is not going to be able to run protection for him again without being called out on it by Palin, time and time again.
Candidate Obama promised to be fiscally responsible. He promised to cut the deficit; but President Obama tripled it!
Yeah. I do recall Morning's Minion's endorsement of Obama as the fiscally responsible candidate at Vox Nova in 2008. Of course he was only echoing what was being said by the unpaid Obama press agents in the mainstream media. Does anyone doubt that in regard to budgetary issues Obama is the worst president in our nation's history?
Candidate Obama promised that fiscal responsibility; but President Obama flushed a trillion dollars down the drain on a useless "stimulus" package and then he bragged about the jobs he "created" in congressional districts that don't even exist! That's right; on this, White House, you lie. The only thing that trillion-dollar travesty stimulated was a debt-crisis and a Tea Party!
Money down a rat hole. I doubt if anyone who is not on the Obama payroll or a blind partisan shill can argue with a straight face that the "stimulus" succeeded in doing anything positive for the economy. There would have been more of a positive impact if Obama had gone from city to city tossing money out of car windows to onlookers.
Now, the left's irresponsible and radical policies awakened a sleeping America so that we understood finally what it was that we were about to lose. We were about to lose the blessings of liberty and prosperity. They caused the working men and women of this country to get up off their sofas, to come down from the deer stand, get out of the duck blind, and hit the streets, come to the town halls, and finally to the ballot box. And Tea Party Americans won an electoral victory of historic proportions last November. We the people, we rose up and we decisively rejected the left's big government agenda. We don't want it. We can't afford it. And we are unwilling to pay for it.
Translation: Obama has messed things up so badly that he has altered the political landscape for the foreseeable future by causing a great many apolitical people to become active in fervent opposition to Obama and his administration. 2012 is not going to be a repeat of 2008.
But what was the president's reaction to this mandate for fiscal sanity?
A theme of a Palin campaign will be that Obama ran as a moderate in 2008 and governed as a Leftist.
Less than 90 days after the election, in his State of the Union address, President Obama told us, nah, the era of big government is here to stay, and we're going to pay for it whether we want to or not. Instead of reducing spending, they're going to "Win The Future" by "investing" more of your hard-earned money in some cockamamie harebrained ideas like more solar shingles, more really fast trains – some things that venture capitalists will tell you are non-starters. We're flat broke, but he thinks these solar shingles and really fast trains will magically save us. So now he's shouting "all aboard" his bullet train to bankruptcy. "Win The Future"? W.T.F. is about right.
"Bullet train to bankruptcy", another instant classic tagline. Obama is interested solely in big government liberal policies and really does not care about fixing the economy. I wish that Palin hadn't used "WTF" but I agree with the sentiment if not the expression of it, and I suspect that is how many apolitical Americans have felt in observing the antics of the Obama administration.
And when Wisconsin's own Paul Ryan presented a plan for fiscal reform, what was Obama's response? He demonized the voices of responsibility with class warfare and with fearmongering. And I say personally to our president: Hey, parent to parent, Barack Obama, for shame for you to suggest that the heart of the commonsense conservative movement would do anything to harm our esteemed elders, to harm our children with Down syndrome, to harm those most in need. No, see, in our book, you prioritize appropriately and those who need the help will get the help. The only way we do that is to be wise and prudent and to budget according to the right priorities.
Palin points out the obvious: Obama is clueless as to how to deal with out of control spending and has nothing to offer but raw demagogery.
Now, our president isn't leading, he's punting on this debt crisis. The only future Barack Obama is trying to win is his own re-election! He's willing to mortgage your children's future to ensure his own. And that is not the audacity of hope. That's cynicism!
I think that is a very good summary of Obama. A deeply cynical politician whose only vision is for his own career. Après moi le déluge, (after me the deluge), might as well be the motto of Obama as well as for Louis XV.
Piling more debt onto our children and grandchildren is not courage. No, that's cowardice!
Debt that will never be paid without a bout of bad inflation lasting years, or depreciation of the currency.
But did you notice when he gave that polarizing speech last week there was a little gem in the speech. Maybe you missed it. But he spoke about the social contract and the "social compact." Well, Mr. President, the most basic tenet in that social compact is adhering to the consent of the governed. That would be "We the People." President Obama, you do not have our consent. You didn't have it in November. And you certainly don't have it now. You willfully ignored the will of the American people.
Palin is here making the argument that Obama, in effect, is a lameduck since the 2010 elections.
You ignored it when you rammed through Obamacare.
Still vastly unpopular more than a year after its passage.
You ignored it when you drove up the debt to $14.5 trillion.
We are rapidly reaching the point when government by infinite credit card is simply no longer possible.
You ignored it when you misrepresented your deficit spending.
There I disagree with Palin. I do not think Obama really sees a problem with deficit spending and assumes that we can continue to conjure money out of thin air forever.
You ignored it when you proposed massive tax increases on the middle class and our job creators.
Obama made a critical error by coming out in favor of tax increases. Most Americans think, I believe, that the more money Washington gets in, the more will simply be sent down newfound rat holes.
You ignored it when you went to bat for government-funded abortions and yet you threw our brave men and women in uniform under the bus, Mr. Commander in Chief.
A great shot! Obama and the Democrats used the troops as human shields in the budget debate, refusing to go along with a Republican bill to guarantee funding of the troops, and demonstrated quite clearly that the one thing they will never sacrifice is Planned Parenthood and its sacred role in Holy Abortion.
You ignored it when you got us into a third war for fuzzy and inconsistent reasons, a third war that we cannot afford.
Obama frittered away an opportunity to squash Quaddaffi quickly, and now the Libya War has quagmire written all over it.
You ignore it when you apologize for America while you bow and kowtow to our enemies, and you snub our allies like Israel.
With Obama our foreign enemies need not be concerned and our foreign allies are learning that he can only be relied upon not to be reliable.
And you ignore when you manipulate the U.S. oil supply. You cut off oil development here and then you hypocritically praise foreign countries for their drilling.
The reference is to the Obama administration's funding support for Brazilian oil drilling and its opposition to US oil drilling. Incredible, but absolutely true.
And when hardworking families are hit with $4 and $5 a gallon gas and your skyrocketing energy and food prices as you set out to fundamentally transform America, you ignore our concerns and you tell us we just better get used to it.
Obama's popularity is already swinging down as gas prices go up. The expected $5.00 a gallon gasoline will be devastating to him.
Well, Mr. President, we're not going to get used to it. Not now. Not ever. You ignored us in 2010. But you cannot ignore us in 2012.
The clearest sign yet I think that Palin is looking to 2012.
Mr. President, you and your cohorts threw all the hatred and all the violence you could at these good folks in Madison, Wisconsin. But you lost here.
Palin realizes that the 2012 campaign will be conducted in white hot heat, but she is prepared for it.
And Madison, you defended the 2010 electoral mandate. You are heroes, you are patriots, and when the history of this Tea Party Movement is written, what you accomplished here will not be forgotten.
Scott Walker took the worst the Left could toss at him and triumphed. What he did on the state level, Palin plans to do nationally, if she runs.
Your historic stand brought down the curtain on the last election. And the 2012 election begins here.
Once again, a clear signal I think that she is running.
We will take the courage and the integrity that you showed all of America. We will take it and we will win back our country!
An insurgent campaign against Obama in the general, and against the GOP establishment in the primaries.
God has shed His grace on thee, America. We will not squander what we have.
As opposed to the Obama administration that has done nothing but squander what we have.
We will fight for America! And it starts here in Madison, Wisconsin!
Once again, another clear sign that she is tossing her moose hunting cap into the ring.
It starts here! It starts now! What better place than the state that hosts the Super Bowl champs, to call out the liberal left and let them know: Mr. President, game on!
The gauntlet has been tossed down to Obama.
God bless you, Wisconsin, and God bless America!
In 2008 a deeply frustrated Palin was forced to campaign according to a strategy not of her choosing. In 2012, and I do believe she will run, she intends to force her opponents to respond to her strategy, and it will not be a conventional campaign. 2012 is shaping up to be a very interesting year indeed.


text:
Sean MacDoanldUnited States
one of many websites devoted to Aesop's work:Quote:A Crow, half-dead with thirst, came upon a Pitcher which had once been full of water; but when the Crow put its beak into the mouth of the Pitcher he found that only very little water was left in it, and that he could not reach far enough down to get at it. He tried, and he tried, but at last had to give up in despair. Then a thought came to him, and he took a pebble and dropped it into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped it into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. At last, at last, he saw the water mount up near him, and after casting in a few more pebbles he was able to quench his thirst and save his life.
Moral of Aesop's Fable: Little by little does the trick.
To this day, I still enjoy reading Aesop's Fables as they are short, thematic, and simplistic. The end result is that the reader is left with a thought-provoking message. How can these fables not inspire someone – including, say, a game designer?
Game Design of a Fable
1.) Narrative = Theme
2.) Length = Short
3.) Content = Simple mechanisms
4.) Moral = Game play (fun or not)
Inspiration and Theme
The main inspiration from the fable is the dropping of stones into a pitcher. In The Crow and the Pitcher, players are the crows trying not to perish from thirst, and they need to drop stones into a pitcher that is partially filled with water, as per the Aesop fable. (Additional inspiration came from my grandmother, who told me: "If you fly with the crows, you get shot with the crows.")
All my games design start in my head. I will play the game design over and over in my mind before I make the prototype. The last thing I want to do is waste time on making a prototype and find out the game is not worth pursuing.
At the start, there was no question that The Crow and the Pitcher would be a trick-taking card game, along the lines of Günter Cornett's Flaschenteufel (The Bottle Imp). I wanted to create a game in which players could influence each other to score points (and vice versa lose points).
With most trick-taking games, the player with the highest suited card takes the trick. In The Crow and the Pitcher, the number on the Pitcher card – which changes throughout the game – determines the total needed to take the trick. The leading player decides which suit is to be followed, and only the suited Stone cards with values under the number on the Pitcher card are eligible to take the trick.
Once all players have played to the trick, you sum the eligible suited Stone cards to determine which player takes the trick. If the sum equals or exceeds the value of the Pitcher, whoever played the highest eligible suited Stone card takes the trick; if not, then the player with the lowest eligible suited Stone card takes the trick.
If a player cannot follow suit, the player may play any other card, including a Thirst card, which is worth negative points at the end of a round. (Once a Thirst has been played, the starting player can lead with a Thirst card and all players must play one, if possible, with the highest Thirst "winning" the trick.)
As you can see, players need one another to take (or not take) tricks. One other twist in the game is that the trick-taking player does not lead the next trick. Instead the same player leads each trick in a round, and after all players have been the starting player in a round, then the game ends. (Complete English rules (PDF) are available online.)
I have been told that the scoring in The Crow and the Pitcher – with the higher-numbered Stone cards scoring fewer points than the lower-numbered ones – is counter-intuitive. My thought behind this is that the number of blue waves on a Stone card represents the amount of water in the pitcher, and when there is more water in the pitcher, a smaller number of stones (or, to put it another way, smaller stones) are required to raise the water.
Prototyping and Playtesting
Playtesting is probably the most difficult time during the game design process. I'm very fortunate to be a member of The Board Game Designers Guild of Utah (BGDG), an organized group of up-and-coming game designers based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The format the Guild uses to playtest game designs is focused, straight-forward, and beneficial to the designer.
The Next Step: Publication, and Publication Once Again
After I was satisfied with The Crow and the Pitcher, I entered it into the 2009 ION Award game design competition, held at SaltCON, an annual game convention in Salt Lake City. The Crow and the Pitcher placed fourth, and that placement pleased me enough to publish an edition of the game through my own NoMADS GAMES.
Now fellow BGDGer Phil Kilcrease has breathed new life into The Crow and the Pitcher by making a new edition of the game his second release from 5th Street Games via a Kickstarter campaign. A big thank you goes out to Phil, who has been a joy to work with.
Sean D. MacDonald


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Fair use is a law that is egregiously abused, daily, by much of the internet. By definition, Fair Use outlines when it's acceptable to use excerpts of copyrighted material. These special case scenarios include research, teaching, criticism, and news reporting. It's that last one that throws the web for a loop – sites like Buzzfeed have manifested an extremely loose view of "news", and as such, the internet is having a hay day with other people's content.
Many companies are abusing fair use by incorporating copyrighted material into their content marketing efforts, often without a single thought that they might be abusing the system. Photos, music, and video snippets are used across platforms to promote causes other than those they were originally created for, and it's made the notion of competition in the creative space insanely difficult.
How so? If sites like Buzzfeed can make millions (and they are) by scraping the internet, creating "Best of" lists, and labeling that news without paying a single penny of royalties to the original content creators, how is a smaller company supposed to play by the rules and still profit?
In truth, they can't, and it's sent the notion of fair use into the unfair stratosphere.
Why Fair Use Was Once a Great Idea
If you operate a blog or post any semblance of news articles on your site, fair use is your friend. It is supposed to encourage media professionals to spread the good word about content creators, without incurring a fee, which should create a win-win. If CNN tells the world about a new phone app, it makes sense that they could use the app's images as part of the storytelling.
These days, however, photographers often don't even get credit for a photo used on a news site, let alone a single dollar in royalties.
Take the top article on Buzzfeed's site recently, literally called 30 Adorable Redditor Cats. Buzzfeed generates massive amounts of traffic to "news" articles such as these, which is simply content scooped from another site (in this case, Reddit), slapped with a headline, and thrown up as an official Buzzfeed content piece. They don't even bother to add copy to most articles; it's literally a list of someone else's creative endeavors.
It's An Automated World
Algorithms are the reason fair use is out of control. It's now immensely easy for anyone to scape content from other sites, and then call it their own with minimal, if any, changes. Peter Wayner, author of the Wired article Algorithms are the New Content Creators, and That's Bad for Humans explains the problem this way:
"The battle for fair use is unfair to anyone who plays by the old rules and tries to share with the artists because human creatives can't compete with the automated services that aren't sharing with the artists."
This leaves marketers and content creators in a serious conundrum. But there is a solution.
How Your Business Can Play By the Rules and Still Benefit
As you create content for your business and need to access images and videos without paying an exorbitant fee, it's hard to know how to proceed. Never fear, there is hope for a win-win resolution, and by the looks of it, it's way past time to implement.
Buzzfeed has recently been hit with a $36 million dollar copyright infringement lawsuit proving that the world is definitely paying attention to the abuse of fair use. To combat this chaos, it's going to take some revolutionary creators to generate a new model. Are you willing to be part of the solution?
Wayner writes in his article:
"What if the researchers at these companies could improve their bots enough for the algorithms to make intelligent decisions about fair use? If their systems can organize the web and drive cars, surely they are capable of shouldering some of the responsibility for making smart decisions about fair use."
We know that bots and machines are here to stay. So what about using them so that everyone benefits? We humans define those algorithms, after all, so it is possible to stir things up.
Here is a possible example: imagine that there's a photographer, totally in favor of allowing companies to use his images in return for the publicity – we could have access to that database of free-to-use content. Likewise, another photographer could say no, my images cost $50 per use. If his work speaks for itself and is in demand, the algorithms we write could track such things, leaving the second with a royalty check whenever images are used. As long as it wasn't a mystery to businesses about associated costs, this model could in fact benefit all.
Right now, we live in a world of machines versus humans, and under that scenario, everyone loses. The free-for-all model has to change; it doesn't support quality or longevity in the marketplace. As you create your content marketing and promotional materials, do your best to either pay for the creative materials you use, or at least prominently give credit to the artist you're featuring. They deserve to be compensated for the creations you deem worthy enough to represent your company.
How closely do you follow fair use laws? Do you have ideas for solutions on creating balance in this space?
Digital producer, game designer, Internet marketer and staff writer for SiteProNews, one of the Web's foremost webmaster and tech news blogs, Tina Courtney-Brown has been shaping online businesses since 1996. She's produced and marketed innovative content for major players like Disney, as well as boutique startups galore, with fortes including social media, SEO, massively multiplayer games, social networks and project management. Tina is also a certified Reiki practitioner, herbalist, nonprofit director and true cooking diva. Learn more at her personal website, or find her on Facebook and Google+.
This article was taken from: sitepronews.com


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About Us
Rainbow Swing Set Superstore of Colorado
More than 25 years of building quality swing sets – from beautiful Brookings, South Dakota to your backyard.
We applaud you for being a cautious and informed parent – our employees are parents too. Thanks to families like yours, Rainbow Play Systems has grown from a small custom shop in Minnesota to a high-tech swing set manufacturing facility. Today, there are more than one million Rainbow Play Systems swing sets in backyards around the world.
While the scale of our swing set operation has changed over the last 25 years, our focus remains the same. Our commitment to safety, durability and fun is what makes Rainbow Play Systems the best residential swing set manufacturer in the United States.
Our Denver, Colorado Store
On average Colorado is known to have over 300 days of sunshine per year! At Rainbow Play Systems of Colorado, we like to think it's more like 365 days per year! Located in the heart of Denver, Rainbow of Colorado is the Largest Indoor Playground Showroom! Each of our staff has been with Rainbow for more than 15 years and we are all family! There is no question that all your swing set needs will be handled with the utmost care and professionalism when you join us! At Rainbow of Colorado, we offer factory direct pricing, expert family oriented staff and a one of a kind certified white glove installation department making us America's most trusted brand name. Purchasing a Rainbow Play System is more than just buying another toy for the backyard – it's becoming part of a family that thrives on the development of our children's futures! We invite you to visit us today, Climb a Rainbow & See What Develops!
Our mission: "Simply offer the highest quality swing sets available coupled with the highest level of customer care."


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The technology behind Affirm is as revolutionary as the results it delivers. Affirm Laser beams precisely target thousands of microscopic areas on the skin, penetrating deep below the skin's surface and eliminating old, damaged and dead skin cells. The Affirm Laser stimulates the body's own healing process, rejuvenating damaged skin and revealing fresh, glowing skin - making you look years younger.
What areas can be treated with Affirm?
Affirm Laser skin rejuvenation can work on almost any area of the body, targeting old and damaged skin cells. Typically Skin Health Spa clients use Affirm for the face, neck, chest, arms, hands and legs, it can also be used to reduce scarring or stretch marks. Affirm is excellent for the removal of sunspots, age spots, brown spots, the healing of scars, acne scars and reducing wrinkles.
How does Affirm Work?
The area of skin being treated will be exposed to the Affirm Laser beam, the Laser will destroy any damaged or old skin cells and will stimulate the body's naturally healing process to replace the old skin with new fresh skin cells, giving you a more youthful appearance. Results are likely to include:
- Smoother fresher looking skin
- Improved skin tone and texture
- Reduced wrinkles, especially round the eyes
- Improved appearance of acne scars and surgical scars.
How many Affirm treatments will I need?
Every case is different the number of Affirm treatments will depend on your personal situation, skin type and your objectives.
However, clinical studies have shown that the best results for Affirm treatments can be achieved in 3 to 5 sessions, which are usually held 2 to 6 weeks apart. Our trained and experienced staff will be able to advise you on a course of treatments, taking into account your desired results.
Does Affirm Treatment Hurt?
A Topical anaesthetic is applied to the target areas before treatment. The Affirm machine blows cold air on the treated area during the treatment to minimise discomfort. After the treatment you may feel a little "sunburnt" but this feeling disappears after a couple of hours.
Are there any side effects if I have a Affirm Treatment?
There will be some short-term visible redness and swelling in the treated areas, mild itching, dry skin or flakiness may also occur. It is best to avoid strong sunlight during the period of treatment and use a SPF30 sun cream if you expect to be out in the sun. We will advise you on the best after care for the Affirm treatments.
Affirm treatments are available at
Please call 0800 2425145 for Affirm prices


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Flipboard launches a new tech section
With recent changes, Flipboard has been placing a big emphasis on allowing readers to go deep on their interests. Now it's adding even more features around one particular interest, in the Techn
Flipboard opens up to more publishers by embracing the mobile web
Flipboard is changing the way it works with online publishers, thanks to two connected announcements. First, publishers no longer need to work directly with Flipboard in order to get their stories int
Videos are getting a bigger role on Flipboard
Flipboard is following the launch of its "smart magazines" by boosting the role of videos. It's not that videos were totally absent from the news app before this, but they usually sh
Flipboard revamps its approach personalized news with new "Smart Magazines"
Flipboard is releasing a big update today, which introduces "Smart Magazines" — a new way for people to find news stories and other content tied to their interests. CEO Mike McCue said the big g
Flipboard looks to boost native ad sales with swipe-friendly Storyboards
Flipboard, the mobile and web app that lets you aggregate, discover and read content from around the web in a magazine-style format, is unveiling its latest "native" product to court more
Flipboard confirms it will get cut off from Instagram after the feed API ends this month
As Instagram continues to make moves to strengthen its platform with more features to keep users visiting it and staying longer, Instagram's decision to kill off its feed API on June 1 has cl
Flipboard Overhauls Publisher Pages With Verified Badges, 'End Card' Links And Ad Tech
Flipboard, the mobile and web app with some 82 million monthly active users who use the app to read content from around the web in a magazine-style layout, is today taking the wraps off a new versi
Flipboard Launches A New Targeted Ads Product Based On Its Interest Graph
Flipboard today is opening up some better targeting to its advertising partners in the form of the advertising based on the interest graphs it has built for its users. Here's an example: an adv
Flipboard Co-Founder Evan Doll Has Left The Company
Co-founder Evan Doll is no longer at Flipboard, the company has confirmed to TechCrunch and has just announced in a blog post. He will be joining Redpoint Ventures as an entrepreneur-in-residence. His
Flipboard Launches Its First Destination Site, 2016 Election Central
In preparation for tonight's first Republican presidential candidate debate, Flipboard is launching its first ever destination site, 2016 Election Central, to help users of the popular news curation a
11 TechCrunch Stories You Don't Want To Miss This Week
This week, top tech companies reported earnings, Twitter took away our backgrounds and we saw headlines about Uber, Tesla, and more. Here at TechCrunch HQ, we launched our newest and first ever talk s
Flipboard Confirms New $50M Funding Round From JP Morgan
Flipboard has confirmed to us that it has raised $50 million, two days after we first reported that the company had authorized the shares earlier this year. JP Morgan was the sole investor, the compan
Flipboard Has Filed To Raise Another $50M
Flipboard's 75 percent jump in the last six months has it clocking in at over 70 million monthly active users. And it looks like that is not the only recent bump for the startup: It appears to have qu
Flipboard Users Can Now Add Their Own Voice, Opinions And Photos To Their Magazines
Mobile news magazine app Flipboard may be putting on a brave face in the wake of new competition from iOS 9's forthcoming News app, practically a Flipboard clone. But there's no doubt that
Flipboard Launches Private Magazines For Groups
Flipboard, an online and mobile service that allows readers to explore content from around the web in a beautiful magazine-style layout as well as create topical, mobile magazines of their own, is tod
Sneak Peek At Flipboard's Apple Watch App
Among the many new applications designed for Apple Watch, there are still a few big names who had yet to reveal how their apps will look and operate. One of those names is Flipboard, the social magazi
The Ultravisual Team Acqui-Hired By Flipboard Leave To Found Apple Watch-Focused Messaging Startup
Just six months after being acqui-hired, the original team behind 'visual storytelling' app Ultravisual are leaving Flipboard to venture out on their own once again. The group's yet
Flipboard Moves Beyond Mobile To Bring Its Personalized News Magazines To The Web
Flipboard is finally coming to the platform where most digital publishers start. After providing readers with beautiful, personalized mobile magazines on their mobile devices, the company is re-launch
Flipboard Adds More Ads
Social magazine platform Flipboard, which lets users aggregate content from multiple sources into a personalized digital publication, has launched a new ad format.
Flipboard Adds The Wall Street Journal To Its News Discovery Apps
Flipboard has spent the last several years tying to convince publishers the value of having their content show up in its apps. Today the Wall Street Journal, one of the last major holdouts in the U.S.


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Time, the cross of the modern era
|My digital watch
Have you noticed how obsessed we are with time? We wear watches, put clock apps on our mobile phones, have clocks in our cars, clocks on our walls and desks. Heck, here where I am sitting at my desk, at home, I can see at least 3 clocks: my watch, my fish tank and my computer screen. If I open the cover on my phone, there would be another.
It is as if we cannot live without those numbers that tell us...what? Time?
What is time?
According to Wikipedia[1], "Time is the indefinite continued progress of existence and events that occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future."
Uh, okay?
While that sounds instinctively correct, it doesn't tell us much about what time actually is, does it?
|My fish tank
Reading a bit more we see that the number (we note as the date or the time on a clock) is calculated as an event or occurrence measured from a reference.
If you know something about mathematics and science, you will know that there is such a thing as an international time standard from which all clocks derive their reference, or 'starting point' if you like. If there wasn't, there would be chaos in the world and we would have constant disputes as to when we should meet, or when something happened in history. But we don't because people started measuring time, a long time ago.
Evidence suggests that people started 'measuring' time about 6000 years ago by observing the lunar cycles.
Why did people need to know the time?
If your history is up to speed, you will remember that people were mostly farmers, or more correctly, depended on the seasons for their survival. They needed to have some kind of indication of when it would be a good time to plant food, when to expect rain, and when to look forward to the harvest.
They also used the lunar cycles for their religious ceremonies. So, we needed to know the time to survive and to give thanks to the gods for the bounty they provided.
Since then the human race's survival has taken a different turn - the concrete jungle and its rat race. So it is still a survival thing, although it is not our lives that depend on it so much anymore.
How do we measure time?
Historical records are filled with the devices that people used to measure time. Sundials, water clocks (which were surprisingly accurate), the hourglass, and mechanical clocks of various designs.
Today we measure time using an atomic clock. It is the reference standard mentioned earlier. A caesium source is used as the time reference. It is radiated with microwaves to observe the vibrations of electrons inside the Cs atom. The reference unit of measuring time is the second.
The Global Positioning System of satellites are used to synchronise clocks worldwide.
Time on a personal scale
While it is fascinating to know that we can measure time with mind-boggling accuracy, and that our ancestors didn't do that badly with their own time measuring devices, time means more than the hours, minutes, and seconds displayed on our watches.
If you watch the grains of sand flowing through an hourglass, you get the feeling that you can 'see' time flowing away. The older we get, the more we hear people say that time is going faster. Time is not going faster, it is our greater awareness of the time we have left in this life that makes us more aware of the flow of time.
We cannot change time's passage, nor can we recover or save time. We can only use time: for things that make us happy, for things that we need to survive, for things that we don't need to do.
Explore your use of time in your journal today. Are you spending your time doing things that make you happy? Useful? Productive? If not, what can you change to make that happen?
You can read many more interesting things about time in the links below.


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It was an interesting bunch of folks at the Ron Johnson event yesterday
including the big guy himself! Looking a little on the thin side, don't you think?
Check out news links about the event.
Open Meeting with US Sen. Ron Johnson
Public · Hosted by Wisconsin GrandSons of Liberty


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A mother's pain is never known. A mother's pain runs deep. A mother's pain is not evident as she rides the warpath. A mother's pain echoes through her bones as she begs for her children's protection and success. A mother pains at the thought of her children leaving. A mother's pains do not ease once her children have gone. I will never know the pain my mother felt or feels, as perception is relative. However, I know the pains that I feel in reference to my own children and I am indebted to my mother for the pain that she endures because of me.
If you are not a mother, liken motherhood to your heart being shredded daily. Imagine someone reaching in, grabbing your heart from your chest and crushing it. The pain would be much less.
I love you, Mom. I love you, my children.


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Position Title: Basic Skills Trainer
Reports To: Clinical Director
Position Summary: Provide Rehabilitative Mental Health (RMH) interventions designed to reduce cognitive and behavioral impairments and restore recipients to their highest level of functioning. BST services are provided to recipients with age and developmentally inappropriate cognitive and behavioral skills. BST services help recipients acquire (learn) constructive cognitive and behavioral skills through positive reinforcement, modeling, operant conditioning, and other training techniques.
Roles & Responsibilities
Minimum Requirements:
A history of law-abiding behavior
Professional integrity
Felonies, misdemeanors, illegal drug use, DUI/DWI, adverse driving convictions and employment history may make individuals ineligible for continuation in current position.
Preferred Requirements:
Position Title: Psychosocial Rehabilitative Specialist
Reports To: Clinical Director
Contract Position Summary: Provides comprehensive behavioral health services for adults, adolescents, and children experiencing problems with psychiatric disorders, depression, eating disorders, emotional disturbances, and family relationship challenges. Thorough understanding of emotional and behavioral problems preferred.
Roles & Responsibilities
Planning and Community Organizing
Minimum Requirements:
Preferred Requirements:
Position Title: Case Manager
Reports To: Programs Manager
Position Summary: To provide Case Management services to Adolescents, their families and non-custodial parents
Case Managers are advocates for customers and focus on goals that will move participants towards self-sufficiency.
Roles & Responsibilities
Minimum Requirements:
Preferred Requirements:
This list of essential functions is not intended to be exhaustive.
SNCF reserves the right to revise this job description as needed to comply with actual job requirements.


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Order room service to relax in your hotel room
Check-in: 3 p.m.
Check-out: 1 p.m.
All rooms include:
- TV with cable/satellite channels
- Work desk with lamp
- 24-hour room service
- Minibar with coffee/tea facilities
- In-room electronic safe
- Individual climate control
- Electronic key card entrance
- Hair dryer
- Vanity mirror
- Wi-Fi (fee applies)
Accessibility features
We understand that accessibility is important to our guests. Please contact the hotel to confirm if an accessible room will meet your needs or if you have other questions.
This hotel has accessible rooms that may include the following accessible features:
- Amenities within accessible range to reach
- Controls operable without grasping or twisting
- Roll-in shower
- Text telephone (TTY/TDD/TT)
- Grab bars alongside toilet
- Grab bars by tub
- Wider guest room and bathroom doorways
- TDD public phone
- Wheelchair-accessible lobby
- Wheelchair-accessible public restrooms
- Wheelchair available on request
Whether you're staying for one night or several, our Standard Guest Rooms feel like home thanks to standard amenities like satellite TV and a minibar with coffee/tea facilities.
Executive Level
Exclusively for our business guests, accommodations on the 10th floor offer these perks:
- Access to the Club Lounge
- Bathrobe
- Coffee break and canapés in the afternoon
Junior Suite
Head straight to the very top floor to enjoy spectacular views from our Junior Suites. Amenities include the following:
- Bathrobe
- Free breakfast in the Club Lounge
- One king bed
- Separate living room
Corner Deluxe Suite
Give yourself extra space to spread out when you book a Corner Deluxe Suite. All standard amenities are included.
Master Suite
In addition to standard amenities like an in-room electronic safe, our Master Suites also feature upgrades like the following:
- Dressing room
- Entrance hall
- Free breakfast in the Club Lounge
- Separate living room
Presidential Suite
Our hotel's finest suite ensures memorable stays with the following amenities:
- Bathtub
- Dining area
- Guest bathroom
- King bed
- Kitchenette
- Separate living room with additional TV
- Meeting room for eight people
- Microwave
- Refrigerator
- Scale
- Whirlpool


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Sales Associate
Sunglass Hut
- Be friendly and personable with all customers
- Keep a watchful eye on the store for asset protection
- Manage the store during single coverage
- Serve as a key holder
Completed Red Cross CPR and First Aid training for lifeguards
National Honor Society
Peer Counseling
Centennial Theatre Company
NAU Psychology Degree
In the picture, I am helping a student named Logan. I worked with him several times throughout the semester on organizing his binder for his history class. After working with me, he would know exactly which assignments he needed to work on in order to bring his grade up as much as possible. In this picture, I am helping him with his history test.


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Brooklyn Nets Logo Leaks
As the New Jersey Nets move to become the Brooklyn Nets, they're showcasing their new hometown pride. The NBA team's new logo wasn't supposed to be released until April 30, but leaked pictures show some very Brooklyn-focused garb (with no mention of the Nets). The team played, and lost, their last New Jersey game this week, and are preparing to move into the newly completed Barclays Center in the New York borough for the 2012-2013 season. The Nets are actually returning to familiar terrain—they played in New York between 1968 and 1977.


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Constitution Is Basis For Senate Hopeful's Run
February 28, 2018
Armed with the belief that too many elected officials don't follow their oaths, Lincoln businessman Todd Watson is running for Nebraska's Third District senate seat, saying he will lead a charge to follow the U.S. Constitution.
Watson made a stop in Sidney Monday as he kicks off his Nebraska campaign, which, he said, is based on following the Constitution.
"They all take the same oath," said Watson of members of the House and Senate, "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."
But, Watson said, the nation's representatives not onl...
For access to this article please sign in or subscribe.


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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a large deep baking dish (about 9-by-13 inches).
Whisk together the eggs, cream, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk in the granulated sugar and brown sugar.
Cut the doughnuts into halves or quarters depending on the size of the doughnuts and the desired texture of your pudding. Toss the doughnuts in the egg mixture and allow them to sit until the majority of the mixture is soaked up, 15 to 20 minutes. Gently mix with a spatula or your hands if necessary.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and carefully place in a water bath. Bake for about 1 hour.
This recipe was provided by a chef, restaurant or culinary professional. It has not been tested for home use.


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Very Rev. Boniface Copelin, O.S.B.
Very Reverend Boniface serves as Prior of the monastery. In this role, he serves as a special advisor and assist of the Abbot and serves as acting superior when the Abbot is absent from the monastery. He also serves as Vocation Director, Formation Direct of Junior Master, or director of the monks in temporary vows. Father Boniface made his monastic profession of vows on September 14, 2001, and was ordained to the priesthood on August 21, 2008.
Born in Marietta, GA, Fr. Boniface spent most of his childhood in Oklahoma City, attending Villa Teresa School, St. Charles Borromeo School and Bishop McGuinness High School. He completed an associate degree at St. Gregory's College and a bachelor's degree in philosophy from St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH, a master's degree in zoology from The Ohio State University and also studied at Loyola University of Chicago. In preparation for his ordination to the priesthood, Prior Boniface completed a baccalaureate degree in sacred theology (STB) at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant'Anselmo, the Benedictine university in Rome, as well as the coursework for an advanced degree in the history of theology in the Mabillon Institute at Sant'Anselmo.
Prior Boniface serves as a member of the Senior Council, as a cantor in the liturgy and as a monastic member of the University Board of Directors. He is active with several of the Abbey crafts and enterprises, including as a carpenter, a tailor in making of habits, surplices, stoles, and with the care of the Abbey flock of laying hens. He assists with weekend parish assignments and as an associate professor of theology and life sciences at St. Gregory's University.


text:
Modules and sample scripts
- How can I use modules from CPAN?
- Where do I get make for Win32?
- How do I access databases from my Perl script?
- Is there a way to use OLE Automation servers from my Perl script?
- Is there a way to access Data Access Objects (DAO) from my Perl
- Can I send Internet mail from ActivePerl?
- Is there a way to access MAPI from my Perl script?
- Is there a DBM implementation available for ActivePerl?
- Is there a way to do GUI programming with ActivePerl?
- Is there a port of Oraperl for Win32?
- What modules come with the ActivePerl distribution?
- Where can I find other modules for ActivePerl?
- What is CPAN and how do I use it?
- Is there a library to read or write Microsoft Office or other application files?
ActivePerl-faq9 - Modules and sample scripts
General questions about using modules and scripts with ActivePerl
How can I use modules from CPAN?
As of version 5.005, ActivePerl supports the MakeMaker utility. This allows you to install modules from CPAN, but requires you to have a make utility, such as nmake or dmake. Modules are generally distributed in gzipped tar files, such as Data-Dumper-2.08.tar.gz.
However, ActivePerl includes the Perl Package Manager (PPM), a utility that allows you to install modules, including modules that contain binary extensions. You should consider using PPM to install a module, as this greatly simplifies the management of modules.
Nevertheless, there are times when it is necessary to build a module from source. Typically, an installation session goes something like this:
Extract the module. This creates a directory based on the name of the archive.
gzip -d -c Data-Dumper-2.08.tar.gz | tar xvf -
Change directory to the module's directory.
cd Data-Dumper-2.08
Consult the README file.
more < README
Run the Makefile.PL script. This uses the MakeMaker module to build a makefile you can build the extension with.
perl Makefile.PL
Run your make utility. This prepares the module for installation, and compiles any extension if one is present.
If this module has tests, run them.
nmake test
If the tests succeeded, install the module.
nmake install
See Where can I find Win32 ports of UNIX tools? for information on the availability of tools like gzip and tar.
Where do I get make for Win32?
Nmake is a 'make' like program for Win32 systems by Microsoft. It is included in several Microsoft development tools (such as VisualStudio for .NET) and it is included in the Shared Source Common Language Infrastructure 1.0 Release.
How do I access databases from my Perl script?
DBI, a Database Interface Module for Perl provides a consistent interface for database application development. DBI supports ODBC drivers as well as the native APIs of certain databases, including Oracle. The DBI home page is located at:
The ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) API can be used with the Win32::OLE module. You can use ADO to access any ODBC data source.
The ADO home page is located at:
There are a couple of extensions that have been developed to access databases from ActivePerl. Win32::ODBC is widely popular, and is available on CPAN and at this URL:
The Sybperl module allows you to connect to Sybase SQL Server (and possibly Microsoft SQL Server). The Sybperl home page, which includes links to binary releases of Sybperl, is located at:
If you choose to use a database API that depends on ODBC, you must have an ODBC driver for the DBMS you're using. You will need to configure a data source for that driver on each machine that needs to access the database. For more information on ODBC and how to configure a data source, check the ODBC Control Panel help.
Some DBMSes, such as Microsoft Access and Microsoft SQL Server, can be controlled through OLE Automation (see the next question). See the product documentation for details.
Is there a way to use OLE Automation servers from my Perl script?
Yes. See the documentation for the Win32::OLE module, which is included with Perl. You can use Win32::OLE to control a wide range of Win32 applications and APIs, including ADO.
After reading the documentation, you can read the FAQ on using OLE.
Is there a way to access Data Access Objects (DAO) from my Perl script?
You should use Win32::OLE to access this API. See question Is there a way to use OLE Automation servers from my Perl script? and consult the DAO documentation.
Can I send Internet mail from ActivePerl?
If you need to send Internet mail, you should use Net::SMTP, Mail::Sender, or Mail::Sendmail. For more information on these modules, see How do I send email from ActivePerl?.
Is there a way to access MAPI from my Perl script?
You can use the Win32::OLE module to create an instance of a MAPI session and send a message. In order for this to work, you must have messaging configured correctly on your machine. If you are using Microsoft Exchange, chances are this will work fine.
If you need to send Internet mail, you should use Net::SMTP. For more information on Net::SMTP, see How do I send email from ActivePerl?. Here is an example script that sends mail using MAPI:
# Sender's Name and Password # my $sender = "YOUR NAME HERE"; my $passwd = "YOUR PASSWORD HERE"; # Create a new MAPI Session # use Win32::OLE; $session = Win32::OLE->new("MAPI.Session") or die "Could not create a new MAPI Session: $!"; # Attempt to log on. # my $err = $session->Logon($sender, $passwd); if ($err) { die "Logon failed: $!"; } # Add a new message to the Outbox. # $msg = $session->Outbox->Messages->Add(); # Add the recipient. # $rcpt = $msg->Recipients->Add(); $rcpt->{Name} = "RECIPIENT NAME HERE"; $rcpt->Resolve(); # Create a subject and a body. # $msg->{Subject} = "Test Message"; $msg->{Text} = <<EOF; This is a sample test message. Cheers, Mr. Email EOF # Send the message and log off. # $msg->Update(); $msg->Send(0, 0, 0); $session->Logoff();
Is there a DBM implementation available for ActivePerl?
Yes, there is. SDBM_File is a free clone of DBM, and is implemented and distributed with the ActivePerl distribution. You can use it as follows:
use SDBM_File; use Fcntl; tie( %myhash, "SDBM_File", 'myfile', O_RDWR | O_CREAT | O_BINARY, 0666 ) or die( "Can't tie: $!" ); $myhash{"bibim"} = "bap"; untie( %myhash );
After the DBM file is tied, you can use it just like any other hash.
Is there a way to do GUI programming with ActivePerl?
As of the Perl Resource Kit for Win32, the Tk library has been successfully ported to ActivePerl. Tk version 8xx and above also now has the look and feel of Windows programs, and not the old UNIX look of previous versions.
You can also use the Win32::GUI module which also allows for GUI's to be made/manipulated using Perl. This module uses the standard Windows widgets to give the look and feel of Windows programs.
For Perl Tk information, go to http://www.perltk.org/
For Win32::GUI, go to http://dada.perl.it
Win32::MsgBox allows for a fast and easy way to display a
Windows message box, for example:
use Win32;
MsgBox("Test", "This is a test", 48);
# display a message box with an exclamation mark and an 'Ok' button
sub MsgBox {
my ($caption, $message, $icon_buttons) = @_;
my @return = qw/- Ok Cancel Abort Retry Ignore Yes No/;
my $result = Win32::MsgBox($message, $icon_buttons, $caption);
return $return[$result];
The last value, $icon_buttons, is the sum of two values, the value for the icon and the value for the buttons. For example, if you need a message box with a question mark and the 'Ok' and 'Cancel' buttons the value you want is 32 (question mark) + 1 (Ok, Cancel) = 39. The values are listed here:
0 - no icon
16 - Hand
32 - Question
48 - Exclamation
64 - Asterisk
0 - Ok
1 - Ok, Cancel
2 - Abort, Retry, Ignore
3 - Yes, No, Cancel
4 - Yes, No
5 - Retry, Cancel
Is there a port of Oraperl for Win32?
Oraperl is available as an emulation layer on top of DBD::Oracle. Oraperl is included with the DBD::Oracle distribution. Because the DBI interface is evolving, the Oraperl emulation layer is recommended because its API is fairly stable. Patches are available for DBD::Oracle that allow it to build on Windows. More information is available at:
What modules come with the ActivePerl distribution?
Along with the standard library files, there are several Win32-specific modules that are distributed with ActivePerl. These include:
- Win32::Clipboard: Perl module for Windows clipboard interaction
- Win32::Console: Perl module for Windows console interaction
- Win32::ChangeNotification: Create and use ChangeNotification objects
- Win32::Event: Use Win32 event objects from Perl
- Win32::EventLog: Read from and write to the Windows NT event log
- Win32::File: Manage file attributes (read only, system, hidden...)
- Win32::FileSecurity: manage ACLs in Perl
- Win32::Internet: Perl module for Internet extensions
- Win32::IPC: Wait for objects (processes, mutexes, semaphores)
- Win32::Mutex: Create and use mutexes
- Win32::NetAdmin: Administer users and groups
- Win32::NetResource: Manage resources (servers, file shares, printers)
- Win32::ODBC: work with ODBC data sources
- Win32::OLE: Use OLE automation from Perl
- Win32::Pipe: Perl module for pipes
- Win32::Process: Start and stop Win32 processes
- Win32::Registry: Read and manage the Win32 Registry
- Win32::Semaphore: Create and use semaphores
- Win32::Service: Manage Windows NT services
- Win32::Shortcut: Perl module for shell link interface
- Win32::WinError: For retrieving Win32-defined errors
These are documented on the Win32mod documentation page. There are also a number of subs built into the Win32 package, namely:
- AbortSystemShutdown: I mean, don't shut down this computer
- DomainName: Name of the domain this machine is in
- ExpandEnvironmentStrings: Take a string like %HOMEPATH% and expand it to the actual value
- FormatMessage: Format a Win32 error code into a error message
- FsType: Get the file system type of a drive
- GetCwd: Get current working directory
- GetLastError: Retrieve the last Win32 error code.
- GetNextAvailDrive: Returns the next available drive letter
- GetOSVersion: Get Win32 operating system version
- GetShortPathName: Returns the 8.3 name of a filename
- GetTickCount: Time since Windows started, in milliseconds (for timing)
- InitiateSystemShutdown: Shut down this computer
- IsWinNT: Is this Windows NT?
- IsWin95: Or, is it Windows 95?
- LoginName: Name of logged-in user
- LookupAccountName: Given a user name, get domain, SID, SID type
- LookupAccountSID: Given a SID, get domain, user name, SID type
- NodeName: Name of this machine
- SetCwd: Set current working directory
- Sleep: Sleep for a given number of milliseconds
- Spawn: Spawn a Win32 process
- ExpandEnvironmentStrings: Take a string like %HOMEPATH% and expand it to the actual value
No longer included in the Win32 module:
- PerlVersion: Use $] instead
- GetArchName: Use $ENV{PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE}
- GetChipName: Use $ENV{PROCESSOR_LEVEL} . $ENV{PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE}
Where can I find other modules for ActivePerl?
Modules for ActivePerl are available on CPAN (Comprehensive Perl Archive Network), a Perl archive that's mirrored around the world. To find your nearest mirror, check here:
(Note that this will send you to your nearest mirror automagically. Cool, huh?)
What is CPAN and how do I use it?
CPAN is the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network, a collection of pretty much every file you could ever want for Perl programming. The original archive is in Finland, but it is mirrored on FTP servers throughout the world.
You can connect to your closest CPAN mirror using the CPAN redirector at http://www.perl.com. The following URL:
will redirect your browser to the nearest CPAN mirror (one on your continent and maybe only a few hops away). This URL
lets you pick a CPAN mirror site yourself, as well as giving a little more information.
CPAN is good for finding ActivePerl distributions as well as modules and scripts. However, read
How can I use modules from CPAN?
for more information.
Is there a library to read or write Microsoft Office or other application files?
In general, there aren't any library modules to read or write application files, like Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, etc.
However, many if not most major Windows applications now support OLE Automation. You can use the OLE Automation support of Microsoft Office applications to read and write their file formats, for example. See the documentation on your application for information on its support for OLE Automation. See Is there a way to use OLE Automation servers from my Perl script? for more information.
As a special case, many database files, like Microsoft Access, FoxPro, dBase or Paradox files, can be accessed using ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity). See How do I access databases from my Perl script? for details on how to use ODBC with ActivePerl.
This FAQ was originally assembled and maintained by Evangelo Prodromou. It has been revised and updated by Brian Jepson of O'Reilly & Associates, David Grove and David Dmytryshyn of ActiveState, Henning Michael M�ller-Nielsen of RTO, Kevin Meltzer and David Sparks of ActiveState.
This FAQ is in the public domain. If you use it, however, please ensure that you give credit to the original authors.
ActivePerl FAQ - Modules and sample scripts


text:
We have been surprisingly busy over the first two months of the New Year, and this is the first report back from our many missions around Taiwan. The early part of the year is a time full of events, most notably the Chinese New Year period. In amongst all of that, though, is a small side adventure we went on.
North of Taichung, in Miaoli county, is a strawberry farming hotspot that produces a bounty every year. The farms in the area grow strawberries that can get really big, and it's a popular activity to go and pick your own. From what we've heard and read, the best time to go is considered to be February and March, and so we squeezed in a trip up that way before the chance slipped by.
Getting to Miaoli county is the easy part, with many trains heading up to Miaoli Station every day, we had our pick of local and express trains. From there, we needed a bus up to the rural Dahu township. The bus station is hard to miss, and with only a few bus routes from there it was much less difficult to get a bus than we'd anticipated. All it meant was waiting in the slightly windy bus terminal for ours to arrive, and then we were on our way up into the scenic mountains.
The township of Dahu is pretty small, with most of the activity happening at the Dahu Winelands Resort, marked out by an unmissably big strawberry statue. From there everything was strawberry themed. EVERYTHING. In the market and stores you can get strawberry and marshmellow skewers, strawberry pork sausages, strawberry wines, vodkas, and even whiskys. Even the trashcans are strawberry shaped.
Singing the Beatles, we made off to the strawberry fields that stretch (almost) forever outwards from the resort. The fields immediately surrounding the market were quite busy and already starting to look less fruitful, so we wandered around until we found a quieter farm. Each farm site has some baskets and scissors available, and we were directed to the fields to start collecting. Some fields are off limits, to prevent over-harvesting, but regardless of this we were able to harvest a lot of strawberries without getting in anyone's way. You pay by weight at the end of your picking session, so it's really up to you how heavily laden your basket should be by the end of the day.
After picking our berries and having them weighed, we wandered the market trying the various strawberry-related things on sale. The weather was windy and quite cold by Taiwan standards, so we gave the ice-cream a skip in favour of sampling the insides-warming strawberry whisky and wine.
One thing that I have to mention is the frustratingly inflexible Taiwanese market salesperson attitude to special offers. It doesn't really seem to matter if you want or need to take the special offer. If there are three options, say strawberry wine, vodka, and whisky, and there is a specific combo special, you can stand on your head and yell that you don't want the special offer, as that's all you can get. Mainly, I think it is a language barrier problem. We talked in circles in the conversational equivalent of Sisyphus's punishment.
Seller: "There is a special offer. You can take two of number 3 and one of number 2 for discount."
Us: "But we only want one number 1, and one number 3."
She thinks for a moment, considering our bizzare refusal of the generous deal.
Seller: "Ok, for you. There is a special offer. You can take two of number 3 and one of number 2 for discount."
Us: "But we don't want the vodka. We want the whisky and the wine. Number 3 and number 1 only."
She ponders again, placing a hand first on the wine, then the whisky.
Seller: "Ok." She pauses. "There is a special offer. You can take two of number 3 and one of number 2 for discount."
After an eternity, the sun seeming to set, rise, and start setting again, we wound up paying and leaving, with two of number 3, one of number 2, and not even one bottle of strawberry wine. Whether they had run out, and only had the display taster bottle left is a mystery our Chinese skills can never solve.


text:
Today, I'm sharing a recipe for Apple Cake. I wish I had pictures to show you, but we ate this thing so quickly that I didn't have a chance. I originally found the recipe on AllRecipes.com, but it was cloyingly sweet and very high in fat, so I modified it. This variation on the recipe is property of your truly.
I recommend making this with an electric mixer if you have one, because the batter is quite thick--almost more like a dough than a batter.
Apple Cake
Ingedients (serves 10-15)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom (optional)
- 1 pinch cloves
- 1 pinch allspice
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 4 apples, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan. Flour pan if desired.
Crack two eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer, and beat well. Add oil, yogurt, and vanilla and beat for 30 seconds. Combine dry ingredients and add to egg mixture. Mix until fully combined. Add chopped apples and mix for another 30-60 seconds.
Pour/scrape batter into prepared pan (if it's too thick for you to get it to spread evenly in the pan, mix in just a little water until the texture is smoother, but be aware that this will add to the baking tie) and bake 40-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
This is a very moist and somewhat dense cake, but we didn't find that it was heavy at all, because a lot of the moistness comes from the juice that comes out of the apple chunks as they cook. If you wanted to frost it, I'd recommend a whipped buttercream flavored with cinnamon or ginger. Very good with unsweetened coffee.


text:
News Library
Doors open up to brighter futures for Salvadoran youth
Salvadoran youth were the center of attention in September. CARANA was invited to participate at Making Cents International's Global Youth Economic Opportunities Conference in Washington, DC to present Joven360 (Youth360), an initiative developed under the USAID Program to Improve Access to Employment (managed by CARANA) and aimed at creating an internship culture in El Salvador. CARANA CEO Eduardo Tugendhat discussed how USAID's program is closing the gap between demand and supply in the Salvadoran youth labor market—youth unemployment rises to 14% and almost doubles the general average. (Click here to download the presentation). Tugendhat was followed by a multimedia presentation of Joven360's history and platform presented by Carla de Vanegas from Search, a local partner of CARANA. Watch a short version of Vanegas' video presentation:
University student Sofía Quiñonez concluded the session with the takeaways from her Joven360 internship at FUSADES (the Salvadoran Foundation for Social and Economic Development), where she obtained priceless experience analyzing El Salvador's current political environment and met key players she will be able to reference once she enters the workforce.
The day after the conference, CARANA hosted a cocktail reception at its Arlington headquarters to continue the discussion joined by El Salvador's Ambassador Francisco Altschul. The Ambassador is keen on workforce development efforts and engaged participants in a lively discussion of the legal framework for internships and the next goals Joven360 could pursue.
Soon after, the USAID Program to Improve Access to Employment and its efforts towards more and better youth employment—beyond Joven360—were featured in USAID's FRONTLINES magazine. The last CARANA project to be included in a FRONTLINES issue was the Macedonia Competitiveness Project, which provided a foundation for the Salvadoran project's work with youth. Click here to read "Talent Broker" and learn how an occupation-specific English training opened up new pathways for a young man and his younger sisters, whom he is helping support.
Published October 2011


text:
About Us
- Vision and Values
- School Information Pack
- Prospectus
- Admissions
- Curriculum
- Social, Moral, Spiritual & Cultural Learning
- British Values
- Equalities
- Our Day
- Holiday Dates
- Attendance
- Pupil Premium Report
- Year 7 Catch up funding
- Primary Sports Premium
- Pupil Progress Reports
- Ofsted Report
- Policies
- Our Governors
- Data Protection / GDPR
- Finance
Montacute School : School Attendance Protocol
Updated November 2018
All children, regardless of their circumstances, are entitled to an efficient, full time education which is suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs they may have.
Parents/carers have a duty to ensure that their children of compulsory school age are receiving suitable full-time education. Some parents may elect to educate their children at home and may withdraw them from school at any time to do so, unless they are subject to a School Attendance Order.
Schools must monitor pupils' attendance through their daily register. Schools should agree with their local authority the intervals at which they will inform local authorities of the details of pupils who fail to attend regularly or have missed ten school days or more without permission. Schools should monitor attendance closely and address poor or irregular attendance. It is important that pupils' poor attendance is referred to the local authority.
If pupils are to reach their full potential they need to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to them. Regular, uninterrupted school attendance is a key factor in helping pupils reach their potential. Every effort should always be made to avoid disruption to a pupil's education.
School Attendance Monitoring
At school we monitor pupil attendance on a termly basis. Any recorded attendance of less than 90% will prompt further investigation. 90% equates to half a day absence per week. This in turn equates to 4 weeks absence in an academic year. If a pupil persistently had 90% attendance over the course of their education they would have been absent for a whole year of their education.
We understand, particularly in a school such as ours, that illnesses and hospital appointments are sometimes unavoidable and can have a huge impact on a pupil's attendance capabilities. It is important, when these circumstances arise, that parents/carers maintain good communication with the school in order that we can support and advise them in the best way possible.
We also understand that some pupils who have complex medical needs may need a shorter day or a shorter week. School will only agree such modifications to their timetable if they are supported with a doctor's letter. The school reserves the right to request a new letter every 2 years, or if a child's medical status improves.
Some pupils who have severe sensory needs which affect their ability to participate effectively in a whole school day – for example those who struggle with 'transitions' or change may benefit from a modified start or finish time. However, this must be by mutual agreement between home and school, and it must be something that is reviewed on a regular basis. In this way school hopes to optimise learning through recognizing individual needs. The school will ensure that the Schools Attendance Worker is aware of 'bespoke' arrangements.
Where there are concerns over attendance – whether the absences are consecutive or there are 'broken weeks'- school will request a meeting with parents/carers.
When agreed attendance levels fall below 80%, School may make a referral to the Borough of Poole School Attendance Worker. The Education Welfare Service work with parents/carers to address their child/s attendance difficulties. If, after planned work, unauthorised absences are still a concern, the Local Authority has a duty to consider legal action which may result in prosecution or the issuing of fines.
Lateness after the Register has Closed
Our daily school registration closes at 9.30am. Any arrivals after this time will be recorded as 'Unauthorised Lates'. More than 5 late arrivals within 6 weeks (these do not need to be consecutive) may result in a request to attend an attendance meeting.
Absence from School
If a pupil is unwell, parents/carers should ring the school before 9.00am. Absences for medical/ dental appointments should also be advised either in the Home School Diary or through the school office with as much advance notice as possible.
If you do not contact us we will ring or text you during the morning to find out why your child is not in school. We may need to record the absence as unauthorised if the reason is not considered acceptable.
Request for leave of absence in term time due to exceptional circumstances
Following amendments to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, which came into effect on the 1st September 2013, schools are only allowed to grant leave of absence from school in exceptional circumstances.
In making a request for leave of absence from school in term time parents need to explain why the circumstances are exceptional, and therefore why the activity cannot be undertaken either at a weekend or within the normal 13 weeks holiday their child has from school. Leave of absence request forms are available from the school office via the home school diary.
The legislation states that Head Teachers can only grant leave of absence in exceptional circumstances. What amounts to exceptional Circumstances is to be decided by the Head Teacher.
Parents/carers will be notified of the Head Teacher's decision at the earliest opportunity.
If the circumstances are not considered to be exceptional then parents/carers will be informed of this. If a parent/carer takes their child out of school without permission the absence will be recorded as an unauthorised leave of absence, which may result in a request being made to the Local Education Authority to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice if attendance for the previous 12 month period (to include the leave of absence) is not considered to be regular.
It is important for parents/carers to note that once school have requested that the Local Authority issue a Fixed Penalty Notice for a period of unauthorised leave in term time, you will not have an opportunity to discuss this matter further with the Local Authority. Any queries or discussions should be had prior to, or at the time of requesting the leave.
Parents/carers are advised not to make any arrangements until their request has been considered.
Supporting Documents
Children Missing Education : Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities September 2016
Montacute School : School Attendance Process
Updated Dec 2016
End of Term
Gemma Bugler - Office
Print off all Pupil Attendance Records
Beginning of Next Term
Jill Owen – Head Teacher
Tracey Smith – Parent Partner/ Safeguarding Lead
Review figures
Agreed attendance less than 90%
Jill Owen – Head Teacher
Tracey Smith – Parent Partner/ Safeguarding Lead
Look at supporting evidence and consider:
~ authorised v unauthorised
~ lateness
~ known illnesses
~ known medical
~ holidays
Assess pupil progress information
If appropriate telephone and discuss with parents/carers
Mark for ongoing monitoring
Agreed attendance less than 80%
Jill Owen – Head Teacher
Tracey Smith – Parent Partner/ Safeguarding Lead
Look at supporting evidence, consider:
~ authorised v unauthorised
~ lateness
~ known illnesses
~ known medical
~ holidays
Assess pupil progress information
If appropriate telephone and discuss with parents/carers and/or invite to attendance meeting
Mark for ongoing monitoring
Consider referral to SAW
Pupil absence for 10 days or more with no explanation or contact
Pupil fails to return to school at the start of term or after a planned holiday with no explanation or contact
Gemma Bugler – Office
Tracey Smith - Tracey Smith – Parent Partner/ Safeguarding Lead
Follow Child Missing Education (CME) process
Attempt to contact Family
Follow Local Authority reporting procedure


text:
Monday, March 7, 2011
She's Back Again
8 comments:
- Tina @ TinyBear said...
So glad she´s back.
Can´t wait to see what´s to be created.
xo Tina
- March 7, 2011 at 12:37 PM
- Lorrie said...
I'm sure you welcomed her with open arms. Isn't it nice to have her back? Looking forward to seeing what the two of you get up to.
- March 7, 2011 at 2:56 PM
I know what you mean, Alisa. It can be scary. But also....a necessary "healing" and regrouping time.
- March 7, 2011 at 4:20 PM
- Jillayne said...
It goes that way sometimes - the ebb and flow of creativity and inspiration. We get so used to the well overflowing, not being able to keep up with the jumble of ideas and then one day our mind is still.
Sometimes I wonder if we need that stillness, in order to make room, to allow space for more.
Or perhaps the little muse-brats just get a notion to play hooky. I hate it when it happens and it always seems to be around this time of year.
One thing I have learned for sure is that inspiration cannot be forced, nor can desire. I have found the best way through it is to ride it out, accepting the restless wandering of my mind, knowing in a matter of hours, days or weeks, it will end and my fingers will start dancing all over again.
I'm glad she came back Alisa!
- March 8, 2011 at 3:43 PM
- Marianne@Songbird said...
Oh I am so happy she is back. Your muse and you got such a wonderful thing going. Can't wait to see what you two are cooking up.
- March 8, 2011 at 4:11 PM
- Sandy Michelle said...
I know what you mean. My muse was gone this past month and now she has finally returned. How is that stitching book? I was close to buying it.
- March 9, 2011 at 12:43 PM
- Suz said...
I missed her a lot! We all know how that feels. I am just starting to be able to do little things and it feels so good!
Big hugs, Alisa,
- March 15, 2011 at 4:13 PM
- FILIGREE MOON said...
Love these images...and thank you for the tip that there's a new book to seek! ~ Angela
- April 3, 2011 at 12:25 PM