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GCPEA News
MALI: Students flee Sharia in northern schools
IRIN Africa, June 22, 2012
BAMAKO, 22 June 2012 (IRIN) – Strict Sharia, or Islamic religious laws, imposed by the Islamist rebels controlling vast swathes of northern Mali are driving thousands of students out of schools. Dress codes have been imposed, boys and girls are forced to learn separately, and subjects deemed to promote "infidelity" have been struck off the curriculum.
Outraged parents are transferring their children and some students are opting to miss examinations rather than learn under these conditions.
"We simply took our two children from the school," said Mariam Touré, who lives in Timbuktu, one of the northern towns seized by the Islamists and other insurgents. "We will send them to Bamako [the capital of Mali, in the south] to continue learning."
"I decided not to sit my second-term examinations under those conditions and my parents agreed with me. They transferred me to Sikasso [a town southeast of Bamako], where I'm now pursuing my studies," said Almoustapha Cissé.
Boubacar Sissoko, a schoolmaster in Timbuktu – a UNESCO World Heritage site – said the Islamists "terrorize the children" with the new laws. "They have introduced their own programme and new subjects like Islamic education, or collective prayers that they themselves conduct," he said. The arrival of the Islamists in the north in March and the unrest that followed have left only 107 students out of 429 at the school.
Mali's education ministry estimates that around 5,000 students have fled to schools in Bamako and other southern towns since Islamist fighters of Ansar Dine, an Islamist group that wants to apply Sharia law throughout Mali; the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), a small Islamist group; and the Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA), who want to create a separate secular state in the north, seized northern Mali when a military coup on 22 March ousted president Amadou Amani Touré in Bamako.
The combination of conflict, harsh drought, food insecurity, and now the imposition of Sharia law, has internally displaced 146,900 people, and more than 150,000 others to neighbouring Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Although schools have taken the brunt of the draconian Islamic laws, residents can also no longer watch television, men cannot shave their beard or use tobacco. On 20 June, a Timbuktu couple was flogged 100 times in public for having a child out of wedlock, sparking condemnation by shocked and angry residents.
"I was really shocked to see these poor youths undergo such punishment simply because of having a child. It made me cry. It's a shame," said Mariama, a schoolgirl.
"We are living in another world," said Attaher Maiga, a Timbuktu resident, pointing out that the Koran does not forbid football, tobacco or shaving one's beard.
But the Islamists defend their laws.
"Sharia has to be applied whether the people like it or not, we will enforce it. We are not asking anybody's opinion. We are not democrats. We are servants of Allah who demands Sharia," Sanda Ould Boumama, Ansar Dine's spokesman in Timbuktu, told IRIN.
Girls are forced to wear djellabas, or full-body robes. "On 7 May, Ansar Dine and its ally, Al Qaeda in Maghreb, reopened schools in Timbuktu and Gao, a town to the east, but students began a new system [of learning] unknown to them before the occupation of the region," Timbuktu Education Director, Abou Bacri Cissé, told IRIN.
"Not only did they impose a new education system, separating girls and boys in classrooms, they also separate the students in groups – boys learning in the morning, and girls in the afternoon," he said.
In classrooms in Gao, "Boys sit in front and girls at the back, like in mosques," Beydi Koné, a journalist in the town, told IRIN.
Amahane Touré, a teacher in Gao, said only 21 pupils remain in her eighth and ninth grade French class, among them three girls. Previously there were 69 pupils, including 19 girls.
"We are searched every day before going to classes for fear that we are teaching the subjects banned under their Sharia. They forbid us from teaching certain subjects like biology, philosophy, civic education, under the pretext that they promote infidelity," she said.
"I understand the plight of the parents who fled with their children, but as teachers we have the duty to teach those who remain, even if the conditions are tough, especially due to Sharia imposed by Ansar Dine," Touré said.
In the weeks after the military coup, heavily-armed MNLA rebels and Islamists gained an unprecedented hold over northern Mali. The MNLA declared independence soon afterwards, but the move was rejected by its Islamist allies as well as the international community, and caused divisions among the armed groups in the region.
The Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) is trying to resolve the crisis, which has also worsened the suffering of millions of Malians affected by a severe drought across the Sahel region. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that more than 3.5 million Malians are hungry.
Faced with the hardships, Mali's education ministry has been forced to postpone the June national primary and secondary school examinations for a month.
"Special sessions and make-up classes have been set up for the students displaced from the north," said Mahamane Baby, an advisor at the education ministry "This is to help them to overcome the stress and not lag behind.


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Federal rail investigators said Monday they would go to court to get an engineer's cell phone records to determine if he was text messaging when his commuter train slammed head-on into a freight locomotive, killing 25 people.
The investigation into Friday's fatal Metrolink crash was also focusing on whether signal lights worked properly and were synchronized with a control center where a dispatcher was warned of a problem apparently only after the collision had occurred.
As workers continued to clear the tracks to restore full service, a smaller number of commuters — many wary and emotional — returned to the rail line, where Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa tried to reassure them the trains are safe.
"I want to dispel any fears about taking the train," he said. "Safety has to be our No. 1 concern, and while accidents can and do happen, taking the train is still one of the safest and fastest options for commuters."
About a dozen bouquets were strung the length of the loading platform at the Simi Valley station as passengers boarded buses and were shuttled to the Chatsworth station, bypassing the tracks still being cleared of wreckage.
Regular commuters said the train load was much lighter than usual.
Phone records sought
The National Transportation and Safety Board said the commuter train, which carried 220 people Friday, rolled past stop signals at 42 mph and forced its way onto a track where a Union Pacific freight was barreling toward it. NTSB board member Kitty Higgins said the commuter train engineer, who was among the dead, had failed to stop at the final red signal.
The Los Angeles County coroner's office on Monday put the death toll at 25, after mistakenly giving a figure of 26. The crash also injured 138 people.
The collision occurred at a curve in the track just short of where a 500-foot-long tunnel separates the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Chatsworth from Simi Valley in Ventura County.
Higgins said investigators will subpoena the cell phone records of engineer Robert Sanchez after two teenage train buffs who befriended him told KCBS-TV that they received a text message from him a minute before the crash.
Investigators did not find a cell phone belonging to Sanchez in the wreckage. The boys' families have been cooperating with investigators, but Higgins declined to characterize their conversations.
"Today we are subpoenaing the phone records of the engineer to determine whether in fact that might have been happening," Higgins told KTTV-TV. Higgins did not return messages from The Associated Press.
In 2003, the NTSB recommended banning the use of cell phones by railroad employees on duty after finding that a coal train engineer's phone use contributed to a May 2002 accident in which two freight trains collided head-on near Clarendon, Texas. The coal train engineer was killed and the conductor and engineer of the other train were critically injured.
The California Legislature last month sent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a bill that would outlaw texting while driving. According to the Governors' Highway Safety Association, four states have banned texting while driving — Alaska, Minnesota, New Jersey and Washington — and similar laws are under consideration in 16 other states.
Metrolink prohibits rail workers from using cell phones on the job.
Reviewing communications
Audio recordings of contact between Sanchez and the conductor on Metrolink 111 show they were regularly communicating verbal safety checks about signals along the track until a period of radio silence as the train passed the final two signals before the wreck. The tapes captured Sanchez confirming a flashing yellow light after pulling out of the Chatsworth station.
The train may have entered a dead zone where the recording was interrupted. Investigators planned to interview the injured conductor about the lapse, Higgins said.
A computer indicated the last signal before the collision displayed a red light, and experts were to test the signals to determine if they worked properly and were in the engineer's line of sight.
"It's really a process of elimination. That's why we're out testing the signals, we're looking at the track, we're examining the equipment, we're looking at what issues that might have been with the engineer and the other crew members," Higgins said.
Investigators will also look at the toxicology report of the engineer, his medical history and his personnel record.
Resignation fallout
Also Monday, Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell resigned after the railroad's board said her Saturday announcement that the engineer's mistake likely caused the crash was "premature."
Passenger Art Reis expressed concern as he rode the train to work that authorities might not be completely candid with the public after the investigation is done. He said he was concerned that Tyrrell resigned almost immediately after announcing that the agency was responsible for the crash.
"It's all image and politics, and that's what concerns me," said Reis, 70.
Metrolink did not immediately return phone messages seeking comment.

subset: commoncrawl


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All staff are full members of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) and are bound to their Code of Professional Conduct.
We hold Professional Indemnity, Employer's and Public Liability insurance. We implement a Health and Safety Policy and all staff hold current FAS SafePass cards.
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Codes of Airport of Kilpisjarvi in Kilpisjarvi, Finland (FI)
|Airport of Kilpisjarvi
|Kilpisjarvi (Read more about Kilpisjarvi)
|Finland (show all 115 airports in Finland)
|ISO country code
|Airport Codes:
|Map of Codes of Airport of Kilpisjarvi in Kilpisjarvi, Finland (FI):
Airport of Kilpisjarvi is the most important airport of Kilpisjarvi, Finland. It is modern and one of the largest airport of the Europe. Airport of Kilpisjarvi is important for people and goverment of Finland.
IATA and ICAO codes of Airport of Kilpisjarvi
Airports of Finland have international codes of IATA and ICAO. An IATA airport code is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world (including Finland), defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The characters prominently displayed on baggage tags attached at airport check-in desks are an example of a way these codes are used.
The ICAO airport code is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. These codes are defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization. The ICAO codes are used by air traffic control and airline operations such as flight planning. They are not the same as the IATA codes encountered by the general public, which are used for airline timetables, reservations, and baggage handling.


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PRESSART, COLOMBAN-SÉBASTIEN, priest, superior, and vicar general; b. 30 Sept. 1723 at Le Faouët (dept of Morbihan), France, son of François Pressart, a merchant, and Angélique Lorans; d. 27 Oct. 1777 in Quebec.
Colomban-Sébastien Pressart studied at the diocesan college in Quimper and received the tonsure there; on 23 Dec. 1747, minor orders and the priesthood were conferred upon him in Paris. He arrived in Canada during the summer of 1748 with Christophe de Lalane, a director of the Séminaire des Missions Étrangéres who had been sent temporarily to Quebec as superior. Soon a member of the council of the seminary, Pressart was appointed a director of the Petit Séminaire (1748–50) and then of the Grand Séminaire (1750–52). He served as bursar from 1752 to 1756, assisted by Joseph-André-Mathurin Jacrau. When the superior, François Sorbier de Villars, had to return to France to attend to the seminary's affairs, the directors in Paris appointed Pressart to replace him on 26 April 1756, and this appointment was renewed in 1759. As a consequence he was in charge of the seminary during the painful years of the war and the siege of Quebec. In the summer of 1759, before the bombardment began, Abbé Pressart, Abbé Henri-François Gravé* de La Rive, and some pupils from the upper forms took refuge with the Sulpicians in Montreal. There Pressart taught theology. He returned to Quebec the following summer.
In 1762 his appointment as superior came to an end and Urbain Boiret replaced him. Since there were few students in theology, Pressart apparently resumed the office of bursar, again with the assistance of Jacrau, who had, however, become an invalid. The work of this period of rebuilding was immense and difficult, at the seminary and the farms and mills of its seigneuries. When the Petit Séminaire reopened in 1765, it had to provide classrooms for day pupils because the Jesuits had had to give up all hope of resuming their teaching of classical studies. The institution's new orientation was approved by the seminary in Paris, which retained some authority over the activities of the seminary in Quebec, although Governor Murray was no longer willing to accept foreign interference. Pressart, who from 1768 till his death bore the title of "first assistant" to the superior, resigned the office of bursar on 1 June 1770 to become head of the Grand Séminaire until 1772. While he held these different offices and even afterwards, he evidently continued to teach; he was referred to as "a teacher of theology at the Séminaire de Québec" in the letters issued by Bishop Briand on 18 Oct. 1774, appointing him vicar general. But in this era people's health gave out early, and a man was old at 60. During the siege of Quebec by the Americans (December 1775 – May 1776), Pressart suffered "an attack of apoplexy and paralysis," which left him very weak. As soon as the siege was lifted, he obtained a room at the Hôpital Général. He stayed there several times for lengthy periods because of intermittent attacks of what was probably angina pectoris. He died on the morning of 27 Oct. 1777.
Pressart may have had some knowledge of the law. In any event he helped Jacrau write a summary of the custom of Paris, which Governor Guy Carleton* had requested of the priests of the Séminaire de Québec in 1768. It served as a basis for one of five abstracts of laws published in London in 1772 and 1773 and known collectively in Canada as the "Extrait des Messieurs." Written entirely in French, each bore a long English title. Francis Maseres*, a former attorney general of the province who supervised the publication of the abstracts, seems to have appreciated the contribution made by the priests of the seminary: in his correspondence he expressed his admiration for the "learned Mr Jacrau . . . and the very intelligent Mr Pressart. . . ."
AHGQ, Communauté, Journal, II. ASQ, Lettres M 160; P, 120; R, 15; mss, 12, ff.16, 28, 36, 38; Séminaire: 3, nos.106–17. Le séminaire de Québec (Provost), 450. Philéas Gagnon, Essai de bibliographie canadienne . . . (2v., Québec et Montréal, 1895–1913), I, 2–3. A.-H. Gosselin, L'Église du Canada après la conquête, I. O'Reilly, Mgr de Saint-Vallier et l'Hôpital Général. M. Trudel, L'Eglise canadienne, II. Albert David, "Les spiritains dans l'Amérique septentrionale au XVIIIe siècle," BRH, XXXV (1929), 318. Leland, "François-Joseph Cugnet," Revue de l'université Laval, XVII, 448–56, 820–34. P.-G. Roy, "L'Extrait des Messieurs," BRH, III (1897), 78.
© 1979–2023 University of Toronto/Université Laval
Cite This Article
Honorius Provost, "PRESSART, COLOMBAN-SÉBASTIEN," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 4, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed September 21, 2023, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/pressart_colomban_sebastien_4E.html.
The citation above shows the format for footnotes and endnotes according to the Chicago manual of style (16th edition). Information to be used in other citation formats:
|Author of Article:
|Honorius Provost
|Title of Article:
|Publication Name:
|Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 4
|University of Toronto/Université Laval
|Year of publication:
|Year of revision:
|Access Date:
|September 21, 2023


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Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services is planning an $89 million upgrade to the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant in North Portland. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
Prosper Portland is seeking qualified developers for a series of vacant parcels along Southeast Water Avenue known as the ODOT Blocks. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
A policy giving rental tenants the first right of refusal to purchase their units is being drafted by Commissioner Chole Eudaly's office. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
Scott | Edwards Architecture's design of the Oregon City Public Library renovation and expansion was included in the 2017 Library Design Showcase. (Sam Tenney/DJC file)
A $2.4 million renovation of a former church building in Northeast Portland will convert the building into a dedicated theater space. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
A 110-year-old former church in the King neighborhood of Northeast Portland is being renovated into a theater space for the Portland Playhouse. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
The Wieden + Kennedy building in the Pearl District has sold for $103.25 million. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
Southwest Naito Parkway is being considered as a potential location for a future light-rail line serving the Southwest Corridor. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
A portion of Southwest Barbur Boulevard is a possible location for a future light-rail line connecting downtown Portland and Bridgeport Village in Tigard. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
High school students participate in a design charrette during a career day held last week by ZGF Architects and the Portland Workforce Alliance. A total of 52 students from 17 area high schools participated in the day's event, which included an architectural tour of the city, followed by charrettes led by ZGF employees and group design presentations. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
Cathy Reines, left, and Joshua Scott of micro-housing builder Koz Development stand in a unit under construction at a project on Southwest Yamhill Street in Goose Hollow.
Koz Development's 30-unit multifamily project on Southwest Yamhill Street features 290-square-foot loft apartments. The Washington-based developer has six projects totaling 533 units either under construction or in development in Portland. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
A 30-unit apartment building under construction on Southwest Yamhill Street is one of six Portland projects either in development or under construction by Washington-based Koz Development. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
OMSI is set to go public in January with a request for proposals for the redevelopment of a large swath of land in the inner Eastside. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
A master plan for the redevelopment of OMSI property in the central eastside, which is scheduled to receive advice from the Portland Design Commission later this month, includes a proposed re-alignment of Southeast Water Avenue. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
Lighting consultant Leni Schwendinger (center, holding megaphone), leads a walking tour of nighttime lighting in the central eastside last week. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
Menashe Properties' six-story office building at Southwest 12th Avenue and Morrison Street is one of several new office properties expected to come to market in the fourth quarter of 2017. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
Longtime Portland architect Don Stastny will be honored tonight by the Architecture Foundation of Oregon as its 2017 Honored Citizen. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
Don Stastny is the recipient of the Architectural Foundation of Oregon's 2017 Honored Citizen award. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
(Sam Tenney/DJC)
Laneco employee Alberto Santos demolishes old air ducts at the Meier & Frank Building in downtown Portland. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
The building's four floors of office space will feature open 40,000-square-foot floor plates and ceiling heights ranging from 14 feet to 19 feet, six inches. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
Doyle Crisman, left, and Daniel Long, both employees of Laneco, demolish concrete to create an opening for new HVAC systems on a basement floor at the Meier & Frank Building. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
Traffic diverters recently installed at Southeast Ankeny Street and 15th Avenue allow for cyclists to pass through the intersection. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
A cyclist rides through a Southeast Ankeny Street intersection where traffic diverters have been installed to prevent automobiles from using the street to avoid traffic on East Burnside Street. The use of diverters is one of several techniques traffic engineers are using to keep vehicular traffic on main arterials. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
Hoffman Construction partnered with Seattle-based Vera Whole Health to open a downtown Portland clinic serving Hoffman employees and their families. (Sam Tenney/DJC)
Skyler Pantekoek of RCI Architectural Sheet Metal, hangs a piece of duct work.
Salem Fabio, left, of Pro Temp Associates, Inc., brazes copper pipe with help from partner Wendel Beachey of Bull Mountain Mechanical.
Dustin Wynter of American Heating, Inc. prepares to install duct work from a rack.


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Friday, May 4, 2012
walls, windows y weather.
This sunset earlier this week was wicked beautiful.
- - -
Bikes and the City got a haircut, gained some weight and got a little makeover. Well, I am not Terry Gross but there was a much needed dose of fresh air. I had not updated any visual features since the beginning, it is what's in the inside that counts, right. There are small updates in general.
How do you like the new look of the blog? Hope you enjoy it.
To be honest, I have been overwhelmed in a very loving way, with the feedback +support in the last few weeks, I had sincerely not expected this online momentum after being away for quite some time. I had considered myself not strong nor capable to return here or anywhere, many things were just completely out of the picture, I was completely checked out of the existing world. There is a time +place for everything. The process and forces of grieving are a beast of their own.
I'm not trying to catch up, life moves fast. I'm happy to just be here and in my own pace be present, day to day.
We humans, are fragile beings. So once again, thank you.
Okay, here is a new set of photographs around the city. The weather has been beautifully diverse. Not sure why people would complain when we get a little rain, this is northern California and we don't quite get the drastic season changes to shovel snow or deal with unbearable humidity. I'm a fog worshiper that is no secret, but I also have enjoyed the recent random warmer days. We got to see some monumental thunder lighting show a few weeks ago and here is a photo from the local news: msnbc link
These were all taken between March-April, in San Francisco and a couple of them in Marin county.
All photographs taken with my Leica lens/Panasonic LX5.
- - -
kitteh love. that cat in the window and what appeared to be its owner. affection maximus./polk street
inside the owl tree. /tendernob
best sweater. ever. /pacheights
the interiors of the recently remodeled Brenda's have cool cement textures. and a giant lobster. /lower polk street
noc noc is as colourful as it is dark. good place to drink gulden draak. /lower haight
weekend lunch in point reyes. /marin county
window watcher. /mission district
has been quite sometime, red poppy. /mission district
mimis wall.
lady gaga y elton john?
these last three above taken in the south of market.
new orleans iced coffee +chismes. the guys +i chillin in mint plaza. /downtown
sightfilm. /7th street
a memorial for a young man shot +killed at the corner of divisadero +eddy, San Francisco's 18th homicide for 2012. /western addition
a quiet rainy day in union square. /downtown
mi new bus friend.
rain +hearts +umbrellas. /mission street near 5th
early morning solo sight sip. /7th street
- - -
Michael Miller's exhibit "West Coast Hip Hop - A History in Pictures" was presented last week for two days at fifty24 in the lower haight /link. The presentation of the photographs was sharp and the uniqueness of the West Coast culture during that period of time jumped right out of the walls. I was intrigued by the printing process, the quality of the pieces was visually provoking.
- - - -
♥My best wishes and fun times to the beautiful bicycle community in the San Diego/Baja Cali/Tijuana area riding the fantastic beach coast 33rd biannual Rosarito-Ensenada bike ride this Saturady, 5 de mayo. Can't wait to see some pictures :)
That is all for now.
Have a good weekend!
24 comments:
Meligrosa, Thanks for a great blog. It really makes a positive difference. Love the photos.ReplyDelete
Old Dude
- AnonymousFriday, May 04, 2012
is this Lumix a new camera ? I also have a Leica lens Lumix but different model bought 2 1/2 years ago. I haven't really thought of photography lately but after seeing your shots, i think i'll take my camera out of hibernation.ReplyDeleteReplies
well it is new to me, but actually was a gift for my bday in late 2010 and it took me awhile to start using it. I like to know my cameras inside out, the last (and most of the shots up until the end of 2010) were all taken with my canon sd990. that camera got used+abused to the fullest.Delete
Just in the last few weeks during this year I began to really get the hang of it, and mainly an interest back in photography.
take it out +take some snaps. and keep me posted on the results +introduce yourself, anonymous.
Good to have you back and posting again!ReplyDelete
Fantastic Blog !!!ReplyDelete
Not enough people make the effort to find their own pace, but simply push really hard to keep up with the flow of traffic. Riding a heavy, slow bicycle, this is something I think about quite often :) I think it's really important to work to make your life fit you, and not simply do what is 'normal' because it's the path of least resistance. That's the quickest way to a meltdown - getting carried away in the rapids.ReplyDelete
I hope that as you find yourself healing, you keep that motivation to move at the pace which is comfortable to you. Be well.
Beautiful photos! Especially love the street art, the big heart, and the handbag and coffee cup :) The umbrella photo is about how it looks in Portland this afternoon :)
- AnonymousFriday, May 04, 2012
Your posts are a force for good in this world. I'm so glad you're posting again.ReplyDelete
grazie, Meli. grande abbraccio!ReplyDelete
i loves the new look and perspective. eres superstar mi love.ReplyDelete
Be present. I am there.ReplyDelete
Wow, do you ever get around! Wonder if Michael Miller and Travis Jensen know each other.ReplyDelete
great images! love the painted walls=)ReplyDelete
You made my day :D So good to see you posting again. I'm here trapped in soggy Florida counting down the days until my next visit to SF. Thanks for transporting me back to my favorite city in the meantime.ReplyDelete
Thank you for sharing these beautiful images of the everyday. They truly capture the wonder of brief moments in time.ReplyDelete
Looking forward to reading and viewing, have no idea why you've been away but was only recently thinking i hadn't seen any of your bike pics for ages, glad you are back :-)ReplyDelete
Looking forward to reading and viewing, have no idea why you've been away but was only recently thinking i hadn't seen any of your bike pics for ages, glad you are back :-)ReplyDelete
thank you everybody, it has been good visual therapy to take some fotos from time to time.ReplyDelete
very happy you enjoy them and leave kind words :) xxom
Your presence is strong and unique and warm. And missed. We have all been waiting for you.ReplyDelete
I love Terry Gross and fresh air and your updated blog design. Airy and lovely. Your LX5 photographs make me realize I need to play with mine more, although nothing from it looks as good as all this.
- Irene RxWednesday, May 16, 2012
Dig the new look - bright, minimalist (in the best "less is more" way) and inviting...And I love seeing all these SF (and Marin county) pix. They make me miss San Fran, one of my favorite cities...ReplyDelete
The cat in the window, with the white walls and the string of Christmas lights, sigh, real lovely. And the mural shots...and the elder lady on the train. You've captured the beauty and atmosphere of San Fransisco...
Lovely to have you back. XReplyDelete


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Good Numbers for Airport
For the fourth year in a row, Louis Armstrong International Airport continues to experience an astounding increase in passenger volume. At the end of 2013, airport statistics reported moving over 9.2 million passengers through its terminals, making an 18 percent increase over '09, which saw 7.8 million passengers fly through the facility. New Orleans continues to be a top flight destination for leisure, conventions and business.
Further cementing this and the city's continued growth was the March presentation of the "Fastest Growing Airport Award" to Louis Armstrong International Airport at the fourth annual U.S. Annie Awards on March 27, 2014. Made annually to airports that have made remarkable air service achievements, Armstrong International was awarded due to the great percentage increase in passenger volume for the year '13.
"The importance of this award is that it highlights the renaissance New Orleans has been going through," says Director of Aviation at Armstrong, Iftikhar Ahmed. "We continue to focus on air service, not only maintaining our present service but growing with new airlines and new routes. Our latest achievements have been the arrival of Alaska Airlines with direct service to Seattle, beginning in June 2014, a direct flight to San Diego via Southwest Airlines beginning in April and the return of VacationExpress.com with their seasonal non-stop service to Cancun, Mexico and new service to Montego Bay, Jamaica."
Armstrong International also set a passenger ranking record in March, having been ranked in 2013 as No. 37 among 812 U.S. airports in domestic enplanements and deplanements, increasing at a growing rate of 4 percent per calendar year. Before Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans was ranked at No. 40 among the nation's busiest airports. After the storm, the ranking dropped to No. 56. Available carriers at Louis Armstrong International Airport include Air Tran Airways, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, US Airways, United Airlines, Air Canada, Air Alaska and Aero Mexico.


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Choosing Rings That Reflect Your Style
Diamonds may be a girl's best friend but they just aren't your style. You and your future spouse agree -- you both want rings that reflect your individual values, not strict tradition. At the same time, you ARE getting married, and you like the idea of wearing a wedding ring. Fortunately, there are many alternatives for rings for both you and your future spouse that reflect your style and still let the world know that you've found the love of your life.
Alternative Materials
If you're not into diamonds, consider a ring with a semi-precious stone instead. A pearl engagement ring has the elegant look of a diamond while still looking distinctive. A romantic alternative is to design your own ring with your birthstone and your future spouse's birthstone substituting for the diamond solitaire.
Alternatives also exist for wedding bands. Tungsten is ten times harder than 18 carat gold and four times harder than titanium, which makes it a practical choice for rings that you and your spouse will be wearing every day. Titanium is light, shiny and easily polished if you happen to scratch the band of your ring. Cobalt chrome is as shiny as platinum and has the look of white gold, but it's much more durable and scratch resistant. If you're on a really tight budget, consider stainless steel rings, which are just as shiny as silver but never tarnish.
An eco friendly alternative for an engagement ring or a wedding ring is to recycle an inherited ring into something more modern. Not only is remodeling an existing ring often cheaper than buying a new ring, you have the added element of incorporating a family heirloom into your new life. A recycled ring also doesn't involve any additional mining for wedding band materials or gems. If you don't have a ring to recycle, many jewelers feature rings made with recycled metals and stones among their offerings. Wood rings are another eco friendly alternative. Although they're not as sturdy as other material choices, they make a striking visual statement.
Conflict-Free and Fair Trade
If you've seen the movie Blood Diamond, you may be horrified about wearing a traditional diamond engagement ring or a gold wedding band. The good news is that you don't have to give up diamonds or gold to be at peace with your conscience. Many jewelers feature conflict-free diamonds and fair-trade gold bands, both of which are certified to have no association with child labor or other human rights abuses.
Cultured Diamonds
When your heart is set on diamonds but your budget says cubic zirconium, cultured diamonds allow you to have a real diamond for a fraction of the price of mined stones. Cultured diamonds are created from a carbon-graphite core and a diamond seed that are subjected to super-high pressure for four days. The result not only looks like a diamond, it is a diamond.
However, where a one-carat yellow mined diamond would set you back more than $20,000, a cultured yellow diamond of the same size only costs about $6,000. Cultured diamonds are also totally conflict free and don't involve mining rare natural resources. Cultured diamonds are available in nearly every carat size and in a wide range of colors to suit the preference of nearly every bride-to-be.
Claire Windon is a freelance writer and wedding planner. To learn more about personalized jewelry visit SorellaJewelry.com.
Wordless Wednesday: Lenora & James
Engagement session
Wyatt Ramsey Photography
Savannah, GA
Thanks, Lenora and James for this lovely submission! If you would like to share any of your engagement, shower or wedding pictures with us, please feel free. We love showcase our gorgeous readers and their loved ones.
Oprah Goes Natural
Well, for a while at least. She took made the change for her latest magazine cover. I haven't seen the entire thing, but she looks nice here!
You can read the whole story at USA Today
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Most homeowners know that changing your furnace or air conditioner filter regularly save wear and tear on your equipment. But did you know it can reduce your heating and cooling costs up to 15%?
That's why Escambia River Electric Co-op is excited to announce a new service called FilterChange.coop.
FilterChange.coop is an easy way to order filters online and get them delivered free to your door. In addition to saving energy, you can save up to 50% on the purchase price of your filters. You can even set up an automatic e-mail reminder so you will always know when it is time to change your filters.
To learn more or to get started, simply visit the FilterChange.coop website.


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Today was my last harvest. In the rain-sun-rain I grabbed the last of my carrots, beets and cabbage and yanked the leathery, sorry tomato, pepper and basil plants.
I am ready for hardy soups and flannel sheets. Partly because I am excited to start over next spring. And the only way that can happen is if the soil freezes and absorbs this year's organic material (how do worms survive? I always picture them in tiny sleeping bags with a straw that poke out of the crusty surface to bring them air while they are frozen and immobile).
The truth is I am disappointed with how my garden wound down this year. My tomatoes worsened and definitely had bacterial spot or maybe blight. I didn't investigate too much because they were still producing and the season was ending and I have a really full life right now and didn't prioritize my plot as I would have liked. sigh. After harvest the tomato plants went straight in the trash. Tragic because they are one of the best over-winter garden loungers, warding off weed-seed germination with their thick web of wilted greens.
I am very satisfied to have purchased a pumpkin instead of having a pushy plant that bullies all the other veggies in my modest plot. Bug and I went to our neighborhood farm to pick it out. She also helped me pick out some green tomatoes because I made an extra giant batch of Green Tomato Relish Salsa Delish. Anyone else super disappointed with Ball's new canning lids?
On Monday I get boxes of apples and pears from a generous friend so the preserving continues. We won't starve this winter. In fact, we will eat local fruit and veggies for several months at least. I feel great about that.
So, it's on to making that quilt that has been in pieces in my basement, painting my hallway, skiing and holidays which means eating and drinking and kissing on my loved ones. And then, it's almost spring and time to pour over seed catalogs into the wee hours of the morning while Andy pleads babe, please turn out the light and go to sleep. And, THEN it's spring and time for arugula and rhubarb.
And so it will be the beginning of it all again. Next year I will have potatoes that'll make Idaho swoon and garlic! I, for the first time ever (pathetic, I know) am planting garlic. Today.


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Colorado girl recovering from bubonic plague
The parents of 7-year-old Sierra Jane Downing thought she had the flu when she felt sick days after camping in southwest Colorado. It wasn't until she had a seizure that her father knew something was seriously wrong and rushed her to a hospital in their town of Pagosa Springs. She had a 107-degree fever, and doctors were baffled by the cause. "I didn't know what was going on. I just reacted," Sean Downing said. "I thought she died."
The Downings eventually learned their daughter was ill with one of the last things they would've thought: bubonic plague, a disease that wiped out one-third of Europe in the 14th century but is now exceedingly rare — it hasn't been confirmed in Colorado since 2006 — and treatable if caught early. Federal health officials say they are aware of two other confirmed and one probable case of plague in the U.S. so far this year — an average year. The other confirmed cases were in New Mexico and Oregon, and the probable case also was in Oregon. None were fatal.
Plague is generally transmitted to humans through the bites of infected fleas but also can be transmitted by direct contact with infected animals, including rodents, rabbits and pets.
Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged that a series of frightening illnesses linked to insects and pests have been surfacing lately across the country, including mosquito-borne West Nile virus outbreaks in Texas and other states, deadly hantavirus cases linked to Yosemite National Park, and some scattered plague cases. But with some of the illnesses — like plague — this is not an unusually bad year; it's just getting attention. And the number of cases of each disease is driven by different factors.
"I don't think there's a confluence of any particular set of factors" driving the recent illness reports, said Kiersten Kugeler, a CDC epidemiologist in Colorado who tracks plague reports.
In Sierra Jane's case, a Pagosa Springs emergency room doctor who saw her late on Aug. 24 called other hospitals, some of whom thought she'd be fine the next day, before the girl was flown to Denver, Sean Downing said.
There, a pediatric doctor at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children racing to save Sierra Jane's life got the first inkling that she had bubonic plague. Dr. Jennifer Snow suspected the disease based on the girl's symptoms, a history of where she'd been, and an online journal's article on a teen with similar symptoms.
Dr. Wendi Drummond, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the hospital, agreed and ordered a specific antibiotic for Sierra Jane while tests were run, later confirming their rare diagnosis.
It was the first bubonic plague case Snow and her colleagues had seen.
"I credit them for thinking outside the box," said Dr. Tracy Butler, medical director of the hospital's pediatric intensive unit.
It's not clear why Colorado hasn't seen another human case until now, state public health veterinarian Elisabeth Lawaczeck said.
By the night of Aug. 25, Sierra Jane's heart rate was high, her blood pressure was low, and a swollen lymph node in her left groin was so painful it hurt to undergo the ultrasound that detected the enlarged node, Snow said.
Doctors say the girl could be discharged from the hospital within a week.
On Wednesday, Sierra Jane flashed a smile with two dimples as she faced reporters in a wheelchair, her pink-toed socks peeking out from the white blanket enveloping her as she held a brown teddy bear.
"She's just a fighter," said her mother, Darcy Downing.
Darcy Downing said her daughter may have been infected by insects near a dead squirrel she wanted to bury at their campground on U.S. Forest Service land, even though Darcy had warned her daughter to leave it alone. She remembered catching her daughter near the squirrel with her sweat shirt on the ground. Her daughter later had the shirt tied around her torso, where doctors spotted insect bites.
The bubonic plague, or Black Death, killed an estimated 25 million people in Europe in the Middle Ages. Today, it can be treated with antibiotics, but it's important to catch it early.
"If she had stayed home, she could've easily died within 24 to 48 hours from the shock of infection," Snow said.


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WALSH, AQUILA, civil engineer, politician, and civil servant; b. 15 May 1823 in Charlotteville Township, Upper Canada, second son of Francis Leigh (Legh) Walsh; m. 21 Nov. 1850 Jane Wilson Adams, and they had a son and four daughters; d. 6 March 1885 at Winnipeg, Man.
Aquila Walsh's grandfather, Thomas Leigh (Legh) Walsh, uel, came in 1793 to Upper Canada where he was a provincial land surveyor, and from 1796 to 1810 the registrar of deeds for Norfolk County. Aquila's father, Francis Leigh Walsh, fought in the War of 1812, served as registrar of Norfolk County from 1810 until his death in 1884, and represented Norfolk in the House of Assembly of Upper Canada between 1824 and 1828 and in 1835–36.
Following his education at the London District Grammar School, Aquila Walsh became a civil engineer at Simcoe and a partner in the firm of Walsh and Mercer, provincial land surveyors and civil engineers. In 1848 he became deputy registrar of Norfolk County and retained that position until 1861 when he was elected to represent the county in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. He was reelected in 1863.
A staunch supporter of the Conservative party throughout his life, Walsh persistently sought political rewards for his loyalty and was resentful and bitter when ignored. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1867 and hoped to become its first speaker. "Few of your supporters," he wrote to Sir John A. Macdonald* in October 1867, "have entered or remained in public life at a greater inconvenience or sacrifice than myself and none have received less in the way of consideration or promotion." In 1868 he was appointed chairman of the Intercolonial Railway Commission, a post he held until 1874. He sought to be a cabinet minister, superintendent of government railways, chairman of a commission on the Pacific railway in 1879, a senator, and lieutenant governor of Manitoba. When others were given recognition he protested, for example in 1879 when he again pointed to what he claimed to be extraordinary sacrifices in time, money, and business for the party.
Walsh was unsuccessful in Norfolk North in the elections of 1872 and 1878; he did not run in 1874, and his support for the Conservative candidate in the riding was not effective. He had ceased to control his constituency; his political usefulness was over However, his protests and "naggings" about his services continued. In 1882, shortly after he became mayor of Simcoe, he finally received a response.
Macdonald, as minister of the interior, noted in October 1881 that when this department was organized in 1873 the settlement of the west had barely begun. The construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway had provided an impetus to settlement, and the resulting increase in the volume of business connected with the administration of lands made it "absolutely necessary" to have an officer stationed in Winnipeg. Walsh was appointed commissioner of crown lands on 4 Feb. 1882, to take charge of the land-granting, timber, and mining business of the department in Manitoba and the North-West Territories.
Walsh was a conscientious, popular, and able officer. Yet he had personal reservations about the position. He complained that, having previously neglected his business for politics, he could not now "do credit" to his social position on his salary. He resented the fine home which the Hudson's Bay Company provided for its land agent, Charles John Brydges, and Brydges' "impertinence" in writing his long-time confidant Macdonald about land matters. Walsh was also annoyed that local patronage was controlled by the department in Ottawa. Having served as commissioner for just three years, Walsh died in March 1885.
Eva Brook Donly Museum (Simcoe, Ont.), Norfolk Hist. Soc. coll., Walsh papers (mfm. at PAC). PAC, MG 26, A; RG 15, DII, 1, v.266, file 38372. British Canadian (Simcoe), 11 March 1885. Manitoba Daily Free Press, 9 March 1885. Canadian directory of parl. (J. K. Johnson). "Thomas William Walsh," Assoc. of Ontario Land Surveyors, Annual report (Toronto), 34 (1919): 86–87.
© 1982–2023 University of Toronto/Université Laval
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Hartwell Bowsfield, "WALSH, AQUILA," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 11, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed October 2, 2023, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/walsh_aquila_11E.html.
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A young refugee in Botswana. UNHCR photo.
By Lorraine Ma
Seeking refuge in a Botswana camp, a Somali woman found no peace.
Known to be HIV-positive, she was subjected to ridicule and threats from her refugee camp neighbors. Stones rained down upon her roof at night.
It was but one striking example of how HIV-positive people face increased discrimination without legal status. I learned of the Somali womans story in Geneva, Switzerland last month, where the United Nations held its annual three-day NGO consultation to discuss issues concerning refugees and asylum seekers.
At a seminar on marginalized refugee communities, I learned that HIV-positive refugees around the world received very different treatments compared to HIV-positive people with legal status. It wasnt until I returned to Chicago that I came to realize refugees face similar discrimination right here where I lived.
But first, lets look at Botswana, the focus of the seminar I attended. Botswana has long been celebrated as the African miracle for having a stable democracy, a profitable diamond industry and ongoing organized efforts in combating AIDS.
In 2001, the Botswana government launched a comprehensive free-of-charge HIV treatment program for eligible citizens. At the time, there were around 4,000 refugees and asylum seekers in the country, according to UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency. None of them were included in the HIV healthcare program, according to the Botswana Red Cross Society.
In 2005, only one percent of refugees and asylum seekers were assisted to enroll with Catholic services to be treated for HIV/AIDS, according to the Botswana Red Cross Society.
After four years of advocacy, in 2009, the Botswana Red Cross Society and UNHCR were finally able to run a parallel HIV treatment program for refugees using government facilities. As a result, the number of HIV positive refugees dropped to 10.7 percent, compared to the national average of 17.1 percent.
The Botswana case made me wonder about refugee health care here in Chicago.
Not surprisingly, refugees in Chicago also face barriers to health care. Because of the lack of legal status, compounded by differences in language and culture, refugees need interpretation and further explanation when it comes to medical care and treatment. Most refugees in Chicago come from Burma, Bhutan, Iraq, Somalia, Ethiopia and Afghanistan, according to the Heartland Alliance.
Although refugees face limitations when they do not have the legal paperwork to qualify for public insurance, they are eligible for the same HIV services as U.S. residents, said Alice Wightman, associate director of special populations at Heartland Health Outreach.
However, Wightman said stigma remains a problem for refugees in Chicago.
Refugees may have different culturally-specific beliefs about how HIV is transmitted and who it affects, she said.
Wightman said refugees often show more reluctance to being identified as HIV-positive for fear of rejection by their community members. In recent years, since HIV testing is no longer a mandatory part of immigration health screenings, she said, refugees can choose to not receive testing.
Likewise, HIV-positive refugees in Botswana refugee camps experience isolation and hostility, according to Tshepo Garethata, project coordinator of the Botswana Red Cross Society.
The Somali woman who endured harassment in the Botswana refugee camp was Garethatas client. Such incidents perpetuate the internalization of HIV stigma, Garethata said, leading to poor uptake of HIV services, reduced HIV testing, increased HIV transmission and more cases of AIDS.
But both Garethata and Wightman are hopeful about combating stigma through community education. Someday, HIV positive refugees will be able to live safely in their community and have the opportunity to achieve their dreams.
I believe that as well. For me, one of the most powerful moments at the conference was when an NGO leader said this:
A refugee is a person with skills and aspirations. The fact that he is able to flee his country means he is a person. You wouldnt consider Einstein a refugee would you? How many Einsteins do you think there are in that camp?
Lorraine Ma, a journalism student at Northwestern University, worked as a summer intern for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
Categorized under Inside Story.


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Understanding Statistics
One of the greatest aspects of PrestaShop is its unrivaled power in digging up information on customer behavior. Let's see how this is done.
Throughout this section, the manual will succinctly explain the utility of different statistics. By clicking on each of the categories at your disposable in the sidebar of the "Stats" tab, a complete explanation is given, enabling you to understand the data given to you, and pull out the information you want in order to improve your store and your turnover.
Exploring the Various Available Stats
- Visits and Visitors. This page gives you statistics on visitors to their site and the number of times they visit. The greater the number, the more popular your site is. The graph helps you understand the behavior of your visitors. Basically you will see how many visits your site gets, and you can compare it to the number of visitors (PrestaShop can recognize when the same visitor visits your site multiple times, hence why the number of visits will be much higher than the number of visitors). The greater the difference between the two numbers, the more you are succeeding in creating a faithful base of customers.
- Sales and Orders. In this page, you have two graphs. They can be filtered by country, using the drop-down menu at the to.
- The first graph indicates the total number of valid orders, as well as the total number of products ordered. With this graph, you can analyze which periods yielded you the greatest quantity of orders.
- The second graph tells you graphically what your sales are. It can analyze the periods of time when you had the greatest sales. This allows you for example to have a better idea of when to push your marketing campaigns.
- Customer Accounts. This page displays a graph with the number of user accounts created in your online store. With this information, you can measure the impact of your marketing campaigns. You can see the number of visitors who subscribed but actually never purchased anything. You can also see the number of customers who created an account and bought an item immediately after registering.
- Registered Customer Info. This section is divided into 5 pie graphs.
- Gender Distribution
- Age Ranges. You can learn about the distribution of your customers according to their age. If you see that the age range of your customers is not what you imagined it would be, think about readapting your marketing approach.
- Country Distribution. You can quickly consult which countries your customers are from.
- Currency Distribution. You can see what currency is used to shop for items in your store, and in what proportions.
- Language Distribution. You can see in what language your site is consulted most often, and thus decide whether or not you should improve your site's translations
- Visitors online. This section indicates the number of visitors currently on your site. You can see their names and the pages that they are looking at.
- Software. This section informs you of the web browsers being used to see your site. You should verify that your site is perfectly compatible with these browsers. You can also learn if people are using the Internet on their cell phone (such as a smart-phone) to access your site. If this number is significant, you should think of having a mobile version of your store. Finally, you can see what operating systems your visitors are using. Ensure that your site is fully compatible with all of your visitors' platforms
- Catalog Statistics. This section contains practical information on the products sold in your online store. The results shown here can be classified by category. You can act on your catalog's performance by considering the following indicators:
- Products available. Number of products proposed in this category.
- Average price (base price). Average price of the selected category.
- Product pages viewed. Number of pages looked at by your customers. Compare this data between different categories to see which products are the most appreciated, or on the contrary which ones don't attract customers Use this information to make some improvements in your catalog.
- Products bought. The number of products bought in each category.
- Average number of page visits.
- Average number of purchases.
- Images available.
- Average number of images.
- Products never viewed. This shows you which products, if any, do not appeal to your customers. Or, on the contrary, if you have a nearly one to one ratio of the number of products viewed versus the number of products made available, then your category or your catalog is well-organized and well-managed.
- Products never bought.
- Conversion rate. Indicates the relation between the number of visitors and the number of purchases. It is important that this rate be as high as possible.
- A table at the bottom of the page tells you what products in this category have never been bought. We suggest that you change their price, or write a more attractive description.
- Best Customers. This section lists the best customers in your store. It displays their coordinates, as well as the number of time they have visited the website, the number of pages consulted, and how much they spent. Keep an eye on this page in order to keep track of, and take care of, your best customers. By clicking on the buttons on top of the columns, you can choose how you would like to see this data.
- Visitors Origin. Uses a graph to give you the top ten sites and search engines that have sent visitors to you. Generally search engines play a very important role. If you create a marketing campaign by publishing articles on other sites, you can see what impact this had on your site. Below the graph are the names of the sites that brought you an audience, with the number of visitors from each on the right hand column.
- Pages Not Found. This page tells you which pages of your catalog people have attempted to access but could not find. This is useful for finding potential technical problems that may hinder your sales.
- Search Engine Keywords. This page tells you what keywords typed into a search engine brought visitors to your online store. This lets you know which terms make your store easily identifiable. Conversely you can see which keywords are absent from this list.
- Product Details. This page shows you all the products in your shop by the reference number, name, and stock. You can sort your results by selecting from the drop-down menu above the product category you want to view. Click on a product to access its statistics. You can then view a chart with two sets of data: sales made and number of visits to the product page. The conversion rate of the product will be displayed.
- Best products. This section displays your best performing products. You can now view the turnover achieved, the average daily sales, number of page views, and the quantity left in stock. With this table, you can identify your core products and decide whether to perform actions such as increasing or decreasing your price or giving discounts on a specific product.
- Best vouchers. This section displays the results of the coupons that you circulated through a mail campaign or a street marketing campaign. The table will also display the turnover, and number of coupons used.
- Best categories. This section presents your shop's performance according to your categories. You can find out how many products in each category have been sold, the revenue generated, and number of pages viewed. Check the consistency of your results between different categories in order to adjust your store's cohesiveness.
- Best suppliers. This section gives statistics on your suppliers by providing the quantities sold and the revenue generated.
- Carrier distribution. This page indicates which carriers are used most by your visitors. You can filter all results by order status. If you learn that a carrier is not often used, despite being fast and efficient, it might be appropriate to display it more prominently during checkout, to increase customer satisfaction.
- Newsletter. This page displays newsletter subscription statistics. You can use this database keep customers informed. The newsletters usually help increase traffic to your site. If you want to improve subscription, think about adding coupons to the newsletter. You can see all of your subscribers' addresses via the Newsletter module under the "Module" tab.
- Shop search. This section presents two indicators.
- The first one is a chart which shows the distribution of keywords typed into your store's search bar. Therefore you can see which products your visitors desire the most.
- The second is a table summarizing your visitors' searches. You can then see what keywords are being used, how often they were typed, and how many results were available. It is important that all of your customers' requests get a result To improve your store be sure to add the products that meet the customers' demands (searches) or add tags to your products that are easily identifiable. For more information, see Listing Your Product on page 24.
- Catalog Evaluation. This section gives an overview of your catalog's performance You can then know if each product is active, or if its description is correctly entered in all of your shop's active languages You can also see if all your products have enough images their sales performance, and stock status. The overall score for each product is displayed by a colored icon. You can define your criteria by filling in the table at the top of the page, then clicking "Save" to save your settings.
- Stock Stats. This section gives you an overview of the value of your current stock.
- Stats Dashboard. This is the stats homepage. It presents a bird's view of you store's stats.
Graph Display Options
A graph can take several forms, depending on your preferences. You can configure them in two different ways.
One: When you click a topic under the stats tab, you should see a graph. The graph options below are shown on the left side of the page. You can then choose the type of display. You can make a display choice that is both aesthetically pleasing and compatible with your browser.
On each page, you will have access to the navigation sidebar of course, but also to two settings:
- Calendar. Set the time range for which you want statistics displayed. You can either use the shortcut buttons, or enter your own date range.
- Settings. Choose which graph engine and which grid engine your statistics should be presented with. This does not change your statistics, only the way they are presented, so simply choose the one you prefer. You can currently choose between these four:
- Visifire
- XML / SWF Charts
- Google Chart
- Artichow
Two: You can also access these settings by clicking on the "Setting" sub-tab, under the "Stats" tab.
Compared with the first option, this second option includes comments on the various "graph engines" used. You can also automatically select the way the statistics will be erased from your shop.
Erasing data will usually make the site more responsive, and thus improve the comfort of your visitors. You have four choices, depending on your traffic and your server's performance: Never, Week, Month or Year.
Search Engines
A lot of you visitors will come from search engines. In order to know what they where you looking for, and how you can improve your website for their search queries, you need to know their queries.
While Google has the biggest share of search engines users, there are many other search engines that people could find you website with, you therefore have to be able retrieve their search request too. When an unknown search engine is starting to bring regular visitors, it is high time that you add it to your database.
Adding a Search Engine
There is very little to do to add a new search engine to your list.
Let's say you want to add Baidu, the Chinese search engine giant (note that it is already included in PrestaShop). This what you need to do:
- Get the full referrer URL for the search. For instance, http://www.baidu.com/s?wd=kids+shoes&inputT=1303
- Take the server part, which is specific to that search engine, and put it in the "Server" field. In our case, "baidu".
- Find the query variable:
- Find the query string. It should be a set of letters, followed by an "=" sign, followed by the query itself, closed by a "&" or the end of the string. In our case, it's "wd=kids+shoes".
- The query variable is the set of letters before the "=" sign. In our case: "wd". Put that in the "$_GET variable" field.
PrestaShop gives you detailed information on sites that generate traffic for you. Click on the "Referrers" sub-tab. The page below appears:
The function of a referrer site can be likened to that of an extranet. When you create an affiliate campaign through another site you can allow the other site access to all of the activity it will have made for your site.
Let's add a referrer site: click on "Add New", and fill out the form below.
The affiliate space enables you to create privileged access for your partners. They will then have access to all statistics on the flow from their site to your online store. To create their privileged space, fill in the name and password fields. Then define how you will pay based on
traffic and sales generated in the fields provided. Finally configure the URL of the origin of the traffic you will receive.


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In 'Submitted work by…' we give you, the photographer/ designer, a change to share your work with the world. Today it's time to show you the work of Anderson Reis.
Do you like this kind of posts? It is part of our "Submitted Portfolios" section: a special page showing everything we've published related to this subject.


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Skip to: Main Navigation | Main Content
or try the A-Z Library
Dr. Norman Swan leads a team of reporters who cover all aspects of health, from lifestyle to complementary medicines to the most recent medical discoveries.
On this episode of Tonic, Dr Norman Swan looks into saliva as a cancer indicator; ageing and cell types; and do smokefree laws make a difference?
On this episode of Tonic, Dr Norman Swan looks at patient familiarisation programs; and adolescent depression and transcranial magnetic stimulation.
On this episode of Tonic, Dr Norman Swan looks into hormone replacement therapy for menopause; botox and fillers; and pelvic and lumbar spine.
On this episode of Tonic, Dr Norman Swan looks into one of the most misunderstood and misdiagnosed forms of headache; migraine. And with young people's binge drinking will their brains even survive to old age?
Join Dr Norman Swan and the Tonic team as they look at new research into acupuncture and yoga in treating the side effects of cancer therapy.
Can you eat your way out of cancer? Tonic looks at research that is finding there could be a safe, healthy diet option which may help to control the growth of cancer tissue.
Dr Norman Swan and the Tonic team look at how regular aerobic exercise could help prevent the onset of dementia and the health benefits of standing.
Gynaecological cancers aren't often spoken about, but they can have an enormous impact on women, their partners and their families. In a special Tonic, the team look at this particularly troublesome group of cancers.
On this episode of Tonic, we find out whether snoring can cause serious medical conditions, including diabetes and we catch up with some fat monkeys and find out what they can tell us about new obesity drugs.
Dr Norman Swan and the team look at a handy new tool for parents who think their toddler might be a late talker, and research into personalised treatments for cancer sufferers.
In this episode of Tonic, the team looks at a problem that affects one in six children, one in ten adults and up to one in five of us during our lifetimes; asthma.
Dr Norman Swan and the Tonic team look at iron and brain development, and the latest research on happiness.
In the series return of Tonic, Dr Norman Swan and his team look at the hidden epidemic of male depression.


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email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Equal Area is pleased to announce the release of our first CD, "Sushi
Love Sessions" by the improvisational quartet Global Illage.
If you construct interesting, non-commercially-driven, creative music you'd like to see released, send Equal Area a URL to an MP3 or short audio file where we can listen to some of your creations. See our philosophy to get an idea of what we do and how we do it.
All text and images are Copyright (C) Equal Area and/or Global Illage, 2001
Last modified: Tue Apr 10 23:05:52 EDT 2001 by Equal Area


text: Some of my Friday posts (and most of my occasional Saturday posts) relate to blogging generally and law blogging in particular. If anyone out there is thinking about starting a new law blog, I recommend reading "The 12 Phases of Becoming a Blogger" at meritocracy.net. It's a short, concise list and it captures my own experience almost exactly, especially phases 7 through 12.


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FRIDAY, Sept. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Some people may safely donate blood as often as every eight weeks — but that may not be a healthy choice for all, a new study suggests.
The study was done in the United Kingdom, where experts recommend that blood donors wait 12 to 16 weeks before giving again.
That's in contrast to the United States, where blood donations are already allowed at eight-week intervals.
The study — a large clinical trial involving more than 45,000 blood donors — was set up to answer a critical question: Do frequent donors suffer ill health effects?
The answer, researchers found, was "nuanced."
There was no evidence that frequent donations caused "major adverse effects," such as draining donors' physical energy, dimming their mental sharpness or harming their general quality of life.
"Frequent," in this trial, meant every eight weeks for men and every 12 weeks for women, over two years.
On the other hand, one-quarter of frequent donors did develop iron deficiency by the two-year mark. And some complained of symptoms like fatigue, dizziness and trouble breathing.
The study results were published online Sept. 20 in The Lancet.
What does it all mean? According to the researchers, the report suggests that strategic use of frequent blood donations could work.
"This study suggests that more frequent blood donation is a feasible and safe option for donors in the U.K.," said senior researcher Dr. John Danesh, a professor at the University of Cambridge in England.
It could be a good "short-term option" at times when the donor blood supply falls, or demand rises, Danesh said in a journal news release.
On the other hand, donating frequently on a routine basis may be needlessly risky, according to an expert who was not involved in the study.
"The shorter interval between donations is probably not ideal," said Dr. Edward Murphy, a researcher with the Blood Systems Research Institute, in San Francisco.
Blood donors give about a pint of blood each time, explained Murphy, who co-authored an editorial published with the study. That depletes them of about 200 to 250 milligrams of iron, he said. And it takes the average donor about six months to fully recover those iron stores, if no supplements are used.
That window shrinks to around 90 days if a donor takes a standard daily iron pill, according to Murphy.
Yet the currently recommended blood-donation intervals do not reflect that.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has set eight weeks as the minimum for men and women. In France and Germany, men can donate every eight weeks, and women every 12 — while the United Kingdom has longer wait times.
Why? The recommendations are actually "poorly supported" by scientific evidence, Murphy said.
And historically, practical concerns — like maintaining an adequate donor blood supply — have entered the picture, he said.
The new study is the first clinical trial to test the effects of different donation intervals. "That's the innovation of this research," Murphy said.
Danesh and his colleagues randomly assigned more than 45,000 U.K. donors to different intervals: Men donated every 12, 10 or eight weeks over two years; women gave every 16, 14 or 12 weeks.
At the two-year mark, the donors took standard tests of memory, attention and other mental skills. They also filled out questionnaires on their physical activity habits and quality of life.
Overall, the study found, frequent blood donors did just as well on those measures as other donors.
But they were more likely to say they'd had symptoms that could be due to donation — including fatigue, dizziness and "restless legs" (uncomfortable sensations in the legs and an irresistible urge to move them). Those problems affected a minority of donors overall.
There was no correlation, however, between those symptoms and depleted iron stores.
"That's part of the problem," Murphy said. Donors cannot rely on symptoms to know whether their iron stores have dropped too low.
Murphy said some U.S. blood banks have started measuring donors' iron levels, and shifting to longer donation intervals for people who are deficient. Another solution would be to provide donors with iron supplements, he suggested.
The typical blood donor probably gives two or three times a year, Murphy said.
"But," he added, "there are those people who come back religiously, six or seven times a year."
He suggested that frequent donors talk to their blood bank about the risk of iron deficiency, and decide whether they should be tested and/or donate less often.
More information
The American Red Cross has more on blood donation and iron levels.


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The Institute of Jewish Studies was established in 1954 in Manchester by the late Professor Alexander Altmann to promote the academic study of all branches of Jewish culture. Since 1959 it has been an autonomous organisation within the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at UCL.
The IJS is funded by donations and our events are free and open to all.
Who We Are
About the IJS: a conversation with our director, Mark Geller
- History of the IJS
Our Founder: Professor Alexander Altmann
Rabbi Dr. Alexander Altmann set up a Rambam Lehrhaus in Berlin in 1935, 3 years before he was forced to leave Germany. When he was appointed Communal Rabbi of Manchester in 1938, he lost little time in promoting interest in the possibility of establishing in Britain the high level of academic Jewish Studies that had flourished on the Continent. Despite the war, he succeeded in opening in 1941 an academic institute for higher Jewish education in Manchester.
After 1945 it became clear that nothing remained of the prewar centres of Jewish learning in Europe. The urgency of training a new generation of scholars and teachers was acutely felt by those who had escaped the fate of so many of their colleagues. Alexander Altmann realized that Britain might be obliged to play a central role in postwar Jewish learning. On 8 October 1953 the founding Trust Deed for the Institute of Jewish Studies was signed at the offices of the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Alderman A. Moss. The list of Honorary Officers, Governors and Trustees included distinguished Jewish lay leaders from both Manchester and London; and many of these gathered, with scholars and others, for the official opening ceremony a year later on 24 October 1954.
In a lecture entitled "Jewish Studies: their scope and meaning today" delivered on 19 November 1957 to the Hillel Foundation, Alexander Altmann strongly defended research in Jewish Studies against the charge of irrelevance. Speaking not merely as an academic, but with the voice of a Jewish leader, he concluded: "Being connected with our past, at home in our literature, and in sympathy with ourselves as it were, we shall find it easier to approach the ultimate questions".
Former Chair: Manfred Altman (1911-1999)
Manfred Altman, former Chairman of the Institute of Jewish Studies and Honorary Fellow of University College, was among the last of the generation of Jews educated in pre-War Germany, and an example of those who believed in Torah im Derekh Eretz. Manfred was a true Hapsburger. Although his parents came from a German-speaking part of Hungary (now Slovakia), he was born 20 October, 1911 in Salzburg. In 1920 the Altmanns moved to Germany, where his distinguished father, Adolf Abraham Altmann, served as Chief Rabbi of Trier. As a 15 year old Manfred helped found the Jewish Scouts Movement in Germany.
One of five children, Manfred's older brother Alexander became a rabbi in Berlin and in 1938 (through Manfred's intercessions) became communal rabbi of Manchester, until being invited in 1959 to Brandeis University as Professor of Jewish Philosophy. Manfred used to say that he basked in his brother's glory.
In 1928, he began his university studies in Frankfurt, studying law and philosophy, continuing his studies in Berlin and Marburg. Manfred was scheduled to take his exams in 1933, when the Nazis came to power. Not only were Jews being prevented from completing their studies, but some examinations were held on Shabbat. Throughout his life Manfred refused to compromise on principle, and he possessed persuasive powers in the face of formidable opposition, since he managed to convince the bureaucrats in Kassel, who were Nazi appointments, that he and his brother Erwin be allowed to complete their examinations without violating Shabbat. His persuasiveness--based upon conviction--surfaced again when he was briefly interned on the Isle of Man at the start of the War, but convinced the British authorities to allow Jewish internees to observe Jewish holidays, including the erecting of a communal sukkah.
After residing in Holland from 1934, Manfred came to England in 1939 as a lawyer for a Dutch-Jewish company, and in 1941, Manfred worked for the Jewish National Fund, and with Lord Herbert Samuel helped found Kfar Kisch in Palestine, since he was a great believer in developing Israel's agriculture and manufacturing economy. In 1947, after becoming a British subject and starting his own import-export business, Manfred began pioneering the imports of textiles from Israel into the UK, working with companies such as Marks and Spencers.
In his later years much of Manfred's efforts were directed towards developing the Institute of Jewish Studies at University College London. Originally founded by his brother Alexander in Manchester in 1954, the Institute was transferred to University College in 1959. Manfred became Honorary Secretary of the Institute, and in 1988 took over the chairmanship from Lord Mishcon. His own education and family background made Manfred appreciate the importance of research in Jewish Studies, and he was instrumental in helping to create four new professorships and lectureships in Jewish Studies at UCL. He firmly believed that "his" Institute could form a bridge between the academic and general community, and could serve as a unifying force within the Jewish community. Manfred was appointed as Honorary Fellow of UCL in 1992, and the extensive family archives will be deposited at UCL.
Manfred's life was overshadowed by his inability to save his parents or sister (with her family) and younger brother from the Holocaust, all of whom died in Auschwitz. He never married, and he is survived by two nieces and a nephew.
Those who worked with Manfred knew that he paid the greatest attention to detail, and that nearly every letter was marked "urgent", but Manfred never sought honour or recognition. He believed that life, with all its vicissitudes, had a purpose, and he devoted his life to causes associated with the State of Israel and with Jewish intellectual life.
"The late Dr. Altman was known to me over most of his years in this country as one of the finest exemplars of the combination of Jewish and general culture, exemplified by pre-war German Jewry. He had already inherited from his distinguished father, the well-known Chief Rabbi of Trier, the appreciation and development of Jewish cultural and these traits were further developed by his illustrious brother, the late Dr. Alexander Altmann, Communal Rabbi of Manchester.
He was an active member of the Friends of the Hebrew University and the Jewish Memorial Council and always brought his keen appreciation of Jewish literary values to bear on his work. To those who were privileged to know him, he will also be remembered as a cherished friend and a noble example of Jewish dignity. His friendly bearing will be widely missed and his services to the Jewish people will be recalled with much affection.
- Patrons & Trustees
Our Patrons include
- The Lord Moser, KCB, CBE, FBA
- The Rt Hon The Lord Woolf
Former Patrons:
- Sir Isaiah Berlin
- Lord Mishcon
- William Frankel CBE, LLB
Trustees of the IJS Board of Governors
- Philip L Morgenstern, Chair
- Daniel Peltz, Honorary Treasurer
- J Caplan, Honorary Secretary
- David J Lewis
- Edward M Lee
- Stuart Roden


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Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
advertisementsThe people and government of Somalia are now delighted and grateful for the surprise decision of President Barak Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton not only to liberate Somalia from Al Shabab, pirates but also from foreign subjugation and manipulations as well as from self destructive Hobbesian mind-set. This historical move must be a vindication come late for the former US State Department Political Officer for Somalia Michael Zorick who was removed in 2006 from his position after he dissented from the G. W. Bush Administration's counter-terrorism policy towards Somalia and late congressman Donald Payne who challenged Ethiopia's involvement in Somalia. The announcement is also a triumph for Professor Michael A. Weinstein of Perdue University who consistently spoke for the best interests of the powerless and voiceless Somalia, for John Prendergast who wrote in 2006 the article Our failure in Somalia, for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars for its report Pathways to peace in the Horn of Africa: What Role for the US?, the Human Rights Watch, and for Somalis who sacrificed their lives, resources and time for the dignity, freedom, unity and respect of Somalia.
Indeed, many were disappointed, skeptical or critical about the US policy focused on war on terror and foreign intervention without commitment to the restoration of the Somali State. Now, with its diplomatic recognition, the US government joined the forces for peacebuilding and statebuilding strategy in the fragile states through the New Deal Framework in opposition to the forces for trusteeship administrations, mediated models of governance, clan based building blocks or fragmented community governance. In response to a question from Falastin Ahmed Iman of VOA on the now abandoned controversial dual track policy, the Secretary of State Clinton said categorically, "But our position now is the work that we did to help establish a transitional government, to support to fight against Al Shabab, to provide humanitarian assistance, now is moving into a new era, as the president said. I believe that our job now is to listen to the government and people of Somalia, who are now in position to tell us, as well as to other partners around the world, what their plans are, how they hope to achieve them." I truly hope that the substance of this message is clear to all leaders of the Republic of Somalia.
The people of Somalia find themselves in the miserable life of fear, distrust, selfishness and aggressiveness harrowingly described by the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes. The interest of the Somali people, of the United States and the international community at large lies in the establishment of an absolute but democratic, accountable sovereign central authority in Somalia. Here again, in her remarks, the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphatically declared that the establishment of new government through democratic process was a personal priority for her during her time as a Secretary of State and that the US government finds admirable the level of commitment shown by the newly elected leaders of Somalia for carrying out their hard work mission of nation building.
The US diplomatic recognition of January 17 gives hope to millions of Somalis languishing in refugees camps in the neighboring countries or in internally displaced people camps. Surely, huge challenges and responsibilities are coming with the bold action of Obama Administration. It is up to the people of Somalia to step up and make responsible decision on their future. According to words of the Secretary State, the US Government has promised nation to nation relation, a steadfast partner to Somalia as Somalia makes the decisions on its own future.
Between 2009 and 2012 the US government spent close to 1.4 billion dollars on Somalia's problems. The human and material costs inflicted on defenseless Somali civilians are immense. The Obama administration took long time to change the shortsighted US policy inherited from the G. W. Bush Administration. The path followed to arrive to today's turning point was tortuous, troublesome and tarnished. For example, the constitution making process and resultant provisional constitution have sowed political and constitutional confusions that could undermine the huge benefits expected out of the US diplomatic recognition. Nevertheless, the future role of the US Administration as described by the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could mitigate those flaws:
The president had a chance to meet President Obama earlier today at the white house, and that was a very strong signal to the people of Somalia of our continuing support and commitment. So as you, Mr. president and your leaders work to build democratic institutions, protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, respond to humanitarian needs, build the economy, please know that the united states will be a steadfast partner with you every step of the way.
For the first time in the world history, a formally recognized functioning government of Somalia which got independence on July 1, 1960 completely disappeared on January 26, 1991 when national and local institutions imploded and late President Gen Mohamed Siad Barre and his cabinet fled the country. No central or local authority replaced the government overthrown by the people. Thus, Somalia became a stateless (failed state), an unprecedented situation that has threatened the international peace and security because all malevolent forces have been thriving under it, e. g., warlordism, radicalism, terrorism, piracy, human and drug trafficking, money laundering, violence and illegal waste dumping. As failed state, Somalia ceased to provide state functions to its people and started feeding national despair, distress and survival of the fittest.
Somalia is now a bankrupt country, which owes billions of dollars to international creditors while it urgently needs billions of dollars in grant in the next 10 years for rehabilitation and recovery. The federal government lacks political and institutional capacity necessary to navigate through the complex conditionality procedures regulating countries in arrears or debt default with the international lenders like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank or get access to international financial markets. Therefore, Somalia needs the power and voice of the US government for solution. The Secretary of State offered hopeful commitment on this issue by saying,
So today is milestone. It's not the end of the journey but it's an important milestone to that end. We respect the sovereignty of Somalia, and as two sovereign nations we will continue to have an open, transparent dialogue about what more we can do to help the people of Somalia realize their own dreams.
It's not secret that Somalia is not yet a solidly cohesive society. However, without immediate collective action, the new momentum could be lost and consequence could be disaster for all Somalis. Genuine, practical, respectful, and responsible dialogue among Somali stakeholders and elite is the path for win-win outcomes.
Mr. Mohamud M Uluso[email protected]


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Cellphone users have a reasonable expectation of privacy of their cellphone location information, and police must obtain a search warrant before accessing that information, the Supreme Court of New Jersey ruled Thursday.
"When people make disclosures to phone companies and other providers to use their services, they are not promoting the release of personal information to others," wrote Chief Justice Stuart Rabner in an unanimous ruling on an appeal. "Instead, they can reasonably expect that their personal information will remain private."
Adapting a new legal framework
The issue of boundaries in the use of cellphone data by law enforcement agencies has figured in other courts and state legislatures. The Montana legislature passed a law recently requiring police and other agencies to obtain a search warrant from a court before tracking a person using location information from an electronic device.
Federal courts have been divided on the issue of cellphone tracking by law enforcement. But historically the New Jersey Constitution has offered greater protection to New Jersey residents than the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Rabner observed. The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.
"Under settled New Jersey law, individuals do not lose their right to privacy simply because they have to give information to a third-party provider, like a phone company or bank, to get service," the judge wrote. Evaluating the legal implications of cellphone technology, the judge wrote that "as a general rule, the more sophisticated and precise the tracking, the greater the privacy concern."
Police tracked the defendant Thomas Earls, wanted for burglary and receiving stolen property, to a motel using location information provided by T-Mobile without warrant, three times in one evening, on a cellphone the police believed the defendant had been using.
The trial court found that Earls had a reasonable expectation of privacy under state law and the police should have obtained a warrant to track him through cell-tower information. The court, however, admitted the evidence under an emergency aid exception to the warrant requirement.
The New Jersey decision is the first to establish a constitutional right in location data since the U.S. Supreme Court decided in United States v. Jones, a GPS tracking case in which several Justices expressed concern about the collection of location data, Electronic Privacy Information Center said in a statement.
EPIC, American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey and Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers were allowed as amici curiae to advise the court in the case.
Anticipating "extensive disruption in the administration of justice," the court decided that its ruling will apply only to the Earls case and to future cases. The warrant requirement is to take effect in thirty days from Thursday's ruling to provide adequate time to the attorney general of the state to circulate guidance to state and local law enforcement officials, the court ruled.
During a six-month period last year, in 85 percent of 600 cases for which cellphone information was sought, warrants were obtained, according to information provided by the state to the court. Local or municipal police departments are said to have handled about sixty cases in which no warrants were sought. The court, however, raised the possibility that the data may have overstated the number of cases the state specifically sought warrants.
The Earls case has been referred to the appellate court to determine whether the emergency aid doctrine applies. The court observed that the emergency aid doctrine allows police to enter a dwelling without a warrant "for the purpose of protecting or preserving life, or preventing serious injury."


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We Won't Be Beaten on Price
We check our prices continuously.
We're confident that you won't find a like-for-like used car at any other dealer, for less money. If you can find an similar car for less at a competitor dealer within 5 Days, we will refund the price difference.


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Oracle's decision to hike the price of some add-ons for its flagship database by about 40 percent was far from a random act, since the modules are crucial to getting the database to perform at the highest level, a pair of experts said Friday.
An official price list (PDF) dated July 1 states that processor licenses for Oracle's database diagnostic (PDF) and tuning packs, as well as a database configuration management pack, are now $5,000, up from $3,500 listed on a December 2008 price list.
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The first two products help database administrators pinpoint and fix performance issues. The third tool is used for tasks such as monitoring database configuration changes and ensuring policy compliance (PDF).
"With every version of [Oracle's database], the dependency [on these products] has become greater and greater" due to increased complexity in customer environments, said Eliot Arlo Colon, president of Miro Consulting, a New Jersey company that advises customers on Oracle software license negotiations.
Not using the modules "is like giving someone a powerful engine, but not giving them the high-octane fuel to go with it," he said.
It was "a brilliant move" by Oracle to keep enterprise-edition database licenses at $47,500 per CPU but hike prices on the add-ons, since they will become virtually indispensable over time, Colon added.
Another observer had a slightly different take, saying the price increases show Oracle is really trying to squeeze more revenue from the highest-end users of its database.
"Oracle is charging by CPU count," said Paul Vallée, founder and executive chairman of the Pythian Group, an Ottawa, Ontario, database administration outsourcing company. "It doesn't really matter in terms of their revenue whether you're pushing [the CPUs] to the max or have plenty of resources."
Therefore, the first group is more likely to buy the add-ons, he said: "Advanced instrumentation is incredibly useful when you're really straining your system's performance.... To me, Oracle is trying to generate more revenue from people who are trying to push the gas pedal down."
It also doesn't matter to Oracle's bottom line whether you're storing extremely sensitive data, such as banking information, or something "run of the mill," Vallée said.
To that end, the configuration management module is aimed at "auditing and compliance of high-value systems," Vallée said. "What changed when, and who did it?"
Not every customer has such systems, but Oracle clients in such areas as banking and health care certainly do, he said.
Maybe only a certain percentage of Oracle users definitely need the tools, but it's not as if they don't have broader value, Vallée added.
His own engineers particularly like the diagnostics capabilities. "They're always annoyed when a customer doesn't buy it. If it's installed, they will use it," he said.
Meanwhile, Oracle's price increases didn't end there. The company also raised the cost of its Spatial database option, used for managing location data, to $17,500 per processor. The option was listed at $11,500 on the Dec. 1, 2008, list.
An Oracle spokeswoman declined to address the company's rationale for the price hikes.


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Symantec today backed away from earlier statements regarding the theft of source code of some of its flagship security products, now admitting that its own network was compromised.
In a statement provided to the Reuters news service, the security software giant acknowledged that hackers had broken into its network when they stole source code of some of the company's software.
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Previously, Symantec had denied that its own network had been breached, and instead pointed fingers at an unnamed "third party entity" as the attack's victim. Evidence posted by a hacker nicknamed "Yama Tough" -- a self-proclaimed member of a gang calling itself "Lords of Dharmaraja" -- indicated that the information was obtained from a server operated by the Indian government.
Two weeks ago, Symantec spokesman Cris Paden said that the hacker made off with source code of Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.0 and Symantec Antivirus 10.2, enterprise products between five and six years old.
At the time, Paden downplayed the seriousness of the theft.
Today, however, Paden said that source code of Norton Antivirus Corporate Edition, Norton Internet Security, Norton Utilities, Norton GoBack, and pcAnywhere, had been stolen.
Some of those -- Norton Internet Security and Norton Utilities -- are among Symantec's most prominent consumer-grade products.
Symantec missed one bullet, however.
Last Saturday, Yama Tough promised to release more than a gigabyte of the source code for Norton Antivirus -- the hacker did not specify which version -- but he said the group has since reconsidered.
"We've decided not to release code to the public until we get full of it," Yama Tough wrote on Twitter Monday . "1st we'll own evrthn we can by 0din' the sym code & pour mayhem."
In the message, "0din'" likely stands for "zero-daying," meaning attacks launched against unpatched vulnerabilities.
Also on Monday, Yama Tough claimed that he had some or all of the source code for pcAnywhere, a multi-platform remote access suite that Symantec sells.
"PCAnywhere code is being released to blackhat community for 0d expltin!," said Yama Tough, again on Twitter.
Paden confirmed Yama Tough's claim when he told Reuters that pcAnywhere users face "a slightly increased security risk" because of the hacker's activities.
"Symantec is currently in the process of reaching out to our pcAnywhere customers to make them aware of the situation and to provide remediation steps to maintain the protection of their devices and information," Paden said.
Paden did not reply to Computerworld's requests for comment on Symantec's revised statement.
Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed. His email address is firstname.lastname@example.com.
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This story, "Symantec backtracks, admits own network hacked" was originally published by Computerworld.