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Posts Tagged 'UCI'
Mohamad Abedi–NSF Winner and SOROS Fellow
Mohamad Abedi-Dinner with the Soros Fellows and President Barack Obama
Mohamad was born to Palestinian refugees in the United Arab Emirates. His family was under the constant threat of deportation back to the refugee camp in Lebanon where they had come from. His parents, lacking strong educations themselves, could not help Mohamad with his school work, but always served as his role models and inspiration.
Growing up, Mohamad spent his summers visiting family in the Beddawi refugee camp in Lebanon, where resources for health care were inadequate. He watched family members struggle with ailments that should have been easily curable, but instead persisted and grew worse. This experience motivated Mohamad to pursue an education in bioengineering, however he felt limited by the range of education options available to him. A world of education options opened up to him when, his senior year, after a ten-year waiting process, his family's application to the United States was approved. Mohamad was able to pursue a degree in bioengineering at UC Irvine where President Obama distinguished him during a commencement address as someone who knows, "what it means to dream."
At UC Irvine, he worked on building diagnostic devices for rural areas by designing computers that run on air instead of electricity. Later, he investigated the robustness of bacterial genetic circuits with respect to noise. Recently, Mohamad received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, recognizing him as one of the future leaders in his field.
Mohamad is now pursuing a PhD in bioengineering at Caltech. The long-term goal of his scientific career is to develop tools for non-invasive modulation of brain circuitry, which would allow scientists to understand and treat neurological and psychiatric diseases that involve the dysfunction of local neural circuits. Biography by Mohamad Abedi as posted in the Paul and Daisy Soros Foundation's Meet the Fellows section.
What was your major at UCI, and how did you learn about the SOROS and the NSF?
When I first transferred from Irvine Valley College to UCI, I wasn't really sure of what I wanted to do. I was leaning, mostly, toward medical school. But, as I took more classes, I realized I really enjoyed physics and chemistry classes, which led me to think that if I went to medical school I wouldn't be able to focus on these topics.
I decided to come into UCI as a mechanical engineer major and transferred into that field. Then, I had another change of plans and ended up majoring in biomedical engineering. This way, I could also satisfy the part of me who wanted to be a doctor.
How did I hear about the SOROS fellowship?
When I was at UCI, I worked in a couple of labs doing research. I remember talking to professor Chang Liu and Elliot Hui about applying to graduate school and they recommended that I apply to fellowships and talk to other graduate students about options. I learned about the NSF and I also learned about the SOROS fellowship through them.
Did you visit the SOP office?
I did, when I wanted examples of NSF essays.
Tell us about the SOROS. How did you write a competitive application and sell your case?
The SOROS is a unique fellowship. I would say that they are looking for funding people as opposed to funding ideas. The NSF funds you based on an idea, mostly.
When it comes to the SOROS fellowship, you have to be an immigrant or the son or daughter of an immigrant.
However, what they really look for is more than an immigration story. They want you to show that you are a person who holds great potential to contribute to the United States as an immigrant. They also want to learn about the certain ways in which the United States helped you. In short, in the telling of this story, they want to know that the help an immigrant student received in the United States was life-changing and would not have been possible anywhere else. They also want to attract students who have a clear path to becoming future leaders in their fields.
What is your immigrant story? Where is your family from?
It's complicated. My family and I are Palestinian refugees.I came to the U.S. as a teenager. I was 17. In the beginning, I stayed with my aunt. A bit later, my sister joined, who is younger than me. As we got more financially stable, another family member would join. My family followed me later. As a virtue of being a refugee, we lived in Lebanon and we applied to come to the US. It was a very long process and toward the end, we got accepted to emigrate here.
How did you craft your story? The SOROS looks for students who value the US Constitution and demonstrate potential for creativity and leadership. What did you tell them that you wanted to do with your life?
One major factor in my case as a refugee was that in other countries, I always felt I was a second-class citizen or even lower. In these countries, we didn't get a lot of opportunities. This was totally different when I came to the U.S. Here, I was treated as a U.S citizen, even though I wasn't one at that point.
I was given a lot of opportunities here to be creative and to focus on school. One of the most important benefits was that the US allowed me to be involved in research, which is an opportunity I wouldn't have received anywhere else. The incredible opportunities I was given in the U.S. have been a major part of my story, and have influenced the path I pursued, and continue to follow today.
How did the SOROS connect with the NSF project and what did you do for the NSF?
Between applying to the SOROS and the NSF there was a year. When I applied for NSF I was still at UCI. The project that I proposed then was inspired by the research I had done as an undergraduate student. But when I started graduate school I started pursuing a different project.
The one that I proposed for the SOROS fellowship was mainly focused on engineering cells in the brain, a project that was linked to the brain initiative launched by President Obama.
Tell me about the brain initiative that President Obama proposed.
A couple of years ago, the President directed funding of a billion or more (it is roughly half a billion per year and it has been going since 2013) to research the human brain. President Obama launched this initiative referencing that we understand the galaxies around us better than we do our brains. The White House wanted to pave the way towards understanding the brain by driving research towards developing new tools to study the human brain.
What graduate school are you attending?
I am pursuing a PhD in Bio-Engineering at Caltech. I didn't go too far. I like it here. I'm in the middle of my 3rd year.
What are you working on right now?
Recently, I published a paper that details my work and what I'll work on in the future.
I'm working on developing proteins that respond to temperature changes. We are creating medicinal proteins intended to heal the body. Currently, people use light to communicate with brain cells, specifically, with neurons. The problem is that to get the light into your brain you have to drill a hole in your skull. The alternative is that you can use ultrasound to focus on a specific region of the brain and heat it without damaging the brain cells. But you also need a receiver that you can install in your cells so that they can respond to heat signals and that is where my work comes in. Through the use of an ultrasound, you don't have to drill and the light reaches within the brain.
What advice would give a student considering the SOROS and the NSF?
If you are in a STEM field, participate in research. In my case, I ended up liking it so much that I changed my career to be a researcher, which was not my initial goal. Through the process of research, you start learning to be independent; you learn how to solve problems.
Then, if you decide that research is what you want to do, fellowships become important because you can otherwise be limited to work on projects that a professor is working on, especially when the funding is coming from that professor.
On the other hand, if you have a fellowship, like the NSF or the SOROS, you have more freedom of choice regarding which school, which lab and which project you want to work with. It gives you a lot of freedom to do what you care about, which is the biggest plus you get out of these scholarships. This is the case for the NSF.
What is unique about the SOROS is that they really care about people, which is not very common for other fellowships. When you become a SOROS fellow, they fly you every year, for 2 years, to New York where you get to meet with other fellows and discuss major issues with them. You meet people from a lot of different fields. I got to meet musicians, people that work in the business field, people who work in clinical medicine, and many others. It is a great opportunity to meet all these different people who come from all these different fields.
All of us have something in common. We all came to this country as immigrants, and we are all more or less on the path to help advance the field that we are in in this country, which is something really nice and I don't think could be possible through any of the other fellowship.
How many years have you been flying to New York to meet with the SOROS team?
I've been a SOROS fellow for 3 years, and they pay for your expenses to go to New York and stay there for a weekend. It's usually a combination of fun activities, skill-development, and networking. The aspect of making connections is very nice.
The year before, the U.S. Surgeon General, who is also a SOROS, sat with us and we got to discuss health issues affecting Americans. These are incredible opportunities to meet people that you would otherwise not have the opportunity to meet. These conversations allow you to meet amazing people on a personal level, interact, and build connections.
They book us all in one hotel; they plan every day and they have a schedule, including food, workshops, and talks.
How big is the group?
The way it works is that every year they invite the class that won the fellowship that year and the year before so that's why I went last year and the year before. Next year, I won't get a paid invitation. I will have to pay for it myself, but every 10 years or so they have a big conference where everybody is invited.
How does the SOROS conference appeal to the distinct fields? What do you have in common besides being immigrants?
What we all share in common is that regardless of your discipline, SOROS recipients are ambitious, self-driven people who are goal-oriented. They have tall plans and are working to achieve them. These traits, we all share in common, and we appreciate them in others, regardless of the field.
These are more than networking opportunities. You actually become friends. So if they are close to you, you can meet with them regularly in LA, for example, and whenever I fly somewhere, if I know there is a SOROS fellow, I email them or Facebook chat, "I'm around. Do you want to meet up?"
There is a very strong networking component to the SOROS.
What countries or world regions are represented in your class?
A big variety: Middle East, Iran, Egypt, in my case, United Arab Emirates, Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, China, Taiwan, India, South America.
What did you have to do to apply for the SOROS?
You write 2 essay. One, of your work and your plans for the future, and the other, is about your American experience, your immigration story and why U.S. values are important to you and how you have used those values and opportunities to charge ahead.
Once you send this in, if you are selected, you attend a personal interview, either in New York or LA. They fly you there, and you are interviewed by previous Soros fellows and other people.
When I interviewed, the panel had previous SOROS winners and the Mayor of L.A. was one of the people who interviewed me. From the 70 candidates, they pick 30 to win the fellowship.
What was the interview like? What questions did they ask?
You go through 2 interviews. Each interviewing committee has 4 or 5 interviewers. Questions include: which research are you working on; what do you do in your free time; what's important to you, other than work.
They are looking for certain type of people. They really want to find out who you are as a whole.
They tailor questions based on your background, and they are really interested in understanding your goals and they ask you lots of personal questions.
Do you remember those?
Yes. They asked, "you told us about your research, you are busy all the time, but do you have something else in your life or do you only do research?" This is the point where they look to see if you are a well-rounded person and that question surprised me.
I told them, I do spend most of my time in lab because for me the lab is fun. It never feels like an obligation. Some people find fun in sports or movies which I do participate in. But for me, working in the lab and interacting with my colleagues is fun, and what I do for fun.
What sense did you get from the interview process? What are they looking for?
They really want people who are showing strong potential in whatever field they are in. They don't really care about specific types of research. What they care about is that you are a person who in the future will make the fellowship's name and reputation more prestigious. The more successful you become, the more prestigious the SOROS becomes. They look for the people who have the potential to become successful, to become leaders in whatever they are doing.
It's not enough to have an immigrant story. It's important to show how that story affected you and informed the person that you are today. And if that person shows promise, then that's the person they want to keep as a SOROS fellow.
How has the SOROS process changed you?
I think the biggest advantage, other than the money, is the amazing people I would have never had the chance to meet in my life. These meetings give you new perspectives. They inspire you because they show you what other people are doing with this opportunity and their personal drive. We help each other out to reach these goals. We encourage each other to stay motivated, to stay inspired and to stay connected.
What would you tell a student who is preparing to apply for the SOROS. What should they definitely cover in their essays?
Show that being in the U.S. has helped you become the person that you are. Connect your story to how these opportunties have developed a patriotic spirit for the U.S., that you are on the path to success because of the U.S. and in turn, your success will help the U.S become a better country.
The SOROS is a patriotic fellowship that is interested in making this country better.
They want to see people who have the potential to be successful so in the application and interview it is important to focus on the bigger picture and demonstrate that what you are working on could be useful and impactful for the country as a whole.
Show them that you have a clear path of where you want to be in the future. They don't want people who are unsure. They want people who have a goal, are driven and know what they need to do to reach that goal.
How did you convince them that you are going to be successful? What are the values of America that you love and that push you to be the best that you can be? How will you give back and be a contributive member of U.S. society?
The first question relates to the American dream. It doesn't matter where you come from. It doesn't matter who you are. If you put in the effort and the work, opportunities will be open to you and you will be able to reach what you want.
In other countries, in order to be successful, you have to come from a big family name, or you have to be rich. Over here, when I came to the U.S. my name didn't mean anything and I wasn't financially in a good place, but because I was putting in the work and I had a vision, doors opened for me, either through fellowships, scholarships, or assistance. Doors will be open to you to reach your goal as long as you put in the work for it.
The second part, how I convinced them that my project will be impactful, it is very important to have strong letters of recommendation. I can talk all day about who I am and what I plan to do, but it is through the letters verifying that, that the committee can start to see it. When professors write letters making comments like, "I know this person; I've seen his work; I know that he will be x y z in the future," this is really important.
And in my case something else that helped me during graduation from Irvine, was that president Obama during his commencement speech, one of the people he mentioned was my name, Mohammad Abedi came as a refugee and now he is working on his Ph.D. getting an endorsement from the president, saying I got here as a refugee and now he's going to do great things, helped me a lot in my application for the SOROS.
How did President Obama learn about you?
When the president decided he was coming he had people contact UCI for recommendations. He wanted to mention names. They asked people for profiles and biographies and sent them back to the White House and the White House contacted me a day before to verify information. They said there is no guarantee that he is going to talk about me. When I went to the graduation, I wasn't even sure. It was great when he mentioned my name.
Any other advice you'd give students thinking about fellowships?
It isn't only about the grades. Doing research is important, learning how to be a good writer is important. Also important is to seek help, ask for help. There are a lot of nice people who have a lot of information and are very willing to help, but you have to seek them out. Be active about the things that are important. When I wrote my application, I sent it to tons of people; whoever was willing to read my application. Many people write their applications and they are either shy or they don't want to share it. Get as much feedback as possible.
What is next for you? What do you want to do after you get your degree?
I'm working on completing a Phd so I can start a career as a tenure-track professor. I would love to stay in California. I love the weather here.
Mohamad is available to answer questions about his journey, experiences and life accomplishments. He can be reached at email@example.com
Follow this link to learn about his latest research. To find out more about Mohamad and his partners in Shapiro lab, click here.
President Obama mentions Mohamad's accomplishments during his commencement speech.
Nathan Gamarra–Tips from an NSF Winner
Nathan Gamarra graduated from UCI magna cum laude in 2013 with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. At UCI he worked in the training lab of Dr. Luis Mota-Bravo identifying patterns of antibiotic resistance in bacteria isolated from local oceans and worked towards developing new assays to rapidly detect antibiotics in environmental samples. In the summer of 2011, Nathan did research at Stanford University as part of the Amgen Scholars program. There he studied the biochemical mechanisms of RNA enzymes in the Herschlag lab. After returning to UCI, he joined Dr. Sheryl Tsai's lab where he studied the molecular mechanisms of fungal enzymes that synthesize important antibiotics and toxins. Nathan is continuing his interest in enzyme mechanism in graduate school, where he is studying the mechanics of ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling enzymes at UC San Francisco. As an undergraduate, Nathan presented posters at several research conferences winning awards at the AAAS conference in 2011 and 2012. In addition to an NSF graduate research fellowship, he was also the recipient of the Dean's Award for Excellence in Research and the Laurence Mehlman Memorial Scholarship.
Below, we caught up with Nathan to learn about his studies after UCI. He shared invaluable tips on good choices he made early on that helped him become a very competitive candidate for the NSF.
How did you learn about the NSF?
Two ways: I went to an SOP information session on different scholarships.
I was also involved in a Minority Science Program (MSP) through the School of Biological Sciences at UCI. They are fantastic. This program supports students doing undergraduate research, and through them, I learned more about the NSF.
What role did the Minority Science Program play in applying to the NSF?
Dr. Marlene de la Cruz is the Associate Director, and Dr. Luis Mota-Bravo, is the Director of Outreach. They are the two people who run the program there, and they are funded by the National Institute of Health.
Their job is to get people from underrepresented backgrounds into Ph.D programs. So, the program is really geared towards getting people to that goal, and I credit them for all they've done to get me there.
When did you first hear about them?
They had sent me an email in my freshman year telling me that I should look into the MSP. I knew UCI was a research-focused university, so I was interested in finding out more and I went to one of their meetings. They told us about research and all the different possibilities that we could pursue. At the time, I was really interested in doing research as an undergraduate, so they set me up with a training lab, and that's where I learned basic techniques, protocols and things like that.
From there, I worked in other research labs and expanded my experiences. Later, I applied for graduate school.
How many of your peers ended up taking advantage of the NSF or applying for it?
Very few, unfortunately. Many people are intimidated about applying to the NSF in their senior year. The problem is that the application is due at the end of October, right before graduate school applications are due in December. It is also a very competitive fellowship.
Lots of people who would have been very qualified for the NSF, did not apply because they were focused on classes and bunch of other things, but I felt like the application was very similar to a graduate school application, and I knew that I would be applying to graduate school so I essentially decided I was going to do it and it turned out that it worked, and it helped a lot in terms of getting to the schools that I got into.
When you started at UCI did you know that this is what you wanted to do?
No. I knew coming into UCI that I wanted to do something science-related, and I liked biology and chemistry as well. I was deciding between doing something medically-related and something more research-based.
I really liked the courses I was taking and I was interested in the academic aspect of things. Starting with the MSP research program led me down a path that ultimately worked out really well for me.
What are the steps involved in applying for the NSF?
You have your basic application, which includes, letters of rec, transcripts and you also have to write 2 statements. One is a personal one, and the other is a research proposal. The personal statement should address your background, how you got interested in doing science and research, and ultimately, it should touch on your career aspirations and what you've done to get there.
The other component is the research proposal. When you are applying as an undergraduate, it can be an intimidating process, but one that is worth it. You have to come up with a project proposal, explain how you would do it, address the results you expect to get, and if you don't get what you expect, explain what you would do then. This second part is important to address.
It's important to do as best as you can, but the people who are reviewing your research proposal, they understand that undergraduates don't have that much experience. They are looking to see if you are actually thinking about what you are doing. The most important thing about your research at this point is that you can communicate what you intend to do. Looking back over it now, my research proposal is definitely not the ideal proposal.
Better to Apply to the NSF as an Undergraduate than as a Graduate Student
I think it is very important to apply as an undergraduate for the NSF fellowship if you are serious about going to graduate school. Having funding early makes your life significantly easier in graduate school since you don't have to worry about applying for fellowships when you start your program. Applying early also helps your chances as many people don't apply as an undergraduate. Even if you don't get the fellowship, it is good practice for applying for the fellowship in graduate school and, since the NSF application is very similar to the graduate school application, it will make that application process a lot easier. Also if you don't get the fellowship, there is a good chance of getting an honorable mention which will significantly improve your chances of getting the fellowship when you apply as a graduate student. This is really important since you have a limited amount of times you can apply as a grad student.
What graduate program did you decide on?
I am a Ph.D. student at UC San Francisco. Here, the first thing you do as a graduate student is apply for the NSF fellowship. This can be a very stressful process while you are taking classes and working in the lab. For me, having the funding made my transition to graduate school much easier.
If you have any interest in applying for graduate school, you should apply right away. Also, there is a limited number of times you can apply. I think if you apply during your undergraduate program, then you get a second opportunity once you get into a graduate program. All around, I think it's a really good move for any student going into graduate school in the sciences to apply for the NSF.
Did you look for a mentor or coach to guide the research aspect of your proposal?
Yes, the 2 people in the minority science program coached me. I was working in an undergraduate research lab, (by the way, anyone applying should have worked in, at least, one research lab), and the professor I worked under there, she helped me formulate the research, which was based on my undergraduate project.
What advice would you give a freshman contemplating the sciences and wanting to become a competitive NSF candidate? What do you wish you had known when you first started at UCI and what advice do you have to offer?
Do research early and often and through as many opportunities as you can.
The number one thing that got me the fellowship and got me into graduate school was research experience. That's one of the great things about UCI, is that it is so welcoming to students who want to do undergraduate research.
I think the biggest barrier as a freshman is intimidation, not knowing things, worrying about not fitting into a lab culture, but you find as soon as you start doing it, that people know and understand where you are. Most people, considering how diverse UCI is, have probably been in your shoes, and so they know that you will find a good lab and good mentors by just seeking them out; there are so many opportunities at UCI, that's the best thing.
The specific research area does not matter that much. The most important thing is experiencing the lab culture and developing your network of people and research. Through that, you can start finding out if science is what you want to do.
How did you get involved with your first research project? Where did you look for opportunities?
I was super lucky. The MSP was really helpful in terms of helping me through that first barrier, which is getting a lab. The way that they do it is that they have their own training lab where they teach you to do very basic things and get you comfortable, and then after that, you can ask the professor to work in their lab and that's what I ended up doing.
In addition to the MSP is there another program on campus that can help students prepare for research?
In addition to MSP, there is also, Camp at UCI, which is the California Alliance for Minority Participation. The three-week CAMP Summer Science Academy (CSSA) is a residential program that prepares incoming freshmen for the transition from high school to UCI. To learn more about this program click here.
CAMP is based out of engineering school and they support students across science disciplines. They also help you find people who can help you get into a research lab.
Advice to Freshmen going into the Sciences
I would suggest for the first quarter focus on your classes and on doing well.
The first quarter is a hard transition, but after a quarter or two, once you are comfortable with the academics, just find whatever way you can to get involved with research.
Go to these programs, which were, for me, super helpful. Work with the SOP program. Even if you don't participate in MSP or CAMP, when you take classes that interest you, talk to professors and ask them if you can work with them. Most professors will be more than happy to help and have you in their lab. Or if they can't, they may know of other labs that can hook you up with.
Other students found research tips by going online and googling a particular professor.
I didn't participate in UROP, but lots of my friends did, and it is another great resource.
The Number One thing is Research-Use the Summers to Get Involved
Another thing I credit with my success is my summer research project in the biological sciences. Pretty much every university has an undergraduate research program that you can apply to, and they will pay for you to come out and do research in their lab for the summer.
It's a really great experience to do research that is normally outside of what you do and most importantly, it is a great opportunity to get a letter of recommendation from someone outside of your university, which I think was a huge deal for me.
I did my undergraduate research program at Stanford for a summer.
It was a great experience. But, like the stress associated with applying to the NSF, some people stress out about applying to summer research programs, but if you get a chance to participate, you will learn invaluable training and you will build a network.
In my case, my Stanford experience got me a letter of recommendation from a professor at Stanford.
Prospective graduate programs definitely noticed. Whenever I interviewed for a graduate school, they asked about my time at Stanford and there were several people knew the professor and commented on the letter he wrote for me. The told me, good job! So it's a huge plus to do that as well.
How competitive are summer research opportunities?
They can be competitive, but most summer research programs are really interested in supporting people who may not come from perfect backgrounds. They are really committed to increasing diversity and bringing underrepresented students into research and graduate programs.
I encourage everyone to apply.
The other great thing is that those summer research applications are really simple, one or two letters of recommendation and a short personal statement.
Do you pay out of pocket to fly?
The program I applied to paid for everything. The vast majority of programs do. If you apply to the bigger schools most will cover that. In short, this is a huge plus to your CV and applications.
What would you say to a student worried about maintaining a good GPA, and juggling lab, and research work? How to do all the extras and stay a strong student?
I mean, it's super tough. It won't be easy the first year.
As far as prioritizing, grades should come first.
I think you want to get things done in research but if you don't have the grades, research will not matter. It is important, but you need the best grades you can get to get access to good things. Good grades will open more opportunities than maybe extra hours doing a small amount of research.
I would say grades first, but research is also very important.
During the quarters when I took really tough classes, I would come in at least 3 hours less per week because I knew I needed to work on my assignments. Most mentors will understand that your number one priority is classes at that point.
If you can get a project done and publish that would be amazing.
I didn't do that but I know several people did and that counted for so much for them. However, if your priority is to get into graduate school and fellowships, having the best grades possible is the most important first step.
How did you decide on San Francisco?
It was a tough choice. I applied to many different schools and got into all of them. All the places that I applied to were equally strong in my research field, which made it very difficult to decide. I'd say a very big part in my decision was the location. San Francisco is a cool place to live. I think a big part of your decision should include considering where you see yourself enjoying your life. Having a place that you enjoy living is irreplaceable. It's the whole experience. Equally important is the atmosphere of the graduate program and how well they support their students. UCSF is an incredibly collaborative and supportive place to work. You get a good feel for this when you interview at different Schools. Graduate school takes a long time to complete, so if you are going to spend 5 years living somewhere, it might as well be a place that you like.
If you would like to contact Nathan for any information on his experiences, please email him at: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
S.599 - Caring for Children Act106th Congress (1999-2000)
BillHide Overview
|Sen. Chafee, John H. [R-RI] (Introduced 03/11/1999)
|Senate - Finance
|Latest Action:
|Senate - 03/11/1999 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (All Actions)
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Subject — Policy Area:
- Families
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Summary: S.599 — 106th Congress (1999-2000)All Information (Except Text)
There is one summary for S.599. Bill summaries are authored by CRS.
Shown Here:
Introduced in Senate (03/11/1999)
Title I: Tax Relief to Increase Child Care Affordability
Title II: Encouraging Quality Child Care
Subtitle A: Dissemination of Information about Quality
Child Care
Subtitle B: Increased Enforcement of State Health and
Safety Standards
Subtitle C: Removal of Barriers to Increasing the
Supply of Quality Child Care
Subtitle D: Quality Child Care Through Federal
Facilities and Programs
Caring for Children Act - Title I: Tax Relief to Increase Child Care Affordability - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the percentage of dependent care expenses (if the expenses are incurred to enable the taxpayer to be employed (employment-related expenses)) allowed as a credit. Deems a taxpayer who has one or more children under the age of four to have employment-related expenses of specified amounts, notwithstanding provisions limiting expenses to the amount of earned income.
(Sec. 102) Mandates a program to promote employer use of dependent care assistance programs. Authorizes appropriations.
(Sec. 103) Allows a credit to employers for employer-provided child care expenses, including acquisition, construction, and other property expenses and operating costs. Terminates the credit after a specified date.
Title II: Encouraging Quality Child Care - Subtitle A: Dissemination of Information About Quality Child Care - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, directly or through a competitive contract, to collect and disseminate information on health and safety in various child care settings and findings in the field of early childhood learning and development.
(Sec. 202) Mandates grants to develop distance learning child care training technology infrastructures and model technology-based training courses for child care providers and child care workers. Authorizes appropriations.
Subtitle B: Increased Enforcement of State Health and Safety Standards - Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to require that the State plan for the use of funds under the Act provide the percentage of child care provider inspections required under State law. Mandates changes in State allotments based on State health and safety standards and inspections.
Subtitle C: Removal of Barriers to Increasing the Supply of Quality Child Care - Authorizes appropriations to carry out the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990.
(Sec. 222) Establishes a grant program, based on State populations, to assist States in providing funds to encourage the establishment and operation of employer operated child care programs. Authorizes appropriations. Terminates the program on a specified date.
(Sec. 223) Mandates a report by the Comptroller General to the Congress on whether, and if so the extent to which, concerns regarding legal liability inhibit the availability and affordability of child care.
Subtitle D: Quality Child Care Through Federal Facilities and Programs - Mandates regulations requiring child care centers in executive, legislative, or judicial facilities to comply with State and local licensing requirements. Provides for enforcement.

subset: commoncrawl


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After opening seven restaurants, some for me, some for clients, I've taken all the lessons I learned and now offer them to would be restaurateurs and chefs that want to open their own operatons. Coaching is something we're all familiar with, from little league to high school sports, heck even the pros still use coaches so why not you? Why not your restaurant? I've sat down with clients that were faltering and were afraid to ask for help because their GM or Chef would be insulted. They were all but resigned to failure because they were afraid to hurt a team member's feelings. Well take that excuse to your investors and see how far that gets you.
I know how big the egos are in this business. If you're producing a magical food & beverage experience it's easy to get carried away with the constant accolades. However, when things aren't clicking along as you would hope, relationships can become strained and work culture can become brutal. Don't wait until you're on the frayed edge to seek help. Call me today and let's talk about what's going right and what needs attention and together we can come up with a plan for success.
Ready to take the plunge in the business? Beore you cash out that 401K or make a proposal to your angel investors, give me a call and we'll talk. Perhaps you need someone to take a critical look at your business plan, maybe you need to fine tune your ideas, or maybe you just need to understand what you're in for. Ready to learn more about my coaching options? Have a look at my menu over at chefjohnmalik.com
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In the community of online players, there are two types of fans: those who seek fun in exchange for little, and those who put together a strategy to have the maximum advantage over the casino, getting in return a monetary reward more than fair.
However, winning is a job in which you should also consider the profitability of the room and the frequency with which it is played. No matter what the offer, the design or the effects of sounds and visuals, everything is based on generating profits.
Some games are indicated to get it. However, that does not mean that all versions of slots, video poker and roulettes are destined to earn money in quantity and with recurrence, in fact, nothing better than experience to corroborate this assumption.
Making money at online spin casinos is a dedication that lovers must take and accept as accountability. Great prizes are delighted in, it is valid, however without training and productive systems, speaking to karma is trust without establishments.
For those users who want to win good prizes and enjoy the experience, nothing better than soaking up the most practical and fruitful data that can be known from an online casino. Thus, your bets will respond to what they know and can intuit.
Why get acquainted with the RTP and the House Edge
If people are betting to make money, there are terms that they should know and take advantage of in their favor. No matter what the case is, or if the bets are made from a land or online casino, the house advantage must be present before making a decision.
Some games benefit the house more than others. Of this percentage, it is necessary to go for slot machines, dice or roulettes. A very assiduous recommendation – especially for novice players – is to take the options that benefit them as much as possible.
For those who enjoy chance and are inveterate players of all its versions, they should know that the house will always go one or two steps ahead. This does not mean that the rewards are non-existent in the game, but the more quickly assimilate that the odds are more against than in favor; the less the impact with reality will hurt.
A much more interesting picture paints the games that require the ability and ability strategist. Maximum exponents of these game systems are poker and blackjack. There, concentration and mental abilities add up to a weight that, although it does not outweigh the advantage of the casino, helps to win frequently.
What are the examples of profitability?
Each casino game is armed with completely different specifications. The related versions, which are based on the original, usually share characteristics, but always with a determining point.
One of the most profitable games, which could be associated with poker – but it is not even close in concept or strategy – is blackjack. People learned to develop a number of strategies around the game.
The success of blackjack is that it depends exclusively on technique, where the player can apply their knowledge and skills, developing new techniques with practice. The results will be, therefore, quite fruitful.
On the other hand, a game that depends entirely on chance is the slots. In that sense, and although they can be captivating, in practice, the results do not depend on any strategy. The minimum advantages they can hang on are the variances and control of themselves in relation to the credit they spend.
Blackjack: exponent of the strategy
After poker, the popularity of blackjack is the only one that can be equated in card games. However, there are several reasons why this happens that way.
1- Ease of blackjack: One of the great advantages that characterize this game is the dynamism and simplicity of execution. The poker, although of more abundant gains, requires a higher level of technique that, frankly, not all are willing to assume.
In blackjack, the objective is to beat the dealer with a combination of cards totaling twenty-one. In theory -and in practice-, it's nothing special and everyone can access the game equally.
2- Interests in common: For some players, the fact of having to beat a certain number of opponents and, in addition, the dealer, is a trigger that arouses interest.
For all the table members, that affinity creates a characteristic in common with the rest of their companions: to overcome the advantage that designates the house.
This does not mean that actions or hostile opinions are allowed during a game, but the rivalry in the game is a strong reason to develop strategies and improve profitability.
3- Intelligence through: The most effective game system to win in blackjack is card counting, in spite of all the repairs that this awakens in the community of players and in the very casinos.
However, if bettors can be sure of something, it is that card counting is not, at best, easy to execute. It requires a maximum concentration and practice, in addition to an unusual sense of intuition.
In short, to be good at counting cards you have to be smart, cunning, vivacious or all this together.
4- Practice and win: Many blackjack players insist on fragmenting their group to get the win. And certainly, there is no way to join teams in blackjack, so the profit is always personal.
However, that individualistic character that the game merits should not be misinterpreted. It is not the divide and conquers that brings the money in blackjack, but the practice, the commitment to learn to count and do it discreetly.
There are crawlers, it's true. But no satisfaction in the game is equated with the good taste that leaves a clean game, with intelligent performances and profitability imposed by the same players.


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https://futureoflife.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/global_catastrophic_risk_institute.jpg 2400 4040 Seth Baum https://futureoflife.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/FLI_logo-1.png Seth Baum2015-09-14 21:44:532015-10-27 15:16:15GCRI News Summaries
GCRI News Summaries
Here are the July and August global catastrophic risk news summaries, written by Robert de Neufville of the Global Catastrophic Risk Institute. The July summary covers the Iran deal, Russia's new missile early warning system, dangers of AI, new Ebola cases, and more. The August summary covers the latest confrontation between North and South Korea, the world's first low-enriched uranium storage bank, the "Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change", global food system vulnerabilities, and more.


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Though it was still late afternoon and the northern sun had yet to complete her lazy summer trip across the sky, all was dark and cool within the embrace of the Port Blanc Woods. The sun did not entirely penetrate the rich canopy of gnarled, ancient trees that rested above the trio, and what little light did fall upon their nervous faces danced and flickered as the breeze off the bay sent the leaves trembling. The Stoneman sisters and Kyle ventured ever deeper into the woods, following a long-overgrown road. The path itself was ominous and inhospitable as it wound through the smooth-barked beeches and malformed pines, slick with the sime of half-decomposed plant matter and littered with all manner of tiny bones from unidentified animals. Roots warped forth from the muck like the hands of the damned, grasping at their ankles.
"I really, really hate this," Kyle whispered nervously, fiddling with the fabric of his robe. The deer-beast mask rested on his forehead, giving him the eerie illusion of having two sets of features.
Jill sighed. "Of all the boys at Lake Bakade High, I had to date the coward," she grumbled.
"Hey! I'm not a coward!" he retorted. "Don't tell me this place doesn't give you the creeps!"
Ashley nodded from beneath her raven mask, lugging the heavy duffel bag behind her with a soft groan. "He's right, Jill. I don't like it here."
"Will you two calm down?" Jill turned back to look at them, her rich brown eyes narrowed in disdain. "Look, I know it's dark in here, but it's just a freaking forest. There's nothing to worry about. By this time tomorrow, we'll be back on the beach with a hell of a story to tell. But if you two wanna chicken out and make me do this by myself, that's your business."
Kyle thought for a moment before sighing in resignation. "Like I could just leave you out here by yourself," he muttered. "Come on. Lottie's fort's just up this way."
The trio ventured onward as the road continued to fade away into an overgrown mess beneath their feet. Soon, the only path they had to follow was little more than a deer trail, a tight cleft in the undergrowth just wide enough for their legs. Ashley cried out as her robe sleeve caught on a large hemlock bush, yanking her backwards. She sheepishly struggled to free herself before racing to catch up with the older teens.
After what felt like hours, they turned a bend in the path to find themselves in a small clearing. The mixed deciduous and coniferous forest gave way to a circle of lean, corpse-pale birches that shone in the darkness like a congregation of phantasms. The papery bark sloughed off the skinny trunks like decayed skin, peeling back to reveal new, salmon-pink growth underneath. Their leaves rattled softly in the wind, sharp,serrated teeth clattering together as they brushed past one another.
In the center of the circle of birches sat a small brush arbor, a hollowed-out pile of dead branches and plant matter carefully constructed into a dome-like structure. The hovel had no door that they could see, an uneven, gaping hole yawning into the dark recesses beyond. Ashley pulled a flashlight out of her robe pocket, shining the narrow, yellow beam into the structure. It was simply furnished, with a stained, threadbare twin mattress taking up one side of the structure. The other side housed a large log that seemed to serve as a cluttered table.
Jill grinned, ducking as she entered the structure. "Let's see what kind of junk that freak keeps lying around," she suggested, approaching the table. Three stick candles stood in simple antler holders, forming an equilateral triangle on the table's surface. To the left was one in bright blood red, hardened drippings staining the wood beneath the holder. To the right was a candle of deep blue wax, carefully carved with strange and arcane symbols. And in the center, as far back as it could be placed without tipping over, was a rich forest green candle, bound up in cedar needles. In the center, a strange shape was carved into the log. As she studied it, Jill found the shape increasingly familiar and eerily nostalgic, though it was something she knew she had never seen before.
The longer she stared at it, the more she felt drawn to it, her slender fingers reaching out to trace their way across the surface. Words came to her, strange and unknown, filling her brain with sounds her tongue had never made, with images she could not even begin to process. Still, she reached forward, her curiosity sharpened into a primal need to know, to understand.
"Jill!" Kyle cried, yanking her from her trance. He stood outside the hovel, his eyes wide in concern.
"What?" she snapped.
"I asked if you found anything interesting," he repeated.
She looked back at the table. Whatever impulse had guided her in the moments before had faded, a disquiet memory clinging to the back of her mind and nothing more. Jill shook her head. "Just some stupid crap," she replied. "Not that I expected anything else. Let's go. We need to get our camp set up wile we still have light left."
The trio walked back into the woods, looking for a good place to camp. It wouldn't be much of a prank if their camp was within eyesight of Lottie's hideout, but they still needed to be close enough to see her arrive the next morning. After a few minutes of searching, Kyle found a suitable site tucked beneath the skeletal remains of a lightning-torched red oak. The tree had split nearly down the middle, exposing dark, charred heartwood as half of it bent to meet the forest floor with its lifeless branches. The other half still grew tall and strong, a thick growth of jagged emerald leaves sprouting forth from the ragged structure. The fallen branches provided excellent natural cover, and had the benefit of concealing their camp from Lottie's grove.
Ashley grumbled as she struggled to set up the tent, fitting skinny poles together and worming them through the tan fabric. It had been too long since the last time they'd used the camping gear. The last time, she'd been too small to be trusted with the tent, and had been content to watch her mother and father bicker over the placement of stakes. But those days were gone, now, a season lost to the all-consuming jaws of time that left noting intact. And Jill and Kyle were more than willing to make the youngest Stoneman do all the work while they climbed the fallen branches, struggling in their threadbare robes.
She watched them as they sat together on top of the tangled heap, Kyle's arm wrapped tightly around Jill, her head resting on his shoulder. It wasn't fair, not in the slightest, but Ashley supposed that was her fate as the youngest. Neither of them were bad people, not really. They just were oblivious, too wrapped up in each other to remember her or keep her company when they were together. She sighed as the final bar snapped into place, the tent standing proudly in the shadow of the oak. Finally. "I'm hungry," she called.
Kyle let go of Jill, pushing himself off of the tree branch. "I'll get the stove going," he chirped, smiling awkwardly at Ashley. "Beef stew okay?"
She nodded. "Thanks. And we're having s'mores later, right?"
He winked at her. "Why do you think I packed all these marshmallows?" he replied. Kyle rummaged in the duffel bag, extracting the camp stove, a can of fuel, and a large can of stew.
Ashley smiled back at him warmly. Maybe there was a reason why Jill liked him after all. He reminded her a bit of their father…well, how her father had been. He might have been boring and average and not particularly interesting to look at, but he was a good guy. Maybe that was what really mattered.
As Kyle opened the can of stew, Jill walked over, her screaming mask resting around her neck. "Eww," she grumbled. "Didn't you pack anything healthy?"
"It's a camping trip, not a spa weekend," Kyle muttered. "Besides, you had every opportunity to grab your own supplies."
Jill seemed somewhat taken aback by his bluntness. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, unsure of how to respond. Eventually, she just slipped inside the tent with a soft huff.
Ashley rolled her eyes. This was Jill's idea, so why was she being such a jerk about things all of a sudden? Was she scared, too, and just trying to act tough so the others wouldn't back down? That seemed like the most logical conclusion to Ashley. Jill wasn't exactly a coward, but Kyle was right. Anyone would be uncomfortable in these woods, except for the possible exception of Lottie.
"I'm sorry about her," Ashley muttered.
Kyle shrugged. "It's all good. You know how Jill gets."
She nodded. "Yeah. I do. It's just…" she sighed. "She didn't used to be this way, you know? Like before, when mom was around, she was nicer. I guess miss my old sister, sometimes." Ashley chuckled weakly. "I guess it sounds pretty stupid when I say it out loud."
Kyle shook his head. "No. It doesn't. I mean, I didn't know either of you that well before. But sometimes, I see a little bit of that old Jill, I think." He popped the open can on top of the stove, heating the congealed mixture slowly over the small flame. "Like, she'll smile sometimes and her face will just light up a certain way, or…" he shrugged again. "I don't know. It doesn't really matter. Just…I get it, okay? What happened to your mom? That really sucked."
"Yeah," Ashley agreed. "It totally did."
They sat in silence for a long time, watching the stew slowly bubble in its fat can, steam rising like incense to meet the canopy above. Neither of them knew what to say. It was probably the most they'd ever talked before, and the subject wasn't exactly an easy one. In the end, a silent understanding was all that they could really share, and that meant more than any half-baked pity of speeches about how things were going to get better anyway. The silence, the smell of damp earth, the rustle of the leaves…there was a peace there, in that moment, a spell neither of them seemed to want to break.
Eventually, Kyle pulled the duffel closer, pulling out the mess kits. "Stew's ready," he murmured. "You wanna get Jill, or should I?"
"I'll do it," Ashley replied, standing up and wiping bits of dead leaves from her robes. She waled over to the tent, unzipping the flap slowly so as not to startle her sister. "Hey, Jill? I know it's not salad, but dinner's…"
Her voice trailed off as she surveyed the interior of the tent. Their sleeping bags were still rolled neatly in one corner where she had left them. The rest of the structure was completely bare. There was no sign of Jill, or of any sign that might indicate where she had gone, save for a single jagged piece of shell that lay near the center of the tent. Ashley picked it up, studying it carefully. One of the teeth from Jill's mask. It had to be.
Ashley ran out of the tent, nearly knocking Kyle over. "Kyle! Jill's not in the tent!"
He stared at her, confused. "What? How? We would have heard her leave, right?"
"I mean, I think so," Ashley replied, her heart racing frantically. "She's gotta be messing with us, right?"
Kyle nodded, but he didn't look convinced. His hand trembled violently as he ladled stew into one of the metal bowls, nearly spilling it everywhere. "Y-yeah. Definitely. We should just eat, and she'll come back when she gets bored."
"Okay," Ashley agreed, taking the bowl from him. The beef stew suddenly seemed completely unappetizing, and she just held the bowl in her hands, letting the warmth radiate through her. When had it gotten so cold, she wondered.
Kyle seemed to be similarly at a loss, his eyes scanning the nearby trees carefully. Once again, they descended into silence, listening for footfalls and finding none. The creaking of the trees, low and strange like whale-song, was the only sound that met their anxious ears.


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The Downtown Austin Alliance is a partnership of downtown property owners, individuals, and businesses devoted to preserving and enhancing the value and vitality of downtown Austin.
Brightly colored interactive and sensory, Reflect and Resound allows children to enter the artworks to see reflections of themselves as mandalas or listen to layered sounds coming from 3 flower structures located in the playground. Children can receive and send sounds or listen to the large oak tree.


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Leap2 Launches Socially Friendly Search App for Android & iOS
A new startup named Leap2 has launched an iOS and Android search engine app which integrates images and social and local context into search results.
In releasing the app on Tuesday, Kanas City-based Leap2 also announced that it has raised $1.6 million in first-round funding, which will be going straight toward the search engine venture.
The goal behind this new search engine is to create a network that provides users with answers to search queries using real-time social and local context. "By integrating images and social into search results, users gain perspective on whatever they're searching for," maintained Mike Farmer, founder and CEO. "We're empowering users with the information and perspective they need."
Leap2 plans to launch a Web site for browser-based searches on Wednesday. However, Farmer believes the key to the success of Leap2 will be its focus on the mobile space.
With the search app, Leap 2 looks to infuse pictures and social elements to create an experience that is handset-friendly. For example, on the app's homepage, users see the leading news articles as a slate of pictures, some self-evident and some more mysterious. If you click on a picture, the app will highlight the top news stories for the day.
Upon entering search terms, users receive a combination of images, tweets, and relevant websites related to the query.
The new search app is available for download free of charge in both Google Play and Apple's App Store.


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|Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
|Re: Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
|Ted Marynicz - 2009-07-20 22:29:29
DECCs plans are in public consultation until October and are therefore subject to change.
The current proposals are that all existing ROC registered systems up to 50kW will be automatically transferred to the FITs scheme when it comes in next year. They will get 9p per unit on total generated plus an unknown amount for exports.
Anyone who had a working generator that was not registered for ROCs as at 15th July 2009 (date consultation published) will be excluded from the FITs scheme. Suppliers may, or may not, put something in place to pay for exports.
Only new installs from 15th July onwards will qualify for the full FITs rate but will be subject to a six month reduction on the maximum 20 year guaranteed tariff period if they are commissioned prior to next April. Wind turbines between 1.5kW and 15kW will get 23p per unit generated plus an unknown amount for exports.
Any new system will only qualify for FITs if it is MCS accredited (both product and installer).
As I say this is just a proposal at the moment and it may all change as a result of feedback once the consultation period is over.
|Re: Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
Thanks Ted, who gets to have a say in the consultation, seems a bit unfair that people putting up a turbine now will get over double what we are getting for total generation
|Re: Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
|Ted Marynicz - 2009-07-21 10:33:11
It's a public consultation so anyone can respond.
Details are here http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/elec_financial/elec_financial.aspx
How to respond is covered in the first section of the consultation document - which is the first pdf link at the bottom of the page.
|Re: Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
|Tony Smith - 2009-07-24 20:05:25
I note that the consultation suggests that they are proposing to extend these benefits to installations of up to 5MW. I really struggle to see the justification for that. Industrial-scale wind is already eye-wateringly profitable and I don't see anyone round here holding back from trying to fit a windfarm anywhere that looks remotely suitable. Every farmer seems to be queuing up to get in on the act, and it seems to me that lack of suitable sites is the limiting factor rather than profitability.
|Re: Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
|Ted Marynicz - 2009-07-24 20:41:19
I agree that sub-5MW is a strange definition for microgeneration. But it is drawn in the context of 1000MW power stations. Also most commercial wind-farms would break that limit easily with each turbine being 2 or 3MW - note that the whole wind-farm would be assessed against that limit not each individual turbine.
Putting up one-off 1 or 2 MW turbines is exactly what this legislation is designed to encourage.
|Re: Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
|Tony Smith - 2009-07-25 10:09:45
"Putting up one-off 1 or 2 MW turbines is exactly what this legislation is designed to encourage."
I question if any more encouragement is needed judging by the flood of applications for exactly that sort of thing.
One local enterprise wants to put up a single 800KW machine, and quotes an expected return of £50K/year for the first 10 years, then 150K/year for the remainder of the project's life. That's clear cash profit after all costs and finance are paid, and after paying rental to the land owner.
I can't believe that people are reluctant to develop because they find that level of profitability unattractive. There's certainly no sign of it.
As an example there's a dispute currently between two farmers, each of whom want to put up a wind turbine, where the airport will only permit one to go ahead. One landowner's going to cash-in massively, and the other won't.
|Re: Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
|Tony Smith - 2009-07-26 18:09:18
I'm thinking a lot about wind power and profit currently, and the more I think the more it becomes apparent that an excessive profit margin is counter productive to common-sense development.
For example we have two proposals near to us, which probably cannot both go ahead. One is for a commercial 2.3MW turbine. The other is for an 800KW turbine, which will fund a Community development program to the tune of £50K / year.
Which should go ahead? An energy point of view would suggest the 2.3MW commercial one. But from a neighbourhood point of view, which would you rather have in your backyard, a big turbine generating profit for one family who don't even live nearby, or a smaller one generating benefit for the whole community?
To confuse the issue further, the Community proposal has the best site. If these things were centrally planned, then we'd probably have a 2.3MW on that site generating max energy, and maximising local benefits as well.
|Re: Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
|Peter - 2009-08-12 08:54:12
I assume the justification for existing registered small generators receiving a reduced payment is that the Feed-In tariff is also intended to replace any one-off installation grant, from which we should have already benefited?
|Re: Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
|Ted Marynicz - 2009-08-12 21:39:26
That's indeed the thinking - but with the small transitional loophole that if you can a grant on a new system between now and next April then you will get to keep the grant AND get the higher FIT tariff. (Except for non-domestic users with > 50kW systems who have to return any centrally funded grant if they opt for FITs.)
|Re: Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
|Peter - 2009-08-15 09:35:25
Copied below is the response I received from 'Feed-In Tariffs Ltd' to my question to them on whether the proposed new FIT regime will require me to move from my current arrangement with edf.
Yes you will have to move across to the tariffs at a fixed rate of 9p/kWh plus a bonus for any power you export.
For that bonus, you have a one-off choice of accepting a fixed price set by the government (probably 5p) or negotiating a price on the market. Though your present EDF price looks better, you will have to decide whether they will keep it at that level.
Is it better? The government says they have set the 9p level to ensure generators are no worse off (at the double ROC level), and it looks to us as though they got that about right. It's certainly better than you've been getting up to now at 1 ROC; looking forward it all depends on what happens to ROC prices in the future (and what Tradelink would be paying you). Probably not worth worrying about - you've got no choice!
|Re: Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
|Ted Marynicz - 2009-08-15 15:06:01
That's right. Anyone with an existing system < 50kW is given no choice but to move from ROCs to FITs at a fixed 9p/kWh on total generation plus whatever you can get for export.
Existing systems > 50kW will stay in ROCs.
Owners of new systems > 50kW will have a one-off choice to go with FITs or ROCs. No flipping from one to the other is allowed.
Systems > 5MW all register under ROCs.
At least those are the current proposals - they could be changed before implementation next April.
|Re: Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
|David Hobbs - 2009-11-23 14:09:13
|Perhaps it's worth considering "de-commissioning" an existing system and de-registering it with Ofgem and then commission a "new" generator in a few months time in order to claim payment sunder the new scheme. In my own case (Proven6) this would benefit me to the tune of £23,200 over 20 years assuming payments of 23.5p as against 9p. -- dch_control
|Re: Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
|Peter - 2009-12-04 15:40:44
Tradelink Solutions, the Aggregator through whom we trade our ROCs, responded as follows to my recent question on where we stand on FiTs.
"Reference your questions, your ROC contract with us runs until end March 2012 in which case you will earn double ROCs each year up until that date.
After that we will offer you a FiT tariff which, as you probably know by now, will be worth the same as double ROCs, i.e. 9p kWh for generators who installed before 15th July this year.
There is still nothing set in stone regarding how FiTs will run and there wont be until January. After this time we would be able to answer any queries with more clarity. Hope this will suffice for now."
|Re: Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
|Peter - 2009-12-18 16:52:51
I have received a further update from Tradelink Solutions - which does not add much to the information which I posted previously.
Received from Tradelink 18/12/09
"Just to update you on the latest news in the micro generation market. The Government is progressing plans to introduce a Feed in Tariff (FiT) from 1st April 2010. We expect a final response from the Government in mid January following the conclusion of the consultation process. This will define the operation and finalised tariffs for the scheme (generation and export tariffs.) We will contact you individually in the New Year to advise how the new scheme will impact you and your site.
ROC claims for this RO year (09-10) will continue as normal and we will collect your meter reads in the usual way. Double ROCs this year so please get your meter reads to us in a timely manner, when requested. Thank you.
The retail arm of the group, LoCO2 Energy, has successfully been selling electricity since July 2009. Our new website is now live and we are listed on a number of the comparison websites. Take a look at Loco2Energy.com to see if we can beat your current tariffs and help you switch to a greener, cheaper supplier."
A very happy & peaceful Christmas to everyone.
|Re: Anybody know anything about the new Feed in tariffs?
|Ted Marynicz - 2009-12-19 15:04:41
Also Darling confirmed in his Pre-Budget Report a few weeks ago that income from FITs for a domestic installation would be exempt from income tax. So this is no change from the current position on ROCs and export payments.


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33 posts and columns on Eric Jackson
How Low Will Prem Watsa's BlackBerry Offer Go?Prem Watsa's consortium offered $9 per share for BlackBerry. But will it actually pay that?
Does Fairfax Have Resources — And Motivation — To Close BlackBerry Deal?There's cash to be made if a better offer emerges.
Third Point Is Latest Fund to Shed Its Apple SharesDan Loeb's Third Point Capital joins the conga line of hedge funds that have recently dumped their Apple holdings. But the moves may have more to do with prudence than anything else.
Will the "Marissa Mayer Premium" — or Is It Those Hedge Fund Dudes Piling in — Finally Get Yahoo's Stock to $20 a Share?There must be a magical unicorn in there somewhere.
Facebook IPO Halo Boosts Social Media StocksFacebook's imminent IPO might mint a mess of millionaires in Silicon Valley come Friday — but in the meantime, it seems to be driving wealth in a few newly public Internet companies, as well.
BlackBerry Maker Layoffs Met With Chorus of RaspberriesResearch In Motion described its decision to sack 10 percent of its workforce Monday as "a prudent and necessary step for the long term success of the company." But few, it seems, are buying it.
As CEO Bartz Fiddles With Turnaround, Yahoo's Stock Value BurnsYahoo — which turned in yet another disappointing quarter on Tuesday, but with all new excuses for the continuing decline in revenue — is now getting toasted by Wall Street. That would be the marshmallow — and not the champagne — kind.


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Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has no presidential candidate to match President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 general elections.
Oyegun disclosed this in an interview with New Telegraph at the weekend.
The Chairman, who described the leadership of the PDP as a bunch of dreamers, noted that Buhari and the ruling APC are not losing any sleep over PDP ahead of the 2019 polls.
His words: "As at today, Buhari remains the most credible uniting force in the Nigerian nation. We are not saying that there are no difficulties, there are, but tell me somebody else who has the kind of status, the kind of presence and the kind of symbolism that Buhari has? If you tell me, maybe, we can start comparing them.
"I am not talking about the party alone, but the entire nation. Tell me, who you can compare electorally and in terms of what he reflects and represents for the nation? Go to my village and mention Dankwambo; they will ask you from which planet is he from. Let me not treat him special from any of the above you mentioned. Atiku has been with us, he is a significant political force in this nation, no question about that.
"Let me not say anything more than that because he is somebody I like as a person, but we are talking about uniting the country So, we need somebody who stands for what the people want to see the nation become. That is the beauty of President Buhari.
"Everybody is saying that they have the capacity to defeat President Buhari, when it is clear that they are enjoying their dreams."
"What else do you expect people, who are hopeful to say? They shouldn't bother to compare themselves to President Buhari. They should just say that they command the loyalty of the vast majority of Nigerian people.
"These are people who are not known, probably outside their local governments or their states. They are just struggling for relevance within the PDP," Oyegun said.


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Latest News
Gasol completes historic double as Spain win World Cup
Marc Gasol looked to the sky as confetti fell, some sticking to his massive shoulders, and then cradled and kissed the giant golden chalice that goes to the World Cup champions.
He's getting good at hoisting trophies.
Gasol got to bask in a championship celebration for the second time in three months — and this time, he did it for his country. Tournament MVP Ricky Rubio scored 20 points, Sergio Llull added 15, and Spain won the World Cup for the second time by topping Argentina 95-75 yesterday.
"We weren't the most talented team," Rubio said. "We weren't the bigger team. Put anything you want, but we were the team with the biggest heart and we showed it tonight and we showed it during the whole tournament."
Gasol scored 14 for the winners, who never trailed, and added this crown to the one they claimed in 2006. And for him, 2019 will go down as a year the likes of which few others have enjoyed.
The Toronto Raptors centre becomes the second player to win an NBA title and a FIBA world gold medal in the same year, joining Lamar Odom — who did it for the Los Angeles Lakers and USA Basketball in 2010. Gasol also became the 19th to win either an NBA or WNBA crown along with a gold medal, either of the Olympic or World Cup variety, in the same year.
The first 18 all did it for the US.
This time, Vamos España!
"NBA champion and a World Cup champion as well," Gasol said. "What can I say? How does it sound to you? I feel very fortunate to be in this position and be able to play this game and help these guys be part of history of Spanish basketball."


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The next subsection of Chapter 7 (pp. 164-166) contains a dense digression on Chapters 6 and 6* of Amartya K. Sen's advanced treatise on Collective Choice and Social Welfare (pictured below). We won't comment on Nozick's treatment of Sen's work here, except to say that his short digression has spawned some secondary scholarly controversy. See, for example, C. R. Perelli-Minetti's 1977 paper "Nozick on Sen: A Misunderstanding" — published in Vol. 8 of the journal Theory and Decisions on pp. 387-383 — and Miles Sonstegaard's 1987 paper "Nozick on Sen: A Reply to Perelli-Minetti" — published in Vol. 22 of the same journal on pp. 203-207. Unfortunately, both of those intriguing papers are gated. Once we are are able to obtain copies of those papers, we will revisit Nozick's treatment of Sen. For now, in terms of the overall number of pages in Anarchy, State, and Utopia, we are now half-way through Nozick's book!
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Trade war could slow Chinese soy imports for years, says USDA
China will remain the world's largest soybean importer in coming years even if the trade war with the United States is not settled, but it won't be buying as much of the oilseed, said USDA analysts on Wednesday.
Potentially more profitable, cotton takes over soybean ground
Cotton growers plan to expand their plantings by a sharp 3 percent this spring, taking away land from soybeans, the most prominent casualty of the Sino-U.S. trade war, said the National Cotton Council over the weekend. Meanwhile, the USDA said the soybean stockpile will double in size by the time this year's crop is ready to harvest, creating the largest "carryover" ever.
Disruption in U.S. cotton and soy exports loom due to trade war
One of the world's largest grain companies warned of a "skinny export season" for U.S. soybeans and an intergovernmental body said the United States might need to seek new markets for its cotton due to President Trump's trade war with China. Meanwhile, the Trump administration threatened on Wednesday to put 25-percent tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports as leverage for reform.
Cotton prices sink as global production booms
Cotton production is rising in all of the major nations growing the fiber, and the United States is leading the way with a 23-percent increase, says the International Cotton Advisory Committee. The large crop, forecast by ICAC as 10-percent larger than in 2016/17, will drive down the season-average price to 69 cents a pound, a drop of 14 cents.
U.S. cotton exports leap 63 percent to second-largest ever
A rebound in cotton plantings and yields in 2016 resulted in a dramatic surge in exports in the trade year that ended Aug. 1, according to USDA's monthly Cotton and Wool Outlook. "A large supply of high-quality cotton pushed shipments to the second-highest on record."
U.S. growers to plant more cotton despite tight margins
Cotton growers say they will expand plantings 9 percent this year, displacing corn and some wheat to chase the highest market price in four years, says the National Cotton Council. Nonetheless, "2017 is shaping up to be another challenging year," said NCC economist Jody Campiche, because of high production costs and the struggling global economy.


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text: I'm a Growth Stage Leadership Advisor, partnering with CEOs and startups to develop the leadership skills they need to scale successfully. My love working with brilliant academicians, scientists & physicians who have little experience leading people or building organizations. In addition to serving clients, I coach and provide workshops for SUNY Downstate incubator companies and ELabNYC. Prior to founding my business in 2002, I served as a senior recruiter for Winter Wyman in Boston's thriving high tech industry, traveled extensively as a corporate leadership coach for the UNICCO Services Company, and was a psychotherapist. I have a degree in Food Chemistry and a Masters in Counseling Psychology. My background gives me an in-depth understanding of a wide variety of personalities, functions and industries. I currently reside in NYC. Please check out my site for more info, www.loridernavich.com.


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Uberdownloads Blog
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(Credit:Screenshot by Rick Broida)
I'll admit it: the App Store is home to so many nifty and inventive news readers (Blogshelf, Early Edition, and TheScore, to name just a few), I never got around to Pulse News Reader.
My mistake. It's not just the coolest blog/feed reader for the iPhone and iPad alike, it's also one of the coolest iOS apps, period. And where it once cost $1.99, Pulse News is now free. (Same goes for the Android version.)
I spent some time fiddling with Pulse News for iPad. (If you're interested in Pulse News Mini for iPhone, which, true to its name, is just a smaller version of the app, check out Jason Parker's write-up.) Like Blogshelf and Early Edition, it serves up popular blogs in a slick, easily digestible format.
Right out of the box, Pulse News Reader gives you everything from Fast Company to Mashable to Serious Eats. Of course, you can add, remove, and reorganize sources to your liking.
The app lists about 10 "featured" sources, dozens more divided into categories, a search option for sites and keywords, and support for Google Reader–meaning you can import any feeds you've already subscribed to in your account.
The iPad edition supports up to 60 sources arranged across five tabbed pages (which, thankfully, you can rename from the default "PAGE2," "PAGE3," and so on.) You scroll up and down to find the feed you want, across to peruse the stories from within that feed, and tap any story to see the full text (and/or the actual Web page, depending on your preference).
As with other readers, Pulse News lets you tag items as favorites (which it calls "creating your own pulse"), share with friends via e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter, and even send to Instapaper (another essential app).
It may take a little doing to get Pulse News set up with just the blogs and feeds you want. But once you do, you'll never look at another reader. (Or will you? If there's an app you like better, by all means shout it out in the comments!)
Originally posted at iPhone Atlas


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Media Archeology: Live Cinema Performances
April 13-17, 2005
Animal Charm / Wet Gate / Paper Rad with Extreme Animals and Cory Arcangel / TV Sheriff & the Trailbuddies / People Like Us
Aurora Picture Show
800 Aurora Street
Houston, Texas 77009
Join Aurora Picture Show for our second annual Media Archeology Festival–five nights of live film and video mixing, looping, montaging, multiple projecting and scoring in real time. The Live Cinema movement is the cinematic corollary to DJ-ing, sampling, and mash-ups, using film, video and computer imagery as raw materials for spectacular audio/visual composition.
Aurora will publish a festival catalog with an essay by Ed Halter, author and Director of the New York Underground Film Festival. Catalogs will be available at all screenings or by request, for no cost.
Media Archeology is Aurora Picture Show's annual festival highlighting artists and collectors who preserve, study, and/or re-use found media. This year's festival is designed to jog our short-term historical memories of mass amateur, industrial, and popular film and video; the images and sound that enter our living rooms, classrooms, boardrooms, gameboys, and personal computers, often resting passively in the margins of our imaginations.
Animal Charm
Open Soars
Wednesday, April 13, 8pm
@ Aurora Picture Show
800 Aurora, 77009; 713.868.2101
Animal Charm scrambles media codes, creating a kind of tic-ridden, convulsive montage, their disruptive gestures often re-investing conventional forms with subversive meanings. They dive the dumpsters of film and video production companies and scrap through countless hours of industrial documentary and corporate footage, often editing the tapes in a live mix session before an audience.
Animal Charm is Jim Fetterley and Rich Bott. They have performed at LA Freewaves Festival, Los Angeles; Cinevegas Film Festival, Las Vegas; Transat Video, Herouville-St-Claire, France; Whitney Museum; Lux Cinema, and Sundance Film Festival.
Wet Gate
Thursday, April 14, 8pm
@ Barnevelder Movement / Arts Complex
2201 Preston St, 77003; 713.529.1819
Using nothing but film projectors and loops and a handful of simple electronic processors, Wet Gate – Peter Conheim, (Mono Pause and Negativland), Steven Dye (The Dactyls of Phrygia and Epic), and Owen O'Toole – the San Francisco Bay Area's renowned all-16mm-projector performing ensemble, creates a vivid sound and visual montage of epic proportions. Cinema for the ear as well as the eye.
Wet Gate is Peter Conheim, Steven Dye and Owen O'Toole. They have performed at Film Arts Foundation Festival, San Francisco, CA; Taos Talking Pictures Festival, Taos, NM; Chicago Underground Film Festival, Chicago, IL; and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Paper Rad, Extreme Animals and Cory Arcangel
Friday April 15, 8pm
@ Mixture Contemporary
1709 Westheimer, 77098; 713.520.6809
In this performance, Cory Arcangel, Jacob Ciocci, and David Wightman will be engaged in a LIVE HTML BATTLE to save the internet. Can Hypertext Markup Language translate into entertainment? Find out, as they explore the internet in new and exciting ways.
Cory Arcangel has shown his work in the 2004 Whitney Biennial, MOMA, The New Museum of Contemporary Art, the Guggenheim Museum, and at the Royal Academy in London. Jacob Ciocci is a founding member of Paper Rad. His hi-NRG nerds-gone-wild live performances have taken place at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Deitch Projects in New York, and Chela Gallery in Baltimore. David Wightman has toured the nation five times with the spazz duo, Extreme Animals. With this group he has released recordings on Scratch 'n' Sniff Entertainment, Breaking World Records, and Frequenc.
TV Sheriff and the Trailbuddies
Saturday, April 16, 8pm
@ Orange Show Center for Visionary Art
2402 Munger St, 77023; 713.926.6368
The MVP Network Stars will be performing their current live musical video mixing cavalcade showdown, TV Sheriff and the Trailbuddies. These wild western videomaniacs will be playing synchronized audio/video clips on their TV Instruments from what they consider is the best and worst in television, film and video media.
Davy Force! a.k.a. TV Sheriff is an electronic musician, voice and animation artist. He is the creator of the Anti-mercial, an underground version of remixed and reanimated commercials ("Hypno-Chicken 2000) and live avant-garde performances of interactive animation video and music. The Prospector is Brien E Rullman, Founder/President of OVT Visuals, a full time VJ for over ten years, VJ TEK from Rabbit in the Moon. He has performed at Sundance Film Festival, Chicago Underground Film Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival, and Psychic TV at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Doug Lussenhop a.k.a. Douggpound has exhibed at Heaven, Chicago; Select Media Festival; VHS Festival, Rotterdam; Puerto Rico '02; the International Festival of New Film, Split, Croatia; PS-1; and Z Film Festival.
People Like Us
Sunday, April 17, 8pm
@ DiverseWorks Art Space
1117 East Freeway, I-10 at North Main, 77002; 713.223.8346
This live cinema performance is an exploration into the world of cut and
paste audio/visual collage, where found footage is recontextualized with
a surrealistic edge. People Like Us is Vicki Bennett, a one-woman multi-media artist, who has since 1992 been making audio works, radio programs, and later audio/visual multimedia.
Vicki Bennett has presented and performed at the Tate Modern, The Purcell Room, The ICA, Royal College of Art, Sydney Opera House, The Pompidou Centre, Toronto Images Festival, New York Underground Film Festival, Walker Art Center and UC Davis. Bennett has also had live appearances/sessions for John Peel and BBC Radio 3′s 'Mixing It'. In addition to this, she does an ongoing weekly experimental arts radio show on the freeform New York radio station WFMU, called "DO or DIY."
Media Archeology: Live Cinema is funded in part by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
For ticket information please contact
Aurora Picture Show www.aurorapictureshow.org
Aurora Musarum Amica Aurora is a friend of the muses.
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Do you have a hair goal? Mine is to reach armpit length by my 2nd Naturalversary (September 24, 2013). Right now, the back of my hair is about shoulder length. Do you think I can do it?
Tag Archives: puff
Hairstyles To Survive Year 1 Natural Hair
High Puff Tutorial via Coloured Beautiful
I gave you my current hair regimen in my last post. Realizing that some viewers may have no idea how to achieve the high puff, I thought it would be smart to give you guys a tutorial. Below is Coloured Beautiful's video, I learned from it. My process is slightly different, so I will do my own tutorial soon. Enjoy!


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A Love Song
by K.M. Churchill
Walking on the edge of myth in Ireland
Snow rarely fell in Ireland. When it did, the dusting was so light that it looked like confectioners' sugar had been sprinkled all over the green ivy and winter-blooming roses. The joyous, drunken raucousness of the Irish holiday season was upon us and, even with the storm clouds and the early evening spreading out against the sky, our village seemed festive rather than pensive.
People made their way slowly through half-deserted streets. Stopping to chat and admire windows trimmed now with shiny silver, gold and green tinsel roping. In some, there were elaborate manger scenes. Displays of ceramic or hand-carved figurines: Mary and St. Joseph, along with shepherd boys, flocks of sheep, donkeys, camels, and, of course, the Magi journeying. Sometimes there would be a little drummer boy or an angel with a trumpet. All carefully positioned facing a tiny crib that was empty but for a bedding of hay, where the baby Jesus would be placed on Christmas morning. And a gold star, the Star of Bethlehem, hovering somewhere above the scene.
So it must have been a few weeks after our second child had been baptized—first by my mother-in-law using a bottle of Holy Water she kept in her handbag, then in a ceremony at St. Brigid's Catholic Church on the outskirts of town, across from the bright blue Virgin Mary grotto and the winding rutted road that leads up to the village witch's cottage.


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I'm Awkwardsaurus. We're four days into 2017, or the year that looks like a robot death machine, as Rachel describes it, and it hasn't quite sunk in that when I go back to school, I'll have to write 2017, instead of 2016.
Now that I guess you could say the year is kicking off into full swing, I thought I'd just do a little post looking forward to everything that will and might happen in the next year.
First off, I'm turning 15 this year. If you didn't already know my age, then well, I'm 14, in Year 10, which I think would be the equivalent to freshman year at an American high school. I was just discussing with Bob actually, about how it's so crazy that we start Year 11 in September (the oldest year of UK high schools) and how we still feel like we should be in Year 5. 15 just sounds old if you ask me, and I know to some of you it'll sound young, especially if you're older, which I know some of you are.
Just before my birthday, though, I'll have mock exams. If you're outside of the UK, you might not know what they are, or do other countries call them mocks too? Anyway, they're basically practice GCSEs (big exams at the end of high school) but they're used for grades for that year as well as a backup in case you miss the actual exams. So, obviously that'll mean a lot of revision, even over my birthday. Exams last a week, starting on Ashley's birthday. 😦
She's four days younger than me, by the way! 😀
Flash a little further forward to April, and I'm going to see Shawn Mendes live for the Illuminate Tour! Ashley's parents bought tickets for her birthday, so we're both super excited about that! Although I'm pretty sure it'll involve an emotional breakdown on Ashley's behalf, since she's seeing her future husband for the first time 😀
As the school year comes to a close, we'll have our last travel day (in year 11, we'll be on study leave, so we don't go), which will be to Pleasure Beach in Blackpool, as it is every year. I'm super excited, and also clinging on to hope that the photographer from last July and November will still be there! ❤
After then, I'll be preparing for a school trip to Italy. I'm kind of terrified, for so many reasons:
- I'm not going with any of my closest friends, since none of them signed up to go (it'll make more sense if you read —> this post <—)
- I haven't been abroad since I was four years old…
- So I haven't been on a plane since I was four either…
- And on top of that, I have a fear of heights and I'm uncomfortable in small spaces
- FINALLY, this whole time I'll have to stay completely chill because Flynn will be there. 😮
So, I guess you get the gist. 😀
But I am super excited, since I've been looking forward to it for so long, and it'll be a chance to go out and adventure, while seeing some amazing landscapes and cultures! We climb Mt Vesuvius (the one that destroyed Pompeii) and go on a boat trip to the Island of Capri. It sounds so amazing, and I'm hoping the excitement dulls the nerves a little! Although if you have any similar experiences, let me know! 😀
Italy is in October, while we're off for school holidays, so by that point I'll be Year 11. There'll probably be another mock week in December, which I think is the last one before real exams? I'm not sure.
Obviously there'll be a bunch of other things happening throughout the year, big and small, that I never could have guessed would be happening. After all, there's no way I could've predicted some of the crazy stuff that happened last year!
So, here's to 2017, hopefully a year where we fix the situations we've got the world into, and start working for a better tomorrow, while enjoying the time we have! ❤
Clink clink, have a great year 😉


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Embark on a trip to the historic York Racecourse, which is just a short walk away from our hotelLearn more
Explore central York attractions like York Minster, Yorkshire Museum and Clifford's TowerLearn more
Indulge in a bit of retail therapy at York Designer Outlet, located near our four-star hotelLearn more
0.8 km from hotel
St Williams College, College Street
3.9 km from hotel
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15.8 km from hotel
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33.8 km from hotel
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Situated in a heathland and woodland setting just one mile from the centre of the historic city of York, Fulford Golf Club remains one of the best inland golf courses in Britain.
Phone: +44 1904 413579
Clubhouse and golf shop
Driving range
The club was formed in 1904 as the Knavesmire Golf Club and moved to Hob Moor in 1922. We moved to our current site in 1946 and during the past 60 years have developed into one of the finest parkland courses in the North.
Phone: +44 1904 700797
Clubhouse and golf shop
Driving range
This parkland course is located in an extremely convenient and peaceful location only 2 miles north of the York Ring Road, yet it lies amidst attractive countryside in the heart of the Forest of Galtres from which it takes its name.
Phone: +44 1904 766198
Clubhouse and golf shop
Driving range
York Walking Tours
Explore the York you won't find in the guidebooks
Scary fun with live shows
Hilarious surprises and 2000 years of history
Hop-On Hop-Off
York Sightseeing
2.4 km
Phone: +44 1904 621756
Britain's popular & historic city, once home Romans, Anglo Saxons & Vikings
3.2 km
Phone: +44 1904 621756
A cherished cathedral of breathtaking scale & architecture, dating back nearly 1,000 years
33.8 km
Phone: +44 1653 648333
An opulent historic home graced by gardens, a gift shop & cafes. Special events featured.