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Curationis vol.36 no.1 Pretoria ene. 2013
A report on the development and implementation of a preceptorship training programme for registered nurses
June D. JeggelsI; Annelene TrautI; Florence AfricaII
ISchool of Nursing, University of the Western Cape, Bellville
IINursing Services, Western Cape Government: Department of Health
BACKGROUND: Clinical supervision represents an important aspect in the development of nursing students' clinical skills. At the School of Nursing (SoN) the clinical supervisors employed by the University of the Western Cape (UWC) have limited contact sessions with students in the clinical setting. However, with the increase in student numbers a need was identified to strengthen the support given to nursing students in the service setting.
OBJECTIVE: A preceptorship training programme for nurses was developed in 2009, aimed at improving the clinical teaching expertise of professional nurses. The planning phase, based on a preceptorship model, represents a collaborative undertaking by the higher education institution and the nursing directorate of the Provincial Government Western Cape.
METHOD: A two-week, eight credit, short course was approved by the university structures and presented by staff members of the school. The teaching and learning strategies included interactive lectures, small group activities and preceptor-student encounters in simulated and real service settings. Some of the course outcomes were: applying the principles of clinical teaching and learning within the context of adult education, understanding the preceptor role and managing
RESULTS: To date, fifty-four participants have attended the course. Following an internal review of the pilot programme in 2010, relevant adjustments to the programme were made.
CONCLUSION: It is recommended that all the stakeholders be involved in the development and implementation of a contextually relevant preceptorship training programme. It is further recommended that the school embarks on an extensive programme evaluation.
A preceptor is defined as a competent practitioner who, for a limited period of time, provides professional guidance to students in a service setting (Yonge et al. 2007:9). According to Hyrkas and Shoemaker (2007:516), preceptors generally provide support and assist students to become familiar with the clinical environment and provision of patient care. Support from preceptors enables student nurses to apply knowledge, skills and attributes in the clinical setting to facilitate the move from novice to expert. Preceptorship refers to 'an individualized period of support under guidance of an experienced clinical practitioner which attempts to ease transition into professional practice or socialization into a new role' (United Kingdom Department of Health 2009:11).
The literature reveals that the preceptorship model eases the students' transition from a simulated to the service setting (Maginnis & Croxon 2007:218). Increasing the number of trained preceptors could therefore impact positively on the professional support provided to students. Preceptorship models are widely used in nursing education programmes. Udlis (2008:20) reviewed 16 research studies examining measurable changes in students' performance when exposed to a preceptorship programme. This review revealed that 56% of the studies supported the use of preceptors in undergraduate clinical nurse education and that only 4% of studies found no significant differences in student performance after being exposed to preceptors.
Hallin and Danielson (2008:161) state that 'a preceptorship model offers a way to support and facilitate preceptors' training and to develop cooperation between university and hospital'. According to the authors, various preceptorship models proposed in the literature focus on the learning environment and preceptor's preparation based on local needs and conditions. In other words, preceptorship models are developed for a specific context according to the needs and conditions of that context. Maginnis and Croxon, (2007:218) found that the preceptorship model that assigned one student to one preceptor in the setting proved to be problematic due to the shortage of registered nurses and their demanding workloads. This led to a trial where a 'cluster' model was used to assign eight students to a university-based supervisor who was familiar with the clinical setting. During the trial, the forty nursing students (five groups of eight students) found it easier to adapt and gain confidence when they worked together as part of the group.
A key finding in the review of theories and models about preceptorship training was that any programme that is designed should fit the unique context. This article aims to share our experiences in developing and implementing a continuing education preceptorship training programme in the context of the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The programme focuses on strengthening the clinical teaching expertise of professional nurses in order to provide support to nursing students in the service setting. Happel's (2009:372) preceptorship model was used to underpin the development and implementation process.
In 2002 the Ministry of Education released the National Plan for Higher Education to negotiate the tensions of transition and meet the higher learning needs of South Africa. The University of the Western Cape (UWC) was the only one of the four historically disadvantaged universities to retain its autonomous status (Asmal 2002:2). Through careful strategic planning, UWC decided to focus on certain areas of research and teaching, with health disciplines being one of them. At that time, the Minister of Education announced that UWC and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology would be the only institutions to offer first degree nursing in the Western Cape Province. Following this decision, the student intake for UWC Nursing changed from 120 first-year students in 2003 to 320 in 2004, and the challenge revolved around improving the retention and success rates of students enrolled for the B.Cur. programme.
The undergraduate nursing programme at UWC is presented over a period of four years, as is the case in many countries worldwide. The nursing programme is accredited by a professional body, i.e., the South African Nursing Council (SANC), and students are placed in accredited service sites to attain their clinical learning objectives. The student profile reflects students with an average age of 35 years, from diverse backgrounds and from rural and urban areas in South Africa as well as elsewhere in Africa (UWC 2010). The School of Nursing (SoN) at UWC uses the facilitator model (Mannix, Wilkes & Luck 2009:60), where students are under the supervision of a clinical supervisor employed by the university for a limited period whilst placed in the service unit. For the remainder of the time, the students are supervised by the professional nurse(s) in the unit.
The SANC regulates nurse training in South Africa and prescribes the minimum period of clinical learning over the four-year period. The Council also specifies the number of hours of supervised clinical learning per student per week (SANC 1985). With large student numbers, the studentsupervisor ratio may negatively impact on the quality of accompaniment and supervision that students are offered (Mannix et al. 2009:63)
Operational definitions
Conceptual framework: A collection of interrelated concepts that provide direction for nursing education or practice (De Vos, Strydom, Fouche & Delport 2011:35).
Preceptor: A competent practitioner who provides guidance and support to novices in the clinical setting (Yonge et al. 2007:2).
Preceptorship: The teaching-learning relationship between the skilled professional and the student nurse to improve the professional development of the student nurse (Happel 2009:375; Yonge et al. 2007:3).
Training programme: Structured continuing education offering to improve the clinical teaching expertise of professional nurses in the service setting (Happel 2009:374).
Student nurse: A person undergoing education or training in basic nursing (Department of Health 2008).
University: An institution of higher education that offers undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications for nursing students (Happel 2009:373).
Clinical learning facility: An institution that has been approved by the South African Nursing Council for a specific nursing education and training programme (SANC 2001).
Clinical setting: An environment in which a registered nurse and student are involved in client care and where learning opportunities present themselves (Mochaki 2001:13).
Service setting: Specified areas where healthcare services are provided to clients (Mochaki 2001:13). For the purpose of this paper, these services include the primary, secondary and tertiary provision of health care.
Clinical units: A division within a service setting where specialised health care services are provided, for example, intensive care units or medical-surgical units (Jooste 2010:84).
Preceptorship model
Happel's preceptorship model (2009:373) was contextually adapted to form a conceptual framework for the development and implementation of a preceptorship training programme for nurses at the SoN, UWC. The model (Figure 1) illustrates the complex relationships between the individuals and institutions involved in the development and implementation of the programme.
The programme refers to the continuing education programme presented by the university to enhance the clinical teaching expertise of professional nurses in the services. This continuing education program was planned as an 80-hour, 8-credit short course that included a clinical component. Following an internal review of a pilot programme in January 2010, the relevant adjustments were made and the first training was offered to registered nurses in the Western Cape Province in July 2010.
According to Happel (2009:373), the success of preceptorship in nursing is determined by the strength of the preceptor-student relationship. In order to fulfill their role, preceptors need to be competent practitioners who hold a teaching, advisory, supervisory or evaluator role in the service setting and who have to maintain communication with the educational institution. Their relationship with the student is short-term and is often an assigned role (Yonge et al. 2007:6). The preceptor must be able to identify the clinical learning opportunities and also requires an overview of the learning needs of the student (Happel 2009:374). Preceptors need to participate in the orientation of students to the clinical environment, actively facilitate clinical learning, carry out assessment of clinical skills and provide constructive feedback to students in the service units (Yonge et al. 2007:6).
The literature shows that students generally need to feel welcome in the clinical placement setting. Students appreciate the opportunity to participate and feel valued by patients in the services. They regard professional behaviour and competence as very important attributes of professional nurses in the field (Abubu 2011:70). Students also expect professional nurses to be willing to provide constructive feedback about their performance (Happel 2009:273).
Happel (2009:374) suggests that the clinical facility should have a philosophy of service delivery and display a commitment to clinical education. This could be operationalised by releasing professional staff to attend the continuing education programme and providing opportunities for them to practice their newly acquired skills in the service units.
The university should ideally display the same level of commitment to clinical teaching and learning as the clinical facility. It is also imperative for the university to engage collaboratively with the health services during the planning and implementation of the preceptorship training programme (Happel 2009:373).
The training programme
Preparatory phase
This phase included establishing relationships between the institutions, namely, the university and the clinical facility. At the university, literature was sought about theories and models related to clinical skills training as well as various ways to provide professional support to students in the field. A continuing education programme was designed and submitted to the relevant university structures. The clinical facilities were approached and a commitment was negotiated from the Director of Nursing Services in the province to support the training of preceptors. The Provincial Government of the Western Cape (PGWC) undertook to release the professional nurses to attend the short courses. The initial collaborative engagement between the SoN and the PGWC took the form of meetings and various types of electronic communication.
Planning of the teaching and learning activities
Kolb's theory: The experiential learning theory of Kolb (1984) fits clinical skills training very well. The generic adaptive abilities that are crucial for effective clinical learning include:
- Concrete experience, where students immerse themselves in the experience (feeling)
- Reflective observation, where students observe and reflect on the experience (watching)
- Abstract conceptualisation, where students create concepts that integrate their observations into theories (thinking)
- Active experimentation, where students apply these theories in new situations (doing) (Kolb 1984:21).
Kolb's theory was used to plan the teaching learning activities included in the course outcomes, by including opportunities for the participants to feel, watch, think about and perform specific tasks related to clinical teaching and learning.
Skills laboratory method: The clinical component of the nursing programme is presented in both simulated as well as real service settings. With an extraordinary increase in student numbers, the SoN was compelled to review the clinical training of undergraduate nursing students. Researchers suggested that the clinical component of nurse training in South Africa was not optimally structured to provide the clinical learning needs of students (Mabuda, Potgieter & Alberts 2008:19; Cassimjee & Bhengu 2006:47; Carlson, Kotze & van Rooyen 2005:65).
During 2006 and 2007, the SoN embarked on an extensive skills training programme, tailor-made for our specific needs. The skills laboratory method was introduced to revitalise simulated skills training at UWC (Jeggels, Traut & Kwast 2010:51). The main objective of the programme was to facilitate student-based clinical skills development that allowed the students an opportunity to practice in a safe environment prior to being exposed to real patients in the service setting. Students are able to make mistakes that would not necessarily result in negative consequences to anybody, e.g., the recapping of used injection needles, although in the real service setting this may lead to serious negative consequences. If they are not yet competent to perform certain skills, the hospital can represent a daunting clinical learning environment for student nurses (Abubu 2011:70).
The skills laboratory method used to facilitate simulated skills training presents a good fit with Kolb's experiential learning model (Jeggels et al. 2010:53). It also translates well into the real service setting, i.e., much of the learning in the field relates to the students' adaptive abilities, in no specific order. Clinical learning may be triggered when students observe an activity in the service unit. They may then immerse themselves in the experience and reflect on it. Students may then link these experiences to existing knowledge and through active experimentation choose to perform the activity in the real service setting (Kolb 1984:21). It is important that prospective preceptors familiarise themselves with the clinical teaching-learning methods used by the educational institution in order to make appropriate referrals.
Institutional collaboration
Training of preceptors was a recommendation made in a research report of the Director of Nursing Services in the province (Mabuda et al. 2008:26). The SoN supported this proposal and set out to secure funding for a collaborative initiative which would drive the SoN's professional outreach agenda and enhance their relationship with the PGWC. Funding was secured from the University-based Nursing Education South Africa (UNEDSA) initiative to establish a Centre for Teaching and Learning Scholarship in the SoN. One of the objectives of the centre was: to strengthen the expertise of 60 professional nurses in providing clinical support to students in the selected health services. A meeting was scheduled with the Director of Nursing Services in 2009 to negotiate and obtain the commitment of PGWC to support the training programme.
Several meetings were scheduled between the SoN and the PGWC to finalise the planning process. The meetings were scheduled to share out the responsibilities related to the planning and implementation phases. For example, the convener would present the proposal at a nursing service managers' meeting; the PGWC would disseminate information about the course to all the districts and call for nominations; the SoN would develop the course-work material and present the course; the selection of candidates would be a joint process; and the PGWC would allow access to their facilities for the clinical component of the course.
Resource development
A course descriptor was developed by the convener of the continuing education course and submitted to the Division of Life-long Learning (DLLL) for review and approval by the Senate Life-long Learning Committee. The DLLL is an institute at UWC that provides opportunities for life-long learning through alternative access, continuing education and part-time studies. The course guide was drafted by the convener and reviewed by the presenters. The material developer of the Centre for Teaching and Learning Excellence assisted with finalisation of the course-work material. Since the participants could not access the library resources, a comprehensive reader was compiled and reading tasks were included in the course.
The course outcomes included the following:
- Apply the principles of clinical teaching, learning and assessment within the context of adult education
- Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the preceptor in clinical teaching and learning
- Effectively manage a preceptor-student encounter in simulated and service learning settings
- Apply relevant knowledge, skills and attributes in the process of clinical teaching and learning
- Initiate, monitor and evaluate a tailor-made skills training programme, and
- Motivate students to maintain an interest in learning through the use of creative approaches to teaching and learning.
The course outcomes were developed from the literature related to preceptorship training models and programmes (Happel 2009; Hallin & Danielson 2008; Maginnis & Croxon 2007; Yonge et al. 2007). Smedley (2008:189) suggests that the following be included in the training of preceptors: knowledge about adult learning; skills for teaching and learning in a clinical context; a desire to support and motivate others to learn; and the ability to display positive attitudes towards students.
Securing venues
Seminar rooms were booked and the skills laboratory reserved for simulated activities. Permission was sought from at least four healthcare facilities to accommodate the preceptors in completing their tasks in the service settings. Securing venues for a period of two weeks proved to be more problematic than had been anticipated because the SoN did not have dedicated seminar rooms. The UWC skills laboratory could only be used for continuing education purposes during the university vacations. Access to computer and printing facilities was not available for the pilot programme. Currently, information technology is more accessible to the participants.
The selection of preceptors is aimed at determining which individuals would best match the preceptorship role. However, in most programmes the prospective preceptors are qualified professional nurses with clinical experience. Yonge et al. (2007:5) suggest that the specific attributes of the role be considered during the selection process, namely, a willingness to facilitate clinical learning, good communication skills and being a competent practitioner. Smedley (2008:185) cites the characteristics of prospective preceptors according to O'Malley, Cuncliffe, Hunter and Breeze (2000:45) as, amongst others, experience and expertise in the clinical field, good communication and decision-making skills, a desire to teach and an interest in professional growth. However, to match the person to the role may require a structured selection process to include specific selection criteria and a screening interview (Jooste 2010:167). Ideally, the selection of prospective candidates should be carried out by the stakeholders involved in the clinical teaching endeavour.
In the Western Cape Province, the recruitment of the participants was performed by the PGWC. This allowed the Director to identify the facilities where the need for training was considered a priority. The directorate also coordinated the application process to prevent the professional nurses from applying directly to the SoN and thereby complicating the selection process. The selection of participants was carried out at a selection meeting with representation from the SoN and the PGWC. The criteria specified that registered nurses from selected health services be considered to attend the continuing education programme. Ten participants in total were selected for the pilot programme and subsequent cohorts of 15 were selected. All the selected participants attended the pilot programme in January 2010. Sixteen participants attended in July 2011 and only six of the fifteen selected attended the training programme in March 2012. The registered nurses cited workload and miscommunication as the main reasons for non-attendance. A letter was sent to all the selected participants informing them about the requirements for the course, for example, protective clothing and distinguishing devices. Participants were also encouraged to bring their own laptops to the classroom sessions.
Implementation phase
Presentation of the course
The two-week short course was presented during university vacations and had a credit weighting of eight credits. The course was not available online as it included a clinical component, and participants had to submit a portfolio of evidence for the summative assessment. The continuing education course was approved by the relevant university structures and piloted in January 2010.
The course was presented by staff members of the SoN. Academics and clinical supervisors accompanied the participants to service settings and facilitated the completion of clinically related tasks. The two-week programme was interspersed with interactive lectures, small group activities and preceptor-student encounters in simulated and real service settings. The facilitation of small groups and some of the simulated preceptor-student encounters were video-taped and projected to stimulate reflective discussions. An important component of the course was structured reflective discussions and reflective journaling. Students in the service settings were requested to complete a questionnaire to evaluate the preceptor-student encounters.
To date, 54 professional nurses have attended the course. Fifty participants successfully completed the course, two submitted incomplete portfolios and two dropped out of the course, citing work pressure as the reason.
Assessment of the course
Participants had to compile a portfolio of evidence for assessment purposes. The evidence included assignments related to the identification of learning opportunities in the services and alignment of the students' learning needs to opportunities in the setting. Participants also had to facilitate small group work and write reports on preceptor-student encounters. They also had to do an assessment of a clinical skill in the service setting. On completion of the course, a course evaluation tool was administered to the participants.
Quality assurance measures
Quality assurance measures were included during the planning and implementation phases of the programme, i.e., the course was accredited as a continuing education course with the DLLL at UWC; the convener of the course was the head of the clinical programme at the SoN; portfolios of evidence were submitted by participants, examined internally and moderated externally; a pilot programme was presented in January 2010; feedback from an internal review committee on the pilot was incorporated into the first course in July 2010; and quality assurance files were compiled to monitor the quality of the programme, including copies of marked portfolios, mark schedules, examiner's and moderator's reports, certificates and the original course evaluation forms. Modifications were made to the course following an annual review of the course material, course evaluations and comments from the examiners.
Course evaluations and reflective journaling by participants revealed that all of the desired outcomes of the course had been achieved. Positive feedback was also received from some of the managers who nominated their staff to participate in the continuing education offering. A formal programme evaluation is currently being conducted by the SoN's research unit. Singer (2006:628) suggests that the evaluation of the preceptorship training programme should include input from all the stakeholders.
Lessons were learned during the planning and implementation of the continuing education course 'Preceptorship training for professional nurses' at the SoN, UWC, as outlined below:
Best practices
The enabling issues were varied and started with a consultative process between the SoN and PGWC to agree on the need to train preceptors in the province. The planning phase was completed over a period of one year, which allowed for the development of good working relationships between the partners. The SoN was fortunate to secure funding to facilitate the planning and implementation of the continuing education course. This collaborative initiative has improved collegial relationships at many levels. The participants, i.e., academics and professional nurses from the service units, have an opportunity to share contextual issues that impact on the clinical training of students
A short communication entitled 'Preceptorship training for professional nurses' was presented by the convener of the course at a conference in 2010. Following the presentation, delegates from other higher education institutions expressed an interest in attending the course. To date, six participants from higher education institutions of other provinces have participated in the preceptorship training programme at UWC.
The training commenced with professional nurses in service units and those who work in nursing education units, but will be extended to all service learning sites in the long term. The expectation is that the training will have a direct impact on the quality of student support in hospitals and an indirect impact on the quality of patient care delivery.
The coordination of applications has proved to be problematic, with applicants bypassing the provincial offices or cancelling attendance few days before commencement of the programme.
Securing a suitable venue for a two-week period remains a challenge. The preparation and printing of course-work material was also not successfully completed ahead of time. Many of the challenges were identified during the pilot programme, i.e., that there was too much course content and that facilitation sessions were too packed. After the pilot programme, the course was internally reviewed, focused and any extraneous material excluded.
Application of the preceptorship model
Happel's (2009) preceptorship model provided a useful resource to develop and implement the preceptorship training programme for nurses at the University of the Western Cape. It underscored the importance of institutional collaboration during the planning phase to maximise participation from the university and the clinical facility. The university presented the continuing education programme and the clinical facility accommodated the participants to complete the clinical component of the programme. The feedback from the participants and the students about the preceptor-student encounters were mostly positive
The way forward
This continuing education course has strengthened the relationship between the SoN and the PGWC. It is envisaged that a preceptorship model be developed from this partnership that will enhance the clinical training of students and delivery of services to the consumers of health care. A network of trained preceptors is being established to encourage consultation and facilitate the sharing of experiences. Evaluation of the programme will also be a collaborative research project between UWC and PGWC.
The authors wish to acknowledge Prof. O. Adejumo for reviewing the draft of this article and the Centre for Teaching and Learning Scholarship at the SoN for funding the preceptorship training programme.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationship(s) which may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.
Authors' contributions
J.J. (University of the Western Cape) planned the preceptorship training programme at the SoN and wrote the manuscript. A.T. (University of the Western Cape) facilitated the clinical training component of the programme and reported on the implementation phase. F.A. (Western Cape Government) was responsible for the recruiting and selection of participants for the training programme and reported on the collaboration between the clinical facilities and the university during the preparatory phase.
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June Jeggels
Private Bag X17
University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7
537, South Africa
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Received: 09 Mar. 2012
Accepted: 02 Feb. 2013
Published: 04 June 2013


text: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the best loved novels of the twentieth century. But for the last fifty years, the novel's celebrated author, Harper Lee, has said almost nothing on the record. Journalists have trekked to her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, where Harper Lee, known to her friends as Nelle, has lived with her sister, Alice, for decades, trying and failing to get an interview with the author. But in 2001, the Lee sisters opened their door to Chicago Tribune journalist Marja Mills. It was the beginning of a long conversation—and a great friendship.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The amount of your duty-free exemption depends on the country you are returning from. In most cases, each individual is allowed to bring back $400 worth of goods without being required to pay duty. Family members traveling together and living in the same home may combine their personal exemptions by filing a joint declaration. These exemptions apply if:
If you are returning directly from certain Caribbean Basin countries your customs exemption will be $600 and if you return directly or indirectly from the U.S Virgin Islands, American Samoa or Guam, you are allowed a $1200 exemption. If traveling to one of the countries mentioned above, you may wish to check in with your nearest Customs office for specific details.
U.S Customs > Making a Declaration > Duty-Free Exemption > Duty-Free Shops > Paying a Duty > Prohibited and Restricted Items
This is only a guide. For more information, please visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.


text:
Donald did have a surprise party
Escape with Eddie
August 22, 2013
Have you ever tried to keep something secret? Ever plan to spring a surprise party on someone? Have you ever been called upon to tell little white lies to keep knowledge away from somebody else?
Well, this past two weeks have entailed a major effort to keep secrets from Donald. Let me clarify.
My husband Donald, is experiencing his 80th Birthday this weekend. Liz and I decided to ignore his statements about NO PARTY! So, the pact was set, and the surprise was known to all as the BIG SECRET!
For starters, we decided to have both ham and turkey. Now, in my freezer resided the king of turkeys, a 23 pounder. I ask you, how do you cover up the fact that you have removed such a behemoth from the freezer and not have the empty space be noticeable? Not easy.
I piled several beef and pork roasts in front of the vacant space and threw some lesser items behind them. I was hoping he wouldn't move a roast and discover air where a turkey should be.
Filling the empty space from the ham was a piece of cake compared to that. A big bag of Texas pecans filled that spot nicely.
Any time you are trying to hide something like a surprise party, the soon to be toasted individual comes upon you while you're on the phone talking to the co-conspirator. Inevitably the question is asked, "Who are you talking to? Why are you whispering? What's up?"
When you arrive at home from Walmart with some essential party supplies, there is a query, "What's in the Bag?"
You've gotta be quick with the reply.
"I bought some new underwear."
That's one answer guaranteed to stop the questions. I mean, let's face it, who wants to talk about underwear? Still, you do receive a kind of odd look.
However, when keeping secrets, there is always a time when you just know, the cover is blown!
Liz and I were in Ma and Pa's Bakery to pick up the sheet cake. The baker was just showing off the top of the cake. As he was putting the cover on it, TADA! Who walks in the door of the bakery?
I know you don't even have to guess. The Birthday Boy himself!
Fortunately, just before he opened the door, the cake had been covered with the tope of the cake box. The Baker, wise lady, observed Liz's face, realized WHO the person coming in must be, picked up the box, and practically sailed into the back room of the bakery.
My eyes popped wide and I said, "What are YOU doing here?"
Then I thought, Oh, Lord love a duck! He'll know what's going on. But, bravely, I decided to make the best of it and said, "Wouldn't you know it. Naturally you'd catch us yakking away, and drinking coffee and eating donuts!"
Fortunately he didn't notice 6 dozen dinner rolls on the counter and he didn't think about the cake box that was whizzed past his nose. I can hardly believe it!
In answer to what he was doing in town at 2:30 p.m. he replied, "I had to go to the pharmacy and the hardware store to buy rivets. Then I have a meeting at church."
This explanation from a Birthday Man who never goes to town on a Friday afternoon, just blew my mind. Who could predict a meeting at church at 3 p.m. on a Friday?
When he walked in the door, I realized we needed a cover story, hence my stating we were having coffee.
I suddenly realized that I needed to be drinking coffee so I poured a cup just for pretense. I was already coffeed to the gunnels, but heck? What's one more cup?
After he left we all just looked at one another. I mean, wouldn't you know? What is there to say?
I told Liz I didn't think he realized why we were there. She thought he did.
I can only say this. When he arrived at the party on Saturday and came walking around the house looking for us, then discovered some thirty odd people looking at him, HE WAS SURPRISED! I think for once he was speechless.
This whole event proves that if you are planning a surprise for someone, just be prepared to stretch the truth and avoid going to the bakery at the same time that someone craves a donut. Happy Birthday, Donald.


text:
The Boy Who Cried Wolf was a Human fable about a young shepherd who enjoyed tricking the people of his village into believing that his herd of sheep was being attacked by a wolf. When a real wolf appeared one day the boy called for help, but none of the villagers believed him. The wolf ate the boy and his sheep.
Q tried to ridicule Worf in 2366 by comparing his concern that Q may not have been trustworthy to "the story of 'The Boy Who Cried Worf". (TNG: "Deja Q")
Julian Bashir told Elim Garak the fable in 2371. While Bashir believed the moral to be that lying too much will cause people to never believe a person, Garak believed the moral was to not tell the same lie twice. In addition, he found the story to be incredibly dark for children. (DS9: "Improbable Cause")


text:
|Remarks by Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Zhai Jun on Peacekeeping Mission and Security Situation in Darfur at 2nd High-Level Consultation on Darfur
We are happy to note that thanks to the concerted efforts of the international community, preparations for deploying the Hybrid Mission in Darfur are well underway. The Sudanese Government has pledged to give full support to the Mission, which is essential to its smooth deployment. The AU-UN Hybrid Mission is unprecedented in terms of scale and form and it may encounter new problems and challenges. We should therefore continue to give full play to the role of the tripartite mechanism among the United Nations, the African Union and the Sudanese Government as the main channel, step up dialogue and consultation on an equal footing, increase mutual confidence, and finalized the specific arrangements to ensure full, speedy and smooth deployment of the Hybrid Mission.
The security situation in Darfur is generally moving towards stability, but sporadic armed conflicts continue. The international community should urge all the parties concerned to immediately implement a comprehensive and unconditional ceasefire in order to create an enabling atmosphere for deploying the Hybrid Mission and resuming political negotiations.
The Chinese Government has played its part in encouraging the parties concerned to reach agreement on deploying the Hybrid Mission in Darfur. At the request of the United Nations, the Chinese Government will dispatch a 315-member multi-functional military engineering unit to Darfur to take part in the implementation of the second phase of the Annan Plan. The UN Secretariat confirmed the list of equipment procurement to China at the end of August. It has also made new request that the Chinese unit be deployed starting from early October. China will maintain consultations with the Secretariat and is making speedy arrangement to deploy its unit. China is also giving favorable consideration to sending military liaison officers to Darfur to take part in the third phase of the peacekeeping mission of the Annan Plan.


text:
An attorney for Amanda Bynes has entered a not guilty plea in a misdemeanor case that accuses the actress of two hit-and-runs.
Attorney Richard Hutton entered the plea on Bynes' behalf during a brief court hearing Thursday in Los Angeles. The actress' case is due back in court on Oct. 19 and Bynes must be booked on the charges within two days of that hearing.
Los Angeles prosecutors accuse Bynes of leaving the scene of two accidents, one on April 10 and another on Aug. 4, without providing proper information. The first incident occurred just days after Bynes was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after grazing a sheriff's patrol car. She has pleaded not guilty in that case.
Hutton declined comment on Bynes' cases.


text:
Cooke & Lewis Chesterton Solid Oak Tall larder door (W)300mm, Set of 2
Current price
Cooke & Lewis Chesterton Solid Oak Tall larder door (W)300mm, Set of 2
- Delivery Delivery within 7 days
Click & Collect Unavailable for Click & Collect
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Product Details
Product Information
These stylish solid oak Tall larder doors will spruce up any kitchen, giving it a country feel.
- Solid oak, non-framed door with a raised centre panel design and textured finish
- Built to last - 10 year guarantee
- Compatible with 300mm larder cabinet shelf packs
- Buying guide pack number - Pack V1
- Contents - Door 1: (H)956mm (W)297mm, Door 2: (H)1136mm (W)297mm
Features and Benefits
Our Chesterton Solid Oak Classic kitchen is bursting with character bringing a warm and welcoming feel into your home. Every door is constructed from solid oak we've carefully handpicked for its quality, sustainability and unique character before being antiqued by hand to add to its classic charm.
- Kitchen formerly known as Cooke & Lewis Solid Oak Classic
- These kitchen doors are easy to clean, simply wipe down with a soft non abrasive cloth. Great for messy chefs.
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- Everything you need to complete your kitchen is available at B&Q. From our range of handles, to our soft close hinges. You can even use our Which? Trusted Traders endorsed Homefit installations team, helping you with your ideal kitchen to the last screw.
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Technical Specifications
|Pack V1
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|Height (mm)
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|FSC® approved
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text:
News Release 2005-45 | May 6, 2005
Acting Comptroller Williams Discusses Management and Supervision of Reputation Risk In Large Banking Organizations
Chicago, IL – Acting Comptroller of the Currency Julie L. Williams said today there may be no more elusive, difficult to manage, and feared risk than reputation risk for large banking organizations. Her remarks underscored the importance of effective structural governance and checks and balances, and stressed that the most vital component of an organization's defense against reputation risk is ensuring that the organization is grounded in a sound corporate culture and value system.
"In a way, the prominence of reputation risk as a concern also is a product of large banks' successes in managing other types of risks," Ms. Williams said in a speech before the Conference on Bank Structure and Competition hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. "These successes make ethical and compliance embarrassments even more conspicuous and damaging to an organization's franchise."
Ms. Williams noted while the OCC can't "regulate" corporate ethics, the agency will notice and comment on whether a banking organization has a corporate organizational framework, and policies or practices that support—or undermine—sound corporate values and an ethical climate within an organization. In addition, OCC supervision experience has demonstrated that if such values and the ethos of the organization are not strong, institutional soundness and a bank's good name and reputation can suffer in unpredictable ways.
Ms. Williams stressed that the OCC doesn't look at reputation risk in isolation, and will look to see whether a bank has an environment for sound decision-making that includes effective structural governance and a system of checks and balances to identify, monitor and control the risks to which the organization is subject. This evaluation will include whether the organization's incentives recognize and reward the corporate values and culture that the company wants to promote.
"All these functions—business line risk management, enterprise risk management, compliance management, and internal and external audit, supported by effective internal information flow and communication—are vital components of a banking organization's "defensive line" against reputation risk," Ms. Williams said. "But that defensive line of corporate functions will be fundamentally incomplete if the organization is not grounded in a sound corporate culture and value system understood by all its employees."
Ms. Williams said that compensation must be keyed to the interests of the company—to its safety and soundness, broadly defined—rather than to its short-term profitability or growth. If conflicts arise, it's crucial for senior management to resolve those conflicts in a way that sends an unequivocal message about its ethical and reputation priorities.
Ms. Williams stressed that nothing could be more vital to the ethical climate of an organization than the example set by its leaders—the "tone at the top." While the OCC generally would not dictate a particular result here, except, of course where an individual's conduct violates a law or rule or misuses bank resources, the agency will note if the behavior of senior management is not supportive of the articulated goals and values of the organization.
"We not only look to senior managers to set the right tone; it's also their job to enforce it," Ms. Williams said. "Accountability is key. Ethical companies not only reward ethical behavior; they penalize misbehavior."
Ms. Williams concluded by noting that as organizations get larger, the potential increases for mistakes and misjudgments because of competitive pressures, particularly if employees are pressured or incented to pursue profits at any costs. Structural governance and checks and balances are vital to sound governance and important protections against reputation risks.
"But, the ultimate protection for banking organizations, and for the people responsible for running them, is to instill in all employees a dedication to high standards of fairness and ethical dealing; to make clear throughout every corner of the organization, that no deal, no sale, no loan, no customer, and no profit opportunity, is worth compromising the bank's name, integrity, and reputation," Ms. Williams said.
Related Links
Media Contact
Dean DeBuck
(202) 874-5770


text:
Download now the beta version of the CycleBase App for Android for free.
Download Instructions
Open your device's QR code scanner and scan the QR code on the left below (or use this link) to download the app directly to your phone. After downloading, step though the the instructions to install the app on your device.
Note: you will need to enable an option in your device's settings to allow installation of apps from unknown sources. To find this setting on versions of Android prior to 4.0, go to Settings > Applications and then check the box next to Unknown Sources. For devices running Android 4.0 or above, go to Settings > Security or Settings > Security & Screen Lock and then check the box next to Unknown Sources and confirm your choice.
Latest beta version
2016-08-07 13:47


text:
Series 7 Tutors in the Tampa Area
You can either post something or check out some of the other categories.
CONTINUE YOUR Tutors SEARCH
usforacle Series 7 Tutors
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text:
UnNews:Dodgeball tragedy: 16 people 'out'
This article is part of UnNews, your source for up-to-the-microsecond misinformation.
22 June 2007
BRISTOL, England -- Police are still baffled about the identity of the "Dodgeball Fiend," who, according to Police spokesman Charles Meyers, got 7 people 'out' yesterday, bringing the total number of victims to 16. "We have to remain vigilant in the face of such an overwhelming tragedy," Meyers said to the Associated Press. Clues for the police are scanty- the only important piece of evidence found was a single red rubber ball. The ball is being scanned for fingerprints in Police Headquarters.
The Fiend[edit]
"Unfortunately, we know little about the [Dodgeball] fiend's methods," said Meyers. "We have no clear motive here." The Fiend seems to strike when the victims are alone, assaulting them by popping out from some cover and hurling the red, textured ball at them. "It's a classic 'mystery sports case,'" said criminologist Jeffrey Troffler. "If you look back, you could easily find similarities between the 'Dodgeball Fiend' and the 'Phantom Quarterback,' who hurled footballs at his victims. Thankfully, the police acted quickly and brought him to justice after only 3 people were spiked. Though that case happened back in 1962, you can see the parallels there."
The Victims[edit]
The Fiend's first victim was housepainter Rick Dellinger, but the 'out' seemed to pass under most news outlet's radars. However, the fourth victim, Michael Stevens, a Civil Engineer from Canterbury, gained major media coverage for his heroics, diving in front of his wife, who was a target of the Fiend, and almost catching the ball. Stevens bobbled the ball and sent it flying off his knee. "That was one brave man," said Meyers.
'Preventing Outs'[edit]
Meyers has advised everyone to travel in groups and carry their own rubber ball. "We need to lessen this guy's impact," he said. "We need to prevent outs." The police have also offered a 5000 Euro reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the fiend's arrest. "Clearly, we will stop at nothing to bring this man to justice," said Meyers. "Let's hope nobody else gets 'Out.'"


text: I am currently sitting next to Charles Barkley at the Atlanta Airport, who got on the phone as soon as he sat down because he left his wallet at the house. He's on his way to Denver, too, and chatting with a middle-aged African-American couple about how exciting it is as a "young man" to see Obama's candidacy and how incredibly excited they must be to see it — and they agreed. Barkley added that "the economy sucks for the majority of people" and even signed an autograph for another girl's boyfriend. He'll be on CNN later this week, and he's really hard to get a surreptitious picture of because he wears he hat pulled low.


text:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Concerns of possible global ozone depletion (e.g. WMO/UNEP, 1992) have led to
major international programs to monitor and explain the observed ozone
variations in the stratosphere. In response to these, as well as other
long-term climate concerns, NOAA has established routine monitoring
programs utilizing both ground-based and satellite measurement techniques
Selected indicators of stratospheric climate are presented in each Summary
from information contributed by NOAA personnel. A Summary for the Northern
Hemisphere is issued each April, and for the Southern Hemisphere
each December. These Summaries are available on the World-
Wide-Web, at the site: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov
with location: products/stratosphere/winter_bulletins
Further information may be obtained from Alvin J. Miller
NOAA Climate Analysis Center
5200 Auth Road
Camp Springs, MD 20746-4304
Telephone: (301) 763-8000, ext. 7558
Fax: (301) 763-8125
E-mail: email@example.com
The very low total column ozone values observed over Antarctica during September
and October 1994 were similar to the record-setting low values observed
in 1992 and 1993. Extremely low values of total ozone (near 100 DU, Dobson
Units) were observed in 1994. Ozone depletion of 20 percent to more than 50
percent was observed from 1979 levels over very large areas of the south
polar region. Vertical soundings over the South Pole showed nearly
complete destruction of ozone at altitudes between 15 and 20 km. The rate
of stratospheric ozone depletion over the South Pole in the 15-20 km region
was similar to the rates of destruction in 1992 and 1993, years influenced by
aerosols from the Pinatubo eruption, even though aerosol particles have
declined markedly in 1994 to near normal, background levels. However, in the
10-14 km region, where heterogeneous reactions on volcanic sulfate aerosol
particles dramatically reduced ozone in the springs of 1992 and 1993,
there was significant recovery in 1994, reflecting this diminished aerosol
loading. Lower stratosphere temperatures in the winter and spring of 1994 for
the Antarctic region were below the long-term average, near -80 C, and
sufficiently low for ozone destruction on polar stratospheric clouds within the
polar vortex to proceed during September and October. In addition, we have
examined long-term global total ozone changes since 1979 and have demonstrated
that the decline over mid-latitudes has been about 4 percent per decade, with
little or no long-term trend observed for the equatorial region.
The data available and appropriate references are listed below. This
combination of complementary data, from different platforms and sensors,
provides a strong capability to monitor global ozone, temperature and aerosols.
One particular element of data availability concerns that from the SBUV/2
instruments on the NOAA operational satellites. The first SBUV/2 was
launched on NOAA-9 in 1985, and the second on NOAA-11 in 1989.
Unfortunately, the NOAA polar orbiting satellites precess in their orbits such
that the equatorial crossing times trend to later in the day. For the SBUV/2
instruments this results in higher and higher solar zenith angles till,
eventually, the angles exceed the diffuser's calibrated range. In 1994, the
ozone data base was impacted in several ways. First, the NOAA-11 instrument,
which has been recently operating at relatively high solar zenith angles,
developed a failure in the diffuser mechanism causing operations to be
interrupted from mid-October to mid-December. Fortunately, the NOAA-9
instrument has migrated back into the preferred solar zenith angle range, and
colleagues at NASA GSFC and STX Corp. have developed an updated calibration.
After extensive comparisons with available ground-based observations and with
NOAA-11 (Crosby, personal communication), it was determined that the NOAA-9
data are, on average, within a few percent of NOAA-11. Consequently,
for analysis in the Antarctic Spring, we utilize the data from the NOAA-9
SBUV/2. For evaluation of the long-term trends, we have not yet included the
NOAA-9 data, and await a more complete final calibration.
Monthly mean NOAA-9 SBUV/2 total ozone amounts for October 1994 is shown in
Figure 1 . A region of high ozone (yellow and red colors) is seen equatorward
of the Antarctic region. Low total ozone values (green, 220 to 300 DU),
are normally seen in the tropics in all months. Antarctic "ozone hole" values,
below 220 DU (blue and purple), first began to appear in the 1980's (Farman et
al., 1985). During 1992 and 1993, extremely low values of total ozone, near
100 Dobson Units (DU), were seen in October over very large areas of the south
polar region. In October 1994, in general, the area covered by extremely low
ozone values was somewhat smaller than the record setting year of 1993, but
for a few days (not shown) the area covered by the ozone hole was larger than
in 1993.Figure 2 shows the percent difference between the SBUV/2 monthly
mean total ozone map for October 1994 minus the SBUV monthly mean for October
1979. Decreases since 1979 in total ozone of more than 50 percent (100 DU) are
shown by the purple colors, with decreases of greater than 20 percent (green
and blue) shown over a very large area of Antarctica. Small percent increases
are shown over some areas of the tropics and mid-latitudes, but these increases
are not representative of general, long-term changes of ozone.
The time series in Figure 3 shows total column ozone at the South
Pole integrated from balloon-borne ozonesonde observations during the July
to December period of 1992, 1993 and 1994. On 5 October 1994 (day 278), total
ozone fell to its lowest 1994 measured value of 102 DU (with an uncertainty
of 5 DU). The 1994 values at the south pole did not show the
long period of extremely low values of 1993, nor reach the record extreme
value of 91 DU observed on 12 October 1993. Recovery from low values began
earlier in 1994, and the extremely low total ozone values observed over the
south pole in 1993 and in 1992, were not sustained as long in 1994. As
suggested below, the record of extremely low (but not record setting) total
ozone values in 1994 may indicate some moderation in the ozone destruction in
the 10-14 km region, due to diminishing stratospheric aerosols.
Selected ozone profiles measured at the South Pole are shown in
Figure 4 .
The profile before significant depletion at the South Pole was present (2
September 1994) is compared with profiles at the time of minimum total column
ozone amount, on 5 October 1994 and also 8 October. The October profiles
show nearly complete destruction of ozone between 15 and 20 km.
A significant feature of stratospheric ozone destruction over the South Pole
in 1994 was the rate of decline during September of ozone in the 15-20 km
region. The rate was equal to that seen in the aerosol perturbed years of 1992
and 1993, even though aerosol particles declined markedly in 1994. The
increasing amounts of human-produced chlorine in the atmosphere may be
accelerating the long-term rate of ozone decline. In the 10-14 km region,
there was significant ozone recovery in 1994, reflecting the diminished
aerosol loading.
Temperatures in the lower stratosphere are closely coupled to ozone
through dynamics and photochemistry. Extremely low temperatures (lower
than -78 C) at about 50 mb over the Antarctic region are believed to lead to
depletion of ozone in that low temperatures contribute to the presence of
polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs), and in particular nitric acid trihydrate
(NAT), which is thought to be the dominant component of PSCs. PSCs
enhance the production and lifetime of reactive chlorine, leading to
ozone depletion (WMO/UNEP, 1992).
Daily minimum temperatures over the polar region, 65S to 90S at 50 mb
(approximately 19 km) is shown in Figure 5 .
We see that for
most of the winter and spring of 1994, the minimum temperatures were
sufficiently low (lower than -78 C) for polar stratospheric clouds to form
and allow enhanced ozone depletion.
Temperature anomalies for the 100-50 mb layer derived from radiosonde data
(Angell, 1988) are shown in Figure 6 , and in
Figure 7 at 50 mb for
three latitude regions, 65S-90S, 25S-65S, and 25N-25S (Gelman et al., 1986).
For the Southern Hemisphere as a whole and specifically for mid latitudes
and equatorial regions, temperature anomalies for 1994 were near the 1993
record low values.
Aerosol concentration is another potentially important component of
stratospheric variation, and, as indicated above, has been suggested as a
possible source of ozone depletion (e.g. Hofmann et al., 1992). Aerosol
optical thickness from the NOAA/AVHRR instrument
( Figure 8) shows
that stratospheric aerosol concentrations continued to diminish from the
maximum values observed a few weeks after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in
June 1991. Stratospheric aerosols were at such low levels in 1994, that it
was difficult to discern stratospheric aerosols from variations in
tropospheric values. AVHRR, however, may not measure all the sulfuric acid
aerosol that is present if the size of that aerosol is too small (Rao et al.,
1988). The NOAA 11 AVHRR instrument failed in September 1994.
Extending our evaluation of long-term total ozone changes to global scales, we
present in Figure 9 monthly average anomaly values
(Dobson Units) of
zonal mean ozone, as a function of latitude and time. The data base is that
of the SBUV on the NASA Nimbus -7 from 1979 to mid-1990 and the NOAA-11 SBUV/2
from January 1989 to September 1994. The anomalies are derived from each
month's long-term average. From Figure 9 it is
obvious in the extra-tropics
and polar regions that ozone is substantially lower in recent years than in
earlier years. Stolarski et al. (1992), and more recently Hollandsworth et
al. (1994) and Miller et al. (1994) have indicated that the trends in the
mid-latitudes are statistically significant and are about -2 to -4 % per decade
and that little or no significant trend exists over the equatorial
region. One other particular feature is the very large negative
anomaly in the Northern Hemisphere extra-tropics during 1992-1993 (Gleason et
al., 1993) which is believed to be related to the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in
mid-1991. This feature has, in fact, disappeared in 1994 along with the
diminishing aerosol loading.
Stratospheric ozone values over Antarctica during September and October 1994
were extremely low, with the minimum values very near the extreme values of
around 100 DU observed in 1992 and 1993. In the 15-20 km region, the decline
in ozone during September 1994 was similar to that seen in the aerosol
perturbed years of 1992 and 1993, even though aerosol particles have
diminished markedly in this region since the eruption of Mt Pinatubo
in 1991. In the 10-14 km region, where heterogeneous reactions on the
volcanic sulfate aerosol particles dramatically reduced ozone in the springs
of 1992 and 1993, there was a significant recovery in 1994, reflecting the
diminished aerosol loading. We note that the lower stratosphere temperatures
over the Antarctic region in September and October 1994 were below the
long-term average, and sufficiently low (lower than -78 C) for polar
stratospheric clouds to form over a large region. A full explanation of ozone
and temperature anomalies must include all aspects of ozone photochemistry and
meteorological dynamics.
Angell, J. K., 1988: Variations and trends in tropospheric and stratospheric
global temperatures. J. Climate, 12, 1296-1313.
Climate Monitoring and Diagnostic Laboratory (CMDL), 1990: Summary
Report 1989. 141pp. Available from National Technical Information Service,
5285 Port Royal Rd., Springfield, Va. 22161.
Farman, J.C., B.G. Gardiner and J.D. Shanklin, 1985: Large losses of total
ozone in Antarctica reveal seasonal CLOx/NOx interaction,Nature,
315, 207-210.
Gelman, M.E., A.J. Miller, K.W. Johnson and R.M. Nagatani, 1986: Detection of
long-term trends in global stratospheric temperature from NMC analyses
derived from NOAA satellite data. Adv. Space Res., 6, 17-26.
Gleason, J., P.K. Bhartia, J.R. Herman, R. McPeters, P. Newman, R.S Stolarski,
L. Flynn, G. Labow, D. Larko, C. Seftor, C. Wellemeyer, W.D. Komhyr,
A. J. Miller, and W. Planet, 1993: Record low global ozone in 1992.Science
, 260, 523-526.
Hofmann, D.J., S.J. Oltmans, J.M. Harris, S. Solomon, T. Deshler, and
B.J. Johnson, 1992: Observation and possible causes of new ozone depletion
in Antarctica in 1991. Nature, 359, 283.
Hollandsworth S.M., R.D. McPeters, L. Flynn, W.G. Planet, A.J. Miller, and S.
Chandra, 1994: Ozone trends deduced from combined Nimbus 7 SBUV and NOAA-11
SBUV/2 data. Submitted to J. Geophys. Res.
Komhyr, W.D., R.D. Gross and R.K. Leonard, 1986: Total ozone decrease at South
Pole, Antarctica, 1964-1985.Geophys. Res. Lett., 13, 1248-1251.
Komyhr, W.D., R.D. Grass, P.J. Reitelbach, S.E. Kuester, P.R. Franchois and
M.L. Fanning, 1989: Total ozone, vertical distributions, and stratospheric
temperatures at South Pole, Antarctica, in 1986 and 1987.J. Geophys. Res.
, 94, 11429-11436.
Long, C.S. and L.L. Stowe, 1993: Using the NOAA/AVHRR to study stratospheric
aerosol optical thickness following the Mt. Pinatubo eruption.Geophys. Res.
Lett., 21, 2215-2218.
Mateer, C.Y., D. F. Heath and A. J. Krueger, 1971: Estimation of
total ozone from satellite measurements of backscatter ultraviolet earth
radiance. J. Atmos . Sci., 28, 1307-1311.
Miller, A. J., 1989: A review of satellite observations of atmospheric ozone.
Planet. Space Science, 37, 1539-1554.
Miller, A.J., G.C. Tiao, G.C. Reinsel, D. Wuebbles, L.Bishop, J. Kerr, R.M.
Nagatani, J.J. DeLuisi, C.L. Mateer , M.E. Gelman, S.Oltmans, W.G.
Planet, and R. McPeters, 1994: Consideration of the 1994 Antarctic
ozone hole and an update of stratospheric ozone trends, To be published in
Proceedings of the Climate Diagnostic Workshop.
OFCM, 1988: National Plan for Stratospheric Monitoring 1988-1997.
FCM-P17-1988. Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting
Research, U.S. Dept. Commerce, 124pp.
Planet, W. G., J. H. Lienesch, A. J. Miller, R. Nagatani, R, D. McPeters, E.
Hilsenrath, R. P. Cebula, M. T. DeLand, C. G. Wellemeyer, and K. M. Horvath,
1994: Northern hemisphere total ozone values from 1989-1993 determined with
the NOAA-11 Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV/2) instrument.Geophys. Res.
Lett., 21, 205-208.
Rao, C. R. N., L. L. Stowe, E. P. McClain, and D. Sapper, 1988: Development
and application of aerosol remote sensing with AVHRR data from the NOAA
satellites, N. P. V. Hobbs and M. P. McCormick (Eds.). Aerosols and
Climate, A. Deepak Publishing, Hampton, Virginia.
Stolarski, R., R. Bojkov, L. Bishop, C. Zerefos, J. Staehelin and J Zawodny,
1992: Measured trends in stratospheric ozone,Science, 256, 342-349.
Stowe, L. L., R. M. Carey and P. P. Pellegrino, 1992: Monitoring the Mt.
Pinatubo aerosol layer with NOAA-11 AVHRR data. Geophys. Res. Lett.,
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WMO/UNEP, 1992: Scientific assessment of ozone depletion: 1991. Report No. 25,


text: Using my WCF http Basic Authentication code in VS 2012 10 February 2013 david Code I blogged about the implementation of http basic authentication that I made in this post here, but this is a more detailed description of how to get it working in a simple WCF service in Visual Studio 2012. First, you'll need to set up a basic out-of-the-box WCF service in Visual Studio 2012: ...and change it slightly so that it can be used from a browser, as described in this post here. You should now be able to call your service from any web browser to see it's working properly. Personally, I just stuck to the default Microsoft code example and added a [WebGet] attribute, like this: [WebGet(UriTemplate="getdata?num={value}")] public string GetData(int value) { return string.Format("You entered: {0}", value); } ...which means that I can call http://localhost:8080/Service1.svc/getdata?num=1 to pass a querystring value to my method. Now, add these files to your project (BasicAuthenticationAttribute.cs, BasicAuthenticationHttpHeaderInjector.cs and BasicAuthenticationPasswordValidator.cs). When you've done that, just add the [BasicAuthentication] attribute to your service class. That's it! Try running the project again. You should be asked for a username and password by the browser. Now, the WCF service will only return some data when you have used these details: username='user' and password='password'. You can change the BasicAuthenticationPasswordValidator class to implement whatever means you like to check that the user is authorised. You now have a code-only implementation of http basic authentication for WCF. If you're using IIS, you don't need to configure anything to make this work, as far as IIS is concerned you are using anonymous access. But it should also work in IIS Express or the Visual Studio Development Server. NOTE: this code makes no attempt to encrypt the username and password you type into the browser. The details will be sent in clear text as an http header. You should at least consider using https to encrypt the data. The purpose of this code is just to show how http basic authentication works, and how it could be done in code.


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intention to treat
Vitamin B and slowing the rate of Brain Atrophy: the numbers don't add up
'A new study suggests high doses of B vitamins may halve the rate of brain shrinkage in older people experiencing some of the warning signs of Alzheimer's disease.' reports the BBC
A total of 168 participants (85 in active treatment group; 83 receiving placebo) completed the MRI section of the trial from 271. Therefore the study lost a lot of participants – where did they go?
The researchers state the efficacy analyses were performed on the basis of the intention-to-treat principle. But I have serious concerns that they were not.
The intenton -to-treat aims to avoid bias arising due to drop outs. For example, if people who had worse cognitive decline tend to drop out at a higher rate, even a completely ineffective treatment may appear to be providing benefits.
Thus if you just compare the primary outcome measure before and after the treatment for only those who finish the study (forgetting to count those enrolled originally, but subsequently excluded or not followed up) the results are likely to be misleading.
Thus everyone who begins the treatment, in this case Vitamin B, should be considered to be part of the trial and have the outcome assessed.
So what did they do in this study?
The main outcome in the study published in Plos One was rates of brain atrophy. The requirement was, subjects had both a baseline and a follow-up MRI, researchers state they conducted an intention-to-treat analysis for the main outcome in the subgroup that completed both MRI scans (n = 168).
What do you think? is this intention-to-treat?
Well, if you are like me, you will be thinking this invalidates the intention-to-treat principle. This seriously affects the ability to believe the results. This is a per protocol analysis and much more likely to lead to spurious findings.
If you look at the results for serious adverse events this was evaluated in the total intention-to-treat group (n = 266/271).
Although treatment with vit B after 24 months significantly slowed the rate of brain atrophy by 30% this is a relative measure. The absolute reduction is 0.32% over the length of the trial. The question is; is this clinically significance? Given adherence, was about 75% and 17/83 (21%) of the placebo group had taken supplementary folic acid or vitamin B12. In the active treatment group, and 14/ 84 (17%) in the treatment group did not take, or did not absorb, the vitamins, only 136 were defined as biologically compliant.
We seem to have lost half of the original group. I am feeling less convinced about the reuslts the more the numbers reduce – therefore the conclusions just don't add up
I'd call this an interesting result. But what is needed is a much larger trial, with a well defined clinically significant outcome. Ideally this would be progression to Alzheimer's disease.


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David Beckham Teams Up With Diageo on New Scotch Whisky
Drinks Giant Hopes Partnership Will Boost Appeal of Spirit
LONDON—David Beckham has been trying out a series of new plays since retiring from soccer last year, including a line of fragrances and plans to buy a U.S. major-league soccer club. Now, he has found another: Scotch whisky.
Diageo PLC said Tuesday it has teamed up with Mr. Beckham to launch Haig Club—a newly created Scotch that "showcases butterscotch and toffee." It is the British drinks giant's latest attempt to attract new drinkers into the fast-growing whiskey category. Terms of the partnership—including any...


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What to Expect During Your HBO Treatment
We'll create a treatment plan specifically for you based on your diagnosis. Many conditions require 20-40 treatments or more. In general, a treatment lasts 60 or 90 minutes, and you will receive one or two treatments per day, five days a week. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is cumulative, so the treatments build up to the desired effect.
During treatment, you'll typically feel a change of pressure in your ears, similar to the descent of an airplane or driving over a mountain. You may also feel temperature changes—warm while going to pressure, comfortable when at pressure and chilly when coming up from pressure. You will be given blankets for your treatment.
The chamber has music, radio, video, and television sound piped in. You may bring your own music or DVD's, but for safety reasons, you may not bring your own electronic devices or reading material into the chamber.
You may wear only clean, all-cotton clothing in the chamber. Hospital-type gowns are available. You will be asked not to use alcohol-based products before treatment and to remove all jewelry, makeup, oils, and creams.
Exclusions for HBO Treatment
Most people can have hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) therapy. We can talk with you or your doctor about your condition and how it may be affected. In a few cases patients cannot have HBO therapy, including those who:
- Take certain medications or some chemotherapies
- Have poor heart function
- Have decreased lung capacity (as with emphysema)
There is no age limit for treatment. Young children and the elderly can safely receive HBO therapy, unless physical conditions exclude them.


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Hi everyone, it was my third anniversary for blogging on the last day of July and here is my giveaway to one lucky winner, I do hope you like it!
This giveaway is now closed!
Designed and created by Lynn B
More photos below.
Included in this giveaway:
A cotton door pillow with a transferred image of a Paris cafe
Measurement 14cm x12m
Two felt strawberry scissor fob pin cushions, one pink and one white
Measurements 3cm across the top and 3.5cm from the top of each strawberry to the bottom.
One felt needlebook - including three polymer clay pins,
two cupcakes and one pink and black teapot.
Needlebook measures 6cm by 7cm when closed and 12cm when fully open
The cross stitch design for the needlebook is available in my freebies on my blog.
One pink and black cupcake brooch.
Measures 5cm x 5cm
You must be a follower to participate - new followers are welcome.
1) Comment on this post and tell me you are a follower.
2) Take the top photo and post about this giveaway on my blog - another point for doing this.
The giveaway closes on Sunday evening the 28th August 2011,
the winner will be announced a few days later.
If you have not had chance to see the winner of my last giveaway for the brooch, please see previous post.
I stitched black ribbon and one bright pink swarovski crystal to the top of the canopy
to give it a three dimensional appearance.
Cupcake needlebook with silver thread stitches on 32 count black linen
Cute cupcake and teapot pins.
The teapot measures 1cm not including spout and handle, 2cm including spout and handle!
Swarovski crystal bead to fasten
Cupcake brooch with swarovski crystal trim and black mill hill beads
Who says that strawberries have to be red!
Pretty ribbon trim
Good luck to everyone!


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Washington, D.C. (August 27, 2012)— For the first time in its history, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) will bestow a Research and Hope Award to individuals from academia, the patient and caregiving community as well as the biopharmaceutical sector who have made significant contributions to the advancement of patient care and medical innovation in the U.S. Each year, the award will honor advancements made in a selected therapeutic area, with this year's award dedicated to Alzheimer's disease.
The Awards will be presented during a ceremony on September 12, 2012 at the Newseum in Washington, DC. PhRMA is proud to co-host the ceremony with the National Association for Homecare & Hospice, the Alzheimer's Foundation of America and the National Alliance for Caregiving. Our media partners include Scrip, The Pink Sheet andPharmaceutical Technology magazine.
"The Research and Hope Award celebrates the evolution of research and progress made in the battle against such a complex and devastating disease. Despite the enormous challenges faced by biopharmaceutical scientists, the achievements we will recognize illustrate that hope is still very much alive," said John J. Castellani, president and CEO, PhRMA. "This is also an opportunity to better recognize those individuals who have devoted their lives to helping patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease."
The keynote speech will be delivered by Mark Shriver, a longtime advocate for Alzheimer's research and for programs that support families and caregivers struggling with the disease.
The Research and Hope Award evolved from the former Discoverer's Award, which was presented to biopharmaceutical researcher pioneers in the drug discovery process. The new Award was conceived to recognize the diverse and deserving participants in the larger scientific and patient care ecosystem for their role in helping further medical innovation in the U.S. and providing strong support systems for patients and family members most in need.
Awards will be given in the following categories:
- The Research and Hope Award for Academic Research in Alzheimer's
- Presented to an individual or team from the academic community for outstanding research in the search for a cure or treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
- The Research and Hope Award for Biopharmaceutical Industry Research in Alzheimer's
- Presented to an individual or team from a biopharmaceutical company for outstanding research in the search for a cure or treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
- The Research and Hope Award for Patient Engagement
- Presented to an individual or organization for outstanding efforts in support of patients/families affected by the disease, including but not limited to communications programs, training, financial assistance, disease awareness, etc.
- The Research & Hope Award for Volunteer Champion
- Presented to an individual who has significantly affected the lives of patients and/or home caregivers in a charitable or humanitarian way. The Volunteer Champion recognizes individuals and caregivers who give selflessly to help other in need.
Read more on The Catalyst: Research and Hope Award: Celebrating Research and Hope in Battle Against Alzheimer's
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for new cures. PhRMA members alone invested an estimated $49.5 billion in 2011 in discovering and developing new medicines.
Find PhRMA Online:
- Website – http://www.phrma.org
- Facebook – www.facebook.com/PhRMA
- Blog – www.phrma.org/catalyst
- Twitter – www.Twitter.com/PhRMAand www.Twitter.com/PhRMApress
- YouTube – www.youtube.com/PhRMApress
For information on how innovative medicines save lives, visit: http://www.innovation.org
For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, visit: http://www.pparx.org
For information on ensuring the flow of medicines during public health emergencies, visit http://www.rxresponse.org


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Hello all and welcome to my followers new and old! It has been a manic month for birthdays and anniversaries and with the kids only just going back to school I have been busy trying to keep up with my cards!
Today my youngest son who has just reach the grand age of 8 is having a sleep over with two of his little friends. We had a group of his friends come to see Smurfs 3D at the cinema and then went for a pizza and now the two remaining ones are playing quietly with him upstairs. I hope they don't stay awake to late as I want to be bright and bushy tailed to go to Ally Pally tomorrow for the Stamping and Scrapbook show!
Apart from my son's birthday this week I have also had our gorgeous niece's birthday.
First a quick bit of background not only is Grace gorgeous but she loves monkeys so much that my sis in law has two cuddly toy ones so that she is never without her monkey! I thought it would be a good idea to send her a card from my two little monkeys to their lovely cousin!
I used a digi set called Animal Crackers by Libby Pritchett & Tracey Howard from Sweet Shoppe Designs. I used a branch of a tree and two cute monkeys and arranged and printed them from Publisher. I then decoupaged their heads, flowers and some leaves and covered them in glossy accents to make them stand out a little. Finally some wiggly eyes were added and a sentiment backed onto some pink paper.
Our card to our niece was made with a stamp I have had for ages and love using it for babies and little ones.
Stamped in pink onto white linen card stock.
Layered onto pink card and silver linen card stock..
I then added a bow, glamour dust to its ears and paws and a few gems onto the card.
I hope she likes it! Anyway I must go and check on the little ones upstairs and get them ready to snuggle down for a dvd, wish me luck!
I hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Tracey x


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UnNews:Footage of plastic objects blowing along deserted streets set for Hurricane Sandy boost
This article is part of UnNews, your source for up-to-the-microsecond misinformation.
29 October 2012
NEW YORK, NY -- Enthusiasts of YouTube videos showing objects reacting to wind are confident that the oncoming storm will bring with it a plethora of videos taken from bedroom windows and apartment balconies narrated with the words "Oh my God!"
Georgle Leicester, who lives in Brooklyn, is chairman of her branch of the "People Unable to Walk Forward Due to the Strength of the Oncoming Wind Appreciation Society" expects plenty of new footage for her and her three-member-strong society to enjoy.
"It's a real change for New Yorkers to be filmed losing their hats and cuddling lamp posts. We really want to stick it to Florida," she commented.
With the storm comes major competition between TV networks to see who can position a news reporter in the most inappropriate position.
CNN is promising to wrap Tom Foreman in large metal chains and place him in the New York Harbour sea equipped only with a giant golf umbrella to do his pieces to camera, while Dan Kloeffler of ABC will be on 41st street giving live weather updates while specially invited members of the public role live grenades towards him. Fox News has promised three people on some sofas complaining about gays.
Final campaigning for the U.S. election has been affected, with people unable to hear the candidates over the noise created by the strong wind.
- The Associated Press "Manhattan being pummeled by waves long before Hurricane Sandy delivers her worst punch" The Middleton Press, October 29, 2012


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Got an idea for a new product but haven't tracked down enough serious investors yet? Why not just ask the great multitude of strangers online to front you the dough? Sounds crazy, but this notion, better known as crowdfunding, took off like a rocket in 2012.
Kickstarter, the best known of the crowdfunding platforms, has been around for more than three years now, but this was the year projects like the Pebble smart watch and Ouya game console raised millions of dollars on the platform. In fact, the growing number of multimillion-dollar crowdfunding campaigns have all happened in 2012.
Crowdfunding isn't just for cool new tech, though. Charitable causes like building a museum devoted to Nikola Tesla, Hurricane Sandy recovery, and sending abused bus monitor Karen Klein on a much-deserved, half-million-dollar vacation also raised big bucks online this year.
But this is just the beginning. So far, crowdfunding is only donation-based in the United States. If you chip in to a Kickstarter campaign, the most you can hope for is a warm fuzzy or cool gift in return (and some of the gifts are pretty darn cool, like your own Ouya console).
This will all change when a new law gets SEC clearance and goes into effect. It will allow anybody to invest in startups and other projects through crowdfunding platforms in return for an equity stake.


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The rover Curiosity, after an improbably dramatic Rube Goldberg-like descent to the surface, has made a discovery that, even though anticipated, is astonishing nonetheless: More than 3 billion years ago, Mars most likely supported life.
An antidote to the periodic blues this country feels over a sense that we can't do anything great anymore is even now parked on Mars drilling holes into its radiation-blasted surface.
The rover Curiosity, after an improbably dramatic Rube Goldberg-like descent to the surface, has made a discovery that, even though anticipated, is astonishing nonetheless: More than 3 billion years ago, Mars most likely supported life.
Not the little-green-people kind of life of science fiction, but microbial life. Curiosity is a rolling chemistry lab the size of a Mini Cooper, as The New York Times described it, and not equipped to search for organic traces. Any actual identification of long-ago life on Mars will have to wait until a 2020 expedition.
But in a rocky formation called Yellowknife Bay, which the rover crossed over what was possibly an old streambed to get to, Curiosity drilled through the surface into a layer called mudstone and, using its little lab, identified sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous and carbon, all essential to sustaining life as we know it.
Curiosity is exploring a promising 96-mile-long crater called Gale, which at one time was apparently a relatively salubrious neighborhood.
"We have found a habitable environment that is so benign that probably if this water was around and you had been on the planet, you would have been able to drink it," Cal Tech's John P. Grotzinger, the chief scientist of the mission, told a NASA news conference.
The Martian surface of 3 billion years ago evidently was a far livelier place than it is today. In addition to rivers and streams, and potentially snowcapped mountains, there were apparently volcanoes that spewed dust that chemically resembles the basaltic lava thrown up by Hawaii's volcanoes.
So what happened? Explains The New York Times: "With just one-tenth the mass of Earth, Mars was unable to hold on to most of its atmosphere. The inside of the planet cooled, and the volcanoes stopped erupting. The water froze or evaporated and escaped into space. Mars became cold and dry." Curiosity has 16 months left on its $2.5 billion mission, so there's no telling what discoveries lie ahead of it. But so far it has indicated that the Red Planet once supported life and, given the right circumstances, could support it again.


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Struggling to come up with a New Year's resolution? Struggle no more thanks to Monina Velarde's New Years Resolution Generator via SwissMiss
Year: 2009
10 most notable logos of 2009
Confession: I'm a bit of a logo geek. A friend of mine used to have this great party on Boxing Day and have a competition where they'd put a load of logos on paper around the house and there would be a competition to see who could correctly identify the most logos. I often won…
How Santa knows what kids want
thanks Elisa 🙂
50 Windows 7 Tips and Tricks
Did you get a new PC for Christmas or a copy of Windows 7? As with all operating systems, there are a tonne of tips and tricks to tweak and I've yet to see a better guide than Vasu Jain's. It contains 50+ tips and tricks all in an easy to read format with a…
The decade in graphic form
Courtesy of the NY Times and Phillip Niemeyer. I'm just getting my glut of infoporn out of the way before2010
The Generation Game
A handy reference guide to the generations – from Relefetionof.me
The World's Most Profitable Companies
BillShrink's World's Most Profitable Companies makes for an interesting addition to my growing Infoporn collection.
New Hugh cards
Just ordered myself some new biz cards for Christmas. Streetcards has a tonne of new cards up from Hugh
Christmas social media logos
Loving these Christmas logos from ReflectionOf.Me
Beautiful. Made by artisans for artists. I love the phrase they use in this video – "a camera like your eye". Reassuringly expensive too!