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Playstation 3 3d System Update
The PlayStation 3 certainly is the premier video game console that is 3D-ready. The Xbox 360 Elite does have 3d compatibility, but Microsoft is not planning to develop many video games that support 3-d graphics. The PS3 now has lots of 3d video game titles to choose from, and even more are expected to be sold in 2011. However, before you can begin playing 3-d video games (or watch 3d Blu-rays) on your Ps3, you may need to up-date your system firmware.
The 3d firmware updates to your Ps3 were introduced in 2010, so if you haven't performed an update in a while, you should do one to confirm 3d compatibility. Normally, it is a good idea to test for updates every month or so. To perform the update, stick to these instructions:
1: Start up your PlayStation 3 and proceed to the "Settings" menu, choose System Update. Choose to update via the internet (you have to be connected to the internet to download and install firmware updates). If the PS3's system firmware is NOT up to date, it will prompt you to download the newest update. Begin the download.
2: After completing the download, you'll be asked to install the update, doing this will first restart the PlayStation 3 and you will need to connect your Ps3 controller to the gaming system with the USB cable.
3: After the restart, you'll have to accept the terms and conditions and start the firmware install. After the install is finished, you will have to reboot your PlayStation 3 one last time. Now you're done!
With your updated Ps3 firmware, your console will now have 3d gaming and 3d Blu-ray capabilities. This is a great advantage of the Ps3 because it enables you to eliminate the need for a Blu-ray or DVD player.
Now that your PlayStation 3 is 3D-ready, visit our 3-d Ps3 Setup Guide for more info on 3-d home theater components or look at our 3-d Ps3 Games page to see all of the available and upcoming 3d Ps3 Games.
Learn more about Playstation 3 3d games at PS3 games in 3D.
Related 3d Printing Articles


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Basically you need the following: 2 Glass Jars, A Plastic baggie, some ice, a rubber band, and hot water-I brought in a crock pot and started heating the water about an hour before. You might need to heat it longer depending in how much water you are using. Ok, so here's what we did:
*We put hot water in both jars (About halfway full)
*One jar we left completely open
*The other jar, we covered with a plastic baggie filled with some ice- I used the rubber band to hold it in place but if the opening on your jar isn't too big, the bag will probably stay on without the rubber band
*Then we waited...
They noticed the steam coming out of the uncovered jar, and we identified that as water vapor. Then I asked what was happening with the water in the covered jar.. why didn't we see the steam? They saw the water condensing towards the top of the jar - which we concluded would be the clouds up in the air ... Then, after about 5-7 minutes, it started to rain (Just a drop or two at a time- but it worked!) They concluded that the raindrops were falling because they were now too heavy to hang onto the bag, so they fell back into the water. I had them head back to their seats and draw what they noticed in their science journal. Then, I gave them this cute little sheet I made of the water cycle (Below) I had them cut out the descriptions and glue them to the correct spot, color the scene, and then we reviewed the water cycle. Viola!! Experiment and Lesson on the water cycle. Fun, Engaging, and they really learned!
So, I know many of you have used this experiment before..but maybe some of you haven't. And if you have, here's the water cycle sheet they did for Free!
Hope you guys can use it! What do you do for your weather unit? I need some more ideas :)

subset: commoncrawl


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Finally I got my tangle done for the Diva Challenge #214, which was to make an Earth Day challenge. The irises have been blooming like crazy for the last few weeks and using that shape to tangle within was an idea that was already rattling around in my head. This seemed to fit into the "Earth Day/Amanda Day" theme. Check out her adorable explanation of the Earth being named Amanda. 🙂 I'll admit this was not a quick project, it's one that I wanted to spend some time on!
Here are the patterns I used:
Top of the iris—the "standards" of the iris—Tagh and Zippee
The bottom of the iris—the falls—Florz and Flux
The stem—Annee
The leaves—-Chainlea
The rest of it is stuff I just made up as I went along. I used black pens of different sizes, and some colored pencils to add in the color. I am pleased!


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Who: W118 by WALTER BAKER Sample Sale
What: Discounts on super versatile womenswear basics with a high-fashion twist. Make the brand's printed dresses and chiffon shirts
your go-to for effortless everyday style.
When: August 15-18, 2013. Thurs-Sat 10:30am-7pm. Sun 10:30am-5pm
Where: Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Avenue (b/n 15th & 16th St)
Bespoken Sample Sale
What: Menswear for up to 75% off. Shirts $45-80, Shoes $100-150, Trousers $50, Knits $30-60, Blazers $120-175, Jackets $80-150.
When: August 15-17, 2013. Thurs-Sat 9am-7pm
Where: 50 East 57th Street, 6th Floor (b/n Madison/Park)
What: Up to 60% off the renowned French furniture and lifestyle brand. Snag floor samples, overstock and discontinued items. Discounted items include the Hybride sofa, was $6850, now $3995. Vide-Poche, was $925, now $429. Finn dining chair, originally $630, now $299. Confluences four seat sofa, was $8575, now $5495.
When: August 16-18, 2013
Where: 250 Park Ave South, (b/n 19th & 20th St) 212-375-1036


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Sorry for the bad joke! OK, so maybe I'm not really sorry. ;) I've grown to love bad jokes.
This is a 3D model I started over the weekend, as a part of my new portfolio. The modeling portion is almost done, I just need to add some claws and clean up the geometry a bit (too many loops on the side of the bird). I hope to UV map it tonight, and start painting the texture map for it tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tee Design Spring 09: Sad Octi
Oops! Looks like this poor little guy has dropped his ice cream. :(
I'm starting preorders for a new tee design!
The shirts will be printed on 100% cotton American Apparel tees, and professionally silk-screened. You have a choice of navy blue, brown or black tees - the printing will be in white.
Each shirt is only $20, plus shipping and handling. Pre-orders will be open until January 31st. After the pre-order period is over, these babies will be going up to $24.
I'll be sending the order off to the printer on Monday, the 2nd. How exciting!
Please comment or email me if you're interested in placing an order, with your size, shirt color preference (navy blue, brown or black - printing will be white) and zipcode (so I can calculate shipping). shelly @ shellyrodriguez.com / paypal: etherrawen @ gmail.com
If you have any questions, leave a comment! <3
Posted by Shelly Rodriguez at 11:12 PM 2 comments:
Labels: art, octopus, tee shirt designs
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Posted by Shelly Rodriguez at 11:32 PM 1 comment:
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Posted by Shelly Rodriguez at 4:29 PM 1 comment:
Labels: artwork
Sunday, January 11, 2009
New Items in my etsy shop!
One of four new items in my etsy shop. I like this one the best!
Posted by Shelly Rodriguez at 10:51 PM 5 comments:
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Monsters, monsters everywhere...
I was casting more of my little monsters, when I realized that I hadn't updated my blog about them recently! So have a photo of the beginning of my monster army. :) I'm having a lot of fun with these little fellows - and I'm already brainstorming what to cast next. Of course, my enthusiasm might be curbed after sanding/priming/painting all of the casts!
I'm planning on getting a few of these guys to a finished state this weekend, hopefully I'll have a monster update for you on Monday morning! :)
Posted by Shelly Rodriguez at 5:23 PM 2 comments:
Monday, January 5, 2009
Happy New Year!
A new piece I finished up last night - I feel really re-energized about my artwork, it felt good to draw this! Copic markers on cardstock, with a little editing in Photoshop. As always, click for larger.
I plan to complete more pieces in the next few months, I need to get back into the habit of creating completed illustrations, as well as the sculptures I've been making all along. :) I plan to have my portfolio revamped by mid-July, just in time for San Diego Comic-Con. How's that for a New Years' resolution? :)
Posted by Shelly Rodriguez at 6:49 AM 1 comment:
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text: On Thu, Jul 20, 2000 at 02:24:02PM -0700, Brian Wisti wrote: > > This system has no quota, and several Gig of hard drive space available. So > I know that's not an issue :) > > Hopefully something gets figured out. Maybe when I get home I can muck > around with the interpreter and see if I can duplicate the situation with > simpler code. > Where is the line: import sys in your code? If there is not too much code, send the entire py file next time around.


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Much of the Christian life is a paradox. We hear how we are supposed to lay down our life in order to keep it (Luke 17:33), how giving leads to plenty (2 Corinthians 9:6), and how the foolish things of this world are chosen to shame the wise(1 Corinthians 1:27). I have also heard a lot about the benefit of contentment, the two main verses cited being 1 Timothy 6:6: "But godliness with contentment is great gain" (In context, it is an admonishment not to love money or seek riches) and Philippians 4:11-13:
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.My current question/struggle/wondering is this: What is the balance of being content and in seeking purposefully after what we want? The Bible contains example after example of people who came to the Lord seeking desperately for something they wanted: Hannah wanted a baby (1 Samuel 1), cried out to the Lord while weeping bitterly, and got one (actually, in the end she had six children). Could not someone have told Hannah to be content with her husband and stop longing for children?
Time after time in the New Testament, people come to Jesus to heal them or someone they love. The woman who had bled for twelve years and who fought through a crowd simply to touch Jesus' robe (Luke 8:43-48) wasn't content to stay in her house alone and accept her fate, and she was healed. Two blind beggars wait for Jesus at the side of the road and yell out for Him until He comes, even after the crowd tries to make them stop (Matthew 20:29-34). They do not seem very content with their lot, and they received their sight. The Canaanite woman nags Jesus about her demon-possessed daughter and won't accept "No" even when Jesus initially doesn't promise her help(Matthew 15:21-28). She ends up with a healthy daughter.
Luke 18: 1-8 is the account of the persistent widow. The Bible says about this that: ". . . he[Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart." (Luke 18:1) The parable conveys the idea that we need to keep on praying for what we want. The rest of the account does say that what the Lord will give us is justice (Luke 18:7) and not just anything we want, so I have to keep that in mind when I think about that example.
Matthew 7:7-11 tells us to ask for what we want, for "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11) In Luke 11:5-13, Jesus expounds on that story, and tells how a man will give a friend bread because of his "impudence" in asking.
So, which is it? Be content or seek God to change something in your life? Can we do both? Does it depend on what it is?
No surprise to anyone who knows me or who reads this irregular blog regularly, but I am specifically thinking of this question in relationship to singleness (or any desire we have that is not a promise from God). There are many people who give the well-meaning advice of "Just come to a place of contentment. This happened to me (or my friend, or my sister, or my third cousin-once-removed) and THEN God brought me a mate." Yay for you, and there is some truth to that, but Hannah wasn't content in her childlessness and then God just suddenly sent a baby. She was weeping loudly enough that the priest thought she was drunk, and praying HARD for that child.
We are not to have idols, and any unmet desire can easily become an idol, especially when it is a good thing (marriage, a baby, health, security, even someone's salvation). I believe that God's desire is that we would seek Him above what we want. Yet, would the bleeding woman or the blind men or Hannah have come to the Lord without wanting something? They weren't there just to praise God. They were there to fix the problem, to meet the desire, to get what they wanted.
I wonder how that made Jesus feel? Happy that they did come, sad because it was only to get what they wanted? Or happy because the trial did what it was supposed to and drew them to Him? I was going to say that there are no examples of people coming to Jesus who didn't get healed/rewarded, but there are. The rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-23) walked away. Pilate refused to really find out who Truth was (John 18:33-38) and washed his hands of it all.
Obviously, many pray persistently for healing and do not receive it on this earth. People pray for children and never conceive. Others pray for spouses and the answer is "No." How do those of us in these situations--any of us who are going to Jesus to seek healing or the fulfillment of godly desires--balance contentment with persistence? Jesus was denied relief from crucifixion. Yet He did go to God seeking it.
If I know myself at all, I know that I am probably wanting a formula when I just need to be seeking Jesus. I do think there is not an easy answer, and I promise never to tell anyone that they just need to be "content" and then God will do whatever it is that they want, because I don't see that in Scripture (and if your heart is anywhere as devious as mine, you also know that you are trying to achieve contentment to gain the goal which. . . not what God has in mind, I'm pretty sure).
My comfort, as we begin the season of advent, is this:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)Immanuel means "God with us" and to have God with me, even though my greedy heart fights for more, is all I really need.
I may never figure out this balance. I come to Jesus all the time with my sinful, mixed-up desires and motives. I will never love like He does. In my own strength I can't seek Him wholeheartedly. Yet the miracle of Christmas and Easter is that God did the seeking and finding for me, and made the way for my sinful self to come before His perfect throne. This fact is the only paradox that really matters.


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Air Raid Shelter (City Centre)
2nd April 1941. View of Table air raid shelter with Canterwell Inn on right on corner of Canterwell Lane and Carnaby Street.
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Armley Moor looking in the direction of Christ Church (Armley)
Undated View of the bottom of Armley Moor. The path goes towards Christ Church and the houses on Hollywell Lane.
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Brandon Villa (Shadwell)
Undated. Brandon Villa was one of the first houses to be built on a piece of land formerly known as Old Wigtons. The four and a half acre site is triangular in shape and is situated between Main Street and Holywell Lane. In 1864 the land was divided into 20 lots and sold. Brandon Villa was originally named Brandon Cottage until the name was changed when it became the property of gentleman, Harvey Taylor. On the reverse side of th photograph the name of Fredk. W. Rhodes, Architect and Surveyor of Upper Wortley, near Leeds is stamped. In 1961 part of the grounds were sold to build modern housing. Courtesy of Shadwell Local History Society.
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Brass band in Main Street (Shadwell)
Undated. Image shows a uniformed brass band of young boys led by the bandleader. They are pictured in Main Street and are followed by children and adults in 'Sunday Best'. This is likely to be a church parade and in the background, left, Brandon Villa is visible. Prior to the 20th century Main Street was known as Shadwell Lane or Shadwell Road. Courtesy of Shadwell Local History Society.
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Calverley Street (City Centre)
8th August 1935. Looking at Cankerwell Lane, on left HQ. of The West Riding Brigade Royal Field Artillery (Fenton Street Barracks). Premises in the centre were business of C.R. Horner, wholesale and druggist, address was number 4 Cankerwell Lane. Opposite on Cankerwell Lane was the Cankerwell Inn public house. At top of steps, corner of house on Leeming Square. Electric street light on pavement.
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This is a word I was not even familiar with until about two years ago. Menorrhagia is heavy bleeding during your period and as I found out over the last couple of years, it can be extremely bothersome! As I have mentioned before though, I feel like women's health issues are not discussed widely enough (for example, my spell checker doesn't even recognize the word!) and therefore a lot of women are left wondering what exactly 'heavy bleeding' is. This site from the NHS is quite helpful. There is even a little self-assessment test that you can complete that may assist you in understanding what constitutes a 'heavy period'. It even creates a list of symptoms that you can take with you to your doctor!
Here's a blurb copied from the site: Heavy periods, also called menorrhagia, is when a woman loses an excessive amount of blood during consecutive periods. Menorrhagia can occur by itself or in combination with other symptoms, such as menstrual pain (dysmenorrhoea). Heavy bleeding does not necessarily mean there is anything seriously wrong, but it can affect a woman physically, emotionally and socially, and can cause disruption to everyday life. See your GP if you are worried about heavy bleeding during or between your periods.
I recommend that you check out the site for even more great information!


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Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Be the first MLive.com user to add photos or videos of Superior Auto Sales
Since 1990 the company has been providing Retail - Automobiles, Used Cars Only.
Superior Auto Sales is located at 7245 S Garlock Rd, Carson City, MI. This business specializes in Used Car Dealers.


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Solid Ground
We made it to MI and we're in love. So far Mt. Pleasant has everything we want/need and MI has proven itself lovely. We're living in our third time zone together and loving the long summer days on the border of EST. We've taken Ette on many walks along the Chippewa River (using the town's… Continue reading Solid Ground


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Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Plugging Away At My Tilted Duster
Well, I have put my duster together and I'm knitting on the skirt. The Ultra Alpaca that I'm using is super soft and the red color so vibrant. I can't wait until I finish this and get to pick out some funky buttons for it. I'll post a picture of my progress this weekend hopefully.
Posted by Denise at 11:21 AM No comments:
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I sprinkled some green sugar sprinkles before baking to make it look extra festive.
1 medium potato, pelled and coarsely chopped
1./2 cup water
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold butter
2 eggs, beaten, divided
1/3 cup currants
In a container cook the potato and water in the micowave cover for about 10 minutes or until tender. DO NOT DRAIN. Mash until smooth or place mixture in blender; blend until smooth. Add buttermilk to measure 1 cup.
In mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine potato mixture, 1 egg and currants, add to flour mixture. Stir until dough clings together and starts to form a ball. Stir and form into a ball.
Turn ball onto a greased cookie sheet and make a 4 inch cross using a sharp knife around 1/4 inch deep on top of loaf. Brush with egg, Bake in 375F oven for about 35 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire rack.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Irish Potato Soda Bread
I sprinkled some green sugar sprinkles before baking to make it look extra festive.


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Episode 9 - The NFL Draft! Rounds 2-7!
Huge thank you to our sponsor By Sea By Land, use the code MARKTANANFL at BySeaByLand.co.uk today to get 25% off any purchase. Genuinely couldn't be happier to have these guys support us so go have a look.
And welcome to our brand new sponsors BDGWallets. You can find them at BDGWallets.com and use the offer code MARKTANANFL for 10% of any orders there too.
Episode Nine! And this week, Mark and Fearghus discuss rounds two to nine of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Thanks to Conor Wright for help with the intro
Podcast Intro Music: bit.ly/2dcKaxk
Thank you to Bloodlines with their song "Cathedral". Find them here bit.ly/2n5glU2
Like on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarkAndTanaTalkNFL
Follow on twitter.com/MarkAndTanaNFL
Subscribe on iTunes now at apple.co/2a8Sp1h
Listen on Soundcloud bit.ly/2cRdJ6x
Stitcher Radio: bit.ly/2lSmfYo
YouTube: bit.ly/2n5pLyP


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The last week was great. Sister J and I worked hard and were able to see the fruits of our labor during A's BAPTISM on Saturday!!!!!! She was the cutest thing ever and the Spirit was so strong during the baptismal service. She was confirmed yesterday in another very spiritual sacrament meeting. When they laid their hands on her head and told her "Receive the Holy Ghost" I felt this powerful wave of the Spirit. Sister J leaned over to me during the prayer and said "Did you feel that?!" It was really neat. It was a good reminder that when I was confirmed all those many years ago, I was commanded to receive the Holy Ghost, and that commandment has never been rescinded. I always need to be living in such a way that I can receive the comfort and counsel and companionship of the Spirit in my life.
Being a missionary has been the best adventure of my life. In missionary lingo, when you go home, you say that you're "dying" in the mission. I'm back with my MTC companion right now, Sister Curly S, and we keep saying that we're freaking out about dying and how awful it is to die. I truly have been feeling like I am DYING and my very soul is in mourning about it! Sometimes it's hard to feel like there is anything else in the world that is worthwhile after you have been part of the greatest work on the earth - the work of the salvation of souls. I've been so worried about going home and feeling like my life has no meaning and like everything is completely pointless. It sounds awful!
But this morning I was thinking about what it was like for us before we came to this earth, when we were in the Pre-Mortal Existence as spirits living with God. We learned and we grew and we changed and we chose to follow Christ. But then we reached our potential there, and we couldn't grow anymore. If we stayed there forever, we wouldn't be able to have eternal happiness and progression. So our loving Heavenly Father took us WAY out of our comfort zone and sent us down to this earth. It is imperfect, and we are imperfect, and we often struggle. But we grow so much and we learn and experience the most incredible joys that we think are not even possible to experience.
I've been thinking that when my mission ends, my life ends. And I've been completely wrong this entire time. My mission has been my training for life! It has been preparing me to become the person Heavenly Father wants and needs me to become in the future. I was thinking of the movie Hook when Peter Pan originally says "To die would be a grand adventure!" but then later he says, "To live... to live would be an awfully big adventure." Yes, I've survived my mission and I've put in my 18 months. But I'm not done! This is not an end, it is a beginning of a new adventure and a new chapter.
"O ye that embark in the service of God" -- I've been quoting that scripture every day for the last 18 months of my life. Every single morning at 9:10am we say D&C 4. Every transfer and every morning and every second we recommit ourselves to embark in His service. On Wednesday I will be embarking on another trip and starting another phase of this eternal journey. But it's the same boat, and the same captain. "We are on the old ship Zion. … [God] is at the helm and will stay there. … He dictates, guides and directs. If the people will have implicit confidence in their God, never forsake their covenants nor their God, He will guide us right." (President Brigham Young).
I know that this is the Lord's restored Church on the earth. I know that Heavenly Father loves His children with all his heart. There is truth, and there are answers to life's questions, and guidance IS available to us if we will pray and ask for it and follow His direction. I don't have adequate time or words to express how much I love this gospel, how much I love the Savior, and how much I love my mission. But I hope that the Spirit can testify to each of you of the love that I do have for this, because it means EVERYTHING to me. And now I am excited to embark on a new journey in the service of God. Thank you to every one of you for being a support and a strength to me throughout these last 18 months and throughout my life. May the Lord pour out special blessings and an abundance of His love upon each one of you is my prayer.
All My Love,
Sister Koenig
Final Pictures:
|Goodbye beautiful Delta. Tractors, trailers, and fields. It's all right here.
|My last District! We were pretty crazy.
|Saying goodbye to C. I will miss him.
|C looking fly, as usual.
|A's baptism!!!
|They called this the ward Dutchoven Cookout, but I like to think of it as my farewell party... ;)
|My favorite neighbor, J!


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Thursday, March 21, 2013
Discussion about Common Core math
2 comments:
I am a newly awakened Mom to Common Core in Maine. I really love & appreciate this blog!ReplyDelete
After watching this video, I looked up our new math curriculum to see if it aligned with Common Core. Not only does it align, but it was a model for the Common Core Standards! The first thing I read about it said, "Math In Focus is organized to teach fewer topics in each grade, but to teach them thoroughly." Just like you talked about!
I will continue to research & share in my circle of friends & family. I'm already discovering that parents do not know what Common Core is, but educators & parents within the school system fully support it & wonder why I question these great standards.
~ Joey
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A 14-year-old Pennsylvania boy accused of killing his father's pregnant fiancée and her unborn child will be sent to an undisclosed juvenile facility where he could remain in state custody until his 21st birthday.
Jordan Brown, who was 11 at the time of the slayings, was ordered by a Lawrence County judge on Friday to be transferred to a treatment center. The teenager is to be evaluated every six months to determine if he should be released.
The judge last month found Brown delinquent, the juvenile court equivalent of a guilty verdict, in the February 2009 deaths of 26-year-old Kenzie Houk and her unborn son.
Houk, who was 8 1/2 months pregnant, was shot in the back of the head with Brown's .20-gauge youth model shotgun as she slept. At the time, she was engaged to Jordan Brown's father, Christopher Brown, and pregnant with his son.
The shooting occurred after the boy's father left for work, with only Jordan Brown and Houk's two daughters, ages 7 and 4, inside the New Castle house. State police investigators say they found a spent shotgun shell dropped along a path that Brown walked with Houk's older daughter to catch a bus to school minutes after the shooting.
Defense attorney Stephen Colafella said no decisions have been made on whether to appeal.
Judge John Hodge approved a recommendation from the Lawrence County Juvenile Probation Department for Brown's placement and treatment. Prosecutor Anthony Krastek said the specifics will not be released.
The criminal case drew attention to Pennsylvania laws governing juvenile homicide suspects and prompted two Superior Court appeals, including an unsuccessful attempt by western Pennsylvania newspapers to open the trial to the public even though the judge had the discretion to close the case because the defendant was under 12 when the killings occurred.


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Here's an abstract of a paper I'm presenting at the upcoming Maori and Indigenous Doctoral Conference, Onuku (27th-29th October).
The return of Maori land, the return of Maori to their land, and the return of Maori land to supplying a market economy, all occur in a context of innovations that are relevant to the sustainable development of this land. Sustainable development is fundamentally different from earlier forms of development in that mitigates environmental degradation and contributes to ecological resilience. This discourse is also cognisant of a sociological resilience that has expanded to incorporate aspects of cultural 'functioning'. Innovations will struggle against the forces of conservatism that interpret the continuation of traditional practices as integral to the 'proper' functioning of a culture.
But Maori have never excluded innovation from Post-contact strategic and tactical actions in promoting individual or group resilience. This practice has continued an accelerated with contemporary development from a realisation that sustainable development requires the successful adoption of innovative ideas, objects and activities. This can be described as contributing to Maori eco-cultural resilience, defined as Maori-specific development that links the management of ecosystems and social systems in ways that are specific to, and valued by, Maori. These systems incorporate actors that traverse networks that are global in extent. Sustainable Maori resource use is, therefore, reliant on the adoption of non-Maori innovations.
However, modern innovation involves the transfer of information and resources for political-economic ends that threaten the autonomy of participant eco-cultural institutions. Where these processes interpret 'culture' as merely an instrumental means to promote innovation, or as a component that enables product differentiation and added value, then that culture is threatened. This paper presents preliminary results of research that has examined the establishment of a new institution charged with protecting Maori cultural and ecological heritage while simultaneously engaging with non-Maori research, science and technology to supply niche markets leveraged of indigenous labeling. Within this 'System of Provision', Maori 'interrogate' innovations in an effort to embed a discourse of sustainability that is attuned to the needs of Maori eco-cultural resilience.


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In my last post I mentioned the California Rancho Cooking cookbook, so I thought it only fair to now share one of its recipes. The dish is called Don Miguel Acosta's Tortilla Omelet, named after the 84-year-old Santa Barbara descendant who, as author Jacqueline Higuera McMahan says, still wakes up every day with ideas for new recipes. This one grabbed my attention because usually when tortillas and eggs are in the same meal, the tortillas' sole purpose is to wrap up the eggs in neat little breakfast burritos. Not here though - this recipe gives the tortilla top-billing, so use ones that you made yourself or pick some up at a local Mexican restaurant. I used leftover ancho-corn tortillas from my halibut, but plain corn turns out just as good. I changed the recipe quite a bit from the original, but the technique and the feel are the same, and that's the important part.
I love how rustic these eggs feel. When you're eating it, you can imagine early Californians preparing their breakfast the same way, using only the natural ingredients they have on hand. This is the way food was meant to be eaten – pure and simple.
If you can't get local ingredients, spring for organic. People always ask me if I really think organic is worth the price premium, and without hesitation, I always say absolutely. Not only are you saving your body from a flood of pesticides, you're helping the environment and supporting farmers who care about their food. And yes, it does taste much better too.
Ingredients for Tortilla Omelet
(serves 2)
4 organic, local eggs
1 Maui onion, roughly chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 jalepeno, chopped and seeded
1/2 cup shredded Dry Jack cheese
4 homemade corn tortillas
1 avocado, sliced
Olive oil
1 lime
First the eggs
Crack the eggs into a glass bowl and add the chopped jalepeno, half of the chopped onion and half of the cilantro. Beat together, then add a scant tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper, and combine. I added a teaspoon of water to thin it out a bit, but I don't think it was necessary.
Heat up a cast iron pan. Add 2 tablespoons of the egg mixture, and press a tortilla on top – use pressure to get the tortilla into the egg. After 30 seconds, flip the tortilla and add one more tablespoon of the egg on top. Sprinkle with a little cheese, onion and cilantro and let cook until egg is set - about 45 seconds. Use a spatula to scoop out the tortilla and plate it. If there's anything leftover in the pan, throw it on top. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Now eat!
Squeeze half a lime on top before serving, and dish up some sliced avocado to have with it. I also used plenty of hot sauce (homemade of couse, but that's a future post).
This recipe is part Blog your Omelet event at Spanish Recipes
Where I Shopped:
Maui Onion, cilantro: Old Oakland Farmers' Market
Eggs, avocado: Temescal Farmers' Market
Dry Jack cheese: Berkeley Bowl


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How did your new decade begin? I was privileged to be exploring the south west of this beautiful country then down into Rwanda. Beautiful Lakes Bunyonyi and Lake Kivu, paddling in a dugout to church, climbing cloud covered Mount Muhavuru volcano to almost 4000m, exploring Ishaha national park with tree climbing lions, hippos, buffalo.....Living and working here in Uganda is a real privilege. My thanks to my friends and colleagues who share this journey with me and who inspire and encourage and who share the laughter, the tears and the joy.
Back from my holiday it was down to work to prepare for the launch of the Degree programme at Makerere and Hospice Africa Uganda then off to India for a whistle stop trip. Delhi was cold for a lass from Africa! I was delighted that Ruth Wooldridge, an experienced palliative care nurse who has helped develop palliative care services in many countries including Delhi and Nairobi (as well as a friend), joined me for a mentoring visit in partnership with Pallium India. After a great day at the Cansupport foundation training course in Delhi we traveled to Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.
We joined the team at Canceraids society and at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute to review the progress since my last visit 6 months ago. The clinic was steadily growing with good relationships across the hospital and with current training of a nurse there will be better support for Dr's Shakeel and Sanjay. We were delighted to meet another nurse who has experience in palliative care and who immediately volunteered her help. Canceraids society has finished the building of a day care centre and now planning the service. We also saw real progress in encouraging others to develop palliative care and visited the medical colleges in Lucknow and Kanpur. There is such huge need in this state; 160 million people, a handful of places where oral morphine is available, rural agricultural economy with the majority living below the poverty line and so few palliative care developments as yet. We are planning to continue our mentorship and training support. In Kanpur I saw my first glimpse of the holy river Ganges - here a silted, sluggish brown shadow due to industrial pollution. Lucknow is an ancient and beautiful city and we sampled the architecture old and new and the food delights. If you visit make sure you taste malai mukkan and the chhappan bhog sweet shop!
Off to the warm south and a brief visit to my friends at CMC Vellore. I stayed at Sneha Deepam in the hospice and education centre and reminisced about being the first faculty to stay here. The gardens are now grown and beautiful and the service to many of the poorest continues to grow.
On to the VXVII IAPC conference in Tiruchirapalli, a south Indian city full of ancient temples and Tamil history. With the overall theme of 'Twilight years' we looked at the particular problems of the elderly as well as sharing what has been happening across India. As ever I was overwhelmed by the warmth of the welcome, the wonderful food, outrageous compliments when wearing a sari and the inspirational commitment of my Indian colleagues. It has been a joy to see the growth and developments over the past decade and a privilege for myself and Cairdeas to be able to continue to support for this new decade. India has still so much need for many many of its people who live and die in preventable suffering and pain.
Come to India sometime with me and be inspired, challenged, intoxicated - I promise you first visit will not be your last.
Back now to Uganda for th start of the Degree programme - and that will need to wait till my next post.
Welcome to Mhoira's blog written to share my work with Cairdeas International Palliative Care Trust. www.cairdeas.org.uk
Sunday, February 21, 2010
A beautiful world
Posted by Cairdeas at 3:51 pm
2 comments:
- Keith said...
Thanks Mhoira for this lively, colourful and interesting blog. I've just checked the map of India . You have covered vast distances and must have spent a good part of your time travelling! But so worthwhile in seeing the growth of palliative care services (while being constantly challeneged by the unmet need), re-connecting with such significant players and friends, and experiencing the diverse culture of India.
- 7:38 am
Hi Mhoria, it was great meeting you in Trichy. I'm looking forward to keeping up with your travels via your blog! Great photo of your gorgeous sari... take care
- 11:08 pm
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The last 4 months I have been focused on working to help make Ablaze worship and Missions gathering happen.
The 3 months following, my main job was to communicate. To communicate to people coming, youth group leaders and individuals. To communicate to the other staff, and listen in on a lot of meetings. To communicate to the director and see what the director needed me to work on next.
I was stretched, pulled, made uncomfortable.... I grew as a leader and in administration.... I wrote in the last note that one of the ways I felt God leading me to take this step to help with Ablaze was a visual I got of the giant swing. The giant swing is a swing that we have here at the base, part of our Ropes Course. To experience the swing you must take a step of faith off of a 30 foot platform into thin air. I kept getting visuals of that step. I wanted to help with Ablaze.... to be a part of it.
So with God as my harness and rope holding me up I took the plunge, I stepped off into thin air. And He carried me every step of the way, and it was a ride! Like stepping off of the giant swing it was tough, overwhelming and exhilerating.
At first I was just mobilizing and contacting people to become part of the YWAM VA Facebook profile page. I was like "I'm not doing much." So I went to Kara and Chris and I was like, "put me to work." They took me out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant sometime later and put me to work.
The first week of Ablaze started July 5th. This was the most challenging week, but God brought definate fruit. Twenty five young people committed their lives to Jesus, to follow him totally basically to a life of mission. Whatever that means as they follow God.... missions aren't only overseas, they can be in your high school, at the fast food restaraunt you work at or in high executive offices.
The 2nd week was the Family week. It was our smallest week. We had 11 to 14 participants outside of our YWAM family. We had people ages 4 to 70. The call to missions service was powerful. The Holy Spirit was poured out in a special way. I believe young people were filled with the Holy Spirit and with power. That night 7 young people commited themselves to missions.
There was a young girl that I was responsible for for the week. Her name was Felicia age 14, I was also kinda responsible for her sister Charity. They were both very bright and hungry for God. I had a chance to share and pray for Felicia. For Charity I felt to pray for her hands. The Holy Spirit was heavy on me and I prayed for her hands, that they would be healing hands.
During that week 2 people from the neighborhood, a mother and daughter came into relationship with Jesus.
The third week was my favorite. We had 3 youth groups. The kids were fantastic and the youth leaders were completely behind Ablaze and what God wanted to do. Our focus on the week was Justice, learning about Human trafficking. Our big outreach was Thursday night at a local artsy theater called the Byrd. We showed the movie "Call and Response" to bring awareness to the community that human trafficking occurs here and abroad. About 350 people came.
Prior to Thursday we had 3 outreaches in the city to pass out fliers advertising the movie. While passing out fliers some of us had chances to pray for those in need.
It was our 2nd day on the streets passing out fliers. We were in the MCV area, a local hospital. Chris our director struck up a conversation with a lady, Sunday who was sitting on the curb waiting for her ride. She told Chris that she had been trafficked. There was also signs that she was an addict. Chris motioned Cameron to come over, a girl of 12 who was participating in Ablaze. Cameron joined the conversation. She placed her hand on Sunday's back, the first thing she asked God was "Please give her friends." Sunday started crying. She told Chris and Cameron that that was what she had been asking for.
I had a definate God meeting. It was near the end of our time on the streets handing out fliers. I was with 2 of the girls that were part of Ablaze. We went up to a group of women sitting on the grass near MCV. I started talking about the flier and the movie. I found out right away why they were there. A young man, Kevin age 20 had been in a major car wreck the night before. A 15 year old girl had been driving. The car flipped. He was now in ICU with brain damage. He was confused. His mom Traxie, girlfriend and aunt and Cousin were who I was talking to. I asked if I could pray for them.
I was sitting on the ground near the cousin. I started praying soon the mom sitting across from me started crying. So I leaned in and got on my knees. I put my hand on here and prayed for this mother. I also cried. I prayed for Kevin to be healed, for God to comfort and wrap his arms around this mother. I prayed for Jesus to be putting his hands on Kevin's brain. I don't remember everything that I prayed but I know I shared Jesus' love through that prayer and sharing that moment of pain with that family. It was very special to be able to touch a heart in pain with God's love.
Friday morning we had a special time with the young people. We did something called "Step into the Circle." If the young people made a conscious decision to follow Jesus, no matter what, they were to step into the circle. Many did. We were prepped to lay hands on them and pray for each of the young people that made that choice.
like the verse says 2 Timothy 2:6
"And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed-keep that ablaze! God doesn't want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold, and loving and sensible"
The Message
It was a very special time. I had the chance to pray over a number of the kids. I felt the Holy Spirit in some powerful ways. I believe we were able to share God's heart with these kids through the laying on of hands and prayer.
Our summer outreach of Ablaze Worship and Missions Gathering was definately a success. God really blessed us and anointed the time. The implications of what God did and will do are beyond what we will ever see. The fire has started.


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For four days, December 2-5,
the infamous Wild Bill Tick Tock
aka Bennie Merideth
aka Mr. A Life with a View
will be exhibiting his extraordinary timepieces
at the One of a Kind Show at the Merchandise Mart, Chicago.
Click here to download your complimentary tickets! If you're not in the Chicago area, feel free to send the link to anyone you know there.
Here's a preview:


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Joe Jackson's stance against music videos, 1984
Joe Jackson wrote this opinion piece a couple of years after the release of his hugely successful
'Night and Day' album. The article ran in the 6/16/1984 issue of Billboard magazine.
The promotional music video holds a somewhat different status these days, but has much else really changed?
(click on article to ENLARGE in a new window)
Here's a small stack of links to Joe Jackson video clips that can be found at YouTube and such.
Contrasting the live footage with the MTV-style music videos, Joe's position seems understandable...
Sunday Papers (live, 1979)
It's Different For Girls (promo video, circa 1979)
Friday (live, 1980)
Breaking Us in Two (promo video, 1982)
Real Men (promo video, 1982)
Steppin' Out (promo video, 1982)
Right and Wrong (live, circa 1986)
- - But wait! What's this?!? A change of heart, Joe?
Nineteen Forever (promo video, 1989)
That's okay, live and learn, I guess...
Awkward Age (live, circa 2003)
Gad, he's good. I'd love to see him in concert again.
See also: The Official Website of Joe Jackson


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We were in the middle of a big thunderstorm last night and I had one eye on the weather radar screen while reading blogs. I was just about to hit the publish button on a comment I had written to a blogger whose name I won't mention, but it starts with the letter Vee, when all of a sudden the electricity went out.
The electric was out for several hours and we sat by candlelight until we decided the raging storm had quieted down enough and we could sleep. BG was called to work around 3:30 am, so he didn't get much sleep.
I will be busy the rest of the week and have decided this might be a good time for a blog break since I'm already behind on reading and commenting.
Hope you have a wonderful week and I'll see you Monday if not before!
Edited to add: I've been having a problem with some of my comments not showing up lately. Anyone else having that problem or is it just me?
Happy Tuesday (even though it's almost Wednesday now) to you!
xo Cheryl


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My girls and I have been smashing lately and the craftroom is very messy. We are having lots of fun playing in the smashbooks, its fun to have a place for all those random pictures and everyday bits and scraps of our daily life. I've been busy getting ready for Christmas and haven't been blogging much lately, here is a sample of what we have been up to in the craftroom. Have a wonderful thursday :)
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
New Art Journal
I just started a new art journal, I am always happy and excited whenever I start a new journal. Like a kid with a new toy, I can't wait to play in it everyday : ) Here are a few pages I have done.
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Product Review!
Today I have a great product review of my awesome Thirty-One bags! I was just recently introduced to Thirty-One - right around the time I started this site. I bought two utility bags, one small, one large. And look (below)! These bags have well paid for themselves.
My small one is used for Little Finger's diaper supplies on her dresser next to her changing pad. This is great because now she can't have as easy access to all those supplies and I'm less likely to be picking them up off the floor. No more signing NO on the changing pad! .. well at least in reference to her trying to get all of her lotions and creams.
My large utility bag was a no brainer! I immediately filled it with all my therapy tools and toys for my daily travels with early intervention. My husband always asks me to clean my car and now I did!
Then Nikki from Peace, Love, and Purses reached out to me. Now I'm hooked! I have my HearMyHands utility bag I use in classes! The awesome side pockets I use for food, water bottles, and props for class. It's very sturdy, but yet very stylish. I can't wait for my next bag!
I was so excited about these new products that I wanted to have an online party to share my excitement with you. And luck be hold - there's a great deal this month! Buy $31, get 31% off of another product (any product!). Nikki's great to work with and answers my emails quickly. I was very unfamiliar with Thirty-One and she helped me understand their customization abilities and styles.
Check out this link to enjoy the party!
See her diaper caddy - works well!
|sign: PURSE / HAND BAG
Don't forget to check out the link! I love to be organized, less cleaning means more time to spend with Lil!


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God's been hammering home a new lesson throughout this year, one that hasn't necessarily been fun for me to learn. One that I tried to avoid, that I railed against, diluted, attempted and failed at many times over.
I'm learning about being quiet. I'm learning how to say less, so that God can do more. He's teaching me how to get myself out of the way, to become self-less so I can live in a God-more world. He works through me, when I'm willing to let him.
Seems so simple, and with hindsight it seems like I should know well enough by now to choose God's way every time. But my human nature leads me to self-importance. I want to be special, I want extra credit, I want to be the star pupil…
But the truth of the matter is, whenever I play God, I run the risk of preventing someone else from finding salvation in Christ. As Jesus declares in John 14:6, "No one gets to the Father apart from me." Notice he doesn't say, "with Sarah's help." The fact of the matter is, God doesn't need me.
And so I'm learning to admit that the people I encounter don't experience God because of how great I am when I bear witness to Christ's power. People experience God because my witness shows how great he is in spite of my messy, sinful life. And when I allow myself to become less, I find that God will choose me to work more in the lives of others for the good of all creation.
All I have to do is shut my mouth, open my heart and get out of his way.


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Posts tagged 'Bananas'
Banana Pudding
I think the primary reason why banana pudding always consists of Vanilla Jell-O Pudding from a box and a few sliced up bananas is because the very process of making pudding from scratch is daunting. After all, who has time to stand over a stove endlessly stirring a pot of rich and creamy vanilla custard? People who want tasty pudding, that's who!
Truthfully, this is really not a huge undertaking. Yes, it requires about an hour of your time and a little bit more brainpower than reading the back of the Jell-O box but, trust me, this is so worth it.
What you need:
For the Custard:
6 Cups Whole Milk (really, use whole milk)
7 Egg yolks
1 Cup of Sugar
¾ Cup Flour
½ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
Seeds of one vanilla bean
The other stuff:
5 or 6 Bananas
1 box vanilla wafers (I used the mini ones. They were too cute to pass up)
2 Cups Heavy (whipping) cream
½ cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
In a large saucepan, whisk together milk and eggs. Then add sugar, flour and salt. Cook over a medium-low flame and whisk constantly. The objective here is to eliminate any lumps. Also, should you not whisk continuously, the eggs may in fact scramble. So do your best to incorporate everything extremely well. Be certain that as you are stirring your whisk actually reaching the bottom of your pot. Burnt pudding on the bottom is no fun to clean off.
After about 15 minutes or so the mixture should be getting fairly thick. If it's still a little runny, add a few tablespoons of flour and stir. The pudding should be done around 35 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in vanilla extract and vanilla bean. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes, stirring to prevent weird film from forming on top.
Meanwhile, make your whipped cream. In the bowl of your electric mixer whip the cream. When the mixture starts to get foamy, add your powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until mixture is thick and forms stiff peaks.
Arrange the wafers in the bottom of your trifle dish and spoon about 1 third of the custard over. Add two bananas, sliced and some crumbled vanilla wafers. Continue with this until you are about an inch and a half from the top. Spoon the whipped cream on top and level with top. Sprinkle about ½ cup of crushed vanilla wafers on top.


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I am not too sure how convincing this surface is in the photo but in person it has a real earthy and honest feel to it. Using the iron stoneware I have been mixing up here at the studio and my clear glaze I was after a surface that had a bit more activity and grit to it while letting the clay itself show through unobstructed, basically, it was a destination unknown. I can't say I knew exactly what I wanted but I was looking for something that added a bit of depth to the surface and by using a tiny bit of ash, iron and manganese over the glaze, this is what I ended up with. The clay clearly shows through the glaze allowing for any marks to be front and center yet there is a certain depth that just isn't there when using the clear on its own. I am not sure where I am going with this surface and need to run more tests, always more tests but considering I had neither formula, map or destination in mind I think I arrived at a starting point and every journey starts there.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
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Robert "Bob" and Marianne Leet of Mount Olivet, will be celebrating their 50th anniversary on August 10, 2014.
If you currently subscribe or have subscribed in the past to the The Cynthiana Democrat, then simply find your account number on your mailing label and enter it below.
Click the question mark below to see where your account ID appears on your mailing label.
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Thousands of advertisers clamor for consumers' precious time each day. These messages bombard their eyes and ears, each screaming for a few sacred seconds of attention. Catalogs compete for the same consideration, scattered amidst omnipresent television commercials, the Internet and whatever pops up on their smartphones.
Once we get a catalog into their hands, how do we ensure consumers actually read it? As copywriters, we would love to think that every carefully chosen word we type will be read from start to finish, exactly as intended. Yeah, nice dream.
The truth is far more brutal. Catalog readers scan and browse, always looking at compelling photos and visuals first. It's the nature of a visual medium. Words get ignored. How can you captivate readers with engaging copy before the siren's song and hypnotic glow of their pocket-sized technological masters distract and entrance them?
Be strategic and selective with your copy. Obviously, your catalog needs to have basic elements, like product names, prices, color/size options, quantities, whatever informs the purchase decision. Bolster the desire to keep reading with these three crucial copy elements your catalog must have.
1. Guarantee
Customers want to know you've got their backs. We live in an age of immediate gratification and stout expectations. If they get your product in their hands or in their mouths (or wherever they'll use it!), that product better be right. If it's not, you better be committed to making it right. A strong guarantee need not be verbose. Check out JCPenney's new guarantee: "Happy returns: any item, anytime, anywhere." Beautiful brevity.
The opening spread of every catalog should have the guarantee. Repeat it on your order page, add it to page footers or develop a non-intrusive icon to use throughout the catalog. This simple copy addition reassures customers and encourages them to close the sale.
2. Testimonials
Everyone wants to have their say, and technology obliges, giving a touch-screen outlet to the masses. Capitalize on those digital conversations on the printed page of your catalog. The validation of peers still adds weight to the purchase process. Did others like it? Did it work like it said it would?
No longer must catalogs rely on the tried-and-true testimonial solicitation. Integrate a social media component within the catalog. Pull quotes and posts from Facebook, Twitter, online forums, comment posts and online ratings. Let your satisfied customers sing your praises and bring them to life as a copy element. Not only will customers read them, but they will be inspired to join the conversation so that they, too, can be heard.
3. Personality
Is your editorial and selling copy worth reading? Is it written with the flair and substance of your brand identity? If not, fix it. Need an example? Pick up the Land of Nod. The catalog's headlines represent an exquisite example of infusing the magic and whimsy of the brand with a few carefully chosen words.
While not every catalog has the luxury of playful, imaginative toys to inspire its voice, you can still develop a tone that suits your unique positioning. Be demonstrative. Be humorous. Be irreverent. Be intellectual. Infuse that into your copy, whether it's brief editorial introductions, attention-grabbing headlines, benefit-driven product copy, or succinct statements reinforcing your brand position. Don't settle for straightforward, by-the numbers feature-benefit copy. Want readers to linger on every word? Bring your brand to life in inspiring ways through the printed word.
In the spirit of "in with the good, out with the bad," here are three cumbersome copy elements you can CUT today to make your catalog more readable:
1. Directions
You catalog copy is not a packaging label. Don't use it that way. Include only what a potential buyer needs to know. For example, if you're selling clothes and a document is machine washable, that's all you need to say. Leave out "machine wash cold, tumble dry low, do not use fabric softener, etc." Use your valuable copy real estate to explain what's great about the product, NOT the minutiae of care or administration.
2. SKU Captions
Catalog readers, your best customers, don't speak SKU. Don't litter your photos with captions delineating indecipherable alphanumeric codes. Since shoppers look at photos first, captions are often one of the first pieces of copy they read. Capitalize on that opportunity to elaborate on important, unseen benefits of the photo. Leave the SKUs in the price line.
3. Length
Keep your copy short. People will read it. That is all.
Matthew Fey is a strategic copywriter with multichannel consultancy J.Schmid & Associates.


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Do Bonobos Communicate No By Shaking Their Head?
8 years ago
Researchers propose new grouping for humans, orangutans and common ancestors and lay out a scenario of the migration and evolution of 'dental hominoids' in the Journal of Biogeography.
New evidence underscores the theory of human origin that suggests humans most likely share a common ancestor with orangutans, according to research from the University of Pittsburgh and the Buffalo Museum of Science.
Reporting in the June 18 edition of the Journal of Biogeography, the researchers reject as "problematic" the popular suggestion, based on DNA analysis, that humans are most closely related to chimpanzees, which they maintain is not supported by fossil evidence.
Jeffrey H. Schwartz, professor of anthropology in Pitt's School of Arts and Sciences and president of the World Academy of Art and Science, and John Grehan, director of science at the Buffalo Museum, conducted a detailed analysis of the physical features of living and fossil apes that suggested humans, orangutans, and early apes belong to a group separate from chimpanzees and gorillas. They then constructed a scenario for how the human-orangutan common ancestor migrated between Southeast Asia—where modern orangutans are from—and other parts of the world and evolved into now-extinct apes and early humans. The study provides further evidence of the human-orangutan connection that Schwartz first proposed in his book The Red Ape: Orangutans and Human Origins, Revised and Updated (Westview Press, 2005).
Rest of article here ...


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Coventry and Brixton in the 1980s. My guest this week has drawn on reggae and the music of the iconic Two Tone label to evoke cities riven by racial conflict. Music was a strong part of identity and hers is a soundtrack of jagged horns and simmering beats. Her novel's title echoes one of 2 Tone's landmark tracks – Ghost Town, by The Specials. If you know it, I bet it's started in your head – and hold that thought, because she returned to the track time and again to capture her characters' tensions. She is Catriona Troth and she's on the Red Blog with her Undercover Soundtrack.
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I have only been boating twice this whole summer but those two days are about the funnest days I have had all summer.
I wish more than anything that I knew how to water ski but I have tried countless times and now I have given up. So all we do is tube.
And as you can see we are super good at it.
I am proud to say that I did not fall off the tube at all.
(that is a first for me)
It is also especially impressive that I didn't fall off because we got like 6 feet of air and we flipped backwards but I am obviously supremely talented and didn't let go.
If anyone is ever going boating, call me! I promise I am a super fun boater!!!


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Pictured above are Stark County clerk of courts Nancy Reinbold and Stark County recorder Rick Campbell.
Why put the two together?
Because they both are traveling at taxpayer expense (although Reinbold in paying for her own gasoline) to a continuing education event in mid-June to an Ohio resort location: Campbell to Put-in-Bay resort and Reinbold to Kings Island resort.
So what is the point?
First, The Report digresses a little to pick up a point well made to yours truly by local attorney and community activist Craig T. Conley.
What point?
That working in the public sector is the best employment deal going in America, Ohio and Stark County.
It used to be that "public service" was done at a sacrifice to what one could earn in the private sector. But that is not the case much anymore.
For most government workers, the SCPR agrees with Conley's point. The best jobs in the $35,000 to $150,000 range in Stark County, Ohio and in the U.S. of A (as Archie Bunker used to say) are in government.
When one considers the salary AND the benefits (heath care, retirement et cetera), there are few in the private sector who outdo their counterparts in the public sector. Many, many private sector employees have jobs which pay a pittance (considering the total package) of what most in the public sector get. And yet, it is the private sector which pays the lions' share of taxes to support the better paid public employee.
Here is where the SCPR gets to the nub of the matter with Reinbold and Campbell and their traveling to resort locations for continuing education.
For the Ohio Recorders Association, the Ohio Clerk of Courts Association and the like to schedule continuing education events at resort locations is a perk which underscores Conley's point. Who wouldn't want a government job?
Educating and sort of vacationing at the same time is a bonus for the publicly employed. At least for chief deputies, directors and title bureau czars. Of course, these "special" trips don't go to the ordinary government worker.
So, what if upper level county employees get a "little" special treatment?
Here is the so what if.
What is about to happen to government, especially at the local level, is that the voting public is going to escalate refusing to vote in additional taxes to support the comparatively "puff" - "money-making" jobs that exist in too many numbers in the public sector.
Apparently, the days are lost past when one used to go into public work with "public service" as being a powerful motivator of doing so.
Take school teachers. It used to be than everyone knew they were underpaid. However, no one questioned their dedication and their affect/effect on the lives of all of us. Who doesn't have a number of teachers who left and indelible, positive mark on our lives?
But there is less and less of that coming from teachers this day and age. More and more it seems that teachers and administrators (most of who came out of the teaching ranks) are doing it for the money.
The retire/rehire phenomenon, it appears to the SCPR, is a big thing within the education community. Moreover, it has a large place on other public sector employment venues. And it is beginning to bring out a huge public reaction.
Retire/rehire is seen as a money-making proposition; not about public service nor what is necessarily good for the public interest.
Take the Northwest schools. The district's superintendent - William Stetler - made $108,000 from Northwest in 2009. Moreover, Stetler retired from Lake a number of years ago as was his right to do. Of course, the SCPR can only conjecture as to what Stetler makes in retirement income, but it is likely at least in the $75,000 per year plus realm.
So let's take what the SCPR believes to be a conservative $183,000 number in estimating Stetler's total income as a public official and public employment retiree.
How many taxpaying citizens of the Northwest school district or in an Stark County school district take in anywhere near $183,000 per year? Not many!
Some believe that Stetler was brought to Northwest specifically to pass a levy which had not passed a new tax issue in about a decade.
There appears to have been some effort in Northwest (by Northwest's Board of Education) that Stetler not be seen as a front and center proponent that Northwest voters increase the taxes they pay (the 1% earned income passed in November)?
If so, the effort failed. His footprints are all over it. He was a $1,000 contributor to the Save Tomorrow committee. No surprise, here.
It is a credit to Northwest voters that they were not put off by the Stetler publicly derived income numbers.
They are sacrificing in paying more of their declining income for the public good. Many are without hope of retire/rehire or getting a job promotion or in getting a pay increase. All too many are looking at givebacks or will get laid off from their jobs and within a short time will have "no or substantially reduced earned income" on which to pay taxes "for the public good."
It will be interesting to see how the revenues will be parceled out in Northwest from the May, 2010-passed 1% tax. Financing of the tax issue campaign largely came from school employees.
Of course, we all are cognizant of our Stark County Sheriff Tim Swanson and his multiple retirements while collecting a salary as Stark County's elected sheriff amid questions of how energetically he is working as sheriff. Moreover, he demonstrates contempt for the Stark County public in saying to the Stark County commissioners words to the effect of "poop on the public," when the matter of his retire/rehire came up.
In this retire/rehire scenario, there is no room for younger/less experienced persons to advance. It is extremely important to have an infusion of new thinking and new energy into our public positions.
If board of education members and other determiners of how the public purse is spent had any - let's say - intestinal fortitude, they would only abide retire/rehire at a substantially lower salary (no more than 60% of the pre-retirement salary) and only on a convincing case being made that the rehired retiree has something of substantial value added over a new hire.
Back to Reinbold and Campbell and "the point" of this blog.
What is the moral of the story for them?
Answer: For them to take action. Yes, action.
The Report is all in favor of public officials getting more education about their jobs. So by all means their associations need to continue their continuing education efforts. However, they need to deliver the education more efficiently.
Reinbold is showing some sensitivity to the public by absorbing the "gas expense/wear and tear on her car" part of going to Kings Island.
The Report sees no corollary sensitivity from Recorder Campbell.
What both Reinbold and Campbell can and should do is to make an issue at their respective mid-June Association meetings as to where future meetings are held, or, if they should be held in physical assembly context at all.
When many taxpayers are struggling to make ends meet, it is not good public relations for public officials to be going to resorts at taxpayer expense.
In fact, maybe the associations should invest on teleconferencing equipment and expertise and thereby save counties lots of travel, hotel and meal money that way. With the professions, it is getting more and more common for members to do online education or assemble in nearby (to their home locale) room to watch the session by video conference.
Like Campbell, Reinbold is taking two employees with her to Kings Island. Why?
Can't she find a way to gather the important information for improvement of the operation of the clerk of courts office without the expense of meals and housing for two employees (German and Louis Giavasis)? Likewise for Campbell.
Both should be keeping in mind that a renewal of a 0.250 sales/use tax is coming up soon.
Shouldn't they be taking action with their associations to nix the "boondoggle" appearance of where association meetings are being held?
If they don't, then they have only themselves to blame when the voting public gets sick and tired of hearing about public employees education/vacation packages and other "the public be damned" expenditures of taxpayer monies and vote NO repetitively on renewals or new tax issues.
If public bodies and officials do not change how they do business, the public will change it for them at the ballot box.
And the change is going to be a painful process for public officials/employess as well as for the public at large.


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UntilI can figure out my review blog I will be doing it all from this blog! I don't know about anyone else but I'm having the hardest time figuring out WordPress!!!! If anyone knows how to rock WordPress and get affiliate banners and such on your blog as well as adding pictures for reviews plz help! Feel free to email me at: email@example.com or comment below! Thank you so much!
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Deciding my candidate RIGHT NOW
I found this post on an amazing blog that I follow and I find it an amazing look in what we go through when picking who we will vote for in the coming presidential elections. His outlook, thoughts, and facts are refreshing and right on mark in my opinion! Read it and tell me what you think!!!
Source: Deciding my candidate RIGHT NOW
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Awesome Giveaway! Check it out!
So I was contacted by this company to review some of there items and I don't like to do reviews right away on items that are sent to me because I want to make sure I get a true feel of the product for you all before I can give it my stamp of apporoval. I managed to grab two items and the shipping was no more then a week, what I did like about the website was it was very honest in there sizing, because I know some companys say true to size and its an xl and feels like an xs. In this case there was a note right next to the sizing saying to get a size larger then you already are because the items tend to be smaller in size, I loved that , to me its little things like that a company does that really…
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Sally Hansen and Influester got together and made an AH-MA-ZING Voxbox!
I received Sally Hansen's Airbrush Legs leg makeup complimentary from Influentser for testing purposes! And I am loving it! I had never thought of the idea of makeup for your legs but hated going out when my veins would be darker than normal or my tan would be uneven. Thanks to Sally Hansen and Influenster I no longer have to worry about that! I was really worried when I first applied this that I would have orange legs so when I applied it and looked I couldn't believe how AMAZING my legs looked! No veins, no large pores, bruises, or imperfections of any kind!! And it blended so well and was super easy to do! I went right out and bought a full size bottle so that I have it on hand any time I am going to be wearing shorts or skirts so that my legs look as sexy as possible! I do have a hubby I have to keep! lol Nah, he would love me no matter what but I do feel more confident and beautiful when I am wearing Airbrush Legs! If you are looking to make your legs look Airbrush perfect and want to check it out you can find it in the Sally Hansen section of your local retailer! And if you want to check out Influenster totally click right here: http://www.influenster.com/r/900203 and sign up! Then you can start getting amazing products for free to test as well! Please let me know what you think of Sally Hansen's Airbrush Legs in the comment section below!
Harvey Prince's Ageless Perfume Review and GIVEAWAY!!!
The first time I ever heard of Harvey Prince was back in September when I got my very first Birchbox and I remember opening up that small little sample bottle of Hello and spraying some on my wrist and falling in love! I had never smelled anything so divine before and surprisingly it has been like that with every bottle of perfume that I have had the chance to try made by Harvey Prince! Ageless is definitely no different! I just love the notes of pink grapefruit, jasmine, and cherry blossom that I smell every time I put it on! I also really enjoy that it is a lighter scent so that it is not overpowering at all! So if you have someone close to you that can't be around strong perfumes or if you yourself find that you get a headache with those stronger scents this one is perfect for you! And although it does have a lighter scent it does not wear off any sooner than any other fragrance! In fact just like all the other yummy Harvey Prince scents that I have tried I can apply it first thing in the morning and still find that I smell Ageless when I am finally getting home in the evenings after running all my errands and playing taxi for my many kids! According to their website "Ageless is inspired by recent studies, which find that pink grapefruit and mango to be the olfactory antidote to aging! From other reviews and Harvey Prince's own trials, Ageless makes you feel and smell 8-12 years younger!"-written by Harvey Prince themselves found here: http://harveyprince.com/index.php/womens-fragrances/ageless-mini-8-8ml-eau-de-parfum.html#.VRQeDWTF-G8. I can tell you that for me it did smell like a scent that a younger woman would wear and I did feel great wearing it! I just felt like I as younger and fresher!
NOW FOR THE BEST PART OF THIS!!!! Harvey Prince has not only allowed me to review this amazing perfume for you but has also given me the opportunity to do a SPECIAL GIVEAWAY for y'all! The best part about this giveaway is that there is not entering, following, spamming, or anything like that to enter to win…why you may ask!!! BECAUSE EVERYONE WINS!!!! Everyone that takes the time to read this review and decides they would love the chance to try Harvey Prince's Ageless themselves for FREE can! The only thing is that you have to pay the shipping & handling which is AMAZINGLY only $6.50! So you are getting a perfume valued at $27.50 after you pay for the perfume and shipping for ONLY $6.50! I have taken advantage of many of these deals myself to purchase MANY of their other perfumes they have! The FREE bottle is the 8.8mL Rollerball which I prefer anyway because they last so much longer than the sprays!!! If you want to take advantage of this AWESOME deal please read below for the details! And PLEASE HURRY because the offer is only valid while supplies last!!!!
Learning how to blog…
This is my first real try at blogging. I have had a Tumblr account for a while now and it is super easy because all you are really posting is pictures and things you find on Tumblr and other websites but I wanted to take a step further and try to really blog. I don't know how this will exactly turn out and for all I know no one will ever read anything that I post. But at the end of the day whether I succeed or fail at least I know that I tried. And as that is all that I ask of my children that is all that I can ask of myself. So please join me on this exciting new journey into my life. AND PLEASE if you have any suggestions or comments on how I can improve and make both myself and my blog better please leave a comment below!


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Happy day after Thanksgiving! The calm before the next storm. This day is dedicated to staying in my pajamas as long as possible and NOT SHOPPING. But cooking? Yes, perhaps.
A perfect time to hike the Palisades overlooking the Hudson River to catch the last glimpse of Fall's colors, as the mild weather continues this month.
A few leaves can be found still clinging to the branches, but not for long!The sprouts I made for Thanksgiving soaking in a bowl of cold water before cooking. I like to do this to refresh them and add a little extra moisture.
Today seems like a good day to clear out the old and make way for the next phase of the season as we head towards winter. My friend Jennifer came up with her own version of this ritual which turned into a batch of homemade soup she calls Veggie Sausage Soup.
Jen: It all began with the beautiful brussel sprouts that I found at Union Square Greenmarket and just had to buy even though Ron (her boyfriend) doesn't think that he likes them. He asked me what I was going to do with THOSE? I have to confess even though I like them I have never bought or cooked them myself. My father keeps a huge vegetable garden in our home in Lexington, Kentucky, although he is slowing down now at 92. However, he never grew Brussels Sprouts and I had never seen the plant until yesterday when I was looking online for a recipe.
Jennifer's picture
Deb: I think Brussels sprouts are more a cool climate crop and probably do better up North where they get a touch of frost.
Jen: Anyway, in the process of preparing to leave for a long Thanksgiving holiday I needed to use a few things in the refrigerator before I left. The brussel sprouts, goat cheese, baby portabello mushrooms, vegetable sausage patties and more needed to get used or thrown away.
Deb: Vegetable sausage patties?
Jen: Yes, I buy Morning Star Hot & Spicy Veg Sausage Patties (I think from Whole Foods) and they are really good! The Brussels Sprouts I actually cored and quartered for the soup. It came out great! Ron and I both loved it. He says that he has decided that he just didn't realize he liked Brussels Sprouts.
Deb: Cored the sprouts!? Wow, that is a loving touch and probably not necessary as the core will get as tender as the leaves when cooked. Sounds like you have a winning recipe on your hands. May I please share it on the blog?
Jen: Oh why yes! Thanks!
Coring a sprout takes some time and patience. Not sure it is worth it or even needed. Maybe fancy pants restaurants do this. Hmmmmm.
Jennifer's Vegetable Sausage Brussels Sprouts and Mushroom Soup
2 packages of 6 each Morning Star Hot & Spicy Veg Sausage Patties
1 small handful of Dried Porcini Mushrooms (I didn't think I had enough Baby Portobellos)
1 small container Brussel Sprouts- trimmed and quartered
1 head or 6-8 cloves of Garlic, peeled
1 small package Goat Cheese
½ of a container of Baby Portabello Mushrooms
1 head or 6-8 cloves of Garlic peeled
1 bag of Frozen Pearl Onions
1 container of Chicken Stock (4 cups)
1 cup of Water and ½ teaspoon of Veg. Better than Bullion (It needed a little more liquid)
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil
Cook the Vegetable sausage patties at 350 on a baking sheet about 12 min to get them a little crispy on the outside.
Place the Porcini Mushrooms to soak in a small bowl of warm water.
Place the Brussel Sprouts and the garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Then drizzle Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper and toss. Roast in oven for 20 mins at 375 tossing 1 to 2 times while cooking. Slice the Baby Portobello's.
Place a large pat of Butter in a soup pan.
Drain the Porcini (I like the Porcini chopped in small pieces) and Sauté Both types of mushrooms. Make sure to salt and pepper.
Put the Frozen Pearl Onions in at this point too. Once the onions looked done I then added the Chicken Stock and Goat Cheese.
Crumble the cooked Veg. Sausage Patties and add to soup.
Make sure not to overcook the Brussel Sprouts that were roasting and add to soup.
Save the roasted whole cloves and smash/chop and then add to soup.
Add a small chunk of grated Parmesan Cheese. Last Salt, Pepper and Cayenne Pepper to your taste.
My Pearl Onions, the bigger ones seemed a bit tough so I scooped out some of the bigger ones along with some of the liquid and blended them in the Blender and added them back in.
Thanks Jennifer, this sounds great! I love the cooking improvisation that took place in your kitchen born of necessity and a willingness to take a risk. Amanda is away this holiday weekend so we will have to pair this soup with whatever wine is leftover!


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Manage from Strengths
One of the easiest things to do in the world is point out the faults and weaknesses of others. Usually without recognizing our own shortcomings. Managers often carry this to extremes by stressing areas of performance that need improvement and ignoring a person's strengths.
"To break out of the weakness spiral and to launch the strengths revolution in your own organization, you must change your assumptions about people. Start with the right assumptions, and everything else that follows from them - how you select, measure, train, and develop your people - will be right. These are the two assumptions that guide the world's best managers:
1. Each person's talents are enduring and unique.
2. Each person's greatest room for growth is in the areas of his or her greatest strength."
--Marcus Buckingham, from his book, "Now, Discover Your Strengths" commented upon favorably in this Random Thoughts from a CTO post.
Technorati Tags: business, management, entrepreneurship, startup, legal


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Friday, 2 May 2008
₤50 billion does not bring much stability
So far, the special liquidity scheme hasn't brought much relief to the stagnant interbank lending market. Spreads between 3 month interbank lending and equivalent maturity repos are still elevated.
Between April 23-30, spreads fell by about 14 basis points. However, on May 1st, spreads rose again by 5 basis points. Overall, spreads are some 75 basis points above where they were before the credit crisis.
I will give you a free forecast. Within a few weeks, we will see the UK banks again complaining that the Bank of England hasn't done enough to revive credit markets. It won't be long before we hear "Oh, credit conditions are too tough, there isn't enough liquidity and its all the Bank of England's fault. If only they would cut interest rates, and provide more support, then Britain's economy future would be again secured".
Just wait, the banks will be back for more public sector support. They will be again looking for the public sector to cough up for their mistakes.
4 comments:
Yup, the prediction will be proven true. But it's no mean feat seeing as they've being saying essentially the same thing since August.
Nonetheless I enjoy your presentation and analysis of the details.
- 2 May 2008 at 18:28
Of course the special liquidity scheme hasn't brought much relief to the stagnant interbank lending market. The SLS is not a bale-out.
The banks can scream blue murder - but the government's hands are tied. The central bank has played - and now it is time to stick, twist or fold for the gamblers.
- 2 May 2008 at 18:46
- Alice Cook said...
Over the last couple of weeks, I have read carefully what you have written about the SLS. I have come around to accepting much of what you said, particularly regarding the terms of the scheme. I am beginning to think it wasn't quite what the banks wanted.
Taking your point of view one step further, it may be the case that banks find the terms too onerous and don't actually use the scheme in significant numbers.
This is why I suspect that we will see a further push from the banks to get the BoE to "do more".
BTW, did you see what the Fed announced today? I have just posted something on it.
- 2 May 2008 at 18:54
I'm badly informed about the most recent Fed stuff... "pumping liquidity" - it looks moderately dangerous on the surface... but I've not investigated properly. Timing is interesting - just after a suggestion that 2% funds rate might be the slashing limit for the Fed for some time... they were rapidly running out of ammunition on the rate-cutting score.
I'm pleased I've talked you around a bit on the SLS. I found public outcry at the SLS frustrating - especially when the same people were silent about accepting mortgage and credit card debt in open market operations since last year... it misses the point spectacularly.
The usage of the SLS will definitely be interesting. Five months to go - and counting down. That puts publication on-target for shortly after the fallout for the second wave of mortgage resets for 2008.
I am absolutely certain that banks will want the central bank to "do more" - why wouldn't they ever? If I ran a bank I'd be demanding to be paid to borrow and for my farts to be acceptable collateral... it doesn't mean that the central bank should take my demands seriously, though. The BoE is in a stronger position to deny a bale-out if it can show a move that a bank can take to avoid being forced to use lender-of-last-resort facilities. I think the strategy is to slowly asset-strip banks to force them to write down their losses rather than kite them as long-term debts. I think it might work... it's the best idea I've seen to date.
- 2 May 2008 at 22:53


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How to Help Your Business Become an AI Early Adopter
With IT so pervasive in (and instrumental to) the operation of any large enterprise today, not much gets done without it. This means the CIO, as the captain of the IT ship, is responsible on some level for the success and/or failure of such sweeping statements such as "We need to grow top line revenue," or "We must become a 'customer-centric' organization."
"The CIO is not only in the hot seat but they probably find themselves ill prepared to respond to some of these new mandates from the board and the executive committee," said Brian Sommer, vice president of Field Research services at Aberdeen. "There's just a hole out there in the big lack of technology; we've automated transaction processing but that doesn't help us with the new strategic priorities CIOs have to address."
The problem is exacerbated because, all too often, the CIO is still not part of the planning or business process that leads to sweeping new initiatives. This means without a clear understanding of the business case, the CIO is hampered from the outset. This only adds to the pressure of getting things done, said Dan Baumgartner, a managing partner at Tatum Partners, a management consultancy.
"The CIO's job ... is to deliver," agreed Wick Keating, CTO of American Management Systems. "And they're the ones that can say 'I'm sure the CRM vendor's salesforce told you this can get done in three months with people working part-time. But the reality is its going to take six months and were going to need a team of 30, and I don't have 30."
In practical terms what this means is the CIO is often tasked with projects they are ill equipped to handle. And, without any part in the planning process, they are unable to adequately temper board-level expectations about the time, resources and money required to make sweeping changes occur. To often, by those outside of IT, technology is viewed as a 'black box' that simply needs to be turned on.
Granted, the CIO is hardly the only bottleneck in any strategic corporate shift, but often they may find themselves to be one of the first. Not much can happen at a tactical level without IT's involvement. Most business processes rely on IT to execute and if those processes are to be changed to meet a new corporate focus, the execution of that focus comes down to IT.
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A position within the Wallenberg Autonomous Systems and Software Program.
Research topic: Socially Intelligent Systems for Human-Agent Collaboration
Umeå University is seeking outstanding candidates for a PhD student position in Computer Science with focus on socially intelligent systems for human-agent collaboration at the Department of Computing Science. The Department of Computing Science is a dynamic environment with around 100 employees representing more than 20 countries worldwide. We conduct education and research on a broad range of topics in Computing Science. The User, Interaction and Knowledge Modelling group at the department conducts research in formal methods for reasoning and decision making, methods for user modelling, user adaptation and human-agent collaboration. The group collaborates with a number of research groups in the medical and health domains, and is providing a vibrant multi-disciplinary research environment. Visit http://www.cs.umu.se/forskning/forskargrupper/uikm/ for more information.
The Wallenberg Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP)
The Wallenberg Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP) is Sweden's largest individual research program ever, and provides a platform for academic research and education, fostering interaction with Sweden's leading technology companies. The program addresses research on autonomous systems acting in collaboration with humans, adapting to their environment through sensors, information and knowledge, and forming intelligent systems-of-systems. WASP's key values are research excellence and industrial relevance.
The graduate school within WASP is dedicated to provide the skills needed to analyze, develop, and contribute to the interdisciplinary area of autonomous systems and software. The curriculum provides the foundations, perspectives, and state-of-the-art knowledge in the different disciplines taught by leading researchers in the field. Through an ambitious program with research visits, partner universities, and visiting lecturers, the graduate school actively supports forming a strong multi-disciplinary and international professional network between PhD students, researchers and industry.
The graduate school provides added value on top of the existing PhD programs at the partner universities, providing unique opportunities for students who are dedicated to achieving international research excellence with industrial relevance. http://wasp-sweden.org/.
Research project
The aim of the research project is to develop socially intelligent software agents for human-agent collaboration. The fundamental challenge lies in how intelligent autonomous agents may collaborate with humans in decision making tasks to achieve goals, and in making prioritizations among potentially conflicting goals, needs, motivations, preferences and choices of actions, e.g. in medical situations where healthcare professionals diagnose or select treatment methods. This is also highly important in situations where a person aims to change unhealthy behaviour, or needs to take action in order to reduce risk in work situations.
To provide socially intelligent systems that humans can trust enough to collaborate with, algorithms for explaining automated learning, reasoning, and values of arguments and decision outcomes will be developed. Artificial intelligence-based methods for user modelling, user adaptation, and for the system to act in a socially acceptable way tailored to a situation will also be developed, partly by formalising theories about human behaviour. Methods that handle uncertain and incomplete information, as well as different types of values, norms, or utilities in such situations will be explored.
About the position
The successful applicant will receive a competitive salary for a period of four years full time research, provided that expected study and research results are achieved. The position may also include part-time teaching (normally up to 20%). If so, the total time for the position is extended accordingly (up to maximum five years). Expected starting date is 1st of September 2017 or as otherwise agreed.
Admission requirements
The applicant is required to have completed a second- cycle level degree, or completed course requirements of at least 240 ECTS credits, of which at least 60 ECTS credits are at second-cycle level, or have an equivalent education from overseas, or equivalent qualifications. To fulfil the specific entry requirements for doctoral studies in computing science, the applicant is required to have completed courses at second-cycle level degree equivalent to 60 ECTS credits in computing science, or in a subject considered to be directly relevant for the specialisation in question.
Candidates are expected to have a background in computer science; a specialization in artificial intelligence or human-computer interaction is a merit. Candidates from related disciplines, such as cognitive science, with a very good understanding of fundamental concepts of computer science and good programming experience may also be considered. Experience from healthcare, or research projects relating to healthcare is also a merit. Since research is conducted in an international research environment, the ability to collaborate and contribute to teamwork, and a very good command of the English language, both written and spoken, are key requirements.
A complete application should contain the following documents:
• A cover letter including a description of your research interests, your reasons to apply for the position, and your contact information
• A curriculum vitae
• If applicable, copy of completed BSc and/or MSc thesis and other original research publications
• Copies of degree certificates, including documentation of completed academic courses and obtained grades
• Contact information for two persons willing to act as references
Applications must be submitted electronically using the e-recruitment system MyNetwork Pro, and be received no later than June 15, 2017. Reference number: AN 2.2.1-791-17. Log on to the system and apply via the button at the bottom of the web page.
The procedure for recruitment for the position is in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance (chapter 12, 2§) and the decision regarding the position cannot be appealed. The recruitment aims at a balanced gender distribution, and in particular women are encouraged to apply.
For additional information, please contact Assoc. Prof. Helena Lindgren email@example.com.
Umeå University is dedicated to providing creative environments for learning and work. We offer a wide variety of courses and programmes, world leading research, and excellent innovation and collaboration opportunities. More than 4 300 employees and 31 500 students have already chosen Umeå University.
We look forward to receiving your application!
|Type of employment
|Temporary position longer than 6 months
|Contract type
|Full time
|First day of employment
|September 1, 2017 or as otherwise agreed
|Number of positions
|Working hours
|Västerbottens län
|Reference number
|Union representative
|Last application date
|15.Jun.2017 11:59 PM CET


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I watched the clouds start to form from my deck and I took this video with my camera. The video quality isn't great, but it does capture the way the clouds were churning in circles. I knew it was time to head to the basement then!
Here is a picture of the clouds.
My grandparents' farm (currently owned by my uncle and no one was living there) was completely destroyed.