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How do I do a CLAMP analysis online?
If you are already familiar with the classic CLAMP procedure and have a completed scoresheet you can go straight to paragraph 3 below,
or if you are familiar with the online analysis procedure go straight to |
As with the 'classic' CLAMP analysis there are several stages to doing a CLAMP analysis online:
1) | After collecting the fossil sample for analysis you will have to divide your specimens up into morphotypes. In an ideal world these are equivalent to biological species but, as with all fossil material, this is an ideal rarely achieved. The criteria used for this taxonomic partitioning should include characters not used in the CLAMP analysis. In most cases venation characters should be used in addition to shape and margin features. It is not necessary to identify (i.e. name or establish relationships to published taxa) the morphotypes. At least 20 morphotypes of leaves of woody dicotyledonous plants are required for each fossil assemblage. Any less than this and the statistical uncertainties rise dramatically, so degrading the reliability of the results. | ||
2) | Next you will need to score your fossil leaf assemblage using the CLAMP criteria and character definitions. It is important that the scoring scheme is adhered to rigorously or the fossil score will not be compatible with the modern reference data sets. If you download the scoresheet you will be able to add your scores easily to the reference data sets prior to the analysis. With a little experience the scoring of each morphotype should take no more than 2-3 minutes. | ||
3) | To run the analysis select the combinations of calibration files from the dropdown menu given on the online analysis page.To access the online analysis page click the "Set up Analysis" button at the bottom of this page. There are several physiognomic calibration files available - Physg3arcAZ, Physg3brcAZ, PhysgAsia2 and PhysgGlobal378.Physg3arcAZ consists of physiognomic data from leaves collected from 173 modern day stands of vegetation growing in a variety of climates predominantly in North America and Japan. These have been collected in a comparable manner and all the reference material is in the form of dried herbarium type samples stored at the U.S. National Museum, Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C. (contact: Scott Wing). | ||
Each sample consists of leaves covering the full range of morphologies seen in the living vegetation at each calibration site. It is important that the full range of morphologies is represented in the sample and for this reason herbarium material collected for purposes other than CLAMP are rarely suitable.The Physg3brcAZ file consists of a subset of 144 sites from the Physg3arcAZ file, the difference being that the Physg3brcAZ file lacks sites that experience significant cold. The Physg3brcAZ file yields higher precision. It is recommended that you either use the spreadsheet available to help you decide which calibration file is most suitable for your sample, or that you first run your sample using the PhysgarcAZ calibration, see where your sample sits in physiognomic space relative to cold sites, and if it plots away from them it is safe to use the higher precision Physg3brcAZ calibration. | |||
There are two types of meteorological files to choose from. The data from the meterological stations associated with the calibration sites is contained in the MET3arcAZ and MET3brcAZ files. These record the climate close to, and affected by, the vegetation. The other option is to use gridded meteorological data (files called GRIDMET3arcAZ and GRIDMET3brcAZ). The data in these files are derived from globally gridded meteorological data (New et al., 1999) adjusted for elevation (Spicer et al., 2009) and are more representative of modern regional climates used in climate modelling. Which one you use is up to you, but you should always specify in any subsequent publication which calibration data sets, physiognomic and meteorological, that you have used in your analysis. The Asian and global physiognomic files have ony gridded climate data available for calibration. | |||
PhysgAsia2.csv is a data set made up of 177 sites. It is built upon Physg3brcAZ with the addition of 45 sites from China, plus sites from India and Thailand (Khan et al., 2014). This dataset is particularly useful for warm monsoonal climates. It is accompanied by a high resolution gridded meteorological data set HiResGRIDMetAsia2.csv. | |||
PhysgGlobal378.csv is the last data set currently available for online analysis. This is an experimental a global data set that, because it offers less precision than the other calibrations, should not be used for routine analyses. It can be used, however, to determine where a fossil site sits in physiognomic space and so indicated which calibration data set is most appropriate for a detailed analysis. It is accompanied by a high resolution gridded meteorological calibration file HiResGRIDMetGlobal378.csv.To download a file summarising the precision associated with each climate parameter prediction click here. | |||
4) | You then need to upload a file containing the scores of the samples you wish to analyse. For instructions on how to construct this file click here. This files should be saved as a .csv file giving it a single word name beginning with an alphabetical character. In Excel on a Mac you will be given a choice of 'MS-DOS" or 'Windows' .csv format. Use the 'MS-DOS' format. Note that this format demands a decimal point be denoted by a '.' (point) and the values separated by a ','(comma). Some regionalised versions of Excel may not generate this kind of file and you may need to use a text editor to configure the file correctly. Once configured in the correct .csv format either enter the pathway to this file in the dialogue box or, more simply, use the browse button to identify and attach the file. Click here to download a zipped example file (Fossils.csv) that you can run as a test. | ||
5) | You now have the option to select colour or greyscale output and if you want the data points labelled or not. The default option is without labels. This is useful for publication when you may want to add your own form of labelling. The labelled versions can get very 'busy' with labels overlapping but you will need this form of output to properly interpret your results. | ||
6) | You are now ready to run your analysis. To do this simply click on the "Analyse" button on the online analysis page. Your results will be stored in a file that will appear on the online analysis page. Click on the results file to download it. | ||
When downloading these files please be patient. Sometimes for complex analyses, or on slow links, it can take a little while to return the results. To see an example of a results page and how to interpret it click here. | |||
Please note that you should check the position of your fossil sites in physiognomic space. If your fossil site resides outside of the physiognomic space occupied by the calibration sites your result will have higher uncertainties that those given and may not be reliable.


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Contrary to what some may think, leaving my job wasn't an easy decision. I wasn't exactly rejoicing in triumph. I left with a heavy heart.
But I walked out knowing I have done my best, and accepted that there are times when one has to admit defeat & this is one of them. Some things are just not within my field or control to change.
Anyhow, when things gets low, desserts are the way to go. (Eh, it rhythms!! )
I have heard of how Empire Shopping Gallery has become THE place for desserts, which is true, considering the amount of eateries here that specialised in sweets & pretty pastries.
This time round I decided to check out The Vanilla Place.
Macarons are the craze these days & The Vanilla Place offers the options of cute, pocket -friendly one at a mere RM1.50.
Or for a better – sized bite, the RM2.50 ones are value for money.
Even the big ones like these are priced at only RM4.50!
Tastewise? Well, I'm not a fan of macarons but my friend said it was alright. It looked the part though; the skirtings at the side, smooth domed top & ruffled circumference.
I was more interested in the actual cakes, and my Carrot Cake, RM8.80+ was a nice-sized portion for the price. There was plenty of carrots & walnuts, with a hint of cinnamon (but not much to the point it was overpowering) & moist enough to recommend.
Another comfort food that works for me is milkshakes, and my Strawberry milkshake (RM9.80+) was light & frothy, in contrast with the usual thick & creamy ones we get here, but I'm not complaining, as I do like mine not too cloyingly rich. The other milkshake – the Passionfruit, however received less than stellar reviews from its owner, who said it tasted "weird" to him; whatever that means. In the first place, I thought passionfruit & milk wasn't a good match anyways.
It's good to have happy-go-lucky friends, such as this one who ordered the Pavlova, (RM8.80+). He was kept amused with our stories & misadventures with a certain individual, & threw in a bit of his well-meaning but useless advice every now & then.
Men, one should never rely on them for comforting words or emotional support.
Thankfully his choice of dessert was much better than his words of advice, for this Pav was delightful enough; light, non-overly saccharine sweet meringue with lovely fresh cream.
Another female friend gorged on Coffee Cheesecake (RM8.80+), another passable cake here. The texture wasn't too dense (unlike someone we were gossiping about) & the faint flavour of coffee came from the coffee infused sponge embedded within the cake.
Emotions were slightly elevated after some desserts, and we walked away pleased enough; having had a good session of friendship & laughter.
Desserts were overall good. Prices are definitely reasonable. I would be back for their savoury mains.
Total RM52.80
10% tax – RM58.10.
The Vanilla Place, Empire Shopping Gallery.
03 – 50222198

subset: commoncrawl


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There are not 100 people who hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be. – Archbishop Fulton Sheen
If you want to know what Catholics believe, look in these three sources: The Credo, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, and The Vatican II documentss. A fourth source would be the writings of the early Church Fathers who were the disciples of the first apostles.
What! You might say. Don't Catholics believe in the Bible? Well, yes. Not only do Catholics believe in the Bible, they created it. All Christian denominations base their belief system on the Bible. The difference is in interpreting what the Bible says. Catholics have a much longer history of studying the Bible and discussing its meaning. The original Bible, upon which they base all other Bibles, was originally written in Greek, later translated into Latin and then into local languages. Because every language has words and nuances other languages do not have, a literal translation of the Bible is not possible. Also, the meanings of words change with each translation.
Take, for example, Jn 21:15-19
In this passage, Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love me?" Jesus repeats his question three times. Most people scratch their heads at the repetition, others interpret it to having parallel meaning with Peter denying Jesus three times. What English translations cannot do is translate the three Greek meanings of the word "love" in the original document. So, we miss the nuance of the word "love."
In addition, the Bible is a Jewish document, based upon Jewish culture and thought. Since cultures differ, it is difficult to translate a cultural meaning from one culture to another. Also, the Bible was written thousands of years ago and is immersed in the history of the time and place. So, scholars have tried to tease out the meaning of passages for hundreds of years.
The Credo or the Nicene Creed
The Credo (Latin for "I believe") is a condensation of basic Christian principles. The Credo was written at the first council of Nicaea (325 AD), the same council that decided which written Gospels and Epistles would form the canon of a new testament. Together with the Jewish Bible, the old and new testaments formed the Christian Bible. The traditional Credo is recited by the priest and that faithful at every Catholic Mass.
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him, all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Many websites provide a wide range of information on religious beliefs. Google is a useful search engine for finding information about the Catholic church, but it does not discriminate between Catholic and non-Catholic authors, nor does it provide any information on accuracy. Many people rely on Wikipedia for basic information, not realizing that there are Catholic websites offering information on Catholicism as well—resources such as New Advent, the Vatican files and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
What many people do not know is that there is a book called The Catechism of the Catholic Church which explains Catholic belief systems and where they came from. It is a reference book, not a novel. Anyone who wishes to know what Catholics believe about their faith, this should be the first source for reference. Not only are the beliefs specified, it ties them to both the Old and New Testaments, the Early Fathers of the Church, and the commentaries of other Biblical scholars. When an article claims to disagree with Catholic teaching, look for a reference to the Catechism to see if they base the criticism upon belief or fact.
Ignorance of Catholic teaching is unnecessary. The Catechism of the Catholic Church answers questions.
Vatican II Documents
Vatican II was the most recent council of the Catholic Church, bringing together Bishops from all over the world to hammer out what is necessary, what is not and what is important for Catholics of all walks of life. The resulting documents, pulled together into one book, are the work of men from distinct cultures, languages, and histories in relation to Catholicism. It is their combined thought on issues that forms the basis of this book. The Vatican II documents, therefore, do not reflect a predominantly European thought process. Instead, it brings a trans-national/trans-cultural explanation to basic tenets of the faith.
I wonder if Bishop Sheen's quote could be translated as, "there are many who dislike the Vatican II papers without reading them, and fewer who have read them and disliked them." Since the papers deal with different issues, it would be hard to dislike them all as a blanket condemnation. But people do. In fact, they have blamed Vatican II for all the changes in the church that they don't like. They mention no changes they like. Over-generalizations about the Vatican II council and its subsequent documents is as bad as over-generalizations about anything else. It is an example of 'throwing out the baby with the bathwater.'
Every church council has had its dissenters. People find it hard to accept change. But the bishops formed each council to review policies and explain what has or has not been changed. Just as the first council at Nicaea had to deal with the heresy of Arianism, and what was to be the canon of the Bible, so all other councils were used to reform the church. It has never changed the basic theology. It is the practices based upon the theology that has changed.
Once again, when criticizing Vatican II, it is always helpful to specify which document is being criticized, rather than condemning all the papers.
It is no longer rational to criticize the church based upon ignorance of what the Catholic Church teaches and believes. These three resources alone explain Catholic teaching and belief.


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Mild-mannered bistro by day, eclectic freak-land at night: memories of an Australian music venue
Publication Details
Gallan, B. & Gibson, C. (2013). Mild-mannered bistro by day, eclectic freak-land at night: memories of an Australian music venue. Journal of Australian Studies, 37 (2), 174-193.
This article is about a pub that is also a live music venue: the Oxford Tavern in Wollongong. It tells the story of the alternative live music scene that existed there for twenty years before the venue closed in 2010. More than this, it makes an argument for vernacular cultural histories of subcultural places within Australian cities, taking seriously the forgotten venues where marginal social groups find meaning and community. Resonating are more universal themes in Australian cultural life: accommodating difference, a space for expression of otherness, and the importance of music and of a venue in shaping a time and place of life transition from youth to adulthood. We explore the peculiar character of the live music pub as quintessential Australian cultural


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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
For more information check out their features page.
I have no idea why I'm actually still doing these lists, since I generally never read more than two of the books I put on them. Oh well, at least its fun! I'm planning on reading quite a lot of novels that suggest cold in one way or another…
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
[dt. Dash & Lilys Winterwunder]Apparently, this is the ultimate Christmas read – and gosh, I haven't read it yet! It's been at the back of my mind for years now, but since contemporary fiction is not my first priority, I totally forgot about it. Since my favourite reading circle on Goodreads chose this novel as our December read, I decided that this was my chance to change this.
Seelenkuss by Lynn Raven
[LT: Soul Kiss]Lynn Raven is one of my favourite authors and I love her high-fantasy fiction to pieces. So when I heard that there would be a new novel out in December, I totally freaked. I so cannot wait to read it!
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
For me, The Beauty and the Beast is a winter tale – probably because of the Disney film I adore so much. So what better time to read this retelling, especially when it comes out in January?
Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3) by Marissa Meyer
I'm going to start it the very second it ends up in my mail! I love the series so much!
Der goldene Kompass (His Dark Materials, #1) by Philip Pullman
[OT: Northern Lights (His Dark Materials, #1) aka The Golden Compass]His Dark Materials is one of the 64 series in which I'm stuck. I think I've read The Golden Compass at least three times already and the second one once but never came around to read the last one. I really want to change that and I'm hoping to read them back to back – and what better time to do this than winter?
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
I just decided that this would make a great winter read probably because of the cover and the title, which just suggest a creepy and icy cold in whichever sense you like to interpret it.
The Diviners (The Diviners, #1) by Libba Bray
It's been far too long on my TBR pile and when I look at this big fat hardcover, all I want to do is snuggle up in bed with a nice cup of tea to snowflakes dancing outside while I'm reading myself away to the streets of New York.
Perfekte Schwestern (Sharp North, #1-2) by Patrick Cave
[OT: Sharp North (Sharp North, #1) & Blown Away (Sharp North, #2)]This has been on my TBR pile ever since it was published in 2009. It's a dystopian novel, probably the first one I ever owned. Apparently, the story starts with a murder in the snow, so I decided I should finally read it this winter.
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
If I say I heard good things about Ruta Sepetys' novels, it's probably the understatement of the century. All my readingrat friends are recommending the novels, but I wasn't sure whether they would be my cup of tea. However, when I was offered a free copy of this novel from Penguin at the Frankfurt Bookfair (thanks again), I had to take it. And since it's setting and time is quite frosty, I decided to read it this winter.
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
So it's been a couple of months since Code Name Verity, not enough to fully recover from the heartbreaks and utter perfection, but I think it's time to move on to the next hopefully equally amazing novel. Just reading the blurb suggests that I'm going to cry my eyes out again, but that's just how I love my novels …


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Look at other dictionaries:
Immediateness — Im*me di*ate*ness, n. The quality or relations of being immediate in manner, place, or time; exemption from second or interventing causes. Bp. Hall. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
immediateness — index dispatch (promptness) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
immediateness — noun Date: 1633 immediacy 1 … New Collegiate Dictionary
immediateness — noun the state of being immediate; immediacy … Wiktionary
immediateness — n. quality of being immediate; quality of being present; directness; closeness … English contemporary dictionary
immediateness — im·me·di·ate·ness … English syllables
immediateness — noun 1. lack of an intervening or mediating agency the immediacy of television coverage • Syn: ↑immediacy • Ant: ↑mediacy (for: ↑immediacy) • Derivationally related forms: ↑ … Useful english dictionary
immediate — immediateness, n. /i mee dee it/, adj. 1. occurring or accomplished without delay; instant: an immediate reply. 2. following or preceding without a lapse of time: the immediate future. 3. having no object or space intervening; nearest or next: in … Universalium
immediacy — noun 1. lack of an intervening or mediating agency (Freq. 6) the immediacy of television coverage • Syn: ↑immediateness • Ant: ↑mediacy • Derivationally related forms: ↑immediate … Useful english dictionary
instantaneousness — noun the quickness of action or occurrence the immediacy of their response the instancy of modern communication • Syn: ↑immediacy, ↑immediateness, ↑instancy • Derivationally related forms: ↑instant ( … Useful english dictionary


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Nintendo Switch
Reviewed By: Tyler Higgs
Developed By: Ground Shatter
Published By: Rising Star Games
Category: Action, First Person, Arcade
Release Date: March 14, 2019
Have you been be looking for the chance to recreate the old cop movies you use to love? Looking to pair up with a friend for some crime busting action. Well then grab your friend and get together, for this review of the buddy cop action game developed by Ground Shatter.
RICO plays as a first person shooter with bullet time elements. When you launch the game you'll have a few different options available for you. You have single player, local 2 player co-op, and online 2 player. So there's plenty of ways to play RICO.
Each level in RICO is procedurally generated, and while environments may look the same, no two levels are completely identical in their layout. Your goal in each level is usually to clear the building, or find all the evidence. Along the way, if you start running out of bullets, or need some health you can find ammunition, and health packs which I guaranteed you'll want to take advantage of.
Some levels may have the added goal of defusing bombs in a certain amount of time. I think these side tasks like defusing bombs is where RICO went wrong with the gameplay design because they don't really add variety they just add-on stress. It would have been nice to have some different elements of gameplay to change things up.
When you start a new level you will begin at the starting point, that will also be your inevitable escape when the missions finished. You'll go through the environment busting down doors, and when this happens, you go into bullet time mode for a short time. For those who aren't familiar with bullet time mode, it's when time goes very slow allowing you to make more precision shots. It's a fun mechanic that lends itself well to an FPS like this that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Guns aren't the only weapon in your arsenal. No, in fact you carry a police baton that's used as a melee weapon by clicking in the right stick. The baton is very strong, and great for handing one person or a group of criminals that are unarmed. Furthermore, you have access to a slide option that you can actually use to take out enemies as well. Sliding into enemies and taking them down is great fun and really displays some of the games character.
The controls could use some work, as I found them kind of wonky and hard to aim. Luckily, there is the option to change your sensitivity, but the controls generally don't feel as smooth as I would have liked.
Once you've gone through some levels, and utilized your arsenal of skills you'll realize the gameplay gets old pretty quick. It's really fun the first time you break down a door, and bust a couple of gang members. However, everything stays the same and doesn't change that much from start to finish. You can only slide tackle, and shoot people so much doing the same mission types until it starts to grow really tiresome.
RICO offers a few different types of game modes to try, and keep players engaged. Quick match lets you load up a level, and dive straight into the action. There's also a wave based survival mode called Lockdown, that's kind of reminiscent of the old "Spec Ops" from Call of Duty. I didn't find Lockdown mode very fun, and found it lacked the fundamentals that other games have. It felt really generic, and the already repetitive gameplay didn't help that.
Then you have case mode, which is all about going through multiple levels and taking out lieutenants before you get to the boss. I think it's really neat that you have access to a new case every time, but unfortunately it suffers from the same repetitive gameplay as the rest of the game. Case mode, simply scales the difficulty of each mission to start you off easy and get exceedingly more difficult. For those looking for a challenge right away, you're given the option to select from three difficulties easy, medium, and hard.
One thing case mode does implement to differentiate itself from the other modes is the merit system. During a mission you have your optional objectives and completing them will award you merit. You can spend these merit points to unlock new weapons, Grenades, and attachments.
If you're looking for more progression elements, RICO does offer a level up system that unlocks traits. Traits give you enhanced abilities and improve your performance. I love seeing progression systems in games, and RICO does a decent job making you feel like you are progressing. It would have been cool to have a few more cosmetics like costumes. There are also weapon skins that you can receive by completing daily challenges.
RICO provides an alright single-player experience, but its main draw is playing it with a friend. Co-op mode provides the similar experience with the added bonus of being able to bust criminals together. Everything stays pretty much the same in co-op besides the bullet time events are triggered only if both players go into a room together.
It honestly just feels more enjoyable to play RICO with a buddy. It's funny and the gameplay is so ridiculous that having a friend gives you someone to enjoy it with. I had the chance to play the co-op with two of my best friends, and it was definitely more fun coordinating tactics with the two of them. Although, there is more entertainment value in co-op after a while, it still starts to become tedious. It started out as an alright experience, but it didn't take too long for us to wish there was just a bit more to keep things interesting.
The visuals are really a hit or miss depending on the person. I do like the cel-shaded graphics, as it's a very unique visual style for the genre. It brightens up the character models and adds some needed color to the levels. Unfortunately the environments look bland, with uninteresting designs and blurry textures. There are pros and cons to the visual style, but I respect what the developers were going for by using it.
I didn't run into huge technical issues during my time with RICO. There were some pop-ins with the textures that were rough, but I could get through that. My main problem was during local where I had problems with the frame rate. It wasn't all the time, but any crowded rooms usually caused the game to stutter. I didn't get the chance to play online, only locally so I can't say for sure if the problem exists in online play.
Overall I'm happy to see an FPS like RICO make its way to the Switch, and I hope it encourages other developers to bring their FPS titles to the Switch as well. I did have some fun with RICO, however I could never shake the feeling of monotony that would eventually set in every time I picked it up to play. With a bit more variety in gameplay, and a few technical fixes, I think RICO could become something really special. For now though it's competent and your mileage with it may vary.
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Managements of a multiplying number of cool alternative schools take a broader view of education than mere academic excellence and are providing a varied mix of experiential and life skills learning, cognitive development, environment awareness and co-curricular and sports education – Summiya Yasmeen
Within India's 60 million upwardly mobile middle class households which have some idea of the giant leaps in digital technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics as also of the high incidence of substance use, violent crimes and breakdown of family values in developed Western democracies, there's growing disquiet about the contemporaneity, quality and direction of K-12 education being dispensed in the country's schools. While the great majority of parents passively accept the archaic pedagogies, syllabuses and curriculums of the country's 34 examination boards prescribed to 1.20 million government and 320,000 private schools, a small but discerning minority within the middle class is becoming aware that hapless and vulnerable children even in top-ranked schools are trapped in a high-stress daily round of mugging texts, top-up tutorials and perpetual fear of achieving the high admission cut-offs routinely demanded by the nation's too-few top-ranked undergraduate colleges and u niversities. Within 21st century India's pressure-cooker education system, a school/college student commits suicide every hour, according to latest National Crime Records Bureau data.
Fortunately, for the growing minority of parents dissatisfied with drill-and-skill schooling, child-sensitive new-age schools are springing up across the country offering alternatives to oppressive mainstream education. The managements of a rising number of cool alternative schools take a broader view of education than mere academic excellence which translates into subjects-centred accumulation of facts and information, and continuous testing, and are providing a varied mix of experiential and life skills learning, cognitive development, environment awareness and co-curricular and sports education.
"Alternative education is an organic and constantly evolving approach to learning. It makes the child the centre and focus of learning, using a variety of methods and strategies. It is not rote learning and it does not treat children as empty vessels to be filled with knowledge. It is an alternative to priority given solely and exclusively to passing examinations, to achieving results and ranking, to preparing children to 'make it' in today's world using conventional yardsticks of success… In summary, alternative education philosophy endeavours to fit the process of learning to the child's inclinations, interests and abilities," writes Sarojini Vittachi, an alum of the London School of Economics, former Unicef executive and author of Alternative Schooling in India (Sage Publications, 2007).
Unsurprisingly over the past decade since the book was published, the number of alternative schools has multiplied with several educationists and edupreneurs with reformist ideas stepping forward to provide over-stressed children alternatives to the one-size-fits-all education system. "The alternative education space has become more diversified, more available and popular with parents. This is because of the growing disillusionment with mainstream schools which are doing too little to break away from rote learning, competition and exams testing. As we move towards an uncertain future, parents are realising that life skills will be the game-changers of the 21st century. Also the success of pioneer alternative schools such as Rishi Valley and their alumni has emboldened parents to experiment with their children's education. They are beginning to see great value in alternative schools which are equipping children for success in life, not merely careers," says Indira Vijaysimha, an alumna of the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore and professor of education at Azim Premji University, and also the founder-trustee of Poorna Learning Centre, Bangalore, an alternative school promoted by her in 1993, which currently has an enrolment of 150 students.
Certainly some of the country's pioneer alternative schools such as the Rishi Valley School, Chittoor (RVS, estb. 1926) and The Valley School, Bangalore (1978) — promoted to teach according to the precepts and practices of education visionary Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986) — have captured the imagination of the influential upper middle class. In the pioneer EducationWorld India School Rankings league tables which annually rate and rank the nation's Top 1,000 schools in three major (day, boarding and international) and 14 sub-categories (co-ed, all-boys, girls, day-cum-boarding etc), SEC (socio-economic category) 'A' sample respondents (parents, teachers, senior students) routinely vote RVS — established by Krishnamurti almost a century ago — as #1 in the category of co-ed boarding schools. Likewise, the Bangalore-based Valley School promoted by the Krishnamurti Foundation of India, is continuously voted among the country's top 5 co-ed day schools (see EW September 2017 in www.educationworld.in archives).
If we focus very much on examinations, on making the child clever, proficient in acquiring knowledge, then the child will grow into a one-sided human being… To make a child a worthwhile human being, schools should focus on developing in a child the right feeling for beauty, a response to nature, to music and art, a highly developed aesthetic sense," said Krishnamurti in one of his public discourses on the purpose of education.
Although in the early decades after independence, the country's legacy boarding schools such as Doon, Bishop Cotton (Shimla and Bangalore), St. Paul's and St. Joseph's, Darjeeling, Sherwood, Nainital, Woodstock, Mussoorie and Kodaikanal International remained the preferred choice of SEC 'A' households, Krishnamurti's ideas on alternative education struck a chord within some educationists and teachers who constituted the Rishi Valley Trust in 1928 (re-christened the Krishnamurti Foundation India in 1970) with a mandate to promote alternative schools on the RVS model in different parts of the country. Today, KFI supervises six schools countrywide with a modest aggregate enrollment of 1,500 students mentored by 300 teachers.
Affiliated with the Delhi-based Council of the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), they are all highly ranked in the annual EducationWorld India School Rankings with RVS consistently ranked India's #1 co-ed boarding school for a record six years (2011-2017) with the exception of 2014 when it was ranked #2. Contradicting the popular belief that liberal education results in low board exam scores, RVS is regularly numbered among the Top 10 CISCE-affiliated schools in class X and XII exam average scores.
Set in nature-friendly campuses, KFI schools lack the shiny trappings of upscale boarding and international schools — excellent architecture, manicured lawns and gardens, snappy uniforms, drills, brass bands etc — and are committed to vegetarianism. Dormitories are spartan, but KFI schools are big on co-curricular education — dance, music, fine arts, theatre, and particularly ecology and environment education.
"Guided by the teachings of J. Krishnamurti, KFI schools provide environments in which children can realise their full potential, develop a global outlook, love of nature and learn without the pressure of crude competition. All our six KFI schools have excellent national reputations with a very high ratio of applications to annual intake. Our alumni are doing exceedingly well in their chosen professions around the world. This education philosophy which focuses on children's wholesome development on nature-friendly campuses without diluting academic standards, should be mainstreamed so every child can realise her true potential," says S.P. Kandaswamy, the Chennai-based secretary of the Krishnamurti Foundation India, who adds that the Brockwood Park School, UK, run by the Krishnamurti Foundation Trust, England and Oak Grove School, USA of the Krishnamurti Foundation of America are also "doing very well".
Krishnamurti's liberal holistic education philosophy has inspired the promotion of several alternative schools including the Centre for Learning, Bangalore (estb. 1990), Walden's Path School, Hyderabad (2014), and Shibumi School, Bangalore (2008) among others (see box p.47). Moreover, during the past two decades as a response to market demand, several schools inspired by other alternative education philosophers have struck root in India. The most popular of the foreign gurus is Austrian philosopher and social reformer Rudolph Steiner (1862-1925).
Before Krishnamurti, Steiner stressed the importance of providing children intellectual, practical and artistic education in non-stressful environments. Popularly known as Waldorf education (the first school based upon Steiner's ideas was promoted in 1919 by Emil Molt, the owner of the Waldorf-Astoria Cigarette Company in Stuttgart, Germany, hence the name Waldorf). Steiner's theory of child development divides childhood into three developmental stages and prescribes child-friendly curriculums for each stage. For instance in Waldorf schools, early childhood curriculums focus on hands-on activities and creative play; elementary curriculums develop artistic expression and socialisation life skills and in secondary education, the emphasis is on developing students' critical thinking, reasoning and empathy skills. Currently, there are over 1,000 Waldorf schools worldwide.
The Summerhill experiment
Every alternative or new age education institution worldwide has to a greater or less degree been inspired or influenced by the Summerhill School founded by educationist A.S. Neill in Suffolk (UK), in 1921. Promoted as a unique, progressive, co-education residential school, the prime objective of Summerhill was — and continues to be — "free from fear" schooling. Today, Summerhill which has a modest enrolment of 75 students, is managed by Neill's daughter Zoe Readhead. The two distinctive features of the K-12 Summerhill, which were considered utopianly radical, were that classes would be optional, and its weekly meeting in which the school's administrative rules and regulations were made and amended by a democratic assembly of faculty and students. Even to this day, these two foundational principles of Summerhill School haven't been accepted by educationists anywhere in the world. However since it was founded in 1921, the school has had a chequered history. Promoted at a time when British-style public school education was widely respected around the world, Summerhill created a storm of controversy and widespread apprehension that it would encourage anarchy in education. The consensus among educationists was that given the option, few children would voluntarily attend classes. Consequently, Summerhill never captured the popular imagination and was dismissed as a parking lot for the children of aristocratic left-wing intellectuals and social rebels. Neill continued to run the school which attracted a large number of children of the rich and famous from overseas (particularly Japan), until his death in 1973. Subsequently, his wife Ena took charge until her retirement in 1985 when their daughter Zoe, the current headteacher, took over. In 2000, the British government's department of education and employment issued a closure order against Summerhill following inspectors' reports of inadequate tuition and assessment. However, the school won an appeal against the closure order before the Independent Schools Tribunal forcing then education secretary David Blunkett to formally accept the right of children to skip classes. Under a new agreement with Britain's Office for Standards in Education, education inspectors continue to monitor Summerhill to ensure that agreed terms and conditions are implemented. According to Readhead, Summerhill is now the most legally protected school in the country, with a unique inspection process which respects children's opinions. |
The first Waldorf school in India — Sloka — The Hyderabad Waldorf School — was promoted in 1997 by Nirmala Diaz, a parent frustrated with the "limitations of conventional schooling". Currently, this K-10 CBSE-affiliated school has 625 students mentored by 60 teachers on its muster rolls.
"Steiner/Waldorf education, which celebrates its centenary next year, is one of the world's fastest growing education philosophies. We deliver child-centric, age-appropriate experiential learning with the objective of nurturing children's self-esteem and confidence. In Sloka, there are no textbooks for classes I-VIII with children learning freely and joyously in class. Rhythm, repetition and recall are the 3 Rs of Waldorf learning with academic instruction delivered through storytelling, visual arts, drama, movement, vocal and instrumental music, and crafts. Handwork skills such as sewing and knitting, woodwork, music and dance, games and gymnastics are also integral to the curriculum. Moreover, in Sloka we have indigenised the curriculum, but we regularly host Waldorf master trainers from Switzerland, Germany, USA and Norway to train our teachers. The liberal, child-friendly Waldorf pedagogy we have adopted has improved learning outcomes. Children score well above average in the class X CBSE board exams and are admitted into the best universities in India and abroad," says Diaz, an alumna of the Stella Maris College, Chennai, former advertising professional and founder-trustee of Sloka.
Over the past two decades, 29 Waldorf schools have been established in India. Among them is the Inodai Waldorf School, Mumbai, established in 2011 by the Education for Emancipation Trust. According to Bindu Chowdary, founder-trustee of this K-VII school which has 270 students and 32 teachers on its muster rolls, the prime motivation for starting the school was "deep dissatisfaction with an outdated system of education suited for creating clerks".
"In my opinion, the purpose of education is not merely to prepare children for employment, but to create love for lifelong learning in them, enabling them to live meaningful lives. In the Waldorf school system, head, heart and hands are nourished at appropriate ages in non-stressful learning environments. The unique feature of our schools is that teachers who begin teaching in class I continue to nurture and mentor their pupils' intellectual and spiritual growth until they complete primary education, i.e, until class VIII. In secondary school, each class has a guardian teacher with experts brought in to teach specialised subjects such as nature studies, music, hand, clay and wood work, sewing, metal and stonework. In the process of learning this combination of subjects, children develop social and cultural life skills and other capabilities needed to live successful and happy lives. If we want to create a happy, healthy and humane society, schooling in India has to be lifted out of the rut of exams-focused education," says Chowdary, an alumna of Mumbai University and former principal of MPSP Singh College, Mumbai and facilitator at the Centre for Steiner Education & Teacher Training, Mumbai.
Refreshingly, India's latter-day deep-thinking educators tend to be innovators who study offshore education philosophies and pedagogies and not only adapt them to Indian conditions but improve upon them. A case in point is the husband-wife duo of Santhya Vikram and Vikram C. J. who promoted the Yellow Train School (YTS, estb.2008) down south on the periphery of the textile city of Coimbatore (pop. 1.6 million).
YTS is affiliated with Edexcel, Britain's largest school examinations board, and offers a unique curriculum drawn from Waldorf and the education philosophies and practices of Rabindranath Tagore and Shri Aurobindo. Sited on a 33 acre organic farm, the school's natural campus offers a rich learning environment distinguished by green fields, peacocks, cattle, sheep and other farm animals. The unique school building designed by Biome Environment Solutions, Bangalore, features spacious, natural light classrooms, slides running from the upper floor balconies to lower floors, ramps and tunnels and an amphitheatre. Arrangements to transform two Indian Railway carriages to house a library which will be open to residents of Coimbatore, are nearing completion.
"YTS is inspired by Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window, an autobiographical memoir of Japanese educationist Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, which recounts the transformative education he received in a school operating within several abandoned railway carriages during World War II. Throughout a 15-year career in industry, I sustained a dream of building a school where children could learn and grow without stressful competition and fear of failure. YTS is the realisation of that dream. Our children learn joyfully amid verdant fields, orchards and coconut groves, and learn to read and write through fairy tales. Math and science is learned by way of games and activities supervised by teachers intensively trained in Waldorf pedagogy. Though we don't conduct formal exams until class V, learning outcomes are important. Senior school students follow the rigorous and well-designed syllabus of Edexcel setting their own learning attainment goals together with teachers to cover their portions. Moreover we are an inclusive school with 20 percent of our students comprising children with special needs," says Santhya Vikram, an alumna of Bharathiar University and Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship, Bangalore, who co-promoted YTS in 2008 after a 15-year stint in the corporate world (ICICI Bank).
In this context, it is pertinent to note that a distinguishing characteristic of the country's new-age alternative schools is that they aren't enamoured with IT-enabled primary-secondary education and the Internet revolution. Although computers with multimedia-enabled gizmos are visible in classrooms, and excellent lectures and virtual classrooms are accessed through the Internet, the unique selling proposition of alternative schools is experiential learning in salubrious nature-friendly environments.
A few more adventurous and child-friendly educationists are venturing beyond the radicalism of KFI and Waldorf schools. They believe the managements of these schools aren't fully independent as they are affiliated with Indian and foreign examination boards and as such, obliged to follow their prescribed syllabuses and to teach for board examinations, thereby preventing children to learn subjects of their choice and at their own pace. Therefore, they have ventured beyond the alternative system, consciously refraining from affiliating with any indigenous or offshore exam boards.
For instance, the class I-X Abheek Academy, Bangalore (estb.2014) is not affiliated with any examination board, Indian or foreign. "Mainstream school education is based on the factory model with students learning the same things collectively and following onerous syllabuses prescribed by government-inspired education bureaucrats. In Abheek, our prime objective is to provide experiential learning spaces and frameworks for children to realise their optimum potential in an atmosphere of freedom and responsibility. We give children a say in what and how they learn, with educators devising innovative games and mixed age group co-operative learning activities. The focus is on nurturing the individuality and socio-emotional development of children," says M.S. Indraa Raju, founder of Abheek which currently has 25 students and eight parent educators/volunteers. "The learning centre will shortly be relocated in a 1.2-acre campus in Gottigere which can accommodate more children and adults, and provide space for playful learning-by-doing such as organic farming," adds Raju.
Likewise, the promoter-managers of BeMe School, Bangalore (estb. 2014) don't want the school to be "tied to the apron strings" of any examination board and/or syllabus. Tucked away in a leafy bungalow in east Bangalore, the 6,000 sq.ft two-storied school building is shaded by a canopy of mango and banyan trees. Classrooms with benches and desks are conspicuously missing and children learn in activity centres, a well-equipped carpentry workshop, library with 800 books, computer centre that every student can access for two half-hour sessions per day, chemistry lab, sewing room, and sand pit. Nevertheless, the six students set to write the NIOS and IGCSE class X exam this year as private candidates are confident they will do well.
"We have learned at our own pace and have been tested at our own request. Therefore, it's a joy to anticipate the challenge and write exams. We are pretty sure we will perform well," says Astha Bhatt, a 15-year-old student of the school.
Prakash Gudnavar, co-founder of BeMe, says the school's philosophy is to stimulate self-directed learning. "What, how, how much and with whom to learn, is left to students. Contrary to popular belief, children love to learn and acquire knowledge. Our role as teachers is to help them access learning resources, provide help and guidance if required. We regard our campus as an incubation space for independent learners who specialise voluntarily and naturally," says Gudnavar, an alum of NIT, Suratkal who worked as a software engineer for 15 years with several multinational companies. Inspired by Aarohi Life Education, an alternative education centre in Hosur (Tamil Nadu) which his daughters attended, he promoted BeMe, which currently has 63 students aged 3-15 years facilitated by nine mentors on its muster rolls.
Some alternative schools in India
KARNATAKA Prakriya Green Wisdom School, Bangalore. Estb. 1999. Provides experiential, activity and enquiry-based learning. Affiliated with the Delhi-based Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE). (prakriyaschool.com) Shibumi, Bangalore. Estb. 2009. Inspired by philosopher-seer J. Krishnamurti. School-leaving students write Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE), UK's class X IGCSE and class XII A level exams as private candidates. (www.shibumi.org.in) Poorna Learning Centre, Bangalore. Founded as a home-schooling centre in 1993. Follows mixed age group, inter-disciplinary pedagogies. Students write the NIOS/IGCSE exams. (www.poorna.in) Abheek Academy, Bangalore. Estb. 2014. Allows children wide space for exploratory and experiential learning. School-leaving students write NIOS/IGCSE. (abheek.org) The Valley School, Bangalore. Affiliated with CISCE. Promoted in 1978 by the Krishnamurti Foundation of India. (valleyschool.herokuapp.com) Centre for Learning, Bangalore. Promoted in 1990 by former teachers of the Rishi Valley School, Chittoor. Class X students write the IGCSE exam. (cfl.in) Andhra Pradesh Rishi Valley School, Chittoor. Fully residential, co-ed, CISCE affiliation. Routinely ranked country's #1 co-ed boarding school by EducationWorld. (www.rishivalley.org) Tamil Nadu The School Krishnamurti Foundation India, Chennai. Estb. 1973. Affiliated with CISCE. (www.theschoolkfi.org) Madhya Pradesh Delhi Ukti — The Delhi Waldorf School. Waldorf early childhood and primary school education. Estb. 2013. (www.uktiwaldorf.org) Maharashtra Sahyadri School, Pune. A Krishnamurti Foundation school (estb. 1995).CISCE-affiliated. (www.sahyadrischool.org) Kalpavruksha, Mumbai. Waldorf curriculum blended with nature-based education. Students write CAIE's class X IGCSE exam. (kalpavruksha.weebly.com) Telangana Walden's Path School, Hyderabad. K-12 school inspired by J. Krishnamurti. Students write CAIE's IGCSE and A level exams. (waldenspath.com) Uttar Pradesh |
The rising popularity of alternative schools is to a great extent a reaction to the rigorous drill-and-skill, heavy-duty regimen which academics-obsessed parents, educators and teachers in mainstream schools impose on children. Suddenly, there's a tipping point awareness that high grades — which have become commonplace — can get school-leavers and graduates only thus far, and that development of perception, perspective, creativity, critical thinking and problem solving as also life skills such as team work, cooperation, good manners and conflict resolution to which alternative schools accord high importance, are more critical for success beyond school/college gates.
"My 12-year-old daughter was studying in a regular school where grades and marks were regarded as the be all and end all of education with teachers always pushing children to get ever higher grades. We soon realised the school was extinguishing her joy of learning. Similarly, our son was inclined towards sports and games for which the time table made no provision. We shifted them to the Abheek Academy where they are learning very happily," says Pushpa Bhat, a Bangalore-based software engineer.
While the country's path-breaking alternative schools have undoubtedly reinfused joy into learning processes by encouraging education through exploration and enquiry in examination-free environments and by promoting inter-disciplinary learning, there's a counter argument that they do so at the cost of academic outcomes, which mar school-leaving children's chances of entering top-ranked colleges and universities. The reality is that at the end of their fantastic voyage through new-age schools, students have to fare well in college/university entrance exams and record absurdly high cut-off marks in school-leaving board exams.
Manit Jain, a postgraduate of the renowned Harvard School of Education and promoter-director of the CBSE-affiliated Heritage Xperiential Learning School, Delhi (estb.2004), believes he has resolved this conundrum. "The mainstream education system is patently not working as evidenced by the rising unemployability of our university graduates. We have transformed into a country which casually awards paper degrees to youth with little attention to developing their real learning capabilities. In Heritage, our conscious attempt is to provide real, unforgettable learning by integrating experiential education through projects and activities into our teaching-learning processes, by eliminating subject boundaries. But we also believe that academic learning and rigour is important and it's our responsibility to ensure that our children are admitted into best colleges and universities. Therefore in class IX and X, we prepare them intensively for board exams, which is not difficult given that they have a good foundation based on real learning of all subjects. Heritage is routinely ranked among the country's Top 10 in terms of CBSE class X/XII board exam results," says Jain.
Although the rising popularity of alternative schooling is as yet an elite and upper class phenomenon, there's no gainsaying that it's overdue in an education system which imposes increasingly unbearable pressure on children to succeed in ill-conceived tests and examinations. As a consequence, there's an emerging consensus within educators that the currently dominant memorising, cramming and sudden-death examination school education system which has substantially eliminated the pleasure of learning, needs urgent reform. Though some of the more extreme experiments in alternative schooling may fail — as did the Beacon Hill School promoted by the philosopher-mathematician and writer Bertrand Russell — India's alternative schools have shown the way to go.
Indeed a combination of yoga, meditation and the Rishi Valley model of simple living, high thinking and ecology preservation schooling is an exportable model, certain to win global acceptance.
With Sruthy Susan Ullas (Bangalore)


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Call to put community champions in spotlight
Citizen of the Year award nominations are now open for the 2021 Australia Day awards in the Shire of Manjimup.
Each year, residents are called on to nominate worthy people in the community for one of four awards.
The four categories are Community Citizen of the Year, Young Community Citizen of the Year (under 25), Senior Community Citizen of the Year (over 65) and Active Citizenship for Group or Event.
This year's Community Citizen of the Year was Ian Wilson, nominated for his various heritage and history-related community activities.
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READ NOW"I certainly encourage people to nominate," he said.
"There's lots of champions that work with the community or for the community, who deserve to be recognised and celebrated."
Awards finalists and winners will be recognised at the Shire of Manjimup's Australia Day celebrations next year.
Visit citizenshipawards.com.au/nominate/ to nominate a person or group in the Manjimup shire.
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*Image provided by osseous on Flickr.


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July 28, 2004 – The inspector general of the Virgin Islands has heard plenty of promises in recent years. He walked away from his fiscal year 2005 budget hearing on Wednesday having heard several more while hoping only to get the same appropriation as this year and not to see the three vacant positions in his office eliminated.
Inspector General Steven G. van Beverhoudt didn't ask for an increase in his budget when he appeared before the Senate Finance Committee. "I am tired of asking," he said prior to the start of the hearing.
He did, however, make it clear that there is a limit to what his office can do without increased resources. "Our fiscal year 2005 budget will basically maintain the current status quo," van Beverhoudt told the few senators in attendance. "We will continue to get audit requests that cannot be addressed, and we will continue to get allegations of wrongdoing in the government that we will not be able to investigate."
And without increased funding there's no chance of implementing an aggressive audit follow-up program. "Without the proper resources our ability to follow up on the implementation of recommendations will be severely limited," he said. With the resources, he said, "an aggressive follow-up campaign can be initiated."
Also contributing to van Beverhoudt's woes is his inability to hire his own personnel. He is currently short two auditors and a lawyer. But the sluggish bureaucracy of government hiring has him constantly juggling the workload. "It's a cumbersome process, and you've got to keep jumping through all these hoops," he said. "I have people qualified, with years of experience, but because of the step process I can't bring them in at a competitive salary."
And with a starting salary of $28,000 to $29,000 and "no increases, no promotions, anyone with ambition moves on; we're a training ground," he said.
Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone took the lead in getting an override of the governor's veto of a bill conferring peace officer status on investigators in the Inspector General's office. He said he has drafted legislation now that would make the inspector general's budget a fixed percentage of the overall government budget a move made with positive results in Guam a few years ago.
Malone told van Beverhoudt: "If your audits reveal what the situation is, reveal criminal activity, we need to get serious about the way we do business, instead of bringing in a CFO." He was referring to a bill before Congress that would create a chief financial officer to control the purse strings for five years in the territory.
In a telephone conversation later in the day, Malone said his proposal would appropriate to the Inspector General's Office 0.5 percent of the territory's budget or $2.5 million a year, whichever is greater. The office now gets $1.08 million, Malone said. The legislation also would give the inspector general the power to hire and fire his own personnel.
At one point he had a staff of 19, van Beverhoudt said on Wednesday, but when three positions became vacant. "they eliminated them." That brought his office down to 16 employees including support staff. With the current vacancies, there are 13 employees to handle all of the audits and criminal investigations his office is charged with conducting.
Van Beverhoudt has served as inspector general since 1986. With two-thirds of the staff he once had, he is currently balancing 11 audits and recently completed five investigations of possible criminal behavior and sent his findings to the Attorney General's Office.
He said that due to the nature of the investigations he could not divulge details, but he did say that three of the probes involved the Water and Power Authority, the Police Department and "even the Department of Justice." But, he noted, "it's up to the AG whether to prosecute."
In June, the Inspector General's Office received an additional $84,000 appropriation in the supplemental budget for fiscal year 2004. But van Beverhoudt said on Wednesday that he has not yet received the allotment from the Office of Management and Budget.
"You have to ask for it," Sen. Almando "Rocky" Liburd said.
"Write to them and ask for it," Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, the Finance Committee chair, echoed.
Donastorg suggested that the Senate pass a law requiring the Office of Inspector General, which currently is independent, to do audits as directed by the Legislature.
Van Beverhoudt told Donastorg that it would be a mistake to bring politics into the process.
Donastorg also said the inspector general's budget should include more money to handle investigations other than on St. Thomas. Van Beverhoudt has no office on St. Croix and as a result was unable to conduct an audit there due to financial constraints.
After the meeting, van Beverhoudt indicated that without more resources, he still wouldn't be able to do the audits requested — no matter who requested them.
When contacted at his office later in the day about Malone's legislation, van Beverhoudt said: "I'll believe it when I see it."
The Finance Committee consists of Sens. Roosevelt David, Donastorg, Louis Hill, Norman Jn Baptiste, Malone, Luther Renee and Ronald Russell. Jn Baptiste was excused. On the Senate floor for most of van Beverhoudt's testimony were Donastorg, who chaired the hearing, Malone and Russell. Liburd, who is not a member of the committee, attended most of the hearing.
The Public Defender's Office and Legal Services of the Virgin Islands also presented their budget requests on Wednesday. A separate report on those agencies will be posted.
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Title: | Part I Targeting RNA duplexes with modified triplex-forming oligonucleotides Part II Allostery within a Watson-Crick RNA duplex and its application in studying RNA recognition by RIG-I | Authors: | Zhou, Yuan | Keywords: | DRNTU::Science::Chemistry::Biochemistry | Issue Date: | 2014 | Source: | Zhou, Y. (2014). Part I Targeting RNA duplexes with modified triplex-forming oligonucleotides Part II Allostery within a Watson-Crick RNA duplex and its application in studying RNA recognition by RIG-I. Doctoral thesis, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. | Abstract: | Part I: Targeting RNA Duplexes with Modified Triplex-Forming Oligonucleotides Triplex is emerging as an important RNA tertiary structure motif, in which consecutive base triples form between a duplex and a third strand. RNA duplex region is also often functionally important site for protein binding. Thus, Triplex-Forming Oligonucleotides (TFOs) may be developed to regulate various biological functions involving RNA such as viral ribosomal frame-shifting and reverse transcription. How chemical modification in TFOs affects RNA triplex stability, however, is not well understood. Here, we incorporated Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA), 2-thio U, and 2′-O methyl modified residues in a series of all pyrimidine RNA TFOs, and studied the binding to two RNA hairpin structures. 12-Base-triple major-groove pyrimidine•purine-pyrimidine triplex structures form between the RNA/DNA hairpins and the complementary RNA TFOs. UV-absorbance-detected thermal melting studies reveal that the LNA and 2-thio U modifications in TFOs strongly enhance triplex formation with both parental RNA and DNA duplex regions. In addition, we found that incorporation of 2′-O methyl modified residues in a TFO destabilizes and stabilizes triplex formation with RNA and DNA duplex regions, respectively. The (de)stabilization of RNA triplex formation may be facilitated through modulation of van der Waals contact, base stacking, hydrogen bonding, backbone preorganization, geometric compatibility, and/or dehydration energy. Better understanding of the molecular determinants of RNA triplex structure stability lays the foundation for designing and discovering novel sequence-specific duplex-binding ligands as diagnostic and therapeutic agents targeting RNA. Part II: Allostery within a Watson-Crick RNA Duplex and Its Application in Studying RNA Recognition by RIG-I RNA has rich local and global conformational dynamics, which may often result from allosteric effects. However, allostery within a Watson-Crick RNA duplex is not well known. Here, we report the direct observation that the local structural dynamics of a Watson-Crick RNA duplex is modulated allosterically by the specific binding of human Retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) C-terminal domain (CTD). To detect the allosteric effect, we incorporated into Watson-Crick RNA duplexes a fluorescent analogue of adenine, 2-aminopurine (2AP), which is a sensitive probe of RNA local structure and dynamics. 2AP fluorescence increases upon ligand binding, suggesting ligand-induced changes of the local dynamics of the (2AP)-U pair. The enhancement of 2AP fluorescence is (1) distance dependent with the (2AP)-U pair positioned within about 13 base pairs away from the ligand binding site, and (2) structure dependent with no fluorescence changes observed upon the incorporation of a non-Watson-Crick pair in between the (2AP)-U pair and the ligand binding site. Binding of full-length RIG-I and a triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO) also induces 2AP fluorescence enhancement. Allosteric 2AP fluorescence changes facilitate quantifications of binding affinities. Thus, Watson-Crick RNA duplexes may not be considered as merely rigid structural scaffolds. Ligand binding- and tertiary interaction-induced allostery within Watson-Crick DNA/RNA duplexes may facilitate the regulation of functions involving nucleic acid structure dynamics and nucleic acid-protein assembly, such as catalysis, metabolite sensing, helicase/chaperone activity, and the detection of single mismatches and damaged/modified residues in nucleic acid duplexes. | URI: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/56303 | DOI: | 10.32657/10356/56303 | Schools: | School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences | Fulltext Permission: | open | Fulltext Availability: | With Fulltext |
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Popular Nollywood actor, Bolanle Ninalowo took to his Instagram page to reveal somethings about his private life.
According to the father of 2, who features in English and Yoruba movies, the older he gets, the more humble he becomes. He added that growing up comes with more peace and he is grateful for that.
Also Read: Actor Ninalowo Bolanle's Daughter Speaks On Converting From Islam To Christianity
The actor who recently clocked 40 some weeks ago, while sharing a picture of himself, further said that drama and distractions do not really matter to him again.
See his post below:


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Medical Science Triumphs Over Prayer...Again
Scientists from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research say they have made a breakthrough that could lead to a potential cure for AIDS.
Associate Professor David Harrich says they have discovered how to modify a protein in HIV so that, instead of replicating, it protects against the infection.
"I consider that this is fighting fire with fire," he said.
"What we've actually done is taken a normal virus protein that the virus needs to grow, and we've changed this protein, so that instead of assisting the virus, it actually impedes virus replication and does it quite strongly."
Associate Professor Harrich says the modified protein cannot cure HIV but it has protected human cells from AIDS in the laboratory.
"This therapy is potentially a cure for AIDS," he said.
"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck
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There is a myriad of places of interest that you can explore while on vacation in Great Britain. Add to that the fact that I was to take a Miami Beach vacation during that time, and to top it all off; I went on the Miami Key WestTour, which made my entire trip to southern Florida one I'll never forget! It is essential to obtain relevant information from the tourism agencies to plan your trip to England. For those who are traveling to England for a short time, there are many fun-based activities available.
There are also Slingo games based on reality shows, such as Slingo Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Slingo Deal or No Deal. March Madness is my favorite sport. I'm an avid college basketball fan. Many excellent companies provide online reservations for rafting adventures. There are many fun activities listed here. You can take a beach walk in a specific region and then, on the next day, use the United Kingdom car rental services to visit a different theme park, which could be just a few kilometers away. Similar to the difficulties that arise from finding original ideas for birthday celebrations, it can be not easy to develop unique Christmas party ideas.
The most popular are the well-known Stonehenge which is stones in a circle, the Windsor castles, and the Hadrian walls. The people of the UK have excellent social behavior, with the most notable ones being the best manners of co-existence with respect. Thank you. And, if pkv games they do not allow me to go to the dealer, have you issue a consumer I already took out a mortgage and need multiple credit cards, but from whom can I get assist me? To further your education, you could easily visit Kings College, which dates back to the 14th century. You can also shop and eat in various outlets and malls while you travel through the United Kingdom.


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Flood Resilience Grants
From John Rhodes
Tuesday, 12 January 2016
The £5000 Repair and Renew Grant to make properties more flood resilient requires that a professional surveyor conduct a survey. I have been quoted £200 +VAT by a Huddersfield company who tell me that this is a reduction on their normal fee as they are so busy in Hebden.
Two questions (the first is really a plea)
1. I have a pal who is unemployed. Is there a surveyor out there who would be willing to do one for free (or at a very reduced fee which his mates will pay for)?
2. Failing that I could hook him up with another pal on Oxford Street who also has two neighbours who will require surveys doing making four in all.
Offers or quotes for either proposition would be very welcome. I've been into the Town hall and they were not able to give me the names of any surveyors although my request will be passed on. I'm not on Facebook so if anyone who is has seen something on there either email me or ring on 843105.
Thanks in advance.
From Chris Barnett
Tuesday, 12 January 2016
I may be able to help. The Town Hall have my details on their database, so I'm not sure why I'm not getting referrals from them. I will call in tomorrow morning and check that they still have my details.
You can also email me direct.
I am happy to give free advice to anyone who has been flooded, and I would not charge a fee for a survey unless it could be claimed as part of a grant or insurance claim.


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Daniel Krystal, a devoted pizzaiolo and Montreal native, is about to give Griffintown a taste of New York-style pizza. The name and address of the chef's new restaurant are under wraps for now—it will be located somewhere on Notre-Dame Ouest. Krystal, who last made pizzas at Magpie Amherst, Macchina, and Artigiani, did not plan to do New York-style from the outset: "I've been doing Neapolitan wood-fired pizza for years. That's the style I know, and love, but the space I was offered has an electric oven. I'm a firm believer that if you are going to do something you need to do it right, and there's no right way to do Neapolitan pizza without a wood oven. It's just not possible to get the cook time to that 90 to 120-second window that makes all the difference. That being said, New York-style pizza is possible in an electric oven, and I would rather be making great New York pizza than bad Neapolitan. So we ran with the concept of trying to make the best New York-style pizza possible."
Krystal's chosen some good role models for his new venture. "There's a well-known place called Joe's in New York that is not wood-fired, that opened in the 1970s. I looked at what they have, and am basing a lot off of that. My inspiration when it comes to pizza in general is Anthony Mangieri [of San Francisco's Una Pizza Napoletana], who believes in simplicity. The more you try to hide the simple beauty of properly cooked dough in subpar ingredients, the more you stifle yourself. Good pizza is about being patient and making the best dough possible, and topping it with the best things you can afford, without masking anything. That is something I hope to do at my new place."
New York-style pizza is an umbrella term, hints Krystal, who regularly updates his Instagram with photos of his pizza prowess. "There are several styles of pizza that come out of New York. The first is the real old school, coal-fired stuff from the turn of the century, made by immigrants from Naples. It's beautiful, but I don't have a coal oven. Then there is the Sicilian square pizza, that I will sometimes do as a special. To make that right, a lot has to do with how long the dough has fermented at room temperature, and how long it is cooked before it is topped. But when it is right it's almost like what you wish those tomato bakery pizzas were, but are not, if that makes any sense? And, finally, the classic New York slice. It's big and floppy, but the toppings don't all run off. It's thin, but slightly crispy, still fluffy, and with just a hint of chew. The toppings are sparse, but not minimalist like in Naples. That is ideal, but, unfortunately, somewhere along the way the quality of the ingredients went downhill. I'd like to change that at my restaurant."
When Krystal's Griffintown pizzeria opens, expect 14" pies, rather than the classic 18". "It gives you a slice that you really have to fold. The toppings are all much higher quality than you typically find. There are only going to be six pizzas on the menu, two of which will change on a regular basis. One is a pizza of the day, the other will have a different kind of cured meat. When New York-style pizza is done right, it can be better than most of the places out there that are calling themselves Neapolitan today."


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CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University announced Tuesday that it recorded its second-best year ever in competitive grants and contracts for research that benefits every corner of the state and provides students with opportunities for hands-on experience.
As Oregon's largest comprehensive public research university, OSU earned a total of $382 million in the fiscal year ending June 30. A National Science Foundation grant of $88 million for the construction of a second coastal research vessel buoyed the university's total, which dropped from 2017's record of $441 million – a year that the university received a $121.9 million NSF grant to build the first of the latest generation of ocean-going research vessels.
Oregon State Provost and Executive Vice President Ed Feser said that OSU researchers focus on major challenges facing the state, the nation and the world.
"Over the years, OSU scientists have produced disease-resistant crops, such as varieties of soft white wheat and hazelnuts, found new ways to fight infectious diseases and treat cancer, and contributed to improving the economy, the environment and communities in sustainable ways," he said. "Research conducted at Oregon State advances science, solves problems, creates jobs and trains our future workforce.
"Oregon State's success in earning federal, state and private sector support for research is due to the amazing efforts of our faculty and their desire to achieve and engage in research excellence. Writing successful research proposals takes teamwork and commitment over and above the day-to-day responsibilities of teaching, running a lab and mentoring student researchers. It also requires active support from our research and business center staff."
Last year, OSU provided more than $1 million to support more than 800 undergraduate student research and creative projects overseen by faculty mentors. In addition, graduate students depend on grants to faculty for projects that enable them to complete their degrees.
Among examples of OSU research supported by grant funds last year are:
As Oregon's land grant university, OSU conducts research from basic science to projects inspired by the needs of businesses and the public. For example, with funding from the state Legislature, OSU researchers are gathering data on the nesting behavior of a threatened seabird, the marbled murrelet. The goal is to inform forest harvesting practices that protect the species, which spends most of its life at sea and nests up to 50 miles inland in large trees.
In the health sciences, researchers have documented the benefits of midwifery for better birth outcomes. Other scientists have identified potential compounds produced by dirt-dwelling microbes that could be effective in pharmaceuticals for treating melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer.
While about two-thirds of OSU research revenues came from federal agencies, additional resources were provided by state and local governments, industry, foundations and nonprofit organizations. In the last fiscal year, the Agricultural Research Foundation provided more than $6 million for work on weed control; disease resistant wheat, berry and vegetable processing; pollination; pest management; and other agricultural and natural resource projects. Various groups provided more than $4.5 million in applied research contract funds to OSU scientists through the foundation. For example, the Oregon Wheat Commission contributed $785,000. The Oregon Hazelnut Commission, Oregon Potato Commission, Oregon Wine Board and several other commodities groups also provide consistent six-figure funding.
In the last year, industry partners provided $31 million to Oregon State in research funding, a drop of 7 percent from the previous year. Licensing and royalty income rose 10 percent to $4.4 million.
Brian Wall, assistant vice president for research, commercialization and industry partnerships, noted that through training programs like the OSU Advantage Accelerator and InnovationX (an entrepreneurial program in the OSU College of Business), as well as the use of the University Venture Development Fund, OSU continues to increase the number of faculty and students who are starting companies and bringing innovation to the marketplace.
"These activities support the launch of high-growth startups that have significant impact on the economy," Wall said. "Last year, representatives from 31 conceptual start-up businesses participated in a new hybrid early-stage accelerator program called Iterate. We expect this number to grow significantly in the future after making this training available online and connecting it to our OSU-Cascades campus and operations in Newport at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. Approximately one company is launched for every five commercialization ideas that we support in these programs."
Editors, project summaries and FY18 research totals for these OSU colleges are posted online:
College of Agricultural Sciences: https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/osu-college-agricultural-sciences-grant-information
College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences: http://ceoas.oregonstate.edu/research/map/
College of Business: https://business.oregonstate.edu/faculty-research/project-summary
College of Engineering: https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/fy18-research-funding-highlights
College of Pharmacy: pharmacy.oregonstate.edu/grant_information
College of Science:
College of Public Health and Human Sciences: https://health.oregonstate.edu/research/funding-highlights
College of Veterinary Medicine: https://vetmed.oregonstate.edu/research-highlights
College of Forestry: http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/collegeofforestry/2018/08/28/fy-2018-research-awards/
College of Liberal Arts: https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/cla-research/2018-research-summary
About Oregon State University: As one of only three land, sea, space and sun grant universities in the nation, Oregon State serves Oregon and the world by working on today's most pressing issues. Our more than 36,000 students come from across the globe, and our programs operate in every Oregon county. Oregon State receives more research funding than all of the state's comprehensive public universities combined. At our campuses in Corvallis and Bend, marine research center in Newport, OSU Portland Center and award-winning Ecampus, we excel at shaping today's students into tomorrow's leaders.
Ian Vorster, [email protected], 541-737-0783
Ed Feser, provost and executive vice president, [email protected], 541-737-0731
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Gorgeous porcelain footed tea cup and saucer made by Elizabethan fine bone China, made in England. Pattern Rosamund, Hand painted and decorated with Pink And Yellow Roses with Gold Trim. 6 x tea cup 7.5 cm across the rim , 6.5cm (height).
6 x saucer plate 13 cm (diameter). They are all in good condition with no chips, cracks or scratching. The item "Set of 6 Elizabethan Tea cup And Saucer, Porcelain English" is in sale since Wednesday, August 12, 2020.
This item is in the category "Collectibles\Kitchen & Home\Dinnerware & Serveware\Cups & Saucers". The seller is "thedeen75" and is located in Almere. This item can be shipped worldwide.


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Jones Foster is pleased to announce the addition of attorney Zachary M. Rothman to the Firm, joining the Litigation & Dispute Resolution and the Private Wealth, Trusts & Estates practice groups as an Associate in the West Palm Beach office.
"Zack is an impressive attorney with deep roots in Palm Beach County," said Scott G. Hawkins, the Firm's Vice Chair and Litigation Shareholder. "As we continue to see unprecedented levels of migration to South Florida, Jones Foster is committed to ensuring that our talent aligns with our client's evolving needs, serving the businesses and individuals that are new to our community and those that are established here."
Zack represents clients in litigation involving estates, trusts, guardianships and fiduciary disputes, as well as commercial litigation matters. Zack also counsels personal representatives, trustees, court-appointed administrators, beneficiaries and creditors in all facets of probate, trust and guardianship administration.
Zack holds leadership positions in local and state bar associations, serving as a member of The Florida Bar Probate Rules Committee, the Code & Rules of Evidence Committee, and the Abuse Neglect & Exploitation Committee, and as a member of the Palm Beach County Bar Association's Probate & Guardianship Committee and Estate Law Continuing Legal Education Committee. He is a member of the 2021 class of the Florida Fellows Institute of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and was recognized by Florida Super Lawyers as a 2021 Rising Star.
Jones Foster is a commercial and private client law firm headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida. Established in 1924, the Firm has served as an integral part of South Florida's growth and prosperity for nearly a century. Through a relentless pursuit of excellence, Jones Foster delivers original legal solutions that help clients, colleagues, and the community to move forward. The Firm's attorneys focus their practice in Real Estate, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Private Wealth, Trusts & Estates, Corporate & Tax, and Land Use & Governmental. For more information, please visit www.jonesfoster.com.