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Luke DeCock
DeCock: UNC faculty silence has spoken volumes
In the almost three years since former chancellor Holden Thorp first admitted that academic fraud was part of the original football scandal at North Carolina, one of the most surprising developments has been the role the faculty has played.
Through it all, through the NCAA sanctions for the football program, through the stunning revelations that the Department of African and Afro-American Studies was a factory of no-show classes and grade changes benefiting a large number of athletes, through each embarrassing blow to the academic integrity of one of the nation's great public universities, the faculty has been almost entirely absent.
Complicit, by collective silence. Complicit, in the case of Jan Boxill, by action.
The News & Observer's Dan Kane discovered emails documenting Boxill's role in removing key information from a draft report that highlighted connections between the athletic department and academic improprieties in the African studies department. It was a shocking example of how far the North Carolina faculty has gone in defense of athletics.
Boxill, the chairman of the faculty council, explicitly wanted to avoid arousing the interest of the NCAA. She also has ties to the athletic department, having served as an academic adviser and as a women's basketball broadcaster.
Thorp had his own ties to athletics, although they were personal, not professional. At times, he seemed like a fan first, a steely-eyed administrator second. It took him months to come around to the obvious conclusion that Butch Davis had to go. He was for too long in denial that this sort of thing could happen at North Carolina.
He also commissioned the Martin Report, in all its inadequacy. Jim Martin, an honorable, respected, dignified man of distinguished service to the state of North Carolina, ended up the figurehead of a report that posed few legitimate questions and answered fewer, a whitewash.
It's not hard to understand why some faculty may not have thought it worth speaking out. Many had confidence in Thorp, a longtime colleague, and taking a more aggressive public stance would have meant crossing him. (Thorp has since been replaced by former Dartmouth provost Carol Folt, who arrived on campus earlier this month.)
It was also easy to see this as compartmentalized, limited to athletics and the African studies department, not relevant to the university at large. The Boxill emails may change that, once professors and students start returning to campus next month.
So far only a few lone voices have spoken, most notably history professor Jay Smith, who wrote an op-ed column for the Daily Tar Heel student newspaper in January decrying the lack of interest on the part of his colleagues. "There have been no demonstrations, no petitions, no teach-ins and few public comments," Smith wrote.
Speaking at a forum on the future of intercollegiate athletics in Chapel Hill last year, public policy professor Hodding Carter III lamented exactly this kind of inaction.
"As far as I can see, on one campus after another, the silence of the faculty is very much the silence of the lambs," Carter said, "allowing the slaughter of the integrity of the institutions they serve to go forward."
The late Bill Friday was on the stage that night, a great man who cared deeply about both the University of North Carolina and the future of college athletics. He championed the idea to put control of college sports in the hands of university presidents, thinking academia was up to the challenge of overseeing athletics.
Perhaps the disclosure of Boxill's role will serve as a catalyst for more decisive action on the part of her colleagues, because North Carolina is making a mockery of Friday's dream. That's no way to honor the legacy of a man who deserves better, or a school that once stood for something more.


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by Michael Klinger
The Newest Music: Highlights from SYMPHONY's online Premieres list for the 2003-04 season.
Each summer, SYMPHONY compiles a list of world, U.S., and Canadian premieres
scheduled for the upcoming season. The particular orchestras and composers
change a little from year to year, but the number of premieres tends to hover
around the mid-200s mark. It's not a qualitative measurement by any means, and
it's always possible that there are more premieres that we don't hear of. As an
anecdotal gauge, however, the premieres list shows clearly enough that the
orchestral field is unwavering in presenting new works alongside more
traditional fare. This year, some 100 orchestras reported with (the usual)
200-plus national and world premieres. Some celebrate occasions; others
represent the culmination of innovative projects. The complete list is available
Composing for full orchestra is not necessarily more difficult than for small ensemble, but getting those works performed can be more of a challenge. It takes organization, ambition, and vision to see a new orchestral work safely to its premiere (not to mention the well-documented problem of a second performance, and then a third). It also takes money, and in the current economic climate, finding money for a project that already needs all that ambition and vision isn't exactly the simplest of tasks.
Not for this reason alone, a five-year planned partnership between Meet The Composer, three Bay Area orchestras, and one visionary benefactor merits attention, praise, and--Meet The Composer hopes--imitation. Funder Kathryn Gould's involvement in this extensive "Magnum Opus" commissioning project brings her joint enthusiasms for performance (she's an amateur violinist) and new music together with her business sense as a venture capitalist. ("I like to make things happen," she says.)
Gould's interests dovetailed perfectly with New Music, New Donors, a Meet The Composer initiative designed to seek "direct, proactive, and personal ways" for individuals to commission new works. An enthusiastic attendee at concerts featuring new music, Gould was as involved as Meet The Composer President Heather Hitchens and each of the orchestras' music directors in choosing composers from among the more than 100 applicants. Over the course of five seasons, nine works will be given their world premieres, three of them this season. All three orchestras--Oakland East Bay Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, and Marin Symphony--will perform each of the pieces, making for a total of 27 performances of the commissioned works; participating composers are assured of that too-often-denied second or third performance. For the 2003-04 season, Bay Area listeners will get to hear new works by Ingram Marshall, Kenji Bunch and Kevin Puts, and eventually, they'll get to compare three different orchestras' performances of the commissioned pieces.
"Magnum Opus" is not the only recent example of a patron's significant commitment to new music. Many orchestras have equally notable relationships with patrons of new music. The National Symphony Orchestra, for example, continues its long-running commitment through the John and June Hechinger Commissioning Fund for New Orchestral Works. The objective of the fund is both to create new works for orchestra and to nurture American composers. NSO Music Director Leonard Slatkin notes that the Hechinger Fund has, over its 20 years, "made more than 50 orchestral works possible." This year five short works have been commissioned, and like last year, will be programmed as "surprise" encores. The works--by Daron Hagen, John Sichel, Steven Stucky, David Teie, and Leonard Slatkin--will complement five programs, and the NSO will continue to perfect its practice of the "stealth" premiere.
This season sees the first two Philadelphia Orchestra premieres to come through a grant from the Philadelphia Music Project. Funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by Settlement Music School, the project has awarded a two-year grant of more than $160,000 to fund a total of four commissions. This year, a new work by Gerald Levinson will begin the first subscription program of the season, simultaneously marking the beginning of Christoph Eschenbach's tenure as music director. Later in the season, Ned Rorem's Flute Concerto will be brought to life with the help of Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Flute Jeffrey Khaner.
Musical Landmarks
As always, arrivals, farewells, birthdays, anniversaries--and, in one case, the bicentennial of a pretty significant mapping expedition--will also be marked with orchestral premieres. Six Centennial Commissions, from six prominent American composers, will herald the beginning of the Seattle Symphony's second century this season. Samuel Jones, Daniel Brewbaker, Bright Sheng, Chen Yi, David Stock, and John Harbison have each been tapped to provide a celebratory score for Seattle.
The Tucson Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 75th anniversary this season and, through its Diamond Jubilee Commissioning Project, will present nine world premieres. The orchestra has commissioned Enrique Arturo Diemecke, William McGlaughlin, Daniel Asia, Dan Coleman, Stephen Paulus, Michael Abels, Sarah Maggie Polk, Roberto Sierra, and Kenneth LaFave to commemorate the major milestone.
Commissioned fanfares this season will herald the arrival in Portland of Carlos Kalmar as music director of the Oregon Symphony, while also marking the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition. For its season-long celebration the orchestra turned to three Oregon composers: Robert Kyr, David Schiff, and Kevin Walczyk. The three-minute pieces will be performed on three separate programs over the course of the season.
The Minnesota Orchestra celebrates the 80th birthday of Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, who served as music director from 1960 to 1979 and is now conductor laureate. Skrowaczewski will conduct the orchestra in his own Fifth Symphony on October 2. Another Minnesota Orchestra resource, Principal Trumpet Manuel Laureano, is on call to perform the world premiere of Stephen Paulus's Concerto for Two Trumpets and Orchestra along with trumpeter (and Principal Pops Conductor) Doc Severinsen on November 13. Across the river, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra says farewell to Principal Cellist Peter Howard this year, after 29 seasons with the ensemble; in March, Howard will give composer Paul Schoenfield's Cello Concerto its premiere.
Orchestras frequently draw from their own ranks in looking for highly skilled soloists; this season The Nashville Symphony called on one of its most distinguished alumni. It commissioned former Nashville Symphony bass player Edgar Meyer, and his frequent collaborator, virtuoso banjo player Béla Fleck, to compose the Concerto for Double Bass and Banjo. The work, scheduled for a November 7 premiere, could be a happy nod from the orchestra's European tradition to its home in Music City.
Movie fans in Baltimore will get a chance to hear their hometown orchestra perform the world premiere of John Corigliano's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, "The Red Violin." The Baltimore Symphony joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and San Francisco Ballet Association in commissioning the work, and will offer the premiere on its season-opening program September 19. Joshua Bell, whose offstage virtuosity can be heard in the film, is the featured soloist.
SYMPHONY's annual premieres list is a valuable resource for any new-music lover looking for a good concert, and a useful tool in countering the anecdotal notion that new music isn't being performed anywhere, by anyone. To get a quick handle on the state of new orchestral music in the U.S. and Canada, visit www.symphony.org and take a look at some of what's on offer in halls from coast to coast this season.
Michael Klinger is associate editor of SYMPHONY and webmaster for the American Symphony Orchestra League.

subset: commoncrawl


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Measuring Social Media for Brand Awareness – White Paper
Social media can greatly contribute to your overall Brand Awareness picture by delivering cost-effective exposure, influence and engagement across the entire social web.
As our key target audiences continue to adopt to social media channels we can leverage our activities to show how we are contributing to public relations and advertising metrics that the company already has a history with, giving us a baseline for our analysis.
As you build your measurement strategy for Brand Awareness take a look at what is currently being reported to the executive team for public relations and advertising and put social media into the mix to see where you are delivering improvements.
This White Paper is the third in a series dedicated to understanding social media measurement. An Introduction to Social Media Measurement with HootSuite and Applying Social Media to the Sales Funnel began the series.
Stay tuned for future topics: Measuring Social Media for Lead Generation and Measuring Social Media for Customer Retention. The series includes tutorials and case studies for using HootSuite to accomplish these measurement strategies.


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When you purchase something from our site, cleverbridge tells us your name, email address, and a list of products included in your order so we can provide support if you have a technical problem later on.
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text:
Author Notes: Thrifty in the kitchen. Generous at the table. That would be the cooking mantra I grew up with. If you bought beets, you'd use both the tops and the roots. My grandmother steams beet greens in water and dresses them with a little balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. The sour cream dressing is one she makes for salads. I combined the two. Because isn't that what's supposed to happen to family recipes? —Amanda Hesser
Serves: 2 to 4
cup sour cream (not low-fat)
tablespoons cider vinegar
teaspoon sugar
teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Greens from 2 bunches (8 to 10) medium beets, trimmed and washed
In This Recipe
- In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Season with pepper.
- Pour ¼ cup water into a large sauté pan. Spread the greens in the pan and cover with a lid. Set over medium high heat and once you hear the water steaming, toss the greens with tongs. Continue steaming and tossing the greens until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Add more water to the pan as needed; there should be just enough to steam the greens with out water-logging them. Use the tongs to transfer the greens (leaving the water behind) to a mixing bowl.
- Spoon a few tablespoons dressing over the greens. Add more as needed. Spread the greens on a platter, and serve.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
More Great Recipes:
Sour Cream|Vegetable|Vinegar|Summer|Side


text:
By Shawn Langlois
Louis C.K. wasn't talking stocks, but he could have been, when he said, "Now we live in an amazing, amazing world, and it's wasted on the crappiest generation of spoiled idiots."
That's a bit strong. Some of the smartest people aren't buying this market. And plenty of idiots are eating it up. Yet there's a prevailing darkness settling over the news flow that doesn't care much about the market's reluctance to correct. Just ask our friends in Ferguson, Ukraine and Gaza.
The old newspaper adage, "If it bleeds, it leads" is in play, says Matt Ridley.
"Compared with any time in the past half-century, the world as a whole is today wealthier, healthier, happier, cleverer, cleaner, kinder, freer, safer, more peaceful and more equal," he wrote in a piece posted on the Rational Optimist blog. "The world's always full of atrocity, violence, death and debt."
Josh Brown of the Reformed Broker blog kept with the theme when he asked, "What the f*** else do you people need to be happy?" This, after listing several modern-day perks like Jennifer Lawrence, Uber and, of course, "Game of Thrones".
He pointed to a recent Gallup poll, which showed that a lowly 22% of Americans are satisfied with how the country is going (see chart of the day).
There's no reason to believe that we, as a people, will be getting any happier this week. Just like there's no reason to believe the market's going react negatively to all the bad news (though ignore these 3 dangers for stocks at your peril). Stocks are up heading into Monday's regular session.
Key market gauges: Big money poured into the Market Vectors Russia ETF /quotes/zigman/464082/delayed /quotes/nls/rsx RSX last week, helping to stoke a rally of almost 3% for the exchange-traded fund. But the advance ran out of steam at the end of the week, amid fears of escalating tensions in Ukraine. Russian stocks, again, promise to be volatile in the coming days.
Meanwhile, futures on the Dow /quotes/zigman/21588489/delayed YMU4 and the S&P /quotes/zigman/21363743/delayed EMU4 show that U.S. stocks are ready to push higher. Asia /quotes/zigman/6959860/realtime XX:ADOW closed mostly higher, while Europe /quotes/zigman/2380150/delayed XX:SXXP is hovering to start the week.
The quote of the day: "When there aren't enough good investing opportunities, people wishing to save more for the future may succeed only in bidding up existing assets, even if they think they're overpriced. Call it the 'life preserver on the Titanic' theory." — Robert Shiller, extrapolating from the ideas of Robert Lucas.
The economy: The ones to watch this week hit on Tuesday and Thursday, when we'll get July housing starts and existing home sales, respectively. Also of note, Friday brings us a speech from Fed Chair Janet Yellen in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Today, we can chew on the NAHB homebuilder survey at 10:00 a.m Eastern.
Earnings: The season is essentially over, but some stragglers remain, like Urban Outfitters /quotes/zigman/55244/delayed /quotes/nls/urbn URBN and JinkoSolar /quotes/zigman/587434/delayed /quotes/nls/jks JKS , both of which will be reporting today. Overall, earnings have been a real headwind for stocks in the past few weeks. In fact, here's why Bespoke says it's been a "brutal two-quarter stretch".
The buzz: A Monday without M&A? Perish the thought. Dollar General /quotes/zigman/575788/delayed /quotes/nls/dg DG has offered $78.50 a share in cash for Family Dollar /quotes/zigman/226252/delayed /quotes/nls/fdo FDO . That ups the ante for Dollar Tree /quotes/zigman/109619/delayed /quotes/nls/dltr DLTR , which bid $74.50 per share in July for Family Dollar. Dollar General is up 10%, Family Dollar is up 5% and Dollar Tree is down 1.5%.
In other M&A news, Cameron International /quotes/zigman/417806/delayed /quotes/nls/cam CAM is selling its Centrifugal Compression division assets to Ingersoll-Rand /quotes/zigman/556949/delayed /quotes/nls/ir IR for $850 million. Also, Sensata Technologies /quotes/zigman/589093/delayed /quotes/nls/st ST said it will buy Schrader, which makes sensors to monitor tire pressure, from private-equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners in a deal valued at $1 billion.
Extract whatever meaning from this that you see fit, but London's ridiculously-hot real estate market just endured its biggest drop since 2007.
The call of the day: A painful day of reckoning is coming to the bond market, according to John Mauldin, whose newsletter typically has more bubbles than an Ibiza nightclub. This week, though, he takes it up a few notches. He's talking bond bubble and using this chart to drawn a comparison to the bursting of the tech bubble. "Investors are barely being compensated for the risks they're taking," Mauldin wrote. "One day, all the debt will come due, and it will end with a bang."
Read why Cullen Roche of the Pragmatic Capitalism blog felt compelled to write a response called the "silly charts edition", in which he takes issue with a couple of Mauldin's points, including how the axes were manipulated.
The chart of the day: It's been more than a decade since a majority of Americans were satisfied with the direction of the country, according to a recent Gallup poll. But hey, at 22%, at least we're not October 2008, when a scant 7% gave a nod of approval, in the face of the financial crisis. Still, we're not pleased with what's happening, and needless to say, that doesn't bode well for those in office. "With Americans mostly dissatisfied with the state of the country, and most disapproving of the job President Obama is doing, the Democratic Party is going into the fall midterm in a very unfavorable political environment," Jeffrey Jones said.
Random reads: Going to Dubai? Leave the horns at home.
LeBron James calls out the President in the ice-bucket thingie.
A whole new level of war reenactment.
"Shark Week" and the devolution of the Discovery Channel.
As summer winds down, this is what a $2 million pool looks like.
Need to Know starts early and is updated until the opening bell, but sign up here to get it delivered once to your e-mail box. Be sure to check the Need to Know item. The e-mailed version will be sent out at about 7 a.m. Eastern.


text:
Plush interior, European styling, and seating for five—if that is what you were looking for in a car Hyundai wanted you to believe their Excel for 1988 was the same as a 1988 BMW 325i. Plus it had FWD!
Hyundai wasn't doing much right in 1988 and it seems that includes picking targets for their ads trashing the competition. The company stacked their Excel against a car that is still believed to be one of the best BMW ever made.
According to them the only difference was the smug yuppie still paying for his Bimmer. According to us a "plush interior" and "seating for five" are likely the only attributes the Hyundai and the E30 shared.


text:
Tcgent needed a new stationery design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 60 designs submitted by 12 freelance designers.
SoLa Dental
I am opening a modern, high tech, and eco-friendly dental practice in a hip urban area. This will be a certified green dental practice and the interior design will reflect a modern urban spa esthetic. The practice will be located in downtown Austin, TX and the practice name comes from the street the practice will be located on.
I want my brand to promote an image of quality first and foremost. I have very high standards for myself, my work, my staff, and business partners. As I stated before the overall design of this practice will be a modern, urban spa and my printed materials need to be fit with that esthetic.
My target audience will be adults from 25-60. Women make the majority of healthcare decisions and my branding needs to be appealing to them.
This will be a sophisticated dental practice offering very high quality care and operated with a focus on eco-friendly management practices.
The business card and stationary need to be eye catching, very professional looking and consistent with the overall design of the practice. I have attached our logo in .eps format. Please let me know if you prefer in .png, or .psd format.
I would like a two-sided business card. The card should have the logo, address, phone number, email, web address, and simplistic map of the location.
The stationary will be used as professional letterhead and should be consistent with the branding of the logo and business card.
I need pdf's and psd's of both designs.
Here are some more details:
Name: SoLa Dental
Address: 300 South Lamar Blvd. Suite N Austin, TX 78704
Phone number: TBD
email: TBD
URL: soladentalaustin.com


text: Hi Jon and list I am trying to work on a similar project here. With tight funding, I had to go convince the director to buy one NVidia GeForce 9800 GTX (512MB memory) for testing. The card cost about $200 (before taxes). You may find better prices on Newegg and other places. If your budget is tighter than this, you may buy an GeForce 8800 GT for less, and still do useful work. Beware of the number of processors and the "compute capability" (see below) of the card you buy. They vary even within a same card series (8800 has a lot of different models). I am hoping to get a bit of spare time to work on a few programs to make the case for it. Or not, as these things seem to suck a lot of power, and the utility bill may drive the sponsor of my project mad, if we outfit all workstations here with these video cards. :) The CUDA API doesn't look as friendly as, say, OpenMP or MPI, and the the time invested in programming may only be worth on a pilot project. Or things may get better if a holy grail type of great unification API, such as the OpenCL that you mentioned, comes true. Anyway, if say, I can accelerate Matlab, it is already a big deal for a lot of people here that use Matlab to do small programming projects and data analysis. Like it or not, Matlab is the "de facto" programming language for the vast majority of scientists and science students. For code that uses FFTs or BLAS in a regular pattern / loop, porting it to use CUDA/GPU shouldn't be very hard, as CUDA has libraries for both. You need to make sure your computer supports the card you buy (unless you want to buy a new computer). Requirements vary according to the card, and most vendors / manufacturers post the specs and requirements on their web sites. For the card I bought the minimum was a 500W power supply with two PCIe 6-pin connectors. However, this card came with two molex-to-pci-e-6-pin adapters (which I didn't use, my PS had the needed PCIe connectors). Higher end cards (9800 GX2, GTX 260 and 280) seem to require 8-pin PCIe connectors, and probably require a beefed up power supply. I don't know if there are molex adapters for PCIe 8-pin connectors. My card also required one PCIe 16x slot available. I'd guess this is what most cards require. However, the card is thick and knocks out the space of the next PCI(e) slot (on my mobo a PCIe 8x). Make sure you have this much room to spare on your chassis. Mine is a workstation tower, but for rackmount chassis you may need a riser card, etc. I would guess these cards won't fit a 1U chassis, but I may be wrong. The motherboard can have either a PCIe 1.1 or 2.0 bus, but the card will work at the lower data rate available. Check the FAQ on the PCIe site about this: http://www.pcisig.com/news_room/faqs/pcie2.0_faq/ My mobo has PCIe 1.1, and only very recent ones seem to be 2.0. So, performance may not be stellar, but hopefully it will be OK. You may want to check the "CUDA enabled" card capabilities on the NVidia site. The CUDA Programming Guide Appendix A has the details such as number of processors and "compute capability" (in a nutshell, 1.0 is the basic 32-bit capability, 1.1 and 1.2 add a bit of functionality, 1.3 adds double precision support). See: http://www.nvidia.com/object/cuda_develop.html under "Documentation". Also, it is worth taking a look at the NVidia "CUDA on Linux" forum: http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?s=13c4ff7c2bee768ff185e581fa17ff24&showforum=68 I posted questions about hardware requirements and software compatibility there (my card is under Fedora Core 8), and have got very helpful answers: http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=72798 I hope this helps. Gus Correa -- --------------------------------------------------------------------- Gustavo J. Ponce Correa, PhD - Email: gus at ldeo.columbia.edu Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory - Columbia University P.O. Box 1000 [61 Route 9W] - Palisades, NY, 10964-8000 - USA --------------------------------------------------------------------- Jon Forrest wrote: > Greg Lindahl wrote: > >> >> Well, then, why don't you run it on a low-end card that you already >> have (finite/free = infinity)? If you aren't going to bother to >> constrain the problem, you're going to get bogus answers. > > > Easy. Because I don't already have a low-end card. > > What I'm going to try to do is to be able to show > the faculty and grad students around here how > easy it is to get a significant performance improvement > by using CUDA as compared to using their normal > i386 or x86_64 processors. The actual performance > improvement isn't that important because even if it's > just a 2X improvement it will be easy to justify. > I'm expecting it to be a lot more because much > of what goes on around here has already been ported > and summarized on the CUDA web site with >=10X improvements. > > Then, once I've hooked the faculty I'll get them to buy > a high-end card to get maximum performance. >


text:
How can I take charge of my retirement plan? The government's Social Security system just isn't going to be enough for any of us to live on in the future. The American public has been committing financial suicide for the last 12 years by being a passive investor, letting financial advisors, brokers, and banks control their money, ruining their wealth and 401k plans. Their advisors have been gambling with their money and losing it.
Continue Reading Below
What's a good return today? The economy is a joke and the market is in shambles. Wall Street is a corrupt casino and banks pay nothing – 1%, 2% or 3%. All the while inflation and taxes are running rampant. It's clearly the time for each of us to take charge of retirement.
Just what are my options? Where do I start? Read the "Protect Your Retirement" section on Fox Business; look into obtaining monthly retirement income from an insurance company; read books like The Retirement Miracle by Patrick Kelly to understand fixed index products; find out the three major ways to invest and receive tax-free income; consider absentee ownership of a franchise; find a job; learn about investments that can't decrease in value when the market goes down; research the types of investments that keep pace with inflation.
Where can I get upside gains with no downside risk? The number one rule: Never Lose Money. You could convert a bucket of money into a monthly income stream. You could save taxes, look at line 20 on your income tax return and see how much of your Social Security checks are being taxed. For many of us there is a way to reduce or eliminate those taxes. Let's get the best rate of return we can get on our money. But never break the rule: Don't Lose Money. The most important advice I can give you is, it's not what you earn, it's what you keep that counts. Safe money becomes very important when many Americans are looking at 25 to 30 years of retirement.
Consider the following scenario with these assumptions: • A person born in 1947 retires at age 66 with monthly Social Security income of $1,600. • Social Security will increase an average of 1.5% due to cost of living. However, the real inflation rate may be closer to 3.1%. • The person's current tax bracket is 18%. • 50% of the person's investment is in a 401k and 50% is in a non-qualified investment. • Investments have a 5.5% rate of return. • In 2013, the monthly expenses are $5,000. • In 2014, $5,155 per month is needed to cover the same expenses with 3.1% inflation • In 2015, $5,314 per month is needed. • Cutting back on any spending during retirement and running out of money is not desired.
Based on these assumptions, how much money do you need from investments to retire? $1,200,000 in investments is needed now to retire. The money would be gone in about 2045 or after 32 years of retirement.
What if the rate of return was 4.5% (instead of 5.5%) on a $1 million nest egg? All the money would be gone in 2035.
Invest like a champ. Live like a champ.
"Protect your Retirement"
You can read more from Dennis Holmstrom at http://www.sjobergholmstrom.com


text:
Project for Spyric -- 2
Бюджет $250 USD
Hi Spyric, I noticed your profile and would like to offer you my project. We can discuss any details over chat. I web developing project. I saw your profile and I believe you can handle the project. Kindly get back to me so we can discuss more about the project. Thanks.
4 фрілансерів(-и) у середньому готові виконати цю роботу за $458
Dear Client , We gone through project description We are Really intrested to do work with you , We are Web & Software development company having more than 8 year experience in Software development we totally commit Більше
Hello, We are happy to discuss our proposal with you. KEY POINTS THAT MAKE US DIFFER FROM OTHERS: ~ We have 5+ years of experiences in Unity 3D, Xcode, CoCoa 2d, Phonegap and major iOS and Android developement. ~ Більше
Hello, After reading your offer, this looks like a perfect fit for my skill sets. I have built a large number of creative Website for different businesses. Expert Web Designer Over the past 4 years I have specialized Більше
Hi... This is Lingam, working as a web developer in BWS India Pvt Ltd. We are a 1000 + employee $6 an start any technology immediately. Direct access to developers via skype, G talk and hotline – 24/7 availabi Більше


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Local public hearing on sea turtle protections set for Monday
The Center for Biological Diversity is putting the word out concerning a public hearing planned for Monday (Sept. 9). The focus will be on protections for sea turtle nesting sites along the Atlantic coast. Sea turtles face numerous threats, including coastal development and climate change. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will play host to two public hearings next week, one at UNCW and one in Morehead City. The issue of critical habitat protection for loggerheads and other species will… Read More »


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glen ferris, WV
The case financing firm then contacts the candidate and his or her attorney, reviews the underlying case and, accepting that it acknowledges that the irritated gathering competitor will prevail, offers the cash. Most borrowers wind up with a few thousand dollars, however some can proper a colossal number of dollars. Everything depends on upon the case and the prospects of winning a judgment or settlement.
Gave that you have a lawsuit or settlement pending and you require maintains sooner than later, you may need to search for a lawsuit loan. Inestimable are either work, damage, or mishap recognized. This recommends that a mind-blowing some bit of individuals experiencing lawsuits need to proceed lost wage by virtue of their suit. In actuality individuals that don't have lost pay can at present search for a loan for their lawsuit.
It is reputed to be a "case credit" or, furnished that you are in that business, "case financing." Regardless of the imprint, it is cash credited to insulted gatherings suspecting judgments or settlements in common claims, regularly singular harm cases, for instance, auto crashs, thing commitment issues, slips and falls, and so on.


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The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ
by Habermas, Gary R.•
College Press 1996
Examining archaeological, textual, and extra-biblical evidence, Gary R. Habermas provides a strong foundation for the existence and deity of Jesus. He begins by surveying the past centuries of historical Jesus studies, highlighting key figures and offering an informed critique of their arguments. Habermas concludes with a convincing survey of the historical data available to the modern reader. His detailed engagement with early creedal statements, archaeological data, and other witnesses is both reasoned and convincing.
- Part One: Contemporary Challenges to the Historicity of Jesus
- The Modern Quest for the Historical Jesus
- Did Jesus Ever Live?
- Limitations on the Historical Jesus
- Reinterpretations of the Historical Jesus
- The New Gnosticism
- The Jesus Seminar and the Historical Jesus
- Part Two: Historical Data for the Life of Jesus
- Primary Sources: Creeds and Facts
- Archaeological Sources
- Ancient Non-Christian Sources
- Ancient Christian Sources (Non-New Testament)
- Summary and Assessment
- Part Three: Appendixes
- Historiography
- An Apologetic Outline
- A Selected Scholarly Bibliography for Non-Christian Sources
Product Details
- Title: The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ
- Author: Gary R. Habermas
- Publisher: College Press
- Publication Date: 1996
- Pages: 298
About Gary R. Habermas
Gary R. Habermas (PhD, Michigan State University) is distinguished research professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of more than 25 books.


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Accidental Death of an Anarchist
Bloomsbury Academic, Oct 16, 2003 - Drama - 100 pages
In its first two years of production, Dario Fo's controversial farce, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, was seen by over half a million people. It has since been performed all over the world and is widely recognised as a classic of modern drama. A sharp and hilarious satire on political corruption, it concerns the case of an anarchist railway worker who, in 1969, 'fell' to his death from a police headquarters window.
This version of the play was premieredĀin London in 2003.
Commentary and notes by Joseph Farrell.
What people are saying - Write a review
LibraryThing ReviewUser Review - lriley - LibraryThing
A Marx brothers type of political farce. The play revolves around the theme of misuse of power. In 1969 a bomb was planted in an Italian bank and a number of people were killed. In the aftermath of ... Read full review
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Accidental Death actor ambulance anarchic anarchist arrested audience believe bomb Calabresi Captain character clown comedy comic commedia dell'arte Constable courtyard dancer Dario and Franca Dario Fo death of Pinelli door fact farce fascist Fo and Franca Fo's play Forensic fourth floor Franca Rame hand handcuffs Harlequin Honour innocent inquiry Inspector Bertozzo Inspector Yes interrogation involved Italian Italy jester Journalist judge jump kick laugh laughter litde London look Lotta Continua Luigi Calabresi Maniac Oh Maniac Yes massacre Methuen Milan Mistero Buffo never Okay performed Piazza Fontana Piazza Fontana bombing Pietro Valpreda police officers police station policemen political psychiatrist railwayman raptus raspberry Rome satire scandal scene script shoes shut Simon Nye social democracy sorry stage strategy of tension suicide Superintendent Yes Superintendent/Inspector suspect talking tell theatre theatrical there's throw translation volumes wearing What's window words writing Yeah


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By Lauresha Xhihani
Special to The Observer
Three towns on the Quinnipiac River have won a partial victory in their effort to avoid steep costs of removing phosphorus discharges from their sewage plants.
Meriden, Wallingford and Southington, whose sewage treatment plants discharge into the Quinnipiac River, have successfully negotiated with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for a higher phosphorous discharge limit over the next five years, putting off millions in capital costs.
The DEEP has set limits for phosphorous releases on some 43 entities, the overwhelming majority of them sewage treatment plants that discharge into 21 water bodies.
The limits were set based on the quality of water in the state's rivers, with municipalities along the Naugatuck and Quinnipiac rivers having some of the most stringent limits. Discharges into these rivers must be comparable to drinking water.
Phosphorous is found in fertilizer, some laundry detergents and in dishwashing detergents. Too much phosphorous can trigger algae blooms, reducing in the clarity of water. In extreme cases, this can lead to depletion of oxygen and fish kills, according to the DEEP.
Nutrient enrichment from nitrogen and phosphorous has been identified by the federal Environmental Protection Agency as one of the most pressing water quality issues in the nation, and the EPA has mandated that all New England states establish phosphorus limits in all wastewater discharge permits.
When the limits were disclosed in 2011, municipal officials balked at the expenses they would have to face. Four Quinnipiac towns – Meriden, Wallingford, Cheshire and Southington – whose discharge permits were up for renewal, would have had to spend a combined $56 million in capital improvements and $2 million in yearly operation costs to comply with limits of .2 and .1 milligrams of phosphorus per liter
Municipal officials and their representatives in the legislature pushed back.
"It's a lot of money under ideal circumstances. Under present circumstances it's an unreasonable level of expectation, and to their credit DEEP listened," said Southington Town Manager Garry Brumback.
Legislation passed last year allows for municipalities to be reimbursed at a 30 percent rate from the federally funded and state-administered Clean Water Fund for projects related to phosphorous removal. The same legislation mandates that DEEP work with the towns on the issue.
Southington, Meriden and Wallingford banded together, hiring a lobbying firm and negotiated with DEEP. It paid off.
Draft discharge permits recently issued to Meriden, Wallingford and Southington allow a .7-milligram-per-liter phosphorous discharge over the next five years.
For Southington, Brumback said, compliance would now mean a "much more manageable" $50,000 in capital improvement expenses and $30,000 per year in operating costs.
The three Quinnipiac towns were issued "an interim" limit, said DEEP Water Protection and Land Use Bureau Chief Betsy Wingfield. The interim limit extends the time the the three towns have to comply with the much lower limits. With the interim limit, the plants will be reducing their phosphorous discharge into the Quinnipiac by 72 percent.
"That's significant," Wingfield said.
Brumback is hoping that in five years the phosphorous level on the Quinnipiac will have dropped, making it unnecessary for the still-prohibitive expense of going to a much lower phosphorous discharge limit. Southington is looking to reach its new limit by April, Brumback said.


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The Serial Console: A Front Door Worth Leaving Open
Foregoing Direct Neural Implants
In these modern times, a hardworking admin might be tempted to turn her back on the Old Ways, and indulge in increasingly exotic methods of interfacing with servers: SSH over ethernet, USB, Firewire, wireless, infrared, KVM switches, VNC, VPN... next stop: direct neural implants.
There's one old timer that still has useful place in the admin's tool kit: the serial console. Sure, it's slow and funky. But there are times it can be a real lifesaver. When nothing else works, it's a direct pipeline into your system. It's simple and cheap. You don't need to install drivers or expansion cards, it's just there.
Administration via serial console is common in data centers. Just imagine the nightmare of trying to connect all those rack units to keyboards and displays. The cabling can be extended to a nice comfortable ops center (well, an ops center, anyway). (This Lantronix Console Manager is an example of the type of device used to administer these.)
There are a number of ways to make the physical connection. You can connect an external modem--the kind us old timers fondly refer to as "real" modems--and do remote administration via dialup. It couldn't be any simpler, just dial direct. Or grab a null modem cable, connect to a laptop or a nearby workstation, and you have an instant terminal.
- Skip Ahead
- 1. Foregoing Direct Neural Implants
- 2. Foregoing Direct Neural Implants
- 3. Foregoing Direct Neural Implants
- 4. Foregoing Direct Neural Implants


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Notary Search
Disclaimer: The South Carolina Secretary of States Notary Public database is provided as a convenience to our customers to research information on notary publics commissioned by our office. Updates are uploaded every 48 hours. Users are advised that the Secretary of State, the State of South Carolina or any agency, officer or employee of the State of South Carolina does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of such information, as it is the responsibility of the notary public to inform the Secretary of State of any updated information. While every effort is made to ensure the reliability of this information, portions may be incorrect or not current. Any person or entity that relies on information obtained from this database does so at his own risk. Search results will reflect all current notaries and any notaries whose commission has expired within the last year.
Information on the Notary Public database reflects the information most recently filed with the Secretary of States Office. If your filing information has changed, you must file the appropriate form with our office to update the information. The Secretary of State has no authority to update this information without the proper form and filing fee. We cannot accept change requests by email or phone. To access our forms, please visit our Forms and Fees page.
For additional information on Notaries Public, please visit our Notaries and Apostilles page.


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From political platforms to airing grievances, award show acceptance speeches give celebrities 30 seconds to fill the air with whatever is most important to them. Game of Thrones actor and winner of the Best Supporting Actor Emmy Award on Sunday night, Peter Dinklage, showed how much he loves his pup, Kevin, when he thanked his dog sitter in his acceptance speech, perhaps a first in the show's history.
Someone once told me that it takes a lot of work to raise a dog in today's complicated world and I completely agree. Dinklage's acceptance speech made me think about all of the people I would thank for making a big difference in my dogs' lives.
First would be my parents, who take care of my dogs when I'm at work and on vacation. Then my training instructors, who have taught me the skills to teach my dogs good manners and how to have fun together in sports like agility. And last, but not least, my training buddies, who help me work through training challenges and support me through hard times.
Who would you thank on behalf of your dogs?


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Considering Going Back to Work When You're HIV Positive
December 16, 2015
Table of Contents
Many people living with HIV (HIV+) are living longer, healthier lives because of the success of newer HIV drugs. In addition, newer HIV drugs often have less serious or troublesome side effects than older HIV drugs. Therefore, many people living with HIV who may have felt very ill and been unable to work when first diagnosed may now feel well enough to consider returning to work.
Are You Ready to Return to Work?
Returning to work and feeling productive can boost your confidence and make you feel better about yourself. However, the idea of re-entering the workforce can also trigger fears and concerns. Before you jump in, here are a few simple questions to help you get started:
What Work Do You Want to Do?
If you identify what type of work you want to do, and what you hope to get from working, your job search will be more likely to be successful. You may want to think about what you expect to learn, how it might expand your skills, and what benefits you could enjoy from working.
It may also help to consider:
Related Stories
This article was provided by The Well Project. Visit The Well Project's Web site to learn more about their resources and initiatives for women living with HIV. The Well Project shares its content with TheBody.com to ensure all people have access to the highest quality treatment information available. The Well Project receives no advertising revenue from TheBody.com or the advertisers on this site. No advertiser on this site has any editorial input into The Well Project's content.
Add Your Comment:
(Please note: Your name and comment will be public, and may even show up in
Internet search results. Be careful when providing personal information! Before
adding your comment, please read TheBody.com's Comment Policy.)
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Longreads: Hope Withers With Harvest, More Fish More Money, Aging Workforces Drive Jobs to SE Asia, Mapping Toilets in Mumbai
Find a good longread on development? Tweet it to @worldbank with the hashtag #longreads.
Drought, food prices, and global warming remain hot topics as crops in the United States wilt under the hot sun, raising fears of another food price crisis. The Guardian chronicles the corn belt's adverse conditions – and the implications for the rest of the world in "America's Corn Farmers High and Dry as Hope Withers With Their Harvest." (For a view from South Africa on the drought's ripple effect, see Independent Online's "US drought puts pressure on SA food prices".) On another food supply issue, Co.exist highlights a new study on the costs and benefits of rebuilding global fisheries in "More Fish Means More Money." The bottom line: rebuilding fisheries would begin to pay off in 12 years, the study says. The New York Times blog India Ink relates an effort to address another huge challenge—access to sanitation—in "Mapping Toilets in a Mumbai Slum Yields Unexpected Results." Bloomberg looks at the coming demographic dividend in Southeast Asia, where young workers are expected to gain jobs as workforces age in Japan, Korea and China.


text: I am an independent who along with my business partners can buy your home quickly or offer a solution tailored to your personal circumstances.In some cases, we can give up to £100,000 cash upfront and assist you in selling your property. ► UP TO 100K PAID UPFRONT► MORTGAGE ARREARS PAID OFF► WE CAN PAY YOUR MORTGAGE► FREE VALUATION► FREE LEGAL EXPENSES► SELL IN 7 – 28 DAYS► COMPLETION TO SUIT► KEEP 100% OF YOUR MONEY► NO FEES Give me a call at your earliest convenience on Freephone 0800 158 8663 or my personal mobile 07790 019243 to discuss how I may help you!My services are FREE and if I cannot help you I may be able to put you in touch with someone who can. https://www.facebook.com/SellMyHouseFastForCash/https://youtu.be/IAHqCGvTELUhttps://twitter.com/sellmyhousecash


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Let your imagination run wild. Imagine an outrageously improbable project -- a show-stopping production that stretches the boundaries of possibility and elicits a wild reaction from the audience. Now share that concept with Rando. We'll brainstorm it. Design it. Engineer it. Build it. And bring it to jaw-dropping life. We imagine the impossible … and then we do it.
Rando's creative technical engineering transforms imaginative visions into spectacular events. When you need a dynamic solution to a demanding situation—when you need to push the limits in speed, timing, impact & imagination-Rando Productions is the one to turn to


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How do you get more sales and repeat customers for your ecommerce business?
That's the number one question most online store owners want answered. Most of the time, it comes down to making small improvements and optimizations to your site over time.
But where do you start?
To give you some ideas and inspiration, we decided to take a look at Harry's, a 12-month old ecommerce business powered by $122.5M in venture capital funding. Harry's sells razors and grooming products for men and was founded by Jeffrey Raider and Andy Katz-Mayfield. Raider was one of the cofounders behind Warby Parker, the popular ecommerce service for eyeglasses founded in 2010 and currently rumored to be valued at around $500 million.
Surely with all that money and experience they must be doing something right.
Let's find out :)
The Homepage
The design of the Harry's website is clean and uncluttered. It's a simple but effective aesthetic that's built around excellent product photography.
Having an attractive ecommerce website with high quality photos is important because it helps to make your products appear more valuable and helps your business appear more trustworthy. Remember, people can't touch and feel your products in an online buying environment like they can in a physical retail location so you need to make sure you're showcasing your products in the best possible light – something Harry's does particularly well.
The Harry's website is also mobile responsive and looks great on any device – something that's now mission critical for online stores. In fact, a recent survey found that 83% of global shoppers who use mobile devices plan to make a mobile purchase in the coming year. To make sure your website looks sharp and is optimized for all screen sizes, consider investing in a premium mobile responsive theme or hiring an ecommerce web designer.
On previous visits to the Harry's site, they were using a carousel that displayed a rotating selection of hero photos which showcased a mix of products and information about the company. At the time of this writing, the carousel is no longer being used and they're instead employing a static hero image. This could be something they're A/B testing or it could just be that they no longer wish to highlight certain products and information as prominently anymore.
In any case, large hero images are definitely "in" right now and are typically used to display lifestyle photos featuring the product in action. If you decide to use a carousel on your site, make sure you test it as they've been shown to reduce conversion rates.
Update: Matthew Tully from Harry's confirmed they did indeed run an a/b test and the static image won:
. @mark_macdonald, re: @harrys homepage.. we did A/B test carousel vs. single image. Static image improved conversions 12%
— Matthew Tully (@mtully) April 17, 2014
If we continue down the Harry's homepage, we can see they've chosen to display their flagship products followed by a selection of content including their online magazine, pop-up shop and manufacturing story. Making sure you tell your story on your website and communicating what makes your business unique and remarkable is more important than ever with Amazon a click away.
Finally, in the footer there are some important trust-boosting elements including links to email and phone support as well as social media profiles.
The Product Page
The Harry's product page is exceptionally well done. Studies show that larger product images can increase online sales by up to 9% and Harry's takes full advantage.
Their free shipping offer is easy to spot and their add to cart button is prominent and obvious. Offering your customers free shipping can be an effective way to improve conversions on your site – especially when you consider that shipping and handling fees have been shown to be the number one factor driving shopping cart abandonment.
Harry's product descriptions are relatively brief but they bolster them by beautifully presenting more information about the product's features below the fold. In addition, they do an excellent job of communicating their "quality and craftsmanship story" by offering a look into their factory.
Confirmation / Success / Thank You Page
Every step of the buying process is a chance to impress your customers, build customer loyalty and showcase the voice of your brand. In other words, don't neglect the transactional elements of your website like your order confirmation page.
Harry's put this page to use by including the following:
- Customer order information
- Delivery information
- Customer support information
- Brand personality
- Social media links
- A customer survey
This is a nice mix of elements that make their customers feel confident about their purchase while at the same time helping Harry's improve their business by gathering customer feedback.
Other things you could consider presenting on this page include:
- Cross selling other products
- Newsletter sign-up
- Resources on how to use your product
- Request for a product review
Take a look at every page on your site that your customer is required to interact with and ask yourself how you can improve it.
Order Confirmation Email
When most online retailers think about email marketing, they often just think about sending monthly newsletters or information about sales. However, your transactional emails are just as important as your transactional website pages.
In fact, every email you send to a potential, current, or former customer is an opportunity to provide value and have a sales conversation.
Customer Lifetime Value Optimization
A month or so after I made my purchase with Harry's, they sent me the above email asking if I needed more blades. This is a great example of how to increase the lifetime value of your customer. If you sell a consumable, anticipate when your typical customer will run out of your product and then get in touch with them. If you don't sell a consumable, figure out other offers and products that you can build into your business.
This is something that can be automated with email marketing software. Increasing customer lifetime value is one of the best things you can do for your business.
What's Missing?
There's no question Harry's is doing a lot of things right. But there's always room for improvement. Below are some opportunities and tactics Harry's are not taking advantage of that could help them boost conversion. Harry's may be aware of these opportunities and are simply choosing not to deploy them because they're not "on brand" or for other reasons.
User Generated Images
Professional product photos are great. But what they don't do is actually prove that people are buying and using your product. That's where user generated product photos come in.
A new study recently found that putting user-generated image content into the context of ecommerce is a big opportunity for brands. According to the research, brands experience a 5 to 7 percent increase in conversion rate and a 2 percent increase in average order value when they incorporate, or link to, user-generated content on product pages.
Check out how Black Milk Clothing incorporates Instagram photos from their customers on their site.
If this is something you want to test on your own site, check out the Instagration app.
Reviews and Testimonials
When it comes to making buying decisions online, customer reviews and testimonials can be the deciding factor that make or break a sale. Displaying positive feedback from your customers on your website demonstrates that you have existing sales and provides social proof for potential customers who are thinking about buying from you.
In fact, word-of-mouth is the primary factor behind 20 to 50 percent of all purchases, while 63 percent of online customers say they're more likely to buy on sites with positive reviews. Harry's currently doesn't display customer testimonials but it might be something for them to consider as a newer ecommerce brand.
Abandoned Cart Emails
The most surprising thing about the Harry's shopping experience is that they don't send abandoned cart emails to shoppers who've exited the site right before buying. Considering that studies have shown as many as 67.45% of online shopping carts are abandoned, this is a big missed opportunity for them.
If you're on the Shopify Professional or Unlimited plans, you can find out how to set up abandoned checkout recovery emails here.
In addition, there are several well-reviewed apps that can give you other sorts of functionality.
If you're not on Shopify, you still have options. These include:
All in all, Harry's is setting the ecommerce bar pretty high. Their website provides lots to draw inspiration from if you're looking to improve and optimize your own website and buying experience.
Let us know in the comments if you plan to implement any of the ideas in this post.


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Target and a few other Minnesota-based companies have contributed to Minnesota Forward, a PAC running ads in support of the campaign of Republican Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. These companies fear the aggravation of Minnesota's already difficult business climate if a Democratic governor is elected to join forces with a Democratic legislature. We haven't elected a Democratic governor in Minnesota since 1986. He left office in 1990, a generation ago. If given the opportunity, Democrats will do some serious damage in Minnesota.
Democrats have struck back at Target by serving up the useful tools among the GLBT community. They have orchestrated a campaign against Target, allegedly because of Emmer's (unspecified) "anti-gay" positions. So far as I can tell, Emmer's opposition to gay marriage is the hook for the allegation against Emmer. On gay marriage, Emmer has staked out a position that puts him arm in arm with President Obama.
The boycott campaign against Target is a pretext. Its only authentic element is its intent to intimidate Target from straying off the party line.
Randi Reitan is an interesting case in point. She is the star of a video (below) in which she purchases $226 of merchandise at Target, then calls a manager to return the goods because of Target's support of an "anti-gay" candidate and cuts up her Target charge card. Ms. Retian works herself up into a productive emotional lather professing her love for her family, under assault by Target. "As a mom," Ms. Reitan asserts, "I had to do this one person protest." Why is that? "My youngest son is gay, and I love him more than anything I could ever buy at Target." I guess that makes her special.
The melodramatic Ms. Reitan posted the video at Huffington Post. What a great idea for a story! In short order she and the video were featured both in ABC's and CBS's reports on the Target flap.
Mitch Berg gets behind the story in "The Astroturf campaign against Target: Fake


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After some controversy over its release and more than enough anticipation, the Facebook for iPad app is finally here. Check out our hands-on look and review.
After sign-in, which needs no explanation, you're taken to the familiar home page which bears your News Feed and top blue navigation bar. This all looks incredibly sparse compared to the Web version. Surprise: It's like a larger formatted version of the smartphone application. It likely looks emptier due to screen size.
The biggest different is the fact that, like on the smartphone, there are no sidebars and the News Feed instead takes up the entire screen. You navigate Facebook's features via the top left hand blue bar.
As uncluttered as the home page is, without any automatic sidebars it feels like there an awful lot of white space.
Roll out sidebar
Selecting the far left icon brings up your Facebook features and applications in a left-hand side bar. Choosing one will roll the sidebar back in so that your selection will take up the entire screen.
Your notifications all sit on the top blue navigation bar. Since the ticker doesn't exist in the iPad app like it does on Facebook's site, a drop down hovers over your current page and viewing an individual notification will pull up a right-hand sidebar so you can remain in the same screen while interacting.
Most of Facebook's applications work identically to how they do on the Web: You view and respond to events and messages the same way, check and update your News Feed the same way, and so on and so forth. But Photos on the iPad are different—in an entirely frustrating way.
Photos are nearly entirely consumption-based, meaning you can't edit your albums aside from adding to them. A plus icon in the upper right-hand corner allows you to grab photos from you iPad's photo library or take one right there. But you can't mass-edit your albums. Individually clicking photos allows you to like, tag, save to your library, delete, or make a photo your profile picture, but you can't view your photo collection and edit entire albums like you can via the Web.
You can, however, swipe to the right to reveal all your albums when you're currently inside one, which is a nice feature.
We know, iPads are for consuming, not for production, but it's still a little annoying not to be able to easily edit something so core to Facebook. We also aren't huge fans of how tiny the tiles below photos are when you're viewing them one by one.
What's missing
As we mentioned, Facebook didn't include the ticker. It was a controversial addition (as are all Facebook updates) but one that users have seemingly come to terms with. And it's not there—which means neither are the rolling Spotify or MOG updates that allow you to sync listening with your friends.
That of course means that the iPad app is already due for an update. Timeline has yet to hit the general user population, but once it does we'd imagine that developers will want their apps being used and the entire purpose of Timeline (and to a lesser degree ticker) is to give applications great meaning to the user experience as well as more complete access to our Facebook activity.
The verdict
It was high-time to release an iPad app and this one is all business–so much so that it feels a little outdated compared to where the Web version of Facebook is at. It's functional and gets the job done, but we foresee an update in the very near future. You can check out our photo gallery for a visual breakdown of the new app here.


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Thermal Products
Devices that are used to provide cooling to electrical and electronic components.
|View all DC Fans
|View all AC Fans
|View all Fan Cords
|View all Finger Guards and Filters
|View all Pads, Sheets
|View all Adhesives, Epoxies, Greases, Pastes
Thermoelectric, Peltier Assemblies Devices that are designed for thermal transfer using the Peltier effect (as current passes through the junction of two different metals or semiconductors, heat is produced on one side of the junction and absorbed on the other side). The items in this family will contain a Peltier module, heat sinks and may also contain a fan.
|View all Thermoelectric, Peltier Assemblies
|View all Thermoelectric, Peltier Modules
|View all Thermal - Heat Pipes, Vapor Chambers
|View all Thermal - Heat Sinks
|View all Thermal - Liquid Cooling
|View all Accessories, Kits


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Students with Returned Checks
A student who is withdrawn from the University because of returned checks may not be reinstated for the current term, and all financial obligations to the University must be cleared before the student will be permitted to enroll for a subsequent term. Students who are withdrawn from their courses based on these circumstances will have grades of "W" entered on their transcripts.
Other Students
Students whose financial obligations to the University are not the result of returned checks will not be withdrawn, but they will be subject to the following policies:
- Grades will be assigned by faculty members and will be entered in the student's permanent record.
- Transcripts will not be released until financial obligations to the University are cleared.
- A student's enrollment will not be confirmed until the financial obligations have been resolved.
- When all financial obligations are resolved, the student is again eligible to receive transcripts.


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OG Loc (mission)
|OG Loc
Big Smoke tells Carl Johnson that OG Loc is being released from prison.
|GTA San Andreas
|Big Smoke
|Idlewood, Los Santos, San Andreas
Life's a Beach
Running Dog
OG Loc is a mission in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas given to protagonist Carl Johnson by Grove Street Families member Big Smoke from his home in the Idlewood neighbourhood of Los Santos, San Andreas.
CJ drops by Big Smoke's house and waits for him, but instead him and Sweet appear from the backdoor. The trio drive over to the police station in Pershing Square to pick up Grove Street affiliate, OG Loc, after his release from prison. Upon arriving there, Loc says that he needs to kill some members of the Los Santos Vagos, Freddy, who has "disrespected" him in jail and "stolen his rhymes" (when it is later implied OG Loc was actually prison raped by Freddy, something OG Loc repeatedly denies). After reaching Freddy's house in East Los Santos, CJ decides to stay with Loc while Smoke and Sweet drive off home.
After a brief confrontation with Freddy, Freddy escapes from the backdoor of his house and jumps on a bike. CJ and Loc take chase using another bike and start chasing after him through the streets and alleys of Los Santos. The chase comes to a stop at Idlewood outside the Basketball Court. OG Loc and CJ kill all the Vagos gang members as well as Freddy. Loc then says he needs to sign for a job at the Burger Shot in Marina. Carl and Loc ride a vehicle and head to the restaurant.
(CJ knocks on Big Smoke's door. Big Smoke and Sweet come from around the back of Big Smoke's house talking between themselves.)
Sweet: Yeah, you know Jeffrey's been somebody's bitch for the past three weeks, right?
Big Smoke: I know!
(CJ notices Sweet and Big Smoke and vice versa.)
CJ: Hey.
Big Smoke: Hey, CJ!
Sweet: Hey, what's up, CJ?
CJ: Whassup?
Big Smoke: Whassup, man? Wanna go to prison?
CJ: What?
Sweet: Nah... To pick up Jeffrey. He's touching down today. You wanna roll?
CJ: Yeah, for sure. What's Jeffrey doing locked up, anyway?
Sweet: We'll talk about that later, man. Let's roll, we're late.
(CJ, Sweet and Big Smoke pull up outside the prison. OG Loc is waiting for them.)
Big Smoke: Hey, there that fool go.
Sweet: Look at this fool, man... Perpetrating like he bangin'...
Big Smoke: ...Think he hard... I know that fool can't be serious.
CJ: Hey, what's happening with you, Jeffrey?
OG Loc: (Rapping.) OG Loc. Hey, man, it's OG Loc, homie - OG Loc!
CJ: My bad. How was it, though, homie?
OG Loc: Man, what you think? How was it...
Big Smoke: (to OG Loc) Hey, chill out, dude. So what you want to do now?
OG Loc: Man, I gotta kill some cholo mother-fucker. He was dissin' me, man!
Big Smoke: Hey Jeffrey, I thought you was going to, uh, college.
(CJ, Sweet, and Big Smoke laugh.)
OG Loc: Man, fuck you! Mother-fucker done stole my rhymes. He's in East Flores. Hey, gimme a strap.
Sweet: Man, why don't you stall us out with that shit and get in the car. Fool.
(CJ, OG Loc, Big Smoke and Sweet pull up outside Freddy's house.)
OG Loc: Man, this is the spot!
CJ: Ain't this a Vagos' 'hood?
OG Loc: Man, I don't give a shit, I'm gangsta!
Big Smoke: C'mon, let's leave Loc to deal with Casanova.
CJ: Hey, I'll stick with Jeff - I mean, Loc!
Sweet: OK, cool. I'll see you guys back on the set.
(CJ and OG Loc go up to Freddy's door.)
OG Loc: Freddy! I've come for you, you mother-fucker!
CJ: Hey, Loc, hold up!
Freddy: Jeffrey, you got the wrong idea, man - that was just a prison thing! I got plenty of muchachas on the outside, I don't need your scrawny ass!
OG Loc: Man, ignore him, CJ, I don't know what he talking about. Hey, yo', gimme back my rhymes you thief, I'm gangsta!
Freddy: You dropped the soap, sugar, I don't know nothing about any rhymes!
(Freddy comes out of the back door, hops onto a motorbike and rides away.)
OG Loc: Hey, hey! Mother-fucker's making a run for it!
CJ: Hey Loc, get back here, nigga you crazy!
OG Loc: Eh yo', back off me CJ, I gotta protect my rep'!
(CJ and OG Loc are standing over Freddy's dead body.)
OG Loc: Don't you say a damn thing, CJ.
CJ: Was you lonely, Loc? Hey, I like a nice moustache myself!
OG Loc: I keep it real, unlike you fake ass mother-fuckers.
CJ: C'mon, gangsta. Let's get back to the Grove.
OG Loc: Nah, I can't, I gotta go and sign in for this damn job!
CJ: Whatever you want. You want a ride anyway?
OG Loc: Sure thing. Let's roll.
(CJ and OG Loc pull up outside the Burger Shot.)
OG Loc: Thanks for the ride, CJ. Don't be a stranger, fool.
CJ: Yeah, for sure, I'll see you around.
OG Loc: Like a quarter pound! Later.
The reward for this mission is an increase in respect. The missions Running Dog and Life's a Beach are unlocked.
- This mission uses the Trip Skip feature.
- Even if Freddy is killed during the chase, the following cutscene will still occur at the baseball court.
Carl Johnson, Sweet, and Big Smoke meeting OG Loc after he is released from prison.
CJ and Loc looking for Freddy.
Freddy escaping his home on a PCJ-600.
CJ and Loc take out Freddy and his Vagos.
Video walkthrough
|PC Version - GTASeriesVideos


text:
I've been in the weeds lately, starting a new job and finishing several freelance projects. Although we've certainly enjoyed our nightly aperitifs, I've had little time for anything more than old stand-bys, like Martinis and Old Fashioneds.
But things are calming down finally, so it's time again for research and experimentation. To that end, I delved back into a book that I bought a few months ago but haven't taken time to review: The Art of the Bar. In flipping through it, I found a flavor combination that really surprised me–Cynar, tequila, and sherry–in a drink aptly named Choke Artist.
photograph by Jennifer Hess
Here's why I'm no professional: I'd have never thought to match up these ingredients. But this drink just works. It's the very definition of a well-balanced drink–everything's present and notable, but nothing dominates. You can learn a lot about mixing from this drink.
It reminds me a lot of those friendships we've all been a part of, where two strong personalities need a third, more laid-back, person to mediate the differences and smooth things out for everyone. That's the role of the sherry here.
Finally, the bitters. Even with five dashes' worth, they're subtle.
But you should not be subtle. Instead, be fearless. Try it.
Choke Artist
from The Art of the Bar, by Jeff Hollinger and Rob Schwartz
- 1 ounce Cynar
- 1 ounce Gran Centenario Anejo tequila (I used Tequila Espolon Reposado, which I had on hand)
- ½ ounce fino sherry
- 5 dashes Regan's Orange Bitters No. 6
- Extra-wide orange twist for garnish
Technique: Combine the Cynar, tequila, and sherry in an ice-filled mixing glass and stir. Add the bitters to a chilled snifter and roll around to coat the glass. Pour the Cynar and tequila mixture into the snifter. Garnish with the orange twist.


text:
(Image courtesy iFixit)
iFixit recently disassembled a Steam Machine beta kit and analyzed the contents - here's what they found! Their analysis led to this part list if you wanted to try and reproduce it yourself.
One of my Facebook friends got one of these. I am beyond jealous. If i got one I would prolly swap out the 780 and put it in my PC, then put my 770 in the steambox hehehe.
Also its pretty cool that a ton of tech news sites are gonna be linking to PCPartpicker. Yay for philip.
Call me crazy, but I think it's really odd that there aren't more SFF cases out there that are designed to fit expansion cards 90-degrees. It just makes sense. You save so much space.
I suppose it has something to do with market availability of PCI-e risers, but I think whatever company markets those WITH specially designed cases first is going to make a pretty penny. Maybe Steam Machines will lead to that. Hopefully.
Seriously, I hope so. I've toyed with the idea of making a tiny living room gaming machine but I feel like current mini-itx cases are too bulky. Even the beloved node 304 is the size of a large toaster and wouldn't work with my shelving situation.
The ASRock M8 and Silverstone Raven RVZ01 are two cases designed with risers in mind that came up in just the past few months, so the future looks pretty bright! The RVZ01 seems infinitely better than the M8 in my opinion.
Both of those videos were posted after I made my comment, and when I saw them I cried of joy. Although the M8 has been out for a while now.
Another question - if the PSU is modular and off the shelf, presumably they won't be using all the cables that it came with in the build. Have people who received the unit also got these additional cables? I'm interested because I think it will point to how upgradable they really mean the system to be.
I attempted to do this a little while back; here's the (incorrect) list I came up with: http://pcpartpicker.com/forums/topic/16940-lets-recreate-the-reference-steam-machine.
What's interesting is that some of the information in my build is correct per the engadget article, but incorrect according to this build. So:
PS - also props out to mousseng in my thread for correctly figuring out the CPU, RAM amount, storage device, and motherboard!
Your second guess is correct. The beta Steam machines/boxes shipped with a range of different hardware, from 660s to titans, and i3s to i7 4770s
I can't get to the original page, but this article lists them out.
Close: The boxes sent to journalists had Titans, so far every Beta Box of the 300 sent to real people have 780s.
(Source: I'm in the beta and we have a forum where we have been collecting this info)
Who said anything about titans?
The Engadget system had a Titan I'm pretty sure.
Weird. From the article I was referencing: "The machine above was somewhere in between, with an Intel i7 CPU and a GTX 780 GPU housed in its snug chassis."
Yea that article had everyone looking at their specs when they arrived, but it looks like Valve changed their minds and sent everyone the same system.
My question is how did they put the GTX card in sideways?
They used a riser card.
Ohh, that makes sence. cool
The case in the part list will not support the size of that graphics card.
I've been looking all over for a case similar to the ones being used for the steambox but there doesn't seem to be anything available that will allow the graphics card to be on its side like the steam machines case.
Haha, yeah it was post-midnight after the teardown when I made up the parts list, to be honest I just picked a case that was roughly the same size and shape. The Steam Machine has a totally custom case, with some pretty intense cowlings for ducting and cable management, plus a custom PCB behind the big illuminated power switch.
They're using a silverstone 90 degree riser card to get the video card oriented like that.
Still would not work with that case, as the slots are aligned vertically. The case is most likely custom made for Valve.
Well, I thought it was pretty clear that the case they included isn't an EXACT match of the one on the steam machine; the massive button on the front and the case cover should be evidence enough of that.
That being said, I think you could mod this case to maybe fit that card in there: you get a PCI-E ribbon instead of the riser card, fashion some mounting points for the card in the spot where the PSU should go, and have its I/O fit through that port. Then put the PSU up adjacent to the board with an internal cable running under the GPU out to a custom made panel sitting below the GPU.
OR, granted, you could just buy a cheap mATX case and admit that you're building a computer _^
The riser is compatible with a SilverStone LC11BM-300 which comes with a remote - nice alternative to the steambox case
ALL HAIL GabeN
Interesting Z87 choice on mITX with a 4570 and 16Gb RAM.
yeah i dunno why they would send it with 16Gb or RAM, maybe anticipating people using VM to dual boot windows? even then i dunno why they would promote that.
they probably just have to plan for any type of setup.
Because they know that Steam OS is only for the living room, it isn't a competition here.
That's pretty cool. Can imagine some people do some wierd stuff with the steam setup!
So are we guessing a premium for the pre-fab steam machine or a discount? Will these $1300 worth of parts be $1000 to incentivize or $1500 because of the proprietary enclosure and assembly labor costs? Questions, questions...
I believe the parts used in this specific build are overkill for the target market requirements (living room / console gamers). I did my best to minimize the the cost of the parts.
This reduced the price by about $520 ($500 if we buy the adapters). if Valve is going to get a corporate/wholesale price tags from the supplier I expect them to sell their Machines at lower prices. But there's still the cost of the included controller to consider.
I think valve said somewhere that they're going to go a bit crazy with their beta devices, because they're not trying to produce actual consoles that people will buy later, just something that people can test and tweak the OS and mess around with the controllers. I'd bet that once things stabilize and they start making actual consoles, the specs will come down to something more like what you have.
Hey I built this like 8 months ago with a Titan. Mine has a monitor/keyboard/display/speakers built into it too =D http://pcpartpicker.com/user/jimmythesnake/builds/ Where's my royalties Valve! haha
How is the video card fitting in there? Was the motherboard modified?
Never mind, a riser card is used.
What about the case's PCI expansion slots; are there no issues with accessing the GPU's outputs with it rotated like this? Is there a large gap allowing dust to enter the case?
If there's a build video on this I'd be greatly interested in watching it.
These Steam Machines look really cool. The cases are sleek(especially the alienware ones)and they have good specs. I think having one of these would be a fun experience.
with that graphic card being in it makes you wonder how much the console is going to sell for
You should change out the case for the Silverstone ML07 or the RVZ01B when they release...as is, this video card will not fit inside the selected case...also, when are we going to see support for the AMD A10-7850K (and other new Kaveri APU's) on this site? I already ordered one for my Steam Machine earlier this week...
The parts list compiled is a bit off. The riser card is wrong, its actually an RC02 and not a RC01, the case takes up quite a bit of space as well compared to the steam box which fits snugly together, it's not the same case without some heavy modding (and probably ruining) the case.
You guys should add Fry's to the merchant list.
I think I might go for the titan on the steam machine cause I want to take it and put my 780ti in while the titan is in my pc
I just dont get the whole obsessive need to cram everything into a tiny box and give it subpar cooling. I mean it sits under your desk or 55" tv.
It's basically my computer but with poorer cooling and a wimpier CPU (understandable). It's cool and all, but I'm not really sure how they will be able to make these price-competitive. But if they tone down the hardware as I suspect they probably will for the non-dev machines, they're going to have a box that can only hit its FPS target on newer games at 720p.
Yeah, dont you hate it when your 780 only handles 720p? Yeah me neither. Look closer at the hardware inside.
Wtf... Did you reply to the wrong comment or just completely fail reading comprehension?
What's stopping me from buying one of these for 500$ (well allegedly 500$) and formating the hard drive and put in win7? I pay 500$ for parts worth 1300$. I don't see how they would make money off these...
Simple answer? It won't be $500.
I'm pretty sure this won't be $500. They may sell it (assuming Valve is selling this exact model in a year) at a slight loss, maybe for $1200 or something, knowing people will be buying games direct from them anyway and the increased consumer base (console people buying this) would help them turn a profit.
However, I'm fairly sure whatever goes to market won't be this exactly--it seems too expensive to convert console buyers IMO. They would probably drop a RAM module and use a cheaper graphics card (maybe AMD, I'm pretty sure the reason they used this beast of an Nvidia card is because SteamOS isn't working with AMD at the moment). And considering other manufacturers will be making these too, we could see Valve continue to make a super-expensive option for the hardcore, and let OEMs make their own, cheaper versions, while Valve remains the example to follow.
I don't think the consumer versions have 780s in them. It might not even have the i5.
The whole point of the steam machine is that its basically a mini itx pc with steam os so if it doesnt I know many people that will upgrade
I don't understand how that relates to what graphics card they decide to use.
This is competing with consoles. In order to do that they need to offer a $400 or so version. In order to do that they need to put something significantly worse than a 780 in. Of course 780 will be a upgrade choice, for sure, but they're certainly not all going to have it.
Very few people want to pay for that kind of power.
I'll probably get blasted for this, but they spent more on RAM and graphics than they should have. And that PSU will be under 90% load at all times... If you want to build a Steam Box, make your own custom cases in the form of a testbench and put a case around it. Take a Testbench like this one > http://pcpartpicker.com/part/diypc-case-alphagt3 and put a case around it. In the end, aren't Steam Boxes -boxes-? I don't think an HTPC case looks very box-y honestly. Companies should start innovating instead of taking pre-existing technology, rebranding it, and putting it in a ****** small case with ****** ventilation. But my point is that these small boxes, bad air flow, and explosive PSU loads will more than likely ruin your investment in a good home entertainment system.
What an overpriced turd! 5400rpm hdd? If over $600 it better have at least a 128GB SSD.
it's a SSHD, meaning that it caches the most used files to a solid state area of the drive. good luck fitting very many games on a 128GB SSD.
Caching works better on ram. You can fit about 10 games on 128GB.
be that as it may, this drive will still outperform a traditional platter drive.
and by that logic you can fit nearly 10 times as many games on a 1TB drive. to me, you wont see the performance boost from an ssd to justify losing out on all that storage space, especially considering this is likely an always-on/nearly-always-on box sitting in your living room, so startup times are inconsequential. i'd rather wait an extra 20 seconds for the OS to load than wait for downloads of games i had to delete due to lack of storage space.
in the end, the box is easily customizable, so even if valve doesn't give the option for an SSD, it can be easily replaced by the end user.
Not only could you replace it if you really wanted to, maybe with the new WD 2 in 1 2.5 inch SSD / HDD combo, but remember that they are also pushing an OS with this hardware. Steam OS is linux based and very small compared to Windows or Mac OS, so start-up times are likely not comparable. I'd expect Steam OS to boot much faster than windows, so the gains from the SSD may not seem so dramatic.


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Modified Mustangs & FordsNews & Views
Hot Off The Press - Ford News - May 2014
The Latest in Ford News
2014 Virginia City 341 Challenge Returns
After a two-year hiatus, the 341 Challenge returns June 14-15, 2014, to offer more high-speed thrills on an incredibly technical mountain road with steep drop-offs and no guardrails, as well as a warm welcome in a fun and historic old-west silver mining town nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
To claim an entry spot in the 2014 race, fill out an entry form at www.341challenge.com. The Virginia City 341 Challenge is a rare opportunity to drive flat-out on one of the most technical and aggressive stretches of mountain road in the country, without the worry of oncoming traffic or law enforcement. The paved course is 5.2 miles long with 22-plus turns, a 1,216-foot rise in elevation, steep drop offs, and no guardrails! Highway 341 will be closed for two days of racing in coordination with local agencies, and once again competitors will have a chance to be inducted into the exclusive "3:41 Club" if they can crack the 3-minute, 41-second barrier.
To learn more about the 2014 Virginia City 341 Challenge and the lovely town that is Virginia City, Nevada, please visit www.341challenge.com and www.visitvirginiacitynv.com.
Lincoln Electric Launches Mobile Application
Lincoln Electric recently launched Lincoln Library, a mobile phone application designed to be a practical and time-saving tool for users to tap into the company's welding resources. The application will provide welders of all skill levels with the most current welding and cutting information.
Lincoln Library is available through the Apple iTunes App Store and is compatible with the Apple iPad and iPad Mini (Apple iOS Version 6.0 and up). The media-rich, digital bookshelf is interactive, easy to use, and will be continuously updated with new and updated literature. Within the app, users can reference the most up-to-date equipment and consumable specifications or shop for their next piece of welding gear. Visit www.lincolnelectric.com for more information.
Book Review: High-Performance Ignition Systems
High-Performance Ignition Systems is a completely updated guide to understanding automotive ignition systems, from old-school points and condensers to modern computer-controlled distributor-less systems. Author Todd Ryden leads you through the various components in this update, explaining the theory behind the operation and how the parts work with each other to achieve the ultimate goal of efficient combustion.
The 8.5x11 softbound book (ISBN: 978-1-61325-080-8) features 144 pages packed with 288 color photos. It's available through CarTech books for $24.95 plus $6.95 shipping and handling. Order you copy by calling (800) 551-4754 or by visiting www.cartechbooks.com/hp-ignition.


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Despite positive news and the talk of an African "renaissance," many still doubt whether the continent is ready for take-off. Rapid population growth and the resulting "youth bulge" remain major concerns in a context of widespread un(der)employment. How can a country like Kenya create one million jobs each year, just to accommodate new entrants into the labor force?
But young people don't just need jobs, they also create them. Therefore, what matters most is to make sure that the education system delivers the skills needed in emerging economies, and incubates entrepreneurs. In turn, as people become more educated and healthier, they will have fewer children. This is already happening: As Kenya continues to welcome about a million new citizens each year, family size is slowly declining.
This creates the possibility of a "demographic dividend", similar to what underpinned economic take-off in other parts of the world. Today, Kenya has more adults than children, more potential workers than dependants, and an increasingly urban population. Almost mechanically, this frees up resources: if families have higher incomes but fewer children, each child receives more attention (personal and financial). Nationwide, the demographic dividend can translate into an education dividend as well. And education matters: as it is one of the single most powerful predictors of future income and social mobility.
Using new statistical methods, the Vienna-based Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital has produced some fascinating analysis, which projects education attainment into the future. According to these projections, Kenya's education landscape is changing rapidly. At the time of Independence, most adult Kenyans had received no formal education. Since then, there have been two statistical watershed moments, and more to come. First, since 1980 the number of Kenyans with primary education has exceeded those with no education; just over a decade later, those with secondary education also exceeded those with none.
Today, a majority of Kenyans have had the benefit of attaining basic education, and almost all children are going to school, except in northern and north-eastern Kenya.
This country has 25 million people above the age of 15. About half of them (13 million) have received primary education (up from 11 million in 2000). But the most rapid increase has been in secondary education. In 2000, Kenya had less than four million people with secondary education. This number has risen to seven million today, and is expected to triple to 20 million by 2035. Tertiary education is also picking up from a low base and by 2020, the number of Kenyans with a university degree is also expected to exceed those without any formal education. Before 2050, there will be a final major cross-over: by 2035, more Kenyans will have received secondary education than primary; Kenya will have 45 million people above the age of 15 (and some 70 million in total) 45 per cent will have completed secondary education, 44 per cent primary education, and six per cent university; and only five per cent of Kenyans will not have had any formal education. Just a few years ago (in 2000) three quarters of Kenyans had no or just primary education (see figure).
Figure: Kenya's Education Dividend
Source: Adapted from Jesus Crespo Cuaresma, Vienna University.
But putting children in school is only a first step: they also need to be learning something (useful) there. The focus must now switch from quantity to quality of education.
To get good learning outcomes will require significant investments in educational personnel and hardware. Kenya has some 250,000 teachers, which is not enough: while class sizes are somewhat manageable in the cities, they remain very large in rural areas. Moreover, on average, 13 percent of teachers do not report to school. And many struggle to teach core foundational reading and mathematics skills. As a result, too many children fail basic reading and mathematics tests, even with several years of schooling. Teachers and administrators themselves need to be trained: for instance headteacher leadership is critical to ensure high standards, and to interface with parents.
Unless these quality bottlenecks are tackled, there is no guarantee that Kenya's education dividend will pay off. Kenya has taken the necessary first step: most children are now in school and are staying there longer than most of their parents did. Now let's make the most out of this revolution by ensuring that schools are a place where children actually learn.
Helen Craig and the World Bank education team in Nairobi provided valuable input.
Follow Wolfgang Fengler on [email protected].
Kenya's education dividend
attaining numbers in the field of education is not enough
Similar story in West Africa
Comment on the Figure 1 above
Am I missing something key in this article?
Thank you Wolfgang , a
Thank you Wolfgang , a pretty nice informative article of where we are (standstill) but I am not sure we can rely on this to predict that we will only have 6 % of the 70 million having a university degree.
First those who think that 6 % is too small , you might want to check what the other developed nations have attained not as a total of adult population /working population but as a % of the entire population.
Now why I think the projections might not be very reliable , is because they fail to predict the rising changing education delivery technologies. It is akin of the predictions made by a number of institutions that by 2007 the mobile phone subscriber base in Kenya would be about 1 million. We know how this number turned out to be incorrect. Education delivery is under rapid transformation from the emergence of models such as the Khan academy and others and with rapid drop in prices of laptops/tablets etc , I wonder whether such a large number of teachers will be required or the number of classrooms. The same disruptions that we saw in communication technology that deliver rapid affordability and mass usage are what we are about to see with Education, so I think primary school and secondary education (if at all we will use the same categorizations to measure literacy/skills leve attainment by 2050) completions, will be achieved much faster than your predictions Wolf - unless Kenya goes into war and fails to take advantage of these technological developments.
Sorry but economists have been terribly wrong in predicting the magnitudes of technology adoption impacts.
I used to live in Kenya, and
I used to live in Kenya, and in a way, it is really disappointing how their isn't wide spread education centres/schools in Kenya, especially agricultural areas. The main aspect they need to focus on would be teaching the indigenous the benefits of education, to help them boost kenya's economy.
The widespread use of mobile
The widespread use of mobile phones must be a positive for Kenyan education, inadvertently educating the masses. The brain drain must be slowing down and helping their own country as it is so exciting to live in Kenya at this time in history.