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There were heavy rain showers while driving through the Bronx on the way to Elmont for the Mother Goose Stakes Stakes at Belmont. The day might have been ruined but it was not, it just served to pad the rain stats as it has rained here 24 of the last 26 days. Only by luck those rain showers never reached Belmont, not only were the conditions dry but the day was lovely. A cool northerly wind combined with low humidity, and sunny skies made for perfect racing conditions for man and beast. If you keep notes on how the track played the main track seemed to favor speed with fast times all day and frontrunners did well. The crowd was reported at 13,352 persons, which is a small crowd relative to the tremendous capacity of the facility. However compared to a usual weekend crowd the crowd was a larger. What the numbers do not show is that the crowd was overflowing with enthusiasm and had a different demographic than the typical mix of middle age to elderly men.
Naughty New Yorker
The first stakes race of the day was the Ed Fratello Stakes. Favored Wishful Tomcat tracked frontrunning Fortunate Prospect, took over at the top of the lane, winning the mile and a 16th test in 140 and 2/5ths. Looking at Wishful Tomcat in the paddock, he is a stoutly built, tall, good looking individual. He looked best on paper and impressive in the paddock. One look at him and it was clear that not only was he the favorite to win but Wishful Tomcat knew he was going to win. The horse had presence. He could come back and win the Suburban next week if Dutrow chooses to enter him. Wishful Tomcat is a horse with razor sharp form.
Naughty New Yorker
Old campaigner Naughty New York was in this field too. After all these years he still wears that full cup blinker over his right eye. He was second off the layoff after a year without a race. The 7 year old New York bred was a bit overweight in the paddock and raced like he needed the race as he finished last. I'm sure the connections would love to get him over the million dollar earnings plateau which he has flirted with since 2007. He is only about $15K away from 1 million but like a gambler trying to make the rent money if he does not find his old form he may not get there.
Paddock Crowd Mother Goose Stakes
"We were very pleased with the crowd today, especially the number of girls and women," said Hal Handel, NYRA executive vice president and COO. This was a crowd where you can take your young daughter too and not worry about her being out of place. There were thousands of new faces and as one of the old faces I know who all the regulars are. These people were not track regulars. There were dozens of couples, there were teenage girls and adolescent girls with their families. I even talked to a guy who flew up from New Orleans to see Rachel run. This was a crowd of fans not just the hardcore packs of gamblers and handicappers.
Paddock Crowd Rachel Alexandra
It may be easy to dismiss these women as taking up space and not contributing their fair share to the game. Not only did they receive free admission but I did not see them hitting the windows with $100 exacta boxes. However their contribution is not to the handle but to the track aesthetic and of the ambiance of the facility. Having tons of women at the track changes the game. Old men cursing at a television screens suddenly feel like they are acting like crass animals and they tone down their public tirades of profanity. The hecklers keep their outbursts to themselves. What was once grimy becomes a classy event that could be attended by all. Taming racing's sleazy reputation is a good start to working the game back into the mainstream. Embellish the few thousand foul mouthed degenerates in the crowd with pretty girls and their admirers and soon the track becomes an inviting place. Suddenly demographic groups that are extinct at Belmont find that it is a good time. The potential for growth is opened up. The track demographic aquires some diversity outside of old and profane. Whatever NYRA did on Saturday was successful and is one of the building blocks to growing the game. I was bearish on this promotion, but I am happy to be wrong. The Rachel Alexandra promotion was a success. New fans showed up by the thousands and it was the most thrilling sporting event of the day.
Cheers In The Paddock For Rachel
Rachel Alexandra crushed her two competitors in the Mother Goose winning by 19 lengths, exceeding expectations. She rated behind the blistering pace and then drew off impressively as the rider pleased. It was pleasing result for the thousands of racing fans in attendance. The Preakness winner delivered strong validation. This type of crowd pleasing result is never a given in this tough game. Many hearts have been broken in Belmont's stretch. If Smarty Jones could have delivered like this in the 2004 Belmont I think a few thousand new racing fans would have been minted that day. Hopefully some new fans were created yesterday.
All Alone At The Wire Rachel Alexandra
Rachel is an athletic filly with a long neck and a serious eye. She looks like she is tough and not one to be trifled with. When Curlin raced at Belmont last year Jess Jackson spent time with Curlin in his stall, this time Jess Jackson gave Rachel Alexandra her space standing close by instead of in the stall. Like Curlin, Alexandra did not walk the paddock, her connections decided to have her spend the entire time she was in the paddock in her stall. Her manner was calm, controlled and confident. When Borel mounted her her ears pricked and she was on her toes. She received a round of applause in the paddock and then another warm reception during the post parade. When she returned to the winners circle she received a standing ovation. This type of affection is only reserved for racing royalty and she received the full royal treatment.
Beautiful Belmont Park After A Successful Day
The day was a success for Rachel Alexandra, the connections, the fans and for NYRA. This filly has the potential to bring people out to the track. She is a superstar and a real crowdpleaser. Every sports/racefan should make it a point to get out and see her while she is out there campaigning.
Photo Credit to Joe Burns
28 June 2009
Mother Goose Report
Posted by G. C. at 2:03 AM
Labels: belmont park, Naughty New Yorker, nyra, Rachel Alexandra, Wishful Tomcat
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Rental Software for Mobile 2.1
|Date Released:
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|OrgBusiness Software
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Maybe this Illinois mayor just never "got" the joke. And now he's being sued over it.
When Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis found out that he had inspired a parody Twitter account (@PeoriaMayor) featuring expletive-laden tweets about drugs, sex and alcohol, he did not take the news lightly.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Ardis and City Manager Patrick Urich ordered a police investigation into who was responsible for the Twitter account within hours of learning of it. That order led police to obtain a search warrant and raid the home of 29-year-old Jon Daniel, who had created the account "as a joke."
Now, Ardis is facing a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, which claims the mayor and other city officials violated Daniel's First and Fourth Amendment rights. The lawsuit was announced Thursday.
"The joke of the account was to have my fictional mayor saying things that no one would possibly think that Mayor Jim Ardis would say," Daniel said in a Thursday statement. "If the mayor was concerned, all he had to do was tell the public that his was not his account and not his words, rather than involving the police."
In response to the lawsuit, Ardis said in a statement posted to the City of Peoria's website that the story has been "mischaracterized" by the media "from day one," noting that the account was not identified as parody when it first went public in March. He is reportedly considering suing Daniel for false light and defamation.
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The Peoria Journal Star reports the account was, indeed, not initially labeled as parody but that text noting it was not an official account was added about a month prior to the April 15 raid of Daniel's home. The account was also suspended by Twitter due to threats of legal action prior to the execution of the search warrant, during which computers and other electronic devices were seized.
Daniel was arrested at his workplace the same day of the raid, according to the Associated Press, but prosecutors announced a week later that he would not face charges because he had not violated a state law against the impersonation of public officials. He has never been charged with any crime.


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Tristan has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons. Political Science) from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Public Policy from RMIT University.


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For Healing
|Submitted By:
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text:
I recently wrote an article for the Shanghai Canadian Chamber of Commerce's bimonthly eMag newsletter, titled "Cleantech Powers the New Economy: The Global Financial Crisis Provides an Opportunity to Invest in Green Technology."
The newsletter is available on their website, but I wanted to quote a few passages here for those who are too busy to download the full version. Regular readers know that this topic, environmental investment, is very dear to me. Here is an abridged version:
The financial bubble of greed that began in the 80s with big mergers and buy-outs has come full circle as the giants of Wall Street drown in a sea of mortgage debts and bad decisions, bought out or forced to merge by the very government that let them run loose in the first place. Is there yet a reason to be optimistic?
On the surface, it would seem not. Major financial institutions such as Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs have failed or been merged into much larger entities, shedding tens of thousands of jobs in the progress. Others such as AIG and Citibank have received huge government investments and guarantees. Collapsing home values in the U.S. and UK are leading their respective economies into the severest downturn since the Great Depression, and the ripple effects are being felt around the world.
Below the surface, a ray of hope lights the darkness: An industry that can possibly rescue the global economy. Thomas Freidman, in his new bestselling novel Hot, Flat, and Crowded, makes a strong case for environmental investment to lead the way out of the intertwined energy and economic crises. To paraphrase his book's main point, the US, and the world, can no longer afford to rely on cheap oil and must instead invest in cleantech, a collection of technologies including solar, water, biofuel and wind power, and sustainable products designed for the three R's: Reduce, reuse, and recycle. The economy of the future is the environmental economy. The new mantra? Green is good.
China, above all others, stands to benefit from this trend. World leaders, from Chinese President Hu Jintao to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, recognize the fundamental truth: Pollution, population, and resource use are the key issues of our time and must not take a back seat, even during this period of economic distress. President Hu made strong statements indicating China's commitment to environmental investment at the 17th National People's Congress in October. China's 11th Five Year Plan and the "Save Energy, Reduce Waste" campaign are key initiatives.
At the G20 Financial Summit last November Secretary-General Ban said, "The emerging 'green economy' should be key to the stimulus plan. Eco-friendly renewable energy will drive the world's next great industrial transformation. It has the potential to create millions of jobs and spur growth. Let us, therefore, invest in fighting climate change."
So this is, in fact, China's battle to lose. With one of the world's largest markets and some of the world's biggest environmental problems, China has a vested interest in making environmental technology successful.


text:
Tressa Glover and Don DiGiulio of the No Name Players in Pittsburgh, PA have created a wonderful model for SWAN Days that give voice to the women in their community, encourage artists to create new works, and build strong bonds among the artists.
Each year they tape interviews of women of Pennsylvania and then invite women performers, writers, and other artists to create new works based on the women's words. Their SWAN Day events consist of premieres of these new works that reflect the visions and perspectives of women from a wide range of backgrounds.
The story of the singing duo Camelia Road (Addi Twig and Lauren Zurchin) is a perfect example of the kinds of career-building and networking for artists that SWAN events can foster. Camelia Road wrote a song for SWAN Day Pittsburgh 2012 called "Keep Going." Since it was a big hit with the audience, the song is being adopted as the SWAN Day Pittsburgh theme song. This year a choral version has been created which will be sung by students from the Act One Theatre School.
Also, after performing in SWAN events together, Camelia Road and the solo singer Emay (Erika May) decided to write a song together for SWAN Day 2013. SWAN events often provide the stimulus for new artistic collaborations like this.
SWAN Day Pittsburgh is also reaching out to girls this year. They included girls as young as age nine in their interviews for the main show, and they have created a special SWAN Day Pittsburgh Junior matinee that will feature theatre, music, dance and poetry by and about girls, including a new play that re-writes an old story, "The Ugly Duckling – A Quest for Beauty" created by the five Urban Impact Cygnets.
Date: Saturday, March 23, 2013
SWAN Day: 8 p.m. SWAN Day Junior:1 p.m
Venue: New Hazlett Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
More Info/Tickets: No Name Players Website


text:
Copyright Notice This newsletter is published as nonprofit, educational work, Copyright (c) 2008 by American Society for Quality. Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or academic classroom use is granted without fee, provided that copies are not made or distributed for financial profit or commercial advantage and those copies bear this notation and full citation. Copyright for components of this work owned by others than ASQ must be honored. Abstracting in part with due credit citation is permitted. To copy this work otherwise, to republish, to post on servers, or redistribute to lists or list servers, requires prior specific permission.
- Chair messages
- Agreement for Free Webinars
- Plan to attend 4WCSQ
- Evolving Software Quality Through 2015
- Aerospace Corner
- Automated Software Testing
- Standards Chair Report
- Medical Device Standards
- IEEE-Std-829
- Regional News
Message from the Chair – W. L. 'Bill' Trest, ASQ CSQE
It is with humility, gratitude and excitement that I
begin service as Chair of the ASQ Software Division.
I wish to thank David Walker for past and continued
service. During his term as chair, the software
division grew significantly in both numbers of members as
well as in member value. David's leadership also
included a marked increase in the division budget, which
continues today from a series of inspired technical
conferences and annual events, with constant focus upon
member value.
As a Systems/ Software Quality practitioner with many years experience, I have seen many profoundly new changes and lessons in software products, processes and technology that I hope to share as the incoming chair.
By way of introduction, this I believe:
- A higher level of software development process performance provides a higher level of quality products.
- Software management and professionals constitute different cultures; neither is "right" or "better" and both are necessary to the organization.
- Organizations can improve both morale and teamwork by understanding that professionals wish to be judged in terms of achievement, rather than evaluated in the same manner as managers, administrative staff or factory workers.
- Key to achieving systems and software quality success is asserting professional knowledge, skills and attitude, as well as applying such attributes as one team.
Above all, I plan to be as approachable and accessible
to ASQ SD members as necessary. I'm generally
an easy person in to find in Texas, but if you want to
contact me I can be reached at this e-mail: email@example.com.
Don't become a stranger!
Regards: Bill Trest, Chair
Farewell Message from the Immediate Past Chair – David Walker
It is with great confidence that I pass the baton to
Bill Trest to lead the Software Division into 2009-10. Bill
has a wealth of experience in the software industry, has
applied software quality principles through the evolvement
of technology, has a collaborative leadership style, and
has a very strong commitment to software quality and
Over the last two years, I have focused on recruiting new volunteers, providing a focus on annual objectives, achieving operating discipline with respect to ASQ division management practices, and advancing membership value. I do hope that members are experiencing the effects of this work.
It has been thrilling to watch knowledge being transferred through webinars, conferences, courses, journals, newsletters, and discussion boards. It is my vision that the more members get involved and contribute, the more they harvest knowledge.
Please remember that you always have a direct communication link to the Software Division Management Committee through this email firstname.lastname@example.com. I will be assuming the roles of Nominations Chair, Audit Chair, and Regional Councilor Coordinator. So, I will still be very involved in the Software Division's direction.
I wish everyone a great summer!
Software Division Reaches Agreement with CAI for Free Webinars and Big Discounts on Conferences
ASQ Software Division has reached an agreement with Computer Aid Inc's IT Metrics and Productivity Institute to bring two great benefits for members.
- The software best practices webinars. The registration is free, and they are scheduled just about each week. Computer Aid Webinars http://www.itmpi.org/webinars/
- The 2008 Software Best Practices Conferences at a discount rate of $395 (regular $695).
The following discount code is needed for the on-line registration to the Software Best Practices Conferences: "ASQyy8"
Plan to Attend the 4th World Congress for Software Quality (WCSQ)
Are you passionate about building better software? Do you want to be part of a major new effort, partnered with leading experts in software quality, to define how the practice of software quality should evolve to meet ever-increasing demands? If so, plan to attend the 4th World Congress for Software Quality (WCSQ) at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Maryland from 15-18 September 2008. Not only is this exciting event a partnership between the Software Division of the American Society for Quality, the Software Group of the European Organization for Quality, and the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers, it also provides the opportunity to attend VERIFY, a leading conference on testing topics. See www.asq.org/conferences/wcsq for details.
Software Quality Through 2015
Article by Nicole Radziwill, ASQ Software Division Chair- Elect, 2008- 2010
(Nicole Radziwill is the Assistant Director (VP) for
End to End Operations at the National Radio Astronomy
Observatory in Charlottesville, VA, where she oversees
software development at the executive level. She
has an MBA, is a PhD candidate in Technology Management
with a Quality Systems specialization at Indiana State
University, and is co-chair, innovation research group of
the Network Roundtable at the University of
In an excellent article in the June 2008 CrossTalk, The Journal of Defense Software Engineering; Dr. Watts Humphrey discusses the current state of software quality. He points out how common defects are in even the most complex, well-tested system, and through a very thoughtful analysis, concludes that "the current testing-based quality strategy has reached a dead end". Because we "have complex life-critical [software] systems [now]… and will have much larger ones in the relatively near future… we must do something, but what?" This "something" refers to improving the discipline of software quality, which is a task in which the ASQ Software Division is keenly interested as it formulates its strategy for the upcoming years.
It is possible that we can uncover some solutions for ourselves by examining the progress of the quality discipline in manufacturing since its inception. According to Conti, Kondo & Watson (2003), there have been four "learning cycles" of quality improvement observed in U.S. industry over the past two centuries. The first cycle involved transitioning from the craftsman model to the mode of mass production, which occurred during the early part of the 20th century. It was fueled by the availability of reusable parts. The second cycle, from the 1940's through the 1970's, occurred when the emphasis shifted from inspection to prevention, and designing defect-free processes and products became just as important as inspecting problems out. The defining characteristic of the third cycle was recognizing that a definition of "defect" had to factor in a customer's perception of what constituted quality. This is embodied by Juran's definition of quality as "fitness for use" that was popularized in the 1980's. The fourth cycle, which emerged during the 1990's, focused on involving the entire organization in the process and mechanics of quality improvement.
The shift to modular, reusable code that could be obtained from accessible repositories could be considered the software industry's equivalent of the first learning cycle. However, have we, as software professionals, collectively shifted our focus from inspection to prevention? Have we acknowledged the many definitions of defect that might impact how we structure, manage and monitor the software development life cycle? Is software quality yet an organizational imperative? Furthermore, how do we balance the structures and systems required to deliver high-quality software while preserving a culture where innovation can flourish and where our efforts can directly contribute to the competitiveness of our companies?
These unique challenges require that we, as software professionals, expand our personal perspectives on quality and seek out the benefits and insights that our non-software peers in ASQ might provide for us. At the same time, we must raise the profile of software quality throughout ASQ, since software-intensive systems are poised to remain an essential part of our lives and societies, to ensure that an organization-wide participation in software quality can ensue. Finally, we must expand our own awareness and expertise regarding how to improve quality in ways other than inspection. We invite any interested Software Division members to work with us to devise and execute actionable steps to advance software quality as a discipline over the next few years. Contact Nicole at firstname.lastname@example.com to participate.
Conti, T., Watson, G. H. & Kondo, Y. (2003). Quality into the 21st century: perspectives on quality and competitiveness for sustained performance. Milwaukee, WI: Quality Press.
Humphrey, W. (2008). The software quality challenge. CrossTalk: The Journal of
Defense Software Engineering. June 2008.
Article by W. L. "Bill" Trest ASQ CSQE; Chair, ASQ Software Division
The software quality
Software quality seems a simple concept from a software provider/ developer's point of view -- identify requirements, assure the requirements are achieved, and deliver the required products on time to the right customers. In other words, from a provider/ developer's point of view, software quality is conformance to specifications. Never mind that the quality of the software specification itself may not be as complete and correct as necessary for the software quality that the customer really expected or reasonably believed was needed. On the other hand, if the customer's point of view of quality is reasonably correct, then quality is the customer's perceived fitness for use; in other words, whatever satisfies the customer, right? The problem here is that quality rapidly becomes subjective, and even the most well-meaning software folks may also risk losing management control of software quality, cost, and schedule altogether. The opportunity for risk management is also perishable! For as often as well-meaning, reasonably skilled software folks may lose control of development, they may just as well run into an opportunity for quality, cost, and schedule improvements.
Risk opportunity management planning (ROMP) is the act or practice of dealing with risks and opportunities (R/O). It includes planning for R/O, assessing, identifying and analyzing areas of R/O, developing R/O handling options, monitoring to determine how R/Os have changed, and (probably most important) documenting the overall ROMP efforts. The majority of ROMP efforts can be accomplished without special tools since the day-to-day activity of ROMP involves team member meetings. Having a risk manager on an organization chart looks great, but successful ROMP is not a one-person show. Everyone must be active to identify and rank R/Os for their area of responsibility as well as to develop and execute ROMP activity. The best insight into effective R/Os comes from people most directly involved.
Finally, anything worth doing is worth periodic check-ups. There are two things that will make a ROMP really terrible: (1) Management failure to use the ROMP process for Program Management, and (2) Team member failure to participate effectively. The fundamental questions for an independent Systems/Software Quality program to evaluate are as follows: Is the Risk/Opportunity Management Process used to manage the program, or simply done while the program is being "managed"?; and, Do any team members -- for whatever reasons -- "withhold" issues and concerns from ROMP and attempt to resolve matters on their own? In either case, the ROMP failure may be attributed to an inadequate human condition and/or inadequate process deployment.
(W. L. "Bill" Trest is the 2008- 2010 Chair, ASQ Software Division, as well as an ASQ Certified Software Quality Engineer (ASQ CSQE) employed by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, Texas, with 25+ year experience in software. Bill is also a Senior Member of the Greater Fort Worth Section 1416 of the American Society for Quality).
What Exactly Is
Automated Software Testing?
Article by Kenneth White, ASQ CQIA
What do the following three things have in common
— Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and Automated
Software Testing? Answer: Everyone has heard of them,
but no one actually has any proof they exist. At
least there are, reportedly, pictures of the first two and
opinions about the last.
Nearly every company that writes software has, at one time or another, flirted with the idea of automation to test their software. However, many of these projects end in failure because the company jumps into Automated Software Testing head first not knowing what to expect, or worse, expecting the wrong result.
As described during the 2007 International Conference on Software Quality, Automated Software Testing (AST) is using one software program to 'drive' another, either by mimicking human behavior through a User Interface (UI) or by interacting directly with the source code under test via an Application Programming Interface (API). This article focuses upon UI-oriented automation testing tools.
Typical UI-oriented AST tools have two basic pieces: 1)
A way to recognize and interact with the software item
under test, and 2) A language in which to write automated
scripts. The methods of interaction are as varied as
the available tools, but typically the AST will take
control of the computer system and move the mouse or
provide input much like the user or subsystem would.
It finds the 'correct' place to click, type, or
provide (stimulate) by recognizing the object types
(buttons, commands, text boxes, etc.), as well as
interacting with them as necessary. How well the
objects are found and how 'appropriate' the
interactions are will vary from tool to tool.
Regardless, behind the scenes there is normally a set of instructions written in the tool's language. This set of instructions is most commonly referred to as a "script", even though "script" is not technically accurate in some cases. Scripts can be very much like application source code, simply a set of actions in a table, or some hybrid of both.
It is not the purpose of this article or ASQ Software Division to say which AST tools are best, or better than another, but only a few universally 'excellent' tools such as Test Data Generators, File Comparison Tools, and Simulation Tools, appear available. Similar to the UI portion, the usability and flexibility of the automation language will vary with the tool.
(Kenneth White is a Test Automation Architect with Advanced Solutions International, Austin. Texas and a Member of ASQ Section 1414 and ASQ CQIA)
Standards Chair Report
Article by Theresa Hunt, CSQE, CSTE, Chair, ASQ Software Division Standards
This article briefs the current activities of the US Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to JTC1/SC7, summarizing the most recent meeting of the TAG, meeting #58 which was held March 25-27, 2008 in Bethesda, Maryland and addresses other news from the Software Division Standards Committee.
For those who may be unfamiliar with how the JTC1SC7 TAG is organized, or just need a refresher, Sub-Committee Seven (SC7 - Software and Systems Engineering) is part of the Joint Technical Committee One (JTC1 - Information Technology) of the International Organization for Standardization and International Electro-technical Commission (ISO/IEC). The U.S. secretariat for JTC1 is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ANSI is the Unites States' member body of ISO. JTC1/SC7 is currently comprised of the following active Working Groups (WGs):
WG2 – Systems and Software Documentation
WG4 – Tools and CASE Environments
WG6 – Measurement and Metrics
WG7 – Life Cycle Management
WG10 – Process Assessment
WG19 – ODP and Modeling Languages
WG20 – Software Engineering Body of Knowledge
WG21 – Software Asset Management
WG22 – Software and Systems Engineering Consolidated Vocabulary
WG23 – Systems Quality Management
WG24 – Software Lifecycles for Very Small Enterprises
WG25 – Information Technology Services Management
WG26 – Testing
WG42 – Architecture
WG1A – IT Governance
JWG with ISO/TC159/SC4 – Common Industry Format for Usability
The following summarizes the work of the WG Task Groups (TGs) who participated in meeting # 58:
Task Group #2 – Systems & Software Documentation
New Work Item Proposal (NWIP) – Software and Systems Engineering – Requirements for acquirers and suppliers of user documentation (proposed ISO/IEC 26512): TG2 recommended and the TAG voted to accept the NWIP and to support the addition of this new work item into the joint technical committee.
Committee Draft (CD) 26513 Testing and Assessment of User Documentation: TG2 recommended and the TAG voted to approve with comments, mainly to reflect consistency with ISO/IEC 12207:2008 and ISO/IEC 15288:2008.
Other WG2 actions:
- Began Working Draft (WG) revisions to ISO/IEC 15289, content of systems and software life cycle process information products (documentation) – the objectives, process, and schedule were reviewed with TG7. Revisions will reflect consistency with ISO/IEC 12207:2008 and ISO/IEC 15288:2008.
- Project 26514, Systems and software engineering – Requirements for designers and developers of user documentation was re-sent for Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) ballot on 1/20/2008
Task Group # 6 – Measurement and
Final Committee Draft (FCD) 25012.2: Software Engineering: Software product Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE) - Data Quality Model: TG6 recommended ballot
disapproval unless submitted changes are made. Mainly, the document attempts to categorize characteristics into artificial categories (Intrinsic/Extended) in a confusing way that does not add value.
CD 25040.2: Software engineering - Software product Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE) – Evaluation reference model and guide: TG6 recommended ballot approval with changes, mainly a concern that the scope creeps into 25030
Combined WD circulation and CD registration, WD25045, Software Engineering – Software product Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE) – Evaluation Module for Recoverability: TG6 recommended ballot approval with comments; mainly the Technical Report (TR) contains a conformance clause.
Combined WD circulation and Preliminary Draft Technical Report (PDTR) registration, WD25060, Software product Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE) — Common Industry Format (CIF) for Usability — General Framework for Usability-related Information: TG6 recommended ballot approval with comments.
NWIP for the revision of IS 19761: Software Engineering - COSMIC: A functional size measurement method, Specification of Data Value Domain: TG6 approved with comments and recommended that the document be moved to FCD status and remain within the purview of WG6.
Task Group #7 - Life Cycle Management
ISO/IEC 15288, System Live Cycle processes – ed. 2 and ISO/IEC 12207 Software Life Cycle processes – ed. 2 were both published in March 2008. Both works were approved with a 90% ballot approval.
ISO/IEC 24748 TR, Guide for Life Cycle Management is currently going through the PDTR balloting process. TG7 recommended approval with no comments. Revisions will be coordinated with IEEE CS in the same manner as is done with 15288 and 12207.
ISO/IEC 19760 TR, A guide for the application of 15288 and ISO/IEC 15271 TR, A guide for the application of 12207. TG7 discussed the annotated outlines and reached an agreement on content outline and population of sections, primarily only short summary information from 24748 should be included with the focus being on unique information in these guides with pointers back to 24748 for common information and definitions.
ISO/IEC 15026, Systems and Software Assurance. This standard is being broken up into 4 parts. TG7 recommended approval of the proposal for subdivision of the standard, noting that parts 2 & 4 need to be worked in parallel and approved in roughly the same time frame to ensure adequate integration between the parts. The recommendation was approved by the TAG
ISO/IEC 16326, Life cycle processes - Project Management. The latest publication of this standard is a result of its harmonization with IEEE Std 1058. The FCD ballot closed December. 2007 and comments were submitted with a recommendation to approve with comments. The TG7 lead will request an advance copy of proposed comments disposition from the WG7 convener.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 26702, Application and Management of the System Engineering Process. There is a proposal for revision of 26702 to align with 15288. A draft New Work Item Proposal (NWIP) will be submitted at the 2009 plenary meeting.
NWIP – Proposed fast track of INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook V3.1. Analysis shows significant consistency and compatibility issues with 15288:2008. WG7 recommends follow-up with INCOSE to discuss the identified issues and to decline submission of the proposed NWIP and contribution of the document until issues are resolved. The TAG approved the recommendation
Task Group #10 – Process Assessment
Theresa Hunt will be the new TG10 Lead with John Phippen assuming responsibilities for the international meetings.
NWIP N3915 – Benchmarking Framework and NWIP N3910 – IT Process Assessment Capability target profiles were approved by the TAG.
ISO/IEC 15504-8 8 Information technology – Process Assessment – Part 8: An exemplar process assessment model for IT service management. This new project was passed however TG10 and the US TAG maintains its opposition to the ISO development of a process assessment model, maintaining that it should be left to the marketplace.
Following is the current status of the 15504 series:
- ISO/IEC 15504-1:2004 Information technology -- Process assessment -- Part 1: Concepts and vocabulary - Published Standard, Edition 1, Stage 90.60 (close of review)
- ISO/IEC 15504-2:2003 Information technology -- Process assessment -- Part 2: Performing an assessment - Published Standard, Edition 1, Stage 60.60 (IS Published)
- ISO/IEC 15504-2:2003/Cor 1:2004 - Published Standard, Edition 1, Stage 60.60 (IS Published)
- ISO/IEC 15504-3:2004 Information technology -- Process assessment -- Part 3: Guidance on performing an assessment - Published Standard, Edition 1, Stage 90.60 (close of review)
- ISO/IEC 15504-4:2004 Information technology -- Process assessment -- Part 4: Guidance on use for process improvement and process capability determination - Published Standard, Edition 1, Stage 60.60 (IS Published)
- ISO/IEC 15504-5:2006 Information technology -- Process Assessment -- Part 5: An exemplar Process Assessment Model - Published Standard, Edition 1, Stage 60.60 (IS Published)
- ISO/IEC PRF TR 15504-6 Information technology – Process Assessment – Part 6: An exemplar System Life Cycle Process Assessment Model - Under Development - Edition 1, stage 50.60 (close of voting. Proof returned by secretariat)
- ISO/IEC DTR 15504-7 Information technology – Process Assessment – Part 7: Assessment of Organizational Maturity - Under Development - Edition 1, stage 40.99 (Full report circulated: DIS approved for registration as FDIS)
- ISO/IEC NP TR 15504-8 Information technology – Process Assessment – Part 8: An exemplar process assessment model for IT service management - Under Development - Edition 1, stage 10.99 (New project approved). The US TAG maintains its opposition to the ISO development of this process assessment model, maintaining that it should be left to the marketplace.
Task Group #21 – Asset
In brief:
ISO/IEC 19770-1:2006, Information technology – Software asset management – Part 1: Processes. This standard is up for review this year.
ISO/IEC 19770-2 is circulating as a working draft and will move to the final draft stage in May, 2008. IBSMA publications 19770 – 2 draft
- Copyright has been transferred to ISO
- ISO accepted release of draft that was published July, 2007
ISO/IEC 19770-3 has no activity.
TG21 is forming a study group to look at the Assessment Model under the 15504 framework.
Task Group #22 – Software & Systems
ISO/IEC FCD 24765, Systems and software engineering vocabulary. The vote to approve FCD 24765 is in process with balloting due on July 17, 2008. The online vocabulary status is currently 3358 terms, 4169 definitions, 173 terms with definitions, and 103 sources. For this project, IEEE contributed IEEE Std 610.12, SC 7 contributed its vocabulary aggregations, and other sources, e.g. PMI, made contributions. The IEEE Computer Society (CS) has developed and is hosting a database application providing public web access: http://www.computer.org/sevocab. SC 7/WG 22 will maintain the database and will facilitate the consolidation of alternative definitions. Occasional snapshots of the database will be published as ISO/IEC and IEEE 24765.
Task Group 25 – IT Service Management
ISO/IEC 20000-2:2005, Information technology – Service management – Part 2: Code of practice. The US considers the call for comment at this time to be unconventional and requests deferral until completion of comment resolution and readiness for publication of part 1 (Specification).
ISO/IEC CD 20000-3, Information technology -- Service management -- Part 3: Guidance for the scoping and applicability of ISO/IEC 20000-1.TG25 provided comments and recommended ballot disapproval, noting that fundamental problems with parts 1 and 2 should be addressed before additional parts are produced, diverting resources. The recommendation was approved by the TAG.
Proposed ISO/IEC 20000-4, Information technology – Process Reference Model (PRM). The US maintains its opposition to the ISO development of these artifacts (PRMs), maintaining that it should be left to the marketplace.
NWIP for ISO/IEC IT Governance. TG25 recommended approval of this NWIP.
Task Group 26 – Testing
The NP ballot for this new series of standards was approved in May 2007 and IEEE-CS will provide the editor. IEEE has contributed both IEEE 829 and IEEE 1008 and BSI has contributed both BS 7925-1 and BS 7925-2 as base documents for this project. There will be four parts to the new standard which will cover a larger scope than the current standards. Parts 2 and 3 will be developed in parallel and parts 1 and 4 will be developed in parallel.
Task Group 42 – Architecture
ISO/IEC 42010:2007 Systems and software engineering -- Recommended practice for architectural description of software-intensive systems – Working Draft 2. TG42 reviewed and dispositioned comments on WD2 of 42010. Release of a Committee Draft is planned for October 2008. TG42 and TG 7 met to discuss the integration of 42010 and 15288 and to identify/align 15288 processes that produce inputs for 42010 descriptions.
Ad Hoc Task Group
FCD ISO/IEC 18018, Information Technology – Guidance to Configuration Management Tool Capabilities. The TAG voted to approve the FCD ballot with comments, mainly a request to update Annex A to reflect the revised content of 12207:2008 and 15288:2008.
IEEE Liaison
Two of the largest collections of Software and Systems Engineering standards belong to SC7 and IEEE. Some IEEE standards are adopted by SC7 and some SC7 standards are adopted by IEEE. Sometimes, IEEE and SC7 merge their respective standards or perform a coordinated development of a new standard or a revision. IEEE is both a member of the US TAG to SC 7 and a Category A liaison to SC7.
New projects underway in IEEE:
- Adopt ISO/IEC 15289 to replace IEEE 12207.1
- Adopt ISO/IEC 20000-1 and 20000-2 to provide a shared basis for work on IT Services an Management
- Rejected adoption of ISO/IEC 25051, Software engineering -- Software product Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE) -- Requirements for quality of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software product and instructions for testing Comments will be sent to WG6 for their consideration in revising the standard. The balloting group also decided to withdraw the competing IEEE standard.
Upcoming U.S. TAG Meetings
TAG Meeting #59: September 16 – 18, 2008, IDA (Institute of Defense Analysis) Alexandria, VA
TAG Meeting #60: March, 2009, MSI Systems Integrators Portland, OR
International: Interim meeting (dates to be determined) – China, SC7 Plenary meeting, (dates to be determined) India
Other News on Standards
I am pleased to announce that the software division now has representation on the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) Medical Device Software Standards Committee. David Walker will be the point of contact for the standards committee. (See next article) This broadens the standards committee involvement in industry-specific standards work, allowing us to represent the interests of even more of our membership.
Those interested in any of the topics mentioned above, or other standards-related issues, can send email to Theresa Hunt, the Software Division Standards Chair, at firstname.lastname@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.com
ASQ SD Membership
on Medical Device Software Standards
(Article by David Walker, Immediate Past Chair, ASQ Software Division)
In June, 2008, the Software Division established a
liaison with the AAMI (Association for the Advancement of
Medical Instrumentation) Medical Device Software Standards
Committee. I have been granted membership with voting
rights and will be providing a voice for ASQ on this
This is a very important win/win relationship as ASQ has the knowledge and skills in applying safety and quality principles to product development and AAMI has the knowledge and skills in the medical device domain. Software is of special importance as it increasingly controls electronics and mechanical systems in medical devices. International standards are in-work that will drive the future of how software intensive medical devices are developed. In 2005, I served on this committee in the domestic review of the IEC 62304 Medical Device Software Lifecycle. I am excited to play a key role in this and will be providing reports in future newsletters to keep you all informed of new developments.
First up is a new IEC/TR 80002, Medical device software - Guidance on the application of ISO 14971 to medical device software, which has recently been issued to AAMI/SW for ballot as a CD. This international standard reinforces some of the principles and philosophies from the AAMI TIR 32 Software Risk Management but aligns better with IEC 62304. I will provide a summary of this new important standard in our next newsletter.
Don't be afraid to log into our discussion boards, too. We have had some good medical device software discussions there: www.asq.org/software/discuss/index.html
New IEEE-Std-829,
Software Quality Assurance Plan
Article by Eva Freund, IEEE CSDP, ASQ CSQE
Edited by Claire Lohr [Lohr Systems], Chair, 829 Working Group
On March 27, 2008 the IEEE Standards Association approved for publication a brand new version of an existing IEEE standard. It is estimated that in July 2008 the community of system and software testers will have available the new IEEE Standard for System and Software Test Documentation. The prior standard was a standard that solely described the format and content of numerous items of test documentation. The new standard removes some items of test documentation and modifies the format and content of the remaining items. In addition the new 829 standard provides the following changes:
New directions
- Introduces the concept that the test effort has tasks to accomplish during the entire development life cycle, not merely during the test activity.
- Moves from a document focus to a process focus. This is in keeping with the IEEE Standards Association direction.
New test related documentation
- Adds a Master Test Plan. This standard governs the management of a large and/or complex test effort.
- Adds a Master Test Report. May summarize the results of the tasks identified in the Master Test Plan. May be used to consolidate results for multiple Level Test Reports.
- Adds a Level Interim Test Status Report. This is used during the test execution activity.
- Moves away from stand-alone documents. This standard recognizes that some projects may desire to have some stand-alone and some combined documents and allows for any combination of plan, design, test cases, and test procedures within test levels.
- Adds a process for choosing appropriate documentation and contents.
- Moves away from requiring identical documentation. This standard provides for documentation based on the integrity level of the project. Identifies minimum recommended tasks for the identified integrity level.
New processes
- Introduces the concept of integrity levels. Provides a mechanism by which projects can identify their integrity level. The higher the integrity level the more test tasks that are recommended.
- Introduces the concept of test management. Describes tasks that are exclusive to those who manage a test effort.
The following key concepts are emphasized in this new 829 Standard:
- Integrity Levels. Defines four integrity levels to describe the importance of the software or system aspects to the user. The process of identifying the integrity level is the criticality analysis. Each project or organization identifies the aspect of the system or software that is most important.
- Recommended minimum testing tasks for each integrity level. Defines the recommended minimum testing tasks required for each of the four integrity levels. Includes a table of optional testing tasks for tailoring the test effort to meet project needs and application specific characteristics. A low integrity level project such as an internal bug-tracking program requires fewer test tasks than would a high integrity level project such as one developing software/firmware for medical devices.
- Intensity and rigor applied to testing tasks. Introduces the notion that the integrity and rigor applied to testing tasks vary according to the integrity level. Higher integrity levels require the application of greater intensity and rigor. A high integrity level project such as one developing medical devices may execute a myriad of tests for each unit as well as for integration and system/acceptance tests. These tests will likely go to the depth of each test level looking for every conceivable deficiency. While a low integrity level project may only do acceptance test against the primary functionalities rather than system testing against the requirements.
- Detailed criteria for testing tasks. Defines specific criteria for each testing task including minimum recommended criteria for correctness, consistency, completeness, accuracy, readability, and testability.
- Systems viewpoint. Includes recommended minimum testing tasks to respond to system needs. Recognizes that software does not exist in isolation and that much of current software development may actually be for software intensive systems or for embedded firmware. Thus the entire system needs to be taken into account when identifying the system integrity level and the resultant test tasks.
- Selection of test documentation. Both the types of test documentation and the content topics within each documentation type need to be selected based on the testing tasks associated with the identified integrity level. The prior standard required every project to use the same test documents and to include the same information. The current standard provides for tailoring based on the integrity level. Thus a high integrity level project (e.g., medical devices) will require the full range of test documentation and contents as described in the 829-2008 standard. Conversely a low integrity level project may require only a minimum quantity of test plan information and a full range of test case and test procedure information.
- Compliance with International and IEEE Standards. The standard is mapped to specific content requirements of IEEE/EIA 12207.0-1997 and IEEE/EIA 12207.0-1998. It is similarly mapped to IEEE/EIA 12207.1-1997 and IEEE/EIA 12207.1-1998. In addition, it is in conformance with IEEE Std. 1012-2004 and is applicable for use with ISO 15288.
Submitted by: Eva Freund [The IV&V Group, Inc.], Vice-chair 829 Working Group Edited by Claire Lohr [Lohr Systems], Chair, 829 Working Group
The following links will provide you with a snapshot of the latest activities in the regions.
Region 4 (Canada): Chris Fitzgibbon
This column provides members with information on relevant association meetings, conferences and other events in Canada. Be sure to visit the Software Division website for updated information: http://www.asq.org/software/. If you have information that you would like to share with fellow ASQ Software Division members, or you would like to get involved with the Division, contact me at email@example.com or (613) 563-9000.
The Software Division is a proud partner of the World Congress for Software Quality (WCSQ) that is being held in Bethesda, Maryland (Washington, D.C. area) on September 15 to 18, 2008. This is a major international gathering of software quality professionals that is definitely worth attending. More information is available at: http://www.asq.org/conferences/wcsq/index.html.
Other upcoming conferences include:
Software Quality & Testing within the Agile Development Process by the Association of Software Testing (CAST) in Toronto on July 14-16, 2008 (http://www.cast2008.org)
Agile 2008 Conference in Toronto on August 4 - 8, 2008 (http://agile2008.org)
QUEST Toronto 2008 (formally the Toronto Quality Conference) at the Toronto Hilton September 22-26, 2008 (http://www.qaiquest.org/toronto/)
Western Canada
I recently met with an organizer of the Software Quality Assurance Vancouver User Group (VanQ). The last meeting of the season was held at the end of May. The topic was "Increasing Test Effort Estimation Effectiveness", presented by Trevor Atkins of Silverpath Technologies. April's presenter, Jay Marino of Eclipsys Corporation, discussed advanced tools for application performance testing. Vanq meetings are typically held at the Burnaby campus of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). Watch their website for the fall schedule of events: www.vanq.org.
The Calgary-based IEEE/ASQ Discussion Group for Software Quality resumes meetings in September 2008. Check the website (www.software-quality.ab.ca) for registration, location and upcoming topics.
Eastern Canada
The topic was "Six Short Talks about Software Testing" at the May event of the Toronto Association of Systems and Software Quality (TASSQ). The general meeting was held in June. TASSQ typically has dinner meetings at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel on the last Tuesday of each month. Additional information on upcoming events is available on their website: www.tassq.org.
The Toronto SPIN closed its year with a presentation on "Use Cases and Estimation" on June 19, 2008. The fall line-up will be posted on their website (www.torontospin.com) later this summer.
The Montreal Software Process Improvement Network (SPIN) is currently planning the fall line-up. The website is a good source for French language information on software quality: http://www.spin-montreal.org/.
The Ottawa Software Quality Association (OSQA) and Ottawa SPIN event for May was titled "Can I Have My Requirements and Test Them Too?". Meetings will resume in the fall. Monthly meetings are typically held at the Travelodge Hotel & Convention Centre in Ottawa. Additional information is available on the Ottawa SPIN website: www.spin.org.
The Information Systems Audit and Control Association's (ISACA) Ottawa Valley Chapter had its annual general meeting on June 19, 2008. The Ottawa Valley Chapter celebrates its 30th year in 2008/2009.
Region 8: Greg Zimmerman
Hello from the new guy! I'm the new Regional Councilor for Region 8. If you have any information on local software related events or would like to get the word out to Region 8 members on upcoming conferences and volunteer organizing opportunities, please drop me a note.
The Software Engineering Institute lives in our region,
yet there are very few SPIN groups in the area. If
you are interested in participating in or helping to start
up a SPIN, particularly in the Columbus or Cleveland metro
areas, I'd like to hear from you.
The Central Ohio Quality Assurance Association (COQAA) is offering refresher courses for software certifications from the Quality Assurance Institute (QAI). QAI is a US-based organization specializing in software quality. Visit www.coqaa.org for more info.
Greg Zimmerman – Region 8, ASQ Software Division email@example.com
Region 10: Louise Tamres
The Great Lakes Software Excellence Conference will be held Nov. 4 -5 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Potential speakers can submit their proposals by July 31. Conference information is available at glsec.org.
The Great Lakes SPIN is on summer hiatus. Find out about
their upcoming programs and events at gl-spin.org.
The Southeastern Michigan Software Quality Assurance Association (SEMISQAA) is sponsoring QAI training sessions. QAI is a national organization specializing in software quality. Information available at semisqaa.org.
Ann Arbor Software Quality Professionals (AASQP) has suspended its monthly meetings due to low participation. The mailing list remains active as a source of communication and information. Access is through the Yahoo group tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/aa-sqp.
ASQ chapters in southeastern Michigan provide programs primarily related to manufacturing. Any programs focusing on software and software quality will definitely be highlighted when available.If you have any information for Region 10 members or need referrals for software quality matters, please give me a shout at: firstname.lastname@example.com
Questions or comments?
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Life columns
The consulting firm ilea (Institut for Integral Practice of Life and Work) explains it's philosophy with illustrated models. In general these are blue-tinted schematical drawings build up of bold chalk strokes with fading background surfaces.
The diagram for the life columns (Lebenssäulen) however is deduced from the logotype and constructed as a 3D model. The final art work is in vector graphics in order to allow output in high resolution.
The life columns stand for the single aspects of a person life and reflect the complete canon of the institut's advisory skills.


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Bell Biv DeVoe, also known as BBD, is an American music group that branched off from New Edition. It consists of three members of New Edition: Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe.
Bell, Bivins, and DeVoe formed the group at the suggestion of producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Upon accepting the idea, MCA records wrote down the name Bell Bivins DeVoe, but Bivins suggested they remove the ins from his name and just call the group Bell Biv DeVoe. With help from Public Enemy producers Eric Sadler, Hank and Keith Shocklee, and several others, Bell Biv Devoe released its debut album Poison in 1990, on MCA Records. The album was credited as pioneering the "new jack swing" sound of the early 1990s, combining hip-hop, funk, soul, and pop music. This fusion of styles helped to expose them to a fan base who prefer a harder edge sound. Poison reached number 1 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and its title track, along with its second single, "Do Me!", both reached number 3 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Shortly thereafter, Richard Wolf and Epic Mazur were responsible for the remix of "Do Me!" (which hit Number Six on the dance charts). Poison also spawned the singles "B.B.D. (I Thought It Was Me)?", "When Will I See You Smile Again?" and "She's Dope!" Poison sold over four million copies, and was followed up by a remix album titled WBBD-Bootcity.[5][6] Richard Wolf and Epic Mazur helped create BBD's premiere album, blending rhythm, blues, pop, and rock, and Poison achieve triple Platinum success.
Bell Biv DeVoe went on to release Hootie Mack in 1993 on MCA Records, and the more hardcore rap/R&B influenced BBD in 2001 on Biv 10 Records. Neither album was as successful as Poison; however, Hootie Mack did reach Gold success. Despite the fact that their last album was released in 2001, the members of Bell Biv Devoe continue to perform together as a group. They also participated in several New Edition reunions, and continue to perform with them on tour as part of the group. On May 30, 2013, Bell Biv DeVoe performed their hit song "Poison" for Boston Strong, a benefit concert to raise money for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.In 2016, BBD released their first track in 15 years, "Run", along with an accompanying music video. It was the first single off the album Three Stripes, which was released January 27, 2017.
In 1991, the group received the award for Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album of the Year, Group, Band or Duo for Poison at the Soul Train Music Awards.
The group also received an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group in 1992.


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Fence fitness: get in shape for autumn
It's getting gusty out there. Storms have caused havoc across the country and it's a reminder to batten down the hatches in the garden ahead of the autumn gales.
Panels, posts, ponds
Check then check again. Wobbly panels and rotting posts won't stand high winds and storms – replace now for peace of mind when the weather gets really rough.
Net & forget
Autumn means a carpet of leaves and you don't want them to all end up in the pond. So, net and forget.
Shed stuff
Sort the shed and show it some TLC. You're less likely to have mice move in when the cold snap bites and there's no place to hide.
Autumn is a good time to take stock in the garden and consider the highs and lows of the past few months.
Then you can plan for next year…


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We are excited to be able to leak some of the speakers who will be at speaking and offering workshops at this years Open Hardware Summit.
In addition, the concept of this years Summit is "From Open Making to Open Manufacturing"
What does that mean? Our focus and goal is to broaden and challenge the definition of what open means. Now more than ever before, we are shifting from a one to one, to a one to many structure. It is about changing not just our hardware but our houses, our cars- how we live!
This year, we are looking to artist, architects, cooks, hackers to lawyers, doctors and farmers. . We want to know how you are changing the way we live.
If you are interested in speaking and/or hosting a workshop or co-creative session at this years Summit in Rome, the call closes on May 25th.!


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Registration fee
(including dinner & excursion)
Please note that the student rate applies to any student who has not yet received a PhD and is currently in receipt of a grant rather than a salary. Any researcher who receives a salary and who already has a PhD must pay the regular rate. Students should submit a letter from their supervisor confirming this.
Cancellation policy
Registration fees will be refunded upon receipt of a written notice of cancellation, as follows:
Cancellations received after August 1st, 2016 will be subject to the full fee. For non-attendance there will be no refunds and the full fee will be payable.
Cancellations received before and on August 1st, 2016 will be entitled to a 50% refund. Cancellations due to visa restrictions received before and on August 1st, 2016 will be entitled to a full refund on providing full written proof of visa refusal.
IME-12 will not be liable for any consequential loss of travel or accommodation fees due to cancellations.
IME-12Registration website for IME-12
Ms H.D. van Rooijen firstname.lastname@example.com
Ms H.D. van Rooijen firstname.lastname@example.com
Science Centre DelftScience Centre DelftMijnbouwstraat 120 2628 RX Delft Netherlands


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A disclaimer is an estate planning tool that allows you to redistribute transfers of property free from transfer taxes. A disclaimer is your refusal to accept a gift, bequest, or other form of property transfer. Once disclaimed, the property is then distributed to the next recipient. As a disclaimant, you are not regarded as having received the property, or having transferred the property. As a result, no gift, estate, or generation-skipping transfer tax is imposed on your disclaimer of the property.
After you receive the gift or bequest, you generally have up to nine months to decide whether to disclaim the property. During that period, you may not accept any of the benefits of the property if you ultimately decide to disclaim it. When you disclaim the property, you may not direct who is to receive it. The property passes as if you never held an interest in it. For example, you disclaim property left to you by your spouse, and it then passes to your children under the terms of your spouse's will.
The disclaimer must generally be in writing, be signed, and specifically identify the interest in the property being disclaimed. Depending on the type or the ownership of the property, Iowa State law may impose other requirements, such as that the disclaimer may need to be acknowledged, witnessed, or recorded. More specifics can be found in Chapter 633 E of the Iowa Code.
Some reasons to disclaim property:
- You already have enough property.
- You can shift income-producing property to someone in a lower income tax bracket. (However, unearned income of a child subject to the kiddie tax may be taxed at your income tax rate. The kiddie tax rules apply to 1) those under age 18; 2) those age 18 whose earned income doesn't exceed one-half of their support; and 3) those ages 19 to 23 who are full-time students and whose earned income doesn't exceed one-half of their support).
- Disclaiming the property, or an interest in the property, may enable the property to qualify for a marital or charitable deduction.
- Disclaimers can be used to make changes to an estate plan at a later time.
Consult an estate planning attorney in order to fully understand the pros and cons of using the disclaimer of property strategy.


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One of the most commonly taught and well-known massage techniques, Swedish massage is a repetitive sequential routine designed to re-energize the body by stimulating circulation. Five basic strokes, are used to manipulate the soft tissues of the body. The disrobed client is covered with towels, with only the area being worked on being exposed. Therapists use a combination of effleurage (long strokes), petrissage (kneading, rolling and lifting), fricton (small circular movements), tapotment (percussive tapping) and vibration (rocking, shaking and tremling movements) with the application of oil, to reduce friction on the skin. The many benefits of Swedish massage may include generalized relaxation, dissolution of scar tissue adhesions, and improved circulation, which may speed healing and reduce swelling from injury.
30 minute Swedish Head, Neck, Shoulder and Back Massage ~ £30
60 minute Full Body Holistic Swedish Massage ~ £45
This style of massage can be applied as a free flow or standardised routine. The techniques administered affect the sub-layer of musculature and fascia. These techniques require advanced training and a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology. Knuckles and elbows will be used during the treatment to reduce inflammation in the deeper muscles as well as the superficial ones. The muscles must be relaxed in order to effectively perform deep-tissue massage, and therefore the deeper pressures will not be applied until later on in the routine otherwise tight surface muscle will prevent the therapist from reaching the deeper musculature succesfully. Deep tissue massage helps to reduce chronic muscular pain and rehabilitate after injury, it also reduces inflammation-related pain caused by trapped nerves and compressed muscle tissue.
30 minute Free Flow Deep Tissue Massage ~ £30
60 minute Free Flow Deep Tissue Massage ~ £45
These aromatic massages are designed to rebalance your soul.
Aromatherapy diffusers are utilized to fill the massage room with the scent of the relaxing lavender essentail oil and a blended carrier oil will be used during the massage.
Each treatment is tailored to suit your needs and a combination of sequential relaxation techniques will be used to leave you feeling relaxed, refreshed and renewed.
60 Minute Full Body Calm & De-Stress Therapeutic Aromatic Massage ~ £50


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On Wednesday 24 October three clinical teams, a community partnership and two volunteers will go head to head with other local organisations and individuals, across 6 categories.
- Healthy Lifestyle Award, Community Navigators Bristol
- Volunteer of the Year, Amanda Simpson
- Volunteer of the Year, Tony Wilson (a joint award between Bristol Older People's forum, 1625 Independent People and Community Navigators Bristol
- Volunteer & Community Sector Team of the Year, Community Navigators Bristol
- Healthcare Team of the Year, Amelia Nutt Community Nurses
- Best Innovation Award, Wound Care Service In-Reach Model
- Research Impact Award, Bladder and Bowel Service.
A full list of finalists can be found here. The official event will take place at Bristol Harbour Hotel and hosted by Dr Phil Hammond.
About Bristol & Bath Health and Care Awards.
Since 2016, the Trinity Mirror has been on a mission to shine a light on our unsung heroes, recognising their great work and giving them a big thank you on behalf of our cities.
From GPs, pharmacists, nurses, junior doctors, and consultants on the front lines of health care, to volunteers, porters and community organisations supporting people day-to-day, to researchers and scientists whose work leads to real improvements, these awards aim to include everyone who helps make a difference to the health of people in Bristol and Bath.


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|Wed Apr 21, 1993 SCUBA.MOM [Lynn]
Hi gang, we just arrived at Peter Island and the weather here is gorgeous!
Nice gentle breezes, bright sunny skies with a few poofy clouds here and
there, calm seas, and water temp. at 81 degrees. We were greeted
with a big, friendly pelican on the dock right after we arrived.
As usual on our first dive, a hose blew (always on the regulator that was "just in for the annual checkup") - we'd just started descending when good buddy Kenny noticed a leak in my primary regulator hose... back up we went - Randy grabbed another reg. slapped it on, and back down we went, only to find that the hose on the gauges was bubbling! I was at 2400 pounds before we ever started! :-) No problem, I spent the dive practicing slow, relaxed breathing so Kenny would get low on air before I did (thus avoiding the "WHAT? you are already at 500#!? underwater WOWIE scowl :-)
The loaner regulator for the dive was fine, but what a shock to look down and not see my dear little Solution dive computer... and having to read strange gauges. Fortunately, we brought a spare regulator along which is quickly becoming a source of spare parts, so hopefully, things will get back to "normal" for tomorrow's dives.
Apr 22, 1993 SCUBA.MOM [Lynn]
So far, the seas are much calmer than during our November visit, so
we are trying some of the open water dive sites. Our first dive was CARROT
SHOAL, a ridge rising from 65 feet of water to 10 feet of the surface...
and full of ledges, cracks, crevises, and overhangs full of fish and reef
critters. We had very little current which allowed us to do plenty poking
around for reclusive dwellers. As with many dives in the BVI, the shallow
ridge tops allow interesting "safety stops" where far more than 3 short
minutes can be spent exploring. This site is located on the south side
of Peter Island.
Hi gang, Kenny and I are back in the BVI at Peter Island for a few days then we move to Drakes Anchorage at Virgin Gorda for the weekend while P.I. hosts a wedding party that has booked the whole resort. We'll return here Tuesday and stay until Saturday when a 100 "scuba docs" take over P.I. for a week long conference. Dive BVI has asked two other dive operations to come over and help them with this unusually large (for the BVI) group. Our dives this week are being spent with Derrylyn, manager of P.I. Dive BVI, and some of the Instructors from the Virgin Gorda branch who are scouting and planning dive sites for the big event.
Yesterday, the weather and seas were nice enough for us to do SHARK
POINT and BROWN PANTS, two sites located near open waters that are full
of large pelagic fish along with lots of reef fish hiding in the canyons,
caverns, and tunnels. Great day of diving! Derrylyn told us about the "big
fish" she saw not long ago. Said it was like a sudden underwater eclipse
and when she looked up, a 15' hammerhead was hovering overhead. I can see
how Brown Pants got its name!
I had planned to send this report yesterday, but just as I was dialing GEnie, our modem fizzled and died (Murphy must be vacationing in the BVI)! I ran up to the office and found Eric, Peter Island comptroller and resident computer whiz, who graciously offered to let me plug into his modem! Since we are returning next week, Manager Jamie Holmes suggested that we borrow his personal modem for the rest of our vacation. Amazing how well the "no problem" rule applies at Peter Island!
Since Drakes only has one phone and power by generator, I'll be out of touch until next week - hopefully, with some good Virgin Gorda diving reports. (If the wonderful weather holds and Murphy goes away! :-)
Nov 10, 1993 SCUBA.MOM [Lynn]
We spent three days diving with Dive BVI Leverick Bay and hit a few
new sites plus some old favorites. Last weeks weather was perfect with
calm winds and seas - this week brought gusty winds and choppy waters.
Our all time favorite site is Alice's Wonderland off GINGER ISLAND; for
a little variation, we caught the east mooring and dived Alice's Steps
which is slightly deeper at 90' and has the same gorgeous mushroom coral
and swarms of reef fish. We then moved to the calmer north side of Ginger
to do Alice's Back Door - a wonderful 40-50' dive which had more fish than
we've ever seen at any BVI site! If I had to choose only one area to dive,
it would have to be Ginger Island.
The next day, we went to GREAT DOG and anchored on the East side of the plane wreck - where the coral gardens are gorgeous. Little is left of the airplane and frankly, I thought it "junked up" the area, but perhaps mother nature will slowly cover it up with coral and sponge! We also went to AQUARIUM near The Baths - huge boulders and rocks teaming with lots of marine life... an interesting shallow dive.
We had planned to take two ferries to transfer back to Peter Island,
but luckily, Dive BVI was headed that way, so we hitched a ride with Jim
and Kimo. On the way, we moored just north of Peter Island and dived the
RHONE'S ANCHOR (a long way from the wreck, considering that the ship broke
loose and tried to make a disasterous run for open waters). Kenny had dived
this with Randy last year, so armed with Jim's compass and Kenny's vague
knowledge of the site, we managed to find part of the 300' long chain which
is partially buried in sand between sections which snake over coral mounds.
The chain links are 12" long and almost completely covered in corals. The
chain and anchor are at 65' and are surrounded by huge clumps of black
coral. This site is usually murky for some reason, but we managed
to find some nice coral and a few fish too.
Tomorrow, we will continue to scout dive sites with another batch of the Virgin Gorda Dive BVI instructors who are helping plan the invasion of the 90 "scuba docs" who have booked the entire Peter Island resort. Dive BVI plans to have 6 boats and 16 instructor/dive leaders for the mob. I wish I could stay and see how it all goes!
Nov 11, 1993 SCUBA.MOM [Lynn]
Kenny and Randy said I passed the "no wimp diving" course today... really heavy seas and naturally, that didn't stop the Dive BVI instructors from wanting to scout the open water sites! Amazingly enough, my bonine worked (laying down and taking naps between dive sites seemed to help too :-)
BLONDE ROCK has a nice u-shaped tunnel full of little fishes, a big
cavern, and lots of ledges and overhangs. Found several eels, some big
angelfish and a black tipped shark. We then headed for CARROT SHOAL named
for the abundance of fire coral covering the top of the 200' ridge. It
has a large, low archway and some nice deep cracks and crevices which held
more eels, lobster, and lots of tropical fish. Some barracuda showed up
along with clouds of horse-eyed jacks and a group of spade fish, providing
some excellent video footage.
I also created a new WOWIE specialty - the beached whale exit. I bunged my knee somewhere along the line, so to reach the water level dive platform, I beach myself on it and then roll over, stick my feet up and let Kenny and Randy remove my fins! Is this personal attention or what? Don't ask how I get back in the boat with a stiff leg - it's too complicated to describe!
Nov 13, 1993 SCUBA.MOM [Lynn]
Today, some of the Dive BVI instructors from Virgin Gorda came over to scout sites with Randy and Derrylyn - Mark who runs the Little Dix operation and Kimo from Leverick Bay. Only Kenny and I signed up for the morning 2 tank run, and we all laughed that the "student to instructor" ratio of 2 to 4 was quite unusual! For us, it was underwater heaven - the four instructors, all quite adept at hunting things for us to film, found a tiny baby spotted drum, two juvenile spotted drum, turtles, spotted eels, and several rays; Derrylyn discovered a school of high hats, and Kimo found an 8' nurse shark and huge 4' long green moray eel. They also turned into underwater cowboys and rounded up several schools of tarpon and barracuda to herd in front of the camera. We have some incredible video footage!
The photo below shows divemaster Michelle, instructor Randy, ScubaMom,
and instructor/manager Derrylyn. (Note - 1997 update: Randy is now manager
of the Dive BVI Peter Island operation; Derrylyn has become general manager
of Dive BVI in Virgin Gorda, and Michelle is at Biras Creek in nearby Virgin
I am beginning to think that the last day of diving on our BVI trips has some kind of "magic" to it - we ALWAYS seem to have the high point of the vacation then!
We've been trying to go to SANTA MONICA ROCK for two years, an open
water, hard to find site several miles SE of Norman Island that usually
has one of the best chances to see large pelagic fish. The day was fairly
calm and we had Kimo from the Dive BVI Virgin Gorda operation along to
scout sites around Peter Island, a real plus since he is as good as Randy
for finding all kinds of critters and interesting underwater things. [I've
bestowed the WOWIE Critter Finder Patchs on both of them].
Santa Monica is a huge offshore pinnacle that rises from 70'-80' to
within 15' of the surface. It is full of ledges, overhangs, caverns, and
a gorgeous canyon. The marine life was excellent; Kenny was madly filming
with the video camera. Just as we were headed back for our 3 minute hang,
Kimo stopped at a large crevise and started waving his hands and dive light.
We all finned over to see what he had found (this time! :-) YIPES! it was
the Loche Ness monster of the BVI! A giant Moray eel over 5' long and 5"
in diameter (not counting the dorsal fin!) Here we'd been seeing all kinds
of nice cute eels all week and I had NO IDEA they came in this super size...
WOWIE ... now THAT'S a moray!


text: 6 Ways to Get Lower Utility Bills this Winter Posted November 10, 2014 The winter season brings a bunch of exciting activities and events, but it can also do a number on your pocketbook. From holiday lights to staying warm during harsh weather, many Lake Forest families have high energy bills. Luckily, there are easy ways to cut back your expenses and achieve lower utility bills. Our team at 1st Choice Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. in Lake Forest created a list of ways you can save. Try them out and enjoy lower utility bills this winter season. 1. Adjust your thermostat. Change your thermostat to lower heating output when you're asleep or not home. Three to five percent more energy is consumed when your furnace is set above 68 degrees, so try keeping your home at 68 degrees when you're at home and awake, and reduce the temperature to 55-65 degrees at times when you're away at work, out of town or sleeping to achieve lower utility bills. 2. Make sure you only wash when you have full loads. Put off doing laundry until you can run full loads. This will help you save on water heating, water usage and on heat required for the dryer. You don't want to do more laundry than you have to anyway, right? And, remember: cleaning the lint trap after every load can save you up to $34 a year, according to PG&E. 3. Conduct a home energy audit. A home energy audit can help you find the places where your home is losing energy through leaks, drafts, or products and appliances that use excess energy. The assessment can show you how to save as much as possible, including long- and short-term energy-saving solutions. 4. Properly seal your leaks. From your heating and cooling ducts to attics, walls and windows, there are many areas in your home that may be letting in unwanted cold air. Simply cover windows with plastic, and add caulk or weatherstripping to seal leaks on doors and windows. Contact 1st Choice Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. to find out more about sealing your air ducts. 5. Use LED holiday lights. One easy way to achieve lower utility bills is to switch out your older, less efficient holiday lights for LED lights. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, these lights use less energy than incandescent bulbs and can last up to 40 holiday seasons in Lake Forest. 6. Install a high-efficiency furnace. If you need to replace your furnace, consider an energy efficient furnace. Some systems can save significant amounts of money every year on annual heating bills compared to older furnaces. Or, if it's not quite time for a replacement, remember to schedule a maintenance visit for your current equipment. An easy tune-up can help you achieve lower utility bills by making it easier for the system to operate. For more information on how you can lower your utility bills this winter, give 1st Choice Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. in Lake Forest a call at 949-204-0859. Back To Blog


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Mark your Calendars…
Incoming 9th grade Information Night
Monday, February 13 (DATE CHANGE)
At Henry Sibley High School
You will have the opportunity to meet teachers from across the departments. Each teacher will share important departmental overviews and course information. They will be available to answer any questions that you may have. Our counselors will also meet with you to discuss important aspects of the high school registration process. In addition, you will be able to take a student-led school tour and learn more about extra-curricular activities for your incoming freshman. The event is designed for parents.
Agenda for the evening:
6:00-6:45 p.m.
Course and Departmental Overviews (Auditorium)
6:45-7:15 p.m. Meet with Teachers and Building Tours (Cafeteria)
7:20-8:00 p.m.
Meet with Guidance Counselors Rooms: B103 (A-C), A241 (D-G), A341 (H-Ma), B 211 (Mc-Rok) and Warrior Hall (Rol-Z)
School Tours for Parents
Parents, if you are interested in seeing the school in action, please call our Guidance Office at 651-403-7208 to schedule a time for your school tour. We would love to share the excitement with you. Tours for eighth-grade students from Friendly Hills and Heritage will be conducted in the spring.
Shadow a Student Experience for Non-public Students
If your child is interested in visiting the school and attending classes with one of our student guides for a half or full day, please contact our Guidance Office at 651-403-7208 to arrange this experience.
1897 Delaware Avenue
Mendota Heights MN 55118
Information for: Parents | Students | Staff | New Families
Phone: 651-403-7100
Attendance: 651-403-7107
Fax: 651-403-7110
Principal: Ron Monson
School Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 3:04 p.m.
District 197 Web Master: firstname.lastname@example.com


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7 National Pet Day Tips for Adopting a New Pet
It's National Pet Day! At Darwin's, we're celebrating by sharing some of our own Darwin's pets and giving you some helpful tips on how to prep your forever home for a new dog or cat. Prepare your space. Before bringing…more


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Country music superstar Dolly Parton loves kids. She's spent a lot of time caring for them and has given unsparingly from her talents and wealth to make life better for them. Even so, the singer has no offspring of her own. And in a 2017 interview with Matt Lauer for TV network ABC's Today show, she shared her feelings about not having children.
Parton herself came from a big family, and that has, she says, given her insight into kids. She told entertainment website HuffPost, "I'm the perfect grandma, I'm the perfect aunt, I'm the perfect babysitter, because I don't have children. So I bring them over to visit me by choice. They don't get dumped on me."