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Should Sacred Heart Prep (7-0, 16-8) beat Menlo for the first time at home under Franceschi, the Gators will hold a two-game lead with two to play — thus clinching no worse than a tie for the title and, with it, an automatic berth into the Central Coast Section playoffs.
Should Menlo (6-1, 16-7) win, the Knights will pull into a tie for first place and set the stage for a co-championship.
No matter what happens, both teams appear headed to the CCS Division III playoffs once again. Victories on Wednesday went a long way in making that possible.
Sacred Heart Prep sophomore Will Johnston made his first career pitching win a memorable one by tossing a five-inning no-hitter to beat host Crystal Springs, 10-0.
Johnston needed only five innings as the game was called due to the 10-run mercy rule. SHP tallied three runs in the bottom of the fifth, the final run coming on a bases-loaded walk to Brad Gritsch. He finished with three RBI while Hank Robson and Mike Covell added two each. Johnston struck out seven and walked just one.
Menlo School's Jack Redman, meanwhile, tossed a two-hitter to pace the Knights to a 4-0 victory over visiting King's Academy. Jared Lucian had a two-run double in the fourth to give Redman a 3-0 lead, more than enough to secure the victory. Graham Stratford contributed an RBI single.
Earlier in the week, Palo Alto and Gunn both took a step toward being eliminated in the SCVAL De Anza Division playoffs as each lost their respective opener on Tuesday.
The host and top-seeded Vikings (16-12) dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 4 Saratoga while the Titans (6-19) fell to Los Altos, 9-5.
Palo Alto got a triple from Austin Poore and doubles from Isaac Feldstein and Austin Kron among its eight hits, but had to battle from behind after giving up two runs in the top of the first. Three errors help lead to the Vikings' downfall.
The shaky defense ruined an otherwise solid pitching effort by Rohit Ramkumar, who tossed an eight-hitter with no walks.
Game 2 in the best-of-three series was at Saratoga on Thursday. Paly needed to win that to host a winner-take-all game Friday at 3:30 p.m.
Gunn, meanwhile, is battling not to be sent down to the El Camino Division. The Titans, however, committed four errors and gave up seven runs over the third and fourth innings —all of which were unearned.
Chris Rea had three of Gunn's six hits. He also scored twice. Gunn will visit Los Altos on Thursday and needs to win in order to force a third game Friday at Gunn.
In other series openers, Wilcox routed Homestead, 18-1, and Santa Clara edged Mountain View, 9-8.
In San Mateo, Hillsdale hit two solo seventh-inning home runs — the second a two-out, walk-off blast — to defeat Menlo-Atherton, 7-6, on Wednesday. The loss dropped M-A to 15-9 overall and 5-6 in PAL Bay Division play, while Hillsdale improved to 13-11 and 5-6.
M-A had taken a one-run lead in the top of the seventh on Charlie Cain's RBI double and Charles Grose's RBI sacrifice fly. Hillsdale tied the game on Armando Fajardo's long leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning, then celebrated when clean-up hitter Conner Wallace launched his game-winning, two-out homer over the right-field fence M-A senior Alex Aguiar (1-3) suffered the defeat, pitching in relief of starter Erik Amundson.
Menlo School has hired Steven Cavella as its new girls' volleyball head coach and Matt Jones will lead girls' water polo, as well as boys' and girls' swimming for the 2013-14 school year.
Cavella takes over the volleyball program after serving as head coach at Crystal Springs for seven seasons. In 2012, he led the Gryphons to a 10-2 record and a share of the West Bay Athletic League (Skyline Division) championship.
During his tenure, Crystal Springs advanced to the CIF NorCal semifinals three times and his girls' teams took home three section championships.
Jones is the Age-Group and Developmental Coach for Stanford Water Polo Club and head coach of age-group teams at national club tournaments. He comes to Menlo after serving as assistant girls' water polo, varsity swimming and aquatics coordinator at Sacred Heart Schools.
After finishing second during the regular season, the Sacred Heart Prep boys' golf team got to enjoy first place after winning the West Bay Athletic League Tournament on Tuesday at Half Moon Bay's Old Course.
The Gators, as expected, earned the league's second automatic berth into next week's Central Coast Section regional after Menlo School had earned the first berth by winning the regular-season round-robin title.
The Gator had a team score of 391 on the par-72 layout with Menlo second (406) followed by Harker (417) and Pinewood (419).
Harker senior Maverick McNealy, a Portola Valley resident who is headed to Stanford in the fall, won medalist honors with a 1-under 71. Pinewood junior Trevor Hernstadt shot 74 for third place and will join McNealy in CCS individual competition.
Two CCS regionals will be held next week at Rancho Canada (West Course) in Carmel Valley. Sacred Heart Prep will play on Tuesday and Menlo on Wednesday.
SHP was led by Derek Ackerman's 73, which earned him second place. Bradley Knox tied for fourth at 76, Willy Lamb shot 79 to tie for seventh, Ryan Galvin finished in 11th with an 81 and Taylor Oliver wrapped up the scoring with an 82, tying him for 12th.
Defending CCS individual champion Andrew Buchanan of Menlo shot a 3-under on the front nine, but withdrew after feeling some back pain with four holes to play.
Menlo sophomore Ethan Wong shot 79 to lead the Knights and tie for seventh on the windy day.
"I definitely left some strokes out there today, but it was a good round to finish under 80 on a tough course on a tough day," said Wong.
Menlo junior Riley Burgess and freshman Jeff Herr both shot 80 and tied for ninth.
"On some holes," said Burgess, "the approach shots just flew the green as the balky wind conditions created havoc with yardages."
Menlo freshman William Hsieh shot 82 and tied for 12th while captain Max Garnick finished with an 85 after carding a 38 on the back nine.
In San Jose, SCVAL De Anza Division regular-season champ Palo Alto (12-0) remained the best squad in the league following the opening day of the SCVAL Tournament at Coyote Creek Golf Course. The Vikings shot 385 to grab a 15-stroke lead over Saratoga (400) while regular-season runner-up Gunn was in third at 408. Paly and Saratoga earned automatic CCS berths with their efforts Monday.
Grant Raffel led Paly with a 1-under 71 to trail only Saratoga's Robbie Parden (70) heading into Wednesday's final round, results of which were not reported.
Boys' lacrosse
Menlo School closed out its regular season in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League with a 9-4 win over host Burlingame. The Knights (5-7, 7-10) were led by Wiley Osborne and Matt Bradley, each of whom tallied three goals.
The Knights also got a strong defensive effort from long-sticks Parker Schultz, Matt Linton, and Charlie Roth.
Menlo jumped out to a 4-2 lead after the first period and extended the lead to 7-3 at halftime. The Knights also received goals from Colin Johnson, Mason Brady and Jack Marren. Goalie Luc McNally had seven saves.
Menlo now must wait for Mountain View (4-6) to play two games this week against Los Gatos (0-10) and Menlo-Atherton (10-0) to see if the Knights will qualify for postseason play next week.
Girls' lacrosse
Menlo School and Sacred Heart Prep set the stage for their second showdown of the season with easy victories in WBAL Foothill Division action Tuesday.
The first-place Knights improved to 9-0 in league (11-6 overall) with a 16-1 romp over visiting Sacred Heart Cathedral. Menlo started all 11 seniors in its final regular-season home match and grabbed a 10-0 halftime lead. Senior Ali Kim led the way with three goals while senior goalies Hannah Rubin and Kaelen Dunn also scored during their time as field players.
Menlo has gone 59-0 in league matches since last losing to Menlo-Atherton during the 2007 season.
Just a short distance away, second-place Sacred Heart Prep (8-1, 16-1) rolled to a 13-3 victory over Burlingame as freshman Ally Mayle scored four goals with Caroline Cummings and Brigid White adding three each.
Sacred Heart Prep hosted Menlo on Thursday with first place on the line. The WBAL playoffs begin next week.
In other WBAL action, Castilleja (5-4, 7-5) got six goals from Katherine Hobbs in a 17-6 win over host Menlo-Atherton (2-7, 4-12-1). Lou Biffar added three goals for the Gators while Emily Carlson and Meredith Geaghan-Breiner each scored twice for the Bears.
In Los Gatos, Palo Alto wrapped up the SCVAL title with one match remaining with a 17-3 victory over the host Wildcats. The Vikings improved to 13-0 in league (16-2 overall) as seniors Nina Kelty and Charlotte Biffar each scored three goals.
Gigi Lucas-Conwell, Simone Buteau and and Allie Peery all scored twice for Paly, which closed the SCVAL regular season Thursday night.
Boys' volleyball
Sacred Heart Prep continued its late-season surge with a 25-11, 25-23, 25-18 victory over host James Lick on Wednesday. Matt Hao led the way with 24 assists with Ian Bennett producing 15 kills for the Gators (5-6, 9-11). Grant Chou added 16 digs with Lukas Hruska contributing six kills and four blocks.
On Tuesday, Bennett finished with 37 kills while Hao added 45 assists and 21 digs to pace Sacred Heart Prep to a 25-21, 25-27, 16-25, 25-22, 15-13 victory over host Cupertino. Chou added 26 digs and Hruska contributed nine kills and nine blocks for SHP.
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Election Night Barbeque? Beware Of The Danger Grill
That would be the Master Forge Gas Grill, pictured above, made by China's Guangdong Vanward Electric and sold at Lowe's stores around the country from last November until this May.
It's a fine looking grill and would have only set you back $270, but there's a catch, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement today announcing a voluntary recall of the 37,000 or so that are now sitting on porches across the country:
If improperly installed, the hose connecting the gas tank and regulator to the burner control can touch the burner box and cause the hose to melt and rupture when the grill is lit. This poses a fire and burn hazard.
This joins the Great STOK Gas Grill Recall of April in the annals of hazardous barbecue recalls in 2012.

subset: commoncrawl


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Guns and spoons
Audrey Pietrucha
If I go to the freezer every night and scoop up a large bowl of chocolate marshmallow ice cream, after a while I will start to gain weight. Whose fault is that - mine or the spoon's?
Clearly the fault is my own since a spoon is an inanimate object with no will of its own. It is merely a tool used by humans in their quest to feed themselves. If I took all the spoons out my drawer but really wanted some ice cream I could contrive to use something else with which to scoop it. A fork might not be as efficient but could still get the job done. To paraphrase a trite but true phrase, spoons don't fatten people, people fatten people.
Yet after last month's tragic shooting in Newtown, Conn., most of the national discussion has centered on tools. Realistically, we cannot remove all the tools that are used to murder people. A look at the history of mass murder (defined as four or more people killed) shows people who want to kill others will find the way to do so.
Grant Duwe, author of "Mass Murder in the United States: A History," says mass murders are neither unique to America nor the modern era. Two terms that mean to go on a killing spree, amok and berserk, have been around for centuries, he said. Throughout this time mass murders have been accomplished with a variety of weapons: guns, of course, but also swords, axes, knives, arson and explosives.
The first school shooting in America occurred in the summer of 1764, when four Lenape American Indians shot a teacher and 10 students dead in Greencastle, Pa. More than a century passed until another school shooting occurred. Since then, the United States has experienced two waves of mass shootings. The first occurred in the 1920s and 30s with 1929 having the highest recorded mass murder rate in history. This wave was characterized by family killings and felony-related massacres (think Al Capone, gangsters and Prohibition).
The 40s and 50s were a tranquil period with regards to mass public shootings in America. Ironically, this was also a period when rifle clubs and guns themselves were in almost every high school. It was common for students to hunt in the morning and leave their guns hanging in cars and trucks parked in school lots all day long. Competitive shooters brought rifles into school and left them in their lockers or with a homeroom teacher. My research did not uncover one mass shooting at the hands of a rifle club member.
The second wave of mass shootings stretched from the mid-sixties to the early 1990s and began with the infamous University of Texas incident in which a student climbed a 27-story tower and shot and killed 14 people and wounded 31. It wasn't until the 1990s, though, that mass public shootings really started to tick upward. There were more than 40 mass public shootings in that that decade but the years 2000 to 2009 saw a drop as the number fell below 30. This past year, however, we witnessed seven mass public shootings. Suddenly it is starting to seem like these awful events are far too common.
Yet what gun laws have changed over those years that have made weapons more accessible? If anything, gun laws have become stricter over the past few decades yet those with murder on their minds and in their hearts find access to weapons, either by legal or illegal means.
This brings us to the one constant in these horrific crimes - people. Mentally unstable and disturbed individuals have always existed and their illness sometimes (though actually very seldom) reveals itself in murderous behavior. The tools they use vary from crime to crime and all the laws in the world seem unable to prevent someone who really wants to kill from doing so. Think about it - is someone intent on breaking God's or nature's law against taking life really going to be concerned about breaking man-made laws about which tools he cannot use?
It is especially frustrating to watch lawmakers in Vermont, many of whom don't seem to know a magazine from a clip or an automatic from a semi-automatic weapon, jump on the anti-gun bandwagon. Vermont does not have a gun problem and many would say this is precisely because our gun laws are so liberal; there is respect for firearms here. According to FBI statistics Vermont has one of the lowest rates of criminal firearms usage in the nation and our murder rate involving guns is an extremely low 0.75, making us 44th out of 50 states. Robberies and assaults involving guns also rank very low here. So why do lawmakers and city councils feel it necessary to fix what obviously isn't broken?
Worse, emotionally-driven laws punish responsible citizens and gun owners but do little to inhibit those who disregard laws. They also make it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves. Incidents of lives being saved by gun are many but receive little attention from the media or the politicians. Just like spoons, guns can be used for good or evil,
As with any situation involving human beings, circumstances surrounding shooting incidents are complex. We can never predict and prevent the many factors that lead to someone taking murderous actions. We might feel better as a society when we put a bandage on the collective emotional wound these incidents open but we rarely put in place measures that actually prevent more. People have been finding ways to kill each other for centuries. Unfortunately, laws won't change that.
Audrey Pietrucha is a member of the executive board of Vermonters for Liberty. She can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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The radios are Ritron's single-piece, NXDN digital capable model. The order included both 72VDC powered radios and 36VDC powered radios. The FCC mandated a technology change to narrowband technology more than10 years ago, Ritron said, adding that its locomotive radio is designed and built in the U.S.
Ritron, Inc. notes that SEPTA is the 6th-largest U.S. rapid transit system by ridership, and the 5th-largest overall U.S. transit system.


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Laurel Hill Medallion Brooches
- sold out
Laurel Hill Medallion Brooches
- sold out
Cast bronze medallions with steel brooch pins. Perfect as a cluster! Small // 3/4" diameter. Small with daggers // 3/4" diameter; 2 1/4" long. Large // 1 1/4" diameter. Your jewelry will arrive packaged in a hand-stamped muslin keepsake bag. Please allow up to two weeks for fabrication as most pieces are handmade to order. Let us know if you have a deadline, and we will do our best to expedite your order. Express orders will receive priority in the queue.
Something on your mind? Spill! We're here to help!
The Designer
With a style that references historical cultural adornment and ancient talismans, Laurel Hill Jewelry draws inspiration from the universal shapes and symbols that society innately recognizes as being significant. Crafted in the wild mountains of western Montana, every piece is made using traditional metalworking techniques, mixing bold stones, with brass and other natural materials. Sustainably produced, designer Laurel Hill combines elements of the cosmic, mystical and natural world.Shop Laurel Hill Jewelry


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I went to a Catholic parochial school in St. Paul for six years, was an altar boy, could pretty competently read Latin, and casually accepted my Catholic faith. But I never believed in it, any of it. It all, even to a child, seemed to not…work. But I didn't finally lose all semblance of any belief in a god until I worked for the prison system here in MN. I'm an RN, and have always chosen to work in the underbelly; treatment and detox centers, group homes for profoundly developmentally disabled adults who also had mental illness diagnoses, psychiatric units, hospice, and where I totally lost my faith, in a maximum security prison hospital unit.
Every day I addressed the health care needs of many offenders in the system, some not so bad, some inconceivably horrid, and dangerous, most stupid, lazy, and incompetent. But one offender, a sexual predator and murderer of children, totally destroyed any possible belief in a god. This man kidnapped a five year old girl from a church, and over the course of a day, forced upon her almost every filthy, violent, savage assault you can even imagine, and many you most probably can't. But it wasn't the rapes, or cigarette burns, or hair yanked out, or the beatings that killed her. It was his feces forced down her throat. Then he tossed her in a dumpster like some dead cat.
I usually never read the court transcripts from any of the men I took care of. I didn't want to know, afraid I might be influenced to provide less than good health care. I wish I hadn't looked up this piece of shit's court record as well. But here's what killed god for me. This little girl "loved Jesus" according to her mother. And god is supposedly all good, powerful, knowing etc. All I could think of was where is god? When this child went through every possible humiliation, forms of pain, terror, you add your own adjective here, where was god? Theodicy is always the fly in the ointment, Epicurus nailed it a long time ago, but the kindest thought you could take from this is that god is, as Twain put it, a malignant thug. No manner of convoluted magical thinking can excuse what happened to this little girl. If there is a god, even remotely like what most of us have been taught, he's an enemy, beneath contempt, worthy of our hatred. If he exists, fuck him. But he doesn't.
One last thing, to all those idiot whining pharmacists and other "health care professionals" who are troubled by Plan B birth control pills. I provided competent, professional care to the monster in prison. I changed his diaper, he was an old man by the time I knew him, after a quarter century in prison, gave him his medications, checked his blood glucose levels, in short, acted professionally. Professionals don't get to pick and choose who they care for.
United States


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Gaming in education: 'We don't need no stinking badges'
Posted in In the Media by Mike Lesczinski on May 19, 2014
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author(s) and may not reflect the official policy or position of Excelsior College. Excelsior makes no claim regarding the suitability of the content for all audiences.
By Jake New | eCampus News


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Ranulfo Luther Raposo of the Seventh-day Adventist Church pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges including attempted larceny and identity fraud. He was granted $5,000 bail.
Police say the alleged victims are in their 70s and 80s, live in Michigan, New Mexico and Arkansas, and are unconnected with the church.
Authorities told The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro the 51-year-old Raposo convinced them to disclose their Social Security numbers by telling them they were lottery winners. He then allegedly tried to have their checks redirected to his own bank account. He never got the money.
Raposo's lawyer said he's the victim.


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Posts: 66
Karma: 602280
Join Date: Nov 2012
Device: Currently owned: Nook HD+, pyrus mini. Previously owned: Sony prs-t2.
Sony PRS-T2 vs Kobo Glo
I am a PRS--T2 owner for several months, but I also bought a Kobo glo for my mom as a christmas gift, so I got a chance to compare them both.
I bought glo for christmas because I was dissatisfied about T2 was rather a downgrade of T1. Also, when I was looking at the hardware specifications and prices, glo seems to be a better choice. However, when I actually got to use the glo after I bought it, I found that when come to actual reading experiences, T2 is still a much better choice than glo, even though glo is built on better hardware.
About reading epub:
My first issue with glo is merely a minor issue. Glo is not format-friendly with non-kobo epub books. When you read a non-kobo epub, the page number sometimes stack right on a character of the actual content (this character is usually at the end of a line.) Also, you sometimes read a weird format where the page is only half full, and the continuation of the content is displayed on the next page. Where as when I use T2, I don't encounter any of those problems.
The second issue with glo on epub is a major one, for some people, like me. When come to epub, it seems that glo does not support as much language as T2, at least T2 supports Chinese well, but glo does not. Glo can read Chinese pdf but not Chinese epub. Where sony usually also does well on Chinese epub books, but glo fails to read them (you get a screen of squares denoting unrecognized characters). However, there is a way of getting around of this issue which requires some extra work. Basically you download the font file you want kobo to support, and place it in a folder called fonts (you will have to create this file under root). And when you reading the epub, select the font you just implemented. I did get this after a little bit struggle, and I can get glo to read chinese epub nicely after that. However, there is also another problem with this, when you reset your glo, the glo will lose the ability to recognize the chinese character in epub again, even though the font file is still there. There are ways to re-fix this, which I'm not gonna talk about here, but it is quite annoying.
Also, I want to talk more about dealing with freeze on both devices. On T2, because there are physical keys, like return or home, which can force the device to respond (by clicking it again and again), so I rarely (if ever) run into freeze problems with T2. On the other hand, the glo, even though claims to have an improved processor (does not seem to be more responsive than T2), because the lack of the physical key that forces to exit freeze (sometimes even hold power does not shut down/restart the device), so I end up running into freeze problems more frequently in glo. Which I have to stick a pen in the reset hole to exit freeze. It does not seem to be a big problem to many users, but again, if you are someone who reads epubs in languages like Chinese, you will have some issues to re-fix after that.
Another thing is that for T2, you can manage your collection at PC by using calibre. But for glo, which is called shelves instead of collections, you cannot manage shelves in calibre, and have to do that on device, however, I do not consider this to be a major problem.
Now lets talk about reading PDFs, which I consider T2 to have a huge advantage over glo:
The problem of reading PDF in e ink readers is that sometimes, what do you do when the font size is to small. Of course you can change the font size, but for PDF, change the font size usually messes up with the format, which format often matters in many PDFs, also sometimes words are part of a picture instead of text in PDFs, another thing is that, for pdf, if you change the font size, then you dramatically slows down the process of page turns. so we need some better methods to deal with them.
My most favorite method used on PDFs with T2 is crop, sometimes combined with column split. It solves a lot problems. Also landscape mode also works very well with some of the PDFs (mostly lecture slides). Pinch and zoom is also quite convenient, but I don't use this feature much.
However, use glo to read pdf is not near as convenient as T2. I can't find my most favorite crop or column split feature in glo. And zooming and landscape mode is just so inconvenient in glo. The problem with zooming and landscaping in glo is that you have to manually configure it for every page on your own. And you have to exit the zooming/landscape mode before you turn into next page. Where as when I use T2, all these kind of features will be automatically applied to every page, you just have to tap or click to turn the pages without ever to worry about reconfiguring those features.
So that's much about the comparison given the time I just bought the glo in my hand. In a shorter conclusion, even though on specification information, glo seems to have a better hardware, but when comes down to actual reading experiences, I think T2 does a much better job. However I do have to appreciate glo's light feature. Even Though on internet video comparison, the light seems to be bluish against some other readers, but when you are on your naked eye, you just don't even notice about that bluish. It is the similar thing which LCDs are very blue when on video, but you just don't notice them on your eye. It is actually very comfortable to have such a light, even though you are not in dark, it just makes you eye very relaxed and comfortable.
After I compared T2 with the product of other brand, I am actually right now very looking forward into sony's next model of ereader. If there is one major feature I want the T2 to take from glo, it is not the resolution (I just don't even notice that advantage), not the better processor (I would like ereaders to be much more responsive though), it is the light that glo has, because it really tunes you up, regardless if you are reading in dark or not, it is just something which the external light can't deliver. So in the future sony ereaders, I want the models to preserve the existing amazing reading experiences (the pdf experience is a big advantage for me), keep the device open (not like some brand which attempt to bind you to their books), and yes, have a light like glo.
So that's about it.
Posts: 4,128
Karma: 9045315
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: UK
Device: Sony PRS-350, Kobo AuraHD/Aura6"/AuraH2O/GloHD/AuraOne
Firstly let me say that I've always been a big Sony fan but couldn't get excited about the PRST2 as an 'upgrade' to the PRST1. Nor did I have any interest in rooting the PRST2 to act as a low-level android device. So I decided to try the Kobo Glo.
There are a couple of points you made where I think you are mistaken...
Calibre's metadata plugboards also work well on the Kobo if you're used to using those on your Sony.
Regarding fonts, I cannot comment on your Chinese fonts experience as I only read in English. In my opinion font handling on the Kobos is one area which is clearly superior to Sony. Various custom firmwares (PRSPlus and Morkl's modified reader app) have done wonderful things for Sony models (excluding PRST2) for epub font customisation. But the Kobos allow you to easily use any font you like as a standard feature and no technical knowledge is required. The Kobo's ability to control font-weight for many of the built-in fonts is also a great standard feature. The fact you also have the ability to change line spacing, page margins and justification from the device is an improvement over any Sony to date. Plus a choice of 24 font-sizes...
[Added] In fact all the features Morkl's modified reader app brought to the PRST1 are standard features on the Kobo (custom fonts, extra font-sizes, clock visible whilst reading, control pages between full screen refresh).
I agree with you about the Glo light. I didn't think I really needed it but I find it invaluable in the murky UK daylight at this time of year as well as in the evenings, of course.
I also agree that Sony's PDF capabilities are much better than Kobo's. It's also my experience that Sony firmware is more robust than Kobo. I haven't had anything really bad happen to me but I have needed a paperclip more often than I ever needed one with a Sony.
Last edited by jackie_w; 12-22-2012 at 06:57 PM. Reason: added info
Merry Christmas!
Posts: 3,815
Karma: 87211476
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Australia
Device: Blackberry Playbook, Sony 650, Kobo Glo, Kobo H2O
Well, I've got both the 650 and the Glo, and I'm not sure that I would bother with a Kobo again if Sony puts out a reader with light built in.
You've both articulated the issues as you see them, and I'll state a couple that are a pain in the a for moi!!
Trying to get a book endowed with Notes to acknowledge that a tap on the note means that you want to be taken to the notes page is an arduous task. Often you will get a page turn instead, or get a highlight or the dictionary - but not any action regarding the Note.
Then, should I be able to exercise the note funtion, I'll be blowed if I can get back to the originating page with any consistency. Yep - page turns, dictionary etc but no notice taken of the tap, or slight depress of the text, to get back.
Annotations and Highlighting
After you think that you've successfully save these and in due course exited the book - and then returned - you may or not not be able to find the notes/annotations. I've had them disappear, and then some - but not all - return.
I got the Glo because I need 2 book lights to adequately see the 650, and from the light point of view the Glo is great. Although I think there needs to be a 'tone' delimiter built in, because brightness isn't the issue as much as the lighting tone. For example, harsh and soft.
I've never had to reset my Sony, or boot it because it's hung. My Glo, in the 9 days I've owned it, I've paper clip started it twice already!!
The 650 is a wonderful workhorse, and with the PRS+ Enhancement, an excellent device.
I do like that Calibre has introduced for testing purposes the ability to import the annotations and highlighting from the Glo - if they still exist, lol.
Well, that's my 2 cents worth.
Oh, I forgot - the darn Kobo desktop software does not give you the choice to Sync or not to Sync. Therefore I've started a dummy Kobo account which I do not use to buy books with, and that's the account that I use as the Glo active account, which means that I only have to use the Kobo desktop when there's an OS update.
Having said that, I don't use Kepubs on my Glo - only Calibre cleaned and side-loaded books.
My playbook gets the Kepubs, but not my Glo. (Kobo is a native app to the Playbook)
Overall, at 7ins the Playbook is still by far the best device to read from, but it's a tad heavy, has only a 12 or so hour battery (typical of tablets), and the reading apps, including Kobo, do not have the full functionality of the dedicated ereaders. And I've never had a prob with getting the notes to work.
Posts: 1,128
Karma: 2226902
Join Date: Sep 2008
Device: IPad Mini 2 Retina
Some other points:
Sony has much better dictionaries compared to Glo.
Sony firmware more stable (though it hardly changes). Kobo firmware updates are too buggy.
But I hate the Sony T2 hardware buttons - far too infantile and toy-like.
Posts: 28
Karma: 544634
Join Date: Jan 2011
Device: Maybe sony
Lifesaver post for me. My prs-650 just died ( ) and I've been wandering about between doubts and uncertainty whether should I get a kobo glo or a prs t2.
I would like to have just one question to the original poster then, because this is what gets me more in doubt: would you trade the prs apparently more stable and 'better' software for the glow of kobo glo?
Posts: 66
Karma: 602280
Join Date: Nov 2012
Device: Currently owned: Nook HD+, pyrus mini. Previously owned: Sony prs-t2.
Also, if you are looking to buy a new reader, I suggest you to stay patient a little bit more, see what sony's next reader mode is like. I think sony will likely to add all the physical features that has made kobo glo stand out, if they want to attract users to stay in market. But the problem is we just don't know when they will release a new model.
Also, since each person has different in needs, if you are not a frequent or hard core pdf reader (and don't read epub from languages like Chinese) and you don't want to wait, you might consider kobo glo. However, again, if you ask me to choose between them, I would personally go with the prs reader.
Also, thx to jackie to teach me sth which I did not know about kobo. I really appreciate the corrections and tips you provided.
Posts: 1,128
Karma: 2226902
Join Date: Sep 2008
Device: IPad Mini 2 Retina
I went from the Sony PRS 650 to a Kobo Glo, and I would not be without the light now - I have not used the 650 since getting the Glo. But if Sony came out with their own front-lit reader I would probably get it. There are just too many niggling problems with the Glo's firmware; the hardware is fine, and I really like the overall design of the Glo. But Sony really dropped the ball with the T2, and I don't think they have sold many. I would not be surprised if they pulled out of the ereader market altogether, which would be a great shame. A front-lit T2 would be great (as long as it did not have those silly shaped buttons).
Some of the things I do not like about the Glo's firmware, most of which you can workaround:
Dictionaries are poor compared to Sony. But you can load on your own custom dictionaries (not officially supported by Kobo).
Fonts are too thin, especially when the light is on. You can adjust the weight on the device of the built-in fonts; for side-loaded fonts you have to use third party software to adjust the weight.
Too much screen space is wasted on top and bottom menu bars when reading. For side-loaded epubs you do not get the top menu, but there is no way to get rid of the bottom menu. For Kobo epubs you are stuck with both.
The line height adjustment does not go low enough, i.e., to 1em. To override this in the epub, you have to set it at the paragraph level (p), i.e., on each paragraph, via a class or inline style.
No permanently displayed clock when reading. You have to touch the screen to display the clock, and it only displays for a second or two - blink and you miss it!
Firmware upgrades introduce more bugs, add features I am not interested in, and do not include features I would like (see above).
Last edited by ShellShock; 12-25-2012 at 06:51 AM.
Posts: 726
Karma: 3822612
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Sweden
Device: Paperwhite 2, Kobo Aura H2O
I have both and the T2 has faster page turns and is lighter and I'm thinking of switiching back.
Posts: 28
Karma: 544634
Join Date: Jan 2011
Device: Maybe sony
Now 2 years later it seems the same again.
+ Sony readers are the easier to get online without extra taxes, extra pricing, etc, at some places where population is raped by governament with taxes like Brazil =D.
Junior Member
Posts: 2
Karma: 10
Join Date: Feb 2013
Device: SONY PRS-T2
How can you read Chinese original epub books? My T2 doesn't support. Can you tell me the configuration?
I asked Customer Service at UK Sony, who said not supportable. I wonder if I should refund it.
Thanks in advance.
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text:
The recently transformed Sarasota City Commission is a more pro-active group that encourages businesses downtown and wants applicants to get through the city's building permit process quickly and efficiently.
But, at the end of the day, the majority of the commission couldn't justify approving a zoning code amendment that would have sped up the permitting process and allowed zoning code conflicts to be resolved in a manner most favorable to applicants.
The commission voted 3-2 at its regular meeting Monday to deny an amendment originally proposed and supported by the majority of the commission, but criticized by the Planning Board and some residents and community organizations.
"I supported starting down this road in an informal meeting to take a more positive approach to what's happening with our economy," said Vice Mayor Terry Turner, who, along with Commissioner Shannon Snyder, proposed the idea over the summer to create a more pro-business attitude.
"But reviewing the Planning Board meeting twice makes me pause and gives me concern," he said. "We need to be respectful to the larger community, and I am also concerned about potential litigation."
Some people spoke in opposition to the code amendment, including Sarasota land-use attorney Dan Lobeck.
"The proposal you have before you would declare war on your neighborhoods and tilt standards toward a developer," Lobeck said.
The city's zoning code states that a building's setback must be 50 feet, but another code states the same building would require a 150-foot setback; the city must enforce the greater setback. To encourage a pro-business/applicant attitude, the proposed code would have allowed the city to let an applicant proced with the lower setback, to allow him greater use of his property and encourage him to move forward with the application.
"You have a universal standard right now that respects neighbors and the interests of property owners," Lobeck said. "To have a broad, radical approach that says a developer wins every time doesn't make any sense. Don't tilt the playing field always in favor of developers."
Others, however, denied the code amendment was a detriment.
Sarasota resident and former City Commission candidate Diana Hamilton urged the commission to approve the amendment.
"Everybody always asked us while we were campaigning how we could simplify our code so it's a place that welcomes enterprise," Hamilton said. "This simply says when there's a way to make a change helpful to an applicant, why not do that?"
Mayor Suanne Atwell agreed with Hamilton. "We need to look at the greater good and bringing business in here."
The recently transformed Sarasota City Commission is a more pro-active group that encourages businesses downtown and wants applicants to get through the city's building permit process quickly and efficiently.


text: I know that the Borg threat is gone, but there could still be hidden pockets somewhere, or some Cube is thrown into the future from the past, and also they are gone only from ?one timeline/universe and there are still many other. So the Borg could make a comeback. I would therefor like to ask, what techniques the Federation could have come up with to defend herself from the Borg menace. These are some that came to my mind, but I would like to hear not only some feedback, but also different ones... 1. Quantity Some 40 ships (depends on the year) are still not equal to 1 Borg Cube, but could 100+, 200+, ... ships fare better? 2. Hide in plain sight Similarly as in Stargate Atlantis, if they just do not use advanced technology, will the Borg leave them in peace? 3. Trojan horse As seen in Icheb or Future Janeway, if the whole species would get "inoculated", would the Borg be still able to adapt, if they are always destroyed after an assimilation attempt? This could also include genetic engineering to get humans similar abilities/immunity to Denobulans or Species 8472 (although there are some 3 timelines, where the Borg were able to assimilate Species 8472). 4. Nadion-pulse cannon A novelverse invention with bugs, but could they have been used against the Borg with effect, or would the Borg still adapt? 5. Aldean repulsor beam The Federation could have sent humanitarian help and technicians to Aldea, they could have learned of this technology. In the regular setting, it could at least throw an approaching Cube away, in the full setting perhaps even destroy the ship. 6. Minosian Echo Papa 607 Would this drone be any use against the Borg? 7. Mentharian Aceton assimilator Would these be of any use?


text:
Submit News
FTC Fires Back at Microsoft, et al. Regarding Google Antitrust Ruling
Jason Mick
January 14, 2013 1:24 PM
Recipient E-mail
Sender E-mail
"We did what we're paid to do and what the law requires", says Chairman in new interview
heavy criticism from Microsoft
Corp. (
), Yelp Inc. (
), and a slew of other online service firms, the
U.S. Federal Trade Commission
's Chairman
Jon Leibowitz
is firing back in a
new interview
Talking Points Memo
(TPM). In the interview, he defends the decision to
reach a
[PDF] with online search and services giant Google Inc. (
) which called for big changes, but allowed Google to avoid a full blown antitrust lawsuit brought by the federal government (which was the approach Microsoft,
et al.
I. FTC Claims That Its Google Ruling Was Fair
Responding to his critics, Chairman Leibowitz comments, "We did what we're paid to do and what the law requires. We went after a company [Google] where the law required us to do so, and forwent bringing a case where the law required us not to bring one."
He points out that the decision was unanimously approved by the FTC's
five commissioners
, including Leibowitz. He remarks, "Under facts we found, all five of us, from liberal Democrat to conservative Republican, agreed that the evidence militated against an antitrust case. The fact that we managed to have both Google and Google's rivals unhappy, in an odd way that's maybe unique to Washington, that puts us in the right place substantively."
U.S. FTC Chairman Jonathan Leibowitz is defending his Commission's settlement with Google against critics like Microsoft. [Image Source: UPI]
He argues that the settlement is significant as it not only pushes Google to change certain search/data-mining practices its critics considered unfair, but it also pushes the company to pursue patent peace in the mobile space. The FTC voted 4-to-1 to adopt a settlement demand that forces Google to pursue arbitration with smartphone rivals, before taking them to court and eating up judicial resources.
Explains Chairman Leibowitz, "We took a pretty meaningful step forward to stop one of the most drastic abuses in patent litigation. [Google] won't be able to engage in patent holdup, where the threat of an injunction is used as a 'Sword of Damocles.'"
He was pleased to note that Google had responded already,
withdrawing two key patent assertions
in its
nearly finished legal battle against Microsoft
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
. The FTC did allow Google to sue in cases where a rival is
looking to ban its products
(so Google may be able to still pursue action against Apple, Inc. (
)), but the Chairman calls such applications "exceedingly limited defensive uses."
He argues that the FTC's approach is consistent with both Google and its rivals in the smartphone space, commenting, "We don't want them [smartphone makers] to be able to get injunctions, and we prohibit that except in the one-in-a-million hypothetical. If someone makes a FRAND commitment and reneges, we will go after them."
II. Google Still Faces Antitrust Threats
In regards to media commentary that the settlement was a "win" for Google, he responds, "Reporters think of this in some ways as a horse race. [I]t's really about doing the right thing. Perhaps to some extent we helped to build up expectations [by the
length of the probe
], but I also think complainants created great expectations of their own. I think that as time goes on, more and more people will recognize we did justice."
The Chairman also rejected the notion that the tens of millions of dollars that Google
poured into lobbying officials
in the federal government on both sides of the political aisle impacted the Commission's vote. He comments, "My sense is that the lobbying makes the companies feel good and lobbyists feel good. At the end of the day, whether you want to say lobbying had any influence, or canceled itself out because there was lobbying on both sides, if you're going to do what lobbyists want you to do in a regulatory agency, you're not doing your job."
The decisiveness of the ruling (5-0) may be enough to placate the
U.S. Department of Justice
(DOJ), but an FTC ruling does not necessarily preclude an antitrust lawsuit by the DOJ. For example, in 1991 the FTC probed Microsoft, in an investigation that wrapped up in 1993 with a deadlock -- 2-2 vote -- effectively closing the investigation. Despite that the DOJ would go on to independently investigate and sue Microsoft in a court battle that was considered a milestone in modern U.S. antitrust enforcement.
The EU says it won't go as easy on Google as the FTC did. [Image Source: AFP]
And meanwhile the EU has indicated it will be
substantially stricter
in its settlement demands from Google.
"It's okay. The scenarios aren't that clear. But it's good looking. [Steve Jobs] does good design, and [the iPad] is absolutely a good example of that." -- Bill Gates on the Apple iPad
Related Articles
EU Doesn't Plan to Go Easy on Google (Like the FTC)
January 11, 2013, 9:36 AM
Google Ditches Patent Claim Against Microsoft for Xbox Video Compression
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Microsoft Shouts Antitrust Over YouTube Snub
January 3, 2013, 10:11 AM
Google, FTC Settle Antitrust Spat Without Any Fines
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Bihar occupied an important position in the early history of India; for centuries it was the principal seat of imperial powers and the main focus of Indian culture and civilization. The derivation of the name Bihar from the Sanskrit vihara (Buddhist monastery) reflects the prominence of such communities in the region in ancient times. Area 38,301 square miles (99,200 square km). Pop. (2004 2008 est.) 8893,268823,000.
The state is naturally divided by the Ganges (Ganga) River into two regions—the North Bihar Plains and the South Bihar Plains, which together form part of the middle Gangetic Plain. Except for the foothills of the Himalayas in the extreme northwest, the North Bihar Plain is a flat alluvial region, less than 250 feet (75 metres) above sea level and prone to flooding. The Ghaghara, the Gandak, the Baghmati, the Kosi, the Mahananda, and other rivers flow down from the Himalayas of Nepal and make their way to the Ganges in frequently changing channels. Depressions and lakes mark the abandoned courses of streams. The Kosi River, long known as the "Sorrow of Bihar" for its tendency to cause destructive floods, has been confined within artificial embankments. The soil of the northern plain consists mostly of new alluvium—chalky and light-textured (mostly sandy loam) west of the Burhi (Old) Gandak River and nonchalky and heavy-textured (clay and clay loam) to the east. Another natural hazard—seismic activity—also affects this area, which lies within the Himalayan earthquake zone. The earthquakes of 1934 and 1988 were especially severe and caused widespread devastation and loss of life.
The land of the South Bihar Plain is more varied than that of its northern counterpart, with many hills rising from the level alluvium. The southern rivers, with the exception of the Son, are all small; their water is diverted into irrigation channels. The soil consists mainly of older alluvium, composed of a darkish clay or yellowish loam, with poor, sandy soils predominating toward the south of this region. In the southwest, beyond the Son River valley, lies the Kaimur Plateau, with horizontal sandstone strata over a limestone base.
There are three well-defined seasons: the hot-weather season, lasting from March to mid-June; the season of southwest monsoon rains, from mid-June to October; and the cold-weather season, from November to February. May is the hottest month, with temperatures regularly exceeding 90 °F (32 °C), except in the extreme north. The coolest month is January, with temperatures typically rising into the low 70s F (about 22 °C). The normal annual rainfall varies from about 40 inches (1,000 mm) in the west-central part of the state to more than 60 inches (1,500 mm) in the extreme north. Nearly all the rain falls between June and October, with July and August being the wettest months. The cold-weather season is the most pleasant part of the year.
The natural vegetation of Bihar is deciduous forest, but only a small portion of the total area is forested. Most forests occur in the Himalayan foothills; those on the plain have largely been removed in order to cultivate the land. Valuable resin-yielding sal trees (Shorea robusta) are found in the Himalayan foothills, along with an abundance of bamboo, reeds, and grasses. Common trees of the plain include banyans (Ficus benghalensis or F. indica), Bo trees (F. religiosa), and palmyra palms.
The more inaccessible forest regions of Bihar are home to various species of large mammals, most notably Bengal tigers, leopards, elephants, and several types of deer. Crocodiles are most numerous along the Kosi River. In the early 21st century significant populations of the endangered adjutant stork (Leptoptilos dubius) were found in the Kosi and Ganges floodplains. Small mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish are common throughout the state.
For the most part, the peoples of Bihar are classified according to religion, social caste and lineage, and language, rather than by specific ethnic affiliation. Hindus constitute the majority of the population, and Muslims are the largest minority group. Most Muslims live in northern Bihar, particularly in and around the city of Purnia in the northeast. The Hindu population comprises the elite upper castes (Brahmans, Bhumihars, Rajputs, and Kayasthas); the officially designated Backward Classes (Yadavas, Kurmis, and Banias), constituting the socially and economically disadvantaged; and the Scheduled Castes, formerly known as "untouchables" (Chamars or Mochis, Dusadhs, and Mushars). There also are smaller groups of distinct indigenous peoples, the Scheduled Tribes, that fall outside the caste hierarchy; most are Hindus, and a few are Christians.
Indo-European languages—including Hindi, Urdu (primarily the language of Muslims), and the Bihari languages of Bhojpuri, Maithili, and Magahi—are spoken by most of the population. Bhojpuri is spoken in the western districts of Bhojpur, Rohtas (also called Sasaram, after its administrative centre), Saran, and East and West Champaran; Maithili is spoken in Darbhanga and Saharsa; and Magahi is spoken in Patna, Gaya, and Munger. Austroasiatic languages are spoken by the Munda, Santhal, and Ho indigenous minorities, while another Scheduled Tribe, the Oraon, speak a Dravidian language.
Bihar is one of India's most densely populated states, with well over 850 people per square mile (more than 325 per square km). In the early 21st century the state also had one of the country's highest population growth rates. The state is primarily rural, with the vast majority of the population living in compact or clustered villages in the cultivated plains. The harnessing of the Kosi River has stabilized settlement in its valley, while a highly developed system of irrigation supports a large population on the South Bihar Plain. The major cities in Bihar are Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Munger, and Bihar Sharif.
Agriculture engages nearly three-fourths of Bihar's population, and Bihar is one of India's top producers of vegetables and fruits. Despite significant gains in mining and manufacturing in the late 20th century, the state has continued to lag behind other Indian states in per capita income; by government standards, a large segment of the population remains below poverty level. At the turn of the 21st century the creation of the state of Jharkhand from Bihar's southern region further strained Bihar's struggling economy.
About half of Bihar is under cultivation, but population pressure has pushed cultivation to the furthest limits, and little remains to be developed. The transitional nature of the climatic zone is reflected in the cropping pattern, which shows a mixture of wet and dry crops. Rice is everywhere the dominant crop, but wheat, corn (maize), barley, and pulses (legumes) are important supplementary crops. Sugarcane is grown in a fairly well-defined belt in the northwest. Jute, a crop of the hot, moist lowlands, is found only in the easternmost plain districts. There are three harvests in a year: bhadai, dominated by corn that is sown from May to June and gathered in August and September; aghani, consisting primarily of rice sown in mid-June and gathered in December; and rabi, made up largely of wheat that ripens in the plains in the spring (March to May).
Fruits and vegetables are grown extensively. Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga are particularly noted for mangoes, bananas, and litchi fruits. Vegetables are important in the vicinity of large towns. The potato-growing area near Bihar Sharif, in Patna district, produces the best variety of seed potato in India. Chilies and tobacco are important cash crops on the banks of the Ganges.
Bihar's mineral wealth was virtually depleted when the mineral-rich Chota Nagpur plateau became part of Jharkhand. Still, there are a few pockets in the state where minerals are found. Bauxite is found in Munger. The Rohtas district has dolomite, glass sand, cement mortar, and other minerals. Mica deposits are found in Gaya, Nawada, and Munger. Gaya and Munger also produce salt, as does Muzaffarpur.
Bihar's energy is provided by a small number of thermal and hydroelectric power stations, but these do not meet the needs of the entire state. Several power stations were lost with the partitioning of Jharkhand. In the early 21st century less than half of the state's villages had regular electricity.
Bihar has been slow to develop industry. A number of agencies have been set up by the state government to boost the pace of development. Most workers in the manufacturing sector are employed in household industries; the rest are employed in steel and other metal-based and food-processing industries.
The larger industries are mainly in Dalmianagar (paper, cement, chemicals), Baruni (petrochemicals), and Patna (light manufacturing). Among the agriculturally based industries are sugar refining, tobacco processing, silk production, and jute milling. Traditional cottage industries are popular in Bihar; they most notably include sericulture (raising of silkworms and raw silk production), lac (resin used to produce shellac) and glasswork, handloom products, brassware, and pottery. Paintings of mythological stories produced on cloth in and around the town of Madhubani have become a foreign-exchange item.
The waterways, once important, are now of little significance. Although all-weather roads reach just over one-third of Bihar's villages, several national highways pass through the state, including the venerable Grand Trunk Road, which is one of India's oldest roadways. Road service is best around Patna, where Allied operations during World War II brought many improvements. The rail line between Kolkata (Calcutta) and Delhi, which crosses Bihar, opened in 1864. Because of the dense population, the railways carry a heavy load of traffic. They generally run parallel to the rivers because of the difficulty of constructing bridges. Consequently, travel between important towns is often long and tedious. Regularly scheduled airlines serve Patna.
The structure of Bihar's government, as in most other Indian states, is defined by the national constitution of 1950. The state has a bicameral legislature consisting of the upper-house Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) and the lower-house Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha). Appointed by the president of India, the governor is the head of the state and functions on the advice of the chief minister, who is the head of the Council of Ministers. The bureaucratic hierarchy, located in the Patna secretariat, is headed by a chief secretary.
The state is parceled into several divisions, which are further divided into districts. Administration is the responsibility of a deputy commissioner at the district level. Below the district, each subdivision has its own administrative officer.
The police force is headed by an inspector general, assisted by superintendents at the district level. There is a high court at Patna, with a chief justice and several other judges. Below the high court are district courts, subdivisional courts, munsifs' (subordinate judicial officers') courts, and village councils.
Medical facilities, though improving, are still inadequate outside the towns. Villages are served mainly by allopathic (traditional Western) and ancient Indian medical (Ayurvedic) dispensaries. Unanī (traditional Muslim) and homeopathic systems of medicine are also popular. Large and well-equipped hospitals and medical colleges are located at Patna, Darbhanga, and Bhagalpur. Respiratory diseases, dysentery, and diarrhea figure prominently among the causes of death. Cholera and malaria seldom occur, and smallpox and bubonic plague have been eradicated.
Although the literacy rate has nearly tripled in the second half of the 20th century to nearly half the state's population, Bihar still ranks low in literacy among Indian states. The rate for men is significantly higher than that for women. The state's general aim is to educate all children at least up to the age of 14. In the early 21st century most of those eligible were enrolled in the primary schools. However, only a small proportion were able to continue to the secondary level, as economic necessity forced them to work. Vocational and technical schools are sponsored by government departments.
Prominent institutions of higher learning in Bihar include Patna University (1917), the oldest and most important, at Patna; Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University (formerly Bihar University; 1960), at Muzaffarpur; and Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University (formerly Bhagalpur University; 1960), at Bhagalpur. The latter two schools offer graduate programs and have a number of affiliated colleges.
The cultural regions of Bihar show a close affinity with the linguistic regions. Maithili is the language of old Mithila (the area of ancient Videha, now Tirhut), which is dominated by orthodoxy and the Maithil Brahman way of life. Maithili is the only Bihari language with a script of its own, called Tirhuta, and a strong literary history; one of the earliest and most celebrated writers in Maithili was Vidyapati (15th century), noted for his lyrics of love and devotion.
The Bhojpuri language has hardly any written literature but does have a considerable oral narrative tradition. Magahi too has a rich tradition of oral literature. The North and South Bihar plains also have contributed significantly to contemporary Hindi and Urdu literature.
Many villages of the Scheduled Tribes have a dancing floor, a sacred grove (sarna) where worship is offered by a village priest, and a bachelor's dormitory (dhumkuria). The weekly market, hat, plays an important part in the tribal economies. Tribal festivals such as Sarhul, which marks the flowering of the sal trees, and Soharai, celebrated after the rice harvest, are occasions of great festivity.
Places of religious and cultural interest abound in Bihar. Nalanda is the seat of the ancient and celebrated Nalanda Buddhist monastic centre; the nearby Rajgir Hills area, with its ancient and contemporary temples and shrines, is visited by people of many faiths; and Pawapuri is the place where Mahavira, the renowned teacher of Jainism, attained nirvana (enlightenment, or freedom from an endless cycle of reincarnation). Gaya is an important place of Hindu pilgrimage, and nearby Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment, is the holiest place of Buddhism; in 2002 the Mahabodhi temple complex at Bodh Gaya was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Hariharkshetra, near Sonpur, north of Patna, is famous for one of the oldest and largest animal fairs in India, which is held every November. Among the numerous Hindu celebrations held in Bihar, Holi (a colourful spring fertility festival) and Chaat (a tribute to the Sun, primarily by women) are indigenous to the region.


text:
Approval from Hennepin County would be "one of the procedural steps typically required by Met[ropolitan] Council for getting a project fully approved in the regional transportation policy plan," Minneapolis transportation planner Anna Flintoft said in an email, according to local media.
At present, Metropolitan Council's regional plan provides no overall approach for funding streetcars as a transport option. Earlier this year, however, Met Council did agree to study streetcars as a transport option and develop a policy approach for the rail mode.
Such a policy would also benefit neighboring St. Paul, the state capital, which also is pondering its own initial streetcar line.
Met Council's sluggishness over streetcars hasn't prevented the Minneapolis City Council from advancing the Nicollet Avenue streetcar line as a locally preferred alternative, which it did last October. The city currently is developing an environmental assessment of the project due to be completed early next year.


text:
Seager named AL Player of the Week
Infielder led league with eight RBIs, hit .583 to earn second career weekly award
By Greg Johns / MLB.com
HOUSTON -- Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager earned his second American League Player of the Week honor this season when he was selected Monday for his outstanding play from June 23-29, when he hit .583 with two home runs and eight RBIs in six games.
But in typical Seager fashion, the 26-year-old said he felt teammate Felix Hernandez deserved the award more after his own outstanding week. Seager is not much of a self-promoter, though his play spoke for itself as he posted a 1.542 OPS in the six-game homestand.
"Not a big fan of it, no," Seager said of talking about his accomplishments. "I'd much rather be talking about Felix right now and how good he is. He should have won it."
Hernandez was one of five other AL players nominated for the award after going 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 15 innings. But Seager surely earned the honor as his red-hot bat helped the Mariners win four of six games and hiked Seager's batting average to .277 from .250.
"He's been great," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "I think the light is starting to flicker a little bit. He's getting better. Even his outs have been real tough outs. I think he's starting to understand what we're talking about and what we'd like him to accomplish, and he's becoming a better hitter.
"I know he's got power and is going to hit 20-plus home runs, but my goal is to see him become a complete hitter, and that means using the entire field to hit, becoming a tough out with two strikes and runners in scoring position. I think he's getting better at it."
Seager said he had benefitted this season by picking the brain of new teammate Robinson Cano as well as hitting coach Howard Johnson and McClendon, the former hitting coach for the Tigers.
"I know the adjustments I was making last year and what I was trying to accomplish, but I feel a lot more comfortable being able to repeat it in the positions I'm in now," he said. "I definitely feel better about the whole approach now. But it's still kind of evolving and things change pretty quickly, so hopefully we'll make a couple more strides forward and ultimately get to where I want to be."
Seager listed working on his balance at the plate, using the whole field particularly against shifting defenses and controlling the strike zone as areas in which he was still working. Hitting fourth behind Cano lately hasn't hurt either.
"You get pitched to a lot more out of the stretch; I've noticed that," he said with a smile. "You can get slide-stepped a lot more hitting behind him. It's good because if he's on base, they kind of have to go at you because there's already people on base and you don't want to put more people on. So you have to be more aggressive. That doesn't necessarily just mean more fastballs, but you can't nibble quite as much the way the top of the order has been getting on base. It's been great all around."
Seager also won the award for April 21-27 when he was co-Player of the Week with the White Sox's Jose Abreu. Hernandez also won the award for June 2-8, making this the first time Seattle has had three Player of the Week awards in the same season since 2006 (Raul Ibanez, Ichiro Suzuki and Joel Pineiro).
Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum earned the National League weekly honor after throwing his second career no-hitter on Wednesday.
Greg Johns is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregJohnsMLB as well as his Mariners Musings blog. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Town Square
Construction at Lytton near Bryant
Original post made by Ana, Downtown North, on Jul 22, 2007
Palo Alto Weekly columnist
on Jul 23, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Don Kazak is a registered user.
Do you mean University Avenue and Bryant Street (the burned Walgreen's building)? The city reports no sidewalk closures on Lytton.
a resident of Mountain View
on Jul 23, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Curious Observer is a registered user.
Perhaps Ana is referring to the sidewalk on Lytton between Bryant and Florence. Looks like there's a big construction project happening there. It's worrisome that the city is not aware of this.
Palo Alto Weekly columnist
on Jul 24, 2007 at 9:52 am
Don Kazak is a registered user.
A 26,611-square-foot building will be constructed at 325 Lytton Ave. It will include some retail, offices, and residential on its fourth floor. The permit for construction was issued July 19. Larry Pearlin, the city's chief building official, had initially thought that there were no sidewalk closures on Lytton because Public Works, not his department, issues those permits.
a resident of Downtown North
on Jul 24, 2007 at 9:31 pm
Thanks for the replies!
So, it is in fact a big construction, and I am now worried that the sidewalk will be closed for a long time.
The shuttle stop over there is the one my mom uses when she goes pick up my young child from pre-school. And they just have to walk a bit to get to my home. Now I may need to have them go around the entire block, so they don't cross the street. This is sad!
How can I find out for how long will the sidewalk be closed.
Thanks again.


text:
I am using a certain keyword rank checking tool(cuterank) and from it, i see my position on Google keeps changing several times in a day, in fact using another firefox add on(seoquake) indicates my backlinks number pages too in a day. Does this change be the reasons why my position keeps changing several times in a day?:)
This is referred to as a "Google Dance".
It typically occurs before your site see's an increase in ranking.
Is there anything I can do about it?
Its usually a good situation because it means your site ranking is about to increase for these keywords (It could also mean decrease as Google is constantly changing. I am in no way claiming to understand the details of Google's algorithm.)
Either way, it should level out in a couple of days.
It should also be noted that sometimes, particular sites will rank higher when you are logged in than when you are not.
Thank a lot, that is so good of you.
I'm going to add, I would avoid over checking Serps.
Your ranking is going to depend on not only on-page and back links you have built but the sites the back links sit on as well as competing sites..
checking once a week can often be considered overkill and I will only check more often if I have made changes to content and I want to see the effect.
With regards to the 'logged in comment', you need to avoid like the plague as these are Google personalized results, they can not be trusted with regards to SERP.
I would only ever check using a 3rd party tool (which would not be affected by your Google account) or using the incognito mode in chrome (although I have had personalised results using this on occasion.)
Thanks for your useful contribution. If my target markets are USA,UK,Canada and Australia, will building backlinks from .com.au,co.uk and .ca will in ranking especillay in google and Bing australia,google and Bing UK,google and Bing USA and google and Bing canada?
OK lets take a step back and think how a site gets indexed. Generally a site is visited by a spider coming from a third party site via an outbound link.
Therefore if the site providing the backlink is 'findable' on the search engine of choice it will be counted (in very general terms)
Don't get caught up in building multiple sets of results, think in term that for a sites backlink to give me benefit if its listed on the search engine I'm interested in and its related to my site, its a good link... (There are exceptions to this but its a good general guide)
Avoid back linking schemes and other short cuts...
Also avoid any tool that will give you a flood of links. In short if you have a site with few links, generating hundreds in a short period of time will potentially cause a Google flag etc.. Think in terms of short and steady and you wont go far wrong.
Thanks for this useful information


text: I really hope that our pro skaters will have more competitions in the future. If Michelle and Irina go pro after the Olympics, do you think they will create competitions for them like they did for Nancy and Oksana? We need more pro competitions to entice the amatuer skaters to go pro and still know that they can compete and make money. What do you think?


text:
As he addressed the Class of 2013 during graduation on Sunday, Connor Rosenblatt encouraged his 250 fellow classmates to embrace failure.
As he addressed the Class of 2013 during graduation on Sunday, Connor Rosenblatt encouraged his 250 fellow classmates to embrace failure.
"We've been taught to fear failure," Rosenblatt said. "I'm worried this pressure will continue throughout life."
Rosenblatt's speech was inspired by a quote he heard while trying to find inspiration: "If you've never failed, you've never lived."
"Failure shapes who we are," Rosenblatt said. "It is fear that prevents us from being something great. I hope every single one of us fails at some point. I'm confident we're strong enough to rebound."
Milford High's valedictorian wasn't the only speaker on the hot afternoon at the school's football field to encourage the graduating class to make its own way on the way out into the "real world."
"As a wise woman, who goes by the name of Grammy, told me, 'I shall either find a way or make one,'" said Class President Marisa Gilliat. "I have no doubt the Class of 2013 will make their way."
Salutatorian Natasha Jacobson told her classmates to embrace the changes that are coming and not to live in the past.
Milford High School Principal Michael Tempesta added: "The journey is everything and it is yours and yours alone to travel and make the best of."
School Committee member Rob Lanzetta left the graduates with the advice his grandfather, a longtime janitor at Milford High who graduated from 26 years ago: "don't try, do."
Contact Lindsay Corcoran at 508-634-7582 or email@example.com. For Milford news throughout the day, follow her on Twitter @LacorcMDN.


text:
Josh Smith is having a heck of a year.
Josh Smith is having a heck of a year.
however, getting Shat, who is poised to break out to his former self () Piercedclit, who is solid piece of ****, yet consistent and significant, and Hubbert the Roy adds a solid base to the Pringle squad.
i'd say Pringles got better of deal, but idk.
thankfully won't take effect until our bloodmatch is over...
I just want to say i think that Rady is getting fleeced in that deal.
I'm not gonna vote against I just think that pringles wins that deal hands down.
Management's Thoughts:
Definite upgrade, barring Duncan going into beast-mode; but Pop can be stingy and unpredictable with his minutes.
Cousins is having a tremendous year, and it could stand to get even better. But are his numbers *that* much better than STAT?
Worst case I don't see his numbers being appreciably worse than Cousins to end the year. Best case? It goes without saying.
Josh is a beast, but an inconsistent beast. Can carry your team for a week, though. Potential to improve to even greater heights this season.
I traded Chris Bosh for Gerald Wallace earlier, which allowed me to take some chances with my SF/PF slots, and bid J-Smoov adiu. Wallace is basically an upper-middle class man's Josh Smith.
Pierce gives me a very solid, consistent fantasy player for head to head matches, while beefing up my guard rotation.
My goals to improve my team have been to imrpove:
*C and SG depth
*Ceiling of overall squad
Musk...how bad do you want to beat me?
I had offered JJ before our matchup but rescinded then and explained why.
I can't trade him Crazy. He's my most productive player now that Bargs will be out for even longer it seems.
Ugh.. My team is ailing and becoming ****tier by the week.
I'd trade Jason Terry for Nene. He'd give you a consistent 15 or more FP per start.. What say you?
(pause.) I will trade you Carmelo for Gallinari.


text:
is starting to pick up steam in the world's biggest nation – China
-- in terms of both population and cell phone use. With its
rise in popularity, a number of third-party app stores have popped up
alongside the official Android Marketplace. While these third
parties distribute paid software, they are also popular as they take
more of a lax stance to potentially pirated or cloned apps.The
dark side of the under regulation of these third-party app
distributors has reared its ugly head, with a new trojan virus
preying on unsuspecting Chinese Android users.According
to Lookout Mobile Security,
a startup that is emerging as promising party in the hot mobile
security market, a sophisticated Trojan named Geinimi has infiltrated
third-party app markets in China and is constructing what appears to
be a smartphone botnet.The firm writes in a blog,
"Geinimi is effectively being 'grafted' onto repackaged
versions of legitimate applications, primarily games, and distributed
in third-party Chinese Android app markets. The affected
applications request extensive permissions over and above the set
that is requested by their legitimate original versions."Lookout
Mobile Security's free and paid software has been updated to root out
the nasty package.The company is hot off a third
series of venture capital funding in which it raised $19.5M
USD. It faces tough competition from DroidSecurity, a rival
Israeli startup that was just
scooped up by AVG.According to mobile security experts
we've spoken to, Android is generally more
secure than iOS(the operating system used by the iPhone and
iPad). And Google does a good job scouring
its Android Marketplace for potential malware. Nonetheless,
Android users are attacked almost
as much as Apple users, given their tendency to modify their phones
more and use third party app stores at a higher rate.
Apple, which has actively opposed such practices, Google has
practiced a more liberal policy concerning unofficial apps and phone
modification. The Chinese market, in particular, has seen
a dramatic
rise in cell phone malware of late.


text:
News & Events
For the Media
Clarkson University Physician Assistant Studies Professor Among First in Nation to Earn New Specialty Credential
[A photograph for media use is available at http://www.clarkson.edu/news/photos/jwelsh.jpg .]
Jeremy M. Welsh, clinical assistant professor of physician assistant (PA) studies and director of clinical education at Clarkson University, recently became one of the first PAs to earn a new specialty credential from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).
Welsh was awarded a Certificated of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in Emergency Medicine, a distinction earned by meeting licensure, education and experience requirements and then passing an exam in the specialty. He is one of only 234 certified PAs to earn a CAQ in the program's first year.
CAQs were offered to certified PAs in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine, nephrology, and psychiatry.
"We offer heartfelt congratulations to the inaugural class of CAQ recipients," said NCCPA President and CEO Janet Lathrop. "With the shortage of physicians growing each day in the U.S., it is promising to see certified PAs step up and voluntarily submit themselves to new standards for the benefit of the patients they serve each and every day."
Certified PAs are licensed and certified health care professionals who practice medicine with physician supervision and bring a breadth of knowledge and skills to patient care. Though their role in any particular workplace is determined in consultation with the supervising physician, certified PAs can take histories, conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventative health care, assist in surgery, perform a variety of procedures and write prescriptions.
Welsh received his bachelor of science degree in biology from Utica College of Syracuse University, his physician assistant certification from Le Moyne College, his master of physician assistant studies from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and his doctor of health services from A.T. Still University.
He is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the Society of Emergency Medicine Physician Assistants.
Welsh practices at Canton-Potsdam Hospital and Massena Memorial Hospital.
For more information about certified PAs or the CAQ program, visit http://www.nccpa.net .
The National Commission of Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is the only credentialing organization for physician assistants in the United States. Since its inception as a not-for-profit organization in 1975, more than 97,000 physicians assistants have been certified by NCCPA, and approximately 85,000 are certified today. In addition to its CAQ program, NCCPA also administers initial and recertifying exams, and has an established program for maintenance of certification.
Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.


text: Above class for Jewish Studies students only. Obtain on-line authorization from the Jewish Studies Academic Advisor. Above class meets with another section of HIST-B 200 Jerusalem is a city like no other on the planet. Its past is amazingly rich, its present is unprecedentedly contentious, its future is momentously apocalyptic. It was the place where two of the most important monotheistic religions were born – Judaism and Christianity – and it plays a central role in a third, Islam. It is a city that every new power on the global block – pagan Romans, Islamic conquerors, Christian crusaders, Mamluks, Ottomans, Zionists (and this is only a very partial list) – all wanted to control; and it is a city that boasts therefore a unique mixture of survivals from so many different periods side by side. In Jerusalem you would encounter in a day members of more religious and cultural groups than during a whole lifetime in most other places. Small wonder that Jerusalem has the unique privilege of having a psychological syndrome named after it, because of what it does to (some) newcomers. This lecture course, taught by a native Jerusalemite historian, will survey the history of Jerusalem, focusing on key themes in its past and on the remains they left in its present. By the end of the course, students will not only know the main episodes in the history of Jerusalem, but will also learn to recognize images of what each epoch had left behind. In this sense the course will provide a detailed virtual tour of the eternal city, including its main symbols and sites: the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall, the Tower of David, and many many others. Once we get to know the city, we will also talk at some length about the place of Jerusalem in the lives of millions upon millions across the globe who have never set foot in it, and perhaps most importantly, in contemporary global politics. We will understand how its fate is intertwined with that of the century-long Arab-Israeli conflict, and evaluate possible solutions for this global hot point.


text:
I don't take any reference to slavery lightly or in jest but for a lot of those athletes it is pretty damn close. Or maybe Roman Gladiators might be a better comparison.
If players want to make money immediately, head to Europe like Brandon Jennings or go through the D-League like Rice did last year and Hairston is doing this year or without the NCAA fallout and take older T'Po's lead.
Those who are actually going to school to get a legit education, go for it. Those who are killing a year before the draft, go to the NBA D'League. Play in NBA rules. Make some coin (no matter how small). Realize how shitty professional basketball travel and accommodations can be so when you make the NBA you aren't an entitled little bitch who has a big wake up call coming after year 2 of your guaranteed contract.


text:
Entertainment mogul Tyler Perry is offering to rebuild the home of an 88-year-old great-grandmother who lost all her belongings in a fire.
Rosa Lee Ransby and her 4-year-old great-granddaughter escaped the fire Tuesday that destroyed her home of 40 years in Coweta County, southwest of Atlanta. Coweta County firefighters began soliciting donations, and calls flooded in.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Golden Globes 2011: And The Movie Nominees Are…
The Atlanta-based filmmaker visited Ransby's neighborhood Thursday and pledged to rent her a house for a year, pay for her utilities, buy her furniture and then build her a new home.
Coweta Fire Chief Todd Moore said Perry's decision "made my Christmas."
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Celebs Who Give Back
Copyright 2010 by Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: The Queen Of TV Talk — Oprah Winfrey
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Access' Top 10 Movies We Can't Wait For In 2011!
PLAY IT NOW: Tyler Perry: Janet Jackson Is 'On Fire' In 'Why Did I Get Married Too?'
PLAY IT NOW: Will Tyler Perry Reprise His Role In The 'Star Trek' Sequel?
More from Access: [ Tyler PerryCharitiesTV One ]


text:
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Business Administration
Business Administration diploma
The two-year diploma program is designed to give graduates a solid educational background on which to build a business career. The Business Administration diploma program develops practical skills in writing, mathematics, and computing, along with an understanding of fundamental principles in the areas of marketing, accounting, economics, and management.
By carefully selecting their courses, diploma students can meet the admission
requirements of the BBA as well as the prerequisites for upper-level business
Entrance requirements
Students who do not meet the requirements for entry into the
Bachelor of Business Administration degree program may
be admitted into the diploma program, provided they meet the following entrance
1. B.C. secondary school graduation, or equivalent.
2. Prerequisites for MATH 140.
3. English 12 with a minimum C+, or the prerequisites for ENGL 105.
All students entering Business Administration programs are expected to be
computer literate. This means knowing how to run programs from a Windows
environment, and having basic Internet, word processing, and spreadsheet skills.
Students who have completed certificate or one-year programs such as the Administration certificate
will receive credit for completed courses that are in the diploma, conditional
on meeting recency and grade requirements.
The Business Studies program path
allows students who do not currently meet diploma entry requirements to upgrade
their qualifications for future admission.
When to apply
Applications are accepted for entrance to the Fall semester only. For application deadlines, see
Specific intake application
How to apply
1. Submit the application fee, along with your UFV application for admission form, to the Office of the Registrar (OReg). You can apply online or download an application form at ufv.ca/admissions/admissions/apply. Application forms are also available from any OREg or Student Services office.
Additional documents required for a complete application:
• Official transcripts (or interim transcripts) of all post-secondary institutions attended showing grade/course achievement as per program entrance requirements. To be considered official, transcripts must be sent directly to UFV from the originating institution; see the Transfer Credit section for details.
The following must be included:
a. Official transcript (or interim transcript) from high school
b. B.C. English 12 or equivalent with a minimum C+ (i.e. evidence of having
completed the prerequisites for ENGL 105)
c. Evidence of successful completion of the prerequisites for MATH 140
d. B.C. secondary school graduation or equivalent
Basis for admission decision
Applicants who meet the entrance requirements will be admitted in order of
their application date. This date is set when an application, all required
documentation, and the application fee have been submitted.
Length and location
Students can complete the diploma program in two years if they take five courses
each fall and winter semester.
A reduced course load is permitted but will result in a longer period of time
needed for program completion. The department requires the diploma to
be completed within seven years.
The full diploma program is offered at both the Abbotsford and Chilliwack campuses. Most of the first year of the diploma program is offered at the Mission campus. All students should expect to travel between campuses during their program.
Residency requirements
At least 25% of the course work must be completed at UFV.
Transferring courses to other institutions and associations
Students intending to pursue commerce or business administration studies at UBC, SFU, UVic, or UNBC are advised to study those institutions' calendars carefully before enrolling in any UFV courses which have a BUS designation. Students should consult an educational advisor in Student Services or at the institution to which they intend to transfer, or refer to the Provincial Transfer Guide at bctransferguide.ca for transfer details.
Many business administration courses are transferable to B.C. colleges and institutes. To obtain maximum transfer credit, students should ensure that electives chosen are transferable and appropriate for the desired program.
Most accounting and finance-related business administration courses offered at UFV have transferability with the professional accounting associations — the Institute of Chartered Accountants (CA), the Society of Management Accountants (CMA) and the Certified General Accountants Association (CGA).
A number of the department's courses are also recognized by the Canadian Credit Union Institute, the
Institute of Canadian Bankers, and the Purchasing Management Association of
Canada, and Sales and Marketing Executives International.
Distance education
A number of courses applicable to the degree, diploma, and certificate programs are available by distance education through TRU-OL. If your work schedule, or UFV's timetable, prevents you from taking a course when needed, or you find it impossible to obtain a seat in a course because it is full, you may be able to arrange to take an equivalent course through the publicly funded TRU-OL. Contact the Business Administration department to get information about equivalent courses available on this basis, and to request a Letter of Permission (written authorization) to include them in your program.
Recognition of previously completed Business
Administration courses
Former UFV business administration students who finished their studies more than 10 years ago and students who completed courses in other programs and/or at other post-secondary institutions prior to starting a UFV Business Administration program should contact the Business Administration department to determine whether any courses/credits can be recognized for or transferred to the desired UFV Business program. Applicability of courses and/or transfer credits is determined on an individual student basis.
The following criteria are used:
• Relevance and suitability of the course to the program as determined by the Business Administration department
• Generally, courses taken more than 10 years ago will not be considered applicable; courses taken more recently may not be considered applicable if there has been significant change in the course subject matter since the course was taken.
• Grades received (a C grade is the minimum acceptable if the course was taken at another institution)
• Courses taken at other institutions may not be used to meet the program residency requirements.
Fees and additional costs
See the Fees and Other Costs section.
Textbooks and supplies cost approximately $1000–1500 per year. Textbooks should be considered an investment and become part of your business library. You may be required to purchase one or more computer software packages. You should also consider purchasing or arranging access to an industry-compatible computer.
Program regulations
Standing required for continuance
Students in the Business Administration diploma program must maintain a program
GPA and semester average of 2.0.
Note: For entry to the third year of the BBA, diploma students require a cumulative Business diploma
GPA of 2.67 (see the BBA degree program entrance requirements).
Academic warning
Students whose program GPA or semester GPA falls below 2.0 during their program are subject to academic warning
for the next semester (see
this section
for details). A student on academic warning may not register in a course
overload. Students who do not achieve a semester GPA of at least 2.0 while they are on academic
warning will be required to withdraw from the program.
A student on academic warning who achieves a single semester GPA of at least
2.0 will continue on academic warning until the minimum program GPA of 2.0 is
Required to withdraw
Students who have been required to withdraw from the diploma program may have the
opportunity to continue as General Studies students.
Appeals for readmission
Students who are required to withdraw from the program must submit an appeal
for readmission if they wish to resume studies in the program.
In general, students who have been required to withdraw will be advised to
complete a further nine credits of academic work, or to repeat a similar amount
of academic work taken previously, in order to demonstrate their academic
abilities. Appeals must be received at least three months before the start of
the semester applied for. Re-admission is not automatic.
Standing on readmission
If readmitted, students will be placed on academic warning again, subject to
the conditions for academic warning as described above.
Co-operative Education option
The Co-operative Education option offers students in the Business
Administration diploma and degree programs the opportunity to obtain paid,
career-related work experience in their field of study during their education at
UFV. After completing their first year of study, Co-op students alternate between semesters of full-time study and full-time paid employment.
See the Co-operative Education section of the calendar for further details.
Program outline
First year
Semester I
Semester II
Second year
Semester III
Semester IV
Note 1: Students with MATH 140 or equivalent may take a business or general elective in lieu of MATH 140.
Students planning to transfer their credits to the BBA should take MATH 141.
Note 2: Students planning to transfer their credits to the BBA
should take BUS 221.
Note 3: Students planning to transfer their credits to the BBA
should take CMNS 251.
Note 4: Students planning to transfer their credits to the BBA
should take BUS 226 (formerly BUS 301).
Course listings
For complete details on courses see the
course descriptions section.
Return to main Business
Administration page