text:
Academic Bridge Inspires Student to Give Back to Schoolchildren
Sep. 25, 2012
Sandra Martinez BS'11 has made a few journeys in her young life, beginning with a move from Dallas to Mexico when she was 4 years old.
She returned to Dallas in time for middle school, with no English skills and a lot of catching up to do. "It was a big challenge," she said, "but my teachers helped me through. I want to do the same for the kids I teach."
Sandra Martinez is embarking on a teaching career.
Coming out of high school, Martinez wasn't sure how she could afford to go to college. But yet another journey began that took her to UT Dallas and her future, with help from the Academic Bridge Program (ABP). The program is geared toward high-performing students who didn't receive a university-track curriculum. High school students who are selected for ABP begin their college careers at UT Dallas during the summer after their high school graduations.
At UT Dallas, Martinez thrived as a math major and is now stepping into the demanding teaching profession.
"The program gave me so much great support," Martinez said, "from scholarships to work/study opportunities, tutors to study groups. I knew I wanted to teach and to eventually return to the Dallas Independent School District where I went to high school. Academic Bridge and the Teacher Development Center (TDC) made that possible. I just finished my student teaching and plan to work in the Dallas ISD teaching high school freshmen—even though they are at the most challenging age."
Martinez credits the real-world preparation at UT Dallas' Teacher Development Center with building her comfort level in the classroom. She also credits both the center and the Academic Bridge Program for helping her believe she could make her goals happen.
"I hope people will continue to support Academic Bridge," said Martinez. "It's a great way to help promising students go forward. A lot of high school kids don't know about the help that's available, so they figure that they don't have the money or preparation for college and they just give up. Academic Bridge can change that."
Media Contact: Sara Mancuso, UT Dallas, (972) 883-6507, [email protected],
or the Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, [email protected]


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A day after she said she unknowingly employed an illegal immigrant for nine years, Republican candidate for California governor Meg Whitman called the controversy a "smear campaign" by her opponent.
"I actually think it could backfire on the (Jerry) Brown campaign and help me with the Latino community," Whitman said at a Thursday news conference in Santa Monica. "Make no mistake, these allegations are completely untrue. They lack any merit whatsoever. This is truly a political smear on me, on my family and based on lies, and it is designed to divert attention from the issues that really matter to California voters."
Whitman's former housekeeper Nicky Diaz Santillan was joined Wednesday by attorney Gloria Allred, a longtime Democratic supporter, at a news conference in Los Angeles. Allred claims that Diaz was not paid for all of the hours she worked, and said she would be filing a claim against Whitman.
.pdf: Letter From Social Security Administration
Allred said that during Santillan's years of employment, Whitman caused her "to feel exploited, disrespected, humiliated and emotionally and financially abused."
"The relationship was terminated last year by Ms. Whitman for what appeared to be political reasons involving Ms. Whitman's decision to run for governor," Allred said.
Whitman, who said she paid Santillan $23 per hour, took questions at the Thursday morning news conference. She said her family did everything possible to to hire a documented employee.
"We were stunned when Nicky told us she was illegal," Whitman said Thursday. "My husband and I did everything we could to hire someone who was documented to work here. When I found out this woman was not here legally, we let her go. It's a tough thing to do when you hve a personal relationship, but it's the right thing to do.
"I think (Santillan) has been manipulated by a very sophisticated attorney, and I absolutely believe this is linked to the Brown campaign."
Allred contended that Whitman knew her client was an illegal immigrant, but kept her employed until she decided to run for governor. Allred claims Whitman received a letter from the Social Security Administration on April 22, 2003, saying the Social Security number provided by the housekeeper did not match the name on file.
About one hour after Whitman's Thursday news conference, Allred conducted another news conference -- this one included a pair of oversized documents. One of the documents was the 2003 letter from the Social Security Administration to Whitman's husband.
Whitman said she had never seen the letter.
According to the LA Times:
Whitman said she had never seen the letter, and suggested that the housekeeper could have intercepted it after receiving notice from the Social Security Administration that there was a problem.
"She may have intercepted the letter, it's very possible, I have no other explanation," Whitman said, standing alongside her husband, Dr. Griff Harsh. "Nicky did bring in the mail and sort the mail. If she got a letter two weeks before alerting her to a problem and saying we're going to alert your employer.... It pains me to say that because, gosh, that's not the Nicky I knew."
According to Whitman's camp, Santillan was terminated in 2009 as soon as the maid's immigration status was revealed.
"Nicky Diaz was my housekeeper from 2000 to 2009. We consider Nicky a friend of our family and were saddened this morning to hear about her legal action," Whitman said in a statement released Wednesday.
"After 9 years of faithful service, Nicky came to us in June 2009 and confessed that she was an illegal worker.
"As required by law, once we learned she was an illegal worker, I immediately terminated Nicky's employment. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I considered Nicky a friend and a part of our extended family."
The Whitman campaign released this questionnaire that Santillan apparently filled out in 2000. The document suggests Diaz said she was able to legally accept employment.
Less than 24 hours before Allred's news conference, Whitman discussed "our illegal immigration problem."
"We do have to hold employers accountable for hiring only documented workers, and we do have to enforce that law," she said during Tuesday night's gubernatorial debate against Jerry Brown.
Whitman spokeswoman Andrea Jones Rivera said Allred's news conference was politically motivated. She called Allred "a shameful manipulator" who is a supporter of Jerry Brown -- Whitman's Democratic opponent in the hotly contested governor's race.
"With the polls tied, it comes as no surprise that the morning after a successful debate for Meg that the sleaze machine of the political left is now focused on the politics of personal destruction."

subset: commoncrawl


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Project Fedora
Tesla Effect – new trailer shows off Kickstarted Tex Murphy game
It've been over a year since we last checked in with Project Fedora, the crowdfunded effort to resurrect beloved adventure franchise Tex Murphy. This trailer shows the newly-titled Tesla Effect coming along nicely.
Project Fedora headlines
Tex Murphy - Project Fedora exceeds Kickstarter goal
The Tex Murphy Kickstarter venture, codenamed "Project Fedora", has ended successfully with $598,104 donated by 6,963 backers. The original development goal was $450,000. The additional funding will allow for the inclusion of more recognisable actors, text translations in French, Italian, German and Spanish, an extra expansion, an in-game golf game, and Live Orchestra for the […]
Tex Murphy "Project Fedora" Kickstarter a success, additional story secured
The Tex Murphy Kickstarter venture, codenamed "Project Fedora", has successfully surpassed its $450,000 goal, ensuring the game's creation.
Tex Murphy "Project Fedora" Kickstarter now live
The promised Tex Murphy Kickstarter is now live. Codenamed Project Fedora, the new game has already attracted over 1,000 backers and was up to $124,000 at time of writing, with 31 days remaining to hit $400,000. The noir adventure series has a fanatical cult following, so we can probably expect to see this one make […]


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History Career Planning Resources
History Career Planning Resources Desk
Here are some links to resources that will help you plan your career after you complete your B.A. in History:
This is the place to get ideas about how you might create a connection between your interests and a possible career. Each of the hyperlinked questions below will take you to a resource that will help you get answers to that question.
Advanced Degrees in History
Typically people going on for advanced work will choose a face-to-face option for advanced-degree work. If you follow that path, then consult with your adviser about the best way forward. But if that's not an option for you, there are increasing numbers of online options:
Master's Programs in History: http://www.gograd.org/online-masters-programs/history-degree/
Finding a Career Path
Believe it or Not!
Every faculty member in the History and Social Studies Education Programs has pursued more than one path to the careers we have chosen. We also developed a range of skills and abilities along the way that, at first glance, may seem unrelated to what we do now. Each of us pursues various creative outlets as well. The point? Your education in the CU History and Social Studies Education Programs should be a time when you develop yourself both inside and outside the classroom, and within and outside of your area of academic interest. This will help you define future goals leading to a meaningful career. Below are some information resources on traditional employment tracks that History and Social Studies Education Majors follow as well as some other possibilities. But these are only suggestions that cannot take the place of your own reflection on these things. In general terms the CU History faculty think that you should consider doing the following:
- Pursue a free-time activity that allows you to be you, whether intellectual in nature or no.
- When opportunities arise, develop skills that challenge you.
- Take the chance to try out career paths through internships whenever you can in the years before you graduate.
- Research different career options for history degree holders:
Career Paths in History: http://www.learnhowtobecome.org/arts-humanities-careers/history/
Government Career Guidebook: http://www.learnhowtobecome.org/career-resource-center/government-careers/
I've Got Interests. Where can I pursue them?
The answers to this question will vary by individual, but we can propose a few ideas here that might get you thinking in the right direction to achieve your goals. Internships provide experience and, if you're lucky, some remuneration of your expenses and college credit. Often, though, they are at major institutions in large cities, meaning that the ability to travel and relocate for a short time is necessary. If you have family responsibilities, therefore, an internship may not be for you. But always check the details before deciding in advance to pass up on what might be a golden opportunity that could also lead to college credit. Summer Experience Scholarships are another way to go. Usually places in these programs are highly competitive and depend on your academic record and sometimes on your having developed interests in line with the scholarship program. Here, too, temporary relocation is often necessary as most programs take place at a particular institution. The advantage of these opportunities is that they always provide a satisfying intellectual challenge and they bring you into close contact with top experts in a particular field or academic discipline. Local Internships are also a good bet, especially for those with less ability to relocate temporarily. The History Program and the Political Science Program have both established ties to local institutions where you can intern for college credit, though keep in mind that you need to fulfill certain minimum academic standards to qualify, so keep those grades up! Finally, Jobs. Since many students work, making work count towards your future plans is always a possibility, although not always achievable. Instead of thinking in terms of a restaurant job, though, try for a position assisting at a law firm, an insurance agency, or a bank. Positions like these may provide more interesting work and will bring you into contact with those that may be useful in future career plans. For suggestions for each of these four areas click on the hypertext below:
Undergraduate Experience Opportunities
I've Built up my resumé, Where Can I put my skills to work?
The short answer to this question: almost anywhere (and we say this with a straight face). Employers have recently listed what they think are the top skills they look for in new employees, and that's all employers. And contrary to what you will often hear, they don't list technical skills first. They list critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills as among their top three, all of which are precisely what your degree in History has trained you in. To paraphrase the great environmental historian William Cronon, historians are professional generalists. This is a fancy way of saying that historians can adapt their skills to become expert in just about anything. But, that said, there are some useful ways to think about where you might want to head:
The Professional Historian Track:
|Questions to Ask
Faculty Member Track
|The Museum/Archival /Public History Track
|Secondary School Teacher
|Further Education Needed?
Yes, an M.A. & a Ph.D.
in History
Yes, an M.A. or M.L.I.S. in Museum Studies/Archives & Records Management or Public History
|For those with the B.A. in History, alternative certification will be needed
|How Many Years of Training?
|How Much Will I Earn to Start?
Professional Historians in the Private Sector
|Questions to Ask
|Professional Genealogist
|The Documentary Maker or Researcher
|Corporate Historian/Archivist
|Further Education Needed?
Yes, an M.A. in History, Public History, or Film
|An M.A. in Archives & Records Management for an archivist position
|How Many Years of Training?
|up to 2-3
|How Much Will I Earn to Start?
|Highly Variable
|Highly Variable
|Highly Variable
Historians as Knowledge Managers
|Questions to Ask
|Database Design
|Further Education Needed?
|Possibly an M.A. in Journalism
|Possibly an M.A. in Information Management or Informatics
|How Many Years of Training?
|up to 2-3
|up to 2-3
|How Much Will I Earn to Start?
|Highly Variable
|Highly Variable
|Highly Variable
Historians in Allied Professional Fields
|Questions to Ask
|Civil Service
|Further Education Needed?
|a J.D.
No, but you need to pass a civil service exam. of some sort.
|an M.D.
|How Many Years of Training?
|8-15 depending on specialty
|How Much Will I Earn to Start?
|150,000/year minimum
Contact Information
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Sunday will be warm and muggy, with partly cloudy skies and highs in the mid-80s.
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Storms will come back into the forecast Monday afternoon. Highs will be in the mid to low 80s and lows in the mid-60s throughout the work week.
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What if this entire planet were made of the same substance as Isol's engine? What if the whole system was too? Suppose it wasn't ordinary matter, but only looked like it at certain levels? Then a planet might talk, might think, might do as it wanted.
But what was the "it"?
Title: Natural History
Author: Justina Robson
Year: 2003
Rating: 3/5 stars
This book represents my first encounter with British sf writer Justina Robson, and my initial impression is that of a solid, if not necessarily spectacular, writer and novel. The action takes place several centuries in the future. Mankind has undergone a self-directed evolution, with the ability to design many different body types for almost any conceivable purpose. Genetic engineering and other advanced technologies have resulted in a new branch of humanity, the Forged. A Forged individual might have a body adapted to survive the pressure of the deep ocean, or with the ability to fly, or to travel through space without an external vehicle, or any of a multitude of possibilities. There are even Forged capable of terraforming other planets, turning the entire Solar System into humanity's home. Of course the Forged represent only a portion of the species. The rest choose to change in less drastic ways (various levels of cybernetic enhancement), or not at all. These latter are known as the Unevolved or, as many of the Forged call them, Old Monkey.
That somewhat demeaning moniker should give you a clue about relations between the various types of humans; those relations are strained. The Forged have long been used almost as a slave labor force, and many resent their bondage to "Form and Function," the idea that because their bodies were designed for a certain task then their lives must be constrained by that task. The entire novel takes place against the backdrop of an almost inevitable civil war, and raises pertinent questions about the political and social consequences when humanity begins to drastically alter itself in such a fashion, creating such differentiated versions of the species.
So that's the background. The actual plot gets underway when Voyager Lonestar Isol, a Forged deep space explorer, comes across the first evidence of alien life. "Life" might not be accurate because, well, it's no longer alive. But Isol also encounters a piece of alien technology that begins to change her, ultimately in more drastic ways than her human creators ever did. Nearby is a planet that appears to be the home of the apparently vanished architects of that technology, and Isol is strangely drawn to it; she dreams of using it as a new home for the Forged, for all those Forged who wish to break free from Old Monkey and start directing their own destiny. But that planet is not what it seems, and the technology Isol found is far more powerful and mind-boggling — and dangerous — than anyone could have imagined.
I really like some things about this novel. Robson does a fair job of examining issues of transformation and identity; how much are people willing to change their bodies, and what still counts as "human"? There are some very interesting scientific concepts woven into the story as well. Where I felt it was weak was in the overall level of immersion and believability. There was not enough attention given to world-building detail; this entire future society seemed like a mere sketch and thus was a little hard to fully buy into. The same is true of some of the characters; it was difficult to get inside their heads and understand their real motivations on any deep level. Or sometimes I knew a character's motivation, but not why that motivation existed or where it came from. This is one case where I think a novel would have benefited from being a little bit longer and fleshed out a bit more (it's 325 pages, actually not that long for contemporary sf). As it stands, though, I think the pros outweigh the cons enough to consider this a sufficiently rewarding reading experience.


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The 10 finalists for the 2010 Gagliardi Trophy were announced this morning, releasing the names that will be on the ballot in voting for Division III football's top student-athlete. This season, the winner will be announced in Salem, with four finalists present for the ceremony.
Last year, Augustana tackle Blaine Westemeyer became the first offensive lineman to take home the trophy.
After screening the 26 nominations, the SJU J-Club Board of Directors narrowed the field to 10 finalists. The 35-member Gagliardi Trophy national selection committee reviews the credentials, ranks the candidates 1-10 and casts their votes. Fan balloting, available now on D3football.com, accounts for one collective ballot as well, for the fourth consecutive year. Fans may cast one ballot apiece.
In its message to the voting panel, the Gagliardi Trophy administration reminded voters: "The Gagliardi Trophy is a football award but incorporates the philosophy of the well-rounded student-athlete."
All stats are through the end of the regular season.
Quincy Daniels
Shea Dwyer
Wesleyan senior running back, Marlborough, Conn.
All-NESCAC back fourth in NCAA Division III with 155.25 yards per game (5.7 per carry). Set team single-game record with 255 yards, season record with 1,242. Rushed for 11 TDs (12 total) in Wesleyan's eight-game season. Government major received leadership scholarship. Serves as teaching assistant and tutor; active in food, clothing, toy drives.
Justin Feaster
Hardin-Simmons senior quarterback, Glen Rose, Texas
Directed nation's top total offense (516.5 yards/game) within one win of the playoffs. Ranked 10th in individual total offense (293.1 yards/game; 13th in passing efficiency (167.88) with 29 TD passes, 10 interceptions. Sports management major. Volunteers with Special Olympics and at area senior center.
Matt Hoffman
Rowan, senior defensive end, Burlington, N.J.
All-conference performer named league's defensive player of the year. Team leader with 19 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Ranked sixth nationally with 2.11 tackles for loss/game. Health and exercise science major named Rowan scholar-athlete. Active with various volunteer causes, missed game in '09 to donate bone marrow.
Zach Homyk
Case Western Reserve, senior wide receiver, Chicago
Set school single-season records with 90 receptions (fifth in nation) and 116.5 yards/game (ninth). Leads the four-team UAA in most receiving categories. Finance major; finalist for 2010 William V. Campbell Trophy considered the "Academic Heisman." Chairs community service program for Case Association of Student-Athletes.
Ben McLaughlin
Louisiana College, senior quarterback, Pineville, La.
National leader in passing yardage with 377/game and TD passes with 42 (13 interceptions). Quarterback for nation's No. 3 total offense (513.7 yards/game). Ranked 18th in passing efficiency at 159.93. Math (and health/physical education) major now teaching full-time; three-time academic all-conference. Active in Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Kyle Ray
Franklin, senior quarterback, Trafalgar, Ind.
Rated No. 1 in passing efficiency nationally at 193.29 with 32 TDs, seven interceptions; 11th in total offense with 291.3 yards/game. Heartland Conference offensive MVP. Led team to its third playoff berth in four years. Dean's list journalism major. Worked with Habitat for Humanity projects; raised funds for Special Olympics.
Aaron Rusch
UW-Whitewater senior wide receiver, Theresa, Wis.
Top receiving threat on Division III defending champions ranked fifth nationally in 2010 in total offense. All-conference end also returns punts. Holds five school receiving records. Physical education major nominated for two national honors programs. Volunteers with local elementary school reading and mentor programs.
Ben Wartman
St. Thomas senior running back, Prior Lake, Minn.
Rushed for 738 yards on playoff team despite missing two games to injury. Holds team scoring and rushing records. Finance major named as lone D-III recipient of National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award. On student-athlete advisory committee; volunteers with Special Olympics, toy drive.
Eric Watt


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|Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange
previous taxon |
next taxon
Jepson Interchange (more information)
©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
Perennial, shrub, tree
Stem: bark often peeling distinctively
Leaves simple, generally cauline, alternate, opposite, rarely whorled, evergreen or deciduous, often leathery, petioled or not; stipules 0
Inflorescence: raceme, panicle, cyme, or flowers solitary, generally bracted; pedicels often with 2 bractlets
Flower generally bisexual, generally radial; sepals generally 45, generally free; petals generally 45, free or fused; stamens 810, free, filaments rarely appendaged, anthers awned or not, dehiscent by pores or slits; nectary generally at ovary base, disk-like; ovary superior or inferior, chambers generally 15, placentas axile or parietal, ovules 1many per chamber, style 1, stigma head- to funnel-like or lobed
Fruit: capsule, drupe, berry
Seeds generally many, sometimes winged
Genera in family: ± 100 genera, 3000 species: generally worldwide except deserts; some cultivated, especially Arbutus, Arctostaphylos, Rhododendron, Vaccinium
Reference: [Wallace 1975 Wasmann J Biol 33:188; 1975 Bot Not 128:286298]
Subfamilies Monotropoideae, Pyroloideae, Vaccinioideae sometimes treated as families. Nongreen plants obtain nutrition from green plants through fungal intermediates.
Shrubs, small trees
Stem prostrate to erect; fire-resistant burl sometimes present at base; bark generally reddish, smooth or gray, rough, and shredded; hairs generally alike on twig, inflorescence axis, bract
Leaves alternate, spreading to ascending, evergreen; blade surfaces generally alike, sometimes convex, differing in color (stomata restricted to lower surface) or hairiness; margin flat to rolled
Inflorescence: raceme or panicle-like, terminal; branches raceme-like; flowers bracted; bracts leaf-like, generally flat or scale-like, generally folded, keeled; immature inflorescence present late summer through winter
Flower radial; sepals generally 5, free, persistent; corolla generally 5-lobed, urn-shaped to ± spheric, white to pink; stamens generally 10, included, filament base glabrous or hairy, anther 2-pored, awns 2, recurved; ovary superior, base surrounded by nectary disk, chambers 210, ovule 1 per chamber, style 1, stigma head-like
Fruit: drupe, berry-like, generally ± spheric; pulp generally thick, mealy; stones 210, free, separable, or strongly fused
Species in genus: ± 60 species: North America (especially CA) to C.Am, Eurasia
Etymology: (Greek: bear berries)
Reference: [Wells 1988 Madroño 35:330341]
Observation of hairs requires 10X magnification. Distribution of many species local; hybridization occurs in areas of overlap
Horticultural information: Beautiful but mostly DFCLT due to fungus and often salinity and alkali. Avoid overhead watering in hot weather. CVS are the easier garden subjects.
Shrub, mat- to mound-like, < 1.5 m; burl 0See the CNPS Inventory for information about endangerment and rarity.
Stem: bark reddish, ± rough, persistent; twigs fine-gray-tomentose
Leaves spreading; petiole 23 mm; blade 12 cm, 0.51.5 cm wide, narrow-obovate to oblanceolate, base wedge-shaped, tip ± obtuse, margin entire, cupped or slightly rolled, surfaces not alike, upper convex, dark green, ± shiny, sparsely puberulent, becoming glabrous, lower fine gray-tomentose
Inflorescence dense; raceme or 1-branched; bracts 23 mm, scale-like, acute to ± sharp-pointed; lowest bract 510 mm, leaf-like, lanceolate or oblanceolate; pedicel 34 mm, white-hairy, rarely glandular, sometimes becoming glabrous; immature axis 35 mm, slender
Flower: ovary hairs like pedicel hairs
Fruit 56 mm wide, ± spheric, brownish, becoming glabrous
Chromosomes: n=13
Ecology: Sandy soils, hills, woodland, coniferous forest
Elevation: < 200 m.
Bioregional distribution: c Central Coast (around Monterey Bay)
Horticultural information: In cultivation.


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No. 1 is number 1.
Bulls guard Derrick Rose on Tuesday was officially named the NBA's youngest-ever Most Valuable Player.
"It's amazing. This is only my third year and I'm still learning things about the game, I'm still having careless turnovers, things like that. But to get MVP at 22 years old, it makes me want to push harder," said the always-modest Rose during a press conference at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort.
Rose said the trophy that comes with the award will ultimately go to his mother, to whom he expressed gratitude during an especially poignant moment. He said he thought it would make a nice Mother's Day gift.
Rose led the Bulls to a 62-20 record, the best in the league, and carried the team during stretches without teammates Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah, who both spent time nursing injuries.
The former Rookie of the Year averaged 25 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds in only his third season in the league.
Rose joins Coach Tom Thibadeau in season awards. Thibs won Coach of the Year Sunday.
The Bulls lost Game 1 against the Hawks on Monday, and Rose tweaked his already-sprained left ankle, but he said he'll be ready for Wednesday's game.
The last Bull to win the MVP award was Michael Jordan.
Rose Named NBA's MVP
No. 1 is number 1.


text:
Labour launches attack on education
England's education system has been driven by a "target-driven, exam-obsessed" culture in recent years, shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt has said.
He said he was hopeful that a Labour government could begin to "chart a course" away from this.
In the latest in a string of speeches by shadow cabinet ministers over the summer break seeking to draw attention to key election issues, Mr Hunt said that the education system should focus on vocational studies as well as academic, the quality of teachers, and ensure that youngsters learn character, resilience and grit alongside gaining good exam results.
Tristram Hunt said that Labour would end the Free Schools programme
Speaking at the Microsoft Office in London, Mr Hunt said that Labour's reform agenda would include a wide range of policies, including changes to Ofsted inspections and a "tech bacc" for 16-19-year-olds that includes vocational courses as well as English and maths.
"I am hopeful that we can begin to chart a course away from the top-down, target-driven, exam-obsessed, managerial performance culture that has permeated our education system in recent years," he said.
Labour needs to be "pragmatic in our promises", Mr Hunt said adding that improving the quality of teaching and vocational education are the "pressing priorities to create an education system that offers high standards and opportunities for all."
He insisted that a Labour government will be "relentless in focusing its education reforms on the demands of the future".
"A vision of education which delivers for all of Generation Z: focuses relentlessly on teacher quality; values vocational as much as academic; believes deeper knowledge enhances skills, but appreciate the employment of the future requires a new epoch of learning; and thinks character, resilience and grit stands alongside the great exam results we saw last week," he said.
Earlier, Labour blamed the government for a rise in class sizes, arguing that money has been diverted away from areas in need of more primary school places to David Cameron's "pet project" free schools.
It cited official figures showing 93,665 youngsters in classes of 30-plus - up 200% since the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition took power - with 5,817 of those sharing lessons with at least 49 others and 446 in groups of 70 or more.
If the last year's trend was to continue through the next parliament, as many as one in four would be affected, Labour calculated.
"In 2008, David Cameron said 'the more we can get class sizes down the better', but as parents and pupils prepare to begin the new school year, there are real concerns about the number of children in classes of more than 30 infants under the Tories," Mr Hunt said.
"By diverting resources away from areas in desperate need of more primary school places in favour of pursuing his pet project of expensive free schools in areas where there is no shortage of places, David Cameron has created classes of more than 40, 50, 60 and even 70 pupils.
"Labour will end the Free Schools programme and instead focus spending on areas in need of extra school places.
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: "Tristram Hunt seems to have forgotten that it was Labour who cut 200,000 primary school places in the middle of a baby boom - at the same time as letting immigration get out of control.
"As part of our long-term economic plan, the difficult decisions we've taken have meant we've been able to double the funding to local authorities for school places to £5 billion, creating 260,000 new places.
"But Labour haven't learnt their lesson. Their policy of not trusting headteachers would create more bureaucrats, meaning more resources are spent on paperwork not places. Children would have a worse future under Labour."
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NIU's residence halls house over 3,500 NIU students each year. Living on campus provides many opportunities to meet people from different cultures, countries, and ethnic backgrounds. When you live in an NIU residence hall, you have the ability to quickly become a comfortable, full-fledged member of the NIU community.
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New Residence Hall
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Features enhanced privacy single bedrooms arranged in small group clusters of 12. Its Community Center is home to a food court, recreation facility, and lounge.
Gilbert Hall
Located in the heart of campus, Gilbert Hall provides upperclassmen with a living choice in close proximity to arts, engineering, and business classes.
Grant Towers
Located at the northwestern edge of campus, Grant Towers features expanded double and single rooms.
Stevenson Towers
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A group of four 12-story towers located at the western edge of campus. Residents enjoy its food court, proximity to sports fields, and single, double, and suite room layouts.
Neptune Hall
Located centrally on campus across from the Holmes Student Center and adjacent to the Huskie Bus Turnaround. Residents also enjoy Neptune's Fireplace Lounge.
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NIU's on-campus apartment alternative to traditional residence hall living for our upper class, non-traditional population and students with families. Features a spacious courtyard and Community Center with 24-hour access.
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By Region
Looking for great eats? The perfect dessert? A bottle of wine to share with a friend or a craft brew to drink as you catch a game? We can make your culinary travels complete with tons to choose from across the state.
Pomodoro's Italian Kitchen
West Roxbury
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In one of the largest studies of its kind, UCLA investigators reviewed pharmaceutical ads in American medical journals to determine what materials are cited in support of medical claims and if those references are available to physicians. Researchers also determined the funding sources of research cited in the ads.
The study is published in the Feb. 15 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
"Previous studies have shown that physicians' drug prescribing is influenced by pharmaceutical ads. We wanted to see what documents were being used to substantiate the claims and how accessible these were to physicians who may want to verify the research findings," said lead author Dr. Richelle Cooper, assistant clinical professor, Division of Emergency Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Two UCLA investigators independently reviewed 438 ads from 10 American medical journals from 1999 and also reviewed a random sample of 400 references in journal articles from the same publications for comparison.
Researchers found that out of 438 pharmaceutical ads, 126 (29 percent) offered no references in support of medical claims. The most commonly cited references in the ads included journal articles (55 percent) and data-on-file (19 percent), which is a reference to an unpublished company document. Other sources included books; prescribing information such as the Physician's Desk Reference, which annually provides information on drug usage, warnings and drug interactions; government documents; or an Intern et site.
Reviewers were able to obtain 84 percent of the referenced documents in the ads. However, researchers could only obtain 20 percent of the data-on-file documents, despite repeated requests to the pharmaceutical companies. The companies responded to 37 out of 88 requests for data-on-file, but more than half of the responses indicated that the information would not be provided due to company policy or because it was proprietary.
"We found that almost one-third of the pharmaceutical ads offered no references at all to support medical claims. In addition, most of the data-on-file documents in support of the medical claims were not available from the drug companies," said Dr. David Schriger, study author and professor of Emergency Medicine at UCLA.
In comparison, out of the 400 journal articles, the most commonly cited sources of references included journal articles (88 percent) and books (8 percent). When reviewers tried to obtain the reference documents, 99 percent were available.
UCLA researchers also checked the funding sources of the original research cited in all the ads and of a random sample of 100 journal articles. Out of 294 ad references citing original research, 58 percent had research sponsored by a pharmaceutical company or had affiliated authors, 19 percent were funded by government or charitable sources and 23 percent had no funding statement at all.
In comparison, 8 percent of the original research reported in these journal issues was funded by a pharmaceutical company or had an author affiliated with the company, and 44 percent was funded by a government or charitable organization.
"We found that the majority of the original research cited in the ads to support medical claims was sponsored by pharmaceutical companies," Cooper said.
Schriger noted that improved monitoring and access to references in pharmaceutical ads may be helpful to physicians and policy makers in making more informed prescribing decisions.
According to the authors, the Federal Drug Administration screens the drug ads for validity, but the sheer volume makes it difficult to adequately check many of the ads. For example, in 2002, the FDA screened more than 34,000 ads.
Journals included in the study: American Journal of Psychiatry, Annals of Emergency Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, Annals of Surgery, Hospital Practice, Journal of the American Medical Association, New England Journal of Medicine, Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Pediatrics.
There was no external funding for the study.


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Supreme Court Litigation Clinic: Clinical Practice
The Supreme Court Litigation Clinic will expose students to the joys and frustrations of litigation before the Supreme Court of the United States. The bulk of the clinic will be run as a small law firm working on live cases before the Court. Students will participate in drafting petitions for certiorari and oppositions, merits briefs, and amicus briefs, compiling joint appendices, and preparing advocates for oral argument, as well as commenting (the technical term is "kibbitzing") on drafts of briefs being filed by lawyers in other cases. The precise nature of the cases will depend on the Court's docket, but in recent Terms, the clinic's cases have involved federal criminal law and procedure, habeas corpus, constitutional and statutory antidiscrimination and employment law, bankruptcy law, and the First Amendment. Our aim is to involve students as fully as possible in this type of litigation. The Clinic begins with an intensive introduction to the distinctive nature of Supreme Court practice, including the key differences between merits arguments and the certiorari process, the role of amicus briefs, and the Supreme Court Rules. After that, seminar meetings will be devoted primarily to collaborative work on the cases the clinic is handling. While students will be primarily responsible for working in teams on one case at a time, they will also be expected to acquire familiarity with the issues raised in other students' cases and will both edit each others' substantive work and assist each other and the instructors with the technical production work attendant on filing briefs with the Supreme Court. The course will involve substantial amounts of legal research. The Supreme Court operates on a tight, and unyielding deadline, and students must be prepared both to complete their own work in a timely fashion and to assist one another and the instructors on other cases. The instructors will not ask students to do any kind of "grunt work" that they themselves will not also be handling, but grunt work there will be: proofreading, cite-checking, dealing with the joint appendix, and the like. The nature of the work product means that while students will average thirty hours per week on their case-related work, that work will surely be distributed unevenly across the quarter. Unlike most other courts, the Supreme Court has no student practice rules. Thus, students will not be able to argue cases before the Court. But they will participate in moot courts on their cases, as both advocates and Justices. Each student will also have the opportunity to travel to Washington to see the Court in session, preferably with respect to a case on which the student has worked. Ideally students will already have experience with persuasive doctrinal writing, through a course like Federal Pretrial Litigation or through intensive supervision during their summer jobs or other clinics. Admission to the Clinic is by consent of the instructors. Students will need to submit a writing sample that reflects their facility with doctrinal legal arguments and the name of at least one reference who can comment on their legal analytic ability. - - Special instructions: General Structure of Clinical Courses - - The Law School's clinical courses are offered on a full-time basis for 12 units. This allows students to immerse themselves in the professional experience without the need to balance clinical projects with other classes, exams and papers. Students enrolled in a clinic are not permitted to enroll in any other classes, seminars, directed research or other credit-yielding activities within the Law School or University during the quarter in which they are enrolled in a clinic. Nor are they allowed to serve as teaching assistants who are expected to attend a class on a regular basis. There is a limited exception for joint degree students who are required to take specific courses each quarter and who would be foreclosed from ever taking a clinic unless allowed to co-register. These exceptions are approved on a case-by-case basis. Clinic students are expected to work in their clinical office during most business hours Monday through Friday. Students are also expected to be available by e-mail or cell phone when elsewhere during those hours. Because students have no other courses (and hence no exams or papers), the clinical quarter begins the first day of classes and runs through the final day of the examination period. Students should not plan personal travel during the Monday to Friday work week without prior authorization from the clinical supervisor. The work during a typical week in a clinic is divided into three components. First, as they are for practicing attorneys, most of the hours of any week are taken up by work on client matters or case work (this time includes meetings with instructors to discuss the work). Again, as is the case for practicing lawyers, in some weeks these responsibilities demand time above and beyond "normal business hours." Second, students will spend approximately five-to-seven hours per week preparing for and participating in weekly discussions or other group work in their individual clinic (scheduling varies by clinic). Third, over the course of the quarter each clinic student (with the exception of those enrolled in the Criminal Prosecution Clinic) is required to prepare for and attend a few inter-clinic group sessions. Students will be awarded three separate grades for their clinical quarter, each reflecting four units. The three grades are broken into the following categories: clinical practice; clinical methods; and clinical coursework. Grading is pursuant to the H/P system. Enrollment in a clinic is binding; once selected into a clinic to which he or she has applied, a student may not later drop the course except in limited and exceptional cases. Requests for withdrawal are processed through the formal petition and clinical faculty review process described in the clinic policy document posted on the SLS website. Students may not enroll in any clinic (full-time or advanced) which would result in them earning more than 27 clinical units during their law school career. The rules described here do not apply to advanced clinics for students who are continuing with a clinic in which they were previously enrolled. For information about advanced clinics, please see the course descriptions for those courses. For more information about clinic enrollment and operations, please see the clinic policy document posted on the SLS website. Elements used in grading: Written work, editing of other student's written work, attendance, class and moot court participation.
Terms: Aut, Spr | Units: 4 | Grading: Law Honors/Pass/Restrd Cr/Fail
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Fisher, J. (PI)
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text: With successful Kickstarter campaigns like Captain Ken, Lugwig B, Alabaster, and the recent Clockwork Apple, Digital Manga isn't slowing down their Kickstarter train to publish "God of Manga" Osamu Tezuka titles, and their next project is a shojo (girl's) title called Storm Fairy. This manga is a collection of three short stories with the first being the longest at the length of half the book, and the other two make up the rest. Their new standard will have the book printed in high-quality off-set white paper, and is scheduled to be released in October, 2015. The Kickstarter campaign is planned to start June 16th, and will run for 30 days.


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Just as I was about to write this review, just as I thought I had got my head around everything I saw in the theatre yesterday, I noticed one small fact I had failed to pick up on before. I had thought that the cast of The Bee at the Soho Theatre was entirely male. It was quite obvious that the "female" character was played by a man. What I hadn't realised until I read it just now, was that the main character, Ido, was played by a woman!
The cast, comprising of Kathryn Hunter as Ido, Glyn Pritchard as Anchoku, Ogoro, Ogoro's Son, and a Reporter, Clive Mendus as Dodoyama, King of Chefs, and a Reporter, and Hideki Noda as Ogoro's Wife and a Reporter, were utterly brilliant. Every movement was so smooth and well-rehearsed, and I couldn't fault a thing.
The Bee, directed by Hideki Noda and written by Hideki Noda and Colin Teevan, was out of this world. I had been in two minds about whether or not it would be my cup of tea, when I won tickets to go (thanks Japan Centre!). I'll try any piece of theatre if it's free, so I went along with an open mind, which was much needed as this wasn't a straight-forward play.
With the tag line "What would you do if your wife and child were held hostage?", I wasn't expecting a family-friendly happy story. There was love and rape, pain and fingers being cut off. It was funny, sad and awkward, and looked deep into the human psyche. What would you do if your wife and child were held hostage? Would you talk to the reporters calmly and wait for the police to do something? Or would you inflict the same kind of pain on the attacker? I guess no one knows how they will react until they are put in such a situation. Even the most sane, boring business man could find himself quite enjoying the life of a criminal.
The small, intimate Soho Theatre was sold out, and a lot of the audience seemed to be Japanese. I found myself wondering how much the English version deviated from the original Japanese. But the script was excellently crafted, with humorous quips and some rhyming, poetic lines, which I believe is one of Noda's trademarks. At times, I felt I could have been watching a modern adaptation of some Shakespeare play.
The play also included elements of dance and mime, which I found fascinating. I'm sure I watched half of the play with my mouth agape. One scene in particular will stay in my mind, and I found myself wishing I could photograph it. In this scene, Ido shoots a gun up to the ceiling and paper rains down like confetti. I think there was slow motion, and the lighting emphasised the effect of the fluttering paper. It was beautiful. Music was also used very cleverly, as was silence. No one ever spoke for the sake of speaking and, although a fair amount of props were used, the audience was also asked to use its imagination. One of my favourite uses of creativity in the play were the noodles, which the actors ate with a seemingly voracious appetite. The noodles, I believe, were actually rubber bands.
Here's a trailer for the play, courtesy of NODA MAP:
Unfortunately The Bee has now finished its run at the Soho Theatre. It is currently on a world tour though, and the English language version will be moving on to Hong Kong next, and then Tokyo. The Japanese version will kick off in Japan in April with a different cast (wish I could go and see that!).
(All images in this post are borrowed from the Soho Theatre website)


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ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The men's lacrosse team has shown resiliency this season improving to 2-0 under adverse situations including a 13-10 win over Aurora (Ill.) on Saturday. The team had to move its season opener against Kean (N.J.) and this time around the playing surface at Performance Stadium was deemed unplayable due to weather conditions moving Saturday's game to Oosterbaan Field House on the campus of the University of Michigan.
Aurora is a familiar foe as the two teams were members of the Midwest Lacrosse Conference (MLC) until this year when the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) began sponsoring men's lacrosse for the first time. Adrian led 3-2 after the first period and 7-5 at halftime. The third quarter proved to be the turning point as Adrian outscored the Spartans 3-0 to take a 10-5 lead into the fourth quarter. Aurora had their best scoring quarter with five goals but Adrian managed to score three times for a 13-10 final.
Adrian controlled the tempo early after giving up the first goal of the game at 13:18. Adrian scored the next three goals as Cody Kilcoyne, Tom Thielman and Jeff Ulfig gave the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead. Adrian scored five straight goals to start the second half to break the game open. Kilcoyne scored three times during that span with Thielman and Marcus Rossetter scoring the other goals. Rossetter's game-winning goal came at 12:48 of the fourth stanza.
Rossetter had a solid all-around game with a team-high seven groundballs and he also caused three turnovers. Kilcoyne led the team with five goals and also had five groundballs. Thielman added four goals off the bench. Mitch Burgin and John Hudzinski also scored a goal for the Bulldogs.


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Palo Alto Network Firewall Architecture – Know howfirewall, IPsec, NAT, Palo Alto Networks, SSL
Palo Alto takes a good approach in designing the architecture for their next generation firewalls. Palo Alto offers processors dedicated to security function that work in parallel.
Palo Alto firewall contains separate Control Plane and Data Plane. By separating them Palo Alto is ensuring that each plane runs independently and they do have dedicated processors, memory and hard drives. Some of the high end firewall comes with 2 to 6 core CPU dedicated either in Data Plane or Control Plane. You can read the product specifications for more details.
Control Plane is used for management of Palo Alto firewalls, and it provides configuration, logging reporting and route updates
Date Plane consists of three type of processor that are connected by high speed 1 Gbps busses are extensively used by Signature Processor, Security Processor and Network Processor
Security Matching Processor: Performs vulnerability and virus detection.
Security Processor: Performs hardware acceleration and handle security tasks such as SSL decryption, IPsec decryption,
Network Processor: Performs routing, NAT, QOS, route lookup, MAC Lookup and network layer communications.
What is Single Pass Parallel Processing (SP3) Architecture?Application firewalls, Palo Alto Networks, URL
When it comes to Next Generation firewalls, it's quite common to see most of the Next Generation firewalls does serial processing, of various policies applied in that particular NG Firewall, which in turn delays the processing of various policies like firewall policy, URL Filtering, IPS, AV, etc. or consumes all the available Firewall hardware resources like CPU consumption, or memory utilization.
However Palo Alto Next Generation firewall takes an approach of Single Pass Parallel Processing (SP3) engine.
With the help of Single Pass Parallel Processing approach, Palo Alto Firewalls are in position to
- Classify traffic with App-ID
- Can do both user and group mapping
- Perform content scanning like threats, URLs etc.
- Can make use of One Policy to process various tasks
- Can do Parallel Processing
- Can provide separate Data and Control plane
One of the advantages I see with this kind approach is that, the traffic can be scanned as it crosses the Palo Alto firewall with minimum amount of buffering, which in turn can allow to enable the advance features like virus/ malware scanning without effecting the firewall performance.
Windows 10 is officially releasedMicrosoft, Microsoft software, Windows, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8
On 29th of July 2015, Microsoft announced the Public release of Windows 10. With less than 24 hours of release it was it was reported over 14 million copies of Windows 10 installed world wide. Looks like people were waiting for this release quite eagerly.
"We're humbled and grateful to see the response to Windows 10," writes Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi on the Windows Blog. "We have seen unprecedented demand for Windows 10, with reviews and customer feedback overwhelmingly positive around the globe."
Windows 10 happened to be free for those who are using a genuine copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8 they can download their free copy of Windows 10 from Microsoft Software Download site.
However for those who are not using Genuine Windows 7/8 copy they have buy from Microsoft Store
I believe Windows 10 will go to make a good impact and will exceed the expectations of its users. I am certainly going to download Windows 10 and test it offerings.
Palo Alto Networks Certification tracksCisco, VMware
Palo Alto Networks offers few Certifications tracks which are quite interesting and challenging to pass. Their advance certificate Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE) is very challenging certification exam to pass, especially for those who don't have exposure to Palo Alto Next Generation firewalls.
Palo Alto is currently offering following certifications tracks
- Accredited Configuration Engineer (ACE)
- Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE)
- Certified Network Security Engineer (CNSE 5.1)
The Accredited Configuration Engineer (ACE) exam tests your knowledge of the core features and functions of Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls. The ACE exam is web-based and consists of 50 multiple-choice questions. The exam is not timed, and you can retake it as many times as necessary to earn a passing score.
A Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE) is capable of designing, deploying, configuring, maintaining and troubleshooting the vast majority of Palo Alto Networks-based network security implementations. So does the Certified Network Security Engineer (CNSE 5.1), however CNSE focuses on PAOS version 5.1 where as Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE) tests you on the PAOS version 6 and 6.1
Palo Alto Certification Tracks are yet to make an impactCisco, Networking, VMware
Palo Alto Networks is continuing to make their strong presence in the Security Domain especially into Next Generation Firewalls domain. Gartner in its Magic Quadrant rates them as leaders.
However Palo Alto certifications are not as popular as Cisco, Juniper or VMware Certifications. Still I believe Palo Alto needs a long time to make their impact on the certification domain. Palo Alto may need to adopt certain directions like their competitors have done, in order make their certifications more popular they may need to promote their certifications tracks, provide virtual resources and a dedicated Education community should be established along abundant learning resources. VMware does provide great Hands on Labs for the VMware community.
I hope soon Palo Alto Networks will come out with a better vision and strategy towards their certifications program.
Cisco 2015 Midyear Security Report is releasedNetworking
Every year in the month of July Cisco releases their Midyear Security Report, which provides an overview of major threats observed in the first half of the year 2015. The report is quite intensive in nature as it addresses the current threats observed which includes exploit kits, Microsoft office exploits, malware research, java exploits and so on. Also there is section dedicated to future trends. The report is freely available download.
Some of the key things, which really drew my attention, are as follows
Exploits of Adobe Flash vulnerabilities are increasing.
This chart displays the most commonly observed attacks
Its worth to read this report, I recommend to download this report
CCIE Community Technical Webinars are greatCCIE, Cisco
Cisco conducts certain Technical Webinars only for CCIE community, which proves to be the great source of knowledge and information. I had the privilege to attend couple of Technical Webinars, both of them were quite good.
The great thing about these technical webinars is they address the topics, which are quite trending; the webinar, which was on open stack really gave an over view of Open Stack, how Open Stack involved and the contribution of major technological players in Open Stack development.
On August 12,2015, Cisco is coming out with one more CCIE Community Technical Webinar, which will focus more about Fog Architecture. Those who are CCIE's they should get an email from Learning@Cisco about this event, if not please do update your CCO profile and opt for updates from CCIE community.
Cisco Cloud Fundamentals 101 – "On-demand self service"CCNA, Cisco, cloud, Network, nist, Server, Software, Storage
When we look at the Blue Print of the Cisco Cloud Fundamentals (CLDFND) exam (210-451), it quite clear that Cisco is looking at NIST definition of cloud.
"Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models." (Source NIST)
Before the adoption of cloud if any consumer wants to provision any computing capabilities, such a Servers, Network devices, Storage or even software they have to go through the process of approvals, lots of human interaction and dependent on many third party vendors to delivered the required computing resources, this is often time consuming and most delayed the project deployments or testing certain features of the new releases etc.
With the advent of cloud, things have evolved. One could provision computing capabilities these days with the click of mouse with very less human interaction, provided they have a good cloud solution. This kind of provisioning is better known as "On-demand self service".
"On-demand self service" is one of the common cloud characteristics and from Cisco Cloud Fundamentals (CLDFND) exam (210-451) perspective, its better we know what it does and why we need "On-demand self service"
Is Python programing a necessity for Network Engineers?API, Email, Network, Network Engineer, programing, Python, VMware
With the emergence of Cisco ACI, VMware NSX, Open Stack and even Amazon Web Services most of Networking Engineers are asked to learn Python programming language. Python is considered to be one of the easiest languages to learn which can be used for Network Automation. Using Python one can SSH to Networking Devices, Can write scripts to do various day to day activities
In coming days things are going to be redefined and those who are ahead of game can certainly en cash their skills. When it comes Python there are many resources and most of them are freely available on the Internet. I would certainly recommend the following courses for those who don't come from Programing background
- Programing for Everybody (Python)
It's a great course offered by Coursera, and taught by Charles Severance in most simple way. The course focuses on basic of Python and a great introductory course with some good exercises and assignments.
- Learning Python: Email Course by Krik Byers
You can subscribe to Krik Byers ten-week email course on Python, this is a great course which touches some aspects of Networking automation as well. Krik is also offering a comprehensive paid course especially tailored for Network Engineer.
- Python Programming for Network Engineers.
An INE course which focuses on Introduction to Python and teaches you how to write a Python by developing a complete command-line application that will regularly retrieve device configurations, check code in to a version control system, and receive configuration policy violation reports via email
To conclude Python is a necessity for Network Engineers, its worth to spend some time mastering Python
Cisco releases Cisco Packet Tracer for an iPhone and iPadCCNA, CCNA Security, Facebook, IOS, ipad, iPhone, Packet Tracer
When it comes to CCNA Routing & Switching or even CCNA Security Cisco Packet Tracer proves to be very handy. This tool is widely used by Cisco Networking Academy students. Packet Tracer provides simulation, visualization, authoring, assessment, and collaboration capabilities and facilitates the teaching and learning of complex technology concepts.
The good news is now Packet Tracers is available on iPhone and iPad running iOS version 8 with the following features
- Simulation engine is based on Packet Tracer 6.2
- Allows users to build ".pkt" configuration files from scratch
- Supports both 32bit and 64bit devices
- Reference topologies included
- Tip of Day displayed when loading application
Features exclusive to NetAcad.com users:
- Open file from NetSpace class
- Share files via Email
- Share topology to Facebook
Cisco Packet Tracer can be downloaded from Apple store but use all its features one should have Cisco Networking Academy account. Without an account once can run a trial version with very limited functionality. A good initiative from Cisco, it's going to help lot Networking professionals who are at their early stage of career and aiming for big in their life.


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On March 9, the Philomatheon Club (Philo) presented Thompson School District with $1,800 of King Soopers gift cards, which will be used by the district to assist homeless families in need within our district. The money to purchase the gift cards was raised through Philo's "Dine Out with Heart" program, which partners with area restaurants to allow visitors an opportunity to enjoy a great meal while also raising funds for a great cause.
Dona Menzies, chair of the "Dine Out with Heart" committee, presented the gift cards to TSD Homeless Liaison Jana Ramchander. The district works with the Thompson Education Foundation to manage all donations for its homeless assistance efforts.
The Philomatheon Club is one of the oldest service clubs in Loveland. It was founded in 1918 by a group of Loveland High School students who were looking for a way for young women to come together in friendship and service to the community. TSD is very thankful to Philo and all of their supporters for this amazing donation!