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Having a personal shopper can make your life easier by shopping for anything you need. Just name it, and they find the products you want at the best prices. You can Email or text them with your list of upcoming gifting occasions, day-to-day needs—even larger purchases! Usually, they will reply with hand-selected product recommendations. The best thing about personal shoppers is that they not only have a passion for shopping, but they have actually created a business out of it in order to allow individual clients to have customized shopping experiences. They give advice to customers that are specific to their needs and do the footwork for them when it comes to acquiring these items. If you do any shopping at Sears, Kmart or Lands End online OR in the store you should sign up for Shop Your Way Rewards. It is the FREE rewards program that pays you to buy the items you were already going to buy at … [Read more...]
Save Time And Money With A Personal Shopper! $30 Paypal #Giveaway #ShopYourWay
Being a mom of two who works full-time, I am always looking for ways to save more money at some of the stores where our family loves to shop. That is exactly why I love the Shop Your Way Rewards program at Kmart and Sears. We shop there quite often and they always have some great prices so I was excited to find out that I could earn and redeem Points at Kmart, Sears, Lands' End, Sears Auto Centers, and mygofer. The Shop Your Way Rewards program is designed to reward you with special offers. You will receive custom offers and exclusive deals based on the purchases you make. You may get offers sent via email, text message, postal mail, and online. You earn 10 points for every $1.00 you spend on qualifying purchases. I love that you have the option of redeeming your points immediately or saving them for up to a year to use during the holidays or to buy birthday presents for loved ones. Have you partnered with a FREE Personal Shopper yet? Did you know it's FREE to use … [Read more...]
Sharing Latino Holiday Traditions With My Boys! #LBCMoreMerry @Sears #Ad
*This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Sears and Latina Bloggers Connect. All opinions are 100% my own. There is never one single moment when I don't think in both Spanish and English when I am having a conversation. Being bilingual and a Latina is part of who I am with every fiber of my being. I can still recall the fond memories that I have of being a young girl in Spain and living with my grandparents. They were such an integral part of molding me into the person who I am today and even the kind of mother that I am to my children. As a result, it is extremely important to me to pass down some of the life lessons and cultural holiday traditions that I was taught when I was growing up. In Spain, we always ate Paella on Christmas Eve. It is a seafood rice that contains shellfish and chicken and is cooked in a "paellera" which is a round, flat pan with two handles. I can still recall the delicious scents that would waft in from the kitchen and, since … [Read more...]
Give More To The Ones You Love! #MasDeLoTuyo @Sears #MoreToYou #Ad
*This sponsored post was written by me in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and Sears. All opinions are 100% mine. Lately, my husband and I have been burning the candle at both ends. I've been working full-time as a teacher and blogger and Hubby has been working to launch a small business. Sometimes we get so busy that we don't even know whether we are coming or going but we always try to maintain our focus. You see, we are determined to provide our boys with the kind of life and opportunities that we were not afforded when we were growing up. In order to accomplish this, we know that it's going to take a lot of hard work and dedication on both of our parts. Growing up, things were not easy for my husband and I financially. He was raised by a disabled single mother who was on a fixed income and had to stretch her meager budget to make ends meet. I, on the other hand, had both of my parents but my father was the only one who worked a blue-collar job and his … [Read more...]


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Warrior Soul Announce New Album – First Single Available
One of our favorite radical, counter-culture bands from the 90's, Warrior Soul, is set to release their new album 'Out on Bail' this March. Featuring
One of our favorite radical, counter-culture bands from the 90's, Warrior Soul, is set to release their new album 'Out on Bail' this March. Featuring
Vokonis are a brand new name to me. They are 3-piece from Sweden who play doom-laden psychedelic progressive rock. Grasping Time is their third album and
If you find this review of War Gods of the Deep helpful and find that you like the album, the chances are that you'll like
A Little Background to Twilight Force Twilight Force are a Swedish power/symphonic metal band who have been around since 2011 and have two albums out.
Dominion is the 11th album by power metal stalwarts Hammerfall. It is 12 tracks of good old fashioned heavy metal. For anyone who wants classic sounding
Having the opportunity to write and review means that sometimes various promotion companies get in contact to inform you about a band on their roster
British power metal/AOR outfit Neonfly are working on a new album, their third, called This World Is Burning which they are asking fans to help finance via crowdfunding. It
Eight years. That's how long it's been since Denmark's most celebrated rock band D-A-D released their last studio album. But now the wait is over.
Beneath the grey shades of a civilization that has all but run its course, beneath the concrete and steel, the grime that obscures our all
Chaos Magic is centered around Chilean Caterina Nix who, for the sophomore release from the band, worked in close collaboration with fellow Chilean, producer, singer and musician Nasson.

subset: commoncrawl


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capturing beautiful, meaningful and genuine
through lifestyle photography
in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota Open 2023
These images were taken at the Sarasota Open in April, 2023. Images can be downloaded at no charge by using the download icon. The shopping cart can be used to order a variety of photo products from my professional lab. Enjoy!Read More


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Most homeowners often overlook roads and driveways, and rarely consider the importance of using quality commercial or residential paving materials for their driveways.
If your concrete driveway starts to form cracks and crumble, it's high time you consider asphalt paving which offers excellent driveability, improved appearance and lasts longer than other paving materials. Asphalt is also one of the most cost-effective residential and commercial paving driveway material.
Components of Asphalt Cement
Asphalt driveway paving material is made with 5% asphalt material from petroleum and 95% aggregates, which includes tiny rocks, gravel and fine sand. Asphalt concrete becomes liquid when hot, and when mixed with the aggregates it firmly bonds together to form strong pavement surface.
Whether you're looking for commercial or residential paving solutions, asphalt proves to be the most ideal choice not only for driveway resurfacing or replacement, but also for paving parking lots, racetracks or airfields. In fact, more than 90% of parking areas in the U.S. are surfaced with asphalt pavement, the material of choice for most development owners.
Residential Paving and How It's Both a Diy Project and Project for Experts
As a homeowner, it's easy to fix asphalt driveway provided you have the basic knowledge on construction, and a few of handwork skills up your sleeves.
However, when your driveway needs a complete overhaul and new asphalt paving has to be laid, it's better to leave that to the experts. Otherwise, you'll end up with a poorly paved driveway that ends up cracking and crumbling within no time.
Benefits of Asphalt Paving Driveways
There are numerous advantages associated with asphalt paving for a new driveway.
- Cost-effective paving material: The initial cost of installing an asphalt driveway may be high, but when compared to concrete it's cheaper. The maintenance cost of an asphalt paving is also significantly low than some materials.
- Quick Installation: The process of installing a new asphalt is pretty fast, and it also takes a few days for the surface to harden.
- Flexibility: Since asphalt is made from composite materials, they are more flexible than concrete and therefore it doesn't crack easily.
- Cool and hardens: Unlike concrete which needs time to cure, asphalt cools down immediately and solidifies. So during winter conditions, an asphalt driveway becomes harder and less likely to be affected by rock salt and other de-icing products.
- Resale value: If you'll be looking to sell your house and move to a new place one day, consider improving the resale value of your house by repairing or installing a new asphalt driveway. It will increase the value of your home significantly and fetch a good deal when it comes to selling it.
- Enjoy a DIY project: Asphalt driveway resealing and resurfacing can be turned into a fun DIY project, but concrete resurfacing can only be done by experts.
Three Types of Asphalt Paving Installation
When repairing your driveway, consider the integrity of the base as it will determine the quality and durability of your asphalt driveway. Here are three ways asphalt is used for the base installation.
- Asphalt can be paved over an existing driveway if it's not damaged completely by cracks. However, you need to consider the height of the new surface so it doesn't interfere with doors, floors and other household structures.
- Asphalt can be paved to create new driveways. A hot mix asphalt paving of about 4″ to 6″ is laid directly over the subgrade soil.
- Asphalt can be paved over an aggregate base if a driveway only suffered damage on the surface. The old driveway is removed exposing the base which will later be filled with new asphalt paving.
Finally, you want to make sure that your driveway is properly fixed by hiring a professional and experienced asphalt driveway paving contractor. Consider your options carefully and do a little research on asphalt paving so you can, at least, be on the same page with your contractor. A good contractor will also advise you on the best residential paving material to use.


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Earlier today, our friends over at the Illuminerdi reported that Keanu Reeves (John Wick) has been offered the role of Kraven the Hunter for Sony Pictures.
READ: New Trailer For 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' Released
For those unfamiliar with the character, Sergei Kravenoff was born in Russia and became a big game hunter later in life, mostly in Africa. After drinking a witch doctor's poison, he gained super strength, enhanced reflexes, and high stamina. This allowed him to bring down bigger animals such as elephants and Gorillas. After a while, he grew tired of big game hunting, due to it being easy, and focused his attention on Spider-Man. Several defeats later, he became one of six members of the notorious villain team, The Sinister Six.
The film's tone will reportedly be a mix of Man on Fire and Logan.
Sony Pictures have been developing their own cinematic universe for a while now and now a Kraven solo film will join Venom and Morbius.
There's no word on if they will eventually cross over into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but we're staying hopeful.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is scheduled to release this year, while Jared Leto's Morbius has been pushed to 2022.
No further information had been disclosed.
Source: The Illuminerdi


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Are you ready? Are your clients updated, your bellies full, your complimentary ArenaNet urination pouches properly installed? Are you ready to spend the next three days lost in Tyria, battling your fellow virtual man, or banding together with them to take on the artificially intelligent tyranny of the NPC? You need to feed the cat first? Ok, I'll wait.
We're going to be playing this Beta Weekend 2, and we're going to be playing on the Desolation server, lost in the war torn mire that is the WvWvW PvP. Come join us, we're probably going to get killed, but we might get one or two of our own before we go down. The more of us to kill, the less likely that you'll die first, right? Right. The BWE2 starts at 8pm BST, which is in an hour and a half. Stop fidgeting, it'll get here soon enough.


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Animals are often immersed in a chemical world consisting of mixtures of many compounds rather than of single substances, and they constantly face the challenge of extracting relevant information out of the chemical landscape. To this purpose, the ability to discriminate among different stimuli with different valence is essential, but it is also important to be able to generalise, i.e. to treat different but similar stimuli as equivalent, as natural variation does not necessarily affect stimulus valence. Animals can thus extract regularities in their environment and make predictions, for instance about distribution of food resources. We studied perceptual similarity of different plant odours by conditioning individual carpenter ants to one odour, and subsequently testing their response to another, structurally different odour. We found that asymmetry in generalisation, where ants generalise from odour A to B, but not from B to A, is dependent on both chain length and functional group. By conditioning ants to a binary mixture, and testing their reaction to the individual components of the mixture, we show that overshadowing, where parts of a mixture are learned better than others, is rare. Additionally, generalisation is dependent not only on the structural similarity of odorants, but also on their functional value, which might play a crucial role. Our results provide insight into how ants make sense of the complex chemical world around them, for example in a foraging context, and provide a basis with which to investigate the neural mechanisms behind perceptual similarity.
Associative learning is widespread in the animal kingdom (Giurfa, 2007), as it allows individuals to make predictions about stimuli surrounding them and their potential meaning [e.g. bees (Bitterman et al., 1983); cephalopods (Cole and Adamo, 2005); ants (Guerrieri and d'Ettorre, 2010); mice (Watkins et al., 1998)]. The perception of relevant stimuli relies on complex mechanisms; animals are able to not only discriminate between different stimuli, but also generalise between stimuli, i.e. to consider different but similar stimuli as equivalent when they have similar ecological value (e.g. Ghirlanda and Enquist, 2003). For instance, volatiles emitted by flowers can vary slightly, but these variations are not necessarily indicative of differences in nectar quality.
Although insects have originally been neglected in studies addressing higher-order cognitive processes, during the last three decades honey bees have become model organisms for the study of learning and memory (de Brito-Sanchez et al., 2008; Giurfa, 2007) because they live in organised complex societies and show an amazing capacity for learning. Olfaction represents the most widespread sensory modality among animals (Wyatt, 2003), and thus associative learning in insects has been extensively studied in the olfactory modality. It has been difficult, though, to identify which characteristics of the odorant molecules result in generalisation to other odorant molecules. Generalisation is thought to depend on the degree of similarity between the stimuli along one or several dimensions (Guerrieri et al., 2005b; Shepard, 1987). Guerrieri et al. established a putative olfactory space for the honey bee where two chemical features of aliphatic odorant molecules, carbon chain length and functional group, represent dimensions defining this olfactory space (Guerrieri et al., 2005b). Differences among carbon chain lengths, which can be objectively quantified, influenced the level of perceptual similarity shown by the bees. Different functional group, conversely, did not present any evident quantitative differences, which prevented ordering them in an objective hierarchical sequence, i.e. it was possible to give an increasing order to carbon chain lengths – C6, C7, C8, C9 – but establishing such a hierarchy for functional groups (primary alcohols, secondary alcohols, aldehydes and ketones) was basically impossible.
Learning about mixtures relies on complex information processing and has been extensively studied in the honey bee, both on a behavioural (Laloi et al., 2000; Laloi et al., 1999; Reinhard et al., 2010; Smith, 1998) and a neurophysiological level (Deisig et al., 2006; Joerges et al., 1997). Several theories have been proposed to account for mixture learning (for a review, see Harris, 2006). According to elemental theories such as the Rescorla–Wagner model (Rescorla and Wagner, 1972), mixtures are composed of elemental units, each of which can form an association during associative learning (mixture of AB is perceived as A+B). This theory has found support on a neurophysiological level (Deisig et al., 2006). Configural theories such as Pearce's configural model (Pearce, 1987) assume that stimulus patterns have distinct configurations (mixture of AB is perceived as C), so an association can only be formed on the configuration as a whole. This model has found support for instance in humans (i.e. Le Berre et al., 2008a; Le Berre et al., 2008b). These theories are not mutually exclusive, and a combination is possible, where mixtures of two or more stimuli are represented by the individual elements (elemental theory), as well as an element unique to the mixture (configural theory): a mixture of AB will be perceived as ABC (e.g. Deisig et al., 2003).
These examples assume that saliency of odours is equal; however, this does not have to be the case. One result of unequal saliencies of mixture components is overshadowing (Pavlov, 1927). When learning a binary mixture, one of the components can be more salient than the other, and as a result an individual conditioned to this mixture will only learn the more salient component. For example, if A is very salient, a mixture of AB could be perceived as A alone, and thus component A overshadows component B (Kay et al., 2005; Linster and Smith, 1997; Smith, 1996). Recently, a study by Reinhard et al. showed that honey bees that are trained to associate complex mixtures of 14 compounds with sucrose reward only learn certain components of the mixture (so-called 'key odorants') (Reinhard et al., 2010). The 'key odorant hypothesis' encompasses both configural and elemental learning. While elements of the mixture are learned, none of them evokes such a strong reaction as the mixture itself, suggesting that the mixture of odorants in itself might be perceived as a configural stimulus.
Although very useful as a model organism, the honey bee by itself cannot represent the multifaceted world of insect societies, which is characterised by a multitude of life histories allowing their ecological success in a variety of ecosystems. Ants are all eusocial and have evolved what can be considered among the most advanced and complex societies. Despite this, only recently have the first steps been made in our understanding about how ants perceive and learn odours (e.g. Bos et al., 2012; Bos et al., 2010; Dupuy et al., 2006; Guerrieri et al., 2011; Guerrieri et al., 2009; Josens et al., 2009), and mixture learning has remained unexplored. We recently demonstrated that Camponotus aethiops ants show asymmetry in generalisation (Bos et al., 2012). Ants were successfully trained to associate a long-chain hydrocarbon to sucrose reward. In subsequent choice tests, these ants generalised to a novel hydrocarbon only when the chain length of the novel hydrocarbon was shorter than that of the conditioned one, while they discriminated between the two molecules when the test hydrocarbon had a longer carbon chain than the hydrocarbon previously associated with sucrose. Similarity among stimuli was therefore not only dependent on their structure, but also on the animal's training experience. Comparable asymmetric responses had been previously observed in honey bees (Guerrieri et al., 2005a; Guerrieri et al., 2005b; Sandoz et al., 2001).
We concluded that asymmetry in generalisation might follow an inclusion criterion [which was previously suggested in a nestmate recognition context (Guerrieri et al., 2009)], predicting that generalisation occurs when the novel stimulus is, during detection or perception, 'included' in the conditioned stimulus; e.g. when the only difference between two substances is chain length, a shorter substance is treated as a longer substance, but not the other way around (Bos et al., 2012). This could be the result of several processes, at different levels of the olfactory system. First, the binding pockets of odorant binding proteins (OBPs) might bind the molecule to which they are tuned, but also similar but shorter chain molecules as they fit into the binding pocket, while longer chain molecules do not fit. In this scenario, the conditioned stimulus and stimuli that are shorter than the conditioned stimulus will produce a signal, while longer molecules will not elicit a response. The inclusion criterion might work also at the level of the antennal lobe. Here, the glomerular activation pattern of longer molecules could 'include' the activation pattern of shorter molecules.
We therefore wanted to investigate whether, besides chain length, the functional groups of molecules can also be assigned to a hierarchy, by using an array of volatile substances that are commercially available. Here, we test olfactory learning, generalisation and overshadowing, using the recently developed appetitive conditioning paradigm for ants, the maxilla-labium extension response (MaLER) (Guerrieri and d'Ettorre, 2010). In order to establish whether ants follow a certain 'set of rules' for generalisation of volatile substances, and whether these rules depend on chain length and functional group of the molecules encountered, we used six odorants varying in two chemical features, chain length and functional group. Odorants belonged to three chemical classes: primary alcohols, aldehydes and secondary ketones, and differed also in chain length, which was either six or eight carbon atoms long. These odours can be released by plants and thus they are biologically relevant for carpenter ants that feed on nectar (mostly from extra-floral nectaries) and would benefit from establishing an association between rewarding plants and their odour. We measured perceptual similarity of the odours by conditioning individual ants to one odour, and testing their reaction to another. We predicted that secondary ketones and aldehydes should be perceived as more similar to each other than to primary alcohols with regards to generalisation, as the functional group of both ketones and aldehydes consists of an oxygen atom connected to the carbon chain with a double bond. Overshadowing was investigated by conditioning individuals to a binary mixture, and then testing their reaction to the individual components of the mixture.
Study organism
Six queenright colonies of Camponotus aethiops (Latr.), a monogynous species with workers of different sizes (minor, medium and major) were collected in spring 2009 in the Italian Apennines, near Bologna. Each colony was housed in a Fluon-coated plastic box (27×17×9.5 cm) containing a plaster floor serving as the nest area. This box was connected to another box of the same size, serving as the foraging area. The ants were fed twice a week with diluted honey and mealworms (Tenebrio molitor); water was provided ad libitum. The nests were kept in a climate-controlled room at 25±2°C under a 12 h:12 h light:dark photoperiod. Two weeks before the start of the experiment, the colonies were deprived of honey, while still receiving water and mealworms, in order to increase the ants' motivation for sugar reward during conditioning.
Experimental setup
Medium-sized worker ants were taken from the foraging arena and anaesthetised on ice for 10 min before they were harnessed individually in an ant holder. This holder was an inverted 0.2 ml Eppendorf microcentrifuge tube, from which the tip was cut off to create a second, smaller opening. The ant's head was passed through this opening in the tube, and fixed with adhesive tape. In this way ants could only move their antennae and mouthparts (see Guerrieri and d'Ettorre, 2008). The harnessed ants were left undisturbed for approximately 3 h to habituate to the experimental conditions. Afterwards, their motivation for sucrose was checked by presenting each individual with a droplet of sucrose solution (50% w/w), and only individuals responding to this presentation with MaLER were used for the experiments.
The unconditioned stimulus (US) used was sucrose solution (50% w/w). Conditioned stimuli (CS) were six different odourants – 1-octanol, 1-hexanol, octanal, hexanal, 2-octanone and 2-hexanone (Sigma-Aldrich, Broendby, Denmark) – differing in chain length, functional group or both (Table 1). Stimuli were standardised according to volatility by diluting them in mineral oil (supplementary material Table S1), so that each stimulus released the same amount of molecules into the air, in order to prevent concentration differences during conditioning. Before each training phase, 5 μl of CS were applied onto individual clean strips of filter paper (1 cm2) and placed inside individual 10 ml plastic syringes, applying a standard procedure previously used for conditioning ants (Guerrieri and d'Ettorre, 2010) and honey bees (Guerrieri et al., 2005b; Vergoz et al., 2007). For single substance learning, the CS consisted of a single stimulus. For mixture learning, a binary mixture was created by applying 5 μl of two stimuli onto a single strip of filter paper; every possible binary mixture using the six substances was tested.
Conditioning trials
Absolute conditioning was achieved by training individual ants to the CS for four consecutive trials. Each conditioning trial lasted 1 min. Fifteen seconds after being placed under a stereomicroscope, the ant received the CS for 5 s. This was presented by placing the syringe 2 cm from the head of the ant, and gently blowing 10 ml of air towards the antennae. Presentation of the US started 3 s after the onset of the CS, and lasted for 5 s, thus creating a 2 s overlap between the CS and the US. Ten individuals were tested in series; therefore, the inter-trial interval was 10 min. An air extractor was placed behind the ant, in order to remove the volatile substances from the experimental area. Learning was scored by observing extension of the maxilla-labium, resulting in a binary response variable (yes/no).
For single substance learning, the test consisted of four randomised test trials: presentation of the CS, a novel stimulus (test stimulus, TS), a mixture of the CS and the TS, and a control (clean air). For mixture learning, the test consisted of the following four randomised test trials: presentation of the CS (a binary mixture), presentation of each of the two individual substances contained in the mixture, and presentation of clean air. After the test, each individual was presented with a droplet of sucrose solution. Only those individuals that still responded to this stimulation were included in the statistical analysis of the test (98%). In total, 611 ants were successfully conditioned to a single substance, and 329 ants were conditioned to a binary mixture. For both single substance learning and mixture learning, the test took place 10 min after conditioning, allowing us to interpret our results in light of short-term memory.
Statistical analysis
Conditioning trials
We quantified the conditioned response as MaLER to the given stimulus, resulting in a binary score depicting success or failure to respond to the stimulus. Learning performances were analysed using a generalised linear mixed model (GLMM) with binomial error structure and logit link function. In this model, we included trial number and CS, as well as the interaction between them as fixed factors, and individual as a random effect. The effect of trial number might, to some extent, be individually specific, and therefore we included a random effects structure allowing for random intercepts, random slopes, as well as a correlation between them. This model was run separately for single substance learning and mixture learning. Significance of interaction terms was determined by comparing the full model with a reduced model excluding the interaction, using a likelihood ratio test (LRT). To test whether, during the test, all conditioned stimuli had been learned at a similar level we used a generalised linear model (GLM) with binomial error structure and logit link function, including the CS as a fixed effect.
Single substance learning
Of the 611 ants conditioned to a single pure substance, 491 individuals (80%) responded to the CS in the test, and were thus included in the subsequent analysis. For testing the reaction to single substances after single substance learning, we used a GLM with a binomial error structure and logit link function. In this model we included functional group (whether the functional group of the CS and TS was similar) and chain length (whether the chain length of the CS was longer, shorter or equal to the TS) as fixed factors, as well as the interaction between them. This allowed us to investigate the effect of functional group and chain length, and test whether an inclusion criterion exists, and whether this inclusion criterion is only dependent on chain length, or also on functional group. We checked stability of each model by excluding data points one by one from the data and comparing the estimates derived with those obtained for the full model, which indicated that no datapoints that significantly influence the stability of the model exist. All models were fitted in R (R Development Core Team, 2011) using the function lmer of the R-package lme4 (Maechler and Bates, 2010).
Mixture learning
Of the 329 ants conditioned to a binary mixture, 284 individuals (86%) responded to the CS in the test, and were thus included in the subsequent analysis. For testing whether one of the components of a binary mixture is learned better than the other one, or whether both components are equally learned, we used Fisher's exact tests for each of the mixtures.
Conditioning trials
For single substance conditioning, we found a significant interaction between trial number and response to the CS [likelihood ratio test (LRT), χ2=18.87, d.f.=5, P<0.01; Fig. 1], suggesting that some substances (e.g. octanol) are learned better than others (e.g. 2-octanone). During the test phase, there was a non-significant trend to respond differently to each of the substances (LRT, χ2=10.04, d.f.=5, P=0.07), again suggesting the possibility that some substances are learned better than others.
The acquisition of binary mixtures was not significantly dependent on the composition of the mixture (LRT, χ2=21.23, d.f.=14, P=0.1; Fig. 2), but it depended only on trial number (GLMM, z=16.46, P<0.001). During the test phase, however, there was a significant effect of CS on the response (LRT, χ2=32.25, d.f.=14, P<0.01). This suggests that the composition of the mixture affects learning efficiency, even if acquisition curves do not differ statistically.
Single substance learning
Only ants that reacted to the CS in the test were included in the analysis. The reaction of ants to a single TS after single substance conditioning showed a significant interaction between chain length and functional group (LRT, χ2=4.66, d.f.=1, P=0.03; Fig. 3), showing that both chain length and functional group influence generalisation between stimuli.
However, for the reaction to a binary mixture, comprising the CS and a novel TS, no such interaction was found (LRT, χ2=2.26, d.f.=1, P=0.13), and it was thus removed from the model. Only the effect of chain length was significant (LRT, χ2=111.150, d.f.=2, P<0.001), while the effect of functional group was not (GLM, z=1.21, P=0.23). In Fig. 4, we can see for instance that when a substance with an eight-carbon chain is learned (1-octanol, octanal or 2-octanone), generalisation to a mixture including substances with a six-carbon chain occurs (but not the other way around), illustrating the importance of chain length in generalisation.
Mixture learning
For three out of 15 conditioned binary mixtures, ants did not respond equally to the two components in the test phase, when presented individually. These mixtures were: 1-octanol/2-hexanone, 1-hexanol/hexanal and 1-hexanol/2-hexanone (Fisher's exact test, two tailed, P<0.01 in all three cases; Fig. 5). For all the other binary mixtures, no significant effect was found (Fisher's exact test, two tailed, P =0.21–1.00), suggesting that in these cases overshadowing does not occur.
By using only four training trials, individual ants could be conditioned to all substances used in this study, independently of chain length and functional group. After conditioning, approximately 80% of the trained individuals responded to the CS in a non-reinforced test. In the case of single substance learning, the significant interaction between trial number and CS suggests that the efficacy of learning is dependent on the CS. Indeed, acquisition was faster when 2-octanone or 1-octanol was the CS. Despite the fact that some substances are learned more efficiently than others, during the subsequent test the response to all substances was comparable. Thus, the rate of acquisition did not significantly influence the response during the test, suggesting that a plateau (maximum level of learning) can be reached with four training trials. However, when the CS was not a single substance, but a binary mixture, significant differences in response during the test were found, suggesting that some mixtures are learned better than others.
The response to single substances after absolute conditioning to a single substance yielded a significant interaction between chain length and functional group, indicating that the effect of functional group is dependent on whether the chain length is shorter or longer. Indeed, generalisation (i.e. treating different stimuli as similar) mostly occurs when not only the functional group is similar, but also when the chain length of the TS is shorter than that of the CS. This phenomenon, where generalisation does not occur equally between substances, but depends on the animal's learning experience, is named asymmetric generalisation. Asymmetry in generalisation has previously been described in honey bees for volatile substances (Guerrieri et al., 2005a; Guerrieri et al., 2005b; Sandoz et al., 2001) and in ants for long-chain hydrocarbons (Bos et al., 2012). Asymmetrical generalisation can be explained by the inclusion criterion model (Bos et al., 2012; Guerrieri et al., 2009), where generalisation occurs when the novel stimulus is, during detection or perception, 'included' in the CS, e.g. a shorter substance is treated as a longer substance of the same kind. In a previous work, we found that two long-chain hydrocarbons are generalised only when the chain length of the TS is shorter than that of the CS (Bos et al., 2012). The present study provides an extension of the inclusion criterion because we show not only that the chain length of the TS has to be shorter than that of the CS, but also that the functional group of the two substances has to be similar for generalisation to occur.
A special case appears to be 2-octanone: no matter what the CS was, generalisation towards 2-octanone occurred in every case, which suggests that this odorant might have some inherent functional value for the ants. Indeed, 2-octanone has been found to be a component of the alarm pheromone in some species of Atta (Hughes et al., 2001; Moser et al., 1968), and 3-octanone, but not 2-octanone, has been described as a component of the alarm pheromone of Camponotus schaefferi (Duffield and Blum, 1975); whether this is also the case for C. aethiops remains to be investigated. A recent study found a peculiar effect of 2-octanone in Camponotus fellah ants that were differentially conditioned to chemical substances in a Y-maze. After conditioning, one would expect a preference for the CS+ over the CS−, and preference for the CS+ over a novel stimulus, while the novel stimulus would be preferred over the CS−. When 2-octanone was the novel stimulus, however, the CS− was preferred (Josens et al., 2009). In our case, instead of showing an inhibitory effect, generalisation to 2-octanone was more frequent than expected. This implies that similarity in the neural representation of two odorants is not purely based on their chemical similarity, but might also depend on their functional value (Guerrieri et al., 2005a; Sandoz et al., 2001). If 2-octanone were a pheromone component for C. aethiops, detected by a specific pheromone receptor protein, which would be narrowly tuned, no generalisation towards other odours would be expected when 2-octanone was presented as the CS, and this is indeed what we find. However, when 2-octanone was presented as the TS, generalisation occurred regardless of the CS. This generalisation would not be expected, and we therefore assume that 2-octanone is likely not detected by a specific pheromone receptor protein in C. aethiops.
When ants were conditioned to single substances and tested with binary mixtures, comprising the CS and a novel TS, only the effect of chain length was significant, while the effect of functional group was not. Indeed, generalisation towards the mixture only occurs when the novel stimulus in the mixture has an equal or shorter chain length than the CS. However, when the chain length of the two substances in the mixture is equal, a difference in saliency between functional groups can appear. Generalisation mostly occurs when a primary alcohol (1-octanol, 1-hexanol) is the CS. When instead an aldehyde (octanal, hexanal) is the CS, presentation of a mixture of the CS and a primary alcohol inhibits the response. When a secondary ketone (2-octanone, 2-hexanone) is the CS, presentation of a mixture of the CS and either a primary alcohol or aldehyde will inhibit the response. These results allow us to establish a hierarchy, where alcohols are the most salient substances, followed by aldehydes, while secondary ketones are the least salient. These primary alcohols, besides being plant odours, may also occur as components of the alarm pheromone in some ants [e.g. Oecophylla longinoda (Bradshaw et al., 1975)] and in the honey bee (e.g. Kraus, 1990; Wager and Breed, 2000), which could explain their relevance for our ants.
The fact that secondary ketones are treated as more similar to aldehydes than alcohols is possibly a result of the similarity in functional group, as both aldehydes and secondary ketones contain a similar functional group, which only differs by its position on the carbon chain. Similar functional groups will result in aldehydes and secondary ketones having a similar stereochemistry, allowing both kinds of molecules to fit similar odorant binding proteins, because of the adapted three-dimensional shape of their binding pocket.
When conditioned to binary mixtures, ants generally responded to each of the components presented separately in the subsequent test. This suggests that the differences in saliencies observed during the previous experiment did not produce any overshadowing effect [also found in newborn rabbits (Coureaud et al., 2009)]. The fact that for our ants each component of the conditioned binary mixture was associated with food suggests elemental learning instead of configural learning as the underlying model. In three out of the 15 cases, however, an overshadowing effect was found. These mixtures were 1-octanol/2-hexanone, 1-hexanol/hexanal and 1-hexanol/2-hexanone, all involving a primary alcohol, thus indicating that this class of substance can produce an overshadowing effect by its saliency. Nevertheless, overshadowing was only partial in two out of the three cases. Kay et al. suggested that overshadowing results from 'masking' during learning, which could be the result of intensity differences or interactions at the receptor or glomerular level between the components (Kay et al., 2005). These three cases thus have more in common with the 'key odorant hypothesis' than with elemental learning model; despite this, the key odorant model does not appear to be the general rule in C. aethiops, at least in the case of binary mixtures. Further studies using mixtures containing more than two components (see Reinhard et al., 2010) would allow better elucidation of the role of functional groups in overshadowing.
It is worth noting that the level of generalisation from the conditioned odour to the mixture containing the CS, and from the mixture to the single components, is always lower than the response to the CS alone, and that the amount of difference in generalisation depends on the specific combination of the odours (e.g. when 1-octanol is the CS, and the mixture of 1-octanol and octanal is the TS, the response to the TS is lower than to the CS; also, when the mixture of 1-octanol and octanal is the CS, and the individual components are tested, the response to the CS is higher than to the individual components). This suggests that there is some configural processing of mixtures, leading to mixtures having novel odour qualities, which are only partially similar to the quality of the single components (e.g. Deisig et al., 2003). This phenomenon has previously been found in rats (Linster and Smith, 1999), and implies a weak configural computation of the binary mixture (Kay et al., 2005). Alternative hypotheses remain, at present, unexplored. Task unevenness, for instance, which is the difference of conditions between the conditioning phase and test phase (single odour versus mixture or vice versa), might play a role. In the case of generalisation from a single CS to a mixture, there could also be a novelty effect, where the unfamiliar odour in a mixture containing the CS has an inhibitory effect.
In conclusion, we found a hierarchy of saliencies, where primary alcohols are the most salient, followed by aldehydes and secondary ketones, respectively. It remains to be investigated whether this is a mere side effect of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying detection and perception by the ant, or whether it has an adaptive value. Investigating the occurrence and function of the different types of substances present in the natural chemical landscape of C. aethiops [e.g. plants, as it is a nectivorous species (Dupuy et al., 2006)] might reveal the underlying adaptive reason of the described stimulus hierarchy. The present study, together with our previous results (Bos et al., 2012), provides a fundamental step forward to unravel the mechanisms and function of asymmetry in generalisation. We predict that the inclusion criterion might originate at two different levels: (1) OBPs tuned to a certain compound (i.e. 1-octanol) could be sensitive to shorter compounds (i.e. 1-hexanol), but not to longer ones, as shorter molecules can fit into binding pockets of OBPs tuned to longer molecules, but longer molecules will not fit into binding pockets of OBPs tuned to shorter molecules; and (2) glomerular activation patterns in the antennal lobe of longer compounds could 'include' the activation patterns of shorter compounds, resulting in the observed asymmetry in generalisation. Further studies should reveal whether the behavioural responses found here correlate with the reaction of antennal receptors. Also, developing opto-physiological techniques (Brandstaetter et al., 2011; Zube et al., 2008) in order to study activation patterns in the antennal lobe of ants would allow testing the second prediction.
We thank all members of the Centre for Social Evolution for providing a stimulating working environment, in particular Volker Nehring and Jelle van Zweden for advice about the statistical analysis. Many thanks to Giovanni Galizia, Jean-Marc Devaud and Martin Giurfa for their useful advice.
This study was supported by a Freia grant (Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen), the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF57) and a Marie Curie Reintegration grant (University of Paris 13). Thanks to the Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions for allowing allocation of working time and salary (provided by project grant 1251337) on the writing of our manuscript.
No competing interests declared.


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Tales from Tinseltown…recording them now…I'll let you know when it's story time.
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I came to love her as a kid with reruns of Private Secretary and The Ann Southern Show. The last time I saw her was in The Whales of August.
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This course will cover basic introduction, management, and deployment of your own projects for the Raspberry Pi.
Each participant will get a set of a Raspberry Pi with accessories that will be returned after the class.
*Participants get 10% discount for lunch at Nazzeera Cafe!
1. What is a Raspberry Pi and how do you use it.
2. How to manage the Raspberry Pi with Linux-based tools.
3. Deploying a project with a Raspberry Pi.
Able to understand and follow instructions in English.


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(September 2012) The branch needs to emphasize the singularly distinguishing factor of recyclability of natural stone, as expounded in a previous publication. True, this is easier said than done since architects and landlords alike often strive for a homogenous appearance of façades. Reclaimed material, albeit, is not suited for this aim.
An example of creative implementation of remnants now comes from the USA where Vermont's Bennington College erected a Tucker-Design-Award-winning new building complex.
The façade of the Center for the Advancement of Public Action (CAPA) was clad exclusively in reclaimed or recycled marble won from abandoned quarries, material storage and production offal.
A look at the concept behind the CAPA-Institute explains the motif: as the institute's name implies, its raison d'être is all about how the public can help solve today's global challenges. In short: new ideas are the central theme.
So it was easy for New York-architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien to convince the contractor of the need to use recycled material. Also the use of local marble fit into the concept, as Vermont marble production wrote part of the state's history: Vermont's stone industry in the North of the USA supplied many an important building along the East Coast with building material. Also the material is known for its resilience to the elements.
In an unprecedented co-operation between a number of stone producers, some 14,000 square feet (around 1,300 m²) were collected. The palate ranged from raw blocks complete with evidence of the quarrying process to slabs long forgotten in some industrial yard, all the way to fragments of all sorts and sizes.
One of the main challenges was breaking the heterogeneous seminal material down to a standard size at an affordable price.
In a second step the 3"-thick (~ 7,60 cm) pieces had to be sorted according to structure and color. To this end the pieces were laid out in a warehouse near the building site to facilitate sorting and combining. Each piece was then given a number.
Three particularities in design are worth special mention. "Picture stones" originating from blocks complete with quarry tool marks were incorporated in each of the three buildings.
Each building has its own "picture stones".
Receding stones were used to break the monotony.
And finally, breaking with the homogeneity of polished façades, weathering was incorporated in the buildings' design. The stone's appearance changes when wet, and its reflection is different in winter as compared to the summer-look when surrounded by green meadows.
Surfaces are rough-honed only helping to keep costs down and documenting for all to see the CAPA-Institute's dedication to change.
Three months were needed to sort the stone and four more to install the façade in a joint venture of Walker Zanger, Gawet Marble & Granite and Champlain Masonry.
The project won one of this year's Tucker Design Awards. The awards are distributed biannually by the US-American Building Stone Institute. For a detailed report on all the prizes see the Institute's online magazine.
Michael Reis addresses an interesting question in his article on CAPA in the US trade magazine Stone World: What, exactly, is high-quality stone? Can appearance alone be the decisive criterion?
Here are two of this year's twelve award-winning projects.
One of the Tucker Design Awards was given for the restoration of Philadelphia's City Hall. We show photos before…
… and after the restoration.
One of the awards was given for the Courthouse in Texas city of Alpine and its integration into the local climate.


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If you have never worked with an estate planning lawyer before, you may not be sure how they can help you or what they do. No matter your age, health situation, or financial status, an estate plan is necessary, and it is best to create one now, so that you know your wishes and desires will be carried out.
One of the biggest downfalls to not having an estate plan in place is that you will not have any say in what happens to your assets and items in the event you unexpectedly pass away. When an estate plan is absent, the state will decide where your assets go.
One of the biggest upsides to having an estate plan, besides deciding where your assets go, you can change it at any time, and you are not locked into any decision you previously made.
If you would like to schedule a consultation with an estate planning lawyer in NYC, now is the time to reach out to us. We are here to help you!
Documents You Can Expect Your Estate Planning Lawyer to Help With
There are several types of documents that can be executed under the estate planning umbrella. Below, we will discuss what those documents are.
A trust is a way for you to transfer your assets to someone who you designate as the trustee. For example, if you want your grandson to receive your wealth when you pass, you can setup a trust in his name.
Trusts are a nice option because they keep your assets out of probate court, and they can help you continue to financially provide for someone while you are gone.
There are multiple types of trusts and an estate planning lawyer can help you figure out which one is best.
One of the most popularly known documents is the will. There is no right or wrong age to have a will; however, you will want to have one in place.
A will is a document that describes how you want your property distributed when you pass away. You will assign an executor to your will and this individual will make sure the will is followed and your wishes are honored.
Many people create, at minimum, a will to ensure that their minor children will be taken care of, should something happen. Without a will in place, current law would determine where the children go.
Healthcare Documents
Health care documents are completed when you plan your estate and they can include advanced directives, health care proxy, and similar.
These types of documents will help dictate and guide medical professionals on how you want medical situations handled. These documents will also name someone whom you trust to oversee your medical care and make medical decisions on your behalf.
Power of Attorney
The power of attorney document spells out who will act on your behalf and manage your affairs when you are unable to make decisions for yourself.
Call Our Estate Planning Lawyer Today
If you need help planning for your future, our estate planning attorney is here to help. Do not hesitate to reach out to Morgan Legal Group PC at 212-561-4299 to schedule your consultation.


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The weird is Fate
This is a slightly cleaned-up version of a comment I posted in response to Zak's philosophizing about the weird. I don't believe that my comment represents the only or best way to think about the weird, but it could usefully inform ideas about the weird in game terms.
The weird is Fate. Knowledge of the future is occult—in the sense of the hidden.
Zak is correct that it's not exactly unnatural, but it's frighteningly primal, in the way that the Greeks drew a distinction between the gods (who were powerful, but basically relatable in terms of human motivations) and older powers like the Furies or the Fate (who even the gods feared and found inscrutable).
So, Cthulhu is weird in the sense that he is fated to rise from his eons of slumber in the misty and indeterminate future, beyond the ken of man. Like the Greek Fates, he is older than mankind, and alien.
Weird themes are bound to emerge, as Zak observes, at times when the popular imagination fixates on the uncertainties of the future. The interwar years would qualify.
In game terms, an encounter with the weird would involve a perhaps hubristic attempt by man to engage with the earliest, amoral, alien powers of the universe. The referee should give characters reasons to feel atavistic dread at the prospect of any such effort.


text: Once a former dancer on the nationally syndicated program, Soul Train, Gerald was also a member of the Soul Train Gang which recorded two albums with some of the most accomplished writers and producers in the business with Such notables as Norman Harris, Vince Montana, Leon Silvers III and Gene Page. For two decades Cincinnatians have known Gerald best for his instantly recognizable vocals in the jingle "It's Skyline Time". Prior to his jingle singing, Gerald and his brother, Terry Brown, helped Dick Griffey build a record empire named Solar Records. Terry's former music students (notably L.A. Reid and Reggie Calloway) contributed greatly to the company's success. Gerald's most notable record to date is "Take That To The Bank", a duet with Jody Watley. His newest project features a duet with Midnight Star's, Belinda Lipscomb, and a couple of remakes from Little Willie John's greatest hits. Two songs "Heart Breaker" and "Somebody Please" were written by Terry Brown and Norman Beavers of Lakeside. Probably the best effort from Gerald to date is his self penned "Loser's Game". Gerald's CD-DVD packets will include excerpts from his 2005 Live performance with the Shalamar Revue Band at Macy's Festival (Paul Brown Stadium), footage from a Skyline Special, commercials from Procter and Gamble (featuring Gerald) and the Original Shalamar performing "Take That To The Bank".


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The Best Topics for a Motivational Speech
Being an excellent speaker requires much effort. Attracting the attention of other people is challenging. A motivational speech is one of the most interesting and difficult types to deal with. You should influence people and keep them interested to the very end of the speech. If you are not sure whether you can make a great motivational sphere, you got […]Learn more →


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'Daemon Voices' allows fans a deep dive into the world view of Philip Pullman
It's not exactly a beach read, but this collection of essays and speeches by Philip Pullman centered on a theme of storytelling yields some genuine gems.
Philip Pullman's most avid fans probably know him from "His Dark Materials," a masterful trilogy of fantasy novels. They might guess from his writing that he's also formidably well-read, opinionated on topics from religion to realism.
We get all facets of the author and scholar in Daemon Voices, a collection of essays and speeches gathered under the umbrella of "stories and storytelling." Some pieces illuminate Pullman's path to his own finished books, but the range is much broader, a kaleidoscope of topics viewed through Pullman's particular lens.
Speaking at venues as diverse as a science fiction convention and a study day at Oxford College, Pullman explores his own atheism, the scientific metaphor of phase space, the artistry of Art Spiegelman's graphic novel "Maus," and his distaste for C.S. Lewis's Narnia and J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, among many other subjects. Always, he finds a greater truth in smaller observations, as when he draws readers through a new look at Edouard Manet's classic painting "A Bar at the Folies-Bergere":
"Art does not progress by improving what came before, by doing to it what chemistry did to alchemy: art does not progress in that sense at all. Great art has always had this double character, this ability to look at the world and to look at itself at the same time, and the greatest art is perhaps where we see the two things in perfect balance."
Pullman, a former middle school teacher and former college professor, doesn't like to slap age recommendations on books – he led a 2008 campaign against it – but adults were the original audience for most of these meditations, and it's hard to imagine most younger fans plowing through them. His description of discovering William Blake's poems, though (Pullman is president of the William Blake Society), would inspire anyone who is 16, as he was, or who remembers that age:
"I knew they were true in the way I knew that I was alive. I had stumbled into a country in which I was not a stranger, whose language I spoke by instinct, whose habits and customs fitted me like my own skin."
The book's not a beach read (I tried!), but Pullman can unwind certain dense topics as lyrically as a poet. We're informed by his ruminations on favorites like John Milton ("Paradise Lost" was a major influence on His Dark Materials, as was Blake – as also, he discusses here, was an 1810 essay by German writer Henrich von Kleist.) He allies himself with readers, saying that "we all, if we're honest" have experienced the ferocity of an intense read – an "obsessive, merciless, solitary, amoral, almost savage devouring of a text." And he sees through the eyes of writers, talking not just about his own books, but imagining, for instance, Charles Dickens working on Oliver Twist. "There are few excitements comparable to that of sensing, not quite visible yet but nearby, very close, only an arm's length away, a new kind of story to tell. The 24-year-old Dickens must have sensed the whole of his nature leaping to the idea like a magnet to a steel rod." Diehard Dark Materials fans will also hear about the deeper meaning of "the mysterious entity I call Dust" in the books, the relationship of Pullman's imaginary Oxford to the real one ("perhaps a great deal of Oxford is imaginary anyway"), and other items of interest.
Some of the topics in "Daemon Voices" are so specifically linked to events, publications, or particular audiences that they feel a little out of place collected back-to-back. ("Thank you very much for inviting me here," begins one. Another starts out "I am very honoured to have been asked to give the Patrick Hardy lecture.") More frustrating – and hard to avoid in this format – are the repetitions. Naturally, an author speaking before different groups of people will tell some of the same stories or points.
For this, among other reasons, it's not a book to read in one sitting. Dipping in and out of it, though, the restatements seem to build a case, serving as reminders rather than frustrations. It's particularly worth returning to Pullman's thoughts on one of the topics he's questioned about most: whether authors can or should weigh in on the meanings of their own work.
Pullman believes an author's view is only slightly more authoritative than the reader's, granting authors that extra edge only because of their greater familiarity with the text.
Different readers, Pullman reminds us, approach any work with their own different expectations, intellectual abilities, experiences, and predictions.
"We have to bring something to the text, and put something into it, in order to get anything out," he wrote.
"This is the great democracy of reading and writing – it makes the reader a true partner in the making of meaning."


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An Intelligent Deal for Infrastructure
The United States has more than 4 million miles of public roadways, including 160,955 miles under the National Highway System, one of the longest systems in the world. As the Biden administration and Congress continue to work on a plan to address America's infrastructure needs, nobody disputes that our roads and bridges need fixing. But what about upgrading?
Virtually none of America's roads have the technological capabilities to interface with the smart technologies that are becoming ubiquitous in American vehicles. It is common sense that both roads and vehicles be able to complement – and communicate with – one another.
Intelligent infrastructure has incredible potential to enhance public safety.
As the only person to serve as both the administrator of the Federal Highway Administration and the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, I know the crash statistics all too well. The government's current fatality estimates are dreadful – approximately 38,680 people died on our roads in 2020, up 7.2 percent from the previous year despite a drop in vehicle miles traveled.
Using pre-pandemic numbers, roughly 2.8 million people were injured in approximately 6.8 million police-reported motor vehicle crashes on our roadways. Centering the next generation of safety advancements around infrastructure such as intelligent laneways, intersections, traffic signals, road signs and crosswalks would reduce the risks to all who enjoy America's roads.
Building the next generation of smart roads is key to saving lives and sustaining America's economic competitive advantage.
Consistent with the Chinese Communist Party's push to make China the world leader in digital infrastructure, local governments within China are offering lucrative incentives and favorable regulatory policies to companies testing smart roads and AV technologies in their communities. While the United States drags its feet, pilot programs like Baidu's driverless robotaxi service in Beijing help China spur key advancements in areas such as 5G, artificial intelligence, data centers and electric vehicle charging technologies.
Polling shows widespread support from both Republicans and Democrats for funding improvements made to bridges, tunnels and roads. The current work on Capitol Hill of rehabilitating the arteries of the American economy is a good start. But as our representatives plan to repair our roads to be safer, they should also build them to be smarter. The millions being spent by the U.S. Department of Transportation for connected vehicle pilot programs should be billions.
For example, devoting resources to developing smart roads can lead to sensing devices at intersections warning drivers about on-coming speeders and traffic light runners. Apps can provide real-time traffic flow insights, including specifics regarding work zones, that are helpful to today's drivers, but will be crucial for autonomous vehicles in the future.
My former agency, the Federal Highway Administration, is currently testing pedestrian safety technologies, including whether vehicles can be warned by the infrastructure when a pedestrian — perhaps looking down at a phone — steps off the curb too soon. We can use artificial intelligence to "teach" a road to warn a driver when a pedestrian is at risk, and feed data into a vehicle's systems.
Funding tomorrow's roads today is an investment in public safety, economic advancement and the United States' role as a global leader. Accelerating federal investment in intelligent infrastructure is one stop this Congress and administration can't afford to miss.
Nicole Nason is the chief safety officer and head of external affairs at Cavnue; she previously served as the administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (2019-2021) and administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2006-2008).
Morning Consult welcomes op-ed submissions on policy, politics and business strategy in our coverage areas. Updated submission guidelines can be found here.


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After introduction of VCI curriculum, importance of objective type questions has been increased a lot. Previously there was no such stipulated instruction about objective question. Keeping this point in view the question bank has been written in such a way that a student can get a boost of preparation. It is not merely a storehouse of collections of sets of question papers from different institutes. Rather the questions have been created in a very systematic way so that a student can prepare well. Not only very important questions have been given, but all type questions have been given because in the competitive examination, there is no limit of course area and in this type of examination 'important question' hardly has any meaning. Due to that reason, many questions have been set up which are not in the VCI syllabus. The students can get help for preparation in ARS , NET examinations from this book also.
Dr. S.C. Mandal is a doctorate from Indian Veterinary Research Institute, a Premier Deemed University. He made his distinction of academic potential by getting selection of CSIR Award on Senior Research fellowship by HRDG, New Delhi and qualifying National Eligibility Test conducted by Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board, New Delhi. He was Incharge of the department for about nine years. At present, he is Associate Professor of the department. He has been credited with more than fifty five research publications of national and international repute. He is author of Text book, Dictionary (forthcoming), Manuals etc. and contributed chapter in book. He is a Research Editor of an international journal, Animal Science Reporter. For his significant contribution, he has been inducted as a member of National Academy of Veterinary Science, New Delhi. He ie recipient of the prestigious Rashtriya Gaurav Award, Indira Gandhi Siromani Award, Shiksha Rattan Award from IIFS, New Delhi, Best Citizen of India Award from IPH, New Delhi and Best Article Award from IAAVP. He was also selected for International Gold Star Award and Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award.


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Natural Fancy Pink Diamond Earrings
Incredibly rare and exceptionally beautiful pink diamonds adorn these flower-shaped earrings. Impressive elegance. These lustrous fancy pink diamond earrings are sure to turn heads with its beauty.
- Set in 18K White Gold
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Diamond Leaf Earrings
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- Set in 18K White Gold
- Rose-cut Diamond: 1.86 CTS
- Pear-Shape Diamond: 0.40 CTS
- Round Diamond: 1.67 CTS


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Supporting improvement in literacy and numeracy
A student's literacy and numeracy skills underpin their future workforce participation and productivity, and can also impact on their long-term social and health outcomes.
Why literacy and numeracy matters
Students currently enrolled in NSW schools will navigate a vastly different world of work to most of the adults in their lives. Our students are entering rapidly changing, technology-rich, global and highly competitive job markets.
Students need to be positioned to thrive in this environment, and to see opportunities as well as to meet challenges.
While literacy and numeracy skills are explicit in English and mathematics, all learning areas require discipline-specific literacy and numeracy knowledge and skills.
Literacy is strengthened, made specific and extended in other learning areas, and the use of mathematical skills across the curriculum enriches the study of each curriculum area and contributes to the development of a broader and deeper understanding of numeracy.
The growth of new technologies and new industries has led to an increasing need for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) expertise in the workforce.
For educators, the future is not an abstract concept. We can see the future daily in the faces of the young people in our classrooms. Now, more than ever, we need to be planning for their future.
We know the fundamentals of education will not change. Literacy and numeracy are, and always will be, the foundations of learning. Therefore, the teaching of discipline-specific literacy and numeracy skills are cross-curricular responsibilities of all teachers P-12.
Key principles for whole school literacy and numeracy improvement
The School Excellence Framework (SEF) states that in schools that excel, 'all teachers understand and explicitly teach literacy and numeracy to students at all levels of achievement, in all subject areas, with success that can be measured by improved student progress and achievement data'.
The teaching of literacy and numeracy is a core responsibility of all teachers in your school. Improving literacy and numeracy skills for all students requires a collective focus, where all members of your school work together to adopt a whole school approach, supporting the explicit teaching of literacy and numeracy across each key learning and subject area.
Some key principles underpin this.
The school leadership team:
- are lead learners and demonstrate a clear understanding of which initiatives and strategies are most effective in achieving sustainable improvements in student performance
- identifies those teachers having a wide repertoire of teaching practices which they expertly employ to suit their classroom context, their purposes and the needs of their students, and support them to provide instructional leadership/mentoring in teaching literacy and numeracy across the school
- provides staff with research-based resources that are used equitably and strategically to address the literacy and numeracy needs of the students
- ensures that students can clearly articulate their learning goals, specifically in literacy and numeracy, through having a clear vision of the expectations, where they are at and where they need to go next in their learning
- ensures that there is effective, collaborative engagement with parents and carers about their child's literacy and numeracy development
- embeds systems for student literacy and numeracy data to be shared at transition stages, from year to year and between each school setting.
All teachers:
- hold high expectations for all learners, and share a vision of accountability and responsibility for student learning
- prioritise teaching time for literacy and numeracy with strategies embedded in all curriculum areas
- engage in targeted quality professional learning that further develops their capabilities to teach literacy and numeracy, effectively meeting the needs of all learners - including EAL/D, refugee, Aboriginal students, students with disability and additional needs, and high potential and gifted students
- understand the minimum curriculum requirements and the minimum standard required for student literacy and numeracy development for each year level
- use data to inform explicit programming and targeted teaching, including differentiation and formative assessment of literacy and numeracy skills
- monitor and track student progress, and support students identified as needing additional support/ extension
- provide quality feedback and utilise assessment practices, including tracking of students through frameworks and progressions, to support teacher decision-making and student progress.
Literacy and numeracy priorities
Literacy and numeracy form the foundations students need for deep learning across the curriculum and the development of skills essential to everyday life.
From 2022, a focus on 5 new priorities for improving literacy and numeracy will ensure all NSW public schools have access to the support they need to give students every opportunity to achieve their best.
The 5 priorities for improving literacy and numeracy, which are based on strong evidence and research, identify the most important levers to improve student outcomes.
- There is a whole school and system approach to literacy and numeracy achievement from preschool to Year 12.
- School leadership is focussed on improving student literacy and numeracy.
- All teachers use effective practices to improve student literacy and numeracy outcomes through curriculum.
- Schools and systems use data to inform literacy and numeracy improvement.
- Families are supported as partners in their children's literacy and numeracy development.
Evidence-based practices to improve literacy and numeracy
There are 3 key CESE documents that provide a research-based foundation for your school to consider when planning for effective practice - not only in literacy and numeracy, but across all curriculum areas.
Key documents
The Centre for Educational Statistics and Evaluation (CESE) document:
- How schools can improve literacy and numeracy performance and why it (still) matters summarises evidence-based practices to improve student literacy and numeracy outcomes at school.
The main findings are:
- Intervene early and maintain the focus.
- Know what students can do and target teaching accordingly.
- Have clear and transparent learning goals.
- Focus on teacher professional learning that improves the teaching of literacy and numeracy.
These themes are explored through the lens of 2 additional CESE documents:
- Six Effective Practices in High Growth Schools
- High value-add schools: key drivers of school improvement.
Focus questions
The following focus questions are based on the drivers of improvement and effective practices that are common to all NSW government schools that have achieved high growth.
Quality matters early
The first 3 years of schooling are critical for students to develop the literacy and numeracy skills that they will carry into upper primary and secondary school. Initial early identification of student strengths and areas requiring development, the choice and implementation of effective interventions used to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes, and effective teaching, can address and mitigate the effects of disadvantage and reduce performance gaps within your school.
A sustained focus is important
Your school's early intervention strategies need to be followed by sustained, high-quality learning experiences with clear monitoring and tracking processes to sustain student improvement.
Focus questions
- Have we identified explicit whole-school goals and are they embedded across stages and faculties?
- Have we implemented and effectively resourced whole-school planning sessions and regular staff meetings to plan, discuss, support and evaluate progress towards achieving goals?
- Have we implemented and effectively resourced cross-stage/ faculty project teams, for example focusing on literacy and/or numeracy to support learning programs and assessment tasks at a whole-school level?
- Do we have effective structures and processes in place to help all our teachers 'put a face to the data' – ensuring that our student data, while aggregated for planning, maintains a focus on individual students and their needs?
Targeted teaching can reduce achievement gaps
Differentiated instruction is an effective strategy for lifting the performance of all students. This applies equally to your more capable students and students requiring greater learning support. Early intervention, and sustained 'point in time' tiered intervention are essential practices that need to be in place throughout all stages of schooling.
Intervention and differentiation strategies which are implemented in a continuous, planned way across your entire student cohort, are a means of not only delivering the year level curriculum, but extending the skills and knowledge of all of your students in every class regardless of their starting point.
Focus question
- Have we implemented and effectively resourced the use of extensive, point in time data collection, including formative and summative assessment, to track learning outcomes in the classroom and to guide teaching practice to ensure all students' skills are being extended?
Formative assessment helps target teaching
Through the planned and continuous monitoring and tracking of student learning, your teachers are able to identify concepts and skills with which their students are having difficulty, and in turn, plan to teach or reteach these concepts and skills in a targeted way to ensure mastery. Conversely, areas in which your students may require further challenge in order to keep them performing at their highest levels may also be targeted.
Focus question
- Are we planning, resourcing, implementing and monitoring our initiatives to ensure that all of our teachers are:
- using effective processes to track student learning
- developing and documenting differentiation strategies when planning to target concepts, skills and understandings to ensure all students skills are being extended?
Learning progressions support explicit teaching
In order to improve your students' literacy and numeracy skills, an effective and evidence-based whole school approach to setting learning goals is vital. Clear and transparent learning goals can be set at both the school and classroom level by tracking student progress.
An effective, clearly articulated approach is especially important in secondary schools, where the planned development of literacy and numeracy skills is often described as 'everybody's responsibility'. Moving from this aspiration to an embedded whole-school approach that impacts every classroom and every teacher's practice, requires an intentional, well-articulated and well-resourced plan to build the capabilities of all teachers so that they confidently and intentionally develop the literacy and numeracy skills of each of their students.
Focus question
- Have we ensured that explicit learning goals based on syllabus outcomes and learning progressions are presented for our students in a way that clearly:
- show what the learning expectations are
- show their current level of achievement
- inspire and encourage them to pursue higher levels of achievement?
Explicit teaching improves student learning
Explicit teaching practices involve all of your teachers clearly showing students what to do and how to do it, rather than having students discover or construct this information for themselves. When introducing any explicit teaching, teachers need to ensure that they explicitly communicate the learning intention of the lesson and what success means for those intentions. Teachers need to clearly articulate what they want students to learn in terms of the skills, knowledge, attitudes and values within any particular unit or lesson.
Focus questions
- Have we implemented and effectively resourced structures and processes to ensure that all of our teachers are effectively using explicit instruction to show our students what success looks like?
- Are all of our teachers consistently breaking down the steps required to achieve success? How are we monitoring if this is having a positive impact on student learning?
- Are all of our teachers consistently showing students exemplars of success, for example, sharing work samples that meet achievement benchmarks? How do we know this is happening?
- Are all of our students receiving quality instruction through rigorous and relevant teaching strategies? Is learning time effective? How do we know this is happening?
Quality professional learning improves teaching quality
High-quality teaching is the greatest in-school influence on student engagement and outcomes. Effective professional learning ensures that all of your teachers are enabled to deliver at their highest levels and improve student outcomes in literacy and numeracy. High impact professional learning deepens each teachers' content knowledge and their knowledge about how students best learn that content.
Professional learning within your school needs to be:
- seen as an integral part of achieving whole school priorities
- linked to clear and relevant student outcomes
- supported by the wider school community.
Focus questions
- Are we identifying strategic opportunities for professional learning that directly relate to school goals and provide tangible skills and materials that can be used in the classroom?
- Have we put in place identified opportunities and processes to share professional learning and internal expertise across our school?
- Have we implemented and effectively resourced structures and processes to ensure that all our teachers can effectively apply professional learning in the classroom?
Experts in the classroom provide instructional leadership to the whole school
Teachers learning from each other through sharing experiences and expertise builds the capabilities of all staff. The model of instructional leadership adopted is of less importance than the skills and experience of the people involved, the level of competence and confidence they have in their respective roles, their willingness to embrace change, and the relationships they develop.
Focus questions
- Have we put in place and effectively supported structured opportunities for effective collaboration among staff where all our teachers are sharing work samples to ensure consistency in teacher judgement?
- Have we provided and effectively supported the use of easily accessible platforms for all our staff to share and collaborate on teaching resources and practices, and have we included strategies such as the use of templates and exemplars that facilitate differentiation and assessment?
- Have we put in place structured opportunities for effective peer coaching and support programs, promoting and developing improved teaching practice?
Teaching writing has far-reaching benefits for all students
Writing is recognised as a tool that promotes content learning across all disciplines and year levels. There is a substantial evidence base for the importance of explicitly teaching writing. For these reasons, a school-wide approach to the teaching of writing should be considered when you are developing your Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP).
Implementing a whole-school approach to explicitly teach writing will require each curriculum area, stage or faculty to explicitly teach and assess the requirements of writing that are specific to their curriculum or syllabus, as a means of deepening student knowledge and understanding.
Teachers who have extensive knowledge about the teaching of writing can achieve significant gains in student writing and overall literacy results. This requires teachers to have a skills set that includes understanding theory and research related to teaching writing, the capability to analyse the practice and the experience of writing. This is a set of skills that may need to be developed further. In developing your SIP, you may need to consider professional learning that equips all teachers with the tools to identify and teach to the full spectrum of writing development year levels and subject areas as a means of improving student learning outcomes.
Effective teachers use data to understand and plan for their students' needs
Professional learning in data analysis, and the tools and techniques to effectively utilise data within the classroom, develops within your staff the technical expertise to make the best use of data and evidence of learning. This enables teachers to have a greater understanding of their students' needs and can lead to improvements in teaching practice.
The interpretation and use of assessment information by teachers who have received data analysis professional learning has been shown to result in student achievement gains accelerating at twice the expected rate.
Focus questions
- Have we implemented and effectively resourced structures and processes to ensure that all our teachers are effectively using student data to identify learning needs, develop learning targets and monitor student progress in attaining these targets?
- Have we in place and have we effectively supported structured opportunities for all of our teachers to share work samples and ensure that assessment expectations are consistent and that a culture of high expectations is promoted across our school?
Learn more
Find out more about School Excellence in Action.


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Dr Peter Baratosy has written a new book about Medical Cannabis which is densely packed with information regarding the medical uses for cannabis, illustrating the latest advances in scientific research in the area.
The book is quite detailed and looks at a wide range of potential applications including immune regulation, inflammation, pain management, insomnia, mental health, cancer, various organ systems and metabolic conditions and how cannabis is used to help.
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About Ironwolves
|Current Team Ironwolves:
Moiraine: General management and forum admin
Exeldro: Hosting
Dazza: Programming
Laelyne: Forum admin
|For help in the past we want to thank:
Xception: For Image editing & webdesign
ICatchPets: For setting up the forum and creating the pet pages
Nishihara: For his help with high level maps information & various
Endril: For his help with workskill pages & various
Wisteria: For creating the lovely Ironwolves banner
|A bit of History:
MeFisher has created and, with help of a lot Fairyland players from all around the world, updated this website with all information you ever wished to know about Fairyland online. At a certain moment, MeFisher quit playing and, after a while, stopped updating the website. Though that did not stop people from visiting this website far after it contained all information about all the patches. When MeFisher had to quit hosting Ironwolves, he made the files available for whoever wanted to use it, or host it. At that point Forsaken decided we will not let his hard work go in vain. We decided not only to host the website, but to make an effort on making it THE website where you can find all the information you ever wanted about Fairyland again too.
Fairyland Iron Wolves - is a Resource site that is dedicated to providing information to better help the gaming experience for all Fairyland Players. We aim at as accurate information as possible, attempting to provide the most information in the broadest possible spectrum.
Any errors, suggestions, misprints, typo's, additional experiences that will or could be relevant to other Fairyland player's gameplay experience, including Guide updates, Multiple guides, character leveling suggestions would be most welcome.
Credits will be assigned as information is provided, if information
is not provided or is in question then we reserve the right to
remove all credit.


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Hackers Breach Security Company Verkada Accessing 150,000 Cameras Inside Tesla, Hospitals, and Jails
Hackers said they did it for "fun", but they also wanted to show how pervasive the surveillance of citizens is.
On March 9th, Bloomberg reported that hackers breached security company Verkada after infiltrating into the systems of security, giving them access to live and archived footage from 150,000 security cameras inside Verkada customers' facilities and its own offices. Victims included carmaker Tesla, software provider Cloudflare, women's health clinics, psychiatric hospitals, police stations, and several prisons.
The cameras, including the ones in hospitals, are able to identify and classify people captured on the footage by using sophisticated facial-recognition technology. What's more, they can also filter individuals by their gender, their clothes' color, and other factors.
Tillie Kottmann, one of the hackers, told Bloomberg they did it for fun:
Lots of curiosity, fighting for the freedom of information and against intellectual property, a huge dose of anti-capitalism, a hint of anarchism – and it's also just too much fun not to do it.
The hackers, who call themselves "Advanced Persistent Threat 69420," got into the system using a "Super Admin" account that allowed them to access all the cameras and found a username and password for an administrator account on the Internet. They've gained access to Verdaka's offices, their customers' archive, and a balance sheet, which lists assets inventory, and obligations.
The company acknowledged the breach, saying it had disabled all internal administrator accounts to prevent unauthorized access.
We have disabled all internal administrator accounts to prevent any unauthorized access. Our internal security team and external security firm are investigating the scale and scope of this issue, and we have notified law enforcement.
As per Kottmann's declaration, the reason behind the attack was to illustrate how security surveillance has infiltrated society at large.
This incident comes after last October's scandal when it was reported that Verkada employees abused their own surveillance cameras installed in the company office to harass coworkers. At first, the company did not fire the respective employees, but in the aftermath of that article, Verkada's CEO and co-founder Filip Kaliszan said the company had reviewed its decision and the employees were dismissed.
In the last year, Verkada advertised its cameras as an advantageous tool for businesses that are returning to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that they can be used to detect when rooms are overcrowded, to restrict access to meeting rooms when needed, and for contact tracing.


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Men's Performance Hoodie
Color: Washed Black
Size Chart
Reviews (94)
Stretch waffle with ultra soft knit lining
Modern athletic fit
57% Lyocell, 37% Polyester, 6% Elastane
Machine Wash Cold With Like Colors Only
Non Chlorine Bleach When Needed
Remove Promptly
Tumble Dry Low
Do Not Iron
How was the fit?
Reviewer didn't leave any comments
Not a performance soft hoodie
This was a disappointment as the fabric is not to the performance standard
Nice Hoodie (no pockets)
This would be a great hoodie if it had pockets.
Reviewer didn't leave any comments
great hoodie but careful of the size
i love Vuori clothing. but this was my first hoodie purchase. the material is thick and nice on the skin. good quality. but the sizing is big. my sleeves are about 3 inches too long so i have to fold it under to get it shorter. the body is also for a bigger person, so fit is not there. i'm 5'6" fit build. if the size was better I would buy more, but due to that, this is my only purchase for a hoodie from Vuori.
Reviewer didn't leave any comments
Great!..... too bad...
Super comfortable and cozy. Just wish there were some small pockets somewhere, whether on the outside or inside.
Love this jacket looks so great on and feel amazing!
Reviewer didn't leave any comments
Reviewer didn't leave any comments


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Despite the trials and tribulations experienced by humanity, the Earth itself continues to hum along through space — quite literally, as researchers have made new recordings of the faint, yet steady low-level hum the Earth generates, using sensitive seismic instruments placed on the ocean floor.
Although its exact cause is not entirely understood, this "hum" is a low-frequency vibration that is continuously generated by the Earth, even in the absence of earthquakes. It was first recorded in 1998, and has been detected by land-based sensors, but studying the phenomenon from the perspective of the ocean floor has proven problematic, due to the ambient noise generated by waves on the surface, and the continuous passage of ocean currents. This meant that scientists were only getting part of the picture: since the oceans cover 70 percent of the Earth's surface, that meant there was a corresponding amount of data that researchers didn't have access to.
To develop this new listening technique, the researchers used the seismic data from two ocean-floor sensors that provided the highest quality recordings, and then systemically filtered out known sources of noise, such as earthquakes, ocean currents, and infragravity waves.
They found that Earth's vibe peaks at a number of different frequencies between 2.9 and 4.5 millihertz — roughly 10,000 times below the 20 hertz that the average human can hear. This new technique is expected to also allow researchers to generate better models of the interior of the Earth: traditionally, the seismic waves from earthquakes are used to study Earth's deeper layers, but the technique only works sporadically, when 'quakes occur. Since the Earth's hum is continuous, however, this could allow researchers access to data from deep within the planet, to a potential depth of 500 kilometers (310 miles), whenever they wish.
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