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We can supply a wide variety of cable for many different applications. Some of the types of cable we offer include ultra-flexible miniature, instrumentation, flat ribbon cable, shielded and unshielded, co-axial and twin axial, and retractile cords. We maintain a large stock of items so we can provide prompt shipping. We can also offer special constructions to meet requirements such as number of conductors, large put ups, additional color codes and more. Our cables can offer features including resistance to acids, alkalis, flame, high temperatures, and cut-through. Daburn Electronics & Cable is ISO 9001:2008 and AS9100 certified.
Here are some of the benefits of our various styles of cable.
- Our ultra-flexible miniature and subminiature cable is well suited to applications with low voltage and high flexibility requirements. We also have micro-miniature twisted cables that are rated for temperatures up to 250 C and voltage up to 300V.
- Our flat ribbon cable is available in many varieties. We have FEP ribbon cable that offers a number of benefits when compared to PVC insulated cable, such as reduced crosstalk, hi-fidelity, dense signal transmission and a low coefficient of friction.
- Our shielded cable is available with a spiral tinned copper shield that provides virtually 100 per cent coverage and makes pigtailing and grounding easy. Other options for shielding include braided tinned copper, aluminum polyester foil laminate, and more. These cables are available jacketed in abrasion resistant vinyl.
Visit our website to see detailed technical information, certifications, cross reference guides and more.
Cable expertise
We have over 50 years' experience supplying a broad range of cable, wire, and associated hardware. No matter the application, we have the experience and the product offering to meet your needs. Our inventory includes over 20,000 standard items including hookup wire, high-voltage wire, shrinkable and non-shrinkable tubing, fastening devices, and porcelain insulators.
Cable industries and applications
Our cable is used in industrial, commercial, and defense sectors. We offer cable for a range of applications including power, communication, control, and data. Our miniature cables can be used in computers, servers, recorders, missiles and biomedical instruments. We have a range of cables ideal for electronic equipment, remote control, and sensitive recording instruments.


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The other week I knew I was off to deliver a birthday present to one of my favourite small people who was going to turn seven that weekend. I decided at some point that I'd manage to get chance to bake something to go with her present, and as she's told me countless times that her favourite animals are monkeys, monkey cupcakes seemed as good a choice as any.
I'd seen a picture online, which is how most of my baking ideas come about, so armed with a tube of chocolate sprinkles and a couple of bags of chocolate buttons, I set about turning some regular chocolate cupcakes (I always use the same base recipe for sponge cake / cupcakes. I start by weighing 3 eggs, use that weight for flour, butter and sugar and add a splash of milk, baking powder and either a tsp of vanilla essence or in this case, a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder.)
Once the cakes were cool, I iced them with some chocolate butter icing, adding a chocolate button for the mouth and two halves for the ears to each cake, then dipped each one in sprinkles. The whites of the eyes were made with blobs of regular icing, and I then used one of those icing pens in black to add detail to the eyes and the nostrils / mouths.
Although I wasn't quite convinced that they were obviously monkeys, their recipient seemed to instantly know what they were, which was all that really mattered.

subset: commoncrawl


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Residential radon mitigation is a procedure that is conducted in many residential and commercial areas in Hartford Vermont. Radon testing should be performed by a professional testing company to determine your indoor radon levels in the air that enters your house. A radon test is quite necessary so, that you can address any air quality issues and ensure that the right actions are taken to secure the health of you and your families health by reducing toxic radon levels in your home in Hartford Vermont. It may even be necessary to install radon detectors in your house so that the levels can be observed and maintained at the lowest levels possible over time. Any amount of radon gas is toxic and will affect the health of you and your loved ones.
All residential homes in Hartford Vermont, have some level of radon inside the home and radon gas levels fluctuate over time due to circumstances outside of your control such as weather, seasons, the amount of uranium in ground around your surroundings, as well as the rate of decay in which that uranium breaks down and radon is released into your air. If, your home or residence in Hartford Vermont, is tested at unsafe radon levels then it will be imperative to have a radon mitigation professional asses your home and ultimately address radon reduction methods to ensure everything is under control and the optimal air quality conditions are maintained. There is a certain level of concentration that is suitable for breathing established by the EPA EPA Radon Safe Levelsand the World Health Organization World Health Organization Safe Level. Efforts must be taken to ensure the conditions are established.
Radon reduction through radon mitigation is the best measure taken to ensure the conditions in your home are addressed, and your indoor radon levels are reduced to an acceptable level. Radon systems in Hartford Vermont can be installed by a radon mitigation professional to ensure your indoor levels are achieved. Residential radon mitigation protects you and your family from suffering adverse affects due to over exposure of dangerous levels of radon gas in Hartford Vermont.
Breathing air in Hartford Vermont, everyday is so, regular to our everyday lives that sometimes we can take it for granted. Other times we can completely forget to check the quality of our air just as we would water, food, car, house etc. Air quality in Hartford Vermont is just as important of these if, not the most important. Radon is usually the number one culprit of unhealthy air inhalation. This is why radon mitigation was developed and should be considered by every head of a household or in a commercial setting.
High radon levels in Hartford Vermont can cause a variety of significant health problems due to over exposure of radon gas. To begin with radon inhalation is not healthy by any means and it has been proved to cause lung cancer. Persistent coughing and trouble breathing are common symptoms of radon over exposure over time. For a commercial setting, high radon gas environment may mean that you, your employees, and your clientele are at risk to dangerous levels of radon gas. Make sure your home and business in Hartford Vermont are safe today with a recommended radon test.
A high quality radon test should be done in Hartford Vermont, for your commercial setting as soon as possible to assure you don't need to address any radon issues. Commercial radon mitigation will provide a good healthy environment for you and your employees. Not only is it healthy to test for radon it's financially wise if you ever want to ensure your business health and longevity. Many people who never we're informed about the consequences of high radon levels and the health affects quickly change their approach on the matter. Radon testing in Hartford Vermont is not just important for you and your family but also your workers, yourself, and your business.
Hartford Vermont real estate radon mitigation should be of concern to real estate developers and real estate professionals in all areas nationwide. Real Estate radon mitigation can be achieved through proper ventilation plans of buildings to reduce concentration of radon in the air and to ultimately address any indoor radon levels. Most real estate developers are urged by key industry players, from the state to home buyers, to incorporate radon mitigation systems in their development plans and in some states may even be mandatory. This includes inspecting for radon levels in areas. Radon can be managed through radon mitigation practices and through radon testing and monitoring in Hartford Vermont.
Radon gas is radioactive gas that emanates from the breakdown of uranium in soil into the natural air of the environment. The gas is common in many buildings around the United States and mostly finds its way up into the air from the ground through holes and cracks in the foundation of a building. The gas has been found to be cancer-causing and poses high risks of lung cancer even though it cannot be smelled, seen or tasted.
Real estate developers and real estate agents in Hartford Vermont are recommended to conduct a radon test as part of real estate radon mitigation in their development areas. This will allow them to seek for radon reduction options and increase radon mitigation efforts. Real estate developers and real estate agents in Hartford Vermont are now learning to keep the radon test results for the purposes of showing them to potential clients who may ask for the test results in the future.
To achieve real estate radon mitigation, developers may face heavy costs on radon testing and radon reduction for their buildings and home sites. The costs fluctuate depending on building size, design, surrounding climate, construction materials, and the general foundation of the building. In the United States and in Hartford Vermont, the average cost of a radon system ranges from about $900 to $1600 depending on the condition of the building as well as market rates. Ultimately the cost for a radon system will be best determined by contacting a radon mitigation professional so, that they can assess your situation and suggest the best cost effective solution for your real estate radon mitigation needs.
Hartford Vermont Waterborne radon occurs naturally and it's colorless, tasteless, odorless and radioactive. It also comes from the decay of uranium in soil and water and it is considered a health risk. It's found everywhere in the world in the air we breathe and usually comes in two ways: water and airborne. It is known as the silent killer and provides an open door for cancer. Radon gas and other various radon levels originate in water wells that are drilled into bedrock that contain uranium and radon gas. These wells can be private or wells that are used in a public systems in Hartford Vermont. Ergo, if you have public water and have a concern about your water supplies, a radon test and future radon testing could insure the concentration in surface waters. A radon test is inexpensive, and knowing about radon levels in your area can ease your mind with a simple radon test in Hartford Vermont.
One important factor about waterborne radon mitigation is that it works and can ensure that you keep yourself and your family safe from radon in water. The collection of radon in water keeps your homes or business buildings from having issues with your water supply, when radon mitigation is implemented. Radon mitigation is crucial since radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer; second only to smoking. That said you can see how valuable radon reduction methods in Hartford Vermont are of the utmost importance. So, now you know that radon mitigation can target not only air based but, also water based sources by filtering out the waterborne radon by using carbon granule filtration systems. The ionized radon bonds with carbon and quickly reduces the levels in the water. Note: It's EPA estimated that 1 in 15 homes in the United States have elevated radon levels and in Hartford Vermont waterborne radon issues should be addressed as well.
We also service these areas near and around your area in Hartford Vermont
Hartford Vermont is town in Windsor County neighboring the New Hampshire border between the intersection of interstates 89 and 91. Hartford Vermont has been described as the site of confluence that comes from White River, Connecticut River and Ottauquechee River. All these rivers go through the town. Hartford Vermont is also composed of several villages namely Hartford, West Hartford, White River Junction, Quechee and Wilder. According to the 2010 census, the area has a population of 9.952. History dictates that Benning Wentworth, the Governor of New Hampshire back in 1761, chartered the community. Hartford Vermont was named after Hartford Connecticut. The area covers 45.9 square miles with 45.0 square miles being land and 0.89 square miles being covered by water.
Some of the attraction sites in Hartford Vermont include Quechee State Park, President Calvin Coolidge State Historical Site, Quechee/Pine Valley, Cabot Visitors Center, Branbury State Park, Marsh-Billings Rockefeller National Foundation, Jamaica State Park, Gifford Woods State Park, Rock of Ages Visitors Center, Quechee Gorge Village, Hope Cemetery and Sugar bush Farm. Some of the best hotels in Hartford Vermont include Indian Head Resort, Trapp Family Lodge, Hampton Inn White River Junction and Holiday Inn Express & Suite. The Hartford Vermont administration ensures that these hotels have pet and children-friendly policies, a turnaround room service, proper emergency exits, high-end security and first priority for their guests when admitted in hospitals.
Hartford Vermont is hosting the 37 annual Quechee Balloon Festival, Glory Days Festival and "Never Before on Display at the Garipay" at Hartford Historical Society Museum. Hartford Vermont is renowned for different annual events that range from community meals, dances, farmers markets, flea markets or yard sales, health, lectures, meditation, ongoing, outdoors, performances, art, bazaars, fairs, children's events and games. Hartford Vermont features also features two sports arenas including the Wendell A. Barwood Arena and the Hartford Town Municipal Arena.


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Montgomery Birth Injury Lawyers
The birth of a child can be the best occasion celebrated by a family with memories that last a lifetime. Unfortunately, these joyous memories can turn into a parent's worst nightmare if a birth injury occurs. Each year thousands of infants born sustain some form of birth injury.
When a child is seriously injured due to a birth trauma, the impact can be lifelong. A birth injury can result in a lifetime of medical care, severe pain, mental and emotional trauma, and long-term care. A majority of birth injures are preventable, caused by a negligent doctor or medical staff member.
At Floyd Hunter Injury Law, we are here to help you and your family through this difficult time. We currently handle multiple areas of Birth Injury Cases including:
At Floyd Hunter Injury Law, our team of passionate and experienced Montgomery birth injury lawyers will help you get the answers you deserve. If your family has been impacted from a Birth Injury you may be entitled to compensation. Call Floyd Hunter Injury Law at 334-452-4000 to find out how we could help you.
When you call our firm an experienced attorney will go over your case for free. At Floyd Hunter Injury Law, we do not get paid unless you do. Call the leading Montgomery Birth Injury Attorneys today to see how we can help you for a Free Legal Consultation at 334-452-4000, or contact us by filling out the Free Consultation Form below.


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The erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) is a tribal region in the northwest of Pakistan, lying between existing districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the north and east, Balochistan to the south, and the neighbouring country of Afghanistan to the west. The territory is almost exclusively inhabited by various Pashtun tribes. This newly merged region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa comprises of seven districts and six sub divisions. Read more
FATA Development Authority is a specialized development organization established to broach more innovative, fast track and participatory approach and to replace the conventional straight jacket development systems. FATA Development Authority is structured on corporate and commercial lines with a lean bureaucratic setup. Read more
► A huge command area of approx 32331 Acres brought under cultivation
► Huge population given access to clean drinking water
► As a result, locals engaged in various income generating activities
► Resultantly, use of clean drinking water minimized water-borne diseases
► Power generation projects – smooth electricity supply prospects.
► 58121 youth trained in market oriented trades.
► Trainings arranged in reputed Institutes of the country.
► Trained youth are earning handsome incomes for their families
► Youth now engaged in constructive activities
► Credit facility for tribal youth launched
► Rs. 1118 million disbursed to FATA youth as Interest-free loans
► Reputed firm "Akhuwat" engaged for distribution of loans
► 37593 youth availed credit facility
► FATA youth enabled to start small businesses at their doorsteps
►15 blocks have been allotted to various National and Multinational Exploration and Production Companies in erstwhile FATA.
► OGDCL has completed 2D seismic data acquisition in Latamber and Kohat Block
► Al-Hajj Enterprises (Private) Limited has completed 2D Seismic data acquisition in Baska North block and will commence drilling by the end of 2018.
► MOL has completed surface geological mapping & gravity survey in Tal Block (NWA, FR Bannu) and now planning for 2D Seismic Survey.
► BGP (Pakistan) International, contractor of OGDCL has completed 2D Seismic survey in Wali block.Two mega Geological structures were identified in the area, further interpretation/investigation of collected Seismic Data Acquisition is in process.
► 2800 local Tribesmen were attached with these Oil & Gas Companies in their respective areas for on job services.
► More than Rs. 3.5 billion were invested so far by Oil & Gas Companies (Lease Holders) in erstwhile FATA – a historical milestone
►Two new blocks i.e. Wana Block(SWA) and Mir Ali Block(NWA) have been identified for further attraction of Investment and creation of job opportunities for locals in erstwhile FATA.
► MIE (Mohmand Industrial Estate) – tremendous investment and growth opportunities.
► 295 plots of different sizes
► Equipped with state of the art infrastructure – availability of regular power supply
► More than 18000 job opportunities
► Considered as part of projects under the China – Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
► 6400 meters core drilling completed on Shinkai Copper, NWA
► 14 million tons of copper reserves proven.
► Two copper enrichment plants each of 500 tons capacity procured and are being installed at site.
► About 5000 tons soapstone excavated. More than 400 locals engaged during mining.
► In 2017-18, around 20 km shingle roads constructed in minerals bearing areas. Total till date, about 170 km roads completed in FATA.
► Satellite Mine Rescue Centre established in Orakzai and Dara Adam Khel(FR Kohat) were made operational.
► 230 mines workers trained.
► 40 mines worker rescued during rescues operation.
► 15 abandoned mines were rehabilitated and made operational.
► Two new schemes for Metallic Minerals Exploration and Decorative & Dimension Stones in FATA approved. Work in Orakzai & Kurram Agencies has been started.
► 17 Technical training institutes revamped and strengthened
► State of the art machinery provided
► Scholarships awarded to 19000 students.
► 22 students passed out from GIK while 39 students are currently enrolled
► Passed out students found jobs


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Bizarre Family Photos Inspire Murder Mystery Games Writer
Awkward, bizarre, weird family photos help to inspire this murder mystery games writer I recently came across a website that had a series of hilariously awful family photos. You know the kind that make you cringe or shake your head or laugh out loud – or all of the above. We ALL have been in … [Read more…]


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The Digital Empowers campaign, a partnership between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Tata Consultancy Services, aims to raise awareness on digital technologies, foster cross-sector partnerships, and explore the art of the possible.
Blog: Corporate Citizenship Center
When it comes to improving mental health and wellness, employers are uniquely suited to help. Adults spend most of their time working than performing any other activity.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global effort to address some of the most pressing challenges facing the world.
The United States is at a crossroads when it comes to how our society addresses mental health.
Partnerships between public and private entities are helping people in need to maintain their health and wellness.
Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) encourages employees to be active participants in the communities where they live, work, and play. Throughout the organization, employees are empowered to actively volunteer and give back.
How can businesses help create a kinder, healthier world?
From volunteering around the world to supporting a 21st century health wo


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Integra DHC-9.9 Surround Processor Page 2
With the DHC-9.9, Integra takes Audyssey even further and incorporates its latest features: Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume. Dynamic EQ is an interesting concept, as it deals with psychoacoustics. As many home theater enthusiasts will tell you, louder is almost always better. This is mainly because movie soundtracks are rerecorded on a dubbing stage at a set reference level, and the balance within the mix is determined as the mixers listen at that reference. When you go below that level on playback, definition in the surround channels and bass response can appear to go away. This mainly has to do with your sensitivity to these channels in relation to the rest of the elements. Audyssey compensates for this. As you turn down the volume, Dynamic EQ intelligently changes the surround-channel and bass levels. You'll still have that perceived level of balance and rich surround environment without having to throttle the volume control way up. I was pretty impressed by how well this feature worked, and I suspect a lot of people will insist on this feature once they experience it. This could also be the feature that finally allows for the cease-fire that so many have prayed for with their significant other when it comes to the volume of the movie. You can turn the overall level down a bit and still have a great, dynamic presentation. I won't lie, I'm still gonna run my system at levels that would make OSHA shake its head, but at least you have some new options.
Audyssey also rolls Dynamic Volume into this suite of processing. Dynamic Volume incorporates Dynamic EQ, so don't distress if you want to use both. Dynamic Volume uses different algorithms to control the overall output levels of various sources. You know how cable channels just love to change the volume while you're watching a show and the commercials come on? Dynamic Volume deals with that issue, but it doesn't compromise on the balance of elements. This doesn't just apply to TV viewing; there are plenty of movies that seem to change their volume levels dramatically throughout, as well. Dynamic Volume gives you the option of keeping them more in check. I tried it out with my DVD copies of Lord of the Rings, which seem to get unduly louder in the action sequences compared with the more subtle parts of the films. The difference was noticeable, but at the same time, the dynamics didn't seem compromised at all. The effect was far more noticeable with TV, and it was a welcome relief from constantly having to change the volume during the commercial breaks.
In Use
The DHC-9.9 reminded me a lot of the previous DTC-9.8 in terms of everyday performance. Setup is intuitive, and Integra provides a simple-to-use onscreen GUI that lets you assign inputs, customize them, and even create your own labels. You can assign each input source to different video and audio inputs. But I was disappointed that you couldn't assign an HDMI input to more than one source. While this isn't a huge deal, I would have liked the convenience of sharing HDMI inputs across input sources for my universal player. This would give me the ability to set up one source for high-resolution audio playback and another source strictly for the player's video playback.
The setup lets you tweak in all of your audio and video parameters, including the ISF tweaks I mentioned earlier. You can also dial in speaker levels, distances, and crossovers. There's even a full parametric EQ for tweaks. However, I'd recommend that you use this feature with the right measuring equipment.
Another nice touch is default listening modes. For each source, you can select a default playback mode for various input audio signals, including stereo, PCM, and all the Dolby and DTS fla-vors. It includes post-processing modes like THX Cinema, game modes, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS Neo:6, and more. It was great to be able to do this on a per-input basis. I typically don't apply post-processing enhancements to high-resolution sources like Blu-ray, but I find them compelling with lower-resolution sources like TV and DVD.
The included remote control is identical to the one that accompanies the previous model. It offers full universal remote compatibility, including the ability to learn functions from other IR remotes. The remote is on the large side and is fully backlit. This is a godsend since it has more buttons than just about any remote I've seen, and it would be a nightmare to try to navigate them in the dark. The layout is intuitive, but in a room like mine, the breadth of control would be wasted without the backlighting. My only real complaint is its lack of direct access to the different Audyssey modes for on-the-fly changes and comparisons. This would be an invaluable tool for demonstrations and comparisons of the different modes.
The DHC-9.9's audio performance was every bit as good as the previous DTC-9.8, which earned our Top Pick recommendation. The new Audyssey features make this a nice upgrade from the previous model, and I think the Dynamic EQ function will become very popular among movie lovers. The DHC-9.9 didn't give up any performance to processors I've used in the past with movie playback, but it didn't have quite the refinement I've experienced with analog sources. This was also an issue with the DTC-9.8. When I fed the DHC-9.9 a multichannel analog source, it didn't give me the detail and resolution I've heard from other designs, such as Anthem's stunning Statement D2 processor. But to be fair, the Anthem costs more than four times as much.
Wrapping It Up
Like the DTC-9.8 before it, the DHC-9.9 gives you unbelievable audio and video performance at a price point you don't normally see with higher-end processors. Its video processing is second to none. And with full support of every modern audio format and the latest in digital signal processing technologies, it delivers an incredibly rich feature package that actually offers perceivable improvements in performance rather than gimmicky sound modes. If you're in the market for a feature-rich surround processor, this is one that demands to be experienced no matter what your budget may be.


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Living about two and a half hours away from Chicago, it's sad how rarely I go to the city! A couple weeks ago, though, I had the opportunity to go to Chicago with some of the lovely ladies of the Oak Street Conservation Facility. We were on the road bright and early with only one thing on our mind: conservation! I was so excited to spend the whole day touring one conservation lab after another.
Our day started at Northwestern Library's Conservation Department. I had never been to Northwestern before and the campus was truly idyllic; it felt like a magical forest, a bit foggy with lots of trees and little paths. We made our way to the basement (of course!) to the lab. Tonia Grafakos, the head of the lab, gave us a tour. It was surprising to learn about the differences between Oak St. and Northwestern — for one, their collection of backlogged books that need repair is much smaller than Oak St.'s! We had the opportunity to see their neat collection of international Obama memorabilia, which ranged from paintings in barber shops to lollipop sticks to gum wrappers. The conservation department always gets to work with the most interesting and strange things!
Given our long drive up to Chicago, it was already time for lunch! We stopped at a cute place called Tapas Barcelona, right down the street from Northwestern. They really had great tapas, especially if you love goat cheese like me!
The next stop was the Art Institute of Chicago. We had the opportunity of touring the prints and drawings and book labs. As expected, the labs were beautiful. I couldn't get over how much counter space there was. We looked at all sorts of projects, one which included piecing together a five foot print that had been cut into 56 individual pieces. It was incredible to see how the conservator, Kim Nichols, put it all together, carefully studying the pieces and how the artist worked. It has taken her four years and she's almost done!
Our third lab was the University of Chicago's Mansueto Library. If you haven't already, check out some pictures of this gorgeous library! Airy and spacious is an understatement. This lab was pretty different from the ones we had toured earlier, especially given its environment. Ann Lindsey, the head of the lab, gave us a tour of the space and details about the decisions she made in designing the lab. This was really useful in learning more about the equipment and which aspects of the lab are used for different types of projects. We also had the opportunity to see the automated storage and retrieval system, which is located underground. The materials stored in this area are actually controlled by robots — the materials are placed in metal trays; when a patron requests an item, the robot brings the whole tray up to the library desk, at this point a library employee finds the item from the tray. It was really neat to see this huge space totally run by robots — crazy! It also made me thankful to think that a robot could (most likely) never take over my job as a conservator — hopefully the work is too detailed and involved for any robot.
Our last stop of the day was at an open house for the Graphic Conservation Company. This was a great opportunity to see how a private conservation firm works. I was surprised at how big it was — a big open room with plenty of long tables. Against the wall there were board shears, presses, and other equipment. One of the big projects at Graphic was the 13th Amendment, which took six months to conserve. You can read more about the project in this Chicago Tribune article.
After a very long day, we headed down to the U of I. After seeing so many different types of labs, I felt even more confident that I wanted to go into conservation. Having spent many months looking for a job/internship, I was starting to get discouraged that it would be too hard to break into the field. Meeting so many great conservators across the field and learning about their work was refreshing. It gave me more perspective — there are plenty of labs out there with lots of work, I just need to be patient!


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Monday, December 15, 2008
We Still Need to Change
Anoush and Littlejohn make the case for change:
"As students look to their lecturers for clues as to how to use technology tools for learning, many lecturers are unaware of the potential of these tools, since they themselves are not using emergent technologies for their own learning and work. While some lecturers recognise the educational value of some emergent technologies, others view these as 'fads'. This situation could become exceedingly problematic as many social technologies such as blogs, wikis, and virtual worlds are progressively adopted by organisations, where employees are required to use them regularly for knowledge sharing and communication. This raises the question as to how well universities are preparing students for employment if they continue to dismiss these tools and more importantly the processes and philosophies of learning and collective knowledge creation underpinning these tools. " (pp. 22-23)
3 comments:
- David Richardson said...
I've been teaching using ICT for about 20 years now, and I'm always struck by the difference between younger and older students on net-based courses. With some exceptions, I'd characterise younger students as knowing exactly which key to depress, but having no idea at all *why* they should click on this button or that.
Older students, on the other hand, have no love for the technology - they just want it to do things. It sometimes takes them time to find which key to depress … but they're generally really good at the social skills you need in order for there to be some point in pressing the key in the first place.
In other words, if you're going to use the social networking aspects of ICT in order to learn things, you need to be good at social networking in general (i.e. even without computers) - and many younger students aren't very good at this. Perhaps it boils down to self-confidence - if you're going to share your ideas with others (without relying on environments which are based on stereotypes - like World of Warcraft, for example), then you need to have built a measure of self-confidence that you've actually got something to share.
Give me the 35 year-olds any day!
- December 22, 2008 at 3:18 PM
- Norm said...
Great to see this blog. I've been monitoring the question of generations and technological change for some time. The postings catch many significant, recent contributions to the issue; but let me add a few:
1. Thomas Reeves says there is no clear evidence for adapting instructional principles to address styles of new generations (from: the Handbook of Research in Ed Tech & Communications): http://learningspaces.org/n/files/Reeves_Generational_Differences.pdf
2. A Video of an informative debate between Mark Bauerlein (Dumbest Generation),
Neil Howe (Mellinals Risign): http://www.booktv.org/watch.aspx?ProgramId=FV-9887
3. A posting I made a while ago on this myth that links to some other, relevant, debunking research: http://ehabitus.blogspot.com/2007/01/e-learning-myth-1-net-gen-myth.html
4. Other myths in e-learning, and how to debunk them: http://learningspaces.org/ee/rethinking_myths.pdf
5. A link to the Mannheim's indispensible foundational essay on generations: http://learningspaces.org/n/files/mannheim.pdf
- February 3, 2009 at 10:54 AM
- Mark Bullen said...
Thanks for your comments. I'll check out those resources.
- February 3, 2009 at 12:36 PM


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Green Light Advantage
Our mission statement is simple, to provide all of our clients with exceptional customer service and extreme attention to detail at competitive rates. Let's face it – there are several building permit expediters in New York City, but how many keep you updated throughout the permitting process without having to track them down? How many truly care about their clients and their needs? How many will manage their project loads to ensure full and thoughtful attention to their clients? If you have worked with some of the expediters in New York City, you probably know the answer – not many at all.
What's the Green Light Advantage?
The Green Light Advantage is the upper hand you achieve when you have a team of highly experienced professionals fully committed securing your municipal approvals as quickly as possible. By choosing Green Light Expediting for your permit needs, you gain the knowledge and insight of permit professionals who know the inner workings of the Department of Buildings as well as anyone in the industry. By tracking and maintaining a reasonable workload for each of our Project Managers, we are able to provide the attention necessary for meaningful and appreciative client relationships to develop. Regardless of how big or small a client may be. See our testimonials, they tell the story for us! This self-discipline has allowed Green Light Expediting to avoid the most common problem with expediters, being stretched too thin so details and clients slip through the cracks. As a result, our level of customer service is unmatched in the industry.
Let the Advantage Work for You
Give the Green Light Advantage a shot and you will gain a trusted and reliable partner dedicated to moving your New York construction projects forward with speed, responsiveness, and transparency. Not to mention eliminating the stresses of the Department of Buildings filing process! We look forward to showing you in practice what the Green Light Advantage is all about.


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Lewis & Clark is Bringing Home Top Awards in Moot Court Competitions
March 05, 2014
Law students have been bringing home top awards in Moot Court competitions around the US. Recent awards have come from the National Animal Law Competitions, ABA National Negotiation Competition, the Jessup Mid-Atlantic Regional and the ABA Regional Client Counseling Competition.
In the National Animal Law Competitions, Meg York won the Closing Argument Competition and the Legislative Drafting and Lobbying Competition for Best Bill and Fact Sheet. Teammates Andrea Lang and Jake Brooks advanced to the final round in the Appellate Moot Court Competition for Best Oralist and Best Brief, but lost to a returning team from UC Irvine.
Nathan Morales and Matthew Ring, won the title of National Champions at the ABA National Negotiation Competition.
The Jessup Team, comprised of Shane Barnes, Tristan Parker, Brendan Stabeno, Ali Ward and Spencer Wilson, were semi-finalists in the Mid-Atlantic Regional team competition and won the Fourth Best Brief prize. Shane Barnes won Third Place Oralist and received a perfect score of 100 from one of his judges and Brendan Stabeno won Eighth Place Oralist.
Also, at the ABA Regional Client Counseling Competition Ron Cheng and teammate Bridgett Shephard took home first place and are competing in The Nationals this March in Norman, Oklahoma.


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Writing is one of the four skills that students learning a foreign language are supposed to acquire, and writing often has an important role in the language classroom. Furthermore, in the field of cultural and arts education, a process-oriented approach is considered essential for learning. However, even though we see an increased interest in emphasizing the writing process, in reality, what is often commented, discussed and graded is the final outcome - the product. Consequently, features of the writing process, like fluency, revisions, and pauses, are not considered. This thesis explores what information about the writing process might add to the picture. In this manner, the current study investigates the writing process of advanced Swedish EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners through keystroke logging programme.
With the increased use of word processing tools, and not least with the development of keystroke logging tools, we now have the possibility to take also the details of the writing process into account. As Spelman Miller and Sullivan (2006:1) point out,
"[a]s an observational tool, keystroke logging offers the opportunity to capture details of the activity of writing, not only for the purposes of the linguistic, textual and cognitive study of writing, but also for the broader applications concerning the development of language learning, literacy, and language pedagogy".
In the present study, a keystroke logging programme named Inputlog has been used, which allows researchers to get a better understanding of writing processes as well as cognitive processes during writing (Lindgren & Sullivan, 2002).


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Fire and Ice, Dante, and JFK, and the Perils of Moral Neutrality
(Warning: This commentary contains spoilers regarding the plot of Dan Brown's Inferno).
By Dan Burstein
The epigraph that opens Dan Brown's Inferno reads as follows: "The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis." The quote is not attributed to anyone. The exact same words are italicized and repeated in the Epilogue, where they are interpreted by Brown's fictional Harvard professor, Robert Langdon, to mean that, "In dangerous times, there is no sin greater than inaction."
In between Epigraph and Epilogue, Elizabeth Sinskey (the novel's fictional character who heads the World Health Organization), hears Bertrand Zobrist (the biotechnology genius bent on single-handedly stopping the world's population from exploding further), intone the exact same words about neutrality and the darkest places in hell as she watches the frightening video message Zobrist recorded before his suicide. Watching the video, Sinskey feels goose bumps on her neck, because this is the "same quotation that Zobrist had left for her at the airline counter when she had eluded him in New York a year ago."
Indeed, we read those exact words once again in Chapter 38 when Sinskey is handed a message from Zobrist at the airport as she is checking in for her flight from New York to Geneva, after having just alerted the "CIA, the CDC, the ECDC, and all of their sister organizations around the world," to Zobrist's potential bio-terror threat she has just learned of as a result of his meeting with her at the Council on Foreign Relations. The three other times the quote is used it is unattributed. But in the JFK Airport scene, Dan Brown calls it a "famous quote derived (emphasis added) from the work of Dante Alighieri."
The quote is, in fact, derivative, but not exactly from Dante. The great Italian poet of the 14th century was indeed critical of those who stayed neutral in times of moral crisis. But Dante did not consign the neutrals to the "darkest places in hell." In the Divine Comedy, he reserves the true "darkest places in hell" for the likes of Judas, Brutus, and Cassius, who betrayed Jesus and Caesar and caused their murders. For the neutrals, there is a different kind of punishment: Dante deems their lives to be so lacking in consequence that they are forgotten completely. They are not even worth the condemnation of hell. They have no chance at redemption in purgatory, let alone heaven. No one wants them and so they remain dead souls outside the gates of hell, forever forgotten for the crime of having failed to choose sides at an important juncture.
So the quote is not really "derived" from Dante, because Dante's cosmology is somewhat at odds with the meaning of the quote. So who is it derived from? Turns out, the origins of this quote have more to do with John F. Kennedy, America's 35thPresident, whose tragic assassination in 1963 we recall this month. JFK apparently made a few mistakes in his interpretation of Dante—or else, like Dan Brown, knowingly played a little fast and lose with Dante's real meaning.
The John F. Kennedy Library website notes:
"One of President Kennedy's favorite quotations was based upon an interpretation of Dante's Inferno. As Robert Kennedy explained in 1964, "President Kennedy's favorite quote was really from Dante, 'The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality.'"
This supposed quotation is not actually in Dante's work, but is based upon a similar one. In the Inferno, Dante and his guide Virgil, on their way to hell, pass by a group of dead souls outside the entrance to hell. These individuals, when alive, remained neutral at a time of great moral decisions. Virgil explains to Dante that these souls cannot enter either heaven or hell because they did not choose one side or another. They are therefore worse than the greatest sinners in hell because they are repugnant to both God and Satan alike, and have been left to mourn their fate as insignificant beings neither hailed nor cursed in life or death, endlessly travailing below heaven but outside of hell. This scene occurs in the third canto of the Inferno….
It appears that JFK made this remark multiple times, but there is a particularly good documentary trail citing this quote (using the formulation of the "hottest places in hell," not the "darkest places in hell") in remarks he made in Bonn, Germany in June of 1963 at the height of the Cold War. Dan Brown knows Dante well enough to know that Dante's vision of the worst part of hell where Satan resides is characterized by brutally cold and frozen ice, not by the heat of fire that has become more commonly associated with hell in the last several hundred years. So Brown changed "hottest" to "darkest" and says the quote is "derived" from Dante, although this may have been a last minute correction since, in the Italian edition of Inferno, the epigraph still uses the phrase piu caldi–meaning hottest, not darkest.
In any event, "The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis," has become the most quoted sentence in Dan Brown's Inferno. Several of the academic experts who contributed to our recently-published book, Secrets of Inferno: In the Footsteps of Dante and Dan Brown, comment on it in their essays. You can also find plenty of online and social media discussion of this quote.
JFK can be forgiven for mis-remembering Dante's words and thinking that the great Poet imagined hell as fiery rather than icy. It is an exercise in nostalgia to contemplate a time in our American public discourse (a mere 50 years ago) when a President could invoke Dante to discuss great moral issues and how we should confront them.
But Dan Brown is playing a different kind of game here. He repeats this quote four different times in Inferno, strongly suggesting that it comes from Dante, and asks both his characters and his readers to themselves avoid condemnation to these "darkest places in hell" in their own lives by taking urgent action against the perceived crisis of population explosion. By the end of the book, he has revealed that Sienna has never wavered in her support for Zobrist, and that Sinskey and even Langdon have become convinced that Zobrist is basically correct. The characters have all adopted one form or another of Zobrist's argument. Now Brown wants his readers to do the same. But the readers haven't even heard a good argument against the population explosion thesis in the entire book, nor have they been offered any meaningful action alternatives besides Zobrist's mad man theory of history. (Zobrist has entitled himself to the right to determine the fate of the planet and the fertility rates of its seven billion people).
The questions about how to make the earth's resources and population trends more sustainable and better harmonized arenot the moral equivalents of JFK's urgent appeals of that era for Federal action to integrate the University of Mississippi or to check the spread of Soviet totalitarian power in the world. Nor are they the equivalents of Dante's call to get religion out of the earthly money-and-power business and restore it to its spiritual essence. Brown has many clever tricks up his sleeve in his Inferno. But the trick of creating a false equivalency between an issue he has identified as critical and the moral and philosophical wisdom of Dante falls flat.
A small and humorous footnote to this story: With his Boston accent, JFK's references to "the immortal Dante" were heard as "Myrtle Dante" by some radio listeners. There are reports of people writing to the White House and various media outlets to find out who this Myrtle Dante was and how she had become such a source of wisdom and inspiration to the President.
–Dan Burstein, Co-Author, Co-Editor of Secrets of Inferno: In the Footsteps of Dante and Dan Brown


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It's easy for small businesses to be energy-conscious and save money at the same time. We've all received emails with signatures that ask, "Do you really need to print this email?" If you do have to, an easy, cost-efficient solution could be to print using both sides of the page.
Shelling out for energy-efficient appliances now could help you save in the long run. Thermal paint windows, upgraded furnaces, or switching to solar power lighting may seem like unnecessary expenses, but can be sound long-term investments.
Read more here: Business Insider
The Michigan Chamber's Utility & Telecom Savings program can help you to identify other ways to save money on your utility and telecommunications bills. Through our program, we are able to perform a thorough analysis of your utility billing, leading to past financial recovery and ongoing monthly savings.


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Feel free to steal these ideas for your own Halloween bashes!
You get your everyday style inspiration from celebrities, so why not turn to them for Halloween costume ideas, too? Take a peek at some of the best celebrity costumes from years past to get inspiration for tonight.
Heidi Klum is always a go-to celeb for Halloween costume ideas. From Cleopatra to an alien to a human body without skin, she never fails to leave us in awe. Take a lesson from the 40-year-old model's playbook and be daring and fearless (and slightly over the top) this Halloween.
Want to dress up with your significant other? Kim Kardashian showed up to her birthday bash at LIV Nightclub dressed as Catwoman, while beau Kanye West matched with a mask and cloak as Batman. We'll all have to stay tuned to see how the new parents will coordinate their costumes with North West for her first Halloween in the spotlight.
Whether you're dressing solo, with your children, or your significant other there are so many fun and sexy options! See the photos over at Lifestyle Mirror: The Best Celebrity Halloween Costumes
More juicy content from Lifestyle Mirror:


text: International UFO Congress › Videos › Timothy Good presents EARTH: An Alien Enterprise Timothy Good presents EARTH: An Alien Enterprise Timothy Good's 2014 International UFO Congress presentation: EARTH: An Alien Enterprise This presentation will focus on little-known contacts with aliens, the infiltration thereof, and Earth's top-secret liaison programs which have led to reverse-engineered spacecraft utilizing alien technology. Timothy Good will discuss the findings of his new book, which center on crashed alien craft and bodies stored in the U.S. Capitol in 1939; contacts with military personnel and several presidents; over 100 witnesses encounter two landed flying discs in a London suburb; the conflict between different groups of aliens, including disturbing details of a long-term hybridization program to colonize Earth; and much more. Timothy Good became interested in UFOs in 1955, having been inspired by the works of Maj. Donald Keyhoe and Capt. Edward Ruppelt. Now a leading authority, he has researched the subject worldwide and his numerous contacts include astronauts, military and intelligence chiefs, pilots and politicians. He has written a dozen books on UFOs and the alien presence, including Above Top Secret, Alien Liaison, Alien Base, Unearthly Disclosure and Need to Know. Four of his books have forewords by Admiral of the Fleet Lord Hill-Norton, a former chairman of the NATO Military Committee and Chief of the Defence Staff. Good's latest book, EARTH: An Alien Enterprise, was recently published in November 2013. Watch Practically Anywhere. Online, from your iOS device with a free download stream to Apple TV or Google Chromecast


text: Each Thursday, we turn The Critics Agree! over to our favorite critics of all: you, the fans! While we usually see what you're saying about the weekend's hottest new releases, we couldn't help but notice that everyone was buzzing about … well, us! Continue reading "You Like Us, You Really Like Us!"


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Ejaculation is the release of semen from the penis. It is a normal part of the male sexual response cycle. During sexual intercourse or masturbation, semen collects in the ejaculatory ducts, which are located where the ends of the vas deferentia join the seminal vesicles within the prostate gland.
When excitation reaches its peak, a spinal reflex causes the rhythmic contractions of the smooth muscles within the urethra, penis and the prostate gland, and propels the semen through the urethra out the tip of the penis in spurts.
Once a man reaches a certain point of sexual arousal, he can no longer prevent ejaculation. This feeling of having reached the brink of control once these contractions start is known as ejaculatory inevitability.
The rhythmic contractions of the prostate, perineal muscles and shaft of the penis occur initially at 0.8-second intervals, just as in women, and account for the spurting action of the semen during ejaculation. The intervals between contractions become longer and the intensity of the contractions tapers off after the first three or four contractions.
The semen does not actually appear until a few seconds after the point of ejaculatory inevitability because of the distance the seminal fluid has to travel through the urethra. During ejaculation, the internal sphincter of the urinary bladder is tightly sealed to make sure that the seminal fluid travels forward and to prevent any urine from mixing with the semen.


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I'm so thrilled to be Rave Reviews Book Club SPOTLIGHT AUTHOR for the month of May! Thanks to Nia Markos for hosting me today.
Maretha Botha is an Italian National born in South Africa. She and her family now live in Lancashire, United Kingdom, where she writes and illustrates animal and bird adventure stories, based on her experiences while growing up in South Africa. Her love for the southern African landscape, its environment, animals, birds and people shines through in her series of books which she entitled, "Fauna Park Tales". She has completed the first four books in this series.
She and her family lived in Botswana for a few years before immigrating to the United Kingdom. This series, "Fauna Park Tales: An African Adventure" is set against this background. Many of the stories are based on fact – things which she observed while living on the outskirts of a game reserve as well as the lives of her family's pets – dogs, cats and birds, even birds of prey such as martial…
View original post 656 more words


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Movie: Beauty and the Beast
Release year: 1991
My reaction: This rounds out my top 4 favorite Disney movies: Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast. Drew and I started in on the plot holes and inconsistencies…and then I cut him off and was like, "But for reals, this is one of the best ones, RIGHT." I could watch this movie over and over again. And should. Because I missed huge chunks of this one. Like most of the end.
I did drag B back into the living room to watch the Beast transform. Because you gotta watch that part.
I remember watching this movie with my mom when I was…I must have been like 8 years old. And he turns into the prince, and I remember my mom and I were both like, "…Ew. Can he turn back into a beast please?" Which is funny. It's also funny that now I totally think he's cute. If I was Belle, I would be like, Score.
Also, what with all the fan theories going around right now about Frozen/Tangled/Little Mermaid/Tarzan (which I think is dumb, btw), Drew and I have a new theory to propose. You know how at the very very beginning (before the stained glass), you see Bambi's mom drinking from the stream in the forest outside the castle? That's because she didn't die when the hunter shot her. She got away and moved to France.


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Friday, December 10, 2010
Ten Excuses Writer's Give For Not Writing
She eats chocolate... that's what she does!
Then she looks in her achives for things she's written in the past that are funny and just borrow that.
So without further adu...
Ten Excuses Writer's Give For Not Writing:
1.) Facebook/Blogging/Twitter/IM are all very important social networking tools. Never mind that I spend seven and a half hours a day using them...
2.) Reality TV=research
3.) I have to go to the mall to... people watch! YES! I can get ideas for my books while I shop at Macy's. Seriously, I can!
4.) I have a headache... er... wait, that's a different top ten excuse list!
5.) The word I need just won't come to me.... Let me run a nice bubble bath and soak while I contemplate it.
6.) E-mail! I have E-MAIL!! MUST.... CHECK....
7.) I've been ignoring my kids lately. I should make them food. Maybe some chocolate chip cookies, brownies, pie, scones.... What? Oh, I ate all the cookies??? Um, no I didn't. It was.... your dad. Really. I swear.
8.) Carpel Tunnel. But it's this weird selective type of the disease because I can still type on my blog and my facebook status. I know, strange, huh!
9.) I just killed off a character. I need to observe the proper mourning period before I begin again.
10.) My dog ate my manuscript????
10 comments:
- Sherrinda Ketchersid said...
LOL...too funny, Krista! I like the selective Carpel Tunnel and the mourning period. I'll have to try those excuses. You are such a nut!
- December 10, 2010 at 4:06 AM
- Julia M. Reffner said...
I like this, Krista. Must confess EMAIL is my biggest procrastination tool.
I have Ultimate Chocolate Cake with Fudge Frosting here...want some? Goes great with a big glass of milk.
- December 10, 2010 at 5:56 AM
- K.B. Owen said...
I'd like to add: Free Cell (just...one...more...game!).
- December 10, 2010 at 6:35 AM
- Keli Gwyn said...
Krista, thanks for giving us a smile even when you don't feel much like smiling yourself. I hope you have so much good news in the near future that your cheeks hurt from grinning.
Cyber hugs to you, my friend.
- December 10, 2010 at 6:35 AM
- Sidney W. Frost said...
So true.
- December 10, 2010 at 7:02 AM
- Wendy Paine Miller said...
I'm all over #10!
I love your sense of humor.
~ Wendy
- December 10, 2010 at 11:29 AM
- Kav said...
LOL -- this is funny. How about I slept in, had twenty minutes to get the bus to work and my oatmeal exploded in the microwave? That could be #11 as well as the start of my day today. :-)
- December 10, 2010 at 11:51 AM
- Unknown said...
you are invited to follow my blog
- December 10, 2010 at 6:19 PM
- Unknown said...
Mine right now? I'm itching to write something, but I don't want to, my fault for visiting writers alley again.Aaannnnddd I wrote a play from start to finish this morning.The dog ate my manuscript is classic!
Proper mourning? huh! excuses!! Whoops, and I'm talking
- August 10, 2012 at 2:10 AM
- Unknown said...
Oh and I write pen and paper way too, who dreams of scribes?
- August 10, 2012 at 2:13 AM


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Reviewer's Note: This is a review of new Lumapower MVP TurboForce P7. For a comparison to the original 3xCree MVP, please see my detailed review of that light. The MVP P7 was provided by Lumapower for review.
Warning: Very pic heavy!
MVP TurboForce P7 on the left, 3xCree on the right
The TurboForce is a new member of the Lumapower MVP family. The original MVP (still available) is a 3xCree Q5 light. This new TurboForce model contains a single SSC P7 (which is actually a single quad-die emitter). Although the two share the same body and overall form factor, the head is considerably different. Here are a quick summary of the features of the TurboForce P7 and the differences between the two models (cobbled from the Lumapower and Battery Junction websites):
TurboForce P7 Features:
- SSC P7 LED, up to 700 lumens of total output (claimed)
- 3 Brightness levels: Hi: ~700L, Medium:~250L, Low: ~50L, Strobe: ~650L
- Wide input voltage from 6.5-10V, supports 2xLi-Ion (RCR123A, 17650, 17670 or 18650) and 4xCR123A (recommended only for low and medium output modes, and up to 4 minutes max on high). 2x18650 is the recommended configuration for the longest runtime.
- Over-discharge protection (for 2x Li-Ion batteries) at 4.8V
- "Sidekick" brightness control switch that works independently from the tailcap power switch (tailcap is a forward clicky)
- Efficient current-controlled DC-DC power circuit
- Anti-Roll body design
- AR coated lens
- Dimensions: Length: 264mm, Bezel Diameter: 71mm, Body Diameter: 28mm, Tail cap Diameter: 32mm, Reflector Diameter: 60mm, Weight: 463g(without batteries)
Main Reported Differences between the MVP and MVP TurboForce P7:
- The MVP uses 3 individual Cree Q5 LED's, each with its own embedded reflector cone, whereas the TurboForce uses a single SSC P7 emitter and one large reflector.
- Reported that overall output is similar, but the 3xCree MVP can throw slightly further while the TurboForce has significantly more spill.
- TurboForce SSC P7 is typically somewhat cooler than the 3xCree MVP
- TurboForce is slightly longer and has a larger head/bezel (note that the body/battery tubes are interchangeable between the two models)
Estimated street price for either version is ~$200.
Packaging is the same as my MVP 3xCree. Inside the box, the light comes well secured with foam spacers. Included are spare o-rings, manual and warranty card. A removable lanyard attachment ring comes installed by default on the tailcap.
MVP 3xCree:
Weight (without batteries): 385g with extender, 329g without extender (237g head only)
Length: 238mm with extender, 170mm without extender
Width: 58mm max (bezel)
MVP TurboForce P7:
Weight (without batteries): 459g with extender, 405g without extender (317g head only)
Length: 265mm with extender, 200mm without extender
Width: 71mm max (bezel)
As you can see, the TurboForce is quite a bit taller and heavier. Note the difference is entirely in the head/bezel - the body/battery tubes are exactly the same size and interchangeable between versions.
Normally, I like to start with a detailed build overview, but I imagine most want to see how the business end of this light differs from the MVP 3xCree.
As you can see above, the face of the light is much larger on the TurboForce P7. Coupled with the quad-die P7 emitter, I would expect a significant amount of spill for the MVP P7. More on that in a minute - first, here is a comparison of the MVP P7 and 3xCree lights disassembled (P7 first):
MVP TurboForce P7
MVP 3xCree
Again, there is no difference in the body/battery tubes and tailcaps between these two versions. The finish on my TurboForce P7 seems more matte than my glossier 3xCree, but otherwise is indistinguishable (i.e. no changes to the screw threads or any other portion).
Basically, the difference is that the bezel opening of the head has been enlarged to accommodate the larger reflector for the P7. One thing I've noticed is that there is some "play" in the positioning of the reflector (i.e. it is loose enough that is can become slightly off-centered while tightening the bezel). But this doesn't affect the beam pattern in any noticeable way that I can see.
The TurboForce is more substantial in both appearance and actual use thanks to its bigger reflector. I found the MVP 3xCree comfortable enough to carry over-handed (well-balanced and not too heavy), but haven't had a chance to carry this new P7 light canon around as much yet. Although a bit ungainly looking, it doesn't actually feel that much heavier when loaded with 2x18650.
The common build/design of the MVP lights is of very high quality. Screw threads are not anodized unfortunately, so tailcap lockout is not possible. There are also a lot of threads (especially on the tailcap), so you need to do a lot of turning to fully tighten. Lettering and anodizing is very good on my TruboForce P7, although I prefer the glossier look of my MVP 3xCree.
User Interface
UI is the same as the MVP 3xCree. The rear forward clicky turns the light on and off, and there's a mechanical side-mounted "Sidekick" switch that moves you through the four light modes (Hi - Med - Lo - 12Hz Disorienting Strobe) in a repeating sequence.
This Sidekick switch works even when the light is off. When the light is on, pressing on the Sidekick switch causes the output to briefly move through Lo before ratcheting on to the next level (it seems Lo is the default state of the light, so the mechanical switch passes through it when changing modes).
Beam Pattern
Here's a comparison of the TurboForce P7 vs the MVP 3xCree on 2x18650 (AW protect 2200mAh, 3.7V) on max. Both lights are at ~0.5 m from a white wall.
These sorts of up-close white wall shots don't really tell you much for strong output lights, but you can see the Turboforce P7 has a *MUCH* wider spillbeam than the MVP 3xCree. Note the 3xCree spill is only slightly wider than a traditional 1xCree light.
The TurboForce P7 throw is still quite good, although there is a slight "donut" effect due to the quad-die emitter (this is common on P7s). Tint was also cooler on my TurboForce sample, as expected for a P7.
To better show the difference, here are a pair of outdoor shots from my back yard. The lights are all being shone from a balcony about 13 feet up and 10 feet away from the center hotspot location on the ground.
Although it looks at first glance like the MVP 3xCree is brighter, this is only because its spill is confined to a much smaller area. The spillbeam of the TurboForce P7 is wider than the camera's field of view. Look at the bricks on the far left of the image - as you can see, the TurboForce illuminates a much wider area.
This illustrates a limitation of exterior beamshots for lights with bright spill - because of the long exposure times and limited camera field of view, you don't get a good feel for how it really looks. By eye, the TurboForce P7 seemed brighter overall to me, since it was lighting up my whole yard. Scroll down to see what my lightbox and ceiling bounce tests say about output.
In terms of throw, the MVP 3xCree throws its centre beam about the same distance as the TurboForce P7 to my eye. I like the P7 battern, as you get a reasonably bright corona around the hotspot.
Output, Throw and Runtime Comparisons
Testing Method: All my output numbers are relative for my home-made light box setup, a la Quickbeam's flashlightreviews.com method. You can directly compare all my relative output values from different reviews - i.e. an output value of "10" in one graph is the same as "10" in another. All runtimes are done under a cooling fan, except for the extended run Lo/Min modes which are done without cooling.
Throw values are the square-root of lux measurements taken at 1 meter from the lens, using a light meter.
Throw/Output Summary Chart:
Note: According to both my lightbox and ceiling bounce measures, the MVPs are about twice as twice as bright overall as my best 1xCree Q5 throwers.
Since lux at 1 meter isn't likely to truly capture the throw of these lights, I've added some additional results for ~10m distance. As mentioned earlier, all P7 lights have a slight donut effect (due to the quad-die emitter design), so I've given my lux readings of the TurboForce as a range from actual beam hotspot centre to the peak brightness found around the edge of the hotspot.
Output/Runtime Comparison:
Note that I haven't done CR123A runtimes yet (running low on primaries at the moment ).
My runtimes show a generally consistent pattern of slightly lower output - with slightly longer runtime - of the TurboForce P7 compared to the MVP 3xCree. I would recommend you take the actual output values with a big grain of salt, as these bright throwers (especially the large head and wide spill of P7) are likely not getting the most accurate picture in my milk carton lightbox.
Regulation and runtime on both MVP versions is very good, on all batteries. The selection of pre-defined output levels is also very useful IMO - and it's nice to see consistency between the different battery configurations (i.e. relative output is consistent for all battery types). The MVPs are clearly designed to work best with 2x18650, which has the best combination of output, runtime, and body heatsinking.
It's also nice to see the drop-off in output before the protection circuits are triggered in my protected AW cells (RCR/18650) - good to get some advance warning before the light cuts out on you!
Note that LP advises you to run 4xCR123A on Hi for short bursts of time only. In fact, the MVP manuals clearly state that you void your warranty if you run it for longer than 4 mins at this level. Med and Lo are perfectly safe to run for extended periods of time on 4xCR123A. I haven't done runtimes yet with CR123A on the P7, but check out my original MVP 3xCree review for a comparison.
Potential Issues
I haven't come across any specific problems with the TurboForce P7. As noted in my original MVP 3xCree review, the screw threads on the body tubes can be a little rough, and there are a lot of them in each segment requiring a lot of turns to fully tighten. Not a problem per se, but just something to keep in mind. Anodizing on the tailcap threads would also be nice.
The bezel/head of the TurboForce P7 is considerably larger than the 3xCree, which is also something you may want to consider.
UPDATE: There's also no real anti-roll with the TurboForce, since the wider head is smooth. The 3xCree has effective anti-roll thanks to the beveled regions on the head.
Preliminary Discussion
I was certainly a fan of the original 3xCree MVP - good design, excellent current-controlled runtime performance, exquisite regulation, and wide versatility in battery configurations. The Turboforce P7 carries on in the same tradition - it is basically the same light with the same performance, just with a different beam configuration and larger head.
It all really boils down to the beam - although the 3xCree doesn't look too pretty on a white wall, in actual use it produces a pleasing well-defined spill beam with good throw. Spill width is only slightly larger than a traditional 1xCree light, but much brighter.
In the contrast, the TurboForce P7 has one of the widest spillbeams I've ever seen. It covers a much wider area with reasonably bright spill - for example, it lights up my whole back yard from my balcony! Beam pattern is nice with good throw, even corona, and smooth and uniform wide spill. Peak throw is roughly equivalent between the P7 and 3xCree models.
If you are looking for a "typical" throw/spill beam pattern - but with twice the output of a regular 1xCree throw light - the 3xCree MVP is probably your pick. But if you are looking for the widest possible spillbeam - while maintaining equivalent throw - the TurboForce P7 is your best bet.
Two other points to keep in mind are that the P7 version has a much larger head, and the beam tint is typically on the cool side compared to the 3xCree MVP. You also get a slight donut effect in the center of the P7 (unavoidable with this quad-die emitter). Of course, you will get some triangulation of the 3xCree beam pattern at close range. Six of one, half dozen of the other? As always, it's your call!


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Northern Ethiopia: Traveling Through Beauty, Back in Time
Northern Ethiopia: Traveling Through Beauty, Back in Time
By Kent E St John
If you have any preconceived notions from past reading or from visiting the African continent, don't apply them to Northern Ethiopia. There will be bits and pieces that fit, but Northern Ethiopia defies plug-in comparisons.
Much of that is due to the mixture of African, Judaic and Egyptian influences. Ethiopia, against all odds, even managed to avoid colonization in the 19th century by zealous Europeans. The Italians did their best during their invasion of the country in 1935.
It is in what is known as the Abyssinian Highlands where much of Ethiopian culture took root and practices that run back centuries are still very much in evidence today. The remains of cities of various empires lay splayed out and ancient rock-hewn churches still hold their mystique; Ethiopia's version of Christianity insures it.
During my trip to Northern Ethiopia all my senses played a part; that is perhaps what a trip there does, reopens deadened or hidden emotions.
On the Shore of Lake Tana
The lake spreads before me a color not quite in the Crayola color box. The hotel Kuriftu's rooms are done up in a style that makes one feel as if it is hewn from the rock, too; the porch has a massive fireplace and the built-in divan is perfect. It was my favorite lodging during my journey. The fact that it is located in Bahir Dar, one of Ethiopia's prettiest cities, is a major bonus.
The islands spread out before me house monasteries that have been a part of Christianity predating most European orders. The need for safety from heathen raiders made the islands perfect places to nurture a religion that was fraught with danger, long before it reached Rome.
It is from Lake Tana that the Blue Nile springs, and the 20-mile trip to the falls is a good one, if the hydro plant built nearby hasn't drained the water from the heights.
I found the time better spent walking through the palm-lined boulevards. Best of all, though, is to charter a boat and head to the monasteries on the Lake's islands. Many still have artworks dating from early Christian days and are still today centers that serve their original purpose.
On some islands females, whether human or animal, aren't allowed, so check with your guide before going. Best advice is to be lakeside when the sun sets with a cold bottle of St. George beer and the storks flying in formation. The city has all of the necessities needed that you may not find later in Northern Ethiopia, so stock up.
Gonder, a Place to Wonder
It has a Camelot feel because of the walled-in royal palaces centered in the city, mostly from the 17th century, a reminder that through the centuries Ethiopia has remained independent. It is a city that architecturally has everything from hovel to high rise, granted not much above six stories.
Winding streets up and down hillsides make Gonder a challenge, but hidden views startle. The country's best known ecclesiastic artwork can be found at the Debre Berhan Selassie Church: 104 cherub angels grace the ceiling each with its own smile, think Mona Lisa times 104. The Italians also left architectural footprints.
I took the road from Bahir Dar to Gonder; the rest of my trip was far flung, via Ethiopian Airlines. Even at the best hotel in the city — state-owned Goha Hotel of Gonder — a storm shut the power off. However, it only added to the beauty of the town below. The lightning was of Biblical proportions; in Ethiopia one starts to believe in strange happenings.
I Say Axum you Say Aksum
For at least 5000 years, monoliths have been used in Northern Africa. Axum has the biggest and best, billboards proclaiming the greatness the rulers, the Broadway of the ancient world. Though geographically it is now far far off Broadway, it is one of the UNESCO World Heritage treasuresm, and it deserves the honor.
Take a turn down a street and it is back to Biblical times; the chances of getting run down by a donkey far outweigh getting hit by a car. The Aksumite Kingdoms thrived well before Christ and well after. Today, you're back in time; however, it's a welcome feeling.
The stelae, large monoliths, stand just as they have for centuries, except for one that collapsed during its building; it is left just where it fell. Unlike many discovered ancient cities, much still lies covered. An estimated 85% of ancient Axum is still buried.
That said, however, the chance to explore tombs, temples and ruins could keep you hopping for days; no need for costumed guides, the same robed clothing has remained, and this is no tour bus stop for day-tripping tourists. The city is still a pilgrimage and sacred place for the Ethiopian Christian religion, and the call to worship is heard many times a day.
Forget What you Learned from Indiana Jones
In Axum it is said that the Ark of the Covenant exists in the compound of St. Mary of Zion. There is only one person that has access to the treasure, and he spends his whole life locked up in the small chapel with the Ark; not even the highest church leaders are allowed to view it.
Food and water are delivered, but a locked gate separates him from the rest of the world. His successor will come to him in a dream. The chosen one will then take his place upon his death. The service in the main Cathedral is open to the public and should not be missed. Do not expect a Christian ceremony that will be familiar; the pageantry is amazing.
Just outside Axum are the ruins of what is said to be The Queen of Sheba's palace. According to the Kebra Negast (Ethiopia's national epic) Sheba went to visit the wise King Solomon and while there was promised that if she took nothing from him he would take nothing from her.
The wise Solomon served her a very spicy dinner that caused her to reach for the wine left by her bed later that night. In return for taking that glass Solomon took her, and Sheba returned to Axum with a son, the future King Menelik.
On a later visit to his father in Jerusalem, Menelik slipped off with the Ark of the Covenant, the reason it is in Axum today.
I flew Ethiopian Airlines to the last stop on my tour of Northern Ethiopia, a wise move due to its remoteness. That, however, is what made Lalibela my favorite stop. Indeed even today there are no asphalt roads that will take you there.
There was no longer any pretense to understanding all I'd seen. This remote town in the rugged Lasta Mountains is immersion into a world of deep faith and a lifestyle not experienced by many.
Throughout the village are eleven medieval rock churches hewn from the rock, reached by dimly lit passageways and grottos hidden to the eye. On every twist and turn you will run into traditional priests and monks, moving in ghostly shadows; the reverberations of chants float rock-walled chambers.
Incense fills the air and uneven steps make exploration a challenge. It is thought that King Lalibela wanted to create a New Jerusalem in Africa far from the rise of Muslim usurpers.
It is said that it took 40,000 workers to build these massive works. The Ethiopians claim that most of the work was done by angels during the nighttime hours. After seeing the work, I believe a bit of both; that will happen often to a traveler to North Ethiopia.
One morning I met my mule and the guide who took me up a far mountain peak to visit a monastery called Ashetan Maryam. The monks believe the heights keep them closer to heaven; it felt like it. The surrounding scenery is a reminder of how vast the area is.
One thing is for certain, my mule was a saint and in Ethiopia anything is possible. Perhaps the St. George beer may be holy water, even if served warm due to the shut down of electricity. The human spirit is powerful, and Northern Ethiopia will test yours daily. Read more…
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Kent St. John was GoNOMAD's Senior Travel Editor since the website was founded in 2000. During that time he circled the globe many times, visiting more than 80 countries. Sadly, he passed away on Thanksgiving Day in 2012. He had an appreciation of subtleties, always finding a way to capture the nuances and essences of a destination, whether he was whale-watching in Nova Scotia, riding the rails in Australia, bungee jumping in China or worshipping the sun on a beach in Brazil.


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The library is unmissible. As you go through the swish main reception area and security gates, arrows and a sign LIBRARY points you upward. As you head up the flight of stairs, you are met with a model of bright modernity, with low wooden shelving, open work spaces and plenty of natural light. A successful team of 13 offer a suite of services to their members, and they see themselves as 'a working doctors library' providing access to a diverse book collection - from clinical to business management. They provide journal alerts, full text doc delivery, electronic services, training to all, and they have a high profile within the BMA. Last year they had 19328 visitors!
It wasn't always like this. Like all excellent library services, it requires continuous commitment and investment from library staff and senior management. Jacky was initially engaged on an 11 month temporary contract in 2006 to oversee a library move, however, in reality the situation was so bad, there was talk of shutting the library entirely. The problems she faced included:
- A drifting library service
- A unwelcoming large space, with an 'old boys club' feel which was out of step with the target membership demographics
- 23 under employed staff with no direction and minimal supervision
- Falling usage statistics, with 268 visits in one year
- A large unutilised collection, some of which wasn't catalogued
- A dying LMS (Dynix) which was about to be unsupported
- A largely silo mentality with no collaboration with other departments within the BMA
As an answer to anyone faced with this option, she says, stress the risk factor. Ensure that senior management are panicked, and aware of the consequences of negative publicity. The BMA library was established in 1886, so did senior management really want to tell their members that they care so little about their learning and development? What message would this send to the public? Closing libraries is an emotive topic so use to your advantage!
First The Move
So after that danger was averted, what were the challenges of moving? Jacky wanted a library with a different welcoming look and was a future proofed library fit for a 21st century modern institution.
They offered her a relatively small, low ceilinged, mezzanine office space which had been empty for a couple of years. They were unsure of its weight bearing load and didn't think about the risks from the leaky air conditioning in the ceiling. The BMA branded carpet was dark claustrophobic blue and she was offered recycled shelving from the old library space. Furthermore, there was a H&S/fire risk because there was only one escape route.
She blandly stated that the space wasn't ideal. At this point we may have been stunned into incredulous silence!
She did the only thing possible in this situation; she went out to make friends with the Estate Manager who was overseeing the refurbishment. By engaging with him she was offered a series of concessions:
- She negotiated a budget with the finance team
- She worked with an expert interior designer (Harmsen Group) for a 'wow factor', including new lighting, bespoke shelving, seating, carpeting
- They weeded the stock and lost a third of it so that it would fit in the limited space. They found 30 metres of Japanese medical magazines which no one had ever touched
- The installed a new staircase to create a new library entrance, straight off reception
Staff Issues
Library staffing was another real headache. On the day she started the job, the acting librarian left because the entire situation was horrendous. So rather than being able to maintain distance and carry out changes without getting involved, she had to immediately wade in and address the staffing issues whilst managing them. Given that she had already had experience of redundancy programmes, she was determined to get it right.
The two main priorities were keeping people informed (as far as legal processes could be), keeping an open door policy to scotch rumours, and ensuring that people had choice. She created a template for a staff structure and people could look at the skill set required and choose whether to apply for one job, all jobs, whatever. She was left with a smaller team who were happy and motivated in their posts, and relieved to finally have some direction. She arranged a programme of team bonding exercises to ensure that post redundancy effects were minimal.
There was the issue of her own post, which was still temporary. When she informed HR that they should be considering recruiting a librarian, they were puzzled and said, 'but that's you, isn't it?'. She accepted the full time post on the proviso that all staff, should they ask, be told that this was management's decision so that there was no ill feeling
Getting down to business
Everything was in place; now the hard work could really begin.
- Internal marketing and breaking down the silo mentality. This was a tough job because of the library's attitude historically.
- Joining the marketing team on recruitment drives by travelling to universities. Membership of the BMA isn't compulsory so they have to sell themselves to students and offer real benefits because the organisation needs subs to survive
- Going to speak with the BMA regional offices, none of which have libraries
- Speaking at committee meetings and raising the profile of the new, expensive library
- Trying and failing to engage with IT. Everything is outsources
- Engaging with BMA's employment advisers who generally work from home. These people are an excellent group to befriend and they needed to know what the library can do for them
What now?
Personally Jacky said that her greatest achievement in the last three years was that people now seek her expertise. The library is now recognised as playing an important role in the institution which is an overwhelming change from a few years ago. The central location of the library is a bonus because whenever the BMA hosts conferences they are used as an IT access point for attendees.
They are reviewing the competition's services all the time and determined to remain the number one choice for students and young doctors. Their book lending by post remains the most popular services amongst their members. They are diversifying the stock in response to market forces so they are increasingly stocking management, employment and other business support material. Like lawyers, doctors are having to now focus on practice management and other unfamiliar areas.
Online library services remain at the mercy of e-publishing and utterly impossible to manage. The BMA is huge and she refuses to be held to ransom by grasping publishers who still haven't perfected the e-book as a library business model. They have Dawsons e-books using a pick and choose package.
The library has gone from 268 visitors before she joined to 19328 visitors last year. This increase, although incredibly gratifying, is problematic because they didn't plan for such heavy footfall. They have no capacity for more desk space in the library and there are tensions between students and consultants. This is a marketing issue because they have specifically targeted and sold the benefits of membership to students, with a view to keeping them well into their career. This doesn't just affect the library but other members' parts of the building, such as the coffee lounge.
Despite the negatives which have come out of overwhelming success, Jacky and her team at the BMA is a perfect example of a bad library turned good. Experience, combined with passion and commitment should convince any sceptical senior managements that a well run library and motivated, knowledgeable staff can help the entire organisation. Although if anyone has found a way of reconciling tetchy consultants with enthusiastic students, then Jacky would love to hear from you.


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Our Dentists
All our dentists adhere to the rules governing the profession under strict guidance from the General Dental Council "Standards for Dental Professionals".
LDSRCS Eng., Cert. Implantology
GDC No. 58736
Dr. Kee graduated from the University of Leeds in 1984 and has been in general practice since. He has held an honorary clinical post in the Oral and Maxillo-facial Unit at the Leicester Royal Infirmary from 1999 to 2003. His main interests are cosmetic and restorative dentistry, which includes crowns, veneers and bridgework, and implants. In 2008 he received his Certificate in Surgical and Prosthodontic Implantology from the Eastman Dental Institute, University College London, and was accepted by the Association of Dental Implantology UK. He is a scholar of the world renowned Dawson Academy in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. He is a full member of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and features on the list of recommended cosmetic dentists of the Academy. He is also a member of the British Dental Association. Outside dentistry, Dr. Kee is a very keen golfer but unfortunately never finds enough time to play!
GDC No. 51449
Dr. Mann qualified from the University of Birmingham in 1977. He began his career in general practice in Reading. After one year he moved to Germany where he bought his own practice near Minden. Working in Germany provided a completely different outlook to clinical practice, and through the generous funding of the German insurance system, he was able to gain invaluable experience in the more complicated aspects of the restorative and cosmetic treatment with excellent laboratory support. During this time he attended many courses/conferences in both Germany and England. In 2004 he returned to his native Leicestershire with his family, and joined the Oadby Dental Clinic. In 2008, he successfully completed a year long course in restorative dentistry. He is a member of the British Dental Association. When he is not looking at people's teeth, he enjoys shooting and diving.
BDS, BSc
GDC No. 76880
Dr. Looi qualified in 1999 from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. After working 3 years in general practice, he moved to England with his family. He continued his dental career in general practice. In 2007 he joined the Oadby Dental Clinic. He loves the variety of challenges that he sees each day in general practice. His main goal in dentistry is to make the dental experience enjoyable with as little discomfort as possible. When not at work, he enjoys spending time with his young family, cycling and model building.


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In San Francisco recently, we overheard a well-dressed professional with a slight Valley Girl twang utter a nugget of sagely travel wisdom. Her comment, transcribed verbatim, was as follows:
"As long as you have a map, a credit card, and a smile, I figure you can go just about anywhere in this world."
(Above: Tourists on the Golden Gate Bridge, as seen from the passenger seat of a passing car. Photo by Telstar Logistics.)