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Information by Country
Zimbabwe: Background
By 1990, primary school completion rates in Zimbabwe peaked at 83 per cent (an outstanding performance in Southern Africa), but by 2003 they had dropped to 63 per cent. The overall effect was reduced enrolment and increased drop-out rates, re-emergence of gender disparity and deterioration in the quality of teaching.
Barriers to girls education
- Poverty is a major challenge for girls, frequently forcing them to drop out of school. Daughters are seen as a source of income through child marriage, so poor families often prefer to send their sons to school.
- The high cost of education has resulted in low enrolment rates for both boys and girls.
- Labour migration and death from AIDS have resulted in child abuse and sexual exploitation of girls in the absence of parental supervision.
- Child labour is rampant, especially for girls, because they are seen as a source of cheap labour.
- Distances to school are long and safety is lacking; in addition, sociocultural norms dictate that girls should be confined to the home.
- The quality of basic education is declining.
UNGEI in action
The UNGEI partnership was initiated in 2005, and a National Strategic Plan for the Education of Girls and Other Vulnerable Children was launched in October 2006. The Plan will be guided by the following visions:
- A society in which girls and women are empowered to take charge of their lives and fully participate in national development.
- All orphans and other vulnerable children in Zimbabwe will have access to basic education services that positively impact their lives.
Key initiatives for the Strategic Plan for girls education:
- Policy and partnership development for integrated and multi-sectoral action.
- Support for transformation of schools into quality, child-friendly learning environments.
- Community and institutional capacity development to prevent transmission of HIV.
- Introduction of guidance and counselling services in schools.
- Improved curriculum quality, relevance and gender sensitivity.
- National expansion of Girls Education Movement (GEM) clubs to empower girls and boys.
- Information and communication addressing religious and cultural barriers.
At the national level, the UNGEI partnership is comprised of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture, the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), CHIPAWO (formerly known as the Children's Performing Arts Workshop), Forum for African Women Educationalists Zimbabwe Chapter (FAWEZI), the Girl-Child Network, Misasa Plan International, UNESCO, United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, UNICEF and the World Food Programme.
UNGEI is not active at the provincial and community levels.
UNGEI within other national and international frameworks
The Strategy Plan for girls education is in harmony with national priorities and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework.


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Ask John
Rookie Aussie front-rows, father/son Springboks and international footballing Lions
John Griffiths
June 21, 2010
Greg Cornelsen - master of the 'up the jumper' move © Getty Images
Welcome to the latest edition of Ask John where renowned rugby historian John Griffiths will answer any rugby-related query you have!
So, if there's something you've always wanted to know about the game we love but didn't know who to ask, or you think you can stump our expert - then get involved by sending us a question.
In this edition John answers questions on inexperienced Aussie front-rows, father/son Springboks, Lions who played international soccer and the 1987 South Sea Barbarians.
Do you know if Australia fielded their most inexperienced front-row ever when they played England in Perth? The starting front-row had only two caps between them. Mick, Australia
In 2006 Australia were similarly hard-up for front-rowers against England for the opening Test in Sydney. They started with two new caps - Tai McIsaac (hooker) and Rod Blake at tight-head - while loose-head Greg Holmes had had only one run-on Test before (but three actual caps by dint of two earlier appearances as a late-in-the-game front-row sub). Australia beat England 34-3 that day.
Tony Daly and Phil Kearns were new caps together against New Zealand in 1989 (Auckland) but had Andy McIntyre as an experienced tight-head. But Daly and Kearns had only played three times together (so 6 caps) when they were joined by new cap Ewen McKenzie against France in 1990 (Sydney). Fewer than 18 months later they were the ballast in the Wallabies' Rugby World Cup win against England in the 1991 final.
To find a less experienced Aussie Test front-row than the Perth trio (in terms of caps) you need to go back to the Test in Rovigo against Italy in 1983. Mark Harding (prop) and Mark McBain (hooker) were new caps while John Coolican, the other prop, had won only one cap before. Australia won 29-7.
Coolican had won his sole previous cap as part of an All-new-cap front-row for Australia against New Zealand at Christchurch in 1982 - Coolican, Bruce Malouf and McIntyre making their debuts in a 16-23 defeat.
Incidentally, the last time England fielded a "virgin" front-row in a Test was against Wales at Cardiff in the Arctic winter of 1963. Nick Drake-Lee, John Thorne & Bev Dovey were the new caps who laid the pack's foundation for a famous 13-6 win. The side led by Richard Sharp went on to win the Five Nations, a 0-0 draw in Dublin the only blemish on its copybook.
I understand from the commentary of last weekend's South Africa v France Test at Newlands that Flip van der Merwe completed the 11th father-son Springboks duo by making his debut off the bench - following in the footsteps of his father Flippie. Who are the others? Graham, England
The eleven pairs are:
Alf (1921-1924) and Harry (1953-56) WALKER
* Mike Jennings toured with the 1969-70 Springboks to Britain and Ireland but never won Test honours. Joggie Viljoen toured Argentina, France & Wales with the 1996 Springboks but never won Test honours.
** The Du Plessis both captained SA in Tests.
All told there were five sons of Test-playing fathers who took part in the Newlands Test two weeks ago: Schalk Burger and Flip van der Merwe for South Africa and Aurélien Rougerie, Dimitri Yachvili and David Skrela for France.
Could you please tell me whether there have been two penalty tries awarded in a Test match prior to the recent Perth game between Australia and England? Charles Godbold, Australia
England were awarded two for the first time in their losing Test against Australia in Perth last weekend.
Before that only Wales of the 'Big Eight' nations had been awarded a brace of penalty tries in Tests: against Samoa at Cardiff during their 1999 Rugby World Cup pool match (which Samoa won 38-31) and against Canada in Cardiff in the 2008 autumn international.
Why was the human wall used by some attacking teams when they had a penalty near the try-line? What advantage did it create? Also why are teams no longer using this tactic any more in modern rugby? Anon, Australia
In 1975 the inventive Australian coach Daryl Haberecht devised the notorious "up-your-jumper" move at penalties. The team awarded the penalty formed an inverted V with their backs forming a wall to the opposition. A tap-penalty was taken and the ball was transferred across the V until one player tucked it up his jumper and the entire V scattered in different directions with hands hidden up the shirts.
Haberecht used it with Greg Cornelsen as his carrier. It brought his New South Wales Country XV a famous result against Sydney that year when Cornelsen ran 40 yards unchallenged to score the try which, when converted, brought a 22-20 win for the Country side. Cornelsen's only problem was that near the goal-line he nearly knocked the ball on unloading it from under his jersey.
England toured Australia that year and were on the receiving end of the move in their game with the NSW Country team at Goulburn. Another innovation of Haberecht's, incidentally, was the long cross-field kick to the wing - the so-called kick-pass perfected by England in the 2003 World Cup and now such a common feature of the game. Haberecht's side won 14-13.
The V was essentially a wall that acted as cover and confused defenders. The human wall you refer to for penalties on the five-metre line had the same aim - it gave the attacking side cover and an element of surprise. The IRB, however, ruled soon afterwards that wall-moves were an obstruction and that the "up-your-jumper" move in particular was against the spirit of the game.
I'm interested in the composition and fortunes of the 1987 South Sea Barbarians rebel tour to South Africa. Can you help? Gwyn Jones, England
The 1987 tour by the South Sea Barbarians was managed by the Fijian-born former All Black Arthur Jennings. The side played 13 matches, won ten, drew one and lost both "tests" (at Johannesburg and Durban) against the South African Barbarians, who included nine Springboks and were captained by Naas Botha. No tests were played against the Springboks.
The tourists scored 454 points, including 70 tries, and conceded 200 points.
The playing squad was as follows:
Hindson, the only Canadian in the squad, and several of the Tongans and Fijians had taken part in the inaugural Rugby World Cup held earlier in the year.
The best match of the tour was the 25-25 draw against the South African Federation at Stellenbosch. The tourists led 16-4 at half-time but slipped behind 25-22 with a few minutes remaining. Severo Koroduadua, who had missed three earlier kicks at goal, landed a late penalty to level the scores.
Have any British & Irish Lions played international soccer? Anon
No British & Irish Lion has yet appeared in soccer World Cup Finals, but two former Lions won international soccer honours. Brian Price, the Wales and 1966 Lions lock in Australia and New Zealand, was an agile goalkeeper who, during his National Service, was called on to play an international for British North Borneo.
One of the original British tourists to Australia and New Zealand in 1888 was Dr John Smith of Edinburgh. He went officially as the team's medical man but played as a forward in eight of the tour games. He had been a forward for Scotland in ten soccer international matches between 1877 and 1884.
© Scrum.com
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subset: commoncrawl


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Lubricant storage
The conditions under which lubricants are stored can have an adverse effect on their performance. Inventory control can also play an important role. Therefore, SKF recommends a "first in, first out" inventory policy.
Lubricant properties may vary considerably during storage due to exposure to air/oxygen, temperature, light, water, moisture and other contaminants, or oil separation. Therefore, lubricants should be stored in a cool, dry, indoor area and should never be exposed to direct sunlight. The lubricants should be stored in their original containers, which should be kept closed until needed. After use, the containers should be resealed immediately.
The recommended maximum storage time is two years for greases and ten years for lubricating oils; assuming reasonable stock keeping practices and protection from excessive heat and cold.
Grease or oil that has exceeded the recommended shelf life is not necessarily unsuitable for service. However, it is advisable to confirm that the lubricant still meets the product requirements and specifications.


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Left media has 'issues' with Obama
For the better part of four years, progressive media has had President Barack Obama's back.
Now that he's won re-election, it is faced with a choice: Should the left continue always to play the loyal attack dog against the GOP, blaming the opposition at all hours of the news cycle for intransigence? Or, should it redirect some of that energy on the president, holding him to his promises and encouraging him to be a more outspoken champion of liberal causes?
Story Continued Below
( Also on POLITICO: Obama's next campaign: His library)
Already, there are rumblings of change.
In the days and weeks following Obama's victory, progressive voices, primarily in print media, have made efforts to push the president on key parts of the unfinished liberal agenda - including climate change, drone strikes, troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the closing of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, civil liberties and gun control.
( Also on POLITICO: Obama warns of GOP 'lump of coal')
The New York Times editorial page launched a series titled " Goals for a New Term," calling on the president to implement stronger gun control laws and shutter Gitmo, which he had pledged to do during his first year in office. The tone of the editorials has been sharply critical: On guns, the editors suggested Obama lacked courage. On Guantanamo, they slammed his administration for deciding "to adopt the Bush team's extravagant claims of state secrets and executive power, blocking any accountability for the detention and brutalization of hundreds of men at Guantánamo and secret prisons, and denying torture victims their day in court."
David Remnick, the editor of The New Yorker, sought to put similar pressure on Obama on the issue of climate change. "For the most part… the accumulating crisis of climate change has been treated as a third-tier issue," Remnick wrote. "[I]n his acceptance speech, Obama mentioned climate change once again. Which is good, but, at this late date, he gets no points for mentioning. The real test of his determination will be a willingness to step outside the day-to-day tumult of Washington politics and establish a sustained sense of urgency."
Guest-hosting on MSNBC's noon program, "Now With Alex Wagner," The Nation's Ari Melber criticized Obama's lack of transparency in the use of drone strikes to target terrorists, including some American citizens. "That secretive approach is at odds with the commitment that Obama made during his first campaign for the presidency when he advocated the rights of due process for all, even accused terrorists," Melber said. "Today, there's no public process to determine whether the right people are targeted under the drone program, and drone attacks have increased substantially during Obama's first term."
( PHOTOS: 39 great photos from Obama's presidency)
In conversations with POLITICO, some of the left's most influential voices in media said that, with the concerns of re-election over, they intend to be more critical of the president's performance and more aggressive in urging him to pursue a progressive agenda as the clock ticks on his last four years in office.
"Liberals in the media are going to be tougher on Obama and more respectful at the same time," Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker's chief political commentator and a former speechwriter for Jimmy Carter, told POLITICO. "He was the champion of our side, he vanquished the foe….. [but] now liberals don't have to worry about hurting his chances for re-election, so they can be tougher in urging him to do what he should be doing."


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Eye on the prize
Famed lensman Onne van der Wal set a deadline for the mostly DIY refit of a classic cruiser fit for the family
"I actually ended up combining three ideas of people I talked to about it," van der Wal said. "I bunched all the wires together and made a harness outside the mast. I knew all the lengths, so every 2 to 3 feet I put on four zip ties facing different directions but didn't clip the ends. They were especially long ends that I left sticking out. After that I fed it back into the mast with a messenger. The whole bundle of wire was cushioned by the long ends of the zip ties."
All new running rigging was needed as well, but van der Wal resisted making any changes to where halyards were led to. "I sailed on it five time in its original state and it was working just fine," he said. "There was just no huge need to make any big changes."
Despite the state of the cabin when the van der Wals took ownership of the boat, most of the cushions were in good shape, he said. Although they all needed new covers, with the exception of the V-berth cushion, the foam was reusable. Adding another inch of foam and new coordinating Sunbrella covers was all the spruce-up the cabin berths needed. The cockpit, which never had cushions, got some for lounging.
Toward the end of the project, all of the deck hardware was stripped off the deck. Because much the hardware was being replaced, van der Wal filled the bolt holes with a two-part epoxy sealer, smoothed it out, let it dry and sanded. Then the boat was sent to Bristol Marine for new deck, hull and bottom paint, a six-week process that started with all of the low areas being filled and faired with Awlgrip Awlfair. The hull was then coated with an epoxy primer and block-sanded before a second coat of epoxy primer was applied. More fairing was to follow, along with sanding with 400-grit. But the magic happened when the first of five coats of Petrol Blue Awlcraft 2000 was applied, which was followed by three coats of a clear acrylic.
"All of the mechanical systems were working when we sent it off for paint, but when the boat came out of the pant shed in June, everything took a quantum leap forward."
Snoek has been sailing for two summers now, and it's a little sweeter for having done the majority of refit himself, van der Wal said.
"It's a really rewarding thing to do," he said. "Now when we go sailing, I can look at the things I did and I can honestly say it worked out really well. I'm happy with the thought I put into it and how I stuck with my instinct of how I wanted to do things."
The van der Wals frequently go sailing, sometimes for weekend trips, but often for a quick daysail, van der Wal said.
"We've just been exploring the islands out here, but there's a lifetime's worth of cruising in this area. It's 20 miles to Block Island and 20 miles to Elizabeth Island, which is the beginning of Martha's Vineyard. You just decide where to go when you see where the wind is blowing."
Snoek even sailed in and won her first race last summer with Onne, Tenley and their two sons as crew.
Van der Wal said its nice to have a boat that can take them so many places, but on most days its just Onne and Tenley going for a sail, a swim and a sandwich, exactly what van der Wal envisioned when he was toiling away on Snoek in the driveway as the snow fell outside.


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What does the name Naqil mean? Find out below.
N is for nurturing, to all that need help
A is for assertive, a great leader
Q is for quality, quality of character.
I is for inspire, others seek your guidance.
L is for lofty, your ambitions are high!
I do not know how you feel about it, but you were a female in your last earthly incarnation. You were born somewhere around the territory of Israel approximately on 1400. Your profession was seaman, dealer, businessman, and broker.
Your psychological profile shows you had a natural talent of psychologist and knew how to use the opportunities. Cold-blooded and calm in any situation. Your problem - to learn to love and to trust the Universe. You are bound to think, study, reflect and develop inner wisdom.


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Our industry tends to revisit one topic over and over and over again: SEO is dead. This has been happening for years because someone always wants to drive traffic to a blog post or an article by claiming something similar.
One Bozo once claimed that SEO was b.s. That was six years ago.
It's funny because, six years later, SEOs are still optimizing website content for search engines and there seems to be no shortage of people who want our help. Truth is, SEO will be here for the foreseeable future. Here's why.
1. SEO Makes Money
Google still has the potential to provide an enormous amount of traffic through organic search, and does for all of my clients. An enormous amount of money is at stake. Where there's money, there is competition and a willingness to spend money to win.
2. SEOs Bridge the Gap
Search engine best practices aren't intuitive (try explaining rel=canonical to someone who isn't familiar with SEO). There will always be a need to communicate best practices to people whose primary focus isn't SEO every day. This is especially true as Google (and other search engines like Bing, Baidu, etc.) continues to change the rules.
3. SEO Communicates With Customers & Prospects
Figuring out intelligent ways to scale keywords across an organization's digital landscape will always be important. People forget that keywords aren't an SEO thing. They're a marketing thing.
The first rule of communication: speak in a language that your audience understands. Good keyword research is actually user research into the language that is most often used by your prospective and current customers to describe your products, services and content topics. Ignore at your own peril.
4. SEO Benefits Users
Many of the same activities that benefit SEO, benefit user experience:
- Keyword research and communicating that research to all team members.
- Meaningful, keyword focused page titles.
- Intelligent keyword-focused meta description tags.
- Correct spelling.
- Easy to use, keyword focused global navigation template.
- Social media inclusion of important web pages.
- Elimination of technical errors.
- Elimination of broken internal links.
- Acquiring links from relevant sites that provide value to the end user.
- Ensuring that content links internally to relevant pages when it makes sense to do so for users.
- Click path testing to improve user experience and decrease bounce rate.
- Eliminating 404 pages that shouldn't exist.
- Eliminating duplicate content.
- Eliminating hurdles for search technology to index content (Flash, JavaScript, AJAX).
- Using web analytics to improve site performance.
- Otimizing video and image content so that it can be indexed and so that it has meaningful, keyword focused titles.
- Optimizing PDF documents so they have meaningful, keyword focused titles and content.
- Content gap analysis to ensure that your site addresses subject matter important to your users.
- Ensuring that old pages properly redirect to new pages.
- Ensuring that press releases use appropriate keywords.
- Ensuring that content management systems don't cause problems for search engines based on their inherent structure.
- Ensuring that companies are sending the signals necessary for search engines to understand which country a particular piece of content is most relevant to.
- Reducing page load speed as much as possible.
- Ensuring that sites adhere to proper accessibility standards.
- Training internal teams on SEO best practices.
- Ensuring integration between all digital marketing channels.
Why SEO Will Be Around For a Long Time
And by the way, the bigger the company, the harder these things are to do on an ongoing, consistent basis. It takes a focused effort, often requiring a guiding hand to ensure that these activities are executed properly.
Even as search evolves by fragmenting into hyper niche channels (like TV did when cable came around) and as it evolves to voice based searching, there will be still be a need to ensure that the technology that is being used to do the searching, one that can find, process, and understand the data that it is looking for. There will still be a need to communicate that protocol to companies that want their information to be found.
Finally, there will always be a need to better understand the language that is being used by current and potential customers to find you, and to scale that keyword focus across your entire digital landscape.
So if you believe that SEO is dead, dying, or outdated, I really would like to talk to you! I've a great deal on a bridge I'm selling…
Related reading
Search and the ecommerce holiday season: Capturing key moments that matter
Leveraging real-time insights can take you all the way through to the January sales and more.
Top five SEO tools to generate more leads in 2020
Both lead generation and CRO forms an integral part of a comprehensive SEO strategy. Make the most with SEO tools to generate quality leads in 2020.
An introduction to Google Ads Video Ad Sequencing (VAS)
Video Ad Sequencing helps you dodge YouTube's "Skip Ad". Tips to take your target audience on a video journey, drive deeper awareness, engagement, and more.
Long tail keywords: Why they matter so much in content strategy
They might not be as "sexy" as ranking for short tail keywords but they convert better. A reality check about long tail keywords and why they're key.


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Retail store manager
KerryFRS Recruitment
store manager - co. kerry this position would suit a person who is customer focused with relevant retail management experience and a passion for fashion, giftware and retail. the position is for a full time position. the role will be varied and tasks will include: * managing day to day operations of store * achieving sales targets [...]
Category Fashion & Arts


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Monday's moves: Williams done in Denver; Cowboys cut Connor
Linebacker D.J. Williams, one of the two longest-tenured players on the Denver Broncos along with Champ Bailey, is a free agent for the first time in his nine-year career after he was released on Monday.
The Broncos save the $6 million in base salary Williams was to earn in 2013. He'll still count $2.1M against the salary cap in prorated bonus money.
Williams, a former first-round pick, was a fulltime starter for the Broncos from 2004-2011 but was suspended for nine games in 2012 – six weeks for violating the banned substance policy, and three weeks because of a second DWAI conviction.
He returned to the Broncos in a limited role in mid-November.
Williams received a phone call from Mike Sullivan, the Broncos' director of football administration, telling him he had been released. Williams was not surprised, and has been preparing himself to join another team in 2013.
"It was a combination of things – the trouble in the past definitely had something to do with it, my salary was going to be pretty high next year, and the defense played pretty well without me this year," Williams told USA TODAY Sports. "I don't think it was because of my play. I feel, actually I know, that when I'm out there I can produce."
Williams said he was looking forward to his first time on the free agent market, and said he believes he can fit in either a 4-3 or 3-4 defensive schemes. Williams played in both during his nine years with the Broncos. He played primarily the weakside linebacker position in the 4-3 defense, but said he believes he can also play middle linebacker.
But wherever Williams lands, he's looking to start.
"I'm in shape. I haven't lost a step. I can play," Williams said. "I don't feel like 20 or 30 plays a game max was enough for me. I'm just ready to get out on the field and be out there 100% of the time."
Williams' exit might be only the first high-profile departure.
Defensive end Elvis Dumervil's agent, Marty Magid, spoke with Broncos officials on Monday but no progress has been made as the two sides try to negotiate a reduced contract for Dumervil, who's $12 million becomes guaranteed on March 16.
If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, Dumervil could wind up a free agent, and the Broncos would be in the market for another pass rusher in free agency.
The Broncos also released third-string quarterback Caleb Hanie. Hanie, who was inactive for every game in 2012. He was slated for a $1.25 million base salary and a possible $350,000 roster bonus in 2013.
But the team did gave a new three-year contract for safety David Bruton on Monday. Bruton, a fourth-round pick in 2009, has consistently been the team's top special teams player and keeping him was a priority. The Broncos are also trying to re-sign defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson before he hits the market.
Cowboys cut Dan Connor
The Dallas Cowboys were $6 million over the salary cap at the end of last week and need to be under it by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday when the new league year (and free agency) begins.
The team has begun to get there by cutting inside linebacker Dan Connor, according to a person informed of the transaction. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because the team hasn't yet announced the move.
Connor was a needed asset in 2012, but Dallas will have linebackers Sean Lee and Bruce Carter coming back from injured reserve.
Ravens put second-round tender on Pitta
The Baltimore Ravens tendered restricted free agent TE Dennis Pitta at the second-round level, according to a person informed of the designation. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because the team hasn't announced the tender, which comes with a salary of just over $2 million if Pitta signs the deal.
Pitta is coming off of a breakout season in which he caught 61 passes for 669 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season and had an excellent run in the playoffs with three touchdowns, including one in Super Bowl XLVII.
The low price of compensation might entice a team to take a shot at signing Pitta to an offer sheet. The question, though, is whether it will be worth it for Pitta to leave Joe Flacco, with whom he's developed a close relationship off the field and solid chemistry on it.
Niners keep reserve lineman
The San Francisco 49ers re-signed reserve nose tackle Ian Williams to a two-year deal Monday.
"We are very pleased to extend the contract of a young, talented player like Ian," 49ers GM Trent Baalke said in a statement. "He will have the opportunity to continue to grow in our defense, and we look forward to his future development."
Williams' deal is worth $3.2 million with $2 million guaranteed, a person informed of the contract told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the 49ers did not release terms.
Eagles keep special teamers
The Philadelphia Eagles re-signed long snapper Jon Dorenbos and special teams ace Colt Anderson on Monday. Anderson also started four games at safety in 2012.
PHOTOS: 25 hot NFL free agents


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14 results
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Grabby is a set of tools that help you select entities in more precise ways.


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Sign up: Free Learn a better way to hedge for farmers
Are you tired of listening to the same BULL ****, and services that do not have a plan if the market goes down instead? Hedge means to take risk off the table, and my service has all producers 100% hedged and they do have most of the upside unhedged (if we can rally for whatever reason). Hedge with a Pro and option expert who has been trading grains for 36 years.
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Sign up: Free 1 Day Trail of Daily Numbers & Trade Ideas
Corn Stocks Down 10 Percent from March 2012
Soybean Stocks Down 27 Percent
All Wheat Stocks Up 3 Percent
Corn stocks in all positions on March 1, 2013 totaled 5.40 billion bushels, down 10 percent from March 1, 2012. Of the total stocks, 2.67 billion bushels are stored on farms, down 16 percent from a year earlier. Off-farm stocks, at 2.73 billion bushels, are down 4 percent from a year ago. The December 2012 - February 2013 indicated disappearance is 2.63 billion bushels, compared with 3.62 billion bushels during the same period last year.
Soybeans stored in all positions on March 1, 2013 totaled 999 million bushels, down 27 percent from March 1, 2012. Soybean stocks stored on farms are estimated at 457 million bushels, down 18 percent from a year ago. Off-farm stocks, at 543 million bushels, are down 34 percent from last March. Indicated disappearance for the
December 2012 - February 2013 quarter totaled 967 million bushels, down 3 percent from the same period a year earlier.
All wheat stored in all positions on March 1, 2013 totaled 1.23 billion bushels, up 3 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks are estimated at 237 million bushels, up 9 percent from last March. Off-farm stocks, at 997 million bushels, are up 2 percent from a year ago. The December 2012 - February 2013 indicated disappearance is 436 million bushels, down 6 percent from the same period a year earlier.
Durum wheat stocks in all positions on March 1, 2013 totaled 42.4 million bushels, up 18 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks, at 21.4 million bushels, are up 20 percent from March 1, 2012. Off-farm stocks totaled 21.0 million bushels, up 17 percent from a year ago. The December 2012 - February 2013 indicated disappearance of 18.6 million bushels is up 52 percent from the same period a year earlier.
Grain sorghum stored in all positions on March 1, 2013 totaled 91.4 million bushels, down 15 percent from a year ago. On-farm stocks, at 10.9 million bushels, are down 15 percent from last March. Off-farm stocks, at 80.5 million bushels, are down 15 percent from a year earlier. The December 2012 - February 2013 indicated disappearance from all positions is 48.5 million bushels, up 13 percent from the same period last year.
Statistical Methodology
Survey Procedures: The grain stocks estimates in this report are based on surveys conducted during the first two weeks of March. Separate surveys are conducted to obtain the on-farm and off-farm estimates. The on-farm stocks survey is a probability survey that includes over 83,500 operators selected from a list of producers that ensures all operations in the United States have a chance to be selected. These producers are asked to provide the total quantities of grain stored on their operations as of March 1, 2013. This includes all whole grains and oilseeds stored whether for feed, seed, or sale as well as any stored under a government program.
The off-farm stocks survey is an enumeration of all known commercial grain storage facilities. This includes
approximately 8,800 facilities with 10.2 billion bushels of storage capacity. An effort is made to obtain a report from all facilities. Reports of stock holdings are normally received from operations covering about 90 percent of the capacity. Estimates are made for missing facilities to make the survey complete.
Estimation Procedures: On-farm and off-farm survey data are reviewed at the State and National levels for
reasonableness, consistency with historical estimates, and current crop size. After estimates are made for on-farm and off-farm stocks, the totals of these two are combined and evaluated using the balance sheet approach. This method utilizes other sources of data to check the reasonableness of the stocks estimates. Estimates of production, imports, exports, crushings, millings, and all other recorded uses of grains and oilseeds are reviewed to make sure beginning stocks,
production, utilization, and ending stocks are within reasonable balance and present the best possible estimate of stocks.Revision Policy: On-farm and off-farm stocks are subject to revision the quarter following initial publication and again in the following December 1 Grain Stocks report published in January each year. Revisions can be made when late reports are received, errors are detected in reporting and calculations, and production estimates are revised. Estimates will also be reviewed following the 5-year Census of Agriculture. No revisions to these years will be made after that date.
Reliability: Reliability of the on-farm and off-farm stocks must be treated separately because the survey designs for the two surveys are very different. The on-farm stocks estimates are subject to sampling variability because all operations holding on-farm stocks are not included in the sample. This variability, as measured by the relative standard error at the United States level, is approximately 2.4 percent for corn, 2.5 percent for soybeans, and 2.7 percent for all wheat. This means that chances are approximately 95 out of 100 that survey estimates for stocks will be within plus or minus 4.8 percent for corn, 5.0 percent for soybeans, and 5.4 percent for all wheat of the value that could be developed by averaging the estimates produced from all possible samples selected from the same population and surveyed using the same procedures. The relative standard errors for sorghum, barley, and oats are 16.8, 4.7, and 3.1 percent, respectively.
Survey indications are also subject to non-sampling errors such as omission, duplication, imputation for missing data, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing the data. Off-farm, as well as on-farm stocks, are subject to these types of errors. These errors cannot be measured directly, but they are minimized through rigid quality controls in the data collection process and a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness.
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Another challenger for Salazar — Hargis has tea party leanings but not a Palin fan
The Durango Herald is reporting that U.S. Rep. John Salazar has another challenger — a military veteran from Del Norte who is running as unaffiliated.
John Hargis Sr. is a Vietnam-era Navy veteran and father to three sons, according to the story. He seems to share some common ground with tea party types, according to this letter to the editor published on the Denver Post's online edition.
However, he says that once Sarah Palin emerged as a tea party headliner, they lost him.
Salazar, D-Manassa, already faces a challenge from Republican state Rep. Scott Tipton.
UPDATE: I should have mentioned that Republican Bob McConnell, a former Army colonel from Steamboat Springs, is in the race as well.


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Uncyclopedia:Anniversaries/November 14
November 14: Brobdingnagian word day. Super-Ultra-Mega (SUM) Excitement Over Nothing Day. Jokes That Don't Make Sense Day in Albanina.
- 1337 - People first come up with the idea of substituting letters with numbers which look similar.
- 1812 - Everyone kept fainting. World Diabetes Day established.
- 1837 - Most annoying creature ever award society set up by Mr T .
- 1840 - Claude Monet was born, causing clouds everywhere to faint from his impressive impressism.
- 1933 - King Kong climbs, humps Statue of Liberty.
- 1964 - Mary Poppins receives the Castro Award for vocalizing the Brobdingnagianest word ever. Unfortunately, her award is later revoked by the staff of Websters on the grounds that Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! is in fact not a word but a surrealistic painting by Herman Brood.
- 1975 - Flying Squad officer Jack Regan gives a slag a proper kicking. Now SHUT IT!
- 1998 - Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra marry in Las Vegas, marking the beginning of the ugly bride marries hot bride craze.
- 2005 - Tom Preston purchases John Lennon's testicles in an online charity auction, for £20,000, with the intention of creating a clone.
- 2006 - You and I got married. I love you honey...
- 2010 - World switches to Metric time. Hourglass rendered useless.


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Information Security
- FeatureDiverse mobile devices changing security paradigm
- FeatureTrueCrypt an open source laptop encryption choice for SMBs
- FeatureLayoffs, Mergers Put Focus on Data Protection
- FeatureProduct Review: GuardianEdge Data Protection Platform
- FeatureHost-based intrusion prevention addresses server, desktop security
- FeatureUsing a managed file transfer for secure data transmission, exchange
- FeatureProduct Review: Deepdive's DD300
- FeatureSecurity researchers leading way in biometrics, insider threats, encryption and virtualization
- FeatureSecurity services: Fiberlink's MaaS360 Mobility Platform
- FeatureProduct Review: Symark PowerADvantage 1.5
- FeatureProduct Review: Shavlik's NetChk Compliance
- FeaturePoor development practices lead to continued security problems
- FeatureMaintaining a strong security program during a recession, layoffs
- FeatureCollaboration with auditors will benefit information security programs
- FeatureInterview: Former L0pht hacker and current Grand Idea Studio owner Joe Grand
iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
Security researchers leading way in biometrics, insider threats, encryption and virtualization
Carnegie Mellon University's CyLab is blazing trails in biometrics, insider threats, key exchange, virtualization and more.
Even on the sprawling 52-inch high-definition screen, the black and white image is grainy, denying observers anything that resembles usable intelligence. The man's face, taken from surveillance footage, is obscured by a hood and poorly lit; his profile is barely visible. But the confident smirk on Marios Savvides' face tells a different story. So does the sure-handed urgency with which he rhythmically taps out commands on his keyboard.
Within an instant the man's face, so barely distinguishable from the static, snowy image on the screen, begins to churn. Underneath, algorithms developed inside Savvides' biometrics lab at Carnegie Mellon University's Electrical and Computer Engineering Department whirr and whizz. Soon the outcome is there: A three-dimensional model of the subject's face that rotates at the whim of a mouse click. The animated model is a golden image, one that can be compared, for example, to images of known terrorists stored in a database.
This is typical of the security brainpower percolating on the CMU campus, in particular at CyLab, the university's cybersecurity research wing. While the grad students, faculty and researchers at CyLab may not be tackling the latest Trojan to threaten networks or phishing scam taking aim at personally identifiable information, they are concentrating on facial and iris recognition software, or they're modeling what a disgruntled insider might look like, developing simple key exchange, or they're examining ways to preserve the sanctity of virtual computing environments.
It's a think tank addressing tomorrow's information security concerns, a brainy conglomerate set against the brawny landscape that is the city of Pittsburgh.
Savvides is also managing his charges toward the perfection of facial matching, essentially taking two-dimensional images--for example, newspaper photos or subway surveillance images--and translating them into three-dimensional computer models. Since criminals and terrorists are experts at evading detection, this system takes minimal facial characteristics and creates the three-dimensional model that can then be rotated to create a frontal posed two-dimensional image that is enrolled. The algorithm developed by Savvides' lab compares the information captured to the facial landmarks of thousands of faces stored in a database, and makes a more than educated guess at what the three-dimensional image should look like. The lab's work is filling a huge gap in facial recognition; most algorithms today necessitate a posed, illuminated image to be successful. Not very practical, Savvides says.
"These are very challenging problems," he says.
Savvides wouldn't confirm whether any of his lab's work is already in practical application, but reading between the lines, it's not a stretch to conclude that is the case. Labs such as this one are the heart of security research, and much of the work goes publicly unheralded. But it's invaluable to those entities chasing terrorists, or soldiers on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan who were the early adopters of facial and iris recognition technologies.
Iris recognition is another primary calling of Savvides' lab. Researchers, for example, have equal number medical journals on their desks as technical tomes. Not only are they developing algorithms to pattern match iris characteristics, but they need to understand how diseases such as diabetes, cataracts and cancer affect iris modeling.
"Iris recognition is as unique as fingerprinting and more stable throughout a person's lifetime," Savvides says. "This allows you to identify individuals over diverse periods of time."
Acquisition of iris information is a primary thinking exercise at CyLab since most pattern-matching algorithms are mature and in use today. The difficulty in acquiring sufficient information lies in the fact that most surveillance cameras, for example, shoot from above, and the angles aren't conducive to proper enrollment, Savvides explains. A couple of years ago, the lab acquired a system called Sarnoff's Iris on the Move, a seven-foot tall portal similar to an airport metal detector. The system captures iris images while a subject walks through the portal. Unlike other capture systems, this one does not require a subject to stand still, pose and repeatedly adjust their glance into a scanner at a very close distance.
The system detects iris shape and characteristics on mobile subjects. While simultaneous detection and enrollment is not possible yet, the system is able to match captured information immediately with data stored on watchlist databases. In Iraq, for example, U.S. troops use portable iris enrollment and recognition devices; widespread use of the Sarnoff system would be useful should an insurgent make his way to U.S. soil and be stopped at the airport.
"We are very close," Savvides says. "This is extremely useful to law enforcement or in the fight against terrorism."
Insiders have widely been identified as the biggest threat to assets, in particular sensitive data such as customer information or intellectual property. Insiders are pegged as threats because they frequently have unimpeded access to these assets and are often aided by lax authorization and provisioning policies that dole out credentials to more applications and systems than are necessary to do one's job.
While technology solutions, such as identity management, can solve some of the problems, IT and business managers such as human resources executives can't rely on hardware and software alone to stop the riskiest threats: privileged insiders or disgruntled employees who have been let go or are on the verge of termination.
Spotting these troubled individuals before problems are unleashed is critical. CERT/CC has developed a detailed model of what disgruntled insiders look like and the sparks that set them off.
For privileged insiders, system administrators or database administrators and those intent on causing some kind of IT sabotage, there is very little in the way of a demographic profile outside of the credentials they possess or hand out, says team lead Dawn M. Capelli.
But one thing does transcend all offenders.
"If you look at the people you work with, there are the one or two people who don't get along well with others, cause problems, can't take criticisms, and people walk on eggshells around them," Capelli says. "Those are the people who commit IT sabotage. We don't have a single case where people said, 'He was such a nice guy, I can't believe he did it.'"
While that narrows your field of potential risky insiders, there are still conditions that cause these situations to manifest, such as a withheld promotion or lower than expected pay raise. While these conditions usually aren't exclusive to the insider, some aren't able to overcome them psychologically and they become disgruntled.
"We've validated this with all our cases," Capelli says, noting that CERT/CC has a database of 150 actual cases from which it builds and refines its models. "This is a distinct pattern."
Capelli says the insider stews, often acting out via conflicts with colleagues, tardiness or skipping work altogether. All the while, these privileged insiders are planning their attacks, knowing that termination may be inevitable and vengeance will be theirs.
"Organizations have to be watching so they can notice the signs. Some organizations are not monitoring for these signs at all, paying no attention to these people. Off the bat, they're going to be victims," Capelli says. "Technical people we talk to are not surprised by what we find in these cases. Their frustration is that management doesn't understand, and they can't get the funding and resources they need to be proactive and take the actions they know they need to take."
For those organizations that are paying attention, sanctions should be immediate. For employees who aren't predisposed for these behaviors, Capelli says a formal write-up by HR or even a demotion will bring the insider in line. The saboteurs will instead get angrier and continue to act out. The ultimate sanction, Capelli says, is termination, which triggers an attack.
"These people are sysadmins; they know your flaws and how to exploit them," Capelli says.
Technical monitoring is important. Savvy review of logs or account auditing could intercept unknown access paths laid down by the disgruntled insider, or the creation of backdoors or the insertion of logic bombs and other malware.
"The pattern is distinct where things start going downhill," Capelli says. "There is time to head this off."
The IT saboteur model is most mature; Capelli says CERT/CC is working on an insider theft of confidential information model, as well as a model of an insider who commits fraud.
CERT/CC is also developing an insider threat diagnostic, which is being funded by CyLab, that it can take to organizations to help them evaluate the insider threat and what can be done about it. Capelli says the diagnostic is a three-to-five-day onsite visit to an organization where managers are interviewed about their processes, policies and technologies based on the thousands of technical vulnerabilities and psychological traits generated from the hundreds of cases in CERT/CC's database.
"If a manager understands the signs, they can work with IT, HR, legal and others and come at the problem of insider threats together," Capelli says. "We're trying to raise awareness and perhaps give IT a justification of the problem they can take higher up to management to get more resources to fight the problem."
Capelli's teams have embarked on their first pilots, and they're asking pointed questions--for example, about account auditing and how often new accounts are vetted and with whom.
"Our report will identify areas of concern and say whether they're easy or difficult to fix," Capelli says. "Easier problems can be fixed at a lower cost, and maybe they'll look at the harder ones and fold them into their overall enterprise risk management strategy."
He's got the skills, but his greatest gift is context. He adeptly associates problems with solutions, though perhaps to the horror of most security professionals, he experiments with putting security in the hands of the user or within the interaction between users.
"My group in particular is concerned about people who don't have computer science degrees and Ph.D.s in security. Even I have problems using and configuring products," says Perrig, associate professor at CMU and CyLab technical director.
"I approach security by thinking about my family and how they deal with it. I have friends of mine who have Ph.D.s in computer science taking three hours to install their 802.1 access point security. We're just trying to create security that's easy to use."
One such project, developed by Perrig and CMU colleagues Michael K. Reiter (who has since left CMU) and Jonathan M. McCune, is the Seeing is Believing (SiB) protocol, which enables secure communication between mobile devices that have no contextual relationship. The protocol employs two-dimensional barcodes that serve as the devices' respective public encryption keys. The barcode is photographed by the other SiB-enabled device, which decodes the barcode, then contacts the other device via Bluetooth to obtain another copy of the public key. If the two match, the devices are authenticated and secure communication can happen without the need for a certificate authority.
"Whenever we need to use encrypted email, we need to trust certificates. There are a lot of problems with certificates," Perrig says. "With this system, you get rid of the certificate authority and essentially create your own."
Perrig sees several important business applications of his protocol, most notably in collaborative settings where certificates aren't necessarily well managed (see "Goodbye PKI, Hello AIP," below).
"This technology sets up a trusted relationship, without PKI, so it's much cheaper," Perrig says. "It would need pretty much no infrastructure; it just locally works. If you have people from different companies and have the system installed, you can instantly set up keys and securely communicate."
SiB also shaves the chances of falling victim to a man-in-the-middle attack, where an attacker spoofs one end of a communication and reroutes traffic to them. SiB has a built-in failsafe that detects the intercession of another key and asks if the user wants to allow it access. In most cases, this key would be an attacker's.
"We want to provide security that is easy to use and provides security guarantees in all aspects of a transaction," Perrig says.
Guarantees are another thing Perrig is big on. Take, for example, his guarantee that a tiny 1,000-byte piece of hypervisor code he co-wrote with fellow CyLab researchers Arvind Seshadri, Mark Luk and Ning Qu, called SecVisor, will protect an operating system against any malware in the wild today.
"SecVisor write-protects the kernel so that no one can access it," Perrig says. "It will only allow a list of modules that are allowed to run on a particular OS and only permits this software to execute."
SecVisor stops kernel-level rootkits in their tracks and even detects the undetectable Blue Pill virtual rootkit, Perrig says. Only code approved by an admin is executed with kernel privilege, and all code loaded into the kernel is checked against this policy before it runs.
"SecVisor virtualizes the physical memory, which allows it to set hardware protections over kernel memory that are independent of any protections set by the kernel," Perrig, et al, write in a paper describing the project.
Virtualization is hot right now. Companies are consolidating servers and systems to cut licensing costs and conserve data center space and, more importantly, energy consumption. Many organizations are moving forward on these projects with little consideration for the se-curity of virtual environments. Attacks against the kernel are especially dangerous because usually, once a kernel is owned, it's owned forever.
Perrig says he's ported SecVisor to Windows and Linux, with very few modifications to either OS. He says SecVisor could be commercialized soon.
"Microsoft is very interested in it; we're talking to them about adopting some of the technology," Perrig says. "From the time I sent them an email about SecVisor, I had a response within hours, and within days they sent me a disk with the source code of the Windows kernel."
CyLab boasts 50 faculty and more than 130 graduate students, all of whom are contributing to a diverse set of projects such as SecVisor, Seeing is Believing, insider threat modeling or facial matching. Additional work is being done around privacy, risk management, and more technical areas such as audio CAPTCHA for authentication, botnet detection and e-voting security.


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Town Centre
Tel: 01492 592166
The festival, centred round St Mary and All Saints' Church, has grown into an eagerly awaited annual event. Lunchtime (1pm) and evening concerts (7.30pm/8.00pm), featuring prominent musicians from Wales and further afield, offer a full range of orchestral, choral, vocal and instrumental experiences.
The festival relies on the generosity of concert-goers to contribute to the collection, taken at the end of each concert.
What's Nearby
Plas Mawr0.04 miles away
Conwy Town Trail
Download this free leaflet and begin your 80-minute adventure through one of the most…0.05 miles away
Royal Cambrian Academy of Art
A prestigious, modern, spacious art gallery which holds 7 exhibitions throughout the year.0.06 miles away
Conwy Culture Centre
A new Cultural Gateway for Conwy County
Conwy's new Culture Centre is just a…0.08 miles away
Aberconwy House
Aberconwy House, oldest dated Town House in Wales0.08 miles away
Conwy Town Walls
Over 0.75 miles (1.2km) of town walls, one of the finest and most complete sets in…0.11 miles away
The Smallest House in Great Britain
The house is 72 inches wide, 122 inches high and was occupied until 1900. The last tenant…0.13 miles away
Conwy Mussel Museum
Learn about the history of Conwy mussels.0.14 miles away
Sightseeing Cruises
Hop aboard the Queen Victoria.0.14 miles away
Conwy Castle
Planning a visit to Conwy Castle?...If so, you have come to the right place!...Click here…0.16 miles away
Conwy Suspension Bridge & Tollkeeper's House
Designed and built by Thomas Telford.0.21 miles away
Bodlondeb Woods Local Nature Reserve
This attractive mixed woodland of 7.5 ha lies between Bodlondeb Park in Conwy and the…0.33 miles away
Cineworld Llandudno Junction
Large cinema complex showing all the latest film releases.0.87 miles away
Conwy Valley Line
Enjoy the beautiful Conwy Valley by rail, running south from Llandudno to Blaenau…0.88 miles away
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Large sandy bay, which at low tide forms part of the extensive sandy beaches and mussel…0.89 miles away
Conwy RSPB Nature Reserve
Welcome to the go-to place for families who love nature. Kids will love getting hands-on…1 miles away


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Welcome to mylasalle
The mylasalle portal provides students, faculty, and staff secure access to multiple sources of campus information and services.
Students, Faculty, and Staff
Your mylasalle username and password will be mailed to your home address.
Banner and Br.LUWIS will be unavailable on Saturday, August 22nd from 4:30am until approximately 3:00pm for scheduled maintenance.
During this downtime Argos, Access reporting, and the portal password reset tool will be unavailable.
The mylasalle portal, email, and Canvas will not be affected by this downtime.
For technical support please contact the Helpdesk at email@example.com or call 215-951-1860.


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DALLAS - Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent will remain free while he awaits trial for intoxication manslaughter, as a judge on Friday denied a request by prosecutors to revoke his bond due to problems with alcohol monitoring.
Brent is charged in the fatal car crash Dec. 8 that killed Jerry Brown, a Cowboys practice squad player, college teammate and friend. Police have accused Brent of driving with a blood-alcohol content more than twice the legal limit.
As a condition of his $100,000 bond, Brent is required to wear an alcohol ankle monitor and appear for regular meetings with a county officer. Witnesses at Friday's hearing said he had repeatedly missed required times for his ankle monitor to download information, as well as two appointments with the officer.
Judge Robert Burns ordered a second form of monitoring to take breath samples, and for Brent to provide a urine sample. Burns said he would not increase Brent's bond amount.
Prosecutors had filed a motion Thursday asking for his bond to be revoked.
Brent's ankle monitor was set off for alcohol four times in February and March, but both sides agreed Friday that those instances were most likely caused by the presence of alcohol in the air or near Brent - not drinking. His attorneys said they didn't know how the alcohol positives occurred, but suggested in court that they could have been triggered by things as benign as mouthwash or hand sanitizer.
Brent sat silently throughout the nearly hour-long hearing, though at times he tapped one of his attorneys, George Milner, on the shoulder and whispered in his ear. He did not testify and declined to answer questions outside court.
Heath Harris, the Dallas County first assistant district attorney, said authorities wanted to be certain that Brent wasn't drinking or doing anything to violate his probation.
"Even though ... we can't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was drinking, we can't prove that he was not drinking," Harris said. "That's the biggest problem."
Milner accused prosecutors of making a show of otherwise ordinary issues, many of which are from earlier this year, due to Brent's notoriety as a Dallas Cowboys player. His career is on hold pending the outcome of this case.
"I think we've unequivocally established the fact that the district attorney's office is treating Mr. Brent differently because of the helmet that he wears," Milner told reporters outside court. "There's no disputing that now. Everybody down here knew it. Now it's out in un-contradicted, sworn testimony."
Harris denied the charge.
"This guy is a repeat alcohol offender that killed someone in our county," he said. "We take offense to that."
A crash report released by suburban Dallas police says Brent was driving the night of the crash with a suspended driver's license from Illinois, where he pleaded guilty three years ago to a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge. Brent and Brown both played college football at the University of Illinois.
Brent faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of intoxicated manslaughter, though he could also get probation.


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Paul Burke, Ph.D.
Professor of Classics
Adjunct Professor of History
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
Department of History
Clark University
Worcester, MA 01610-1477
email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Dr. Burke received an A.B. and Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1965 and 1971, respectively. He has been at Clark since 1976. He is affiliated with the programs in Ancient Civilization, Comparative Literature, Holocaust Studies, and Race and Ethnic Relations.
Current Research and Teaching
Dr. Burke teaches a wide variety of courses on the Clark campus, including: Introduction to Classical Greek, Jews and Christians in the Ancient World, Classical Mythology, Roman Art and Architecture, and Religious Experience in the Ancient World. He has taught a course on Roman archaeology in Clark's Luxembourg May Term and has directed numerous study-abroad tours of Southern Italy and Sicily.
Dr. Burke is past president of the Vergilian Society which offers, through its Classical Summer School, courses on Greek and Roman history, art, and archaeology in Southern Italy, France, Israel, and elsewhere in the Mediterranean. He has published research on the Roman poet Vergil, malaria in ancient history, and ancient religion, including early Christianity. His book, Olympians: The Gods and Goddesses of Classical Greece, was published in 2001.
Selected Publications
Olympians: The Gods and Goddesses of Classical Greece (Luxembourg: Centre Alexandre Wiltheim) 2001.
"Malaria in the Graeco-Roman World," in Aufsteig und Niedergang der Römischen Welt/Rise and Decline of the Roman World, Volume II.37.3 (de Gruyter, Berlin and New York: 1995), pp. 2252-2281.
"Roman Rites for the Dead and the Cult of the Saints," in Roman Religion in Gallia Belgica and the Germaniae, pp. 1-12.


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MONTGOMERY, Ala. - A three-run third inning propelled the Georgia Southwestern baseball team to a 4-2 non-conference victory over Auburn Montgomery on Tuesday evening at the AUM baseball field.
With the win, GSW improves to 8-27 overall and has strung together consecutive victories for the first time this season. AUM, ranked No. 16 in NAIA, drops to 26-17. The Hurricanes avenged a 4-1 loss to the Warhawks earlier this spring.
For the fourth-straight game, GSW scored first. The Hurricanes wasted no time taking a 1-0 lead when Beau Parker, the third batter of the contest, singled down the right-field line to score John Duran from second.
Southwestern added what would prove to be the decisive runs in the third inning. GSW scored three runs behind three singles, a hit batter and a walk. Zach Moss drove in a run. Randall Sheffield walked in a run with the bases loaded. Chase Young brought home Parker with a sacrifice fly.
AUM would put up its first run of the game in the bottom half of the third. Drew Walker doubled to open the frame for the Warhawks and scored on a GSW throwing error one batter later. Hurricane starting pitcher Hunter Thompson worked out of the inning.
After breezing through the fourth and fifth innings, Thompson ran into a little trouble in the sixth. He retired the first batter of the inning, but two-straight singles gave AUM its second run of the night. Thompson clamped down and worked out of the frame without further damage. He went on to pitch out of the seventh, as well, leaving runners on second and third.
Trent Franzago tossed a scoreless eighth and ninth to garner his first save at GSW. Thompson (2-2) scattered six hits over seven innings, walked three and struck out two.
AUM starter Cory McGinnis (4-3) took the loss after allowing four runs on five hits in three innings of action. Will Ruffin and Michael Carden combined to keep GSW scoreless over the final six innings.
Parker, Moss, Michel Coffey and Les Cromer had two hits apiece for the Hurricanes. Cromer reached base safely in all four of his plate appearances with a hit by a pitch and walk rounding out his evening.
The Warhawks did not have a batter with multiple hits.
Southwestern returns home to welcome Georgia College on Friday evening at Hurricane Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.


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2014 NAIA Men?s Golfer of the Week ? No. 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Julian Taylor of William Woods (Mo.) has been named the NAIA National Men's Golfer of the Week, the national office announced Wednesday. Taylor, who is receiving his second career weekly accolade, was selected based on his performance from March 17 – 23 and was chosen out of a pool of conference, independent and unaffiliated group winners.
Taylor, a native of York, England, led William Woods to its first team victory of the spring season at the Embry-Riddle Eagle Invitational at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., March 17 – 18. The junior was the individual medalist in the event after carding a 4-under-par, 69-71—140, to best a field of 104 golfers.
Taylor won two events during the Owl's fall season – Missouri Intercollegiate on Sept. 3 – 4 and the William Woods Invitational on Sept. 30 – Oct. 1. He was previously named National Golfer of the Week on March 27, 2013.
The next Men's Golfer of the Week will be announced on April 2. For the complete 2014 Golfer of the Week schedule, click here.
Nominees: Simon Taylor, Union (Ky.); Jesse Heinly, Concordia (Ore.); Tyler Falk, Northwest Christian (Ore.); A.j. Nelson, Warner Pacific (Ore.); Justin Doeden, Cardinal Stritch (Wis.); Charlie Phillips, Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio); Tayler Noble, Rocky Mountain (Mont.); Nick Smart, Westminster (Utah); Levi Gough, Indiana East; Nick Saunders, Shawnee State (Ohio); Kyle Hashimoto, William Penn (Iowa); Dillon Wilson , AIB (Iowa); Adam Hall, Blue Mountain (Miss.); Viktor Heurlin, Belhaven (Miss.); Neale Barnes, SCAD Savannah (Ga.); Brad Curren, USC Beaufort (S.C.); James Desanges, Ave Maria (Fla.); Hikari Yamamoto, Warner (Fla.); Henrik Petersson, Embry-Riddle (Fla.); Gabriel Gomez, Southeastern (Fla.); Boris Zarfel, St. Thomas (Fla.); Alex Watier, Davenport (Mich.); Tyler Willette, Indiana Tech.
2014 NAIA National Men's Golfers of the Week
Week 1 (March 19): Dylan Freeman, Coastal Georgia
Week 2 (March 26): Julian Taylor, William Woods (Mo.)


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Palau: Worldwide Travel Information World Countries > Oceania > Palau
Palau: Worldwide Travel Information World Countries > Oceania > Palau
PalauPalau is an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean. Geographically part of the larger island group of Micronesia, with the country's population of around 21,000 people spread out over 250 island forming the western chain of the Caroline Island .
The island share maritime boundaries with Indonesia the Philippines and the Federated States of Micronesia. The most populous island in the group is Koror, with the capital city, Ngerulmud, located on nearby Babeldaob.
The country was originally settled around 3,000 years ago by migrants from the Philippines with a Negrito population sustained until around 900 years ago. The island were first visited by Europeans in the 18th century, and were made part of the Spanish East Indies in 1885. Following Spain's defeat in the Spanish–American War in 1898, the island were sold to Imperial Germany in 1899 under the terms of the German–Spanish Treaty, where they were administered as part of German New Guinea. The Imperial Japan se Navy conquered Palau during World War I, and the island were later made a part of the Japan se-ruled South Pacific Mandate by the League of Nations. During World War II, skirmishes, including the major Battle of Peleliu, were fought between American and Japan se troops as part of the Mariana and Palau Island campaign. Along with other Pacific Island , Palau was made a part of the United States governed Trust Territory of the Pacific Island in 1947. Having voted against joining the newly-independent Federated States of Micronesia in 1979, the island gained full sovereignty in 1994 under a Compact of Free Association with the United States
Politically, Palau is a presidential republic in free association with the United States with the US providing defense, funding, and access to social services. Legislative power is concentrated in the bicameral Palau National Congress. Palau's economy is based mainly on tourism, subsistence agriculture, and fishing, with a significant portion of Gross National Product (GNP) derived from foreign aid. The country's currency is the United States dollar. The island ' culture is derived from a mixture of Japan se, Micronesian, and Melanesian elements, with the majority of citizens of mixed Micronesian, Melanesian, and Austronesian descent, with significant groups descended from Japan se and Filipino settlers. The country's two official languages are Palauan, a member of the wider Sunda–Sulawesi language group, and English, with Japan se, Sonsorolese and Tobian recognised as regional languages.
[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palau]


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South African Journal of Science
On-line version ISSN 1996-7489
Print version ISSN 0038-2353
S. Afr. j. sci. vol.105 n.7-8 Pretoria Jul./Aug. 2009
Applicability of analytical protocols for the characterisation of carbon-supported platinum group metal fuel cell electrocatalysts
M. WilliamsI, *; L. KhotsengI; Q. NaidooII; L. PetrikII; A. NechaevII, III; V. LinkovI
ISouth African Institute for Advanced Materials Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa
IIEnvironmental and Nano Sciences Group, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa
IIIMaterials Research Group, iThemba LABS, P.O. Box 722, Somerset West 7129, South Africa
The nanoparticulate size of fuel cell electrocatalysts raises significant challenges in the analytical techniques used in their structural and electrochemical characterisation. For this reason, the applicability of analytical protocols in the qualitative and quantitative characterisation of nanophase fuel cell electrocatalysts was investigated. A set of structural and chemical properties influencing the performance of the electrocatalysts was identified. A large range of analytical tools was employed in characterising the electrocatalysts of interest. High accuracy and precision in the quantitative and qualitative structural and electrochemical characterisation of Pt/C and Pt-Ru/C nanophase electrocatalysts was demonstrated. Certain techniques were deemed to be highly applicable in discriminating between high- and low-performance electrocatalysts based on their structural and electrochemical properties. The goal of this effort is to contribute to the development of South Africa's capabilities in the emerging hydrogen economy.
Key words: nanophase, electrocatalyst, platinum group metals, characterisation
At the forefront of renewable energy strategies is the hydrogen economy, including polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology, which offers an attractive form of energy generation and could satisfy the growing energy demand without the emission of harmful byproducts. For South Africa to participate as a partner in the envisaged world hydrogen economy and in critical development of the PEMFC, diversification of local platinum group metal (PGM) resources for employment in PEMFC electrocatalysis is of the utmost importance. The goal of this effort is to contribute to the development of South Africa's capabilities in this emerging economy and to motivate commercial and financial investment into South Africa.
To enhance physicochemical properties and reduce operational costs, PGM electrocatalyst particle sizes are decreased to the nanometre domain, thereby increasing the overall active surface area. With the introduction of the electrocatalyst particle size into the nanometre domain, the characterisation of the altered structural and electrocatalytic properties gains significant importance. This significance stems from the fact that most engineered 'nanomaterials' have a functionality based on their structural physicochemistry. Progress from fabrication to commercialisation is often derailed by the difficulties associated with characterising nanophase electrocatalysts. This is due to size hampering the use of many well-established analytical techniques. The characterisation of nanophase electrocatalysts raises significant challenges in identifying the analytical tools and fundamental methods used in their investigation. It is therefore necessary to establish an analytical protocol by which the physicochemical properties of fabricated nanophase electrocatalysts could be characterised. In doing so, the standardised characterisation protocol will facilitate the collection of comparable results.
Ideally, a minimum set of properties is considered essential because it is impractical, albeit laudable, to characterise every property of nanophase electrocatalysts. Physicochemical properties which may influence nanophase electrocatalyst behaviour include particle size, surface composition, surface area, surface dispersion, electrocatalytic activity,1 porosity,2 state of agglomeration, crystal structure, catalytic activity and surface chemistry.3
In this study the minimum set of physicochemical properties of nanophase electrocatalysts, governing the observed physicochemical behaviour, were characterised. It is with this in mind that the applicability of analytical tools for the qualitative and quantitative characterisation of current and prospective nanophase electrocatalysts was investigated.
The investigation was initiated by the structural and electrochemical characterisation of carbon-supported platinum (Pt/C), platinum-ruthenium (Pt-Ru/C) and carbon nanotube-supported platinum (Pt/CNT) nanophase fuel cell electrocatalysts.
Commercially-available carbon-supported platinum (JM Pt40/C) and platinum-ruthenium (JM Pt30Ru15/C) electrocatalysts (Johnson Matthey™, Fuel Cell Grade) served as standardised model materials of known properties. Their use in the study allowed for the evaluation of the applicability of various analytical techniques for the characterisation of nanophase electrocatalysts. In addition, their properties served as benchmarks against which that of all fabricated materials could be compared.
Carbon-supported nanophase Pt electrocatalysts (Pt/C) were prepared through an impregnation-reduction technique by suspending treated carbon black (Cabot Vulcan® XC-72) in a solvent (glycol/iso-propanol), a metal precursor (H2PtCl6·6H2O) and a pH-regulator (H2SO4 or NaOH). Formaldehyde reduction ensured the deposition of Pt onto the carbon black support material.4,5
Carbon-supported nanophase Pt-Ru/C electrocatalysts were prepared using an impregnation-reduction technique in which H2PtCl6·6H2O, RuCl3·3H2O, 25% (v/v) iso-propanol/H2O, and treated carbon black were mixed into a slurry and Pt-Ru nanoparticles were reduced onto the carbon support using formaldehyde at 80°C for 30 min.6
CNT-supported Pt electrocatalysts were prepared using an impregnation-reduction technique.4,5 The multi-walled CNT support materials were prepared by nebulised spray pyrolysis of a ferrocene-toluene (20.00 g l1) solution at 900°C in a quartz tube reactor. Argon was used as the carrier gas. The nebuliser frequency was 1.6 MHz and the total reaction time was 45 min.7 The treated CNT was then suspended in 1-propanol, H2PtCl6·6H2O and H2SO4. Platinum was deposited onto CNT by formaldehyde reduction. CNT-supported nanophase Pt electrocatalysts were compared to Pt-plated CNT electrocatalysts, prepared using an electroless-plating technique.8
A range of analytical techniques were utilised in the characterisation of nanophase electrocatalysts. Crystal structure and metal particle size were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Topography and surface microstructure were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Metal particle size, particle size distribution and metal dispersion were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and total surface area and porosity by N2-physisorption. Topography and surface elemental distribution of electrocatalyst cast-films were studied using particle-induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (micro-PIXE). Topography and surface activity of electrocatalyst cast-films were evaluated using scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). Surface chemical state was studied using temperature-programmed reduction (TPR). Electrocatalytic activity was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV).
Results and discussion
Crystallinity can be directly studied using diffraction techniques such as XRD. Quantitative information extracted using XRD was of high accuracy and precision and gave valuable insight into the crystallographic properties of the electrocatalysts and influence of alloying on the crystallographic structure. The corresponding diffractograms are presented in Fig. 1. For JM Pt30Ru15/C, the diffraction peaks corresponding to the characteristic hexagonal-closest-packing structure of Ru were absent, confirming the complete alloying of Ru into the face-centered cubic lattice of Pt.9,10 Peak shifts were observed in JM Pt30Ru15/C, compared to JM Pt40/C, and were indicative of high degrees of alloying, similar to that observed by Tsou et al. 11 and Guo et al.12 The particle size was calculated as 4.2 nm and 3.5 nm for JM Pt40/C and JM Pt30Ru15/C, respectively, as compared to the manufacturers' specifications of 4.5 nm and 4.0 nm.13 X-ray diffraction was therefore able to perform accurate analyses in the nanometre domain and forms an integral part in a comprehensive characterisation of nanophase electrocatalysts.
Metal particle size and distribution play important roles in catalytic efficiency due to the relationship between catalytic activity and surface structure. These properties are best studied using fundamental characterisation tools such as electron microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy exhibited both high precision and accuracy in the determination of particle size. Values were reproducible and agreed well with those determined by others.1214 Also, there was good agreement between particle sizes determined using XRD and TEM.
Metal nanoparticles, in JM Pt40/C and JM Pt30Ru15/C, were found to be well dispersed on the carbon support (Fig. 2). Large agglomerates were also observed in certain areas of the samples. Nanoparticles generally ranged between 27 nm in size, with average particle sizes of 4.2 nm and 4.0 nm for JM Pt40/C and JM Pt30Ru15/C, respectively. Metal surface areas of 6470 m2 g1 were determined.15 In comparison, the average JM Pt40/C metal particle size specified by the supplier, Johnson Matthey, was 4.5 nm with a metal surface area of 62 m2 g1. 13 Experimental values were thus of good accuracy.
Metal nanoparticles were also observable using ultrahigh-vacuum, high-resolution SEM. An average Pt particle size of 6.2 nm was observed when depositing Pt nanoparticles, using formaldehyde reduction of H2PtCl6·6H2O, on carbon nanotube support materials, denoted Pt/CNT in this study (Fig. 3). Also observable were large Pt agglomerates on the surface of the CNT support material. The agglomeration was a result of the thermodynamic instability of metal nanoparticles. Unfortunately, the agglomeration is unavoidable and occurs spontaneously in the preparation process. The observations described illustrated the applicability of high-resolution SEM in the direct determination of metal particle size and distribution on carbon-supported fuel cell electrocatalysts.
Surface area and porosity, in combination with electrochemical information, can be used to illustrate a relationship between surface microstructure and catalytic activity of supported nanophase electrocatalysts. N2 physisorption was found to produce highly-accurate surface area and pore size distribution data. According to Jordan et al.16 and Cabot™ Corporation, Vulcan XC-72® support material with particle sizes ∅ = 3075 nm corresponded to a surface area of 250300 m2 g1. In contrast, the measured Brunauer-Emmer-Teller (BET) surface area of Vulcan XC-72® was 242 m2 g1, corresponding to particle sizes of 5060 nm, determined via TEM. Measured BET surface areas corresponded well with those obtained by Li et al.,4 Prabhuram et al.15 and Jordan et al.,16 which were 237 m2 g1, 250 m2 g1 and 250300 m2 g1, respectively. In comparison, JM Pt40/C and JM Pt30Ru15/C exhibited relatively small surface areas (132 m2 g1 and 106 m2 g1) compared to Vulcan® XC-72. Lowered internal pore areas were observed in JM Pt40/C and JM Pt30Ru15/C with average pore sizes of 15.6 nm and 17.3 nm, respectively. The mesoporous structure of the fuel cell electrocatalysts was confirmed.13
Micro-PIXE was used in the investigation of the surface topography and elemental distribution of electrocatalyst cast-films prepared by suspending the nanophase electrocatalysts in alcoholic Nafion® solution (Fig. 4). The surface of the JM Pt40/C cast-film was observed as being fairly homogeneous in terms of elemental distribution, without significant agglomeration. Cracks of about 2 µm in width were observed in the JM Pt40/C cast-film and were due to differences in the coefficients of expansion between the cast film and highly-oriented pyrolytic graphite current collector after removal of the solvent. Particle-induced X-ray emission spectroscopy allowed for the discrimination of elemental dispersion across the surface of electrocatalyst cast films. This type of information may help in the understanding of the chemical behaviour at the interface between the proton-conducting membrane and the catalyst layers of the PEMFC.
Scanning electrochemical microscopy was used to qualitatively characterise cast films, prepared from nanophase electrocatalysts, in terms of topography and surface activity. The topography of the JM Pt40/C electrocatalyst cast film prepared was studied using the imaging mode in SECM. Ultra-microelectrodes were fabricated by sealing 10-mm lengths of Pt micro-wire (∅ = 25 µm) in evacuated borosilicate glass capillary tubes and polishing using diamond emery paper and alumina pastes to produce a fine truncated tip with an exposed Pt disk. The SECM map for the study of the topography of a cast film prepared using JM Pt40/C is presented in Fig. 5. The JM Pt40/C cast film exhibited areas of high activity, due to agglomeration, which produced maximum perturbation in the ultramicroelectrode (UME) tip current. A range of electrochemical activities was observed over the SECM map, indicative of a heterogeneous surface.
It was very difficult to extract quantitative chemical information from the SECM data. For this reason SECM was relegated to a qualitative role in the characterisation of nanophase electrocatalysts. However, SECM is also a useful technique to determine the degree and quality of dispersion of the supported electrocatalyst in a cast film over small surface areas.
Chemisorptive characterisation of supported nanophase electrocatalysts was conducted using TPR. Temperature-programmed reduction analysis of JM Pt40/C and JM Pt30Ru15/C was undertaken to ascertain the number of oxidation states on the catalyst surface. Two events were detectable in the TPR profile of JM Pt40/C: Pt4+ →Pt2+ transition at low temperature, and Pt2+ →Pt0 transition at high temperature. In the TPR profile of JM Pt30Ru15/C four peaks were observed: Pt4+ →Pt2+ and Pt2+ →Pt0 transitions at high temperature, and Ru3+ →Ru0 and Ru4+ →Ru0 transitions at low temperature17. Temperature-programmed reduction was successfully employed in the speciation of nanophase fuel cell electrocatalysts.
Cyclic voltammetry was used to probe surface reactions under well-controlled conditions, giving insight into the catalytic activity of nanophase fuel cell electrocatalysts.18,19 The CV analysis was conducted in 0.01M K4[Fe(CN)6], diluted in 0.1M KCl supporting electrolyte, to assess the quality of fabricated nanophase electrocatalysts. The applied potential was generally swept between 0.20 VSCE and 0.6 VSCE at a sweep rate of 20 mV s1. The working electrode was glassy carbon, the reference electrode was saturated calomel and the counter electrode was a Pt-wire basket. Results obtained from different electrocatalysts were collected in replicate and the most reproducible value presented in each case. Results were presented and tabulated in Fig. 6 and Table 1, respectively.
To summarise, Pt/CNT and Pt/C (1-PrOH/H2SO4/pH2) exhibited catalytic activities greater or comparable to that of JM Pt40/C. Carbon-supported Pt nanophase electrocatalysts prepared using 1-propanol as a solvent exhibited slightly higher activities than those prepared using glycol as a solvent. Importantly, catalytic activity was affected by the pH used in the preparation step, and electrocatalysts prepared from acidic solution exhibited markedly higher catalytic activity compared to electrocatalysts prepared from alkaline solution. This is due to differences in surface functional groups. The impregnation-reduction method produced superior CNT-supported catalysts compared to those produced by electroless-plating. And finally, the fabricated Pt-Ru/C was inferior to the JM Pt30Ru15/C and the preparation method therefore required further investigation.
Results illustrated that CV analysis was able to quantitatively discriminate between the activities of various fabricated nanophase fuel cell electrocatalysts and can be applied as a tool to optimise catalyst preparation. Also, preparation variables could be critically evaluated and optimised for future fabrication of cost-effective highly-active nanophase fuel cell electrocatalysts.
In conclusion, the applicability of the identified analytical techniques in the characterisation of nanophase fuel cell electrocatalysts was investigated. Techniques such as XRD, TEM, SEM, TPR, SECM, micro-PIXE, N2-physisorption, and CV were used in this study and were confirmed to be highly applicable in the qualitative and quantitative characterisation of the nanophase sample materials. These techniques were also effective in discriminating between high- and low-activity electrocatalysts, based on the structural-chemical relationship of nanomaterials. A detailed strategy, or protocol, for the characterisation of nanophase electrocatalysts was successfully designed. It is recommended that this strategy and the experimental methodologies used in this study be implemented in future characterisation studies of fabricated nanophase fuel cell electrocatalysts. This study also showed that a capacity to prepare nanophase fuel cell electrocatalysts and accurately characterise them has been developed in South Africa.
We thank the National Research Foundation, South Africa and ESKOM for funding and iThemba LABS, Veeco Zeiss, and the Chemistry and Physics Departments at the University of the Western Cape for characterisation support.
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Received 18 May. Accepted 26 May 2009.
* Author for correspondence E-mail: email@example.com


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