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Multimillion dollar boost to national heavy vehicle camera network
Media Release
02 September 2016
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester today announced $2.45 million to improve Australia's heavy vehicle camera monitoring network, as TruckWeek 2016 rolls on.
The funding boost will allow the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator to fast-track the installation of five additional automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras along Australia's key heavy vehicle corridors and black spots.
Mr Chester said the cameras would help reduce pressure on freight operators to shift goods within unrealistic time constraints, while also having the broader benefit of improving safety for all motorists.
"These high-tech monitoring cameras have been shown to be effective and will be in operation by July 2017," Mr Chester said.
"Each camera site costs between $250,000 and $500,000 to establish, depending on what infrastructure, power, communications and security facilities are already in place.
"This is money well spent in terms of detecting risky behaviour and unsafe practice on the roads, and helps narrow our targets for compliance and enforcement efforts.
"With Australia's vital trucking industry gathering for TruckWeek to discuss a range of issues, this funding commitment will not only benefit heavy vehicle drivers, but all motorists."
The NHVR is currently working with state road transport authorities to identify the new camera sites and is considering the busiest freight routes with the highest traffic volumes to maximise heavy vehicle monitoring capability.
Mr Chester said the NHVR would also commence a pilot project to link heavy vehicle monitoring networks across Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.
"Putting more cameras on the ground is a critical step. Making sure they share data across borders is the next step," he said.
"The heavy vehicle camera network is part of the NHVR's broader plans for a national compliance and information system which will support real-time, agency-linked, data-collection used by authorised officers at the roadside and in compliance units.
"National visibility of vehicle movements will allow the NHVR and other enforcement agencies to identify drivers and operators that systematically flout fatigue laws."
The Australian Government continues to work toward delivering the goals of the National Road Safety Strategy 2011–20, including reducing the annual number of road crash fatalities by at least 30 per cent, and Mr Chester said the camera network formed part of a broader road safety commitment.
For more information on the National Road Safety Strategy 2011–20, visit: roadsafety.gov.au/
For more information on the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Programme, visit: investment.infrastructure.gov.au/funding/Heavyvehicles/

subset: commoncrawl


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Grand Opening of Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum This Saturday
The Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum in Cuero will officially open its doors with a dedication ceremony and tours this Saturday. Former Texas governor Mark White is the keynote speaker. The schedule of events is as follows;
• 9 – 9:45 am Museum ground open with light fare from chuck wagons; chance to have photo with a Longhorn
• 10 - 11 am Dedication Ceremony
• 11 am – 2pm Chuck wagon grub and family fun continues
• 11:30 am Tours of Museum begin
The display will feature a Colt Model 1877 revolver, serial number 73,728, once owned by notorious American outlaw, John Wesley Hardin (1853-1895), on loan from the Kurt House Collection. Other priceless objects include world-class Horsemen of the Americas—Tinker Collection.
The museum is located at 302 N Esplanade Street in Cuero.


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To Test Or Not - Are You Hip To The New No Child Left Behind Regulations?
While the Department of Education has been wracking its departmental heads to come up with a solution, it appears that those children who do not speak English, or do not speak it well enough to ensure their grade-level success, have finally been granted some special rights: namely flexibility. Referred to as a new Title I regulation, these children will be taught the English language while the school district that received them will not be held to the standards set forth under the Act (this is the flexibility portion of the new regulation) while they are trusted to give the children a quality education in spite of any language barriers (which is the accountability portion of the regulation).
While their hearts are in the right places, the question does remain if this is an easy out for school districts. After all, what will ensure that immigrant children will receive a high quality education that will ensure that their language abilities (or lack thereof) will not cause them to permanently limp behind their classmates?
The regulations that are seeking to prohibit this from happening are as follows:
- Children are permitted to enter the program if they have attended schools in the United States for less than 12 months and one day.
- Children who qualify thusly may be exempted by the state in which they live from taking one administration of the reading/language arts test.
- While these students must be included in math testing and in 2007 also in science testing, their math scores do not have to count.
- It is up to the individual states to ensure that non-English speaking children will be given education that will help them to acquire the English language skills they need to succeed.
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Shaner Magalhães
- Mobile(319) 621-8677
- Office(319) 625-6427
- firstname.lastname@example.com
Iowa City - Coralville
Driving Directions
About Me
I absolutely love the
I am one of those classic cases of someone that came to the University of Iowa, got a couple degrees, and loved the area so much that I never left (well, almost). After earning a BBA and MBA from the UI, I worked in state government for over 10 years, owned a business for 3 years, and ran a nonprofit organization for another 3 years.
With my dedication to running my own business, my experience and education in management and marketing, and an extensive network of contacts from my years of active involvement in dozens of organizations and events, I decided in 2006 to pursue working in real estate on a part-time basis.
In May 2010, I made the leap into real estate full-time when I joined the Skogman Realty team in our new office in Coralville. Equipped with the amazing resources provided by Skogman (everything from the most cutting edge website to the most extensive traditional marketing and advertising), I have been pleased to assist even more people with their real estate needs. It truly is a wonderful experience to help clients get great results no matter what their circumstances might be.
I would be very excited to have the opportunity to talk with you – whether you're buying or selling a home, or just want to weigh your options for a future move. Feel free to call, e-mail, or text me anytime.
Contact Me
173 Escort LnIowa City, IA 52240
- 3.38 Acres
- Listing by: Skogman Realty Co.
- Data courtesy of Iowa City Area Association of Realtors MLS
831 Pepper DrIowa City, IA 52240
- 4 Beds
- 2 Full Baths
- 2,483 SqFt
- 0.18 Acre
- Listing by: Skogman Realty Co.
- Data courtesy of Iowa City Area Association of Realtors MLS
1815 Jonathan StNorth Liberty, IA 52317
- 3 Beds
- 2 Full Baths / 1 Half Bath
- 1,595 SqFt
- 0.13 Acre
- Listing by: Skogman Realty Co.
- Data courtesy of Iowa City Area Association of Realtors MLS
137 Escort LnIowa City, IA 52240
- 0.95 Acre
- Listing by: Skogman Realty Co.
- Data courtesy of Iowa City Area Association of Realtors MLS
Shaner helped with our house search five years ago. He is a good listener and looks for what you want in a home. He provides information that would be helpful to you as a home buyer but doesn't pressure you into anything. Now we are using him to sell our house as well, and he was able to get us an accepted offer within 72 hours of listing our property!– Justin & Jamie Walpole, March 2019
As a single mom and first-time home buyer I was very nervous about starting the process of buying a home. Shaner came recommended from a friend, and the best decision I made was calling him. Shaner was very patient with me and my children and even included them in the process. He listened to what we wanted and helped us find the perfect home. From viewing to closing and after Shaner was always available to answer the many questions and concerns I had. I couldn't be more pleased with having worked with Shaner, and will recommend him to my friends.– Abigail Roberts, January 2019
Shaner assisted us to sell our existing house and to find a new home. Shaner was an attentive listener and extremely knowledgeable. He listened to what we needed from both a buyer and a seller standpoint. He recognized what was important and guided us to make the correct decisions. Shaner also thought of things that we wouldn't have and pointed them out. This helped make the entire process very smooth and quick (for both transactions). For example, we had an accepted offer for more than our list price in less than 24 hours. We were also really impressed with the quality of the listing photos and that he hired a professional for us. We would definitely recommend Shaner to anyone that is buying or selling a house (or both).– Derrick & Jaime Nagy, November 2018
I REALLY appreciated all of Shaner's help with preparing my house to sell and getting it under contract in less than 24 hours (at above list price). And then Shaner made it a breeze for someone like me that was long distance and new to selling a house to finalize all the steps to get to the closing. I highly recommend Shaner to anyone needing to list their home!– Jeffry Ray, October 2018
Shaner was absolutely delightful to work with. This was our first home-buying experience, and we moved from out of state, but he was incredibly professional and made the process so easy. I was consistently impressed with how well Shaner communicated leading up to our visit; the quality of the listings he sent over (and how closely they matched what we were looking for); and his responsiveness to our questions and needs. Shaner was also great fun to be with - we genuinely enjoyed looking at houses together (28+ over four days!). I was really thankful that he offered useful advice, but not too much. It doesn't seem like Shaner ever stops working, but it also didn't seem like he was working with anyone but us the whole time we were together. We love the house we bought and we highly recommend working with Shaner!– Kelsey & Andrew Sprowell, August 2018
Shaner was recommended to us. From start to finish and even after closing, Shaner helped us through the process of buying our first house. While our move from Illinois to Iowa was pretty short, being first time home buyers made us nervous. Shaner listened to what our needs and wants were and made sure we were both on the same page while we were viewing houses. When we found the house, my wife and I knew it was a perfect fit for us. Since it was our first day viewing houses we were both apprehensive that we were moving too fast by writing an offer, but Shaner eased our concerns and walked us through what could happen next. He was willing to continue working after hours and kept in touch with us through the process up until closing. He's very diligent and very thorough and is also very realistic. We definitely recommend working with him.– Kate & Sam Jarvis, June 2018
Shaner helped me find my first home. He was very helpful when it came to the house inspection and getting in contact with the Owners with a few concerns. Shaner did an especially good job on following up when we had a few questions on some repair issues. We had a smooth time at closing, and I would definitely recommend Shaner to others looking for a great Realtor to work with.– Abby Robinson, May 2018
I can't say enough about Shaner's professionalism, true caring nature, and extensive knowledge/connections. He brings all these qualities to the table for his clients, not just in the real estate transaction, but in the transition to their new home. I met Shaner through my boss, who had nothing but kind things to say. My husband and I bought our first home in 2017 with him. The home buying experience was surprisingly short, and we credit a lot of that to Shaner. He was extremely responsive and thoughtful with his recommendations, and gave his honest opinion when we viewed homes. He wasn't just trying to sell; he was making sure we had a safe, lasting home.– Kelsey & Andy Dralle, January 2018
As a native Iowan, I wanted to maintain some roots back home and invest in the state. A close family friend--who is also a REALTOR®--referred me to Shaner. The idea of an investment property search was daunting because I am ~1,000 miles away from Iowa City. I was not sure how smooth the process was going to be, and I was a rookie investor. Shaner recognized my situation and quickly my anxiousness subsided. The first listing came via email and then a second, third, fourth, and so on. Each time Shaner gave a detailed summary of the property along with his thoughts on the condition of the property, and most importantly, rental income potential. At first, I would immediately go to rental ads to see if the rent was consistent with the area and type of property. After doing this a few times, I realized my efforts were a waste of time. Shaner's knowledge of Iowa City's housing and rental markets was quickly confirmed. After three deals, and a fourth in the process, I cannot imagine working with anyone other than Shaner.– Matt Frideres, July 2017
Shaner was a true professional. When we sold our home he was attentive, understood the market in which he serves & goes above and beyond to make sure the home is prepped & buyers know what to expect. I was impressed by his effort & calming approach during the closing process as buyers/sellers went through negotiations. I highly recommend his services for all those looking for a top notch REALTOR®.– Ian & Abby Banks, July 2017
Shaner helped me accomplish a most impossible mission - that being the prep and sale of my 91-year-old Mother's home in less than 2 weeks. In January of 2017 my Mother fell and broke her pelvis. This led to her having to be placed in a nursing home and left my siblings and I in the position of having to sell her house. Since none of us lived in Iowa City, I reached out to Shaner to become our REALTOR®. In addition to a real estate agent, we needed someone local who we could trust to give us references for all kinds of labor to get the job done. Thanks to Shaner's help with referrals and his expeditious work on the necessary sale documents, I was able to clear the house out, get it painted and cleaned and get the yard in tip top shape within one week. Then he took over and got it photographed, on the market, and sold in 5 days. It was a miracle that could have never been accomplished without Shaner. My family and I will be forever deeply thankful to him for all that he did to help us through this process.– Barbara Mortier, July 2017
Shaner helped us buy our first house! Prior to meeting him, my wife and I were nervous about the entire process. We were moving from Virginia to Iowa, and could only look at houses on one particular weekend. If that wasn't difficult enough, I could only talk in the late evening because of work. To my surprise, Shaner was willing to talk to me at 9pm on a Sunday to answer all my questions about the home buying process. Shaner showed us 16-20 houses in a matter of 1.5 days! I was very impressed by his ability to pick out houses and locations that perfectly matched our needs. He made the whole process very fun and enjoyable. We would highly recommend Shaner to anyone looking for a great real estate agent! (Especially if you're a medical resident coming to the University of Iowa.)– Mohsan Chaudhry & Candice Smith, June 2017
Being first time home buyers we were pretty clueless – but Shaner helped us every step of the way. He listened to our wishes for a home and showed us great options. When we decided to pull the trigger and go for it he made the process very easy. As someone coming from out of state he suggested great neighborhoods and areas, as well as a local bank familiar with my situation and financing options. Shaner helped assist us in getting everything in order prior to closing, which was important since we were not in town on the day of closing. We had a very smooth home-buying experience and know if we were to look to buy in this area again, Shaner would be our first call.– Hannah Phillips & David Smith, June 2017
During our first meeting, I asked Shaner about the potential time frame for selling my house. He said the bare minimum from listing to close would be six weeks. We closed in 5 weeks and 6 days! I attribute this quick turnaround largely to Shaner's excellent marketing and community networking. The photographs in his marketing materials were stunning, and his narrative description of the house was spot-on. However, I think it was the behind-the-scenes work Shaner did that expedited the process. In the weeks prior to listing, Shaner generated anticipation and enthusiasm among his network of Realtor colleagues. He had interested buyers lining up for a viewing just moments after the listing went live. This was my first home sale, and I was anxious about the process. Shaner always patiently answered my emails and texts within a couple of hours. I was particularly nervous about the listing price. I'd done considerable renovations on the house, and I believed the market value was significantly greater than the assessed value. However, I worried potential buyers would see the assessed value and walk away. Shaner eased my concerns though – and we ultimately sold the house for the exact amount I was seeking. I connected with Shaner after asking a family friend who's a top Realtor in Des Moines to recommend a Realtor in the corridor. Her immediate response was, "The best guy around is Shaner Magalhaes at Skogman Realty in Iowa City." I agree wholeheartedly! I'd recommend Shaner without reservations to anyone seeking a Realtor in the corridor.– Keary Saul, November 2016
I had an excellent experience working with Shaner on the purchase of my condo. It was my second home purchase and he made the process as effortless as possible. He was very flexible with showing the place and is extremely knowledgeable about the area and market. Shaner seemed genuinely interested in making sure I was aware of everything in the process and that I had a positive experience; he gave great advice and insight. I'd highly recommend him.– Levi Kannedy, November 2016
We worked with Shaner from Skogman Realty when we were looking for a home in Coralville and he did such a wonderful job for us! We were moving from Chicago and had limited time to come out to Iowa and look at houses, in addition to a fairly tight move in schedule. Shaner did a great job of sending us listings to review that aligned with what we were looking for in our future home. On the day we drove out to meet with him, he had 10 showings lined up for us and all of them were great options. We found a home that we loved and he worked to get our offer submitted. We couldn't be happier with our new location and the REALTOR® who helped us find our loving home! To anyone looking for a home in the Iowa City/Coralville area, Shaner is a great REALTOR® to work with and I would highly recommend him, especially if you are from out of town like we were. We will definitely be working with him again in the future.– Kristen & Tim Witalka, October 2016
My wife and I enjoyed working with Shaner to find our new home. We were new to the area and Shaner not only showed us around the houses but also around the city. Although we do blame him for adding a few inches to our waist line by telling us to try Heyn's ice cream, because now we can't stop eating there. He listened to us about the kind of house and area we were interested in and showed us lots of houses that fit what we were looking for. We would be happy to recommend Shaner to anyone else in the area looking for a real estate agent.– Jeff & Sachi Peckover, July 2016
Shaner Magalhães came highly recommended to us from a mutual friend to assist us with purchasing our first home. We had heard from friends and family how stressful and overwhelming the whole process can be but that was not the case for us. Shaner made the entire process painless and actually kind of fun. He is incredibly easy to work with and really goes above and beyond in every way. Shaner answered our questions as they came up (which was frequently) and really made us feel like we were his number one clients. He gave us all the information we needed in regard to what things we should look for and what we should expect during the home buying process, as well as helpful information as new home owners. Even after we closed and moved into our new home, Shaner was very helpful with our questions as they came up. Because of Shaner, we found our dream home just in time for us to start a family. We recommend Shaner to anyone who wants their home buying experience to be fun, stress-free and successful. He is really a great guy!– Jenny & Robert Magsamen, July 2016
As an out-of-state first-time home buyer, I found Shaner to be very knowledgeable and accessible via email and phone. He did a great job setting up a lot of house showings for me when I could make it to Iowa City for a weekend, and when I didn't see anything I liked he continued to work with me and send me more tailored listings. I ended up buying sight unseen after Shaner went and viewed the house on my behalf. I felt very confident in his account of the house and was very happy when I finally got to see it in person. I would highly recommend Shaner for his accessibility, thoroughness, and knowledge of the housing market.– Alan Utria, June 2016
We had a wonderful experience working with Shaner! We were first-time home buyers searching during the busiest time of the year. We only had one weekend we were able to make the trip out to house hunt and we knew we had to find a house during our time in Iowa. Leading up to our trip, Shaner was great about sending us listings, keeping us updated as houses sold or came on the market, and helping us narrow down exactly what we wanted in a house. When we found a house we loved he went and even did a video walk thru of the house since we were unable to fly out for another week. Our house hunting day was smooth and painless and we ended up buying the second house we saw. Buying our first home was stressful and nerve-wracking, however Shaner made sure every question was answered and he was very knowledgeable about the area. We adore the house we bought and could not have done it without him.– Lindsay & Justin Norvell, June 2016
Shaner did a great job for me last year with listing and selling my commercial property. He was readily available to answer questions and meet to discuss strategies and solutions to help get our building sold at the best possible price. I never felt pressured by Shaner and felt that he truly had my best interests in mind. Shaner explained things well and I always felt like the decisions I made were MY decisions. Even though I know he had other properties to sell, I felt as if Shaner was giving my property his full attention. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Shaner to anyone who wants a property sold by a very trustworthy professional.– Pam Miller-DeKeyser, May 2016
As first time home buyers we didn't really know what we were doing or getting into for that matter. We were so lucky to know someone who recommended we get in touch with Shaner. From the very beginning we felt like he really prioritized our search and made himself available to be sure we were on the right track and knew what we needed to know for such an important step in our lives. If we had a question Shaner responded almost immediately with facts and information. He wasn't just trying to make a quick sale; he listened to our needs and found us the perfect home based on what we wanted. If we said we didn't like something Shaner immediately took note and we moved on. We never got the sense that he was trying to push us into a sale. Our happiness and satisfaction seemed important to him no matter how much time it took. We would recommend Shaner to everyone. He made the home buying process fun and enjoyable.– Irena Sarić & Riley VanLeeuwen, December 2015
We worked with Shaner as our real estate agent during the spring of 2015 to sell our condo on the east side of Iowa City. We did not live in the area at the time and he made the process very easy on us from a long distance away. We found him to be very available, knowledgeable, and detail-oriented. We successfully sold our condo in a matter of weeks and for a very acceptable price. We would strongly recommend Shaner to anyone looking to sell a property of any kind in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids corridor.– Mark & Kam Fohey, September 2015
Working with Shaner was a great experience. Coming from another state, we needed someone with a lot of knowledge and experience. That is what we found in Shaner. He researched everything we would want to know about the properties and did an amazing job of finding what we wanted. He spent several long weekends with us and we found our "dream house." He was so helpful from start to finish. We couldn't ask for a better Realtor.– Amanda & Tommy Tzanetakos, August 2015
Shaner really listened to my partner and I when it came to our property needs. He was kind and honest with us about every showing. He helped us find a great home and I would totally say hi to him if I saw him on the street!– Jamie Ellis, July 2015
As a first time home buyer, I think I lucked out on getting Shaner Magalhaes as my Realtor. He was incredibly helpful & resourceful. He was easy to work with and was able to answer all of my questions regarding a new house; what to look for, what to expect during the buying process and what sort of extra expenses and tax breaks I could expect. He was very perceptive and after just a few short outings he had a good idea of what kind of house I was looking for, which helped out a lot because although I spent a good deal of time house hunting on my own, he always knew where to go to find a house I hadn't seen listed. I would recommend Shaner to any home-buyer.– Jessica Echternacht, July 2014
When we started working with Shaner we were out of state. When my husband flew out to look at homes we only gave Shaner notice 2 days in advance. Shaner not only fit us in, but showed my husband a slew of homes and allowed him to use his office to call me to talk about the homes since I was not present for the showings. He then returned with my husband to two of the homes that we were deciding between and helped us video the homes so that I could help make the choice. Shaner was extremely attentive to our emails, phone calls and texts. He was also understanding and helpful when it came to our budget. He was personable, and down to earth. We really enjoyed working with Shaner and you will too!– Jamie Walpole, July 2014
My fiance and I had the pleasure of working with Shaner from Skogman Realty. He was an invaluable assest in helping us navigate the purchase of our first home. He was always available to answer our numerous questions about the process, helped us navigate the paperwork, and worked tirelessly to make sure we felt comfortable with the choices we made. In addition, he was extrememly easy to work with. His caring demeanor, laid-back and friendly personality as well as his genuine desire to be an advocate for us in buying our home set him apart from other Realtors in the area. We would highly recommend Shaner to those interested in buying a home.– Natalie Chadwick, April 2014
I worked with Shaner during the months of March-May 2013, at which time he listed and sold my home on the east side of Iowa City. I am so happy I chose Shaner as my real estate agent. He went right to work and successfully sold my house in a matter of weeks! Shaner kept track of an enormous number of details, and greatly impressed me with his caring commitment to selling my home. He made himself available to me by cell phone, text, and in person, and we were in constant contact at times, even on weekends. I would not hesitate to highly recommend Shaner to anyone looking for an outstanding Realtor!– Loni Parrott, June 2013
You never know what to expect when you are looking to buy a home, but luckily Shaner helped to walk us through it. Shaner took into account every need and desire of ours to give us a wide range of homes to choose from. There was no request too big or small for Shaner, and we appreciated his help throughout the whole process. While there is no plan to sell our home for a very long time, we definitely know who we will ask for if/when that time does come again.– Frances Summers & Mike Harman, April 2013
For a first time home buyer like me, Shaner was instrumental in helping me feel comfortable with my home purchase. Shaner's laid- back, friendly, and informative approach helped me to feel at ease, and in control through the entire process. Not only was he helpful in these regards, he was also flexible about working with my schedule (which included quite a few late nights). Shaner is a dedicated REALTOR® with the experience, knowledge, and ability that helped me to get the best deal on a great first home! I would recommend him to anyone interested in buying a home.– Taylor Bergen, March 2013
Shaner helped me buy my first rental property. He was great at explaining the trials, risks, and rewards of being a landlord/manager. He was able to show me many different options and point out what could possibly be a concern or an asset to a purchase. Shaner was someone who was able to be there when other REALTORS® were not. He was a very dependable person - placing me and my partner first in the home buying process. I definitely see future buying adventures with Shaner. He is certainly someone that goes above and beyond a REALTORS® duty.– Martin Robillard, October 2012
We had the pleasure to work with Shaner from Skogman Realty and had an invaluable experience as first-time home buyers. He is very professional, easy to work with, provided a wealth of knowledge for our many house questions, would get back to us promptly and go above and beyond what would be expected from a Realtor. Shaner was also very detailed and supportive from start to finish in the decision-making and purchasing process which made us feel very comfortable when it came to purchasing time. For example, we had put our first offer on a house and began countering and did not feel 100% comfortable at the time to accept the counters and conditions. During that time we did not feel pressured or persuaded at any time to purchase. However, we were given great recommendations by Shaner that eventually landed us in a different house that better suited our needs. Working with Shaner was a great experience from start to finish and I would highly recommend him as a Realtor.– Chris & Val Quang, April 2012
Shaner worked with me to buy my very first place. He was great at explaining the process to me as a first-time home buyer. He was able to show me many different options to help me narrow down what I was looking for and was very patient with me when I was trying to refine my search. Shaner was always respectful of the budget I had established and I felt that he really was trying to find something that I would love. He was great at keeping an eye out for new listings that might work for me and always answering my questions quickly. Shaner was able to find me a great first home and I was very happy with my experience in working with him.– Elizabeth Sauter, February 2012
We were so thankful that Shaner answered the phone the day we called Skogman Realty. He was such a breath of fresh air. Shaner's positive attitude and enthusiasm were contagious. Even though our house had been listed with a different agency for several months, Shaner walked through the house and came up with several ideas on how to make it show better. Asking us to write a letter about why we loved our home was a great way for potential buyers to get a glimpse into the possibilities for them. Since we were out of the state and all of our correspondence was through e-mails and phone calls, Shaner's attention to detail and prompt response to all our questions was so reassuring. We will highly recommend Shaner to anyone we know who is looking for a Realtor.– Doug & Renata Loveless, November 2011
I really enjoyed working with Shaner and appreciated his laid-back style. I felt that I was able to make my own choices and got what I wanted, but Shaner was there helping me every step of the way. I haven't moved in yet but I can't wait! I love the place already.– Virginia Dreier, November 2011
Shaner sold my house in record time and with absolute professionalism throughout the process! He was very efficient, organized, and effective in all aspects of the transaction, and truly exceeded my highest expectations. I plan to refer to Shaner anyone I know that plans to buy or sell a house or business in the Corridor area.– Terrence Neuzil, October 2011
Shaner was an excellent agent for us. We were first time home buyers and knew nothing. His guidance and research absolutley saved our lives. There was never any pressure to make an offer or even look at homes we were not interested in. When we did make an offer, he walked us through the process and made sure we felt comfortable with what we were doing. When the offer was accepted, he was there again to explain all the steps involved. After we closed and moved in - he was still checking in on us and providing guidance. We highly recommend him and have recommended him to family that might be moving to the area.– Tony & Nancy Hakes , July 2011
I am admittedly a very particular person - especially in regard to buying a house - but Shaner made the process very stress-free. He did a wonderful job of helping me evaluate and compare properties, and Shaner asked lots of great questions in order to get me to think more thoroughly about my wants vs. needs. Quite simply, Shaner was very easy to work with, and did a great job for me.– Barbara Grice, June 2011


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Blended Learning courses for teacher educators between Asia and Europe (BLTeae) is a
European Commission (EU) funded project under Erasmus + capacity building program. The
project aims to support teacher educators 'professional development through blended
Learning. The project further aims to build a European and Asian countries collaborative
community capable to reflect on teaching trainers practices with the support of e-Portfolio and
video as reflective tools. The direct aim is to improve teacher educators' skills, with direct and
indirect implication on quality of teacher educators' skills. The coordinating partner is Aix-
Marseille University of France. The partner countries from Europe are: France, Belgium,
Denmark and Estonia and the Asian partner countries are: Pakistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh and
Malaysia. According to EU in 2016, it is the only capacity building project of Erasmus + where
Asian partners are involved. In Pakistan, the project was initiated by Prof. Dr Sufiana Khatoon
Malik, National University of Modern Languages (NUML) Islamabad. The other partner
university from Pakistan is International Islamic University Islamabad.


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"Bringing order to large-scale disordered complex metal alloys: Gd2Au15-xSbx and BaAuxGa12-x", Crystengcomm, vol. 20, pp. 348-355, 2018.,
"Characterization of Pharmaceutical Cocrystals and Salts by Dynamic Nuclear Polarization-Enhanced Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy", Design, vol. 18, pp. 2588-2601, 2018.,
"Foreword to the special issue on advanced neutron scattering instrumentation", Journal of Applied Crystallography, vol. 51, pp. 567-569, 2018.,
"R-14(Au, M)(51) (R = Y, La-Nd, Sm-Tb, Ho, Er, Yb, Lu; M = Al, Ga, Ge, In, Sn, Sb, Bi): Stability Ranges and Site Preference in the Gd14Ag51 Structure Type", Design, vol. 18, pp. 993-1001, 2018.,
"Rhombohedral Distortion of the Cubic MgCu2-Type Structure in Ca2Pt3Ga and Ca2Pd3Ga", Crystals, vol. 8, p. 186, 2018.,
"Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Properties of Three La-Zn-P Compounds with Different Dimensionalities of the Zn-P Framework", Crystal Growth and Design, vol. 18, pp. 4076-4083, 2018.,
"Synthesis, structural characterization and luminescence properties of 1-carboxymethyl-3-ethylimidazolium chloride", Acta Crystallographica Section C-Structural Chemistry, vol. 74, p. 653-+, 2018.,
"Crystal structure, homogeneity range and electronic structure of rhombohedral gamma-Mn5Al8", Zeitschrift Fur Kristallographie-Crystalline Materials, vol. 232, pp. 601-610, 2017.,
"Crystal structures and new perspectives on Y3Au4 and Y(14)Au51", Acta Crystallographica Section C-Structural Chemistry, vol. 73, p. 692-+, 2017.,
"Does crystallography need a new name?", Iucrj, vol. 4, pp. 301-302, 2017.,
"Layered Structures and Disordered Polyanionic Nets in the Cation Poor Polar Intermetallics CsAu1.4Ga2.8 and CsAu2Ga2.6", Design, vol. 17, pp. 693-700, 2017.,
"The solidification of Al-Pd-Mn studied by high-energy X-ray diffraction from electrostatically levitated samples", Zeitschrift Fur Kristallographie-Crystalline Materials, vol. 232, pp. 619-627, 2017.,
"Conflict between the Electronic Factors and Structure-Directing Rules in the lntergrowth Structure of Ca4Ag2+xGe4-x with x=1/2", Design, vol. 16, pp. 5946-5953, 2016.,
"Critical issues for homoepitaxial GaN growth by molecular beam epitaxy on hydride vapor-phase epitaxy-grown GaN substrates", Journal of Crystal Growth, vol. 456, pp. 121-132, 2016.,
"Gold in the Layered Structures of R3Au7Sn3: From Relativity to Versatility", Design, vol. 16, pp. 5657-5668, 2016.,
"An Icosahedral Quasicrystal and Its 1/0 Crystalline Approximant in the Ca-Au-Al System", Inorganic Chemistry, vol. 55, pp. 10425-10437, 2016.,
"New Developments in the Synthesis, Structure, and Applications of Borophosphates and Metalloborophosphates", Design, vol. 16, pp. 2441-2458, 2016.,
"New R3Pd5 Compounds (R = Sc, Y, Gd-Lu): Formation and Stability, Crystal Structure, and Antiferromagnetism", Design, vol. 16, pp. 6001-6015, 2016.,
"New R3Pd5 Compounds (R = Sc, Y, Gd-Lu): Formation and Stability, Crystal Structure, and Antiferromagnetism", Design, vol. 16, pp. 6001-6015, 2016.,
"Polarized Light Microscopy Study on the Reentrant Phase Transition in a (Ba1-xKx) Fe2As2 Single Crystal with x=0.24", Crystals, vol. 6, p. 142, 2016.,
"Role of chemically and thermally induced crystal lattice distortion in enhancing the Seebeck coefficient in complex tellurides", Crystengcomm, vol. 18, pp. 6632-6639, 2016.,
"Oxygen trapped by rare earth tetrahedral clusters in Nd4FeOS6: Crystal structure, electronic structure, and magnetic properties", Journal of Solid State Chemistry, vol. 229, pp. 41-48, 2015.,
"Na8Au9.8(4)Ga7.2 and Na17Au15.87(2)Ga46.63: The diversity of pseudo 5-fold 0 Cross Mark symmetries in the Na-Au-Ga system", Journal of Solid State Chemistry, vol. 207, pp. 21-28, 2013.,
"Unexpected crystal and magnetic structures in MnCu4In and MnCu4Sn", Acta Materialia, vol. 61, pp. 2236-2243, 2013.,


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I'm a fashion enthusiast who wanted to create a platform where I could share my fashion tips and tricks. On my blog, I will be covering content ranging from outfit of the days, trend reports, travel diaries, and fun recipes! These posts will also include more personal topics, such as fashion and life mistakes I have made and what lessons I have learned, so people can learn something while they are reading. I am open to any suggestions and collaborations, so please contact me if you would like to talk (information in the Contact section). Also, don't forget to subscribe to my blog to receive the latest updates!
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From Cato@Liberty.
Posted in Education, tagged Public education on September 30, 2010| 2 Comments »
Posted in Uncategorized on September 30, 2010| 1 Comment »
According to the AP, Congress is set to pass a law that would mandate standards equalizing the volume of programming and television commercials. Specifically:
Legislation to turn down the volume on loud TV commercials that send couch potatoes diving for their remote controls looks like it'll soon become law. The Senate late Wednesday unanimously passed a bill to require television stations and cable companies to implement industry standards capping the volume of commercials and equalizing the volume between ads and other programming.
I'm no fan of the regulatory state, and I don't think the government should regulate how television stations and cable companies run their affairs. If we don't like the annoying volume differential between commercials and regular programming, we can stop watching those channels, stop purchasing products advertised in this way, or complain. Or you can get even more radical (as I have done) and watch television shows late on Netflix, commercial free! In other words, we can hope to effect change by exit or voice.
However, such attempts run into stiff resistance due to the collective action problem – hence the allure of government (in other words, coercive) approaches.
Although I'm not a fan of using the coercive power of the state, the equalization of volume seems to be a Pareto optimal move – unless we really think that advertisers or consumers benefit from such an annoyance (I would guess that it turns us off as much as invites us to buy products – but I'm no expert on marketing and don't have the data in front of me to confirm or infirm my guess). Therefore, this probably isn't the worst thing the state could do. Moreover, if such tinkering takes up Congress' time and energy, it gives that august body marginally less time and energy to do really harmful things!
Posted in 2010 Elections, tagged federal spending, public debt, Republican Party, Tea Party on September 29, 2010| 8 Comments »
Like many other people, I was underwhelmed by the recently released Republican "Pledge to America." Longwinded, wishy-washy, and mostly tinkering on the edges.
I am not a member of the Republican Party (or any other party), and I am indeed one of those who fails to much difference of substance between the two major parties—at least on fiscal issues. There are differences on social issues, but, as I have argued before, those issues pale in importance to the fiscal reckoning that looms before us.
I am not alone in thinking this. In fact, I believe this cluster of fiscal concerns constitutes the core of what animates the Tea Party. It is what explains why they oppose some candidates, including some Republicans, and why they favor others, including some independents. Their surging influence gives me some hope that we might finally address this issue, and it is why I welcome their contribution.
But I am not here to defend the Tea Party qua party either. I want us to get our fiscal house in order—now. To that end, I humbly offer what I believe would be a winning, and indeed inspiring, agenda for an ambitious group of politicians.
Call it "The Principles of American Renewal":
1. No new taxes of any kind.
2. No new spending of any kind.
3. An immediate, across-the-board 5% reduction in the budgets of every department, agency, bureau, institute, and program currently operated under the auspices of the federal government. That includes both "discretionary" spending and "mandatory" spending budget items.
4. Do the same next year, and then freeze all spending levels there unless a super-majority of both houses of Congress approves otherwise.
That's it. It's not much, but I think it has considerable virtues.
First, it does not require us to argue about which agencies, offices, etc. should be cut and which should not—cut them all, with proportionate equality.
Second, no one can claim, at least not credibly, that there is not at least 9.75% of fat (what two years of 5% cuts amount to) to cut in every single line of budget in the federal government.
The 2010 federal budget (October 2009–September 2010) entails spending $3.55 trillion dollars. So this policy would entail a 2011 budget of approximately $3.37 trillion, and a 2012 budget of approximately $3.20 trillion—a savings, after two years, of some $350 billion, bringing federal spending down to what it was all the way back in . . . 2008. Is anyone willing to claim that the federal government was just not spending enough in 2008?
Third, if Daniel Mitchell is correct (H/T Roger Ream), a policy like this would rapidly balance the annual budget, and it would be a good first step toward addressing our longer-term national debt.
Fourth, there are many, many households and business who have had to make similar adjustments. Many of them indeed have gone completely under and wish they only had to make a 9.75% adjustment over two years. So this pledge could enable its supporters to claim that they understand our economic difficulties and are willing to do their part.
There would be some obstacles, of course. This policy would require reform in some entitlement regulations, and special-interest groups would complain about their funding decreasing. But politicians could insulate themselves from the worst of the complaints by claiming, truthfully, that their hands are tied by the need for across-the-board reductions; no one is being singled out for special treatment.
A pledge to support a program like that, backed up with, perhaps, a promise to resign if a candidate voted otherwise, would, I preduct, be a winning one. If enough people got elected on it, it might also actually do some good in Washington, making it a win for the rest of us as well.
Posted in Uncategorized on September 29, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Jonah Goldberg on education policy:
But is there another major area of American public policy that is more screwed up and more completely the fault of one ideological side [than education]? Which party do the teachers' unions support overwhelmingly? What is the ideological outlook of the bureaucrats at the Department of Education? Which party claims it "cares" more about education and demagogues any attempt by the other party to reform it? Who has controlled the large inner city school systems for generations? What is the ideological orientation of the ed school racket? Whose preferred teaching methods have been funded and whose have been ridiculed?
Read more here: Liberalism's greatest failure?. His post (like many on NRO) could be labeled as partisan ranting.
But it is also ranting that tells the truth.
Posted in Uncategorized on September 29, 2010| 36 Comments »
Kwame Anthony Appiah has a neat thought-provoking piece in the Washington Post that discusses what currently tolerated practices are likely to meet with future moral condemnation. He argues that there are "three signs that a particular practice is destined for future condemnation":
First, people have already heard the arguments against the practice. The case against slavery didn't emerge in a blinding moment of moral clarity, for instance; it had been around for centuries.
Second, defenders of the custom tend not to offer moral counterarguments but instead invoke tradition, human nature or necessity. (As in, "We've always had slaves, and how could we grow cotton without them?")
And third, supporters engage in what one might call strategic ignorance, avoiding truths that might force them to face the evils in which they're complicit. Those who ate the sugar or wore the cotton that the slaves grew simply didn't think about what made those goods possible. That's why abolitionists sought to direct attention toward the conditions of the Middle Passage, through detailed illustrations of slave ships and horrifying stories of the suffering below decks.
Appiah proceeds to argue that the following meet this standard: our prison system, how we treat the elderly and the environment, and industrial meat production. Ross Douthat and Will Wilkinson respond in kind – Douthat nominates abortion; Wilkinson, the nation-state system.
Tyler Cowen counters by asking "which practices currently considered to be outrageous will make a moral comeback in the court of public opinion."
My nominee of a currently tolerated practice that will be seen as less and less morally acceptable is voluntary male circumcision. It is a painful (some might say barbarous) ritual practice that has few proven health benefits (the most important of which, possible reduction of the risk of STD/AIDS acquisition, can be controlled through safe sex practices such as monogamy) and some serious potential medical side-effects. Thus it is not surprising that the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend routine neonatal and has stated that "the procedure is not essential to the child's current well-being." Moreover, male circumcision may diminish sexual pleasure in adult males and their female partners. In the West, it is largely a product of the Victorian Era's misguided sexual puritanism.
Circumcision (btw, Will W., this is not my personal hobby-horse) also fits Appiah's standards quite well. First, the arguments against circumcision are out there and growing. Indeed, according to my wife's OB/GYN, people on the coasts are engaging in the practice less frequently while the Midwest has been less comfortable with these changing sentiments. Even more importantly, people are more aware of the barbarism of female genital mutilation (FGM) – and this compels people to think about male circumcision. Indeed, my growing awareness of FGM was a contributing factor that led me to think seriously and more carefully about our own cultural practices and ultimately to decide not to circumcise my sons.
Second, defenders of the custom certainly use tradition to defend the practice (as in "My Dad is circumcised, I'm circumcised, so I'll circumcise my kid") or make a claim to necessity ("we need to do this to prevent the spread of STDs" – even though there are many other avenues to reduce the risk).
Third, supporters certainly engage in "strategic ignorance" – indeed, most people I've discussed this with never even give it a thought, and if they do, it is due to the pangs of possible regret as they watch their son go under the knife just after entering the world.
So, I predict that (absent new compelling evidence of serious health benefits) voluntary male circumcision will be seen in the future as a strange ritual of the less enlightened past.
Posted in Uncategorized on September 29, 2010| 3 Comments »
Many people (including me) take the ever increasing growth in government expenditures as a basic article of faith. Over the 20th century, we had about a 23-fold increase in real GDP, but a 200-fold increase in real government expenditures. In other words, from 1900-2000, federal expenditures grew at a rate nearly 10 times the growth rate of the economy. This growth happened in surges. In 1929 it was 2.9% of GDP, by 1939 it was 9.2%. WWII and the Cold War brought more defense spending, and all federal spending has increased steadily since then.
One might expect that such an increase would have been accompanied by vast increases in the number of federal employees. During some periods this obviously happened. What I didn't realize until I was looking at some figures today is that the growth in the civilian workforce federal workforce has, for the past several decades, not increased by that much. According to the Factbook produced by OPM, the federal civilian workforce was 2.708 million in 2000 and 2.700 million in 2006. According to another source, the Executive Branch employment (excluding postal workers) was slightly less in 2005 than it was in 1965 (and down 17% from the peak in 1990).
So government is expanding rapidly, but the government workforce hasn't done so for quite some time. What is going on? The same Factbook gives part of the answer. Over that same period from 2000-2006, the annual "base salaries" of federal civilian employees rose, in nominal terms, from $46,784 to $66,372–an increase of over 16% after adjusting for inflation. This was not a demographic effect, since the average length of service actually declined slightly over that period. Benefits, which are on top of the base, went up by even higher percentages, as did payments for health and retirement benefits for retired employees.
This six-year increase is a short period of time. Trends like these over long periods lead to very big differences. A swath of recent news stories has documented that public-sector employees get paid more than private sector employees, especially when benefits are added in. These data suggest that gap is likely to grow.
If we think of "the government" as, loosely, the people who work in the government, then we have a clear and troubling story here. Rent-seeking behavior by many interests have led to increased expenditures on those interests over the decades (since the Founding, actually). This continues more or less unabated. But while the scope of government is ever-increasing, the people in the government have stopped expanding the federal work force (it might have gone up given the surge in recent spending, but I don't have data easily at hand on that question). Instead, they have chosen to sharply increase their wages and benefits rather that spend increased funds on personnel that might actually improve the performance of government. Furthermore, because the expenditures per employee ratio has gone up considerably, the average influence of each federal employee is increasing as well.
As far as overall budget problems go, the federal payroll is nowhere near the problem that entitlements and defense spending are. But we are talking about hundreds of billions per year in payments and, more important, a bureaucratic machine that is eating itself alive from the inside. Elected officials have a relatively hard time raising their own salaries and benefits, but the bureaucrats who work for them have been largely immune from public scrutiny in this regard.
The outrageous bonuses and salaries paid to Wall Street fat cats from funds loaned by the government caused a lot of public anger (though directed at the wrong thing: the bailouts — which were absolutely necessary). Compared to the regular fleecing of the taxpayer by the public employee unions in this country, the Wall Street bonuses are a pittance.
Posted in Economics, tagged income inequality, inequality on September 28, 2010| 1 Comment »
It has long been commonplace to assert that income inequality has been rising in the U.S. since the 1970s. Following Marc's post about Robert Reich's book and my reply to Roderick Long's argument for moral concern about inequality, I thought readers might be interested in a debate going on at the Economist over new data on U.S. income inequality. Will Wilkinson points up new research showing that the rise in income inequality has been overstated significantly due to the fact that prices for the goods that lower-income consumers disproportionately buy have fallen relative to other goods. He also offers another argument for lack of concern about income inequality as such:
To find that American income inequality has been overestimated is not to find that America's institutions are closer to some moral ideal than we had thought. Were America's highest marginal income tax rate a little higher, that would do nothing to reform America's penal system, to moderate America's nation-building habit, to reform its de facto apartheid public-school system, or to improve its vicious treatment of undocumented immigrants. Inequality is indeed a frequent side-effect of injustice, but it is benighted to fixate on symptoms to the neglect of the disease. The more time wasted arguing about relatively meaningless abstractions like country-level income inequality, the less is devoted to addressing what ought to be the sources of American shame.


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The Champions League group stages have reached their half way point and next week will see Europe's leading clubs take a huge step towards qualification for the next round, a Europa League consolation prize or straight up elimination from all European competition.
Four Premier League clubs are currently attempting to work their way into the round of 16 draw in January and here we take a look to at how they have got on so far - not to mention how successful we think they will be.
Here are the verdicts...
Anybody in football will understand Chelsea's dominance this season. To an extent they have carried this form into Europe. Their crushing 6-0 victory over Maribor showed a gulf in class, which is rarely seen at this level.
Equally impressive was their taking three points in Lisbon on matchday two. Yet, the Blues have shown they are just as capable of producing dubious results in this competition - the rather bland stalemate with Schalke 04 springs to mind.
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These results can have deadly consequences. An equally drab 1-1 draw with Rosenberg saw the end of Jose Mourinho's first spell in charge in 2007. History seems to be on Chelsea's side though as they always seem to produce results when needed.
An absence of five years from Europe's elite competition is evident, as the Reds' attempts to play their free flowing football are hitting a brick wall; it is not for the want of trying, however.
Against Real Madrid they were genuinely beaten by an exceptional side that happened to contain Cristiano Ronaldo. Against any other team, a performance like this would have yielded some fruit. Unfortunately for Liverpool, results like this make their other matches vitally important.
A laboured victory over debutantes' Ludogorets and a defeat in Switzerland against Basel shows that the Champions League may have come slightly early for Brendan Rodgers' men.
Three words can be used to describe the Gunners' exploits: hot, cold and lukewarm. Against Borussia Dortmund, they were outplayed and lacked any kind of imagination; against Galatasaray, their play was swift, free-flowing and lethal.
Anderlecht, on paper, seemed a straightforward assignment, yet it was only a late two-goal rally that got Arsene Wenger's team out of jail. The latter of these results in particular shows the inconsistency that could halt Arsenal's Champions League ambitions.
This said, inconsistencies took Chelsea all the way to the crown in 2012. Arsenal still have the experience of this level to allow fans to dream of lightning striking twice.
Manchester City
They have one of the most envied squads in world football, a manager with oodles of European experience and came into the tournament as Premier League champions. Despite this, City still seem to lack confidence.
Their performances have been distinctly ordinary in a group containing teams against whom that little something extra is required. They managed to contain Bayern Munich in their first encounter, yet never really threatened the Bayern goal.
Their other two encounters have produced two draws. Hardly results to set the world alight. Perhaps confidence will come with experience and if you told any City fan that they would be dining at Europe's top table five years ago, they would have probably laughed at you.
For all we can look at these clubs' feats, we have to remember that they are facing the best opposition on the continent. Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona, among others, still remain as deadly as ever. Now, more than ever, it will take a lot to stop them.


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RF Board Designers Confront Many Challenges
From data formats to signal interference, designers must support multiple-RF designs to stay competitive.By John Blyler
No one doubts that the global market for all things wireless will continue to grow. Wireless connectivity in both voice and data-based systems is spanning the globe. Data-intensive wireless systems range from personal-area-network (PAN) technologies based on Bluetooth and Ultra Wideband (UWB) protocols to longer-range designs like the IEEE 802.11 wireless-local-area-network (WLAN) family and WiMAX systems. Because of these trends, analog, radio-frequency (RF), and wireless design challenges have moved to the forefront of both chip and board-level design concerns.
An example of one company that is poised to address both the chip and board-level issues facing analog-RF-wireless engineers is Cadence Design Systems (www.cadence.com). Recently, I had the opportunity to interview experts in both Cadence's North America and China headquarters. Their insights reflect the universal problems faced by RF designers.
The problem in designing board-level RF systems is twofold. The first challenge involves implementing the RF circuit with the existingoften "clock" noisydigital design onto an already crowded printed-circuit board (PCB). The second obstacle deals with the signal-interference issues that are common to multi-RF front-end systems. Let's start with the board-level challenge.
RF Board-Level Challenges
Whether an RF circuit is being realized on a silicon chip or PCB, the first step is to model, simulate, and design the circuit. A host of specialized software tools are available to help engineers create the necessary design. But once these circuits are designed, how are they implemented on a board? To answer this question, one must first understand that two distinct design data formats are involved: one for the board and a different one for the RF circuit. As stated by Josh Moore, Senior Product Manager for PCB Design Tools at Cadence Design Systems, "The problem is one of data interoperabilityi.e., getting information from the design and analysis tools into the tools that can actually create the physical circuit board."
Most board designers are familiar with PCB data formats like Gerber or GenCAD. In what format, however, are specific RF circuits captured? Most data comes out of the RF simulation and design tools in a format known as the Intermediate File Format or IFF (see the Figure). This format permits the bi-directional flow of data from schematic and layout design tools. It contains all of the RF front-end logic information for a particular circuit as well as the back-end RF physical elements. Board-level CAD tools use this information to properly place the circuit onto an RF-only or mixed-domain (RF and digital) board.
Yet this isn't as straightforward as it seems, notes Moore. "In the past, these tools lacked a highly integrative solution. For example, imagine that a mounting hole was mistakenly added right in the middle of your transmitter circuit. To fix this mistake on the board, you had to move the antenna, which could easily change the RF electrical characteristics of the circuit. Such a change would mean the circuit must be re-simulated." But there was no easy way to get these changes back into the simulators aside from verbally explaining to the RF engineer what specific changes were needed from the board designer's perspective. The RF engineer would then have to recreate the changes and redo the simulationhopefully with favorable results.
In the past, board-level computer-aided-design (CAD) tools have looked upon RF designs as black boxes. Although the IFF data explained what the RF designer intended, CAD tools typically didn't understand the RF elements. For the CAD designer, Moore explains, this RF "black box" was little more than physical elements like copper construction pieces that could be a duct or exploiter. "It could be whatever RF element the circuit is trying to make happen." The CAD designer would just accept whatever data came from the toolnot really knowing which RF functions were to be performed by the various collections of copper elements.
RF Circuit Issues
We've highlighted some of the problems associated with importing RF design data into the established PCB CAD tools. But how do engineers know that the board-level implementation will work as well as it does on the simulators? Mr. Xiao, Product Engineer for Cadence in Shanghai, China, notes that the biggest challenges are electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). These challenges arise because most RF designs will go into consumer products (mobile phones, wireless networks, etc.) that must meet FCC and European standards. Designers must therefore be able to identify, locate, assess, and resolve EMI and EMC issues before the product can be manufactured.
By their very nature, EMI and EMC problems are often very difficult to trace to a single cause. The inability to define the complete context of the EMI-EMC problem makes it very hard to simulate. Xiao agrees, noting that EMI-EMC challenges are really system-level issues that involve such factors as mechanical structure, functionality, layout, power disturbance, heatsinking, shielding, and spectral planning.
Another design challenge involves the growing need to support multiple RF subsystem protocols like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and others. Incorporating multiple RF front-end designs into consumer products is a popular way to remove the interconnect wire tangle. This approach also works to add more features, shrink existing form factors, reduce overall weight, consume less power, and lower system costs. Unfortunately, multiple RF front ends present a number of tradeoffs. Coupling the board's signal paths can degrade system performance while separating them can result in higher cost.
Xiao observes that still another issue faces RF designers: the lack of a proper design environment and tools. Organizational structure and tool provisioning haven't evolved in order to facilitate the design trend to combine RF and digital features on the same board. Often, the RF design team and digital design team continue to be two separate groupseach having its own set of equipment.
On the process side of the development issue, analog-RF-wireless designs have never scaled into smaller silicon sizes as easily as digital designs. Technological advances, such as direct downconversion or zero intermediate frequency (IF), have helped to reduce the size of RF front ends. Today, traditional superheterodynes and zero-IF architectures co-exist on the same boardalbeit for different applications. Superheterodyne architectures are more widely used in classic designs. In contrast, zero-IF approaches offer the advantage of reduced external parts count, which saves board space and enables smaller-form-factor chips. Zero-IF technology is now widely accepted. Xiao believes it will be the future direction for all RF front-end applications.
What can be done to address all of these challengesstarting with the data format interoperability? More and more software vendors are providing better bi-directional mechanisms to exchange data between simulation, design, and testing tools. Some of these tools even provide reuse functionality.
While RF and digital designers continue to operate in separate camps, both know that they must co-exist in order to survive in the marketplace. Mixed-domain technology advancements, which require the integration of both analog and digital signals onto a single board, help to encourage a healthy respect for each other's point of view.
As they become more knowledgeable of the inherent challenges that the other faces (i.e., RF designers with electromagnetic field issues and digital designers with electrical circuit issues), the designers should become more tolerant and accepting of the other's position.
Another factor that encourages this sharing of perspectives has resulted from college courses, which integrate analog and digital disciplines in the same curriculums. Companies have followed this example by cross-training their engineers.
Yet the best motivator for the closer integration of RF and digital designsand design teamsis probably the growing global market for wireless products. But meeting shrinking board sizes and time-to-market demands means that RF circuit and board designs must have an accurate and efficient bi-directional data flow. Fortunately, this seems to be a high priority for both chip- and board-level EDA companies.
Sample list of tools:
(1) Board design-layout tools: Cadence's Allegro RF PCB platform including Board Station, ADS, and HFSS for RF design and simulation (www.cadence.com)
(2) Simulation and design tools: Microwave Designer from Applied Wave Research (www.appwave.com)
(3) Testing tools: BTG's Bird Diagnostic System (BDS); Agilent ADS (www.agilent.com)


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When the Czech EU Presidency wanted to present an artistic retrospective of the block, the idea was to have each member state contribute their own symbolic representation.
Unfortunetly, no-one caught on to the fact that it was all an elaborate hoax by Czech artist David Cerny. Not even the Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra, who unveiled the project with gushing praise.
Romania: Dracula's themepark?
Poland: Where Catholic monks work for gay rights?
Bulgaria: One giant squat toilet, or land of convenience?


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It is the start of football season! For most women, your first reaction is, "so?", but most men are all rallied up. For men, football season means football parties, food, beer, fantasy football, and friends. If you have a boyfriend who loves football, you will probably be tagging along with him to the parties or the bar to watch the game; while you might not understand the game, that does not mean you cannot look good trying!
This week I went out and polled three normal, sports loving men. Ian Barlow, Brian Longfellow, and Colin Wagner.
I asked them all the same questions, all phrased the same. Some of these answers might astonish you!
Question 1: If you are either casually dating a girl or in a relationship with her, would you appreciate if she wore a football shirt or jersey even though she does not understand the game?
All the men answered "yes" but according to Ian, "I would love a girl who rocks a football jersey, regardless of her understanding of the game because it shows A) if she doesn't understand the game, she appreciates my love and understanding of the game and B) if she does love the game, than that's an instant game-winner and 'wifey-material'".
Question 2: You and your "bros" walk into a bar and see a group of girls wearing football jerseys, jeans, high heels, hair and makeup done. Do you think they are trying too hard, think its awesome or would rather them be casual and more natural?
Once again, all men said it is okay, however Colin added, "I am a fan of girls who don't try too hard. Ian added, "It's a pretty big turn on to see a hot girl done-up and appreciating of sports but I'm not trying to see any female clowns in sports jerseys though!".
Question 3: What is the perfect outfit a woman can wear on football Sunday (or Monday)?
According to Brian: "She doesn't need to be dressed up or anything. A girl who can be one of the guys once and a while is nice, but not all the time".
Ian stated: "Essentially there is no 'perfect outfit' in my book; the outfit itself doesn't really matter, it's the girl in the outfit…but it doesn't hurt for her to root for the Eagles!"
Lastly, Colin added his favorite outfit a girl can wear on football Sunday is a Tom Brady jersey and jeans.
So ladies, while football might not be your favorite sport, your boyfriend or the guy you have been eyeing, loves it. Do not over kill your outfit! Casual is usually better. Wear a nice pair of jeans with a tee-shirt or jersey. Do not look like you are trying too hard.
Here is my go to outfit for a Sunday football game. Get your team jersey or tee-shirt, a pair of dark jeans and a pair of pumps (watch out for the colors!). Take it easy with your hair and makeup. Guys will appreciate that you are attempting to take an interest in one of their interests, and who knows, you might actually fall in love with the game!
Here are a few examples of some cute football Sunday outfits!


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Meet the new guard. Brands, marketing and advertising may be all about the millenials at present when it comes to flogging their products and selling their wares, but there's a new generational cast arriving in town and they've a far different mindset to the twentysomethings who've gone before them. They're the young men and women who were born since the mid-1990s, a group who've been digital natives from the moment they could talk and who weren't even in secondary school when the Celtic Tiger was in full bloom or, indeed, crashing down.
So, what do they think about this, that and the other? What are their views on life, the universe and everything else? What's their take on technology, work, politics, privacy, entertainment, social enterprise, Ireland, climate change, culture, the future, the millenials and a whole lot more besides? We've decided to ask four of them along to Banter to check their heads.
Banter's Generation Z panel: Jessy Rose (singer with Hare Squead), Melissa Kavanagh (poet, Bave New Voices Atlanta 2015), Lia Grogan (SpunOut contributer) and Jordan Casey (programmer and games developer – piece on Jordan here)
Banter on Generation Z takes place at the Twisted Pepper (Middle Abbey St., Dublin 1) on Wednesday March 11. Doors open 6pm and the panel kicks off at 6.30pm. Tickets are available here.


text: Greetings Everyone, We want 2016 to end with a Bang, with a Massive Update and Awesome Deals! We are happy to say the free Winter Holiday campaign featuring the lovable Krampus is once again available. Along with the Holiday Reskin, Holiday Bundle, and Holiday Extended Set Special packs. The Holiday Packs and free Winter Holiday campaign are available from December 15th, 2016 to January 5th, 2017. We appreciate the patience and support of the Pox Nora community. This Massive Update for all of you to play over the winter holidays includes a ton of balance and bug fixes, but more so, it includes a lot of the back-end work we have done in preparation of the new Pox Nora game client. Things are now at the point where we can start bringing the two versions in sync with one another and do this massive update! General Added a new Holiday Bundle pack to the Marketplace. Each pack contains 3 Exotics and 1 Legendary from the Spirits Beyond, Visions of Amareth and Path of De'lim expansions, along with 10 Platinum Tokens and 5000 Shards The festive Holiday Reskins pack is available again on the Marketplace. Each pack comes with 1 Limited Edition rune from 8 holiday themed reskins of legendary runes and 2 platinum tokens. Defiler of Skulls Dirge's Day Marcher Guardian of the Wreath Imp Philanthropist Red Minister Snaptooth Vermillion Rudolph the Chosen Totem of the Hat The Holiday Extended Set Special pack is now available on the Marketplace. Each of these packs give the following runes from the Extended Set: 1 legendary, 1 exotic, 2 rares, 4 uncommons and 4 commons. For a limited time the Winter Holiday campaign featuring Krampus will be available to all players for free. Completing this campaign on Legendary difficulty will award 2 Platinum tokens. Five new Wallpapers have been added to the PoxNora.com. Ability Changes High Ground has been consolidated into Hunter: Walker Hunter: X abilities no longer stack with each other All of the Jab abilities have been consolidated into being Sabotage abilities with the following format: The next enemy champion deployed from the runedock while this champion is in play takes 6 <type> damage and gains Vulnerability: <type>. The following abilities have been renamed: Bloodless has been renamed Eternal Reclaim Relic is now Ruin Restless Souls, Voil Caverns, New Growth, Gravebind and Corpse Restoration, etc. now all trigger once per turn only Sustain has been consolidated into Transfer Life Swoop has been consolidated with Pounce, retaining the Pounce name but being single target This champion is relocated to the closest non-damaging space to target enemy unit within 5 spaces and makes a Physical attack at +2 DMG against the target if able. AP: 4, CD: 2 This means that most Swoop champions are now slightly better, benefiting from the reduced AP cost and CD Massive Leap has renamed to Seismic Leap and redesigned to This champion is relocated to target space within 4 spaces. Enemy champions within 2 spaces of the target takes 10 Physical damage (this damage ignores DEF), are knocked back 1 space and become <condition value=slowed>Slowed</condition> for 2 turns. Shatter Summoned is now: Area Effect 3, Range 5: Enemy illusions and summoned units take 15 Psychic damage. AP: 3, CD: 3 This allows for greater control over the effect area and increases the AP efficiency of the ability as well as the maximum output of the ability A new ability "Blood Spear" has been added: This champion makes a Loss of Life attack at RNG 2-5. If the target is <condition value=bloodied>Bloodied</condition> or has less than 50% HP remaining , this champion vampiric heals for 8. Nora: 7, AP: 4, CD: 3 Bloodbinder Count and Demonvein Vampyre have this ability A new ability "Vine Whip" has been added to the game! Description: This champion makes a Physical attack at RNG 2-5. If the target is occupying Vegetation, Ensnared or Rooted and is successfully damaged, the target also becomes Burred for 3 turns and Eviscerated for 3 turns. Nora: 6, AP: 4, CD: 3 Seed of Potential, Naria Ragevine, Tainted Vinecreeper and Tree Spider have this ability Champion Changes Due to the size, the Patch Notes have been modified to not display runes that have only had their cost change due to ability cost changes (rather than an actual change to the rune's kit/design) Access to Dispel has been greatly reduced in Protectorate factions A number of lower cost champions lost a drawback ability to decrease efficiency Distribution of Commander, Defender and Boost have been adjusted. Themes should generally only have access to a single one of these Distribution of Healing has been changed. Protectorate factions get stronger healing but at higher cost and CD generally, while Wrath factions get weaker healer but at lower cost and CD, as well as "alternate" forms of healing such as Transfer Life more frequently. Spells, Relics and Equipment Changes Many Spells, Relics and Equipment have had their descriptions cleaned up as part of our ongoing efforts to streamline game text and add condition/ability linking A number of Spells and Equipment have gotten redesigns All Warbanners now cost 25 nora Cleansing Emerald is now ST/KF, with Impairing Sapphire being moved to SP/SL, expect Impairing Sapphire to get a redesign at some point down the line A number of equipment now gives the actual ability equivalents of their effects, instead of a one-off version. For example, Elsari Shackles granting Careless instead of causing AP loss on its own Conditions Changes Intoxicated condition no longer debuff enemies. The fact that this was both a debuff and a buff at the same time caused bugs and issues from both a technical and a balance perspective. The "Mead Trap" relic has been redesigned to accommodate the change since it'd no longer work properly. Illuminated condition no longer gets removed on attack. This means that it no longer generates nora either, but will debuff the enemy's DEF and ability to Stealth for the entire duration. This was done to simplify the condition a bit as it was doing a lot of different things at once, as well as to emphasis it's debuff/anti-stealth side instead. Bugs (General) Fixed an issue with the Gold bonus timer refunding upon relaunching client on some accounts. Bugs (Abilities) Fixed an issue where Death Harvest was not working at all Fixed an issue where some abilities were bypassing Buffers: Hunter: X Cull Psychological Warfare Fixed an issue where Frost Stance was not granting Catalyst: Frost correctly. Fixed an issue with the ability Bulwark Jakei that was preventing it from working. Fixed an where if a player possess a champion with Riftwalker that champion could be sacrificed even if the player is not the owner. Fixed an issue where the ability Hunter: Quick was triggering on units with less than 7 SPD. Fixed an issue where the ability Impairing Luminescence wouldn't spread to other Nora Gems. Fixed an issue with the ability Elusive Leap what was preventing non-basic attacks (such as Constriction). Fixed an issue where Scouring and Eviscerating Luminescence wouldn't trigger abilities like Hunter. Fixed an issue where several abilities were not affected by the SL faction bonus or Hunter abilities: Deafening Aura Psychic Ping Rebuke Flame Siphon Fry Wail of Grief Melt Shred Defense Sonic Roar Magic Beam Black Tempest Cannon Barrage Elemental Storm: Poison Elemental Storm: Frost Fixed an issue where if a champion had both Warguard and Combat Awareness 2 they would take 0 damage from spells but still cause Warguard to trigger. Fixed an issue where the ability Zeal: Speed wouldn't show a condition when triggered. Fixed an issue where the ability Shroud would incorrectly stack. Fixed an issue where Acolyte abilities sometimes wouldn't trigger from start of turn effects like Auras. Fixed an issue where the ability Preparation would lose stacks if the unit has Skirmisher and fails to attack a relic. Fixed an issue where the ability Bodyguard would redirected damage incorrectly and be prevented by Combat Awareness by changing Bodyguard to cause Loss of Life instead of damage Fixed an issue where the ability Spell Breach worked on enemies and relics. Fixed an issue where the ability Logistics: Force Barrier incorrectly gave Rank 2 instead of Rank 3 of Force Barrier. Fixed an issue where the ability Reveal: Kas Pupil could be used more than once if the player had effects that could reduce the CD. Fixed an issue with the abilities Grant: Teleport and Grant: Reflexes having an incorrect range of 7 when it should have been 5. Fixed an issue with the ability Haunting Visions where it was triggering at 30 or less. Fixed a couple of issue with Mirror Swap. First, it was considering older illusions as closer when they weren't and where it could swap at a longer range than intended. Fix an interaction issue with the ability Short-Lived that was causing other abilities to not work properly. Fixed an issue with the ability Poisonburst ignoring Blinded/Evasive. Fixed an issue where the ability Confuse could be used against Impenetrable units. Fixed an issue where the champion Elven Druid's Bear and Eagle Forms would the champion's range. Fixed an issue where casting the spell Crescendo on a Shielded unit would still use nora. Fixed an issue where the spell Inhibit Power would trigger Snow Blind when centered on a unit. Fixed an issue where the spell Wings of Steel's effects could not be removed via Dispel Fixed an issue with the ability Shrine Mulligan not re-reveal Preordained runes. Fixed an issue with the abilities Shadestrike and Snowstrike that required successful damage instead of successful attack. Fixed an issue with the ability Fairy Flight not giving back Flight if unit goes above 15 HP via +MAX HP gains. Fixed some odd behaviors that could occur if the ability Scrapper was triggered on the opponent's turn. Fixed an issue where Strike abilities did not work on relics. Fixed an issue with the abilities Blood Magic and Cannon Barrage where they could be used while pacified. Fixed an issue where the champion Dwarven Hooligan's ability Attack: Keg wasn't in the first ability slot. Fixed an issue where some relocation effects were bypassing Wandering and Reckless Flight. In addition, when relocation abilities are used the champion will relocate to an adjacent space if the target space is occupied by a stealthed unit. Fixed an issue where the spell Alacrity plays the effect on every single unit, causing significant delay/slowdown Fixed an issue where the ability Arcblade: Frost's second and third attacks were doing Physical damage instead of Frost. Bugs (Spells) Fixed an issue where the spell Lost Trails was incorrectly requiring a friendly deployment zone to be targeted. Fixed an issue with the spell Pilfered Armory not working. Fixed an issue where the spell Bullseye's effect would incorrectly lasts 6 turns instead of 1. Fixed an issue with the spell Ritual of Ashes's Cursed DMG bonus stacking on each champion. Fixed an issue where the spell Divinity's Touch no longer worked on champions with the ability Elite. Fixed an issue where Draconic Pulsar required a target Fixed an issue where the spell Fan Faire did not have a range preview. Bugs (Relics) Fixed an issue where the relic The Resistance did not give Slam to newly deployed Elementals. Fixed an issue where the first Zombie from Corpse Pile incorrectly had upgrades. Fixed an issue where the relic Lava trap would not spawn stealthed. Fixed an issue where the buff provide by Collective Struggle was incorrectly removable via Dispel. Fixed an issue where the Blackguard Banner's effects are incorrectly removable via Dispel. Bugs (Equipment) Fixed an issue with the equipment Chillshard was not properly triggering when new Attacks are gained. Fixed an issue with the equipment Everfrost Manacles' Frost damage is incorrectly prevented by the SL bonus. Fixed an issue where Magnetized from the equipment Moga Magnet was pulling units together more than 5 spaces away. Fixed an issue where the equipment Lightning Rod wouldn't trigger off certain abilities. Fixed an issue with the spell Stellar Horizon where if it is cast from the runedock, then it comes off CD, and then cast it again, it will heal for more than expected amounts. Fixed an issue where the spell Psionic Storm would increases in AE by 1 for every 2 champions instead of for every champion. Fixed an issue with the equipment Barbed Vine Leash where it would damage champions who Teleports but not champions who Leaps. Fixed the equipment Avarice to have the proper description. Also resolve issues related to race change effects, and if the equipment was unequipped the DMG debuff was being kept. Now works properly with Goblins. Bugs (Conditions) Fixed an issue where the condition Burred was not reduced by the ability Tough Fixed an issue with the condition Illuminated not affecting DEF granted by Calcify. Glossary For this patch due to it's size we have opted to split it up into the respective Faction's Forums. This will also make it easier for all of you to comment about faction specific changes. Main Patch Notes Healing Abilities Abilities Part 1 Abilities Part 2 Forglar Swamp Forsaken Wastes Ironfist Stronghold K'thir Forest Savage Tundra Shattered Peaks Sundered Lands Underdepths Discussion: http://forums.poxnora.com/index.php?threads/discussion-winter-patch-of-2016.25401/


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The Defense Department says a 26-year-old soldier from Arizona has died from wounds suffered in Somalia.
In a statement issued in Washington, the Defense Department identified the soldier as Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Conrad of Chandler, Arizona. The statement says he died Friday of injuries sustained from enemy indirect fire.
Conrad was assigned to 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The military said earlier that four other U.S. service members were wounded in an extremist attack in Somalia.
It was the first public announcement of a U.S. military combat death in Africa since four U.S. service members were killed in a militant ambush in the West African nation of Niger in October.


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100 Places
100 places to remember before they disappear is an exhibition of 100 locations that are at risk of vanishing or are currently threatened by climate change.The first international exhibition opened in Copenhagen, Denmark, with the Danish Capital topping the list at number 100. Advocates for the project include: Joss Stone, Desmund Tutu, Peter Garrett, and Dave Stewart. The exhibition was produced by CO+Life marketing company. Aside from the amazing photography and digital media, "100 places" also provides climate change solutions to curb the effects of CO2.
Chicago: 54
"In the last 30 years, the city has seen an average temperature rise of 1.5°C. In 1995, a severe heatwave killed 700 Chicagoans. In 1986, 1996 and 2008, it experienced severe flooding, with torrential rain shutting down highways and railroads, causing damage to streets and bridges and flooding properties in much of Chicagoland.
Throughout the rest of the 21st century, Chicago could experience a gradual, dramatic increase in heatwaves and flooding due to global warming. Prolonged summer droughts and heavy rainfall would have a grave effect on its infrastructure and transport system.
An increase in hot summer days with temperatures rising above 43°C, combined with unpredictable heavy rain and flooding, could cause more heat-related health problems and damage Chicago's tourism industry. By the end of the century, the climate in Chicago could be similar to that of southern states like Texas and Alabama today."
Great Barrier Reef, Australia: 31
"The Great Barrier Reef consists of some 400 different species of hard and soft coral in every imaginable colour. It is home to 1,500 varieties of fish and thousands of different shellfish, whose existence depends on the coral.
Higher water temperatures are very likely to have devastating consequences for the reef, as will increasing acidification of the oceans. If the water temperature rises 1.5°C2°C, many more parts of the coral will bleach and eventually die. An increase of 3°C would wipe the reefs out completely.
Global warming is expected to raise the temperature of the water in the area by at least 2°C by 2100. In other words, it is highly probable that the Great Barrier Reef will disappear from the surface of the Earth."
Venice, Italy: 24
"Venice was built on wooden poles hammered deep into the muddy ground. The network of picturesque canals earned it the soubriquet the city on the water. By it's very nature, Venice has always been extremely vulnerable to flooding.
Over the centuries, the city has been slowly sinking by 23 cm in the last century alone. In November 1966, the worst flood in recorded history raised the water level 1.94 metres above the norm and caused widespread damage to many historic sites.
To avoid similar incidents in future, a barrier comprising a number of mobile floodgates is now under construction. Known as MOSE (a play on Mosè, the Italian for Moses, who parted the Red Sea), it is designed to withstand a maximum flood of three metres and to safeguard Venice from storms and rising sea levels until the end of the century. At that time or sooner if climate change accelerates faster than predicted new measures will have to be taken to protect this Adriatic gem."
Kauai, Hawaii: 1
"Hawaiian Honeycreepers Hiding in the Clouds
High in the cloud forests, where the climate is cool, live the beautiful and colourful Hawaiian honeycreepers. These rare birds use their long, downward-curved bills to sip nectar from flowers, hovering like hummingbirds and emitting a variety of sounds, from nasal squeaks to clear, flutelike calls.
The species of honeycreeper that is endemic to Hawaii lives at an elevation above 1,500 metres where the climate is too cool for mosquitoes to survive. Most of the Hawaiian honeycreepers are only 10-13 cm long and weigh no more than eight grams. They are extremely vulnerable to diseases like avian malaria.
The Hawaiian cloud forests make up one of the ecosystems that is most at risk due to climate change. Relatively small shifts in patterns could cause major local changes, putting the islands distinct ecosystems under pressure.
Deforestation and non-indigenous species like pigs and goats have decimated the honeycreepers habitat in recent years, and it is now an endangered species. With the projected rise in temperatures, mosquitoes are likely to gain a foothold at higher elevations in the Kauai mountains, slowly driving the honeycreeper to extinction."
– Visit 100places.com for more information


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People are after your credit card information. Okay, this isn't a cable news report, so I'll dial it back a bit. Sometimes bad things happen when credit cards fall into the wrong hands, whether that's from physical theft or large-scale cyber crime. There's been a number of incidents in the news of late, so companies are doing what they can to provide their customers with peace of mind. So MasterCard has released a new MasterCard In Control app that monitors your credit card activity and notifies you if it detects anything suspicious.
The app displays your credit card purchases and allows you to set up alerts for all kinds of activity. Want to be notified when a purchase in made over the phone? Want to know if a purchase was made on your card from outside of the US? The options are there.
This app only works for MasterCard credit cards, which limits who can use it. But hey, the functionality isn't exactly new. Users have plenty of options, but if nothing else, this will hopefully encourage someone out there to take a more active role in protecting their finances.


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Apple released its annual supplier responsibility report Thursday, drawing praise from Greenpeace for steps the company has taken to reduce use of conflict minerals in its products.
"Apple's increased transparency about its suppliers is becoming a hallmark of Tim Cook's leadership at the company," said Greenpeace Energy Campaigner Tom Dowdall in a statement. "Apple has flexed its muscles in the past to push suppliers to remove hazardous substances from products and provide more renewable energy for data centers, and it is proving the same model can work to reduce the use of conflict minerals."
Apple's report says audits of its supply chain found that the company's suppliers did not use tantalum from areas at war.
Tantalum is a metal used in a wide range of electronics. In recent years, activists have highlighted the fact that in places such as Democratic Republic of Congo, warlords are profiting from sales of such minerals as tantalum.
"The ethical sourcing of minerals is an important part of our mission to ensure safe and fair working conditions," Apple says in the report. "In January 2014 we confirmed that all active, identified tantalum smelters in our supply chain were verified as conflict-free by third-party auditors, and we're pushing our suppliers of tin, tungsten, and gold just as hard to use verified sources."
The issue of conflict minerals has begun to get more attention from the consumer electronics industry. Earlier this year, Intel announced that its products would be entirely free of conflict minerals.
Greenpeace renewed its call for other tech companies to follow suit.
"Samsung and other consumer electronics companies should follow Apple's example and map its suppliers, so the industry can exert its collective influence to build devices that are better for people and the planet," Dowdall said.
In other areas covered by the report, Apple said it was making progress toward improving working, safety and health conditions for the employees of the third-party manufacturers that are part of the company's vast supply chain.
For instance, Apple said suppliers reached 95% compliance with a 60-hour work week, up from 92% the year before. The company also highlighted its efforts to help workers learn new skills and better understand their rights.
The report is part of a effort by Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook to provide more transparency into the company's supply chain following reports of child labor violations, health hazards and some suicides at factories that make the company's products.
Before becoming CEO, Cook oversaw the creation of Apple's massive international supply chain and manufacturing system.
Two years ago, Apple began releasing a detailed list of major suppliers and agreed to third-party audits of its supply chain.


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Although most young birds are called chicks, there is a lot of variation among species. A baby goose is a gosling, a baby pigeon is a squab, and a young hawk or falcon, when taken from its nest to be trained for falconry, is an eyas.
Little-known Baby Animal Names
Key Facts In This Video
Hippo calves weigh around 45 pounds at birth. 00:22
African elephants have a gestation period of 22 months—the longest of any mammal. 01:08
When born, a giant panda is one nine-hundredth the size of its mother. 02:26
Written by Curiosity Staff June 4, 2015
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