text:
Cable companies: Add Al Jazeera English *now* Jeff Jarvis commands, correctly, on his blog — and also in Huffpo, under the headine We Want Our Al Jazeera English Now. For me now was a few minutes ago, when I read both items on the family iPad, which has been our main news portal since the Boston Globe quit coming and I suspended my efforts to reach them by Web or phone. (The Globe also wants a bunch of ID crap when I go there on the iPad, so they're silent that way too.) So I went to the App store, looked up Al Jazeera, saw something called Al Jazeera English Live was available for free, got it, and began watching live protest coverage from Cairo.
We don't have cable here. We dumped it after network news turned to shit, and we found it was easier to watch movies on Netflix. We still like to watch sports, but cable for sports alone is too expensive, because it's always bundled with junk we don't want and not available à la carte. (You know, like stuff is on the Web.) When we want TV news, we go online or get local TV through an EyeTV gizmo plugged into an old Mac laptop. Works well, but it's still TV.
And so is Al Jazeera on an iPad/iPhone, Samsung Wave or a Nokia phone. (See http://english.aljazeera.net/mobile/for details. No Android or Blackberry yet, appaerently.) The difference is that real news s happening in Egypt, and if you want live news coverage in video form, Al Jazeera is your best choice. As Jeff puts it, "Vital, world-changing news is occurring in the Middle East and no one — not the xenophobic or celebrity-obsessed or cut-to-the-bone American media — can bring the perspective, insight, and on-the-scene reporting Al Jazeera English can."
And it's very good. Writes Salon, "If you're watching Al Jazeera, you're seeing uninterrupted live video of the demonstrations, along with reporting from people actually on the scene, and not "analysis" from people in a studio. The cops were threatening to knock down the door of one of its reporters minutes ago. Fox has moved on to anchor babies. CNN reports that the ruling party building is on fire, but Al Jazeera is showing the fire live."
In fact six Al Jazeera journalists are now being detained (I just learned). That kind of thing happens when your news organization is actually involved in a mess like this. CNN used to be that kind of organization, but has been in decline for years, along with other U.S. network news organizations. As Jeff says, "What the Gulf War was to CNN, the people's revolutions of the Middle East are to Al Jazeera English. But in the U.S., in a sad vestige of the era of Freedom Fries, hardly anyone can watch the channel on cable TV."
And that's a Good Thing, because cable is a mostly shit in a pipe, sphinctered through a "set top box" that's actually a computer crippled in ways that maximize control by the cable company and minimize choice for the user. Fifteen years ago, the promise of TV was "five hundred channels". We have that now, but we also have billions of sources — not just "channels" — over the Net. Cream rises to the top, and right now that cream is Al Jazeera and the top is a hand-held device.
The message cable should be getting is not just "carry Al Jazeera," but "normalize to the Internet." Open the pipes. Give us à la carte choices. Let us get and pay for what we want, not just what gets force-fed in bundles. Let your market — your viewers — decide what's worth watching, and how they want to watch it. And quit calling Internet video "over the top". The Internet is the new bottom, and old-fashioned channel-based TV is a limping legacy.
A few days ago, President Obama spoke about the country's "Sputnik moment". Well, that's what Al Jazeera in Egypt is for cable TV. It's a wake-up call from the future. In that future we'll realize that TV is nothing more than a glowing rectangle with a boat-anchor business model. Time to cut that anchor and move on.
Here's another message from the future, from one former cable TV viewer: I'd gladly pay for Al Jazeera. Even when I can also get it for free. All we need is the mechanism, and I'm glad to help with that.


text:
Colorful, cozy and newly rennovated Backpackers Heaven, Hostel Mancini is located right across local trains to Pompei and Sorrento and at few steps to the Worldwide Famous Pizzeria Da Michele. Enjoy Naples with NO WORRIES!!
We offer the following accomodations:
Mixed and female shared dorms
Family rooms ensuited
Each room has a spacious locker
Large guest kitchen
Common room with flat screen TV
Free WhFi internet
Located right in front of local trains to Herculaneum, Pompei and Sorrento and at only 10 min. on foot to the ferry port forCapri, Ischia and Procida islands.
Duomo and Archeological Museum at 10 minutes from us
Most famous Pizzeria next door

subset: commoncrawl


text:
On Fridays, we take a moment to thank our sponsors and advertisers:
Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce, the business community for the vibrant region.
BLVD, Comstock's new apartments at Reston Station.
AKG Design Studio, boutique design firm specializing in kitchen, bathroom designs and cabinetry sales.
The Harrison, luxury apartments near Reston Town Center.
Berry & Berry, PLLC, Reston law firm specializing in federal employment, retirement, labor union, and security clearance matters.
Reston Real Estate, Eve Thompson of Long & Foster Real Estate specializes in Reston homes.
Reston Carpet Cleaning, local cleaning service.
Becky's Pet Care, offering friendly pet services in Northern Virginia.
Reston Community Center, Serving Reston's recreational and cultural needs.
MakeOffices, shared work spaces with five area locations, including Reston.
Lake Anne Nursery Kindergarten, educating Reston's young minds for more than 50 years.
Boofie O'Gorman, Top Producer Realtor at Long & Foster Reston.
Goldfish Swim School, specializing in children's swim lessons year-round.
Small Change Consignment, serving Reston's kids for more than 30 years.
A Cleaning Service, professional residential and commercial cleaning.
Greater Reston Arts Center, Reston's visual arts center.
Reston Montessori, private co-educational school for children ages 3 months to sixth grade.
Kalypso's Sports Tavern, providing great food and drink at Lake Anne Plaza.
All Spice Cafe & Catering, bringing flavor to your events.
Ashby Ponds Senior Living, quality senior community in Loudoun County.
PetMAC Pet Nutrition Center, for all your pet food needs at Lake Anne Plaza.
Lake Anne Fellowship House, providing housing for seniors for more than 40 years.
Greater Reston Arts Center, supporting the arts in Reston.
Oatlands Historic House & Gardens
Towns of Lansdowne Square, luxury townhomes in downtown Landsdowne.
Neurology Center of Fairfax, top medical practice with offices in Reston and Fairfax.
Bright Horizons at Commerce Park, new child care facility in Reston.
Recent Stories
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) A redevelopment proposal for nearly 9-acre parcel of land near Lake Fairfax Park is headed for a vote before the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors this…
Electric buses have at last joined Northern Virginia's largest local bus fleet. Fairfax Connector launched the eight battery-powered vehicles out of its West Ox Operations and Maintenance Center (4970 Alliance…
Reston Association (staff photo by Jay Westcott) Reston Association's Board of Directors has a new vacancy. Mike Collins — who represents apartment owners within RA's membership — resigned Friday (Sept….
A belated Mosaic Fall Festival, postponed by rain, takes over Strawberry Park on Saturday, Sept. 30 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey) Metro Still Recovering From Derailment Near National Airport — "Most…


text:
True North Tea Towel
Regular price$24.99
Shipping calculated at checkout.
- Low stock - 8 items left
- Inventory on the way
"True North" Sonoma Oversized 20"x26" Kitchen Tea Towel
This Official Rounder Records Store is managed by SCP Merchandising. If you have any questions about merch or your order, please use our FAQ Center.
Questions about your purchase and can't find the answers on the FAQ page? Please contact us here or send us a note to:
We do our best to respond to all inquiries within 1-2 business days or less.
This contact page is for the Rounder Records Store only and is not a contact page for A&R or other Rounder Records business.


text:
ASTM International Committee C01 on Cement has presented the Award of Merit to David Norris, assistant plant manager at Riverside Cement, Oro Grande, Calif. The award and its accompanying title of fellow is ASTM's highest organizational recognition for individual contributions to standards activities.
The committee honored Norris for his many technical and administrative contributions, particularly in the development of standards for hydraulic cement. A member of ASTM International and C01 since 1983, he has contributed to the development and revision of more than 30 C01 cement standards, and was the primary author of ASTM C1565, Standard Test Method for Determination of Pack-Set Index of Portland
C01 named Norris an honorary committee member in 2007, and he has received the C01 Award of Appreciation on two occasions. He currently serves as a member at large on the C01 executive subcommittee, and also works on ASTM Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates.
Norris joined Riverside Cement in 1989 as chief chemist. Under the ownership of TXI, he became a technical services manager in 2000 and assumed his current role in 2007. Prior to this, he held various managerial, chemist and engineering positions at General Portland Inc./Lafarge Corp. plants in New Braunfels, Texas, and Paulding, Ohio.
A graduate of Indiana University, Bloomington, where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry, Norris is a former member of the American Concrete Institute and the International Cement Microscopy Association.


text:
Haiku's Iso Dining Collection, by Copeland Furniture, is luxurious and elegant with its minimalist, organic forms. The Iso Collection is reminiscent of Scandinavian, Mid-Century Modern designs. Find comfort in the nostalgia evoked by Iso's retro-modern shapes and sensibilities.
The Iso 2 Door Buffet features soft-close hinges and an adjustable shelf behind two doors for exceptional storage of special occasion dinnerware. The Iso 2 Door Buffet, as well as the entire Iso Collection, is American Made and crafted in 100% sustainably sourced hardwood. Available in Oak with a variety of stains, the Iso Buffet is an exquisite yet conscientious piece.
The Iso Dining Collection, and all furniture by Copeland, is paramount craftsmanship. Made to order by American artisans, these masterful pieces are finished with a Greenguard Certified finish for low chemical emissions, meaning you can rest easy knowing that your furniture is not off-gassing toxins into your home.
- American made
- Hand crafted in sustainably sourced hardwoods
- 2 Doors
- Soft-close hinges
- Adjustable shelf
- Eco-friendly product
- Available in Oak with a variety of finishes
- Finish is Greenguard Certified
33 1/2"W x 18"D x 28 7/8"H
Wood Finish Options Available
Our Haiku Concierges are experts on the products we sell and can help you find the perfect pieces for your home. We can answer whatever questions you may have. In addition, we've compiled some of our customers most common questions into our FAQ. Please contact us through our online contact page or the methods below. We want to make sure you're 100% satisfied!
Furniture over $199 Ships for Free in the Continental (Lower 48) United States of America. We do charge for shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, US Territories and International Shipments, which is quoted on an order-by-order basis. Most furniture ships freight, which is delivered curbside to your driveway. If you need assistance getting the item into your house, carrying furniture up a flight of stairs, or more hands-on services, like assembly or white glove services, we can assist with finding the right upgrades at the right prices. Please contact our Haiku Concierges at our toll-free number and we're happy to help. Check out our Shipping Made Simple blog post or our Shipping Information page.
Returns and Cancellations
Most of our customers love the our products at first sight, but if you change your mind or don't like a product, we can cancel most orders up to the point they ship. Products in new, unopened, resalable condition can also be sent back in original packaging materials, but the customer is responsible for the return shipping/freight charges, per our Return Policy. Lastly, Custom Made and Made-to-Order items must be cancelled with 72 hours, or are charged in full to start the production, at which point, they can't be cancelled or returned. Please contact our Haiku Concierges at our toll-free number if you have questions.
Our catalog of furniture items are high quality and made to last. All furniture items are sold with a 1-year manufacturer's warranty against defects in craftsmanship or functionality per our Return Policy. For your convenience, if a situation does occur regarding warranty or shipping issues, Haiku Designs will file and coordinate all claims and warranty replacements. Beyond that it is our desire to have happy customers and earn your business any time you have home furnishing needs. Feel free to contact us with any issues you have with a Haiku Designs purchase and we'll do what we can to help you resolve them.
Haiku Designs accepts all the major credit cards, checks, and PayPal through our secure website checkout. You are also able to use PayPal Credit if you desire to pay over time. Generally, we'll charge you at the time the order ships (except custom and made-to-order items which are charged ahead of starting production).
Contact Us
We'd love to hear from you. You can reach us via our online contact form, the live chat icon in the lower right, or reach us at the following:
|[email protected]


text:
African Grasslands
The African Grasslands in the Zoo's northwest corner provides an environment for learning about the diverse, adaptable species of the vast African Savannah. Warthogs help tell the story of this important biome, and are joined by the reticulated giraffes, Grevy's zebras, white rhinoceroses, lions and aardvarks.
An exciting interactive feature of the African Grasslands is the Giraffe Encounter. From late spring through early fall, Zoo guests can hand-feed special treats to the reticulated giraffes several times a week. The raised wooden deck elevates visitors to eye level with the giraffes, allowing close encounters with these gentle animals.


text:
Childcraft The World is in Our Hands Carpet, 6 Feet, Round
School Specialty Shipping Policy
Items Shipped Within the Contiguous 48 United States
Free Shipping Eligible Items
- Free shipping and handling on eligible supply orders of $49 or more. Free shipping calculation is based on the subtotals of eligible items, after any additional discounts are applied.
- For subtotals less than $49, the shipping and handling charge is $9.95.
Free Shipping Ineligible Items
- Shipping and handling charges are 15% of the subtotal of the items, after any discounts are applied, with a $9.95 minimum charge.
Free Shipping Ineligible Items
- Shipping and handling charges are 15% of the subtotal of the items, after any discounts are applied, with a $99 minimum charge. If the subtotal is greater than $1,000, please e-mail email@example.com for a freight quote.
Items Shipped to Hawaii, Alaska and InternationalSee our Hawaii & Alaska Shipping Policy and International Shipping Policy for details.
- Created with performance-tested materials known for their strength, excellent stain and fade resistance, and overall high quality
- Stainless Rug Protection is absorbed into each carpet fiber to permanently prevent against stains; it withstands professional cleanings and does not have to be reapplied
- Bold colorful design allows for abundant seating options
- Up to 25 percent thicker and heavier than other leading educational carpets
- Meets or exceeds Class 1 Fire Rating
- 1 Classroom Rug for Kids Room
Childcraft Carpet Categories Include:
The trusted Childcraft brand brings you innovative early childhood resources and educational products that allow your students to succeed, while having fun. Since 1946, our early childhood experts have been designing products to support the needs of educators. We're committed to giving every child the chance to reach their full potential by inspiring them to live a life fueled by curiosity and discovery. We carefully curate our collection of products to ensure that they meet strict standards for safety, durability and educational value.
CRI Green Label Plus Certified
Indoor air quality is an important environmental consideration. All Childcraft carpets are CRI Green Label Plus certified for the lowest emitting carpet products.
Stainless® Stain Protection
Childcraft carpets are treated with Stainless® Stain Protection and Force 5 anti-microbial agent to resist mildew, odor and mold. Unlike a topical stain protector, Stainless is encapsulated into each carpet fiber to permanently prevent stains and never needs reapplying.
Quality Construction
Childcraft Carpets are created with materials known for strength, fade resistance and appearance retention. The end result is a positive, safe environment where kids can thrive.


text:
All Boy Shower Themes
Instant Download!
♥Easy to Download and Print! Original Design!
PrinceRoyal Cupcake Toppers are designed as 2" circles. These Royal toppers can be used not only as cupcake toppers but as napkin rings, favor tags, labels, etc.
☞We have over 35 matching designs and even more printable files for this PrinceRoyal Theme – please search on our website for a "aa109bGBl" (this is a theme code)Have any idea? We are happy to be busy with your custom orders! We can design almost everything, just let us know!
✔12 PrinceRoyal Cupcake Toppers for punch of 2" in diameter in one Non-editable PDF on 8.5x11 page. Download and print as many as you need!
ⓟPERSONALIZATION: These PrinceRoyal toppers can be personalized with NAME and you can have a custom text for an extra charge - please contact us prior to the order for a quote/price.
✄Toppers ideally are designed to be printed on a white cardstock paper and punch out with 2" circle paper punch. However, if you don't have a punch, just find something round (of 2"), print the design, outline around the circle and cut it out.
ⓢ DIFFERENT SIZE: For other sizing contact us PRIOR to the order.
ⓘIMPORTANT: Before purchasing please read the Terms and License& FAQ's
© ADLY PRINTS, . All right reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of these images and materials without express and written permission from ADLY PRINTS authors and owners is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to ADLY PRINTS – INVITATIONS AND PARTY DESIGNS, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.


text:
This program has been archived.
Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings
Transforming STEM Learning (TSL)
|Inquiries can be made to
PROGRAM GUIDELINESSolicitation 10-602
Important Information for Proposers
A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 22-1), is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after October 4, 2021. Please be advised that, depending on the specified due date, the guidelines contained in NSF 22-1 may apply to proposals submitted in response to this funding opportunity.
TSL combines interests and resources of separate programs in the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) to explore the opportunities and challenges implied by innovative visions of the future for STEM learning. The TSL program invites interdisciplinary teams of STEM content specialists, experts in relevant technologies, STEM formal and informal education specialists, researchers with expertise in the learning sciences, and specialists in education research and evaluation methods to submit proposals for research projects that (1) Study efficacy of existing prototypes for innovations like virtual schools, special STEM schools, and educational programs that combine opportunities of formal and informal learning resources in their communities; or (2) Design and conduct exploratory development of new potentially transformative models for STEM learning environments. The cross-cutting proposals will draw from work in the four primary DRL programs: Discovery Research K-12 (DR K-12), Informal Science Education (ISE), Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering (REESE), and Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST). However, proposals submitted in response to this solicitation must have a scope that extends well beyond any of those programs individually.
What Has Been Funded (Recent Awards Made Through This Program, with Abstracts)


text:
You are here
Your search returned 4 results.
Sort By: Latest
Name (A-Z)
Name (Z-A)
Filters Applied: Clear All Filters
September 1, 2007
Assessment of Educational and Health Needs for Children and Youth with Disabilities Identified as Affected by Agent Orange/Dioxin
In Vietnam, CRS conducted this initial survey research on the needs for education and health care among children and youth with disabilities who are identified as affected by...More
July 14, 2012
Tools for Field Staff›Tool Kits
Ngoana eo ke oa mang? Integrated Early Childhood Care and Development Flipbook
This flipbook is a tool for bringing children and caregivers together in a fun and interactive way. It contains simple, child-friendly messages and strategies for parents and...More
July 14, 2012
Tools for Field Staff›Tool Kits
Ngoana eo ke oa mang? A Guide for Strengthening Teacher Capacity
This Teacher Resource Guide is part of the growing set of training materials that have been developed to support the Integrated Early Childhood Care and Development project,...More
June 6, 2016
Tools for Field Staff›Tool Kits
Early Childhood Development Curriculum
This six-part series of manuals is intended to strengthen the technical capacity of women religious and congregations in Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia that are involved in Early...More


text:
Woodland Courthouse Design Approved
Contact: Teresa Ruano, 415-865-7747
February 10, 2012
Woodland Courthouse Design Approved
SAN FRANCISCO—The State Public Works Board (SPWB) today approved preliminary plans for the new Woodland Courthouse. The new facility, to be located on the south side of Main Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets, will consolidate operations of the Superior Court of Yolo County from seven facilities into one central five-story building housing 14 courtrooms.
"Thanks to the hard work of the project advisory group and our partners in the community and government, we are moving forward," said Judge Kathleen M. White, chair of the court's design committee. "Completion and approval of the preliminary plans for the new Yolo courthouse mark another major milestone for this critically needed project. The design committee can now move forward with the working drawings to create a safe, secure, accessible courthouse for the citizens of Yolo County, and ensure that the project is completed cost-effectively."
Approval by SPWB marks completion of the preliminary plans phase and enables the project to move into working drawings. In the meantime, Hensel Phelps Construction Company, selected in December 2011 as the project's construction-manager-at-risk, is performing outreach to ensure that local subcontractors and suppliers have the opportunity to participate in prequalification and bidding. All qualified subcontractors, lower-tier subcontractors, and suppliers will be considered. The new courthouse is expected to generate hundreds of construction jobs and thousands more jobs through indirect benefit to the local economy.
Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2013, and will be conducted with mitigation measures in place for air quality, hazardous materials, noise, and other environmental considerations, as specified in the project's final study under the California Environmental Quality Act. The project is scheduled for completion in 2015
The design, by the firm of Fentress Architects in association with Dreyfuss & Blackford Architects, features a curved façade at ground level facing Main Street, with a four-column portico at the entrance which recalls the historic courthouse. The 163,000-square-foot building includes significant improvements in security, such as separate hallways for the public, staff, and in-custody defendants, as well as better seismic safety, access, and efficiency for visitors and staff. The design also incorporates numerous sustainability features; it is expected to qualify for a LEED Gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. Energy-saving features will make the courthouse more economical to operate over time.
The courthouse project was ranked as an "immediate need" in the judicial branch's capital-outlay plan, making it among the branch's highest-priority infrastructure projects. It is funded by Senate Bill 1407, enacted in 2008 to provide up to $5 billion in funding for new and renovated courthouses using court fees, penalties, and assessments rather than the state's General Fund.
More information about the project is available here.


text:
Story highlights
The destroyer USS Kidd rescued 13 Iranian sailors Thursday
The sailors had been held captive by suspected pirates
Iran calls the rescue a "humanitarian act"
Iran on Saturday welcomed the rescue of 13 Iranian sailors by a U.S. Navy ship, calling it a "humanitarian act."
The sailors were on a fishing boat that had been hijacked by pirates in the Arabian Sea, near the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the Navy, a helicopter from the destroyer USS Kidd spotted a suspect pirate boat alongside the Iranian vessel on Thursday. The destroyer is part of the USS John Stennis Strike Group, which moved into the Arabian Sea from the Persian Gulf last week.
As the helicopter spotted the suspect pirate ship, the Kidd received a distress call from the fishing boat's captain, saying pirates were holding him and his crew captive.
A team from the Kidd boarded the vessel, took 15 suspected pirates into custody, and freed 13 Iranian hostages, the Navy said.
A spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, Ramin Mehmanparast, had positive words about the rescue when he spoke Saturday to the Arabic news network Al-Alam.
"Rescuing Iranian sailors by the U.S. was a humanitarian act and we welcome such acts," he said. "The Iranian Navy also engages in such rescue operations. It is the responsibility of all nations to rescue nationals from other countries from pirates."
The carrier strike group's presence in the Persian Gulf had drawn the ire of Iranian military officials, who said the United States should not send any more warships into the Gulf.
Iranian Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi said "there is no need" for countries outside of the region to have a presence there.
"Their presence does nothing but create mayhem," Vahidi said, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.
The suspected pirates, mostly Somalis, were taken to the Stennis to be held until a decision is made about prosecution, Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby said Friday.
Pirates hijacked the fishing vessel, the Al Molai, 40 to 45 days ago, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement. The crew was "held hostage, with limited rations and we believe were forced against their will to assist the pirates with other piracy operations," according to the statement.
The Navy team provided food, water and medical care to both the suspected pirates and the Al Molai's crew after securing the ship and ensuring everyone was safe, said Josh Schminky, a Navy Criminal Investigative Service agent aboard the Kidd.
The crew had "been through a lot," he said, adding, "We went out of our way to treat the fishing crew with kindness and respect."
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Friday congratulated the strike group commander, Rear Adm. Craig Faller, and his team on the rescue, saying they did the right thing.
"When we get a distress signal, we're going to respond. That's the nature of what our country is all about," Panetta said, according to Pentagon spokesman George Little.
CNN's Shirzad Bozorgmehr contributed to this report.


text:
The housing market is on the slow road to recovery. Home prices in the last three months rose in 120 out of 149 metropolitan markets surveyed by the National Association of Realtors.
Compare that to just 39 rising metros a year ago. The median home price is up 7.6 percent from a year ago, the strongest year-over-year increase since the first quarter of 2006.
Much of that is due to the shift in sales away from distressed properties, as lenders modify more loans and in some case write down mortgage principal.
The one thing standing in the way of a more robust housing recovery, is tight credit. Mortgage rates are at near-historic lows, but too many potential home buyers still cannot access these rates due to damaged credit.


text:
I love colors in my console, and I wonder if there is any way to get a terminal (I guess only a software is able to do that) printing almost everything in colors.
Of course there is the
--color=auto things, but it works for a few commands (
grep...?). What I would want, is something way more colorful, that works also for commands that are not made to use colors, I don't know if it's possible.
For instance, there is MobaXTerm for Windows (something like Cygwin) which uses a lot of color. Of course it's not only a terminal, but a complete software (another layer)... maybe it's the only way to get something seriously colorized?
Any clue would be really appreciated.


text:
The Soil and Crop Sciences Department is one of the largest such departments in the nation and is preeminent throughout the world.
Our world-famous faculty has a presence in every county in Texas. Working in partnership with Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, their goal is to conduct research through trials and experimentation and then transfer that new knowledge to the public.
We offer Bachelor of Science degrees in Plant and Environmental Soil Science and Turfgrass Science. Students can earn a Master of Science and a doctorate in agronomy, Food Science and Technology, Genetics, Molecular and Environmental Plant Sciences, Plant Breeding, and Soil Science. Most of our undergraduates are from Texas, but students represent some 20 different countries in addition to the United States.


text:
Database contains 131090 items submitted by the player community
register now | forgot password
Found an item with wrong or missing stats? Report it!
Other Resources
Dropped by
a Bloodskull bouncer (Bloodskull Valley: Maulic's Stronghold)a Bloodskull mystic (The Commonlands)a Bloodskull warrior (The Commonlands)a Crushbone shadowcaster (The Fabled Clefts of Rujark)a Deathfist beater (Zek, the Orcish Wastes)a Dustwatch defender (The Vault of Dust)a Ry'Gorr shocktrooper (Eastern Wastes)a Ry'Gorr war shaman (Eastern Wastes)a Steelslave cook (The Fabled Clefts of Rujark)a Steelslave mauler (The Fabled Clefts of Rujark)a Steelslave watcher (The Fabled Clefts of Rujark)a Tallon catapult operator (Zek, the Orcish Wastes)Blademaster Thul (The Fabled Clefts of Rujark)
Confirmed Locations
This feature is available only to the registered users.
Mobs that drop this item also drop
Bloodlust IV (Master)
Mana Cloak II (Master)
Retaliate II (Master)
Amber Amulet
Amber Scrying Stone
an orc ear
an orc eye
an orc skin
an orc spine
an orc tooth
Apothecary's Robe
Bayberry Sealed Document
Boots of the Ridge Runner
Chromatic Storm IV (Adept)
Controlled Rage III (Adept)
Eldritch Deathfist Beads
Fear III (Adept)
Gel Sealed Document
Gloves of the Wayfarer
Grasp of Bertoxxulous IV (Adept)
Hangman's Noose IV (Adept)
Holdup IV (Adept)
Hostage III (Adept)
Icefall V (Adept)
Indicolite Relic
Lamenting Soul II (Adept)
Leggings of the Wayfarer
Mystic Deathfist Beads
Orc Smuggler Requisition
Orcish Battleaxe
Ozocerite Wax Sealed Document
Primal Reflexes IV (Adept)
Purifying Flames III (Adept)
Retaliate II (Adept)
Rujarkian Heavy Bracers
Rujarkian Taskmaster's Spaulders
Signet of Intellect IV (Adept)
Snap of the Wrist IV (Adept)
Star Sapphire Amulet
Star Sapphire Scrying Stone
Teachings of the Underworld IV (Adept)
Thul's Necklace of Triumph
Titanium Relic
Tyrant's Pact IV (Adept)
Vital Intercession V (Adept)
Advanced Armorer Volume 50
Advanced Armorer Volume 53
Advanced Sage Volume 51
Advanced Tailor Volume 54
Advanced Weaponsmith Volume 50
Advanced Woodworker Volume 53
Ancient Teachings of: Dogma
Ancient Teachings of: Rune of Zander's Choral Rebuff II
lustrous mineral cluster
Plainsman Bracers
a collector's horn
a griffin feather
a royal signet
a sea shell
a strand of crystalline silk
Act of War V (Adept)
adventurer's diary
an arena medal
an Erudin amulet
ancient decorated chalice
ancient pottery
Apocalypse IV (Adept)
Arcane Symphony VI (Adept)
Arctic Blast VII (Adept)
Arrow Rip V (Adept)
Asylum VII (Adept)
Autumn's Kiss VII (Adept)
Back into the Fray III (Adept)
badge of honor
Ball Lightning II (Adept)
Band of Slyness
Band of Thugs III (Adept)
Barb of the Lava Arrow
Beguiler's Gemmed Shoes of Invoking
Bloody Reminder VII (Adept)
Body Check VIII (Adept)
Bone Spike of the Unidentified Creature
broken sword hilt
Bruising Spirit VI (Adept)
Bum Rush VII (Adept)
Calm Tranquility VII (Adept)
Caltrops VII (Adept)
Cleave Flesh VI (Adept)
Cleave Flesh VII (Adept)
Crusade VI (Adept)
Crystal Blast X (Adept)
Crystallize Soul V (Adept)
Crystallize Soul VI (Adept)
Curse of Darkness VI (Adept)
Dancing Blade VII (Adept)
Darksong Blade VII (Adept)
Deadly Focus IV (Adept)
Deadly Shot VII (Adept)
Deadly Shot VIII (Adept)
Decree IV (Adept)
Destructive Mind VI (Adept)
Dismay VI (Adept)
Dispatch III (Adept)
Dissolve X (Adept)
Divine Inspiration VII (Adept)
Divine Vengeance VII (Adept)
Doom Judgment V (Adept)
Double Blast VII (Adept)
Enrage VII (Adept)
Essence of the Great Bear VI (Adept)
Essence Shift VII (Adept)
Eye Gouge VI (Adept)
Faith Strike VIII (Adept)
Fancy Footwork VI (Adept)
Fatal Followup II (Adept)
Feral Tenacity V (Adept)
Flames of Velious V (Adept)
Flash of Steel IX (Adept)
flask of glacial water
Focus of Wonders
Focused Intervention IV (Adept)
Forced Hesitation VII (Adept)
Forced Obedience VI (Adept)
Frenzy V (Adept)
Fuliginous Whip VI (Adept)
Geotic Rune VII (Adept)
Glacial Wind VI (Adept)
Grasp of Bertoxxulous VII (Adept)
Hamstring VI (Adept)
Healstorm VII (Adept)
Hemorrhage X (Adept)
Heroic Dash VII (Adept)
Hibernation III (Adept)
Hold the Line VII (Adept)
Hold the Line VIII (Adept)
Holy Aid VII (Adept)
Illusory Allies III (Adept)
Imprint: Crude Sheen Soul Trap
Imprint: Refined Arcanic Soul Trap
Incarcerate V (Adept)
Incinerate VIII (Adept)
Indomitable Will VII (Adept)
Insolence III (Adept)
Inspired Daring IV (Adept)
Intimidate VI (Adept)
Jael's Mysterious Mettle VI (Adept)
Jarol's Sorrowful Requiem VII (Adept)
Knight's Stance VII (Adept)
large frostbitten bone
Lay on Hands VI (Adept)
Legendary Archaist Waist Wrap
Legendary Boots of the Ridge Runner
Legendary Granite Ring
Legendary Heavy Horned Barbute
Legendary Marrowjaw's Fang
Lesser Essence of Acid
Lesser Essence of Ice
Lesser Essence of Nature
Lesser Essence of Pestilence
Lesser Essence of Radiance
Lesser Essence of Shadow
Lightning Palm VII (Adept)
Makeshift Arrows VII (Adept)
Mana Cloak V (Adept)
Mana Sieve III (Adept)
Manatap V (Adept)
Marauder's Endless Battle Helmet of Overpowering
Mark of Divinity VI (Adept)
Meliorate X (Adept)
Minor Underfoot Transmuter's Slag
Mock VIII (Adept)
Moderate Essence of Ice
Moderate Essence of Illusion
Moderate Essence of Pestilence
Moderate Essence of Radiance
Moderate Essence of Runes
Momentous Reactant
Mortality Mark VI (Adept)
Nature's Embrace VIII (Adept)
Nature's Renewal V (Adept)
Nature's Salve X (Adept)
old tinkered clock
One Hundred Hand Punch VI (Adept)
orb of living stone
Orc-Crushbone (Paladin)
Orc-Snow (Assassin)
Orc-Snow (Bruiser)
Orc-Snow (Fury)
Orc-Snow (Guardian)
Orc-Snow (Inquisitor)
Orc-Snow (Mystic)
Orc-Snow (Necromancer)
Orc-Snow (Ranger)
Orc-Snow (Shadowknight)
Orc-Snow (Templar)
Orc-Snow (Troubador)
Orc-Snow (Warlock)
Outlaw's Shadowed Chain Shoes of Quickness
Ovate's Dream Seeker Hauberk of Manifestation
Painbringer VIII (Adept)
Penance VIII (Adept)
Penitent Kick VII (Adept)
Perfect Shrill VIII (Adept)
Perfection of the Maestro III (Adept)
Personae Reflection VIII (Adept)
Phantasmal Awe VI (Adept)
Plainsman Earring
polished amber orb
Power Cleave VII (Adept)
Preacher's Everliving Plate Gloves of Wellness
Preacher's Everliving Wristguard of Wellness
Prophetic Ward VI (Adept)
Pummel VIII (Adept)
Puncture VIII (Adept)
Putrefy VIII (Adept)
Rays of Disintegration II (Adept)
Regalia V (Adept)
Rejuvenation X (Adept)
Restoration VIII (Adept)
Retaliate V (Adept)
Rise of the Orcs - The Ascension - Page 12
Rise of the Orcs - The Rejoining - Page 10
Rune: Lesser Crit Bonus III
Rune: Lesser Reuse Speed III
runic book
Rupture VII (Adept)
Shackle VII (Adept)
shard of crystal
Shield of Faith VI (Adept)
Shift Mana VII (Adept)
Shout VII (Adept)
Shriveled Garlic Clove
Sifu's Wind Woven Arm Wraps of Redirection
Singing Shot VII (Adept)
Sinister Countenance VI (Adept)
Smite Corruption IV (Adept)
Smite Corruption V (Adept)
Smoldering Fists VII (Adept)
Solar Flare X (Adept)
Songster's Luck VII (Adept)
Sonic Punch III (Adept)
Soulrend VII (Adept)
Speechless VI (Adept)
Spirit of the Bat IV (Adept)
Spirit of the Bat V (Adept)
Spiritwalker's Darkened Rune Chain Cuffs of Summons
Spiritwalker's Darkened Rune Coif of Summons
Stream of Arrows III (Adept)
Street Smarts VII (Adept)
Tablet of Kaesu
Teachings of the Underworld VII (Adept)
The Cleft Dweller - Page 15
The Cleft Dweller - Page 16
The Cleft Dweller - Page 4
The Cleft Dweller - Page 8
The Tale of the Rujarkian Warrior - Page 09
The Tale of the Rujarkian Warrior - Page 17
The Tale of the Rujarkian Warrior - Page 18
The Tale of the Rujarkian Warrior - Page 8
Thuri's Doleful Thrust IX (Adept)
Torment VIII (Adept)
Transfer Life V (Adept)
Tyrant's Pact VII (Adept)
Unholy Blessing VII (Adept)
Vacuum Field VIII (Adept)
Vampire Bats VI (Adept)
Vengeance VI (Adept)
Viscerate VIII (Adept)
void-soaked flower
Waking Dragon VIII (Adept)
Wall of Rage VII (Adept)
Ward of the Untamed V (Adept)
Whittled Treant Bark Circlet
Winds of Permafrost V (Adept)
Windwalker's Blood Moon Cap of Regrowth
Zander's Choral Rebuff V (Adept)
Item submitted by Yhvh on 2014-04-03 00:20:40
Website © 2007 - 2023 by LootDB.com. All rights reserved.
Send your comments and suggestions to firstname.lastname@example.com.
EverQuest® II © 2004-2012 Sony Online Entertainment LLC. EverQuest is a registered trademark of Sony Online Entertainment LLC in the United States and/or other countries. SOE and the SOE logo are registered trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. Uses Granny Animation. © 1999-2001 by RAD Game Tools, Inc. The software platform logo ( and ©) IEMA 2004. The ratings icon is a registered trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.


text:
Alvarado pays the price. Prospects for brain damage in long-run?
[BoxingGlove Notes]
As I viewed the post-fight interview that H.B.O. commentator, Max Kellerman conducted with a somber, and downcast, Mike "Mile High" Alvarado in his dressing room after his devastating knockout loss to Ruslan "The Siberian Rocky" Provodnikov, I couldn't help but wonder about not only the "pain" of having lost his cherished 140 pound W.B.O. Title, but also how much additional injury he suffered.
I counted at least 6 bloody bruises from his rib cage to his upper shoulders, and then of course the almost grotesque and misshapen look of his head which displayed his bloody nose, his bloodied mouth, and the large swelling on his right eye orbital area.
I immediately "flashed" back to the fractured right eye socket that both, Antonio Margarito and Paulie Malignaggi suffered in their losing fights. Margarito against Manny Pacquiao, and Malignaggi against, Miguel Cotto. These injuries occurred many years ago and Malignaggi is still active in the ring, but Margarito has since retired, but, unfortunately is planning a comeback to the ring wars.
Why am I going in this direction you ask? It is simply because I wonder since the Provodnikov fight who was also injured how much additional damage Alvarado suffered. For example, his swollen right eye indicated to me that he was internally bleeding without a break of his skin. Your skin is like a "balloon", it stretches until it bursts. Was the blood "leaking" from his brain causing him brain damage? We will never really know because in a few months after "R&R" at home, Mile High Mile Alvarado will return to the gym and restart his boxing career.
As per the Siberian Rocky Provodnikov, after getting the cut on his right eye stitched, celebrating his victory with mom, Nadia, and family, he'll go back to the gym to resume his career and also plan who to fight next.
That is the life of a fighter no matter how many years he is in the hurt business, remember there is no mandatory retirement, nor a pension system.
The very grave question is Alvarado going through the beginnings of brain damage that lead to serious long term damage in the future even after his career is over. Damage consist of dementia pugilistica, memory loss, slurred speech, tremor and abnormal walking. The "Greatest", Muhammad Ali is tragically a perfect example of lasting ring injuries, suffering from Parkinson's disease, while others contract Alzheimer's.
Yes, this is a great "sport" that has produced many great beloved champions through the centuries like the great "Brown Bomber", Joe Louis, and many people justify boxing's existence because it takes the urban community ghetto kid of all ethnic backgrounds, especially the Black and Latino out of poverty, makes him a hero and allows him entry into a world of rich celebrity despite the health sacrifice.
Remember the "Rocky" movies? Many people especially women became boxing fans, and many young men became boxers because of those true to life fantasy films. Everybody wanted to be a Rocky or maybe even an Apollo Creed.
Yes, the list is world-wide as to how to become somebody coming "off the streets", and getting into boxing. To name just a few, you have the Floyd Mayweathers, Grand Rapid, Michigan; Robert Duran, Panama; Sugar Ray Robinson, Harlem; Emile Griffith, Brooklyn; Miguel Cotto, Puerto Rico; Manny Pacquiao, the Philippines; Oscar De La Hoya, Mexico; Bernard Hopkins, Philadelphia; and, so forth.
Are they now suffering from any brain damage? Your guess is as good as mine, but we won't know until in the years to come. Remember, Hopkins is 48 years old and still fighting, and surprisingly, talking to him as I have many times he sounds very articulate, and no slurring of his words. Hopkins has become somewhat of an "elder" statesman of the sweet science using the anecdotes such as that he considers himself a "chess player" as opposed to a "checkers player".
He explained that the idea of boxing is to hit and not get hit, and a chess player calculates every one of his moves while a checkers player rushes in to hit and also gets hit. "I have not scored a knockout in over 10 years, that's not getting old it is a well calculated strategy that you could use to win the fight without getting hurt, and last a long time in this business. Chess players don't get hurt and they always win, look at Floyd Mayweather. I have 20 championship belts at home in my trophy case and never got hurt earning them in my 61 fight career even in those that I lost because I am a chess player." Hopkins added, "people boo a boxer like me, but they cheer a slugger like Provodnikov. What the fan does not understand is although we are both victorious, I didn't suffer any injuries, but Provodnikov did as both our hands are raised in triumph. The means to an end is the win even if it is just a "boring" decision."
I do not know if Boxing Commissions enforce a mandatory exam of fighters after their fights, meaning brain scans, M.R.I.'S, because a boxer may have incurred a brain injury during his career in any fight. A tragic example is that of a young Mexican boxer only 26 years old who recently died of a brain injury he suffered in a fight in which he was knocked out. There is speculation that he may have had that injury before when he suffered a brutal beating and a knockout loss in a previous fight in 2012, where he was taken from the ring in a stretcher. Was he given a thorough brain exam then? Your guess is as good as mine.
Beny "Kid" Paret died in his fight with Emile Griffith. Many blame Emile but Paret had been brutally battered and knocked out in a previous fight a few months before with middleweight, Gene Fulmer. Was he thoroughly examined after the Fulmer fight, and was any brain injury detected before the Griffith fight? We will never get any answers to these questions.
Getting back to Alvarado and Provodnikov, it was this very same Provodnikov who before the Alvarado fight battled Timothy Bradley, and although he lost to Bradley, he battered him so badly that Bradley while preparing to fight Juan Manuel Marquez, admitted in an interview that his injuries from the Provodnikov fight beside being knocked down twice, were a concussion, and also a slurred voice and headaches, that lasted almost 6 weeks obligating him to go to the doctor. Was he "cleared" to fight Marquez? Another unanswered question.
Yet, this is a "healthy" sport that builds character, confidence, self-protection, but there is a price to pay viewing the list of resulting injuries: Bleeding Brain, Blood Clots, Blindness, Detached Retinas, Broken Noses, Broken Jaws, Cauliflower Ears, Slurred Voice, Concussions, Fractured eye-sockets, Broken hands, Severe cuts, Fractured ribs, Kidney & liver damage, Dental problems, Internal bleeding, Blindness, Shuffling walk-"punch-drunk", and it also makes an ex-boxer more vulnerable to other diseases as he is aging.
Yet, like little league Baseball, Football, Basketball, many kids turn to boxing, even though their parents frown against it. Remember, that if we are just talking about professional boxing, these injuries sometimes begin in the Amateurs. Many ring fatalities and the above mentioned injuries have been registered in Amateur competition, from Olympic competition all the way down to small local competitions, like when I started in the Police Athletic League-(P.A.L.) at 10 years of age with a head protector, and big "pillow" gloves.
A fighter's hands are wrapped with gauze to protect the hand from breaking but, in the end that hand becomes a hard punishing missile when you hit an opponent. An addition to this danger is the boxing glove itself. They are manufactured of a style to allow a fighter to inflict even more punishment on his opponent even though they are made to "protect" the boxer's hands. Are we really that far removed from the "good old bare knuckle days" of fighting? Again, your guess is as good as mine.
There are many agencies such as the A.M. A.-American Medical Association- who want to ban the sport addressing the issues of even the Military that allows boxing, but complains that they do indeed lose many soldiers due to boxing injuries.
They are joined by many civil rights groups, political groups, sociologists, "decent" groups who are troubled by this sport that allows two men or women, most often minorities to hurt each other for the entertainment of a mostly white audience who actually pay to see such brutality.
Boxing will never be discontinued despite the everlasting danger. There will always be a demand for it and with boxing promoters recruiting kids especially out of the Olympic Games, like Muhammad Ali, and rewarding them with lucrative sign-in bonuses, boxing is here "forever". The kid almost becomes an instant millionaire with the promises of more wealth and fame. Look at Baseball, Football, and Basketball. Some of these kids are drafted right out of High School like LeBron James. So why not Boxing?
Boxing also has been a part of this country's ugly history. During Slavery, plantation owners matched enslaved Africans with those from other plantation owners in a fight to the death. The plantation owners placed large bets while the enslaved Africans had to brutalize each other to please the crowd.
The same thing happens today, so in reality nothing has changed in the "sweet science". We have "America's Past-time" Baseball, and have the "Sport of Kings", Horse Racing, and we also have "The Sweet Science". Put on your thinking caps and tell me which one is the more brutal, and yet we love it.
Laila Ali, Ali's daughter also was an undefeated world champion in the women's category would not allow her own children to box under any circumstances even if they themselves wanted to fight. She has a son, Curtis Muhammad Conway, Jr., 3 year old. "Boxing was in my blood because of Dad, but I don't want my kids to box," says Laila Ali.
I enjoyed and loved those 12 years in the ring, but I am in partial agreement with parents of not wanting ones children to participate, but I would let my kids, even my daughter learn to protect themselves, if for nothing else but to avoid "bullying" in school or anywhere else, and of course to develop a healthy life style, and confidence.
Has Manny Pacquiao who is fighting Bam Bam Rios, a hard puncher, in Macao, China, on November 23,2013, fully recovered from the devastating knock out he suffered from the right hand punch by Juan Marquez in which he was unconscious for over 15 minutes? A knockout of that nature totally disconnects you from your senses. Was he subjected to a thorough brain scan? Another unanswered question.
We cannot really know if the Alvorados or Provodnikovs have fully recovered and are back to "normal" in their chosen profession of boxing where they will get punched again and again in their future fights the same way or worst, than last Saturday. One thing that I am sure of is that the "boxing beat will go on, and on, and on," because we want it, and we love it.


text: Korey Korey: "Imagine serving over a decade in prison for a crime that you did not commit; a conviction based on a confession you were coerced into, as a child, by adults who should have known better. That's what happened to me and four other teenagers. We became known as the Central Park Five, but that's not who I am."


text:
From when Naomi visited Paris in 2018, where Pat Domingo captured some grainy, up close and personal reality that only analog photography can achieve. Pat Domingo, that with his vast experience and knowledge in photography combined with a unique and self-taught approach to the people that he captures he's become one of the favorite photographers for some of the biggest stars and celebrities of our time.
— Includes certificate of authenticity
— 1 of 60 ever made
— Includes artists signature
— Exclusively represented by MANKOVSKY
— Archival Pigment Print
— Frame not included
— Ships from Gothenburg, Sweden
Each archival pigment printed artwork is exclusively represented by MANKOVSKY and strictly limited and offered in the communicated edition size. Every artwork offered is in agreement with us and the artist.
Accompanying the artwork is a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) which is hand-signed by the artist. On both artwork and certificate the unique number of the artwork purchased is stated in writing, by hand, as well as matching MANKOVSKY emboss stamp.
We offer home deliveries to United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, countries within the European Union, and Australia. Each print edition is made on demand upon order so please allow up to 14 days for deliveries.
We do not accept returns due to the limited edition nature of our pieces. If you have received a damaged piece, please reach out to us within 15 days at firstname.lastname@example.com or via our live chat.
We offer payment with all major credit card suppliers, as well as with Klarna and Apple Pay.


text:
exstr(1) [opensolaris man page]
exstr(1) User Commands exstr(1) NAME
exstr - extract strings from source files SYNOPSIS
exstr filename... exstr -e filename... exstr -r [-d] filename... DESCRIPTION
The exstr utility is used to extract strings from C-language source files and replace them by calls to the message retrieval function (see gettxt(3C)). This utility will extract all character strings surrounded by double quotes, not just strings used as arguments to the printf command or the printf routine. In the first form, exstr finds all strings in the source files and writes them on the standard output. Each string is preceded by the source file name and a colon (:). The first step is to use exstr -e to extract a list of strings and save it in a file. Next, examine this list and determine which strings can be translated and subsequently retrieved by the message retrieval function. Then, modify this file by deleting lines that can't be translated and, for lines that can be translated, by adding the message file names and the message numbers as the fourth (msgfile) and fifth (msgnum) entries on a line. The message files named must have been created by mkmsgs(1) and exist in /usr/lib/locale/locale/LC_MES- SAGES . (The directory locale corresponds to the language in which the text strings are written; see setlocale(3C)). The message numbers used must correspond to the sequence numbers of strings in the message files. Now use this modified file as input to exstr -r to produce a new version of the original C-language source file in which the strings have been replaced by calls to the message retrieval function gettxt(). The msgfile and msgnum fields are used to construct the first argument to gettxt(). The second argument to gettxt() is printed if the message retrieval fails at run-time. This argument is the null string, unless the -d option is used. This utility cannot replace strings in all instances. For example, a static initialized character string cannot be replaced by a function call. A second example is that a string could be in a form of an escape sequence which could not be translated. In order not to break existing code, the files created by invoking exstr -e must be examined and lines containing strings not replaceable by function calls must be deleted. In some cases the code may require modifications so that strings can be extracted and replaced by calls to the message retrieval function. OPTIONS
The following options are supported: -e Extract a list of strings from the named C-language source files, with positional information. This list is produced on standard output in the following format: file:line:position:msgfile:msgnum:string file the name of a C-language source file line line number in the file position character position in the line msgfile null msgnum null string the extracted text string Normally you would redirect this output into a file. Then you would edit this file to add the values you want to use for msgfile and msgnum: msgfile the file that contains the text strings that will replace string. A file with this name must be created and installed in the appropriate place by the mkmsgs(1) utility. msgnum the sequence number of the string in msgfile. The next step is to use exstr -r to replace strings in file. -r Replace strings in a C-language source file with function calls to the message retrieval function gettxt(). -d This option is used together with the -r option. If the message retrieval fails when gettxt() is invoked at run-time, then the extracted string is printed. You would use the capability provided by exstr on an application program that needs to run in an inter- national environment and have messages print in more than one language. exstr replaces text strings with function calls that point at strings in a message data base. The data base used depends on the run-time value of the LC_MESSAGES environment variable (see environ(5)). EXAMPLES
Example 1 The following examples show uses of exstr Assume that the file example.c contains two strings: main() { printf("This is an example "); printf("Hello world! "); } The exstr utility, invoked with the argument example.c extracts strings from the named file and prints them on the standard output. example% exstr example.c produces the following output: example.c:This is an example example.c:Hello world! The exstr utility, invoked with the -e option and the argument example.c, and redirecting output to the file example.stringsout example% exstr -e example.c > example.stringsout produces the following output in the file example.stringsout example.c:3:8:::This is an example example.c:4:8:::Hello world! You must edit example.stringsout to add the values you want to use for the msgfile and msgnum fields before these strings can be replaced by calls to the retrieval function. If UX is the name of the message file, and the numbers 1 and 2 represent the sequence number of the strings in the file, here is what example.stringsout looks like after you add this information: example.c:3:8:UX:1:This is an example example.c:4:8:UX:2:Hello world! The exstr utility can now be invoked with the -r option to replace the strings in the source file by calls to the message retrieval func- tion gettxt(). example% exstr -r example.c <example.stringsout >intlexample.c produces the following output: extern char *gettxt(); main() { printf(gettxt("UX:1", "")); printf(gettxt("UX:2", "")); } The following example: example% exstr -rd example.c <example.stringsout >intlexample.c uses the extracted strings as a second argument to gettxt(): extern char *gettxt(); main() { printf(gettxt("UX:1", "This is an example ")); printf(gettxt("UX:2", "Hello world! ")); } FILES
/usr/lib/locale/locale/LC_MESSAGES/* files created by mkmsgs(1) ATTRIBUTES
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes: +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+ | ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE | +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+ |Availability |SUNWtoo | +-----------------------------+-----------------------------+ SEE ALSO
gettxt(1), mkmsgs(1), printf(1), srchtxt(1), gettxt(3C), printf(3C), setlocale(3C), attributes(5), environ(5) DIAGNOSTICS
The error messages produced by exstr are intended to be self-explanatory. They indicate errors in the command line or format errors encoun- tered within the input file. SunOS 5.11 5 Jul 1990 exstr(1)


text:
Peyton Manning is the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team. It's his seventh time as a first-teamer, tying Hall of Famer Otto Graham for the most by a quarterback.
The Denver star set NFL records this season with 55 touchdown passes and 5,477 yards through the air.
He was chosen Friday on all 50 ballots from media members who regularly cover the NFL. Manning also was an All-Pro in 2003, '04, '05, '08, '09 and last season.
New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham and Indianapolis outside linebacker Robert Mathis each drew 49 votes. Philadelphia running back LeSean McCoy and Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman had 48.
Minnesota kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson is the only rookie on the squad.
Eighteen NFC players and nine from the AFC have made the team.


text:
The Secret Beyond Matter
Commonly Disregarded Quranic Rulings
Deep-seated respect for the messenger of Allah (saas)
In the Qur'an Allah reveals that it is obligatory to obey the messengers of Allah and to harbor deep-seated respect for them. Today, obedience to Allah's final Messenger (saas) comes from following his sunnah. A conscious and meticulous adherence to the sunnah can only be possible through a true perception of the importance attached to the prophets in the Qur'an. For that reason, believers of all ages are encouraged to learn the Qur'anic rulings related to the prophets and messengers of Allah. The following chapters will dwell on rulings showing the attitudes and behavior that should be shown toward our Prophet Mohammad (saas).
- Not Preferring Oneself to the Messenger (saas), But Supporting and Defending Him
In the Qur'an Allah reveals that his messengers are special people with superior moral virtues. A messenger is an appointed representative of Allah on Earth, a standard of the morality of Islam, and a leader of the believers. Among His servants, His messengers are those who display the code of ethics most pleasing to Allah. They fear no one but Allah, unconditionally obeying and submitting to Him. They are men of the highest morals, who set the best example for believers in every matter. They are very important in Allah's Sight and He keeps them under His protection.
Allah made prophets and messengers superior in rank to other people. In the Muslim community, they therefore they assume a privileged and central role. For this reason, a believer must prefer Prophet Mohammad (saas) over himself. The relevant verse is as follows:
Owing to this distinguished status, Allah commands believers to defend and support His Messenger (saas):
... Those who believe in him and honor him and help him, and follow the Light that has been sent down with him, they are the ones who are successful. (Surat al-A'raf; 157)
We have sent you bearing witness, bringing good news and giving warning so that you might all believe in Allah and His Messenger and honor Him and respect Him and glorify Him in the morning and the evening. (Surat al-Fath; 8-9)
Allah and His angels call down blessings on the Prophet. You who believe! Call down blessings on him and ask for complete peace and safety for him. (Surat al-Ahzab; 56)
- Not Putting Oneself Before Allah's Messenger (saas)
As Allah describes in the Qur'an, the messengers are gifted people in terms of intelligence, reasoning, comprehension and wisdom, and thus superior to other believers. They display the attributes of a believer in the best manner. Muslims should in this respect be aware of their own standing in humility and in the face of the apparent superiority of the Messengers, show them great respect and honor, and support and follow them. Allah expresses this in the Qur'an as follows:
O you who have believed, do not put [yourselves] before Allah and His Messenger but fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is All-Hearing and All-Knowing. (Surat al-Hujurat; 1)
Putting oneself before Allah's Messenger (saas), which is not proper in terms of respect, may assume various forms, such as implying the superiority of one's own intelligence or interrupting while he is speaking. It is unlikely that any believer would deliberately dare to commit such undesirable acts. Yet he should always be on guard so as not to transgress Allah's limits thoughtlessly.
- Not Raising One's Voice Above the Prophet's
As noted before, the messengers have a special and superior status among the other believers due to their strong character and faith as described in the verses of the Qur'an. Indeed, Allah makes clear every detail of conduct regarding Allah's Messenger (saas), including one's speech and tone of voice, as the basis of a sincere and correct understanding of respect:
You who believe! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the prophet and do not be as loud when speaking to him as you are when speaking to one another, lest your actions should come to nothing without your realizing it." (Surat al-Hujurat; 2)
Allah reminded believers not to speak loudly to the Messenger of Allah (saas) as they did to one another. The matter that deserves attention here is that beyond being good manners, it is a commandment of Allah. Indeed, the mention of a contrary attitude that would nullify good deeds marks the importance of this issue. It is incorrect to think of this commandment as ordinary encouragement of good manners, rather than an absolute command. The same mistake is often made with other Qur'anic rulings, as well. The fact is that honoring Allah's messenger is actually honoring Allah. Similarly, an adverse attitude toward the Messenger (saas) reflects one toward Allah, and deliberately lacking in respect for His Messenger (saas) is most displeasing to Allah. However, it is essential for anyone, even if he is a believer, who raises his voice in the presence of the messenger with no such deliberate intent, out of ignorance or thoughtlessness or a mistaken conception of honesty, to immediately abandon that error and display the kind of behavior that will most nobly and politely express his profound respect for and devotion to the messenger. The significance of this topic is revealed by Allah in the following verse:
Those who lower their voices when they are with the Messenger of Allah are people whose hearts Allah has tested for heedfulness. They will have forgiveness and an immense reward. (Surat al-Hujurat; 3)
In a similar manner, Allah reveals in the Qur'an that addressing the Messenger (saas) from outside his rooms was a sign of lack of consideration that believers must strongly avoid:
As for those who call out to you from outside your private quarters, most of them do not use their intellect." (Surat al-Hujurat; 4)
- Not Entering the Prophet's House Without an Invitation
All forms of behavior that burdened or inconvenienced the Messenger of Allah (saas) are forbidden in the Qur'an. Inconsiderate conduct such as visiting without an invitation, waiting in hopes of being invited to dine or staying late for conversation was behavior that inconvenienced and caused difficulties for the Prophet (saas) and is thus prohibited in the Qur'an:
You who believe! Do not go into the prophet's rooms except when you are invited to come and eat. Do not wait there while the food is being cooked. However, when you are called, go in, and when you have eaten, disperse, not remaining there to chat with one another. Doing that causes annoyance to the Prophet, though he is too reticent to tell you so. But Allah is not reticent with the truth... (Surat al-Ahzab; 53)
A believer must do everything he can to support a messenger, make his task easier and lightening his load. This is among the greatest duties of a believer, as revealed in the Qur'an.
- Not Considering the Messenger (saas) Indebted for One's Islam or Service to the Religion
Allah may commission anyone, even unbelievers, to serve His religion. That Allah subjected devils to the service of Prophet Solomon (as) is indeed a fact related in the Qur'an. Be he a believer or unbeliever, everyone is merely a means for the accomplishment of Allah's decree. It is Allah Who possesses the will and power, and essentially, He will make Islamic moral values victorious through His means.
In the Qur'an, Allah mentions the corrupt character of those who, unaware of such facts, presented their acceptance of Islam and their services as a favor to the Messenger (saas) due to their inferior mentality:
In the verse Allah shows that the truth is otherwise; a person who embraces the religion does not do Islam any honor; rather, Islam grants honor to him.
- Complying with the Prophet's Words Willingly and Sincerely
A believer is obedient to the orders of Allah and His Messenger (saas); while complying with the Prophet's (saas) judgments, he feels not a speck of distress or discomfort in his heart. He knows that everything that Allah and His Messenger (saas) command is the truest, the best and the most beneficial. Aware that every commandment of Allah and His Messenger (saas) is best for him, a believer complies willingly under any circumstances. This sincere and submissive approach emanates from the believer's faith.
On the other hand, an obedient appearance that lacks heartfelt submission could point to weakness in faith:
No, by your Lord, they are not believers until they make you their judge in the disputes that break out between them, and then find no resistance within themselves to what you decide and submit themselves completely. (Surat an-Nisa'; 65)
For various reasons a hypocrite may display apparent obedience and meticulously observe certain commandments. Yet it is not true faith, so long as one does not obey with ardent submission. Hesitation reveals that a person still harbors some doubts and concerns about Allah and His Messenger (saas). The lack of a deep and inner obedience and submitting only physically to Allah vitiates a person's deeds. Pretended submission can leave one bereft of rewards in the Hereafter. This being the case, any believer will welcome a commandment from the Messenger (saas) with inner joy and happiness and relish the resulting feeling of compliance. Downheartedness or disappointment over any just decision are attitudes incompatible with faith.


text:
Debate on Günter Grass's Israel-Iran PoemThe Old Man and the Stereotype
It is more than heartening when poetry is for once allowed to lead more than a niche existence in this country. When was the last time half the population was deep in discussion about a poem?
The only problem is that this seems to be the only encouraging aspect that will ever be associated with Günter Grass's "Was gesagt werden muss" ("What Must Be Said"), and this is by no means because the lines don't rhyme. The poem has indeed hit a chord, but the wrong one – just as off-key as many of the reactions to it.
It's not a matter of how Grass criticises the Israeli government for its policy toward Iran. This kind of criticism is a daily occurrence and only too justified. No, the problem is that Grass has taken advantage of the publication of his poem to do something completely different: he apologises for keeping his mouth shut for so long by claiming he was afraid of being stamped an anti-Semite.
False and perfidious
But this statement is false and perfidious. The voices, including German-speaking ones, criticising the course taken by the Netanyahu regime as dangerous are in fact too numerous to count. And naturally it has not the least bit to do with anti-Semitism when someone openly and publicly expresses rejection of Israel's Iran policy.
When Grass however claims just that, then he is inventing a taboo that doesn't exist.
This only serves to generate new prejudices. And then it's all part of the same picture when Grass censures the Tehran regime in only a few mild words, while objecting much more plainly and at length to Israel's nuclear power.
Anti-Semitic stereotype
The scandal lies therefore not in Grass's criticism of Israel, but in the way he is using his words to style himself a martyr of the Jews, who allegedly use the charge of anti-Semitism as a bludgeon to censor the truth.
That is an anti-Semitic stereotype. Yet this is something neither conservative politicians have grasped who are coming down hard on the supposedly left-wing Grass, nor the left wing itself, which supports Grass because it sees him as one of its own.
Both sides are acting merely reflexively. Grass's poem serves them only as a cheap swing at their political opponents, a way to hit them with a right – or left – hook.
The truth is worse. After all, it's hardly very important if an ageing writer who evidently suffers under a certain amount of hubris criticises Israel and expresses fear of atomic war in the process. But it is a disaster when a German Nobel laureate in literature stoops to anti-Semitic stereotypes.
Klaus Hillenbrand
© Die Tageszeitung / Qantara.de 2012
Klaus Hillenbrand is co-director of the "taz.eins" department.
Translated from the German by Jennifer Taylor
Qantara.de editor: Lewis Gropp


text:
This week William from Podcast 17 joins the ModDB crew for an entertaining insight to the weeks worth of modding news, goss and other assorted virtual goodies! The following podcast may make you laugh. You have been warned.
- Smokin' Guns Mapping Tools
- FireGuns
- Operation Market Garden
- Alien Arena
- Iron Grip: Warlord
- Smashball
- Median XL
- Dear Esther
- Fortress Forever
So that's it for this week modders, but don't fear we will be back next week with more mods and goss for you all to enjoy! Don't forget to send your modding/gaming questions to email@example.com and we will answer the questions on the show!


text:
A new form of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been found in dairy cows and humans in the U.K. and Denmark, providing more evidence that animals could be passing this superbug on to people—not just the other way around.
The new methicillin-resistant bacterial strain was found in tests of raw milk by a team looking for another infection among the herds. Pasteurization kills off the bacteria, making milk products—even from a cow infected with this antibiotic-resistant strain—safe for consumers, the researchers explain.
But one thing does trouble scientists: this new strain would be missed by the newest types of MRSA testing because it contains a new variant of the known resistance gene. These genetic tests have, until now, been considered the new gold standard of detection and are now widely used in many hospitals in continental Europe.
"Those DNA tests, they all missed this," says Tara Smith, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Iowa. "The gene they were looking for wasn't there."
The research so far shows that about 1 percent of MRSA might have this new gene variant. Although that might sound miniscule, in epidemiological terms, says Smith, who was not involved in the new research, "that's big." And because scientists, health care workers and veterinarians are just learning to look for this strain, the prevalence is probably much higher, she says.
Of milk cows and men
Despite its scary connotations, S. aureus is a common bacterium—about a third of us carry it around without ill effect. And although about 1 percent of that S. aureus is MRSA, most of those carriers do not get sick from it. People in hospitals and those with compromised immune systems, however, are among those less able to fight it off. And when a Staph infection turns out to be resistant to a wide range of antibiotics, it is much trickier to treat.
Even as hospital-acquired MRSA cases have been declining in many countries, including the U.S., cases picked up outside health care settings are on the rise. Some of these cases are likely transmitted from people who have been in contact with a medical setting and then passed MRSA along through a chain of others through a sneeze or skin contact.
And the new findings indicate to Smith "that there's probably more movement of Staph aureus between people and animals than we've realized."
MRSA already comes in many different strains, which hold telltale genetic signatures indicating their host of origin—human, pig or cow. MRSA has also been found in pets and poultry, but these strains are usually found to be human types that had been passed to those animals by close contact. The new strain announced this week, including the cases found in human samples, is a bovine type.
Although the researchers note that they cannot prove that the strain has been moving between cows and people, the evidence for this transfer is pretty good. Geographical clusters of the same isolates were found in both cows and humans throughout different parts of the U.K.
"It changes our view of where the MRSA is coming from," Mark Holmes, of the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge, and a senior scientist on the team that described the new variety, said in a press briefing. A paper describing the analysis published in the June 3 issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Smith, who is chairing an upcoming American Society of Microbiology meeting on MRSA in animals, calls the new research "pretty solid—and definitely interesting." It was published at the same time as a paper in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy that describes the dodgy new genetic variant in more detail.
Dodging detection
The old-fashioned way of testing for MRSA is to plop a sample taken from a person or animal into a dish filled with antibiotics. If the bacteria survives and grows, it has a gene that renders it immune to the drugs. If it dies, then it is a susceptible breed of S. aureus and can be treated with standard antibiotics.
The newer, genetic tests for MRSA are quicker and largely automated, and with their costs quickly coming down, they have been poised to take the place of the culture tests. "Generally, these are incredibly accurate," Holmes said of the genetic tests.
But the new strain indicates that it might be time for a revision of the genetic screening tests—and to not be so hasty to move away from the culture-based tests. A patient with this strain of MRSA tested with the genetic test would be wrongly diagnosed as having a more treatable S. aureus infection and likely given drugs that would prove ineffective.
The gene that evaded the state-of-the-art genetic tests is a remodeled version of the known resistance gene mecA. After sequencing the new strain's genome, however, the researchers found that its mecA gene was only about 60 percent the same as the known version. With so many different base pairs than the target gene, the tests were not catching it—a miss that Holmes equates to searching a digitized text document for a term but spelling it wrong in the search window, thus returning a null result.
In the investigation, 11 of the samples that turned out to be antibiotic-resistant did not have either the old or the new mecA gene, which has Holmes and his team wondering what it is that is making these strains resistant. They are currently sequencing the genomes of these types to try to find out.
Drugged out
The appearance of drug-resistant bacteria of many kinds in humans in recent decades has largely been attributed to the over- and misuse of antibiotics in people. When drugs are not taken to the end of their course or are used for non-bacterial infections such as viral infections, they can kill off weaker bacteria, prompting the stronger ones to survive and propagate. And some can eventually become immune to the drugs entirely.
The situation in the livestock industry has been described in similar terms. In many confined feeding operations, animals are given prophylactic antimicrobials as a matter of course to stave off any infections before they start.
Dairy farmers in the U.K. use antimicrobials to treat the common udder infection mastitis. Holmes explains that farmers are under great pressure to keep their herds healthy despite high production demands. "The majority of farmers are under tremendous financial pressure," he said. "When you drive your cows hard, you get more mastitis." And when their cows get this infection a farmer will naturally want to "use the best tool that they have in their armory to treat those cows."
That the newly described MRSA strain was also found in people in Denmark raised questions for some, given that the country has been at the forefront of reducing antibiotic use in livestock. But because the first isolate from a human in Denmark was from 1975, the strain has been in existence for some time—through some of the high years of antibiotic use in farm animals.
Is antibiotic use in livestock directly responsible for this new strain? "I don't think that can be resolved with this study," Smith says. And the study authors note that with their data they cannot prove that the use of antimicrobials on farms led directly to the development of this new resistant strain. But the correlation has been established in other studies. "It is clear that use of antibiotics in adult dairy cows and other food-producing animals does contribute to increased antimicrobial resistance," concluded the authors of a March review paper published in Foodborne Pathogens and Diseases.
By looking at the limited data they have from their first study, Holmes said the prevalence of this strain "appears to be rising at the moment." He and his team will spend part of the summer sampling more farms and hospitals throughout the U.K. to get a better picture of the strain's prevalence.
Could this strain also be lurking in the U.S.? "I would guess that it is," Smith says. "If we turn over some rocks, I would guess that we would find it." In Denmark, samples from each case of MRSA are collected, providing researchers with a comprehensive view of the disease landscape, but in the U.S. testing is more sporadic.
The new find highlights the need for more widespread testing and a detective hunt to find out where and when this strain emerged, Smith says. And the revelation that dairy herds can carry MRSA also underscores the importance of proper hygiene and animal care, Holmes noted.
The researchers emphasized that the threat to dairy consumers is minimal. Only those eating unpasteurized products with wounds in their mouths or esophagi would be likely to become carriers of MRSA, which could then theoretically spread to someone with a compromised immune system. And while resistant to some of the most common antibiotics, the new variant was still treatable by some drugs. But Holmes does call attention to the hazards for farm workers, who, he notes, "are no different than nurses and doctors who work in hospitals" in their likelihood of picking up MRSA on the job.
But is Holmes, himself, worried? "I'm not one of life's worriers," he said in a light tone at the press briefing. But it is "a legitimate concern," he noted more seriously. "We're lucky we caught it early."
New MRSA Strain Found in Dairy Cattle and Humans
High-tech genetic tests miss a new strain of drug-resistant staph, which seems to be transferable between people and cows
A new form of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been found in dairy cows and humans in the U.K. and Denmark, providing more evidence that animals could be passing this superbug on to people—not just the other way around.


text:
Rare Book Monthly
Prose & Poetry to Inflame our Imagination
By Bruce McKinney
Literary firsts, poetry and prose, are a Venus in the Jupiter-sized world of literature. Every day, tens of thousands of books are sold, much of it fiction. A few examples, here and there, are collectible copies. Often they are first editions, some signed by the author, others signed by interesting owners. Another few otherwise insignificant examples, by luck and sometimes intention are preserved in perfect condition with pristine dust jackets. Such examples, the firsts, the signed copies and exceptional examples in time become the currency of collecting in the field of fiction.
AE Comet
The market is four sided: the academics that write about the authors and their works; the dealers who identify, describe, explain, price and sell; the collectors who acquire and accumulate, and the auction houses that disperse. As every individual owns, and every home contains, fiction there are no shortage of possibilities and hence the need for expertise to identify the occasional examples that cross the Gobi from readable into collectible, an always uncertain journey. To illuminate the path, the opinion of the masters in the field are sought, then valued and later repeated – adding word by word to the gathering history of specific books that, upon the shoulders of advocates can carry the once unsaleable at $2.00 to $30,000 and more. Such is the alchemy of fiction and its appeal to many quarters: material often more easily appreciated than understood. Thus many, attracted by the text and sometimes entirely by the form, find a vocation or career in this field that rewards the diligent.
For writers the path from draft to print is winding and uncertain, the path from print to immortality the stuff of legendary luck, perseverance and the complex interaction of a generation with the voices that put to paper what people come to know is true but can not express themselves. In every era a few giants roam while a thousand others express subjective truths that resonate with the Balkan states, if not the entire universe, of human emotion and experience. This is the essence of the statement "let me see your library that I may know you." Some may believe that you are what you eat. The better informed know you are what you read.
In the discovering and unearthing of the voices that speak of and for a generation dealers and collectors find common ground to fend, weed and garden, to unearth the undiscovered authors, to champion by their selection voices not yet appreciated and to locate all the posters, papers, mimeographs, drafts, marked and signed copies and other paraphernalia of those selected. In fiction, much more than in non-fiction, the cult of personality, the alter ego and the reflected life all permit and encourage the reader and collector to acquire the debris and the building blocks that comprise a life or the story. The beauty of this approach to collecting is that its limits are both as clear and uncertain as the perimeter of a rainbow and hence such collections can both grow and morph with the collector's changing perceptions, understanding and needs. For many, the reading if not necessarily the collecting, of fiction is both the cheapest and most enduring therapy for coming to grips with life's challenges. The great books inevitably engage the great issues. For some, life's answers are on Dr. Phil, for readers they lie between the covers.


text:
The Edgartown School will begin a pilot enrichment program next year aimed at students working at advanced levels in math — a program that, if successful, could be adopted by other Island schools.
The local school committee voted last week in favor of a one-year trial of a fifth through eighth grade enrichment program in response to requests from parents about meeting the needs of high-ability math students.
Although there was not total agreement, the committee voted to approve up to $100,000 in funding for a teacher, including salary and benefits, to lead the advanced math program for one year. The program will be funded by school choice monies available this year. If successful, Edgartown School principal John Stevens said he would work to include the program in the school budget for the following year.
"The point is not just to challenge the high-ability students, but to upgrade instruction for all students," Mr. Stevens said, noting that the aim is to increase the number of students scoring at advanced levels on the mathematics MCAS test by 10 per cent.
Assistant superintendent of schools Laurie Halt said the program will be compared to other Island schools to see if the new program is meeting goals. A Martha's Vineyard Public Schools enrichment team will meet with the instructor monthly to observe instruction and review student data.
At the school committee meeting, Mrs. Halt called the program "action research at its best," and said the district will look at data after the pilot is completed. "We're taking a leap," she said of the program, which she called innovative and flexible.
Currently advanced math students receive part-time, limited extra instruction, Mr. Stevens said, before and after school.
This spring, a task group recommended that an experimental pilot program begin at the Edgartown School.
Mr. Stevens told the school committee there are already a significant number of students who could quality for the program and that those students encompass a broad spectrum of the student population, including English-language learners, free or reduced-lunch students and minority groups.
Selection criteria will include standardized test scores and classroom evaluation. The enrichment plan calls for the instructor to work with classroom teachers during the first four to six weeks of school to observe students, specifically their ability to reason abstractly and quantitatively, make sense of problems, model with mathematics and look for and make sense of structure.
High-performing students will "have the opportunity to explore, investigate, estimate, question, predict and test ideas about math in an in-house grade level pullout model," the enrichment plan states.
Some on the committee were hesitant to fully embrace the idea. "I have reservations about this — I'm not 100 per cent on board," said committee chairman Susan Mercier. "I don't like that we're possibly creating a school within a school."
She added that she would be more comfortable if all Island schools were participating, and she wanted to make sure the plan "fits the philosophy of the school and the mission."
"I want them all to be together and learning together," she said. "I don't want to discount what we have in this building."
Mr. Stevens said he thinks a lot of teachers embrace the plan and "some are looking on with curiosity to see how it all works out," though some teachers are worried that bright students leaving the classroom will affect the spectrum of kids left in the classroom.
But some students need to be challenged, the principal said, and meeting the needs of those students is parallel to the school's philosophy.
In some states, high-achieving students are considered special needs, Mr. Stevens later told the Gazette. But in Massachusetts, they are not, so there is no additional funding for advanced or enrichment programs.
But the students "still have special needs," he added. Students who score the highest on the MCAS or other standardized tests "really think differently," he said, and the school needs to make sure those students are challenged and their needs are met.
The school will be advertising for the position in the next few days, he said, and they hope to have the teacher in place by mid-August.
"It's a very sensitive issue," Mr. Stevens agreed, and the Edgartown School and other schools will look at the pilot program to see if it is successful. If so, he said, other schools may or may not decide to replicate it, depending on education needs and also budgets.
"It's a big step in many different ways," he said.


text:
This page has been archived and is being provided for reference purposes only. The page is no longer being updated, and therefore, links on the page may be invalid.
Read the magazine story to find out more.
Drought-Hardy Soybean Lines with StaminaBy Rosalie Marion Bliss
November 6, 2008
A team led by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant geneticist Thomas Carter will soon release advanced soybean breeding lines that carry slow-wilting traits. These lines perform well under drought conditions, and also show good yield potential when rainfall is plentiful. Private seed companies and public soybean breeders can use the drought-tolerant lines as breeding stock to develop high-yielding varieties adapted to stressful U.S. summers.
Carter is with the ARS Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research Unit in Raleigh, N.C. "Team Drought" is a group of researchers at five universities, which Carter heads. They aim to develop drought-tolerant breeding lines across a range of maturity groups for adaptation to every soybean-growing area of the country.
The slow-wilting lines yield 4 to 8 bushels more than conventional varieties under drought conditions--depending on the region and environment. For example, where normal soybeans would yield 30 bushels per acre under drought conditions, the slow-wilting types can surpass those yields by about 5 bushels per acre.
Under drought conditions, the typical American soybean crop can drop to a fraction of its yield potential. Adding genetic diversity to the U.S. soybean industry will help protect the food supply from vulnerabilities.
For more than 25 years, Carter has been working on transferring slow-wilting characteristics from Asian landraces, which are foreign "introductions," into U.S.-adapted varieties. As the team gets the slow-wilting trait into high-yielding lines, they share those new lines with industry breeders.
The Team Drought project is funded by ARS and a grant from the United Soybean Board, a group of farmer-directors who oversee investments of the soybean checkoff fund on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers.
Read more about the research in the November/December 2008 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.