text:
March 31, 2008
Bisons' right-hander, Brandon McClurg followed up his Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Week honor, by being named as one of five "Louisville Slugger's" National Players of the Week.
The honor comes after McClurg no-hit the Kennesaw State Owls in the Bisons' 4-0 win on Saturday, March 28. McClurg needed only 113 pitches in the victory as he struck out ten.
"It's a great honor," McClurg said. "Both for me and for Lipscomb baseball, because it was a great team effort. Caleb [Joseph] called a great game, and both Allen [Bolden] and [Brad] Gooch robbed what could have been hits."
Over his last three starts, McClurg has posted an ERA of 0.78. During that span, he has thrown 23 innings, while racking up three wins and 28 strikeouts.
On the season, McClurg is 4-0 with a 1.59 ERA. He has struck out 34 and opponents are batting just .179 against him.
The other four National Players of the Week, include Mount Vernon Nazarene's left-hander, Levi Curry (perfect game over Cedarville), Northern Iowa's Nick Kirk (no-hit Evansville), Texas-San Antonio's Trent Lockwood (4 HR, 8 runs, 13 RBIs, 9 for 19 at the plate), and South Carolina's James Darnell (3 homers in a game against Kentucky).


text:
How To Poach an Egg in the Microwave
I don't usually use the microwave to poach my breakfast egg, but it can come in very handy for a lunch egg. Lentils, brown rice, or a salad can be elevated from a side dish to a main dish with a tender, gooey poached egg on top. Here's how to make a quick, freshly poached egg in the office microwave.
Huge caveat, before you try this: Remember that microwaves come in lots of different configurations. This is a basic set of instructions but you will probably need to tweak it a bit to adjust to your microwave.
My microwave oven is a 700 watt oven so I usually microwave my eggs at 80% power. However, if using a higher-powered microwave I would recommend starting at 50% power.
What You Need
1 egg
1/3 cup water
Approximately 1/2 teaspoon vinegar (optional)
Microwave-safe mug or small bowl
Microwave-safe small plate
Slotted spoon
1. Gather your ingredients. The vinegar is optional, but it will help the egg coalesce a little better.
2. Crack the egg into a microwave-safe bowl or mug.
3. Pour in about 1/3 cup water.
4. Add a bit of vinegar. (You can also add this directly to the water before pouring it in.)
5. Cover the bowl or mug with a microwave-safe plate. Place in the microwave and cook on 50% to 80% POWER for 60 seconds. Carefully remove the plate and check the egg. If it is not done yet, return to microwave and cook on 50% POWER in 20 second bursts. (I usually cook mine for a total of 80 seconds.)
6. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon, and enjoy!
Additional Notes:
• This method will give a rather wobbly egg. If you like a more hardboiled-style egg, microwave on HIGH for 60 seconds.
• Do note that, unlike when poaching eggs on the stovetop, the microwave tends to cook the yolk even faster than the white. So if you like gooey yolks, it's best to take the egg out when the white is still a little wobbly.
Want more smart tutorials for getting things done around the home?
See more How To posts
We're looking for great examples of your own household intelligence too!
Submit your own tutorials or ideas here!
(Images: Faith Durand)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Lena Dunham & Andrew Rannells Share Kiss at Point Honors New York Gala!
Lena Dunham and her Girls co-star Andrew Rannells share a sweet kiss while attending the Point Honors New York Gala held at the New York Public Library on Monday (April 7) in New York City.
The 27-year-old actress, who was an honoree at the event, was also joined by Mariksa Hargitay, her husband Peter Hermann, and Looking stars Murray Bartlett and Raul Castillo.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Lena Dunham
"Dear @PointFoundation: Thank you for honoring me w/ your Horizon award," Lena wrote on her Twitter account. "What you do for LGBTQ students is unreal. I loved meeting you all!"
FYI: Lena is wearing a Marc Jacobs gown.
10+ pictures inside of Lena Dunham and others at the Point Honors New York Gala…


text:
English talking English-Spanish and Spanish-English Gold dictionary for Series 60 1.0
English talking English-Spanish and Spanish-English Gold dictionary for Series 60 Publisher's Description
SlovoEd - translation tool that is always on hand.
The ''for Symbian OS'' logo means SlovoEd 2.0 by Epocware has been successfully tested in Symbian Signed. For more information visit www.symbiansigned.com.
This Spanish-English-Spanish Gold bidirectional dictionary for Nokia Series 60 contains 103,065 entries and 10,000 English word pronunciations (19,4 Mb):English-Spanish - 52,300 entries Spanish-English - 50,765 entries English sound module - 10,000 words
Spanish-English-Spanish Gold talking dictionary features for everyone:
for tourists and travellers
- Talking modules enable to listen pronunciations of the words, that are reproduced by native speaker's voice (10,000 words).
- Lexical database provided by Ultralingua (103,065 entries).
for students and language learners
- Two special methods to facilitate the learning of new foreign words specially designed for language learners.
- Dictionary interface and manuals are available in English and Spanish.
for specialists
- Possibility to install several dictionaries at the same time (for example, Spanish-English-Spanish dictionary, English explanatory dictionary with Extended thesaurus and abbreviation/acronyms dictionary).
- Possibility to create your own dictionary database
- Five different color solution for dictionary interface
for crosswords and word puzzle solvers
- Search module: if you have some doubts about word spelling, you can search for this word using "?" and "*" symbols instead of doubtful letters
The trial version is FREE OF CHARGE and has no limitations in functionalityATTENTION
You will receive an e-mail with a registration code in 3 minutes after the ordering This code turns the trial version of the program into the full one
Look for Similar Items by Category
- If you need help or have a question, contact us
- Would you like to update this product info?
- Is there any feedback you would like to provide? Click here
Popular Downloads
- WinRAR 5.60
- Zapya for iPhone 4.1.0
- iOS 5
- Qeep 2.6.1
- Body Scanner Prank real camera 1.2
- Kingsoft Office for Android... 4.0.2
- MxSpy Cell Phone Spy 8.5
- Winamp 1.4.15
- ooVoo for iPhone...
- MxSpy phone spy app 8.10
- Windows Mobile Transfer Suite 2.0
- PC Remote Server 3.22
- Oxford Dictionary of English... 9.0.267
- Audio Concise Oxford English... 5.2.34
- Castle Of Magic 1.0.4


text:
By ,
Published November 20, 2014
The Southwestern Athletic Conference's most consistent team this season also was its most resilient.
That was evident Saturday at Legion Field when Arkansas-Pine Bluff overcame a two-touchdown deficit, forced overtime with a late 95-yard touchdown pass and then beat Jackson State in the extra session, 24-21, to win the SWAC Championship Game for the first time and the conference title for the second time.
Tyler Strickland kicked a 26-yard field goal to end the first overtime game in SWAC Championship Game history and complete UAPB's first 10-win season. The Golden Lions won their final seven games to go 10-2 under SWAC coach of the year Monte Coleman.
UAPB, which trailed by 14 points twice in the first half, never led in the game until Strickland's field goal. The Golden Lions tied the game, though, on a stunning 95-yard pass from Benjamin Anderson to Willie Young with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Jackson State had the first possession of overtime and it ended with UAPB blocking Raphael Dent's 43-yard field goal attempt.
Justin Billings then opened the UAPB possession with a 20-yard run to the 5- yard line, setting up Strickland's field goal four plays later.
The Golden Lions' other SWAC title was in 1966.
The two teams also played on Oct. 6, with West Division champion UAPB beating East Division champion Jackson State, 34-24.
Jackson State (7-5), which was seeking its 17th SWAC title and first since 2007, took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
Tigers quarterback Clayton Moore threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Rico Richardson, the SWAC's offensive player of the year, for a 7-0 lead with 9:16 left.
UAPB then turned the ball over on the first play of its next possession, Jackson State's Qua Cox intercepted Anderson's downfield pass at the Tigers' 21. The Tigers converted the turnover into an eight-play scoring drive, capped by Rakeems Sims' 37-yard touchdown at the 4:48 mark.
UAPB pulled within 14-7 on Anderson's 1-yard rush on the first play of the second quarter. Jackson State then pushed its lead to 21-7 when quarterback Clayton Moore scored from 1 yard out to complete a 16-play, 64-yard drive with 2:29 left.
After a defensive stop, the Tigers drove toward the UAPB red zone again. But Moore was hit from behind by Xavier Lofton and the ball came out of his hands and bounced to Golden Lions linebacker Bill Ross, who caught it and raced 73 yards for a touchdown with only four seconds left, tightening the game to 21-14 by halftime.
Jackson State lost despite holding a 10-minute, 26-second edge in time of possession. The Tigers entered the game on a five-game winning streak.
Anderson claimed the offensive most valuable player honor, connecting on 13- of-25 pass attempts for 225 yards and the touchdown, with two interceptions. He also rushed for 36 yards and the touchdown.
Ross was the defensive most valuable player with 10 tackles (seven solo), a tackle for loss and the fumble return for a touchdown.


text:
ST. CHARLES – The St. Charles City Council on Monday will honor Fire Chief Patrick Mullen, who plans to retire this month.
Mullen, 56, said Friday he enjoys his job and enjoys working in St. Charles, but he is stepping down for personal reasons.
"From my perspective," he said, "it's time."
His last day will be Nov. 29.
City administrator Brian Townsend said Mullen will be difficult to replace.
"I've worked with several fire chiefs in my career," Townsend said. "I have to say, Patrick is one of the best. He works very hard. He's done a lot of things for the fire department in the five years he's been here. I think the city is going to miss him. The residents of St. Charles owe him gratitude for the things he's accomplished."
Mullen joined the fire department in 2007 after 19 years with the Naperville Fire Department, where he was assistant fire chief.
He described his years in St. Charles as very busy and challenging. When he was hired, he said, the economy was markedly different than what it would become. He faced shrinking budgets and had to keep positions unfilled although they had once been identified as desirable, he said.
Monday, the City Council is expected to present and pass a resolution commending Mullen of his service. In it, the council recognizes him for the department's new headquarters and the enhancement of the city's emergency operations center, among other achievements.
Assistant Fire Chief Joe Schelstreet will serve as acting chief until May, after the municipal elections, Townsend said, noting the elected officials are allowed to participate in the selection process.
"There could be a significant amount of turnover not only in the mayor's office but in the City Council," Townsend said.
Mullen said he and his wife will continue to live in St. Charles.
Mullen to retire as St. Charles fire chief
ST. CHARLES – The St. Charles City Council on Monday will honor Fire Chief Patrick Mullen, who plans to retire this month.


text:
Davis Quammen's "Spillover: Animal Infections And The Next Human Pandemic"
Still afraid of bird flu? Black plague? David Quammen explores the history and mysteries of animal infections and human pandemic in his new book "Spillover." Quammen's chronicles of the little known relations between animal diseases and human illness is a fascinating (and terrifying) read.
Quammen takes on frightening subject matter — from the AIDS pandemic that was the result of a spillover from a chimpanzee to a human, to SARS, Ebola, and Lyme disease. Smart, interesting, and, according to Publisher's Weekly, "critically important," "Spillover" gracefully relates humanity to the rest of the natural world by examining the problems that affect us all.
David Quammen, author of "Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic" (W.W. Norton 2012)
Read the Full Story at KPCC Blogs


text:
Show All Answers
Building Permits are required before you erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, convert or demolish any building or structure. See Section 106.2 of the California Building Code for further exemptions. The link below provides a summary of the exemptions. Exemption from the permit requirements shall not be deemed to grant authorization for any work to be done in any manner in violation of the provisions of any County code or ordinance. Please call us if you have any questions (925) 674-7200.
Please call us for more information at (925) 674-7200. Permit by Fax/Mail Applications
Some projects require approval either by the County Planning Division or City Planning Department and other agencies before the Building Inspection Division can proceed with the plan review. Then depending on the scope of the project, it may take anywhere from one day to several weeks depending on the amount of structural and non-structural review required.
Minor projects that are usually issued either that day or the next day are:
• Minor in-kind repairs due to damage caused by fire, termites, or deterioration • Minor interior alterations with no structural work • Plumbing, mechanical, or electrical repairs, change-outs, or alterations • Mobile homes
Major Projects that may take up to several weeks to review are:
• Changes in building use or occupancy • Major additions (greater than 50 percent of the existing structure) • Major structural work (seismic upgrades, major repairs, etc.) • Major tenant improvements • New residences in subdivisions with established master plans • Compliance with Title 24 energy documentation requirements
Please call us for more information (925) 674-7200.


text:
I'm in my mid-twenties and without a doubt the longest relationship I've had is with Facebook. Seriously. Zero breakups. What can I say, I'm a commitment kind of girl. I never even threw one of those "I'm quitting Facebook!" fits – not even the kind where you temporarily cancel your account because there's some sort of huge work or school situation and you're so weak you can't make yourself stop looking at your cousin's vacation pictures or clicking through your crush's Timeline (do not like that photo from 2007! Do not!) but then you hop back on as soon as you can, like the obsessive little Internet addict you are.
The point is, you'd think after eight long years, Facebook might know a little bit about me. But nooooo. Oh no. Because this is what it thinks I'm interested in.
Yeah, kids are crazy, right? Man, do they get messy. I know this because
of my children I have seen a human child before. End of my interactions with children, and my need to keep things clean for them. I can't think of any time I've done any sort of search for cleaning products or anything kid-related. I know this says something about me and I'm OK with that. Also, am I the only one who sort of cringes at the word "healthing"? What the hell is that?
Oh good, more kids-related stuff. Dropping hints, are we? What are you, my mom? Lay off, Facebook. I HAVE PLENTY OF TIME.
Or this. I guess since I'm a person with a job I do taxes. And we're nearing April. OK, OK I'll give you this one Facebook. But it sort of feels like when someone gives you flowers that they got for free anyway that day. "Oh … yeah! Yeah these are for you! This was absolutely planned in advance with you and only you in mind! Enjoy!" Not buying it.
Thanks for reminding me I don't have a home to keep a to-do list for. I live in a tiny studio apartment. People over 5-foot-10 are not allowed to rent it. I would do some unspeakable things to have a house and say things like "Whew! Man! All the upkeep on this home thing, pretty rough, amiright?" Not the case.
Seriously?! I ALREADY HAVE GEICO. YOU DON'T KNOW ME AT ALL.
Oh good. Roof replacement. Maybe I could fix the Hobbit-level roof of my apartment. Except it's a basement unit. Fan. Tastic.
I cannot think of anything I could care less about than video monitoring for my nonexistent small business. I'm going to try. No … nope, nothing. I actually don't think I can care less.
… Uh. I have never searched for or bought flowers online. So I just don't know.
I barely pay to get my haircut – actually, I don't. I cut it myself. Seriously. What on earth would make you think I would pay to laser off hair? I can't think of anything I would be less likely to pay for. Except maybe a new roof. Or flowers with some B.S. rustic charm (which to me, just sounds like "crappy") vase. Or video surveillance for my small business. Also, "tired of shaving"? How tired do you have to be to be tired of shaving? You must be pretty exhausted. You must have just run marathons. Or maybe you're a sloth. A ridiculously lazy sloth. Get this noise out of here.
And here it is. The cream of the crop. An ad for the Dollar Shave Club … which is a monthly subscription for men to try and test new razors.
Are you kidding me?! Is this because I thought the laser hair removal ad was stupid (I stand by that, but …)? Because the opposite of laser hair removal is not a men's razor subscription.
Just go home, Facebook, you're drunk.
The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not reflect the beliefs of Digital Trends.
Editors' Recommendations
- Quantum computers could break encryption, so it's going quantum too
- Huawei and Leica's monochrome lens is dead, so we celebrate its life
- 'Star Trek: Discovery' season 2: Everything we know so far
- Facebook's latest data breach could earn Europeans thousands in compensation
- 'Aquaman' movie: Everything we know about it so far


text:
It's Roy Wood's birthday and to celebrate here's a little curio from 1983 of probably the greatest pub rock band in the world, The Rockers.
The Rockers consisted of Roy Wood, Phil Lynott, Bev Bevan and er, Chas Hodges from Cockney knees-up duo Chas 'n' Dave. They released one single "We Are the Boys (Who Make All the Noise)" this time with Status Quo's John Coghlan on drums. Here, that number tops and tails a fine medley of Rock 'n' Roll standards as performed on O.T.T. - the late-night version of kid's Saturday morning classic Tiswas, both of which were hosted by Chris (Who Wants to be a Millionaire?) Tarrant.
(A quick aside: As also noted by m'colleague Marc Campbell, last month Phil Lynott's mother strongly objected to Republican ticket Romney and Ryan using Thin Lizzy's song "The Boys Are Back In Town" as their 'theme tune', saying Phil would have been against their sexist, anti-gay and pro-rich policies, and would have voted for Obama anyway.)
Meantime, a very Happy Birthday to Roy Wood!
Previously on Dangerous Minds
Roy Wood: The talent behind The Move and Wizzard
The rocker, the legend: The Phil Lynott Story


text:
To find a Rockwell Automation Recognized System Integrator or Solution Partner, please select a country/region to begin narrowing the search. You can also search based on the industries they serve and the services they provide.
Solution Partners demonstrate the highest level of commitment to Rockwell Automation technologies and relationships, are industry leaders and have differentiated services or solutions that complement or extend ours.


text:
To report an emergency in progress, call 911.
October 14, 2004 - Auburn, CAThe Placer County Air Pollution Control District today released findings of a study conducted by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) regarding airborne particulate matter emissions from diesel-fueled locomotives at the Union Pacific J.R. Davis Yard located in Roseville, California. The study is based upon locomotive emissions activity that occurred there from 1999 to 2000.
The computer modeling study was conducted by the California Air Resources Board at the request of the Placer County Air Pollution Control District in response to area residents' concerns and the identification by ARB of diesel particulate matter as a 'toxic air contaminant.' The Union Pacific Railroad Company (UPRR) assisted in the study by providing extensive information on facility operations and emissions.
The study results indicate there are elevated concentrations of diesel particulate matter and associated cancer risk impacting a large area surrounding the rail yard. This conclusion is typical for large transportation facilities such as rail yards, ports and major freeway corridors.
"The magnitude of the risk, general location of the risk and the size of the area impacted varies depending on the modeling assumptions used. The risk is based upon an assumed constant exposure over a 70-year period," said Tom Christofk, Air Pollution Control Officer, Placer County Air Pollution Control District.
"The District requested this study on behalf of Placer County residents to ascertain the levels of diesel emissions from the rail yard and their relative impact," Christofk stated. "We will use this study to continue working with UPRR on ways to reduce diesel emissions from the rail yard." The District also plans to develop an air-monitoring program, and may request further health analysis.
The District has been in discussions with UPRR regarding an emission reduction plan, but does not have a binding agreement in place for emission reduction targets.
The results of this study were calculated, analyzed and prepared as a Health Risk Assessment report and submitted to the Placer County Air Pollution Control District. The study is based on computer modeling and did not include any on-site air quality monitoring or real-time air quality measurements at the rail yard.
Results from the ARB study include:
"Placer County Health and Human Services continues to work closely with state public health experts to evaluate the potential health impacts of the air pollution modeling study of the Union Pacific Rail Yard recently conducted by the California Air Resources Board," stated Placer County Health Officer Richard J. Burton, M.D., M.P.H. "While the study indicates increased levels of particulate matter air pollution in the air surrounding the rail yard in Roseville, with some exceptions, the general levels of air pollution and resulting health impacts are less than or the same as what is found in most of California's major urban areas."
Dr. Burton noted that the study indicates an elevated cancer risk, relative to the existing background risks from air pollution, due to long-term exposure to diesel engine exhaust from the rail yard; and that the Placer County Air Pollution Control District is working with Union Pacific Railroad to reduce the exposure and resulting risks.
According to Dr. Burton, reducing emissions from the facility is the most effective way to protect public health. "There are no practical personal protective measures recommended for healthy individuals," noted Dr. Burton. "Individuals with unique sensitivities such as those with chronic lung disease or asthma may want to consider indoor air filtering systems such as those described on the California Air Resources Board web site."
He also noted that in addition to cancer risks from diesel particulate matter, there are non-cancer health effects of particulate matter air pollution including exacerbations of existing heart and lung disease. Following consultation with the California Department Heath Services and the California
Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Burton suggests that residents continue to use routine air pollution Air Quality Index advisories as their guide for
understanding potential health impacts of an immediate nature (such as asthma attacks) related to air pollution.
The J.R. Davis Rail Yard has been operating in Roseville since 1905. The yard occupies about 950 acres, on a one-quarter mile wide by four-mile long strip of land that parallels Interstate 80. Approximately two-thirds of the rail yard is located in Placer County with the remaining one-third in Sacramento County.
About 31,000 locomotives visited the rail yard in 2000. Another 15,000 locomotives used the Northside Tracks (pass-through trains) during this same period. While Union Pacific has the youngest locomotive fleet in North America, locomotives have very large diesel-fueled engines that can last about 30 to 40 years. The U.S. EPA has imposed new emissions rules that will require about a two-thirds reduction in locomotive emissions in the future.
"Rail transportation is by far the most environmentally friendly method of efficiently transporting large amounts of freight across America," said Robert Grimaila, Sr. Assistant Vice President; Safety, Environmental and Security Practices for Union Pacific. "Over the past several years, Union Pacific has made significant strides in reducing emissions throughout our system. With improved technology and successful pilot programs, we believe we have been able to reduce emissions at our J.R. Davis Yard by about 15 percent since 2000. We intend to work closely with Tom Christofk and his colleagues at the Placer County Air Pollution Control District to continue this progress."
The Placer County Air Pollution Control District will conduct two public meetings about the study results. Staff from the California Air Resources Board and Union Pacific Railroad Company will join in presenting information and answering questions during these public meetings:


text:
Seven Deaths Confirmed in Arkansas
Authorities have now confirmed seven deaths in Arkansas after a severe storm
Category: General News
Washington Ski Resort Spray Used Against Wildfire
WENATCHEE, Wash. (AP) — The Mission Ridge Ski Resort near Wenatchee is using its snow-making equipment to spray water on buildings and grounds as a wildfire burns just a half-mile away.
The canons that make snow in the winter were used Thursday to wet down areas that could be ignited by embers from the wildfire.
Mission Ridge owner Larry Scrivanich told The Wenatchee World that rocky, mostly barren ground plus the work of firefighters should keep the flames from reaching the resort. He says the flames from the Table Mountain fire are visible.
Chelan County Emergency Management advised residents of the area to evacuate.


text:
Jordan Talks Issues
ST. MARYS — Members of two local chambers of commerce got the opportunity to pepper an Ohio Congressman with questions ranging from the current fiscal crisis in Washington, D.C., to immigration reform.
"The whole game is rigged right now to benefit the political class, the consultants, the corporations that have their headquarters in D.C.," U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan said during a forum held for members of the St. Marys Area Chamber of Commerce and Southwestern Auglaize County Chamber of Commerce Thursday at Lost in the 50s Diner. "It is all rigged for Washington ... It is truly the Hunger Games. Washington is sucking all the wealth."
Jordan noted the majority of the wealthiest counties in the nation center on Washington, D.C. That vacuum, he noted, is hurting the rest of the country.
"Average income is now 7 percent less than it was five years ago," Jordan said. "The folks in Washington are doing fine but the rest of the country is having to deal with all the rest of the regulations."
Jordan touched upon current talks in Washington regarding the looming debt ceiling and spending measures that will have to be tackled in the coming weeks. Jordan said he believed the debt ceiling should not be raised until the Senate passes a budget.
"We said let's force the Senate to do something they haven't done in four years," Jordan said. "And that's what we did."
Chamber members also questioned Jordan on domestic energy and the future of the stalled Keystone Pipeline. Jordan said the state of Nebraska recently approved the alternate route of the pipeline.
"This makes sense," Jordan said. "Now, with what we have been able to do technology wise, frankly here in Ohio and all over the country, going into the shale to get the gas and oil, we are the gold mine. America is now Saudi Arabia when it comes to the ability of getting energy out of the ground. Let's hope the president sees the light as well and allows us to move forward on that."
Current talks in Congress regarding immigration reform also surfaced during the forum. Recently, a group of eight Senators — four Democrats and four Republicans — unveiled their proposal for immigration reform. The proposal includes a path to citizenship for many of the undocumented immigrants, increases border security and cracks down on businesses that hire illegal workers.
"I think you are going to see some legislation that will improve the situation," Jordan said.
Among the topics Jordan said he would like to see resolved is a path to citizenship regarding children of those who are illegally in the country. Often, he said, the children do not know they are in the country illegally until they apply for college.
"Some times we have had cases where the parents haven't even told the kids," Jordan said. "There's got to be a way where we can help, particularly those young people ... The compassionate thing to do is let's figure out a way to help those individuals get to a pathway to citizenship. But the others who knowingly broke the law, then there's got to be some kind of penalty, I think. Maybe they don't get to be citizens but there's a way they can become permanent guest workers here. Those kinds of things we have to work through."


text:
New Research Brings Much Needed Objectivity To Game Piracy Numbers
from the objective-research dept
According to Forskning.no, this lack of objectivity has led the games industry to inflate piracy numbers:(from the Google Translation)
These include an influential 2009 report, made by the U.S. trade association for game manufacturers, ESA. It is this which, according Drachen indicate that piracy is two to three times greater - depending on how the ESA press release is interpreted.To counteract this subjectivity, the researchers took a sampling of all commercial games from November 2010 to January 2011 and watched the activity of those games on BitTorrent and combined that information with other information on the games, such as genre and review scores. In all, they listed 173 games of interest, of which 127 were found on BitTorrent. Using this data, they came to the following conclusions:
The Danish researchers estimate that is 290 million games a year. In comparison indicates ESA figures that 600 million games pirate copies in a year, and because of uncertainties in the measurement method, which is highly secret, the American figures to be considerably larger, according Drachen.
- The majority of games they tracked had fewer than 50,000 unique peers observed on BitTorrent. At the same time, the 10 most popular games had a combined 5.37 million unique peers.
- 'Action' games made up the lion's share of BitTorrent activity, comprising 45.61% of unique peers in all. 'Role-Playing Games', of which only 10 were observed, accounted for 15.58% of unique peers. However, when they looked at individual games, 'Action' games were less popular than 'Racing', 'Role-Playing', and 'Simulation' games, comprising 0.95%, 1.6%, 1.43%, and 1.08% respectively.
- Aggregated review scores correlated positively with the number of unique peers. Meaning, the higher the MetaCritic score, the more unique peers will be found on BitTorrent.
- In all, observed about 12.6 million unique peers accessing the 127 games on BitTorrent.
This is a great first step in bringing objectivity into piracy debates. Hopefully, what will come of this is more interest in objective studies on piracy not just for games but also for other entertainment such as movies and music. The more information that is available will help content creators and distributors to make educated decisions on how to minimize the risk of piracy and better connect with their fans. Sadly, this study has made no headway on any of the major games industry news sites. One would hope that objectivity and quantifiable information would make for some interesting news.


text:
0.55 Ct Oval Green Sapphire 18K Yellow Gold Plated Silver Ring
Contact Seller
Product Description
Astrological Sign: Virgo, LibraMeaning: Named after the Greek word "sapphirus", meaning blue, Sapphires have a long history and have been a favorite among priests and kings, who considered them symbolic of wisdom and purity. Sapphires are considered to be protective against envy, and poison.Healing properties of Sapphire: Blue Sapphires are known to improve clarity and allow one to reach their creative potential through this stone. It encourages focus and helps with social and sexual relationships because it tends to create a deep bond between people and creates loyalty.It helps bring in new thoughts or new ways of thinking. It is also an excitement stone as it helps to bring the feeling of life being exciting and full.Sources of Sapphire: Ceylon, Thailand, Australia, India, Burma, Africa, and Brazil.Interesting Facts: Ancient civilizations believed that the world was set upon an enormous sapphire, which painted the sky blue with its reflection. Legend says that the ten commandments were inscribed upon tablets made of sapphire. September's birthstones are considered crown jewels and are adorned by prominent figures and royalty.This beautiful item is brand new and comes with complimentary gift packaging appropriately selected to match the item you purchased. The packaging ranges from dainty foam insert packaging to luxurious leather insert cherry wood boxes. Every order is fully insured regardless of value. This insurance protects you against damage or the loss of your item while in transit. The Shipping and Handling fees include the insurance so there is no need to pay separately for insurance.
- Gem Type: Sapphire
- Total Carat Weight: 0.55
- Cut: Oval
- Color: Green
- Clarity: SI1 - SI2
- Gram Weight: 2.50 grams
- Metal Type:Solid 925 Yellow Gold Plated Silver
- Measurements: 6x4 mm
- Estimated Retail Price: $144.00
- Cut : Oval
- Fine/Fashion : Fine
- Finish : Polished
- Gem Length (mm) : 6
- Gem Width (mm) : 4
- Gender : Female
- Jewelry Material : Gold Plated
- Main Stone : Sapphire
- Main Stone Weight (ct) : 0.55
- Metal Weight (g) : 2.50 grams
- Pearl Dyed : false
- Shape : Oval
- Stone Color : Green
- Stone Count : NaN
- Stone Creation Method : natural
- Stone(s) Treated : Heat-treated
- Total Stone Weight (ct) : 0.55
- Weight (g) : 2.50 grams
|Gem Stone King
|Gem Stone King
|Base SKU
Frequently Asked Questions
Shipping Options:
We offer a 30 day Full Refund return policy. Your 100% Satisfaction is our highest priority.
Please keep the following in mind:
* We DO NOT charge a restocking fee for returns
* You have 30 days from the day you receive the item to request a return merchandise authorization (RMA) number
* Please do not ship your item back to us prior to obtaining an RMA number
To obtain a RMA number please send us an email at email@example.com


text:
Collecting Your History - Bibliography
A Note Regarding Resources: Items are listed on this page that enhance work with the topic discussed. Some older items, especially, may include dated practices and ideas that are no longer generally accepted. Resources reflecting current practices are noted whenever possible
Selected Sources
Cooper, Kay. Where Did You Get Those Eyes? New York: Walker and Company. 1988.
This is a very readable guide to discovering family history.
Hilton, Suzanne. Who Do You Think You Are? Digging for Your Family Roots. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press. 1976.
A good source but not as readable for children.
Kyvig, David E.; Marty, Myron A. Nearby History: Exploring the Past Around You. Nashville, TN: The American Association for State and Local History. 1982.
This is an excellent source for local and family history designed for adult and secondary school readers. A series of books has been written around the Nearby History theme, and published by AASLH.
•________. Your Family History: A Handbook for Research and Writing. Arlington Heights, IL: Harlan Davidson, Inc. 1978.
This is a good beginning for secondary school students and adults.
Lee, Mary Price; Lee, Richard S. Last Names First ... And Some First Names Too. Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Press. 1985.
Perl, Lila. The Great Ancestor Hunt: The Fun of Finding Out Who You Are. New York: Clarion Books. 1989.
This is an excellent source for doing family history on a student level.
Riker, Dorothy et al. Finding Indiana Ancestors. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society. 1990.
This helpful eight page pamphlet can be ordered from the Indiana Historical Society; 315 W. Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202 for $1.00
Ruegamer, Lana. A History of the Indiana Historical Society,1830-1980. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society. 1980.
Stryker-Rodda, Harriet. How To Climb Your Family Tree: Genealogy for Beginners. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. 1983.
A good general source for adults and students with an interest in genealogy.
Weitzman, David. My Backyard History Book. Boston: Little, Brown & Company. 1975.
This is one of the best books for students to read on the subject of family history.
Young, Christine. So, You Want to Preserve History? - Some Things You Should Know: Making New Documents/Caring for Old. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Bureau. 1985.
This 32 page booklet can be ordered from the Indiana Historical Bureau, 140 N. Senate Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46204, for $2.00.


text:
Even though beloved octogenarian actor Larry Hagman died late last year, his iconic character J.R. Ewing will be back in trademark form for the second season of TNT's reboot of "Dallas."
With bushy eyebrows twitching, J.R. will plot his way through seven episodes with a characteristic evil smile on his face and a greedy scheme up his sleeve. And when he departs the show — an unspecified untimely death is planned to reflect the real-life passing and to celebrate a life fully lived — he'll leave behind a mighty mess.
"This is a character who will have the last laugh, no matter what," said Cynthia Cidre, the show's executive producer. "What you'll see unfold will be J.R.'s masterpiece."
PHOTOS| Larry Hagman: Life in Pictures
For a show that specializes in melodramatic cliffhangers, secret identities, elaborate lies and family backbiting, it's tough to imagine what that will entail. But Cidre and others connected to the series said they owed Hagman a Texas-sized finale.


text:
Jack Daniel's Shows The World: Here's How To Send A Polite Cease-And-Desist
from the it-can-be-done dept
The internet changed things. It added a "third party" to these discussions: the public. As a result of that, over the last decade, recipients of such overly aggressive threat letters have gone public with those letters, leading to both ridicule towards the sender, but also much more attention being given to that which was sought to be "ceased" and "desisted." Hence, the rise of The Streisand Effect.
Every time we discuss one of these situations, people often ask us something along the lines of "yeah, but what else is the individual/company supposed to do?" Especially when it comes to trademarks, people often toss out the (somewhat misleading and inaccurate) claim that the trademark holder has to fight back or they might lose their trademark. Beyond that being an exaggeration (they only need to try to deal with situations where there might be confusion, or where the mark is being made to seem generic), it also ignores that there are more reasonable ways to handle such situations. One, for example, is to offer up a free (or super cheap) license. Another is to actually be nice. But that happens so rarely that it makes news when it happens.
A whole bunch of you have been sending in this particular example, of Jack Daniels sending one of the friendliest cease-and-desist letters that you'll ever see. It was sent to Patrick Wensink, the author of a novel called Broken Piano for President, whose cover certainly makes use of the iconography around Jack Daniels famous whiskey.
We are certainly flattered by your affection for the brand, but while we can appreciate the pop culture appeal of Jack Daniel's, we also have to be diligent to ensure that the Jack Daniel's trademarks are used correctly. Given the brand's popularity, it will probably come as no surprise that we come across designs like this one on a regular basis. What may not be so apparent, however, is that if we allow uses like this own, we run the very real risk that our trademark will be weakened. As a fan of the brand, I'm sure that is not something you intended or would want to see happen.Furthermore, rather than being excessively demanding, such as by demanding destruction of the old books, the company just asks for any future printings to have a different design -- and does so noting that it's suggesting this in a neighborly manner, and is even willing to help pay for the costs of such a change if they do it for existing books (and e-books):
In order to resolve this matter, because you are both a Louisville "neighbor" and a fan of the brand, we simply request that you change the cover design when the book is re-printed. If you would be willing to change the design sooner than that (including on the digital version), we would be willing to contribute a reasonable amount towards the cost of doing so. By taking this step, you will help us to ensure that the Jack Daniel's brand will mean as much to future generations as it does today.Now, I still think that the company is exaggerating a bit in suggesting that this would really diminish the trademark, and also you could see how the company could issue a license instead, this really is a much much better response than a normal legal threat letter. Nicely done, Jack Daniel's! Hopefully, other lawyers and companies start paying attention.


text:
Knowledgeable, Flexible, Goal Oriented
Fund: Asset Management Company Venture Capital
Posted by cwittig on 2007-08-09
Skip and the partners at the firm are very knowledgeable in the space and asked the right questions, spanning from very technical to business oriented.
The due diligence was thorough, focussed on customer calls, and the results were as helpful for us as for the fund to come to a decision.
The terms were flexible and result oriented, which was helpful because of syndication, which makes it always a touch more complicated.
The closing and execution was professional and fast.
I can only recommend this firm and Skip in particular. I look forward to working with him as a member of our board of directors.


text:
Chad Mahaffey is an assistant men's lacrosse coach at Southern Virginia University.
In the 2014 season Mahaffey was the defensive coordinator under Stephen Macurdy.
Mahaffey came to Southern Virginia from Brigham Young University where he served as a graduate assistant trainer for the Cougars' 2004 track and field season. He also served as the first assistant athletic trainer for the BYU football team in 2003.
Mahaffey has a B.S. in athletic training and master's degree in sports medicine from BYU. He is certified in First Aid, CPR and AED, is a certified member of the National Athletic Training Association and is a licensed athletic trainer in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
He and his wife, Michelle, reside in Buena Vista with their four children.


text:
Topic: Ultimate Road Trip
In honor of Miba's recent post about wanting to see the world, let's throw out some of the "best of" stops not only across the United States, but in the entire world.
Try to number them so it's easier to read, too, as these accumulate. The more specific, the better.
1. Skywalker Ranch, 5858 Lucas Valley Road, Nicasio, CA
2. Industrial Light and Magic, 1 Letterman Dr, San Francisco, CA
3. BFFC Headquarters, Los Angeles, CA
4. Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, France


text:
I've recently installed XFCE4 over Debian Wheezy for ODROID-U2, I had fluxbox before and didin't take it out because I wanted the best of both "If" I called it. But after the installation, neither fluxbox or XFCE starts upon power up, I have to ssh to it and do "Sudo startx". What causes this to happen and what do I have to modify in order to make it work? I'm also stuck on root user.
Last edited by [XFCEFan]Cartridge (2013-11-04 13:56:53)
The fact that neither Xfce nor fluxbox starts makes this sound more like a Debian issue; have you checked at one of their help forums? Also, the correct command for starting X with Xfce is startxfce4, so you might try that instead.
Registered Linux user #470359
Permanently recovered BOFH
Any advice in this post is worth exactly what you paid for it.
Thanks for replying Sideburns. I'll check it out. I didin't know if it was either debian or XFCE that is causing this.


text:
Nah, don't think so. My kid videos would put me in the cell with the silence of the lambs next to the unibomber next to jack the ripper next to Duchovny on his de-treat-retreat from too much stroking of the zucchini. In spite of all the latter day saints tried to ram down my throat.
Then I found Ghad, and he was good, and he provideth ever abundant fruits, and everlasting happiness, and blotters of joy, and baggies of bliss.
More or less bleached milk-toast if you ask me.


text:
Project WE CARE's "Got Beer" fundraiser at Southern Appalachian Brewery drew more than 100 people Thursday night – and a one-eyed golden hamster looking for a home.
Project WE CARE's "Got Beer" fundraiser at Southern Appalachian Brewery drew more than 100 people Thursday night — and a one-eyed golden hamster looking for a home.
The brewery staff is accustomed to seeing stray cats, possums and groundhogs near the property at 822 Locust St., but since golden hamsters aren't native to the Blue Ridge Mountains, the tiny furry animal was a surprise.
As she was cleaning up near the bar around 1 a.m. Friday, bartender Judy Ricker noticed something moving under the stacked wine barrels.
"I caught something out of the corner of my eye," she rememberes.
She wandered over to the scene where she found the animal, and gestured to the barrels.
"He came over to me and let me pick him up," Ricker said. "He's definitely been handled."
She imagines the hamster — which has a wonky, offset tail and a damaged right eye — came in with one of the children who visited the family-friendly brewery Thursday night.
"I can't imagine where it could have traveled from," Ricker said.
"It's not like it's a 'wild' hamster," added brewery co-owner Kelly Cubbin.
They hope the hamster — which Ricker's decided to call "Blondie" after the brewery's Belgian-style blonde ale — will be reunited with its owner, or find a new home.
In the meantime, "Blondie" is staying with Ricker. She said she called Caroline Gunther, owner of Wag! A Unique Pet Boutique, figuring she would know where to find a hamster cage on the fly. Gunther hooked "Blondie" up with a colorful number donated by the owners of Camp Ton-A-Wandah.
Just as the community helped in housing Blondie, Ricker said she hopes Hendersonville comes together to help find him — or her, Ricker can't tell — a forever home.
"Somebody will want him," she said.
Reach McGowan at firstname.lastname@example.com or 828-694-7871.


text:
Annika Khan manages to strike the right balance between career ambition and life enjoyment as she juggles three jobs and still finds time for family, friends and herself.
The young entrepreneur began her juggling act while still a student in the Sawyer Business School.
"I quickly became involved in multiple on-campus activities, and in order to fit it all in I had to adhere to a strict schedule," says Khan, who earned a bachelor of science in business administration in 2009.
Family business
Time managing remains a constant factor for Khan, who helped her family open a restaurant during the same week that she received her degree.
As the bookkeeper for the 7th Wave Restaurant in Rockport, Massachusetts, Khan is honing her skills in small-business accounting and making financial projections.
"The most rewarding aspect of my job is helping my parents, who have helped me get where I am today," she says.
Khan, always looking to seize an opportunity, recently purchased Custom Stitch, LLC, in partnership with her sister. The company specializes in customizing clothing, and Khan says that customer service is a key element in the sisters' business philosophy.
Khan also works as a senior financial analyst for Liberty Mutual Group, a company she has been with since graduating from Suffolk University.
Eye-opening education
"Before going to Suffolk, I didn't really know what opportunities awaited me in the real world," she says. "My journey through Suffolk opened my eyes and allowed me the opportunity to explore options in corporate America as well as entrepreneurially."
An important life lesson she took away from the Sawyer Business School: "I will never stop learning, even though I've completed my degree. There is still so much more to learn through doing."
Staying connected
Despite her busy schedule, Kahn finds time for herself, family and friends.
"I just remind myself to take life one day at a time, and that it's worth it to me right now to accomplish bigger things down the road," she says.
Khan remains actively involved with the University, in part through her involvement in Suffolk Ventures, a new alumni group that connects current students with successful alumni in the workplace.
She shared her story with other young alumni who were recognized for achieving success in the workplace at a recent "Think Big, Dream Big" event, the first in a series presented by the Suffolk Alumni Association in partnership with the University's Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education.


text:
|Limoncello Cupcake, wearing a confetti sugar necklace and ready to welcome 2011.
Happy New Year, everyone. Bonne année et bonne santé!
|Limoncello Cupcake, wearing a confetti sugar necklace and ready to welcome 2011.
Mmmm....love limoncello and the cupcake looks perfect.
Happy New Year, Dynise!
yummy happy newyears to you!
I'm all for zesty and cheerful! Happy 2011!
Oh....YUM!! Can't wait to try these.
look at those festive sugar crunchies! yum, yum.
je te souhaite une merveilleuse nouvelle année.
( et beaucoup d'idée gourmandes à partager avec nous)
This looks delicious! I just started my own vegan cooking blog! Feel free to check it out!
Happy New Year my dear! love me some limoncello! Am so excited to be testing your yummy recipes!!! back to blogland to be a proper tester- xxooxx
god, i am dying for spring. the unseasonal sunshine here in Portland isn't helping, either, though i'm not going to complain about it!
Those sprinkles make me want to be a child.
Happy New Year!
That looks really delicious! It reminds me of the vegan food I had at the Borrowed Earth Cafe! Made with care!


text:
A. Purpose of this Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Victory Media, Inc. ("Victory Media, Inc.," "we," "us," "our") respects your right to privacy. Your continued use of our Website and/or your submission of any information to us indicates that you have read, understand and agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use contained herein. We reserve the right in our sole discretion to modify, alter, or otherwise change this Privacy Policy and Terms of Use or portion thereof at any time, without notice to you. The information we collect is subject to the terms of the Privacy Policy then in effect. Due to the foregoing, we strongly encourage you to check this posting periodically. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our Privacy Policy or Terms of Use, please contact us as set forth below.
"Personally identifiable information" is information that we can use to identify you as an individual. Personally identifiable information includes your name, address, telephone number and any other information that is connected with you personally. Non-personal information includes, but is not limited to, data about usage patterns, reported in aggregate, which is not associated with a specific personal identity.
Victory Media, Inc. uses personal information to better understand customer needs and interests and to provide better service.
In general, you can visit the STEM Jobs website (the "Website") without providing any personal information. Non-personal information collected may include the pages visited on http://www.STEMjobs.com/, browser type, browser language, operating system, and internet protocol ("IP") address. Non-personal data is aggregated to understand Website usability and performance. Victory Media, Inc. may use your IP address to help diagnose problems or to gather demographic information, such as country of origin.
B. Information Collection and Use
Except as specified herein, this policy also does not apply to information you may provide to us offline; however please do be aware that if you subscribe offline to one of the magazines published by Victory Media, Inc. ("Magazines"), from time to time we make our subscriber lists available to companies that sell goods and services that we believe would interest our readers. If you would rather not receive such mailings, please send a current mailing label or exact copy to Victory Media, Inc., PO Box 26, Sewickley, PA 15143.
We may use any personal information you send for marketing and promotional purposes and we may combine information we receive online with outside records to enhance our ability to market products or provide services that we believe may be of interest to you. Additionally, we may share your personal information with third parties who may choose to contact you to promote their own goods and services.
In addition, we may use information you provide us through emails, Q & A, blogs, forums, in response to polls, or though any other user-generated submission for editorial purposes, and may use your name and any stories you provide us in articles published online and in our Magazines. Please be advised that any such submissions become the property of Victory Media, Inc. and may be used by Victory Media, Inc. for any lawful purpose. If you provide us with personal anecdotes, they may be attributed to you. You hereby authorize Victory Media, Inc. to edit, rewrite, use, and reuse the content, including your name, likeness, photograph, and biographical information you provide, in any way and any media whether now known or invented in the future, with or without attribution, including publication in the Magazines or websites (including the Websites), and in trade media and advertising. You agree that any content you send us will not violate any rights of any third party and that you will only send us content for which you own the rights.
Our Website may from time to time partner with a retailer or other third party to offer online shopping opportunities, games, services, subscriptions and other applications on a co-branded or cross-promotional basis. Those transactions may take place on a Victory Media, Inc. Magazine websites, or the website of the third party. In either case, personal information you provide in connection with the transaction may be shared with the third party, as well as with any participating sponsors or advertisers of such opportunities and features.
C. Cookies
Victory Media, Inc. (or third party service providers on our behalf) may set and access cookies on your computer. A cookie is a small amount of data (often including a unique identifier), that is sent to your browser from a website's computers and stored on your computer's hard drive. Victory Media, Inc. uses cookies to understand site usage and to improve the content and offerings on our Website.
D. Wireless Addresses
If the email address you provide to us is a wireless email address, you agree to receive messages at such address from Victory Media, Inc. and the Magazines, entities affiliated with the Magazines. You acknowledge that your wireless carrier's rates may apply to these messages. You represent that you are the owner or authorized user of the wireless device on which messages will be received, and that you are authorized to approve the applicable charges.
E. Short Message Service and Wireless Internet
We may make available services through which you can receive messages on your phone or wireless device via short message service ("SMS Service") or via wireless internet ("WAP Services"). If you subscribe to one of our SMS or WAP Services, you thereby agree to receive SMS or WAP Service at the address you provide for such purposes. Such messages may come from Victory Media, Inc., or from third parties who we believe may have goods or services of interest to you (unless you have elected not to receive such messages at the time you subscribe, see Opt-Out section below).
You understand that your wireless carrier's rates may apply to these messages, and that you may opt-out of receiving them by notifying us at email@example.com. You represent that you are the owner or authorized user of the wireless device you use to sign up for the SMS or WAP Service, and that you are authorized to approve the applicable charges. To use the SMS or WAP Service, you must reside in the United States. You must register and provide all required Personal Information, which may include, for example, your name, SMS or WAP address, wireless carrier and, if fees are applicable to the SMS or WAP Service you subscribe to, billing information (either your credit card information or mobile service carrier information if applicable fees will be billed through your carrier). We may also obtain the date, time and content of your messages in the course of your use of the SMS or WAP Service. We will use the information we obtain in connection with our SMS or WAP Service in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If fees are charged to your wireless account invoice, we may provide your carrier with your applicable information in connection herewith. Your wireless carrier and other service providers may also collect data about your wireless device usage, and their practices are governed by their own policies.
You acknowledge and agree that the SMS or WAP Services are provided via wireless systems which use radios (and other means) to transmit communications over complex networks. We do not guarantee that your use of the SMS or WAP Service will be private or secure, and we are not liable to you for any lack of privacy or security you may experience. You are fully responsible for taking precautions and providing security measures best suited for your situation and intended use of the SMS or WAP Service. We may also access the content of your account and wireless account with your carrier for the purpose of identifying and resolving technical problems and service-related complaints.
By signing up for the SMS or WAP Service, you consent to receiving, from time to time, further messages which may include news, promotions and offers from us, our affiliates and partners, and unless and until you have opted-out of these activities by notifying us at firstname.lastname@example.com. Please follow the instructions provided by you by third parties to unsubscribe from their messages.
F. Children And Parents
The Website covered by this policy are not intended for use by children, especially those under age 13. No one under age 13 is allowed to provide any personal information or use our public discussion areas, forums and chats. To subscribe to newsletters and to participate in other activities where personal information is divulged you must be 13 or older. Minors between the ages of 13 and 17 should get the permission of their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) before subscribing to any Magazines on our Website.
G. Blogs, Video and other user-generated Postings; Social Networking
If you elect to post material to any blogs, forums, participate in our social networking channels or other community boards that may be offered on our Website, or if you elect to upload any photographs, audio or video, you will be solely responsible for all content, messages, text, files, images, graphics, photos, audio clips, sounds, video or other materials (the "Postings"). You agree and warrant that any Postings you post to the Website will be true and accurate, will not defame any person or invade any person's privacy, and will not infringe the proprietary rights of any person. You agree not to furnish any Postings to which you do not own the rights. By furnishing Postings, you give Victory Media, Inc. the right to use such Postings in any manner and in any media now known or hereafter invented, including, without limitation, the right to combine your Postings with Postings of third parties in varied combinations and/or to use the Postings in the Magazines. You also acknowledge that visitors to the Website may post comments about your Postings which may be derogatory, and that Victory Media, Inc. has no obligation to monitor or delete any such postings.
Please be aware that Victory Media, Inc. does not and cannot monitor all of the Postings made to the Website, and therefore Victory Media, Inc. will not be responsible for the content of any Postings. However, Victory Media, Inc. does reserve the right to delete or edit any material in any Posting that is offensive, obscene, harassing, offensive or otherwise objectionable and not in keeping with the community standards of the Magazines and Website. If Victory Media, Inc. elects to edit any Postings, it nonetheless assumes no responsibility for the content of the Postings. Under no circumstances will Victory Media, Inc. be liable for any inaccuracy or defect in any Postings. We also expect our users to adhere to certain rules of the road. Therefore, you agree not to post, email, or otherwise make available Postings:
- that are unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, pornographic, libelous, or invasive of another's privacy, or harmful to minors in any way;
- that harass, degrade, intimidate or are hateful toward an individual or group of individuals on the basis of religion, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, age, or disability;
- that include personal or identifying information about another person without that person's explicit consent;
- that are false, deceptive, misleading, deceitful, misinformative, constitute "bait and switch" or impersonation of any person or entity;
- contain your own or a third party's advertising, branding or promotional content;
- that infringe any proprietary rights, including copyright, of any party, or Postings that you do not have a right to make available;
- restrict or inhibit any other user from using and enjoying the Website or the Victory Media, Inc. services offered on it;
Because Victory Media, Inc. does not monitor the Postings, you agree to use and rely on them at your own risk. Victory Media, Inc. cannot make any representation or warranty about the material contained in the Postings. Victory Media, Inc. likewise assumes no responsibility for any contact you may have with other users of our Website, either online or offline. If you elect to meet in person with someone you may meet on our Website, you do so at your own risk, and under no circumstances will Victory Media, Inc. be liable for any activity or injury that may occur.
H. Customer Lists
From time to time we may make our customer lists available to companies that sell goods and services that we believe would be of interest. We may compile these lists from customer orders placed both offline and online. Customers have the option of having their names and identifying information removed from those lists (subject to certain exceptions and limitations in applicable laws) by contacting us at email@example.com, or, in the case of information you have provided to us offline, by sending a current mailing label or exact copy to: Victory Media, Inc., PO Box 26, Sewickley, PA 15143.
We may also from time to time make our customer lists available for direct marketing purposes to other entities that are affiliated with us. If you would like to be removed from those lists, contact us at email@example.com or, in the case of information you have provided to us offline, by sending a current mailing label or exact copy to: Victory Media, Inc., PO Box 26, Sewickley, PA 15143.
If you enter a contest or sweepstakes sponsored by a third party, information may be shared with that third party for their use in their discretion, including direct marketing (Some of our contests and sweepstakes will ask you at the time of entry whether you would like your personal information to be shared with the sponsor. Other contests will not give you that option and in that event, if you do not want your information to be shared, you should not enter the contest.)
I. Non-U.S. Users
If you are located outside of the United States, please note that the information you provide to us will be transferred to the United States. By using this Website, you consent to this transfer. You also consent to the adjudication of any disputes arising in connection with this Website in the federal and state courts of, and in accordance with the laws of, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
J. Opting-Out
If you want us to stop sharing your email address with third parties or if you do not want to receive Victory Media, Inc.'s marketing emails, you may opt-out by notifying us in writing to Victory Media, Inc., PO Box 26, Sewickley, PA 15143 or contacting us at email@example.com. Please be aware that it can take up to several business days to remove you from our marketing email lists. Please note that some information may remain in backups of Victory Media, Inc.'s records after deletion of your account, although diligent efforts will be employed to remove your information. However, Victory Media, Inc. may retain certain of your information if it believes in good faith that retaining such information is necessary to comply with the law; enforce or apply its conditions of use and other agreements; or protect the rights, property, or safety of Victory Media, Inc., its employees, its users, or others.
K. Copyright
Everything you see or read on the Website is owned by us or used with permission. You may not copy, use, or retransmit anything from or for our Website without our permission. Any commercial or promotional distribution, publishing or exploitation of the Website, or any content, code, data or materials on the Website is strictly prohibited. You are not allowed to post or distribute any material you do not own or which you do not have permission to use. You are also prohibited from engaging in any conduct that interferes with the technological operation of the Website or that tampers with any copyright protection mechanisms applicable to content on any Website. Ignoring this policy may result in copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property rights violations.
L. Disclaimers
Victory Media, Inc. is not responsible for the conduct, whether online or offline, of any user of the Website. Victory Media, Inc. takes reasonable steps to protect the security and integrity of all personal information you provide to the Website; however, due to the inherent nature of the Internet, we cannot guarantee that information, during transmission through the Internet or while stored on our system or otherwise in our care, will be absolutely safe from intrusion by others, such as hackers. Victory Media, Inc. assumes no liability for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, any user Posting. Victory Media, Inc. is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any email or players due to technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or on the Website or combination thereof, including any injury or damage to users or to any person's computer related to or resulting from participation in any activities on the Website or downloading materials. We make no warranties the services will be timely, secure, uninterrupted, or error-free. You understand that if you download any material, you do so at your sole risk. Under no circumstances shall Victory Media, Inc. be responsible for any loss or damage, including personal injury or death, resulting from use of the Website, any content posted on or through the Website, or conduct of any users of the Website, whether online or offline. We can, whenever we want, edit or delete any content displayed on the Website. You use the Website at your own risk. The Website is provided "AS-IS" and Victory Media, Inc. expressly disclaims any warranty of fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. Victory Media, Inc. cannot guarantee and does not promise any specific results from use of the Website.
M. Limitation on Liability
N. Disputes
If there is any dispute about or involving the Website, you agree that the dispute shall be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA, without regard to conflict of law provisions and you agree to exclusive personal jurisdiction and venue in the state and federal courts of the United States located in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny. Victory Media, Inc. may demand that any dispute between Victory Media, Inc. and you about or involving the Website must be settled by arbitration utilizing the dispute resolution procedures of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
O. Indemnity
You agree to indemnify and hold Victory Media, Inc., its subsidiaries, and affiliates, and their respective officers, agents, partners and employees, harmless from any loss or liability arising out of your use of the Website or from any claim, or demand, including reasonable attorneys' fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of your use of the Website in violation of these terms of service and/or any breach of your representations, warranties and obligations set forth above and/or if any content that you post in Postings on the Website or through the sites causes Victory Media, Inc. to be liable to another.
P. Links to Third Party Sites
The links to third parties contained within this Website will allow you to leave the Website. The sites that are linked to the Website are not under the control of Victory Media, Inc. Victory Media, Inc. is not, and shall not be, held responsible for the contents, in any way or form, of any linked site or of any link contained in a linked site. Victory Media, Inc. provides these links only as a convenience to you, the user of the Website; and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by Victory Media, Inc. of the linked site.


text:
Broadband provider iiNet expects mobile and the NBN to drive future profits, its executives said after reporting strong fiscal-year 2012 results.
The company is focusing more on mobile services as part of a strategy to increase profitability by selling an average of three products to each of its customers, said iiNet CFO, David Buckingham. The company recently rolled out new mobile plans and handsets for existing customers under the iiNet and Internode brands].
The iiNet plan, available to existing customers only, lets customers pay separate monthly rates for the device and SIM card. "Essentially, we're trying to meet what we think is the untapped market of customers to be able to pick and mix between handsets and SIM plans," Buckingham said. The company hopes to "exploit" a mobile market that is a "very choked environment at the moment in terms of choice," he said.
Michael Malone, iiNet CEO, agreed with Optus CEO, Paul O'Sullivan, that the Australian wireless market is saturated. "The market is getting tougher and tougher," Malone said. "We have the obvious benefit that we're starting with nothing [and] we're only selling to the existing customer base." The latter factor reduces overhead for iiNet, he said. "We already have a billing relationship with the customer, the support is typically around the setup only" and iiNet already knows the customer's credit history.
The NBN is another source of growth for iiNet, the executives said. The company has about 2000 customers already. While iiNet will support fibre, satellite and fixed wireless, most of its early customers are on fibre, Malone said. A recent projection by iiNet of what migration to NBN would mean for its business showed an increase in profitability, said Malone. Early adopters of NBN service have largely chosen higher-end NBN plans, he said.
In FY2012, iiNet's revenue shot up 19 per cent to $831 million while reported EBITDA soared 47 per cent to $144.8 million. Recent acquisitions of Internode and TransACT drove top-line growth and increased iiNet's broadband market share to about 15 per cent, the company said. After the acquisitions, iiNet's business segment is worth $170 million per annum, Malone said.
Integration of Internode has been particularly smooth because the companies share similar cultures that are focused on customer service, Malone said. "We expect to fully integrate Internode's and TransACT's systems and networks over the next 12 to 24 months," Malone said. Consolidation has enabled iiNet to expand content for customers and provide group-wide access to unmetered content, Malone said.
"We're sort of in early days on TransACT … with a lot of systems-based IT automation work to do" to enhance customer service, said Buckingham. "In Internode it's a more traditional iiNet integration story, and we've knocked off a couple of the tasks there and we've got more to do … to drive that $7 million in improvement of EBITDA in FY2013."
Integration of AAPT "continues to track as expected," but that company is in "decline mode," Buckingham said. AAPT was the principal driver of customer loss in the fiscal year, he said. "We're in the middle of a big billing migration there."
New wholesale ADSL interim prices declared by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission improved the iiNet cost base in regional markets, Malone said. "We look forward to the final determination being released soon so that iiNet can be more competitive and grow market share again in regional Australia."
Also, iiNet announced Internode founder Simon Hackett has joined the iiNet board as non-executive director. The move was announced earlier this year. Hackett said the new role allowed him "to have input into broader strategic issues at Board level, whilst seeing Internode continue to flourish."
Follow Adam Bender on Twitter: @WatchAdam
Follow Computerworld Australia on Twitter: @ComputerworldAU, or take part in the Computerworld conversation on LinkedIn: Computerworld Australia


text:
T31 transmitter
Slim and light transmitter that is fully water resistant and designed for all weather conditions.
Slightly different to the T31c Transmitter, the slim, light and waterproof T31 doesn't have the benefit of coding for interference free transmission. However, its purpose remains the same: to transmit your heart rate to your wrist unit ECG (electrocardiogram) accurately.
- No user replaceable battery


text:
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ? Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has money and momentum on his side as he plows ahead into a series of February primary contests after a big win in Florida. Chief rival Newt Gingrich is fighting to recover from the significant loss and faces serious disadvantages in the next states to vote.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has money and momentum on his side as he plows ahead into a series of February primary contests after a big win in Florida. Chief rival Newt Gingrich is fighting to recover from the significant loss and faces serious disadvantages in the next states to vote.
Talking unity like a nominee, Romney said Tuesday night he was "ready to lead this party and our nation" as he prepared to take his campaign to Minnesota and Nevada today.
Gingrich, meanwhile, worked to convince supporters that the primary is still a two-person race. Vowing to stay the course, Gingrich said, "We are going to contest everyplace." He planned stops in three Nevada cities on Wednesday.
Nevada and Maine have caucuses Saturday. Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri all hold contests Tuesday. Michigan and Arizona hold primaries on Feb. 28.
Romney begins February with formidable advantages in fundraising and organization. His campaign raised $24 million in the final months of 2011, dwarfing his competitors and leaving him with $20 million to fight a primary battle that's increasingly spread across many states.
The former Massachusetts governor has had staff and volunteers on the ground in upcoming states for months as he's prepared for a drawn-out fight for delegates to the Republican National Convention in August. Gingrich, meanwhile, doesn't have a strong ground game as he looks to contests in states that could prove problematic for him. And in a nomination fight so far defined by debates — typically a strong point for the former House speaker — he faces a three-week stretch without one. The candidates will next debate in Arizona on Feb. 22.
Romney won Nevada's caucuses in 2008, and a substantial Mormon population there could propel him to victory. Still, Texas Rep. Ron Paul has been organizing in the state for months and could pose a strong challenge. Romney's campaign is working to paint the nomination fight as a four-candidate contest, with Paul and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum still in the mix. Santorum campaigned in Nevada and Colorado on Tuesday.
Romney's Florida win was a smart rebound from an earlier defeat and represented a major step toward the Republican presidential nomination. He'll receive Secret Service protection, beginning today, after his campaign requested it.
Tuesday night, he unleashed a strong attack on Democratic President Barack Obama and said the competitive fight for the GOP nomination "does not divide us, it prepares us" for the fall.
"Mr. President, you were elected to lead, you chose to follow, and now it's time to get out of the way," Romney declared.
With 100 percent of Florida's precincts reporting, Romney had 46 percent of the vote to Gingrich's 32 percent. Santorum had 13 percent and Paul 7 percent; neither mounted a substantial effort in the state.
The winner-take-all primary was worth 50 Republican National Convention delegates, by far the most of any primary state so far.
But the bigger prize was precious political momentum in the race to pick an opponent for Obama in a nation struggling to recover from the deepest recession in decades.
That momentum belonged to Romney when he captured the New Hampshire primary three weeks ago, then swung stunningly to Gingrich when he countered with a South Carolina upset 11 days later.
Now it is back with Romney after a 10-day comeback that marked a change to more aggressive tactics, coupled with an efficient use of an overwhelming financial advantage to batter Gingrich in television commercials.
For the first time in the campaign, exit polls showed a gender gap in Romney's favor. He ran far better among women than Gingrich, winning just over half of their votes, to three in 10 for his rival.
Only about half of the women voters said they had a favorable view of the thrice-married Gingrich as a person, while about eight in 10 had a positive opinion of Romney.
As in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, about half of Florida primary voters said the most important factor for them was backing a candidate who can defeat Obama in November, according to exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks.
Not surprisingly, in a state with an unemployment rate hovering around 10 percent, about two-thirds of voters said the economy was their top issue. More than eight in 10 said they were falling behind or just keeping up. And half said home foreclosures have been a major problem in their communities.
Those issues are also likely to drive voters in Nevada, the state with the highest unemployment rate.


text: DIY Pool Noodle Decor See the rest of the story at http://ift.tt/2sHNsmN Advertisements Share this:TwitterFacebookGoogleLike this:Like Loading... Related Author: Amy Luebbert Amy is an Interior designer. She has a spare, modern aesthetic with a warm soul. Her interiors showcase signature designs that are sophisticated, elegant and functional. View all posts by Amy Luebbert


text:
Why Japan's Selloff Is Wakeup Call for U.S. Investors
The U.S. stock market shrugged off Japan's selloff of 7.3% on Thursday. But the rout while most American investors were asleep is another wakeup call that a reckoning is looming once the Federal Reserve starts "tapering" in earnest. Photo: Associated Press.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the the ... stocks were the the this week to be a wake up call to the U S ... according to The Wall Street tell columnist Jason Zweig and to kill you me us and thus the Thanksgiving is a great to be here Simon ... what some may call him on the intelligent Asset homecoming acts of tomorrow ... aam ... why ... well ... you know a lot of people and explained to the fall in Japan on Thursday as having been due to fears over potentially rising interest rates and of course in Japan ... a rise in interest rates means up to make a one percent ... but then again it's not all that different from what it would mean here with a handle on it that they have two hundred percent of GDP debt ... rise in interest writes that would mean much most of its online that we weren't tested but when mom and dad it's a once in a way to go ... right it's a wakeup call sign in because it's a reminder that ... when interest rates to rise as sooner or later they have to ... and ... the damage can be ... sudden ... severe ... and surprising new a lot of people so every investor should take a moment and just go through your portfolio ... and say oh you know where are my potential vulnerabilities that the Fed has to take her as the word is to make a case of the vulnerabilities on from when you write ... comedy site heavily in debt to them and sometimes what I considered very safe stoppages ... on irony here yet less focus on utilities that are things that prevents the electricity ... to have a lot that's ... if interest rates go up ... to get killed right yet when you write absolutely I mean ... the best of the simplest way to look at it go back and look at what happened in nineteen ninety four ... you know that year the Fed raised interest rates five times you're awfully your purse and Janet Porter percent half total ... and utility stocks got absolutely hammered they lost over fifteen percent ... and something like that is likely happening and because utility stocks are really a proxy for ... long-term bond isn't everything interest rate sensitive to some extent and we still are you crying every pawn but you but really every on and on the site with us to stop the body of a pompous town ... stalks of ... the mass of that because we knew we knew we'd discount the future of ... dividends and all the stalks back to now and I don't just write that the more the discounting my didn't ... tell anyone hi Jason Wu I can highlight the wheel ... the one place I would not try to hide Simon is the place everybody's been hiding lately ... which is anything that has a new with so-called safety or income and a lot of people ... have bought stocks as if they were bonds ... they've gone down the bar high yield stocks they want ... to high dividend stocks a wide ... and utilities obviously low volatility stocks ... I'll be typically be the consumer staples of toothpaste and ... soap manufacturing Renault's is pretty much ... anything is if you are buying a stock ... because ... it has bond like quality ... which is what so many people it been doing really being issued expected to be a man of on like manner when interest rates go up and that's exactly what's likely an ... attempt ... would not use a terrifying thought ... says his wife ... intelligent Investor columnist in the Wall Street John all


text:
SILC Showcase
Showcase September 2012: Cross-Institutional Collaborations
- Details
- Category: Showcase
Share this article using our bitly.com url: http://bit.ly/1rP07Lf
Cross-Institutional Collaborations
Linsey A. Smith1, Corinne A. Holmes2, Neon Brooks3, Nora S. Newcombe (PI)2
1Northwestern University, 2Temple University, 3University of Chicago
Cross-institutional collaborations in the SILC network have helped many graduate students and post-doctoral fellows do productive cutting-edge collaborative science. How does that work? One big advantage is access to resources from other institutions, such as:
- ♦ Preexisting data sets
- ♦ Various subject pools
- ♦ Methodological materials
- ♦ Empirically tested spatial assessments
- ♦ Multiple PI, post-doc, & graduate student expertise
Ideas are generated through SILC's networking events, such as the inter-student exchanges, iSLC conventions, and the annual SILC retreat. With the inclusion of multiple labs, ideas become working projects and methodologies are refined. Furthermore, SILC members are not confined to their respective institutions' subject pools; child, undergraduate, and community data collection can occur concurrently at multiple SILC-affiliated institutions. Thus, the process of data collection is not only accelerated, but the subject pool is diversified.
So far, cross-institutional collaborations have taken three forms:
- Active collaborations
- Methodological collaborations
- Planned collaborations
Active collaborations are the most common (see map in Figure 1). Students, post-docs, and PI's are involved in every stage of project development and execution. In methodological collaborations, SILC members may reach out to one another for expertise in stimuli or assessment design. Planned collaborations are just that, planned! Before costly and time-consuming action is taken, SILC members will discuss various courses of action and their hypothesized outcomes.
All active, methodological, and planned cross-institutional collaborations are depicted in the map below (Figure 1). Project descriptions for active and methodological collaborations are detailed for projects 2, 5, 7, and 9, respectively. Each description, voiced by a graduate student collaborator, elucidates on the origin of the collaboration, the current stage of the project, and the student's role within the group. Each collaborator is an essential link in the research chain, yielding not only developments within the field, but relationships vital for collaborations in the future.
Below, a Temple University graduate student elaborates on his involvement in a methodological collaboration:
The collaboration with Northwestern has taken two forms. First, I have worked with Dedre Gentner and her lab to design the analogy/progressive alignment intervention used in the study. Second, I have worked with Matt Jacovina and David Rapp to design the outcome assessment we are using for both my experiment and an experiment they are conducting on contour maps.
~Steve Weisberg, 3rd year graduate student, Temple University
Figure 1. SILC cross-institutional and cross-SLC collaborations
Project Key:
- Rapid Learning in Children via Analogical Comparison. Dedre Gentner (SILC, NU); Susan C. Levine (SILC, UC); Sonica Dhillon (SILC, NU); Raedy Ping, Claire Bradley (SILC, UC); Ashley Poltermann, & Garrett Honke (SILC, NU).
- Structural Alignment in a Museum Learning Lab. Lauren Applebaum, Elizabet Spaepen, Susan Goldin-Meadow, Susan Levine (SILC, UC); & Dedre Gentner (SILC, NU).
- Sketch Worksheets. Maria Chang, Kenneth D. Forbus, Jeffrey Usher (SILC, NU), Basil Tikoff (SILC, UW-Madison), Bradley Sageman (SILC, NU).
- An analogical approach to teaching contour maps. Steven Weisberg (SILC, Temple); Dedre Gentner, David Rapp, & Matt Jacovina (SILC, NU).
- Development of a Mental Folding Assessment for Children. Justin Harris, Nora Newcombe (SILC, Temple); Raedy Ping, Susan Levine, & Joanna Schiffman (SILC, UC).
- Coordinating cross-sectioning efforts between Temple and UC. Kristin Gagnier (SILC, Temple); Raedy Ping, Chris Young (SILC, UC); & Kinnari Atit (SILC, Temple).
- Comparison and Contrast in Children's Acquisition of Shape Categories. Linsey Smith, Micah Goldwater (SILC, NU); Raedy Ping (SILC, UC), & Bryan Matlen (PSLC, Carnegie Mellon).
- Perceptions of effort and distance estimation. Matthew E. Jacovina, David N. Rapp (SILC, NU); Steven Weisberg, Thomas Shipley (SILC, Temple); & Carol Ormand (Carleton College).
- Representing Space: Exploring the Relationships between Gesturing, Sketching, and Geoscience Understanding in Children. Bryan Matlen (PSLC, Carnegie Mellon); Kinnari Atit (SILC, Temple); Tilbe Goksun (SILC, University of Pennsylvania); Martina Rau, & Maria Ptouchkina (PSLC, Carnegie Mellon).
- (Planned) Psychosocial Effects and Mechanisms of Spatial Training. David Miller, David Uttal (SILC, NU); & Sian Beilock (SILC, UC).
- (Planned) Children's Question Asking on Spatial and Non-Spatial Tasks. Jamie Jirout (SILC, Temple); Raedy Ping, & Susan Levine (SILC, UC).
- (Planned) Spatializing Science Curricula. Jamie Jirout (SILC, Temple); Chris Young, & Susan Levine (SILC, UC).
Detailed Project Descriptions
PROJECT 2: Structural Alignment in a Museum Learning Lab
- ♦ Affiliations: University of Chicago, Northwestern University
- ♦ Collaborators (University and Center): Lauren Applebaum, Elizabet Spaepen, Susan Goldin-Meadow, Susan Levine (SILC, UC); & Dedre Gentner (SILC, NU).
- ♦ Project start date: September 2009
In a study at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, IL, we used structural alignment to teach students in grades 3-6 about the importance of triangles for achieving stable structures. We did this in a classroom lab called City Science: Building Bridges, where classrooms of students learned about basic civil engineering principles in the context of building a bridge. During the course of the lab, students were able to build their own bridges out of construction materials called Uberstix.
In order to investigate the potential benefits of structural alignment, a museum staff member (facilitator) taught the students about the importance of triangles in strong bridges using one of two conditions: high-aligned or low-aligned. In both conditions the facilitator presented three components important to truss bridges (bridges made up of a series of triangles): a triangle, a square braced by a diagonal piece (forming a structure made up of two triangles), and a truss. In the high-aligned condition, the triangle was overlain on the braced square and both the triangle and the braced square were overlain on the truss. In the low-aligned condition, these alignments were not demonstrated. See Figure 2 for a schematic depiction of the two conditions.
Figure 2. Examples of the high-aligned and low-aligned conditions.
Preliminary results using logistic regression suggest that alignment may be beneficial during classroom instruction, particularly for students from low SES backgrounds. Overall, students in the high-aligned condition performed significantly better at posttest on the near transfer question, β = .69, p = .03, and marginally better on the far transfer question, β = .50, p = .09, even after controlling for pretest score, grade level, socioeconomic status, and gender. Because of the significant (near transfer) and marginally significant (far transfer) SES effect, we examined results for the two SES groups separately, and found that condition remained an important predictor for the low SES group (near transfer: β = .79, p = .03; far transfer: β = .63, p = .08), but not for the high SES group (near transfer: β = .49, p = .50; far transfer: β = .22, p = .67).
PROJECT 5: Development of a Mental Folding Assessment for Children
- ♦ Affiliations: Temple University, University of Chicago
- ♦ Collaborators (University and Center): Justin Harris, Nora Newcombe (SILC, Temple); Raedy Ping, Susan Levine, Joanna Schiffman (SILC, UC)
- ♦ Project start date: May 2011
Paper folding is a classic psychometric test, which has also been studied using the techniques of cognitive science. However, it has been difficult to chart its development because existing assessments are too difficult for young children. We are developing two downward extensions of paper folding tests. One utilizes colorful paper with different colors on the two sides to ensure comprehension of the test (focused on visualizing the folding). The other involves having children watch us fold a piece of paper and punch a hole in the folded paper and then asking them to select a picture of what the paper would look like when it is unfolded (focused on visualizing unfolding). See Figure 3 for sample assessment items. Both tests are multiple choice with four possible answer choices. A new version of the test, incorporating items from both is in development. These tools will enable us to study the development of the skill of working with the relation of 2D and 3D spatial representations. We will also collect data from other spatial tasks to see how paper folding assessment scores are related to performance on other spatial measures.
Figure 3. Sample Assessment Item from Children's Mental Folding Task
PROJECT 7: Comparison and contrast in children's acquisition of shape categories
- ♦ Affiliations: Northwestern University, University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon University
- ♦ Collaborators (University and Center): Linsey Smith, Micah Goldwater (SILC, NU); Raedy Ping (SILC, UC); & Bryan Matlen (PSLC, CMU)
- ♦ Project start date: February 2012
Early elementary national standards in mathematics emphasize that children learn the defining rules of geometric shapes such as 'triangles are three-sided, closed figures.' However, young children's representations of shape categories like triangles are often based on perceptual matches to typical exemplars (such as equilateral triangles), rather than based on the category's defining rules (Burger & Shaughnessy, 1986). Prior work within SILC demonstrates that children's developing shape categories are malleable and heavily influenced by pedagogical factors such as the type of instructional guidance offered and the variability of category exemplars (Fisher, 2011).
In this project, we build on prior research by exploring how the context in which exemplars are presented may influence category development. Specifically, we are investigating the unique contributions of comparison and contrast in young children's shape category acquisition. Existing work demonstrates that guided comparison of exemplars from an object category encourages children to move beyond perceptual similarities and use relational and functional properties more relevant for categorization (e.g., Namy & Clepper, 2010); however, the role of contrast as a basis for identifying category structure has received less empirical attention. In our first experiment, which is still in progress, three- and four-year olds engage in a training task where they are invited to either compare exemplars of triangles, or contrast an exemplar and a non-exemplar (Figure 4). Before and after training, children complete a triangle-sorting task (Satlow & Newcombe, 1998), so that changes in their category structures can be observed. Preliminary evidence demonstrates that both kinds of training improve overall categorization. Further, children who receive contrast training tend to be more conservative in their generalizations at post-test, whereas those who compare exemplars become more liberal in their categorization behavior. These tentative findings suggest that while both comparison and contrast are useful in category learning, comparison may facilitate category expansion whereas contrast may encourage category refinement.
- ♦ Fisher, K. R. (2011). Exploring the mechanisms of guided play in preschoolers' developing geometric shape concepts. (Doctoral Dissertation.) Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. (Accession Order No. AAT 3440076)
- ♦ Namy, L. L., & Clepper, L. (2010). The Differing Roles of Comparison and Contrast in Categorization. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 107, 291-305.
- ♦ Satlow, E., & Newcombe, N. (1998). When is a triangle not a triangle? Young children's conceptions of geometric shapes. Cognitive Development, 13, 547-559.
PROJECT 9: Representing space: Exploring the relationships between gesturing, sketching, and geoscience understanding in children
- ♦ Affiliations: Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University
- ♦ Collaborators (University and Center): Kinnari Atit (SILC, Temple); Tilbe Goksun (SILC, Penn); & Bryan Matlen, Martina Rau, Maria Ptouchkina (PSLC, CMU)
- ♦ Project start date: iSLC 2011 (March 2011)
Learning in the science domains (e.g., geoscience, chemistry, etc.) requires the ability to think spatially. Spatial representational tools, such as gesture, have been shown to ground students' understanding of spatial relationships. However, despite theoretical reasons to hypothesize a relation between the use of gesture and novices' science understanding, few studies provide strong empirical evidence linking these factors. The primary aim of this study was to explore whether the use of gesture was associated with children's understanding of spatially intensive geoscience concepts. In addition, we examined whether sketching – another spatial representational tool – was related to gesturing and geoscience understanding. Eight- to sixteen-year-old children (N = 27, M = 11.79 yrs) were provided instruction about the causal mechanisms of mountain and volcano formation (see Figure 5) and were then interviewed as a measure of comprehension. In addition, children were asked to sketch a dynamic geological scene. Analyses of children's responses to the interview questions revealed significant positive correlations between children's knowledge of geoscience concepts, their spontaneous production of iconic, content-relevant gestures, and the proportion of geological relations they sketched. These findings suggest that gesture may influence novices' thinking in spatially intensive STEM disciplines and that spatial representational tools - such as sketching and gesturing - may facilitate understanding of science concepts through similar mechanisms.