text:
If you cannot find the answer to your question using these FAQs, please contact your local Health and Welfare office.
How will I receive my Food Stamps?
If you are approved for Food Stamps, you will receive an Idaho Quest EBT Card (typically called the Quest card) with your allotment amount. You will receive information about your card and how to use it.
When will my Food Stamps be available on my Quest EBT card?
If you have just been approved for Food Stamps, your benefits should be in your Quest card account within 30 days; however, we strive to get your benefits to you much quicker. If you were approved for expedited Food Stamps, you benefits should be in your account within 7 days. SNAP cardholders will receive their benefits according to their assigned issuance date, which is based on the last digit of the cardholder's birth year. To learn more about what day SNAP benefits will be posted to your EBT card click here.
Once you are approved and have received your first Food Stamp allotment, Food Stamps will be made available to you on a monthly basis for as long as you remain eligible for the Food Stamp program.
How can I check my Quest EBT account?
Grab your Quest card number and PIN and access your account online at http://www.idahoquestcard.com.
How can I get a new Quest EBT card if I lose mine?
If you lose your card, please contact 1.888.432.4328 to order a replacement. Your local Health and Welfare office will no longer issue replacement cards.
What can I buy with my Food Stamps?
You can buy certain foods such as: breads and cereals, fruits and vegetables, meats, fish, and poultry; and dairy products. You may also buy seeds and plants that produce food for you and your household to eat.
Food Stamps may not be used to buy items such as: beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco. Nonfood items also are unacceptable, such as: pet foods, soaps, paper products, and household supplies. Additionally, Food Stamps may not be used to purchase vitamins and medicines, any food that will be eaten in the store, and hot foods. However, in some areas, restaurants may be authorized to accept Food Stamps from qualified homeless, elderly, or disabled people in exchange for low-cost meals.
Do I have to use my Food Stamps within a certain period of time?
Yes. If you receive Food Stamps and do not use them for 365 days, we will cancel any benefits remaining left in your Quest card account.
Is there a time limit to how long I can receive Food Stamps?
No, there is no time limit to how long you can receive Food Stamps. As long as you meet the eligibility requirements for the program, you may receive food assistance benefits.
The two-year time limits that apply to other cash-assistance program do not apply to the Food Stamp program.
What can I do if I disagree with the decision about my application?
You may request what is called a fair hearing process. You may request a hearing within 90 days of the date indicated on the written notice you received that explains the Department's decision about your application. Throughout this process, you may represent yourself, or have an attorney, relative, or friend represent you at your hearing.
To request a fair hearing, let the worker know who helped process your application or sent the notice to you.
What is Program Evaluation, and do I have to cooperate?
Program Evaluation is a quality control process setup by the Federal government to gauge how well Idaho is managing the Food Stamp program. Each month, cases are randomly selected for review. If your case is selected, a reviewer will look over your case and make an appointment to see you. During this interview, the reviewer will ask about your living situation and request copies of verifications.
If you receive Food Stamps, you are expected to cooperate with the State or Federal reviewers who conduct the program evaluation. Failure to cooperate could result in a penalty or loss of your Food Stamps.
Who can I contact if I can't find an answer?
If you have questions about the Food Stamp that are not answered here or elsewhere on our web site, you may call your local Health & Welfare office.
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검색 자료실
사이트맵 예수와나?
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종교 탐방
Theological teachers as saints.
The phenomenon of saintliness (i.e.,
the quality of holiness, involving a special relationship to the sacred
sphere as well as moral perfection or exceptional teaching abilities) is
widespread in the religions of the world, both ancient and contemporary. Various
types of religious personages have been recognized as saints, both by popular
acclaim and official pronouncement, and their influence on the religious masses
(the broad spectrum of those holding various wide-ranging religious beliefs) has
been, and is, of considerable significance. (see also sacred
and profane)
Saints are persons believed to be
connected in a special manner with what is viewed as sacred reality--gods,
spiritual powers, mythical realms, and other aspects of the sacred or holy. The
existence of such persons has been a widespread phenomenon throughout the
religions of the world. The religious person may have various relationships with
the sacred: as seer, prophet, saviour, monk, nun, priest, priestess, or other
such personage. In the case of each of these, however, a specific kind of
relationship to the holy is involved. Seers, for example, have an inspirational
vision of the future; prophets proclaim a revelation; saviours are entrusted
with effecting redemption, liberation, or other salvatory conditions; monks and
nuns lead religious lives in accordance with ascetic regulations that they
generally observe as long as they live. Every one of these religious personages
may simultaneously be, or become, a saint, but there is no necessary connection.
Sainthood thus implies a special type of relationship to the holy, a
relationship that is not automatically obtained by other religious personages
through their performance of religious duties or offices.
The significance of saintly personages
is generally based on real or alleged deeds and qualities that became apparent
during their lifetimes and continue to exert influence after their deaths. The
special character of their feats and qualities of living is believed to arise
from an especially close association with a deity or sacred power. In addition
to such a relationship, sainthood also requires the existence of a sacral
institution that can grant such recognition, or of a popular cult that
acknowledges and posits a belief in the saint's special qualities. In
institutionalized religions, such as Roman
Catholicism, there is a regularized process (called canonization)
by which saints are officially recognized. Canonization requires, among other
things, proof that the person in question wrought miracles during his or her
lifetime. On the other hand, folk belief often recognizes the saintly powers of
a living or dead person long before the institutional religion acknowledges him
as a saint.
is in the main ethically oriented. Confucius
taught that right conduct was a means of acquiring ideal harmony with the Way
(Tao) of Heaven and that the "holy rulers of primal times" were
representative examples of such ideal conduct. In the oldest known Chinese
historical work, the Shu
of History"), such a ruler, King T'ang (11th century BC), is described as
one who "possessed the highest degree of virtue, and so it came to be that
he acquired the bright authority of Heaven." Thus, in Confucianism, the
saintliness of its holy men lay in ethical perfection, and through the practice
of ethical ideals a contact with Heaven (T'ien) was established. Confucius
himself serves as an example of a man who was first regarded as a saint because
of his deep wisdom and conscientious observance of ethical precepts and was even
considered to be "more than human." During the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD
220), Confucius was elevated to a new status: Emperor Kao Tsu offered sacrifice
at the Confucian temple, and Emperor Wu proclaimed Confucianism the official
ideology of China. The titles duke (AD 1) and king (739) were further tributes
to "the perfect sage." During the T'ang dynasty (618-907), sacrifices
were regularly offered in Confucian temples, and in 1906 Confucius was declared
equal to the Lord of Heaven.
is oriented toward another kind of sanctity: the attainment of a passionless
unity with the Absolute. Chuang-tzu
(died c. 300 BC), a mystical Taoist sage, speaks of the "pure men of
early times" in his work, the Chuang-tzuand characterizes them as such.
Shinto, the native Japanese
religion, is concerned with the veneration of nature and with ancestor
worship; it does not have saints according to the standards of ethical
perfection or of exceptionally meritorious performance. According to Shinto
belief, every person after his death becomes a kamia supernatural being who continues to have a part in the life of
the community, nation, and family. Good men become good and beneficial kamis,
bad men become pernicious ones. Being elevated to the status of a divine being
is not a privilege peculiar to those with saintly qualities, for evil men also
become kamis. There are in Shinto, however, venerated mythical
saints--such as Okuni-nushi (Master of the Great Land) and Sukuma-Bikona
(a dwarf deity)--who are considered to be the discoverers and patrons of
medicine, magic, and the art of brewing rice. (see also afterlife)
Founded by Siddharta Gautama,
Buddhism developed into three major forms in the course of its more than
2,500-year history: Theravada
("Way of the Elders"), also called in derogation Hinayana
("Lesser Vehicle"); Mahayana ("Greater
Vehicle"); and, stemming from it, Vajrayana ("Vehicle of the
Thunderbolt"). A belief in saints prevails in all three groups.
Theravada Buddhism, claiming
strict adherence to the teachings of the Buddha, recognizes as saints (arhats)
those who have attained Nirvana
(the state of bliss) and hence salvation
from samsara(the compulsory circle of rebirth) by their own efforts. The Buddha
himself--having obtained Nirvana ("the destruction of greed, . . .
hate, . . . and illusion")--is viewed as the first Buddhist saint.
Disciples of the Buddha who reached Nirvana after him also are considered
holy men. Furthermore, in early Buddhism, there were also women regarded as
holy, including Prajapati, the Buddha's aunt and stepmother--whose
repeated requests finally caused the Buddha to permit women to enter his
order--and his wife Yashodhara.
Buddhism, originating about the beginning of the Christian Era, rejected the
Theravada belief that only monks may attain salvation. In Mahayana
belief there is a path to redemption for all people, irrespective of their
social standing. Salvation and the way to redemption are conceived in terms more
liberal than those of Theravada. Mahayana Buddhists believe
in an otherworldly paradise that allows for personal existence and in which
dwell heavenly Buddhas (those who have attained Nirvana in previous
worlds) and bodhisattvas
("Buddhas-to-be"). The heavenly Buddhas and bodhisattvas are believed to grant grace
to sentient beings, so that salvation is no longer acquired by fleeing from the
world and giving up worldly professions, but rather by faith (in the sense of
trust) in the promise of a saviour deity. Thus, in Mahayana
Buddhism, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas are viewed as the holy ones, the saints, who in
compassion, attempt to aid others struggling for salvation. This concept is in
striking contrast to the arhats of
Theravada Buddhism, who follow the dying Buddha's last words, "Seek your
own salvation with diligence." The basic altruistic concept of Mahayana
then is that of the helping bodhisattva. Everyone
should strive for this ideal in order to save as many fellowmen as possible as a
bodhisattva and to bring them into the
"Greater Vehicle" (Mahayana). Hence, the idea of faith
in benevolent saints gains prominence in Mahayana Buddhism as a
theistic religion of salvation. In Japanese Mahayana there are
patron saints, such as Shotoku Taishi,
the regent who supported the introduction and development of Buddhism in his
country in about AD 600, after it had been introduced in AD 552.
Buddhism, embodying, among other views, Tantrism (a system of magical and
esoteric practices), is mainly represented by Tibetan
Buddhism. In addition to the innumerable saints of Mahayana
Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism also accepts as living saints those who are regarded
as incarnations (tulkus) of saints,
scholars of the past, deities, or demons. The Dalai
Lamas, heads of the Tibetan hierarchy, are viewed as reincarnations
of Chen-re-zi (the bodhisattva of
mercy, Avalokiteshvara).
According to Jain teaching, there were
23 Tirthankaras (saintly
prophets or proclaimers of salvation) before Mahavira Vardhamana,
the 6th-century-BC Indian religious leader after whom Jainism was named. Today
they are venerated as saints in temples containing their images. Veneration of
the Holy Tirthankaras is viewed in terms of purifying the devotee
morally, as these saints are but examples for the Jainas and not actually
objects of a cult.
Hinduism in a wider sense encompasses Brahmanism,
a belief in the Universal Soul, Brahman; in a narrower sense it comprises the
post-Buddhist, caste-ordered religious and cultural world of India. The Indian
religions are by and large mystical in character; hence, even in early Hinduism
ascetics were highly honoured. Mysticism
generally starts with ascetic practices as a means of eliminating a desire for
worldly existence. (see also asceticism)
In later Hinduism, when the ascetics
continued to be revered by the masses as sadhus
(saints, or "good ones") and yogis
(ascetic practitioners), the concept of the avatara(the idea of the incarnation of a divine being in human form) served to
interpret the existence of holy men. By means of this concept it was, and still
is, possible to consider living and dead saints as incarnations of a deity and
also to incorporate saints of other religions into the Hindu world of belief.
Thus Jesus Christ, for instance, is regarded as an avatara
of the god Vishnu (Visnu), and the Hindu saint Ramakrishna is
considered to be an avatara of the god
The ancient heroes of Greek
religion may be regarded as saints. One basis for belief in heroes and
the hero cult was the idea that the mighty dead continued to live and to be
active as spiritual powers from the sites of their graves. Another source of the
cult of heroes was the conception that gods were often lowered to the status of
heroes. One of the best known heroes is Heracles, who became famous through his
mighty deeds. In Greek religion the numinous (spiritual) qualities of a person
lay in such heroic deeds. (see also hero
Zoroastrianism includes the veneration
of Fravashis--i.e.,
preexistent souls that are good by nature, gods and goddesses of individual
families and clans, and physical elements. According to Zoroastrian belief,
humans are caught up in a great cosmic struggle between the forces of good, led
by Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord), and the forces of evil, led by Angra
Mainyu, or Ahriman, the Evil Spirit. In the battle between Asha (Truth)
and Druj (Lie) the Fravashis may correspond to the saints of Roman Catholicism,
who can be called upon for aid in times of trouble. (see also Parsiism,
The cult of saints in terms of
veneration was not a part of the monotheistic religion of Israel. Saintliness,
however, was an ideal that many hoped to exhibit. The model of a pious person is
depicted in the righteous one of Psalm 5, "his delight is in the law of the
Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." In the Hellenistic period
(c. 300 BC--c.
AD 300), when many Jews were susceptible to foreign religious influences,
the Hasidim (the "pious" ones) segregated themselves from the
others, holding fast to the faith of their fathers. (see also Hasidism)
The concept of the Hasidim gained
new significance in the 18th century when Israel
ben Eliezer, called Ba'al Shem Tov, or "Master of the Good
Name," started the modern movement called Hasidism. As opposed to
the Orthodox Israelite religion with its emphasis on rationalism, cultic piety,
and legalism, Ba'al Shem Tov stood for a more mystically oriented form of
Jesus and his disciples did not speak of
saints; but during the period (1st to early 4th century) in which they were
persecuted, Christians began to venerate the martyrs as saints. They believed
that the martyrs, being
sufferers "unto death" for Christ, were received directly into heaven
and could therefore be effective as intercessors for the living. By the 3rd
century the veneration of martyr saints was already common. (see also adoration)
In the Nicene
Creed (AD 325) the early church called itself the "communion of
saints." Here, however, the word "saint" has the broader meaning
of "believer" rather than being applied strictly to a holy person or
numinous personality worthy of veneration. In the 10th century a procedure of canonization
(official recognition of a public cult of a saint) was initiated by Pope John
XV. Gradually, a fixed process was developed for canonization by the
pope, requiring that the person must have led a life of heroic sanctity and
performed at least two miracles.
Saints in the Roman
Catholic Church are venerated--but not worshipped--because of their
spiritual and religious significance and are believed to be the bearers of
special powers. Because of a belief in the powers of the saints, their relics
are regarded as efficacious. In the Eastern
Orthodox Church saints also are venerated, but the process of
canonization is less juridical and not always ecumenical. In some Protestant
churches (Lutheran and Anglican) saints are recognized, but not venerated as in
the Roman Catholic and Orthodox. (see also Protestantism)
Islam is a rigorously
monotheistic religion, strictly prohibiting any kind of "conjunction"
(i.e., affiliation, or consortship) to
Allah. Thus the concept of sainthood was rejected. Yet even here a
variegated belief in holy men arose because of the demands of popular religion.
Over against the one distant God, whose almighty power and whose role as a
strict judge was emphasized repeatedly, there emerged a desire for intercessors.
These were found in saintly men who were believed to be endowed with charismatic
powers (karamat), allowing them to go
miraculously from one place to another far away; to wield authority over
animals, plants, and clouds; and to bridge the gap between life and death. The
Prophet Muhammad (died AD 632)
had negated the existence of saints, but the piety of the masses
"canonized" holy men while they were still living. After they died,
cults of devotion arose at the sites of their graves, and pilgrimages to such
sites were believed to aid the believer in acquiring help and blessing.
The basic motive for the belief in and
veneration of saints is, primarily, the recognition by people of religious
persons whom they view as holy. In order for a religious personage (e.g.,
prophet) to be recognized as a saint, it is necessary that other people see
in him the aura of holiness. The holiness recognized in him may be an impersonal
sacred or spiritual power--which is often perceived in quite insignificant
persons--and is believed to be present even in the bones and other material
relics of a recognized holy person after his death. Religious personalities also
are believed to possess a personal holiness, either bestowed upon them by divine
grace or acquired through asceticism and moral discipline. Such sanctity reveals
itself in the power to perform miracles.
The highest form of holiness in a holy
person is reflected in the interpretation of that person as an incarnation of
divine reality or as the possessor of godly nature. Divine qualities are
perceived in such a person, and through him, such as the Logos (divine Word, or
Reason) in Jesus.
Popular recognition of saints arises out
of a predilection of the religious masses (those who maintain popular belief, or
folk belief, along with beliefs officially promulgated) to grasp the
supernatural in that which is believed to be unusual and uncommon--i.e.,
in the miraculous event. Thus, the religious masses long for those who can
perform wonders that are awe awakening and satisfy their desire for the
miraculous and mysterious.
Besides the desire for miracles, there
is another basic requirement of the masses, especially within monotheistic
religions: the yearning for a superhuman being in human form. The one abstract
God who is believed to be present everywhere and capable of helping everybody
and everything is too unperceptual and remote for the average religious person.
There is a tendency among the religious masses to split up the deity into many
numinous beings that fulfill the desires of the people. The religious masses
often have polytheistic
tendencies. The term "dear saints," as the holy ones are called in
Roman Catholicism, expresses an emotional relationship to those near,
benevolent, heavenly, or spiritual powers that are the heirs to the ancient
ethnic and patron deities of pre-Christian times.
In the course of their histories, and as
they expand, the great universal religions (e.g.,
Christianity, Buddhism, and others) incorporate ever more people with their
particular folk beliefs. As their numbers grow and their influence increases in
the religious communities, the indigenous peoples retaining many earlier folk
beliefs form the majority and their inclinations prevail. Because their
behaviour patterns generally remain constant, their religious forms are
preserved. Occasionally, religious reform movements arise within the organized
mass religions. Such movements attempt to restore what is believed to be the
original form of the respective religions and often turn against a belief in and
veneration of saints, regarding such forms of religiosity as degenerate. This
was the case in the 16th-century Protestant Reformation and also in the Wahhabiyah
movement, an 18th-century reform movement in Islam.
In monotheistic religions the belief in
saints in its popular form generally contradicts orthodox teaching. Such
religiosity is usually opposed and rejected or else reinterpreted in view of its
ineradicability. If the latter is the case, the orthodox interpretation given
the cult of saints in order to justify it is a theological construction. In
Roman Catholicism, for instance, church doctrine makes a distinction between
veneration (veneratio, douleia) and adoration
(adoratio, latreia). Veneration is
defined as a proper attitude toward saints, whereas adoration is applicable only
in connection with God. The veneration of images as practiced especially in the
Eastern Orthodox Church is explained similarly. The Roman Catholic Church also
teaches that the saints are representatives of God's grace
on earth and that they are completely subject to his will. The vestigial remains
of polytheistic beliefs and practices connected with the veneration of saints
are thus theologically, though not popularly, eliminated. (see also hagiography, iconography)
Similar interpretations of the belief in
saints in a monotheistic religion serve to justify an existing cult. The people
themselves are hardly influenced by such interpretations, however. According to
many scholars, the differentiation between douleia
(veneration) and latreia (worship),
or between veneratio (veneration) and adoratio
(adoration), has little meaning for the masses. In practice, they observe
their cult of saints quite in accordance with polytheistic devotion toward gods.
The supplications actually directed to the saints in the various religions can
hardly be distinguished from prayers to deities, even though the saints are
theologically regarded as mere intercessors having special access to God, and
the answer to prayer is considered as coming from God alone. From the
perspective of scholars of comparative religion, however, beings to whom prayers
are dedicated are gods.
The form of a cult
of saints can be categorized as either indirect
or direct. An indirect cult form involves the veneration of objects
that stand in a magical relationship with the respective saint. In this
connection there can be a veneration of the saint's relics. Such religious
practices are to be understood in terms of spiritual power. Numinous
power is viewed as issuing from the saint; and it is believed to be acquired by
veneration or, in practice, mainly by touching (or kissing) the object itself.
Another indirect cult form is the veneration of the image of the saint.
According to primitive belief, there is a magical connection between the image
and the original, which is itself holy. A common and widespread custom is the
depositing of votive offerings,
dedicated to certain saints, at holy places--temples, churches, shrines, or
chapels where the supplicant can be certain of their direct presence and aid.
This custom is of ancient origin--e.g., the
votive offerings dedicated to the healing god Asclepius in the museum of
Epidaurus (Greece). This practice is still to be found in present-day popular
belief in Greece or at Roman Catholic places of pilgrimage.
(see also sacred place)
In these forms of indirect cult, then,
saints are venerated through the medium of concrete objects. In direct
veneration, on the other hand, the saint himself is addressed in invocation and
praise. According to popular belief, such direct worship is most effective at
the place of the predominant presence of the respective saint. The idea of
pilgrimage is always based upon such a belief in the localized presence of
numinous power.
A classical illustration of the saint
who is distinguished by his virtue is St. Francis of Assisi. Giving up a life of
extravagance, he began in 1209, together with several friends, to actualize his
ideal of the imitation of Christ by leading a life of poverty. For St. Francis,
three virtues constituted the preconditions of true divine vision: poverty,
ascetic chastity, and humility. (see also morality)
An example of a similar kind of
saintliness is reflected in the person of the Indian leader and reformer Mahatma
Gandhi (1869-1948). In his life, devoted to the acquiring of freedom for
India, he also lived according to three ideals. The first was satyagrahaholding fast to the truth with all the powers of the spirit. Gandhi's second
basic principle was ahimsa, which is to be understood not only in the negative sense of
"not killing" but also positively as a renunciation of the self and an
indulgence in "kind actions" toward all beings. His third ideal was brahmacaryawhich often is rendered too narrowly as chastity; it is the
ascetic way of life that Gandhi followed as a saint and as a statesman, hence
receiving boundless veneration by the masses. (see also ahimsa, e="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">or
Many prophets and prophetic reformers
form a second group of saints. One prophet in early Christianity was Paul, who
is honoured as a saint by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants. He
was a most powerful spiritual personality, decisively and significantly involved
in the development of Christianity from a Jewish sect to a world religion.
The Tibetan reformer Tsong-kha-pa
belonged to a completely different world from that of St. Paul. Originally, he
did not want to be an innovator but only a renewer of old religious patterns. He
was mainly concerned with the restoration of the discipline and the development
of the Lamaistic cult. His fame grew, and owing to his activity many monasteries
were founded. The "Yellow
Hat" sect was established by him. According to legend, Tsong-kha-pa
was taken up to heaven before the eyes of the people. This accounts for the
veneration he received, and still receives, by the Tibetan people. (see also Tibetan Buddhism, mysticism)
Often numbered among the saints are
certain religious personalities whose significance lies in their work as
illuminating interpreters of religious tradition or as proponents of a new view
of the divine or the eternal. An example from Indian religions is the great
teacher (acarya) Shankara,
the representative of Advaita (the teaching of the nonduality of divine
reality). When he died at the age of 32, a short and outwardly uneventful life
lay behind him. Yet even today the personality and work of Shankara
continue to determine the intellectual and religious life of India. Equally
significant in the Christian West, and specifically in the Roman Catholic
Church, is Thomas Aquinas, a
Dominican scholar. Although first disputed, his work finally received general
recognition, and he became recognized as the doctor
communis ("general teacher") of the Roman Catholic Church. His
significance lies in his encompassing and methodically clear theological and
philosophical system, in which he reconciled the views of the ancient Greek
philosopher Plato with those of his student Aristotle, antiquity with
Christianity, knowledge with faith, and nature with grace. He was proclaimed a
saint in 1323. (G.Me./
[ 홈 ] [ 위로 ] [ General ] [ Creation ] [ Eschatology ] [ Angels and Demons ] [ Salvation ] [ Providence ] [ Revelation ] [ Covenant ] [ Prophecy ] [ Miracle ] [ Saint ] [ Bibliography ]
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사이트맵 예수와나?
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This page was last modified 2001/09/23

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It's a Passions Baby! Natalie Zea and Travis Schuldt Expecting First Child
Jun 12, 2015 10:01 AM EDT
When people reminisce about nostalgic cult classics, for some reason they often forgetPassions, the amazing soap opera which featured witches and a sentient doll. But Natalie Zea, 40, and her Passions co-star and husband Travis Schuldt, 40, are here… Read more


text:
The over-the-top theatrics associated with 'professional' wrestling - from cage matches to costumes - evolved as a means to entertain audiences.
Amateur wresting, on the other hand, emphasizes sportsmanship, timing and tactics in a manner that is not necessarily made for television.
And though amateur wrestling draws participants from nearly 200 nations, its lack of TV appeal was among the reasons the International Olympic Committee Executive Board last week voted to eliminate the sport from the 2020 Games.
The IOC opted to keep 25 core sports instead: aquatics, archery, athletics (track and field), badminton, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, equestrian, fencing, football (soccer), gymnastics, handball, hockey, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, taekwondo, tennis, table tennis, shooting, triathlon, sailing, volleyball and weightlifting.
But wrestling is not yet down for the count. The board's decision put it on an eight-sport 'short list' from which one sport will be picked in May and added to the 2020 Games.
So the debate shouldn't be why wrestling is better than equestrian or modern pentathlon, but whether wrestling is more Olympic-worthy than baseball/softball, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu, which is a Chinese martial art.
It may not make for better TV than some of those sports, but its roots and international popularity should put it at the top of the list.
Wrestling dates to before the first ancient Olympic games in 776 B.C. and has been a part of the modern Games since they were reborn in 1896. It is a sport that has changed very little in that time, which is part of the problem.
'A shift in priority has occurred in an era of outsize television contracts as Olympic officials seek to add more telegenic sports and more widely visible stars in hopes of maintaining a sense of relevance, modernity and youthfulness in the Winter and the Summer Games,' The New York Times reported.
Wrestling that is dressed up for television is acting more than athletics. But amateur wrestling is one of mankind's enduring athletic competitions and should remain in the Games as a nod to both tradition and the raw athletic talent demonstrated by its participants.
-- The Denver Post


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Kentucky Distillers' Association Selects Intellicheck's
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Fox News Reports On Age ID®
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Intellicheck's Age ID® does so much more than age calculation and real-time authentication of identification documents such as driver licenses. Industry-leading accuracy lets you spot fake IDs, with additional, responsive features including managing the number of items sold to an individual, and managing the do-not-serve and banned patron lists. Innovation is yours in an affordable technology solution that will not slow your customer's transaction. Age ID® is flexible. The product works on mobile devices and existing point-of-sale solutions. Age ID® is the proven, comprehensive software that's trusted by bar and nightclub owners, restaurants, liquor stores, national concession providers, distilleries, alcohol associations, and alcohol enforcement authorities across the nation.
Why Age ID®?
- Provides the most accurate and up-to-date solution that works with iOS and Android mobile devices or at your point-of-sale
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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis' diplomatic skills were put to the test Monday during his inaugural audience with a visiting head of state as he met with his political nemesis, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, and was asked to intervene in the dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands.
It was a baptism by fire, given that the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires has been on record as saying Britain "usurped" the remote islands from Argentina and last year paid homage to the Argentines who were killed trying "to reclaim what is theirs for the fatherland."
Argentina and Britain fought a 1982 war over the islands, which Argentina calls Malvinas. Earlier this month, the islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain a British Overseas Territory.
There was no indication that Francis, now pope, would take up the request from Fernandez, with whom he has clashed for years over her populist policies on gay marriage and other hot-button issues like birth control that will soon confront Francis on a global scale as leader of the world's 1.2-billion Catholics.
Francis may well map out some of his own priorities in his installation Mass on Tuesday, which some 130 government delegations and scores of Jewish, Orthodox and other Christian representatives will attend. Italian news reports say civil protection officials are gearing up for as many as 1 million people to flock to the event.
There was no immediate comment from the Vatican as to whether the Argentine-born Francis would accept Fernandez's intervention request, which was made during a meeting and luncheon at the Vatican hotel where Francis has been staying since his election last week.
The British Foreign Office, however, made clear it didn't expect any Vatican intervention in the dispute.
"The Holy See is clear that it considers the question of the Falkland Islands as a bilateral one between sovereign nations, and that it does not have a role to play. We do not expect that position to change," it said in a statement.
Francis and Fernandez are longtime rivals: As leader of Argentina's Catholics, he had accused her populist government of demagoguery, while she called his opposition to gay adoptions reminiscent of the Middle Ages and the Inquisition. But where the Falklands are concerned, Francis, like most Argentines, believes the islands rightfully belong to Argentina.
Fernandez told journalists Monday after having lunch with the pope that she had asked for Francis' intercession to "facilitate dialogue" with Britain over the islands.
Just last week, British Prime Minister David Cameron said he didn't agree with Francis' views on the Falklands. And on Monday, the Foreign Office recalled the referendum results in its statement, saying: the vote "sent a clear message around the world that the people of the islands want to remain as a British Overseas Territory."
In asking Francis to intervene, Fernandez said she recalled how Pope John Paul II averted war in 1978 between Argentina and Chile over three tiny islands in the Beagle Channel at the southern tip of South America.
With military governments on both sides poised for battle, he sent his personal envoy to mediate the crisis through shuttle diplomacy between Santiago and Buenos Aires, and eventually brought both governments to the Vatican to consider his compromise.
The conflict wasn't entirely resolved until after democracy returned to Argentina, and both sides signed a "treaty of peace and friendship" at the Vatican in 1984, giving the islands to Chile but maritime rights to Argentina.
On Monday, Fernandez gave Francis a picture of a marble monument honoring the 30th anniversary of John Paul II's negotiations, and then used the opportunity to bring up the issue of sovereignty over the Falklands.
They also seemed to have patched up their relationship.
Fernandez gave the new pope a mate gourd and straw, to hold the traditional Argentine tea that Francis loves, and he gave her a kiss.
"Never in my life has a pope kissed me!" Fernandez said afterward.
She and her predecessor and late husband, Nestor Kirchner, had defied church teaching to push through a series of measures with popular backing in Argentina, including mandatory sex education in schools, free distribution of contraceptives in public hospitals, and the right for transsexuals to change their official identities on demand. Argentina in 2010 became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriages.
According to Francis' authorized biographer, Sergio Rubin, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was politically wise enough to know the church couldn't win a straight-on fight against gay marriage, so he urged his bishops to lobby for gay civil unions instead. It wasn't until his proposal was shot down by the bishops' conference that he declared what gay activists called a "war of God" on the measure — and the church lost the issue altogether.
As the meeting was under way Monday, the Vatican released details of Francis' installation Mass, saying it would be a simplified version of the 2005 installation Mass that brought Pope Benedict XVI to the papacy, with only a half-dozen cardinals pledging their obedience to him and many gestures to Eastern rite Catholics and Orthodox Christians in a sign of church unity.
One significant VIP is the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. His presence at the installation is the first from the Istanbul-based Patriarchate in nearly 1,000 years since the Great Schism divided the church in 1054.
In a gesture to the East, the Gospel will be sung in Greek as opposed to Latin and eastern rite Catholic prelates will join Francis at an initial prayer at the tomb of St. Peter under the basilica's main altar, the Vatican said Monday.
In all, some 33 Christian delegations will be present, as well as representatives of Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain communities.
The Vatican also released details of Francis' coat of arms and official ring, both of which are in keeping with his style and priorities: The coat of arms is the same Jesuit-inspired one he used as archbishop of Buenos Aires, featuring symbols of Mary, Jesus and Joseph, albeit with the papal trappings of a bishop miter and the crossed keys of the Holy See. The ring was once offered to Pope Paul VI, who presided over the second half of the Second Vatican Council, the church meetings that modernized the church.
Francis will officially receive the ring and the pallium, a wool stole, during Tuesday's installation Mass, which is drawing six sovereign rulers, 31 heads of state, three princes and 11 heads of government to the Vatican.
Michael Warren in Buenos Aires contributed.
Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield


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Rosedale High School
Rosedale High School, 1959
Rosedale was settled in the late 19th century on a rugged hillside in the shadow of Red Mountain. Pioneering African Americans cleared the land, creating a community that once included what is now downtown Homewood. Following the desegregation of Homewood schools and parks, Rosedale lost the schools, parks and swimming facility that had been the centers of community life. -- from
Rosedale Community Website
Over 1100 students were graduated from 1937 to 1968.
Birmingham Public Library Archives
Former Rosedale High School, 2009
Birmingham Public Library
Birmingham, Alabama


text: Opinion 13.7: Cosmos And Culture Cremation, Burial Or Body Farm? January 12, 2012 When life comes to an end, cremation or burial is the traditional choice. Thousands of people, though, opt instead to donate their bodies to a Body Farm, where forensic anthropologists expose cadavers to the elements — and to insects — in the interests of science.


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Security firm AVG has launched an online campaign to help university students combat Facebook status jacking.
Facebook status jacking, or "clickjacking," sees profiles on the social network being fraudulently access by cybercriminals that have stolen log-in credentials. The hackers then fake, and sometimes even malicious, status messages.
According to AVG, students are the group most at risk of having their status jacked on social networking sites such as Facebook. The security firm's claims are backed up by figures from Ofcom, which revealed that just 15 percent of web users aged 16 to 24 take internet security seriously. Furthermore, just nine percent are concerned about security.
Research by AVG revealed there are 19,491 malicious pages across the world's 50 most popular social-networking sites. More than half, 11,701, of these appeared on Facebook, while video-sharing site YouTube has 7,163 of the compromised pages.
"The fact that we found almost 20,000 compromised web pages on the world's most popular social networking sites should make social media users sit up and take notice," said Tony Anscombe, from AVG.
AVG hopes to educate students about the dangers of going onto social networks using unprotected connections, and of the need to always log out of sites properly. Two videos about status jacking, featuring comedienne Holly Burns and offering advice on securing social media profiles, are among the materials that will be released over the course of the campaign.
See also: Facebook users targeted by 'likejacking' attacks
This story, "Facebook 'Clickjacking' Awareness Campaign Launched" was originally published by PC Advisor (UK).


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Where Does the Money Come From for Mortgage Loans?
In the olden days, when someone wanted a home loan they walked downtown to the neighborhood bank or savings & loan. If the bank had extra funds lying around and considered you a good credit risk, they would lend you the money from their own funds.
It doesn't generally work like that anymore. Most of the money for home loans comes from three major institutions:
- Fannie Mae (FNMA - Federal National Mortgage Association)
- Freddie Mac (FHLMC - Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation)
- Ginnie Mae (GNMA - Government National Mortgage Association)
This is how it works:
You talk to practically any lender and apply for a loan. They do all the processing and verifications and finally, you own the house with a home loan and regular mortgage payments. You might be making payments to the company who originated your loan, or your loan might have been transferred to another institution. The institution where you mail your payments is called the servicer, but most likely they do not own your loan. They are simply servicing your loan for the institution that does own it.
What happens behind the scenes is that your loan got packaged into a pool with a lot of other loans and sold off to one of the three institutions listed above. The servicer of your loan gets a monthly fee from the investor for servicing your loan. This fee is usually only 3/8ths of a percent or so, but the amount adds up. There are companies that service over a billion dollars of home loans and it is a tidy income.
At the same time, whichever institution packaged your loan into the pool for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or Ginnie Mae, has received additional funds with which to make more loans to other borrowers. This is the cycle that allows institutions to lend you money.
What Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae, and Fannie Mae may do after they purchase the pools is break them down into smaller increments of $1,000 or so, called mortgage-backed securities. They sell these mortgage-backed securities to individuals or institutions on Wall Street. If you have a 401K or mutual fund, you may even own some. Perhaps you have heard of Ginnie Mae bonds? Those are securities backed by the mortgages on FHA and VA loans.
These bonds are not ownership in your loan specifically, but a piece of ownership in the entire pool of loans, of which your loan is only one among many. By selling the bonds, Ginnie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae obtain new funds to buy new pools so lenders can get more money to lend to new borrowers.
And that is how the cycle works.
So when you make your payment, the servicer gets to keep their tiny part and the majority is passed on to the investor. Then the investor passes on the majority of it to the individual or institutional investor in the mortgage backed securities.
From time to time your loan may be transferred from the company where you have been making your payment to another company. They aren't selling your loan again, just the right to service your loan.
There are exceptions.
Loans above $333,700 do not conform to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines, which is why they are called non-conforming loans, or "jumbo" loans. These loans are packaged into different pools and sold to different investors, not Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. Then they are securitized and for the most part, sold as mortgage backed securities as well.
This buying and selling of mortgages and mortgage-backed securities is called mortgage banking, and it is the backbone of the mortgage business.
The Elkins Home Selling Team with Elite Realty Group provides services with Morristown TN Real Estate For Sale and Morristown TN Homes For Sale to home buyers and home sellers in Morristown Tennessee, Whitesburg, Talbott, Russellville, Sevierville, Bean Station, Dandridge, Pigeon Forgeand surrounding communities.
We specialize in working with Home Sellers in getting their homes listed and sold. We utilize the latest and most up to date marketing materials in assuring the job gets done quickly and with the least amount of hassle. Our homes are listed on over 32 different Real Estate web sites including realtor.com, yahoo.com, trulia.com and many others. Each office independently owned and operated.
Elite Realty Group is a full service real estate company serving Morristown TN Real Estate For Sale, Jefferson City TN Real Estate For Sale, Talbott TN Real Estate For Sale, Russellville TN Real Estate For Sale, Grainger Co TN Real Estate For Sale, Dandridge TN Homes For Sale, Cherokee Lake TN Homes For Sale and Douglas Lake TN Homes For Sale.


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|photo credit: __Dori__
Just can't get enough wind energy this month. NPR featured (recently mentioned here) T. Boone Pickens, the venerable Texas oilman, and his plans to put 2500 wind turbines in the Texas panhandle–enough to power 1.3 million homes. He is a big advocate of using more wind energy to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by making more natural gas–currently used to generate electricity–available for powering transportation. Pickens points out a study citing that the land available in North Dakota for wind turbines–if used for that purpose–might be enough to power the entire USA.
And for those of you who are still stuck on the idea that wind turbines are ugly, you can soon try on a hot little number designed by French designer Philippe Starck. He's designed a plastic wind turbine that can generate 20 to 60 percent (!) of your home electricity needs. NPR reports that it will be available later this year for only $630. Maybe you should run down to your local wind boutique to make sure you're on the list for this one. Fashion forward AND eco-friendly. How hip are you gonna be this fall?
|photo credit: CoreBurn
Speaking of wind, hurricane season is now in session, which means we're also thinking a lot about the Gulf of Mexico – which is also closely related to our current energy crisis.
Offshore drilling on the Offshore Continental Shelf – (OCS) is an important factor in the equation which determines the cost of gasoline. Now you can actually keep an eye on the Minerals Management Service web site to see how the weather is effecting oil production in the GUlf of Mexico. For safety reasons, offshore oil rigs are shut down during dangerous conditions. But don't worry too much, there are numerous procedures in place to make sure hurricanes don't cause oil leaks.


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10 Great Kid Gifts for Less Than $10
By Maryalene LaPonsie
Christmas is almost here. Are you ready yet?
If you're still looking for some extra stocking stuffers or cheap presents for the kids in your life, you'll definitely want to watch the video above. Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson has some great gift ideas that cost practically nothing. Then keep reading for more inspiration.
1. Legos. I know. Some of you are freaking out at this suggestion. Holy moley, those babies are expensive, right? Well, sure, if you're going to buy the Millennium Falcon. But you can get plenty of fun little sets such as a surfer rescue or a Duplo caterpillar at regular or sale prices below $10.
2. Pack of cards. You can pick up a cheap pack of cards from virtually any dollar store or toy department in the country. They may cost only a couple dollars, but they come with the potential for hours of fun. For the younger set, look for games such as Old Maid or Go Fish that feature big numbers and bright graphics. Tweens and teens might like to receive a regular pack of cards and learn some grown-up games once the dinner dishes are put away.
3. Craft supplies. You could spend $20-plus on a bundle of craft supplies or you could make your own set for less than half the price. Head to the dollar store and look for construction paper, markers, ribbon, glue, beads and other crafty items. Arrange them in an inexpensive bin or basket and wrap it up with some wrapping tissue or cellophane for a fun and creative gift.
4. Temporary tattoos. There's something about temporary tattoos that children love. It's like being given permission to write all over yourself. You can find some stencil kits that will let kids make their own body art or for the non-artists, check out Monster Hands to combine tattoo mania with hand puppet fun.
5. Coupon book. You can't beat free, and you don't have to spend a dime to give your favorite kids a homemade coupon book full of little splurges. Coupons could be for an extra hour of screen time on the weekend, a night off from chores or having dessert before dinner one night.
6. Give an experience. Similar to a coupon book, you could give an experience. Younger kids might not quite grasp the concept behind this gift, so it might be best for those who are a little older. Put in a box or card a certificate entitling the child to a date with you. It could be taking your niece to see a matinee or fishing with your grandson. Either pick something you know they'll love or let them make the call – as long as it is within reason.
7. Makeup bag. For this one, if you aren't buying for your own daughter, you'll want to check with the parents first. However, if you get the green light, most girls love the chance to play dress-up and that includes experimenting with makeup. Pick up an inexpensive toiletry bag and stuff it with sample-size makeup items. If the girl in your life isn't quite old enough for makeup, you could include lotions, soaps or other bath items instead.
8. A share of stock. Not all kids will appreciate this one when it comes out of the box, but if you make a wise choice, they'll thank you later. Buy a single share of stock and wrap up a certificate in a box or card. Then, show them how to follow the stock value and explain that eventually that $10 gift might be worth a whole lot more.
9. Books. Some hardcover books can be pricey, but there are plenty that fall in the $10-and-under range. And you know what? Almost every kid loves some type of book. Even if they aren't the reading type, you can find Mad Libs, puzzle books or comic books that fit just about every level of interest.
10. Candy bags. Finally, you simply can't go wrong with candy. Mom and Dad might not be thrilled, but if you show up at the Christmas party with bags of candy for every boy and girl, we'll bet you'll be in the running as the favorite relative for everyone under age 18.
Those are 10 great kid gifts under $10, but they certainly aren't your only options. If you've given a cheap gift that was a super hit, tell us about it in the comments below or on our Facebook page.
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Sunday morning, I awoke to the soft light of dawn with a contented smile on my face—not because it was the second Sunday of Advent, not because the ground glistened with a lovely morning frost, not because the greatest guy in the world lay beside me—but because on Saturday night, Alabama won the SEC Championship game against Florida.
It's hard to describe the level of fanaticism to which we Bama fans are accustomed. I share a similar experience to that of Warren St. John, who wrote in his bestselling book, Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer:
"I grew up in Alabama—possibly the worst place on earth to acquire a healthy perspective on the importance of spectator sports. If you were a scientist hoping to isolate the fan gene, Alabama would make the perfect laboratory… A recent poll by the Mobile Register found that 90 percent of the state's citizens describe themselves as college football fans. To understand what an absolute minority nonfans are in Alabama, consider this: they are outnumbered there by atheists."
Saturday night was the night Alabama fans had been waiting for ever since last year's fourth-quarter loss to the Gators in the same championship game. On Saturday night, Alabama beat Florida 32-13. On Saturday night, Heisman Trophy candidate Mark Ingram rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns. On Saturday night, quarterback Greg McElroy led the team to one of its most decisive victories of the season, complete with an 88-yard drive, 239 passing yards, and some sweet ballet-like moves along the sideline. And on Saturday night, Tim Tebow cried.
It's that last bit that bothered my mother a little, as Florida quarterback Tim Tebow has a reputation within the evangelical community for being a strong Christian witness A missionary-kid, he gives credit to Jesus after every win, wears Bible verse themed eye black under his eyes, and, to his credit, is well known for his charitable efforts on and off the field.
However, I'm more cynical than my mother, and during the game couldn't help but make a few snarky comments to the effect of, "I guess that pass was intended for the Holy Spirit." Just to push her buttons.
The truth is, I have mixed feelings about the integration of faith and sport.
It seems to me that thanking Jesus for a win has the potential to make Him into little more than a good-luck charm, and assuming that God intervenes to alter the outcome of a sporting event shows a lack of sensitivity to the millions of hungry people around the world who cry out to God each day to no avail. Furthermore, I'm pretty convinced that when Jesus told his disciples ,"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world," he was not referring to tribulations brought on by the Alabama defensive line, as Tebow's face subtly implies.
On the other hand, I respect Tebow and other players who use their platform to give generously and share their faith. They have the ability to reach people who might not otherwise be inclined to think about spiritual things, and I actually think it's healthy to acknowledge the fact that our talents—be they athletic, academic, musical, entrepreneurial, or whatever—are gifts from God that compel us to be good stewards who give glory to Him.
Both Alabama players and Florida players have been known to thank God for their success on the football field. But I can't recall any of them thanking Him for failure, acknowledging that He is good despite the largely inconsequential ups and downs of a football game.
Of course, this comes from the girl who woke up on the second Sunday of Advent thinking not about Jesus, but about football. I guess it's always easier to make calls from the sofa.
What do you think about players thanking God for wins?
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Are You Getting Optimal Flu Prevention?December 2009
By Julius Goepp, MD
As numerous strains of the influenza virus continue to pose a deadly danger to the public health—especially among aging individuals—a potent, low-cost defense has been hidden in plain sight: vitamin D.
The work of several pioneering experts suggests that at sufficient levels, its capacity to supercharge the immune system can virtually eliminate the risk of infection. Their findings also underscore the extraordinary inadequacy of the current "recommended" dose of 400-800 IU/day. To get the full immune-boosting benefit, about ten times that amount may be required to achieve optimal blood levels of vitamin D in its active form.1
Mainstream medicine's persistent failure to recognize and ensure adequate D levels has resulted in epidemic deficiency—87% of adults by recent estimates. 2,3 Given seasonal flu viruses' ability to endlessly mutate, and the exorbitant cost to the public for each new round of vaccination, this persistent "oversight" borders on the criminal.
In this article, you will find compelling evidence that vitamin D provides unrivalled support for the innate immune system: the foundation of your body's defense that is hard-wired to respond instantly to microbial invasion.4
You will also discover how you may be getting the wrong test to determine your vitamin D status—and the right steps to take for maximum immune support.
An "Accidental Experiment"
The recent work of three exceptional physicians illustrates vitamin D's vastly underreported preventive power.
Dr. John Cannell's "accidental experiment" with vitamin D took place in 2005.5 A psychiatrist based at a locked facility in California, Cannell found himself confronted with a particularly severe outbreak of seasonal influenza that year. A substantial number of inpatients were infected—and most of the wards were forced into quarantine. By contrast, not one of the 32 patients in Dr. Cannell's care developed flu symptoms.
The reason soon came to light. In contrast to those in the rest of the hospital, his patients' treatment regimen included high-dose vitamin D. Dr. Cannell knew its critical role in the optimal functioning of multiple systems in the body. He was also aware that his patients were unlikely to get the amount of sunlight required to support healthy vitamin D levels on their own.6 (Vitamin D synthesis requires exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun.)
The 100% rate of flu protection was unexpected, and it prompted Cannell to perform further research. After exploring the scientific literature and consulting with experts, Cannell and his colleagues developed a novel theory: influenza is seasonal because of seasonal variations in sunlight, which cause natural fluctuations in vitamin D levels.4,7
That initial exploration has now led to a wealth of scientific support, including compelling data on exactly how vitamin D dramatically increases immunity to many infectious diseases. It has also led other physicians to include D supplementation as part of their standard treatment regimen.
Norris Glick, MD, is Director of Rehab Services at Central Wisconsin Center, a long-term care facility for people with developmental disabilities, with 275 residents and 800 staff members. Like Dr. Cannell, Dr. Glick monitors his patients' vitamin D and supplements them to maintain adequate levels. In a published letter to Dr. Cannell, Dr. Glick reported that during the H1N1 ("swine flu") outbreak of June 2009, only two patients (0.7%) developed influenza-like symptoms.8 During the same period, 103 staff members (7.5%) developed influenza-like illnesses—a 10-fold difference. Dr. Glick concluded that "staff were susceptible [to infection] while our residents were protected."Sadly, when Dr. Glick presented these findings to the state agency charged with "protecting and promoting the health and safety of the people of Wisconsin",9 he was unable to generate interest in studying them further.8
Dr. Ellie Campbell, an integrative family medicine practitioner in Georgia, where widespread H1N1 outbreaks have been reported, outlined similar findings in September 2009.8 Campbell measures and replenishes vitamin D in her patients, while the family physician who shares her office does not. During the 2009 outbreak, he was seeing up to 10 cases per week of influenza-like illness, while Campbell had seen just one over the same period.
Campbell attributes this striking contrast in infection rates to her patients' vitamin D status. "I'm a prevention doctor, and I don't have a tool in my kit more powerful than vitamin D," she says. "I test virtually all of my patients every three to six months for vitamin D status," Campbell continues, "and I aim for a vitamin D 'sufficiency' level of 50-80 ng/mL." Like many vitamin D-aware physicians, Campbell considers levels below 30-40 ng/mL to be insufficient.10-13
Drs. Cannell, Glick, and Campbell achieved these superior results through their knowledge of vitamin D's powerful impact on the innate immune system.
Bolstering the Body's Fundamental Defenses
The innate immune system is the branch of the immune system that responds immediately to dangerous microbes.4 As soon as an invasion is detected, the innate immune system releases virus-killing compounds called antimicrobial peptides (AMPs).14-17 The tissues that line our air passages are especially rich in AMP-producing cells, where they provide a front-line defense against influenza.16-20
Only in the past few years have scientists discovered that these cells require vitamin D to function effectively.4,20-23 Vitamin D acts by modulating gene expression—activating the genes that govern AMP production.15,18-25 Respiratory tract cells convert vitamin D into its active form—reflecting the intimate relationship between vitamin D and host defenses.18
Vitamin D also suppresses inflammatory cytokines.4,25-27 Cytokines are partly responsible for the pain, fever, and congestion that comes with influenza infection; full-blown cytokine storms are to blame in some fatal cases of influenza.4,28 Vitamin D not only enhances our ability to produce AMP molecules, it also simultaneously dampens the acute inflammation that causes most of our symptomatic misery during a bout of influenza.4
While the underlying mechanisms behind vitamin D's immune-supporting action have only recently come to light, scientists have long suspected that vitamin D protects against influenza and other respiratory infections. Influenza is highly seasonal, of course, occurring during months of relative darkness in both hemispheres (both through fewer daylight hours and greater cloud cover). Since vitamin D requires sunlight for activation, researchers suspected a connection.7,29,30
An early study demonstrated that mice with low vitamin D levels were at higher risk for experimental swine flu.31 Numerous studies have shown that infants, children, and adults are at increased risk for influenza and other serious lower respiratory infections when their vitamin D levels decline.32-36 One 2009 study found that risk was 36% greater for healthy people with vitamin D levels below 30 ng/mL, and 126 to 467% greater for those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma, respectively!37
A 2005 placebo-controlled study revealed a direct link between vitamin D supplementation and flu prevention.38 Researchers studying a group of postmenopausal women at risk for osteoporosis administered the recommended 800 IU per day of vitamin D3 for the two years, then 2,000 IU per day in the third year, vs. placebo. While 26 placebo recipients reported having a cold or influenza-like illness during the study, only 7 taking the 800 IU supplement had such an illness—and only one such illness was reported during the 2,000 IU period. Even more unexpectedly, the supplement completely cancelled out the seasonality of infection—there was no big "flu spike" in winter among the supplemented patients.11
These results provide ample evidence that the immune system requires vitamin D in relatively high quantities to provide adequate protection against the flu (including H1N1 swine flu). The problem is that even if you take vitamin D supplements, you may still not be getting enough.
Why You Aren't Getting Enough Vitamin D
The current "recommended" daily amount of 400-800 IU was established more than 30 years ago—and it was aimed purely at establishing the minimum required to avoid osteoporosis.39 These amounts are far too low to provide vitamin D at immune-supporting levels.40 The body can produce blood levels of activated vitamin D in far greater amounts than we normally ingest.11 In order to generate any significant benefit, researchers had to give 6,400 IU of vitamin D to healthy adults in order to maximize production of the active form.10 As Dr. Cannell reported, "This implies that everyone has a chronic vitamin D deficiency, at least in the winter," when flu is at its worst.11
Recent studies support Cannell's observation, demonstrating that as many as 87% of adults are vitamin D deficient by late winter—and 61% remain deficient even during the sunny summer months.2,3 Many factors contribute to these low levels. Age decreases the ability of human skin to activate vitamin D.41 Pollution and cloudy skies cut down on the amount of sunlight available for natural vitamin D activation, as does living in the temperate zones where total sunlight levels are only moderate.42,43
According to nutritional expert Reinhold Vieth, "Human biology was probably optimized through natural selection for a sun-rich environment that maintained serum vitamin D higher than 40 ng/mL. These levels are now only prevalent in people who spend an above-average amount of time outdoors, with the sun high in the sky."44 Vieth continues, "The combined effect of current nutrition guidelines and current sun-avoidance advice is to ensure that adults who follow these recommendations will have circulating vitamin D concentrations lower than 30 ng/mL."
Experts who have devoted their lives to the study of vitamin D conclude that the lower end of the current RDA is far too low.5,13,45 Studies show that you need at least 2,200 IU vitamin D daily total and probably much more, in order to come anywhere close to optimizing vitamin D status for real immune support.46 Yet most doctors are not recommending supplementation greater than 800 IU!11


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Contact Information
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Page last updated: September 19, 2019


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Swimming Pool Blog
Teach your Toddlers How to Swim!
We were having a company pool party recently, and when I asked someone why they weren't doing backflips off the diving board, he replied "Don't know how to swim".
I was sad when I heard this, for many reasons. One, he has to carry around baggage full of fear his whole life. Two, he was missing on out on great fun, fitness and family togetherness. Three, he would be unable to help a person struggling in the water, and Fourth, this may pass on to his own children.
Parents, I implore you! Teach your Babies to Swim! For a small investment of your time and money, you can give your child a very large gift. Don't wait to late! As young as 6 months, you can begin acclimation. Between 6 and 9 months of age, babies begin to lose their natural reflexes to being under water. And when they are old enough to walk steadily, they are old enough to swim. Most drownings occur to children under the age of 5, so start early!
Here's some Tips on Teaching Toddlers to Swim
1. Start Small, Start Slow. The first few trips to the pool should not involve swimming, but acclimation to the water. Hold your child as you move around in the water. Stay as shallow as you can. Use the step area if there is one. If baby gets fussy, set her on the edge of the pool and kick her legs. If a baby pool is available, these are great confidence builders. Your child will indicate their confidence and security by their level of clinginess or fussiness. Look to this comfort level, and strive to go just beyond it
2. Provide fun swimsuits and proper swim gear. Swimsuit, swim diapers, sunscreen and a hat. Introduce goggles or a mask made to fit small faces, but don't be surprised if they don't like them at first. A proper floatation device or floatation suit is an excellant idea. In recent years, such products have improved over water wings, in both comfort and safety. Water wings can be a hindrance to free arm motion needed in swimming, look to these USCG approved swim vests, Puddle Jumpers or padded floation swimsuits.
3. Blow Bubbles. A silly game, and easy to start in the bathtub. Many kids will fear putting their face into the water, and/or opening their eyes under water. Start small, go slow with bubbles, and then follow by demonstrating a full face dunk in the water. If your child will keep their eyes open, ask them to look at you under water. Blowing bubbles is the start of learning breath control. Not breathing under water is something that is instinctive, but it is trained with games of blowing bubbles under water, or holding breath and going under water for a second.
4. Learn to Kick. Demonstrate the flutter kick, or freestyle kick while holding on to the pool wall. Then hold your child at the wall, supporting her underneath, and have her kick slowly and smoothly. If she can hold herself on the wall, you can lightly move her legs in the proper motion with your hands, up and down, not too fast or jerky. Using a kickboard is the next step, or you can just hold baby under the abdomen, walking while she kicks. Keep the kicking motion up near the surface of the water, in a horizontal orientation, parallel to the pool floor.
5. Learn to Float. Filling our lungs full of air makes it easier to float. Floating on your back requires that you push your head back, and lift the pelvis, As you begin to help your child float, provide support beneath their mid section, just very light support. Soothing words and touch will help reassure your child. Stay in the shallow end of the pool, preferably at a depth that the child can stand.
6. Jumping In! With the child standing on the edge of the pool, they simply jump into your arms. A favorite kid activity, it eventually leads to them jumping in a few feet from you, popping up and swimming to you. But start slow, don't exceed their comfort level by too much. Diving will come later, at this point they could have fun doing the "Pencil" or maybe a "Splash Daddy Cannonball". Diving in from a seated position on the pool edge is a good transition to diving.
7. Jumping Off! An important skill to teach and learn is that you can always push off the bottom to the surface. Many tragedies occur in pools when people are in water deeper than they can stand, and even adults don't realize, that they can push off the bottom strongly, break the surface and take a big breath. First you would demonstrate the jumping game, exhaling whilst under water "watch my bubbles!', and taking a big exaggerated breath as you come above surface. Begin by holding your child around the waist, and jumping up with her. If the comfort is there, they can try solo jumping off, as you watch underwater.
8. Safety Skills. Teach a Buddy System - Never Swim Alone. Secondly, discuss why the lifeguards are there (if you have lifeguards). Explain that people aren't fish, we can't breath under water, and that learning to swim is the best security blanket. Be careful not to instill too much fear at this point, before they are fully acclimated and comfortable to the water. Most important is to Never Swim Alone, never play next to the pool where you may fall in and take a break when you get tired. Other good pool rules are: no horseplay, no running, no dunking - mostly for the older kids.
Swimming comes later, the ultimate goal here is comfort and security. Knowing they can hold their breath under water, they can push off the bottom, and that the edge of the pool is very close, and so are you. These are precious times with your child, and the gift of swimming is one of the best life skills I know of, enriching the lives of so many people. If you can get your toddler to do something like the picture below, you can call your efforts successful.
If you have a home pool, Learning to Swim and Learning Safety Skills is on of the best safety measures you can take. However, please make sure that Layers of Protection are in place.
- 4 sided Pool Fencing, with self-closing and self-latching gates
- Alarm any doors or gates leading to the pool
- Consider an automatic pool cover or mesh safety cover
- Alarm at poolside, in case other safety measures fail
- Safety Rope to separate deep and shallow ends
by Rob Cox, July 19, 2010


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Social Media in A Froth Over Royal Baby News
When news broke over Twitter with official royal baby news, it didn't take long for the fake accounts to pile on. BuzzFeed's Amy Odell joins digits to discuss what to expect now that Kate Middleton is expecting. Photo: AP Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... 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I mean are the ones that minority more important than everyone reading this ... royalty be sorry ... um oh four key and on the dollar might Kara money now and see that she actually is suffering from morning sickness that once opened mean spirited but that ... so on ... about all this was the comfort on Twitter when something like this happen to me for example yesterday at the pole and you know it now says he was going to be ... treating beginning December twelve from his official account and every indigenous trending topic Twitter now lets up ... and this type of reaction become the new way to teens ... the impact of the news of an irony here is this immediately really can ... not imagine that ... I think that I am ... I actually was enjoying income women and use her because I feel a cafe Twitter feeds the case these are very hard to execute ... there have been some that have been Korean invisible Obama and they came up after the presidential pack ... or that Republican House and Senate races he's obviously ballon was very funny month and ... in season right leg after India's canceling easily was the isthe is that ... her legs sticking out of that have on campus let ... so the real bananas are still going strong in they found a way it's Tuesday relevance to act as their ... muse moment passes ... they continue to comment on other news the events that in a funny way that makes sense for a nap or sealer purity account ... none of the Royal see this these are really didn't reach out to even comment saying I think ... on in this arena candles and is pregnant so I think ... you know ... there's opportunity there for some and it is um in Korea and if he got a toddler Yeliz and tumbled as in its homeland if last Scaggs flash Kate plus metals and ... you'll see everything that he'll attack candles and somewhere ... and it's mostly in jazz ... Leeson wonderful enthusiasm everyone is so excited this is a lot of gifts ... of ... people being happy in CA pain is the enemy is weighing in ... I think rate now all in that's right go for my entertain ING ... K Milton pregnant Reacts and as the twin cities that recounting this for some people who may not know explain Lipacis radical way to get to the new being and thought oh great so we're seeing lots of moving photos of key belt and I all the right time and Obama clap and or Admiral feral an Alpha running ... through their evolving to wear really excitedly in stuff like that thing and that suggests ... I'm great enthusiasm for something can we expect to see that ... much more events ... involving the Royal Navy in the months to come or do you think people ... will die down Alan afew in acting and Simeon on Friday for escapism the hospital vacancies said ... sounded that's can it be a big story a follower and if we don't see her ... this we know ... now when Kris menace and we should see her Christmas and she's monetary Christmas mass from the trail solicitor Christmas mass of that'll be a big ... photo op for her of core is ... the first spell out she has for her bond is very livable that will be ... a big fat Oeil that'll probably be a big fashion aam and whatever she's wearing will probably sell out instantly on lying and cheating people begin to mimic the fake bomb antimoney ... Kate Middleton I think we know what my wedding long sleeves to the bomb absolutely I think some other big impact on this journey fashion present trends and what people are buying ... and then also I think for people who aren't pregnant whenever she wears something is going to be so much more intense and under ... Hitler new summit friends then NCO is its greatest summer warning that people has that ... well that's the look of bravery she would go and she always looks very attractive in fashionable and stylish in a way ... that is approachable from a Swinand link you can incorporate Kindle's includes ensure merchant ... you can see that with Lady GA at ... so in the way she really has the parents and in sales for the fascination with the whales will continue on one fetus died and social media of the next several months I would say years I knew that for the baby's brain and that the story that that ... is not going away any sense in a mean you are and I'll email it from but the euro and was near here


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Undergraduate Degrees, Majors and Concentrations
HIST2600 - Modern European History
Summer 2019
This course deals with the history of Europe since 1914. The course considers the political, economic, and social sequels to Versailles; the challenge to European dominance and changing relations with Russia and the United States; and the rise of totalitarianism to World War II and its consequences. This course is usually offered only in the winter term.
3 Credits
Schedule Book for All Active and Available Future Terms, Course starting with HIST2600
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Through their exploration of the body and breath, the ancient yogis discovered that prana (life force energy) could be further subdivided into energetic components they called Vayus (winds). The five Vayus of prana all have very subtle yet distinct energetic qualities, including specific functions and directions of flow. The yogis were able to control and cultivate these Vayus by simply bringing their focus and awareness to them. Through this conscious control and cultivation they were not only able to create optimal health and well-being, but were able to activate the primordial Kundalini energy to obtain states of enlightened Samadhi.
Complete mastery over the Vayus is not necessary to benefit from using them to improve our inward focus and the ability to feel the subtleties within the body. Cultivating a basic awareness of one or more of the Vayus will help us deepen our awareness of body and breath to enrich our yoga practice.
The two most important Vayus are Prana-Vayu and Apana-Vayu. Prana–Vayu is situated in the head, centered in the third-eye, and its energy pervades the chest region. The flow of Prana-Vayu is inwards and upward. It nourishes the brain and the eyes and governs reception of all things: food, air, senses, and thoughts. This Vayu is the fundamental energy in the body and directs and feeds into the four other Vayus. To experience Prana-Vayu: Close your eyes, sit or stand with a long spine and relaxed body, and as you inhale feel an energy flowing up the torso from the belly to the third-eye.
Apana–Vayu is situated in the pelvic floor and its energy pervades the lower abdomen. The flow of Apana-Vayu is downwards and out and its energy nourishes the organs of digestion, reproduction and elimination. Apana-Vayu governs the elimination of all substances from the body: carbon monoxide, urine, stool, etc. To experience Apana-Vayu: Close your eyes, sit or stand with a long spine and relaxed body, and as you exhale feel an energy flowing down the torso from the top of the head to the tailbone.
Vyana–Vayu is situated in the heart and lungs and flows throughout the entire body. The flow of Vyana-Vayu moves from the center of the body to the periphery. It governs circulation of all substances throughout the body, and assists the other Vayus with their functions. To experience Vyana-Vayu: Close your eyes, sit or stand with a long spine and relaxed body, and as you inhale feel the breath radiating outward from the navel to the arms and legs.
Udana–Vayu is situated in the throat and it has a circular flow around the neck and head. It functions to "hold us up" and governs speech, self-expression and growth. To experience Udana-Vayu: Close your eyes, sit or stand with a long spine and relaxed body, and as you inhale and exhale feel the breath circulating around and through the head and neck.
Samana–Vayu is situated in the abdomen with its energy centered in the navel. The flow of Samana-Vayu moves from the periphery of the body to the center. It governs the digestion and assimilation of all substances: food, air, experiences, emotions and thoughts. To experience Samana-Vayu: Close your eyes, sit or stand with a long spine and relaxed body, and as you inhale and exhale feel the breath rising and falling in the front, sides and back of the torso.
Awareness of one or more Vayu has several applications in yoga, and is most easily illustrated within a yoga posture. The awareness of Prana-Vayu creates a focus to lift, lengthen and open the upper body. The awareness of Apana-Vayu creates a focus to ground and stabilize the lower body. The awareness of Vyana-Vayu creates a focus of strength and fluid movement body. The awareness of Udana-Vayu creates a focus to maintain a long spine and a correct posture. The awareness of Samana-Vayu creates a focus to open and relax the body.


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1. Bloated Graphics
Most instructors understand that including images on a web site either contributes to the overarching aesthetic design or enhances a site by furnishing images for illustration or analysis or both. The problem is that most of these images are far too big and increase download times enough to try the patience of Job. The solution: use a web-centric image editing program, such as Adobe ImageReady or Macromedia Fireworks to reduce the resolution and increase their compression of the images; most photographic images will maintain their integrity even when the JPEG quality is set at 15 or 25 or Poor Quality.
2. Scaling Images
Closely associated with "bloated graphics" is the problem of scaling images. Many commercial HTML editors allow scaling or making a large image smaller to fit a design space. Scaling is a non-destructive procedure and merely alters the appearance of an image and not its actual measurements. Scaled images, therefore, will appear to be the size of postage stamps when they are actually the size of postcards. In other words, a scaled 200K image will still weigh in at 200K and take over a minute to download. The solution: lay out the page in an image editing program or scale the image in the HTML editor, note the dimensions, and resize images accordingly before placing or importing them into a site.
3. Dense Text
Let's face it. Academics are primarily text people. Most of what and how we have learned and what and how we teach involve text. Early on, we learn that paragraph development is critical to writing a cogent essay and that the "one sentence paragraph" and bulleted lists are stylistic tactics more at home in the worlds of journalism or business. Most web visitors, however, do not "read" on the web—they scan. And once they have located the information that they desire, they choose to print the material. This is especially true of web pages that include large blocks of text. As a number of Web mandarins have pointed out, writing for the Web is different from writing for print. Transferring hard copy material directly to the Web without giving some thought to altering its format will exasperate visitors because they will be unable to find the information that they need as quickly as they desire. The solution: chunk the information into bite-sized pieces, use shorter lines (1012 words), adopt shorter paragraphs, and employ bulleted lists where it is possible. The best strategy is to revise the syllabus to strengthen its scannability and provide a downloadable, print version (RTF or PDF format to accommodate different platforms) that retains the longer, more developed text. Of course, meddling with a primary document in this fashion is unacceptable in academic circles, so these must be posted in their original state or turned into downloadable documents.
4. Lack of Contrast
Intimately allied with the issue of dense text is the problem of contrast. For a variety of reasons, computer monitors are difficult for human eyes, and human eyes are most comfortable scanning text when the contrast between the background and the type is high. Black type on a white background, for example, is "high contrast" and, like the basic black dress with pearls, is always in style. Unfortunately, many commercial HTML software packages include backgrounds that lure the unsuspecting academic into bad practices. As a result, many instructors place their text on busy backgrounds or use low contrasting colors for text and background. (One of the most common of the latter instances is black text on the default gray background.)
5. Font Size
Although mistakes in font size are less severe than errors in contrast and text density, they are still annoying to both the Mac and Wintel Web users. Many academics who create their pages on Wintel platforms are apparently unaware that, though the text might appear the "right-sized" on their machines, it will appear hopelessly small and unreadable on a Mac. Conversely, instructors who work on Macs seem equally unconcerned about the fact that their "right-sized" text will balloon to billboard proportions and cause excessive scrolling on a Wintel machine. The easiest solution: check the site in Internet Explorer 4.5 or greater by using the large and smaller text buttons on the navigation bar. Albeit not foolproof, such a check will provide an instructor with an idea of the page's readability on both platforms.
6. Looping Animations
Any kind of motion attracts the human eye. We can be mesmerized by something as wacky as a rotating 3-D cow or, more commonly, an envelope opening and closing. Animations, in short, are distracting and annoying. Besides, they divert the viewer's attention away from the web site's content. The exception to this rule of thumb involves navigational apparatus. Having a button or menu item change color or move (once, please) alerts the viewer to the possibility that clicking on or rolling over an item might result in some response. The answer to the problem of animations is simple: except in cases in which motion adds materially to navigational recognition (or is the actual content of the site), avoid animations. Especially avoid hackneyed animations that are available from animated GIF sites; they are all over the Web.
7. Courseware Authoring Software
One of the ways in which institutions have hoped to persuade faculty to use technology or the Web in their classroom is by touting the ease-of-use of courseware authoring programs, among them WebCT and Blackboard. To be sure, these packages are generally easy to use and possess workable classroom management facilities. But, by and large, they are unattractive, exhibit poor usability, and seduce faculty into bad Web and pedagogical design. First, because the software permits the addition of chat rooms and discussions to courses, many instructors use these facilities even though they are not "hard-wired" into the course. In other words, there is no reason for the students to use them because they are not tied to the course material. Second, they segment the course into myriad areas that require multiple mouse clicks and backtracking. Consequently, it is virtually impossible to glean an overview of the course or to move easily between topical areas. A user can easily become frustrated and confused. The list could go on. Yet, with some time and effort, these problems can be overcome. We should, however, be clear on what we gain and lose by buying into "courses in a box."
8. Scrolling or Long Pages
Because reading on a monitor is difficult or annoying, requiring viewers to scroll through long pages looking for information undermines a site's usefulness. Visitors are likely to hit the print button and leave. Important information, moreover, may be lost as visitors scan "above the fold" or the bottom of their browser window. The solution: chunk the information into "bite-sized pieces" and place the most important navigational and information parts of the site "above the fold."
9. Excessive Download
Human factors guidelines suggest that web visitors will lose interest in a site if the site exceeds a ten-second download time. How big, then, can a page be? The answer is: "It depends." Download time is a function of the kind of access available to a web site visitor. Those arriving at the site via ISDN or DSL lines will see a site long before a visitor coming through on a 28.8 modem. There are several rules of thumb and strategies that help keep page size under control. First, keep the total size of a page to 4050K. Second, provide a mechanism for downloading large items. Third, furnish users with choices. Indicate, for example, access to a larger picture or video clip by use of a thumbnail or still frame. Fourth, warn visitors about download times by indicating a size in K and an estimated download time. Video, for instance is notoriously bandwidth hungry, so show use a still frame to give the visitor an idea of what's in store and a notation on the order of "1 MB-approx. 7 minutes download at 28.8." Don't expect your students to be happy about being hijacked into a long download. On the Web, small is always beautiful.
10. The Nothing Site
Luckily, most academic sites do not suffer from "bleeding edge" technology. Use of advanced technologies, while they can be engaging, take risks with the technology and can try a visitor's patience with site additional widgets requirements and errors. While "bleeding" sites are stuffed, many academic sites suffer from the opposite syndrome: emptiness. Many academics begin with the best will in the world and put up a site. For the most part, these sites reflect "beginners'" mistakes and design errors. And that's state of the site for years. Nothing is changed; nothing is updated.
Let's say that all the problems have been addressed. Images are small and download in a trice. The text is legible and readable, and its appearance on both the Mac and Wintel platforms is uniform. There are no blinking or hopping items, and the site is blissfully bereft of rainbow rules and other hackneyed images. What's next? If there were two things an instructor might want to learn to increase the usability of a site it would be to master cascading style sheets (CCS) and to understand linking databases with the Web. In the meantime, readers might find the following helpful or interesting.
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