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The board shall prepare and maintain a list of approved schools of nursing in this state whose graduates, if they have the other necessary qualifications provided in this chapter, shall be eligible to apply for a license to practice nursing in this state.
(Amended by Stats. 1983, Ch. 742, Sec. 5.)
The board shall establish a workgroup, or use an existing committee, to encourage and facilitate efficient transfer agreements or other enrollment models between associate degree nursing programs and baccalaureate degree nursing programs so students are able to complete the baccalaureate program without unnecessary repetition of coursework.
(Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 271, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2005.)
(a) An approved school of nursing, or an approved nursing program, is one that has been approved by the board, gives the course of instruction approved by the board, covering not less than two academic years, is affiliated or conducted in connection with one or more hospitals, and is an institution of higher education. For purposes of this section, "institution of higher education" includes, but is not
limited to, community colleges offering an associate of arts or associate of science degree and private postsecondary institutions offering an associate of arts, associate of science, or baccalaureate degree or an entry-level master's degree, and is an institution that is not subject to the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 (Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 94800) of Part 59 of Division 10 of Title 3 of the Education Code).
(b) A school of nursing that is affiliated with an institution that is subject to the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 (Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 94800) of Part 59 of Division 10 of Title 3 of the Education Code), may be approved by the board to grant an associate of arts or associate of science degree to individuals who graduate from the school of nursing or to grant a baccalaureate degree in nursing with successful completion of an additional course of study as approved
by the board and the institution involved.
(c) The board shall determine by regulation the required subjects of instruction to be completed in an approved school of nursing for licensure as a registered nurse and shall include the minimum units of theory and clinical experience necessary to achieve essential clinical competency at the entry level of the registered nurse. The board's regulations shall be designed to require all schools to provide clinical instruction in all phases of the educational process, except as necessary to accommodate military education and experience as specified in Section 2786.1.
(d) The board shall perform or cause to be performed an analysis of the practice of the registered nurse no less than every five years. Results of the analysis shall be utilized to assist in the determination of the required subjects of instruction, validation of the licensing
examination, and assessment of the current practice of nursing.
(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 489, Sec. 5. (SB 466) Effective January 1, 2016.)
(a) The board shall deny the application for approval made by, and shall revoke the approval given to, any school of nursing that does not give student applicants credit in the field of nursing for military education and experience by the use of challenge examinations or other methods of evaluation.
(b) The board shall adopt regulations by January 1, 2017, requiring schools to have a process to evaluate
and grant credit for military education and experience. The regulations shall be adopted pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). The word "credit," as used in this subdivision, is limited to credit for licensure only. The board is not authorized to prescribe the credit that an approved school of nursing shall give toward an academic certificate or degree.
(c) The board shall review a school's policies and practices regarding granting credit for military education and experience at least once every five years to ensure consistency in evaluation and application across schools. The board shall post on its Internet Web site information related to the acceptance of military coursework and experience at each approved school.
(Added by Stats. 2015, Ch. 489, Sec. 6. (SB 466) Effective January 1, 2016.)
A private postsecondary school of nursing approved by the board pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 2786 shall comply with Chapter 8 of Part 59 of Division 10 of Title 3 of the Education Code. The board shall have a memorandum of understanding with the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education to delineate the powers of the board to review and approve schools of nursing and the powers of the bureau to protect the interest of students attending institutions governed by the California
Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009, Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 94800) of Division 10 of Title 3 of the Education Code.
(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 789, Sec. 4. (SB 122) Effective January 1, 2013.)
(a) An institution of higher education or a private postsecondary school of nursing approved by the board pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 2786 shall remit to the board for deposit in the Board of Registered Nursing Fund the following fees, in accordance with the following schedule:
(1) The fee for approval of a school of nursing shall
be fixed by the board at not less than forty thousand dollars ($40,000) nor more than eighty thousand dollars ($80,000).
(2) The fee for continuing approval of a nursing program established after January 1, 2013, shall be fixed by the board at not less than fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) nor more than thirty thousand dollars ($30,000).
(3) The processing fee for authorization of a substantive change to an approval of a school of nursing shall be fixed by the board at not less than two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000).
(b) If the board determines that the annual cost of providing oversight and review of a school of nursing, as required by this article, is less than the amount of any fees required to be paid by that institution pursuant to this article, the board
may decrease the fees applicable to that institution to an amount that is proportional to the board's costs associated with that institution.
(Amended by Stats. 2016, Ch. 799, Sec. 14. (SB 1039) Effective January 1, 2017.)
The board shall deny the application for approval made by, and shall revoke the approval given to, any school of nursing which:
(a) Does not give to student applicants credit, in the field of nursing, for previous education and the opportunity to obtain credit for other acquired knowledge by the use of challenge examinations or other methods of evaluation; or,
(b) Is operated by a community college and discriminates against an applicant for admission to a school solely on the grounds that the applicant is seeking to fulfill the
units of nursing required by Section 2736.6.
The board shall prescribe, by regulation, the education for which credit is to be given and the amount of credit which is to be given for each type of education. The word "credit," as used in the preceding sentence, is limited to credit for licensure only. The board is not authorized to prescribe the credit which an approved school of nursing shall give toward an academic certificate or degree.
(Amended by Stats. 1983, Ch. 742, Sec. 8.)
It shall be the duty of the board, through its executive officer, to inspect all schools of nursing in this state at such times as the board shall deem necessary. Written reports of the executive officer's visits shall be made to the board, which shall thereupon approve those schools of nursing that meet the requirements provided by the board.
Upon receiving the report of the executive officer, if the board determines that any approved school of nursing is not maintaining the standard required by the board, notice thereof in writing specifying the defect or defects shall be immediately given to the school. If the
defects are not corrected within a reasonable time, the school of nursing may be removed from the approved list and notice thereof in writing given to it.
(Amended by Stats. 1983, Ch. 742, Sec. 10.)
None of the provisions of this chapter shall be applicable to any school or schools conducted by any well recognized church or denomination for the purpose of training the adherents of such church or denomination in the care of the sick in accordance with its religious tenets.
(Added by Stats. 1939, Ch. 807.)


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Over the last 3 decades the number of female bosses has steadily grown and today 1/3 of the world's entrepreneurs are female. While this is an amazing feat we still have a long way to go in achieving complete equality. So to make this happen lots of banks and Fintech companies are now offering women entrepreneurs business loans catered especially towards their enterprise.
Business loans are loans given to businesses for meeting their working capital and infrastructural requirements, for expansion and upgrade, and for achieving overall growth and stability. But nowadays since many entrepreneurs are running their own small start-up, raising funds for such a business becomes very difficult especially if they go through the traditional means. There are abundant alternate options through which small businesses can access funds.
To encourage more and more women entrepreneurs in India the government and many financial institutions have introduced schemes that lend capital to female entrepreneurs. These schemes are exclusively catered towards lady bosses and they have relaxed terms and conditions and suitable interest rates. Additionally, few institutions also have cells within their branch to counsel and train women entrepreneurs to promote their business.
While many banks and organizations are now offering loans to women for their businesses or to start new businesses, the top 5 schemes popular for offering loans to women entrepreneurs in India are –
Offered by the Central Bank of India, under this scheme women can avail a loan to start a new venture. Even those who have an established business, are experienced as a business owner, are self-employed or are professionals can opt for loans under this scheme. Furthermore, this loan scheme is applicable to those engaged in agricultural and allied activities in village and cottage industries.
1. Eligibility criteria for this scheme – Women over 18 years of age with no income ceiling for assistance can opt for this loan
2. Maximum loan amount – Women can apply for loans up to Rs.100 lakhs
3. Loan term – Loans ranging from 1 year to 7 years are offered under this scheme
4. Interest rates & processing fees – This might change based on bank's business requirements. But the estimated interest rate is base rate+0.25% for loans up to Rs.10 lakhs and for loans over Rs. 10 Lakhs the estimated interest rate is base rate+0.50% (+ applicable tenure premium). The processing fee for this loan scheme is fully waived.
5. Other features – No collateral/third party guarantee required and hypothecation of all stocks and assets created from bank's fund is required as security
This scheme is offered by the State Bank of India to women who own businesses. It also has an offer of collateral free loans up to Rs. 5 lakhs and charges a lower interest rate than banks.
1. Eligibility criteria for this scheme – Women need to own at least 51% or more of the business
2. Maximum loan amount – Under this scheme the maximum loan amount one can avail is up to Rs.50 lakhs
3. Loan term – The tenure changes depending on the loan amount and other factors
4. Interest rates & processing fees – The interest rate is 0.50% below the base rate if loan amount exceeds Rs.2 Lakhs, otherwise as per the base rate of the bank. Processing fees vary depending on the loan amount
5. Other features – No security required for loans of up to Rs.5 lakhs in the tiny sector and no interest concession for loans provided to retail traders
These are 2 popular types of loans offered by the Bhartiya Mahila Bank to women entrepreneurs for helping them set up new or expand existing businesses in the food catering segment or even for selling lunch packs.
1. Eligibility criteria for this scheme – The women applying for the loan must be between 20 to 60 years of age
2. Maximum loan amount – For the Shringaar loan scheme the maximum loan amount is up to Rs 10 Lakhs and for the Annapurna scheme it is up to Rs.50,000
3. Loan term – The loan tenure is 7 years for the Shringaar scheme and 3 years for the Annapurna scheme
4. Interest rates & processing fees – For the Shringaar scheme the interest rate is base rate+ 2% and for Annapurna scheme interest rate is base rate + 1.5%. For both schemes the processing fee varies based on factors such as loan amount
5. Other features – Shringaar scheme partners with Naturals, Cavin Kare and Lakme Ltd and both these schemes are collateral free and covered under the CGTMSE.
This loan is offered by Syndicate Bank for both new and existing women entrepreneurs. Under this scheme you can get cash credit to meet your working capital requirements or get term loan of up to 10 years.
1. Eligibility criteria for this scheme – At least 50% of the business needs to be owned by 1 or more women and they must have adequate knowledge /experience of the business activity
2. Maximum loan amount – One can avail up to Rs.5 crore under this scheme
3. Loan term – The maximum loan tenure is 10 years
4. Interest Rates and processing fees – The interest rate is 0.25% below base rate for loans over Rs 10 Lakhs and for smaller loans the interest rate is at the base rate. Processing fees is fully waived off.
5. Other features – You can get a free credit card and no third party guarantee required for loans under purview of CGMSE.
This loan is offered by Dena Bank and supports women entrepreneurs involved in either agriculture & allied activities, retail trade, micro credit, education, housing or in businesses dealing with direct/indirect finance, and manufacturing and service sectors.
1. Eligibility criteria for this scheme – The woman entrepreneur must own more than 50% of the business
2. Maximum loan amount – The loans offered are up to Rs.20 Lakhs for retail trade, education and housing and up to Rs.50,000 under micro credit schemes
3. Loan term – The loan tenure varies based on the loan amount and other factors
4. Interest Rates and processing fees – The interest rate is 0.25% below base rates for women applicants who are majority stake holders in the company and the processing fee varies based on loan amount and other factors
5. Other features – Micro credit and retail stores are also eligible along with enterprises operating in the agriculture and allied sector
What's base rate?
The minimum rate set by the Reserve Bank of India below which banks cannot lend to its customers.
What's CGSMSE?
The Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises is a special protection scheme under the Government of India,
That was all about small business loans for women, stay tuned for FlexiLoans products catered towards women. Until then any women entrepreneur can apply to our business loans by clicking here.

subset: commoncrawl


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2 and 3 Sided Square | 900×900 |900×1000 | 1000×1000
2 and 3 Sided Rectangle | 900×760 | 900×1000|1200×900
Angle Corner | 900×900 | 1000×1000
Made in New Zealand
The unique design of the Sure Seal Tray offers a full 20mm upstand around the perimeter of the shower. Both door and liner are installed within the tray so water flows back into tray whilst in use.
*All dimensions provided in product specifications are nominal
© Clearlite Bathrooms. All rights reserved.
Update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now


text:
I had a large gallery of images taken in the late 90s and 00s, but they all were only 640px wide. With modern widescreen monitors, I'm slowly going back and re-scanning images at 1,600 pxls wide and will gradually build up this album.
Sub-albums divide images into domestic/international and steam/other.
- « prev
- 1
- next »
A miscellany of infrastructure...
Images of steam from Australia and the...
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The Independent Investigations Office (IIO), the agency that examines cases of police harm to civilians in British Columbia, is investigating the death of a woman who was tased by an officer or officers of the Victoria Police Department on September 29, 2018. The IIO reports that at 2:17 AM officers attended the area of Songhees in Victoria in response to reports of a disturbance. At about 2:28 AM police located a female near the water and deployed a conducted energy weapon (CEW). Emergency Health Services (EHS) attended and the woman was transported to hospital with serious injuries. She later died there.
Police claim they were trying to prevent self harm. Tasing is itself, of course, a form of harm. No other details have been released publicly. The claims presented by police via the IIO have not been independently confirmed publicly.


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Scarecrow Contest
2018 Winners!
We are so excited to announce the winners of this year's Scarecrow Contest! Voting was tough, as there were so SO many phenomenal entries! That being said, here are your 2018 Scarecrow Champions!
Fan Favorite: "Elington Cowgirl" by Miss Briella Hunt! (Melissa Hunt)
Most Creative: "Party Animals" by Atlantic Party Flavors
Scariest: "Scream" by the Ellington Middle School Junior Art Honor Society
Funniest: "Scarecrow in Paradise" by Lindsay McCarty Neubecker & Family
Judges' Choice: "The Ghoul Bus" by First Student
Best Business: "Oil Tank Rider" by Homestead Comfort
Honorable Mention (Best Business): Misiko Tax Services
Best Department: Ellington Animal Control
A huge thanks to New England Lean Consulting, Misiko Tax Services, The Ivy At Ellington Assisted Living and Dunkin' Donuts for their generous support of this event!


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We demonstrate a high-energy pulsed Raman fiber laser (RFL) with an emission wavelength of 1.44 μm, corresponding to an absorption peak of water. Microsecond pulses with >20 mJ/pulse and >40 W peak power were generated, well above the threshold for tissue coagulation and ablation. Here, we focus on the optical characterization and optimization of high-energy and high-power RFLs excited by an ytterbium fiber laser, comparing three configurations that use different Raman gain fibers, but all of which were prepared with a one-side opened, free-run mode without output mirrors. We show that the free-run configuration can generate sufficiently high energy without requiring a closed cavity design. Experimental RFL characteristics corresponded well with numerical simulations. We discuss the Stokes beam generation process in our system and loss mechanisms mainly associated with fiber Bragg gratings.
© 2014 Optical Society of AmericaFull Article | PDF Article
OSA Recommended Articles
Yize Huang, Jamil Jivraj, Jiaqi Zhou, Joel Ramjist, Ronnie Wong, Xijia Gu, and Victor X. D. Yang
Opt. Express 24(15) 16674-16686 (2016)
Kathy Beaudette, Hyoung Won Baac, Wendy-Julie Madore, Martin Villiger, Nicolas Godbout, Brett E. Bouma, and Caroline Boudoux
Biomed. Opt. Express 6(4) 1293-1303 (2015)
Nathan B. Terry, Kevin T. Engel, Thomas G. Alley, and Timothy H. Russell
Opt. Express 15(2) 602-607 (2007)


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Two star opening for Le Clarence
I am not sure just how rare it is, but just a year after opening, 'Le Clarence' in Paris has just been awarded two Michelin stars. Perhaps that's not so unexpected given its provenance: the restaurant is housed in an elegant 19th century mansion purchased by Domaine Clarence Dillon (Château Haut-Brion, Château La Mission Haut-Brion), to become the company's Paris HQ, and entirely renovated by Prince Robert of Luxembourg. The mansion also houses 'La Cave du Château', a unique Fine Wine shop, and when Chef Christophe Pelé (right) came on board – previously awarded two stars in his restaurant La Bigarrade, Le Clarence's fate was sealed.
Paaderberg threatened
The Swartland region is one of South Africa's wine gems, famed for the quality of its wines, superb vineyards and glorious scenery. The industry has been shocked by a decision by the Swartland Municipality to approve two sand mining licences for the area, quoting legislation that says "the mining of sand for construction purposes as an important aspect of economic development in the Western Cape." However the wine industry is behind a petition to have the licences revoked, with representative body Wines of South Africa calling the Municipality's decision "a true blow to the regional wine fraternity, who have worked hard over the past 10 years to establish themselves both locally and internationally."
Wine is Art
Chilean wine producer Vina Santa Rita has joined forces with the National Gallery Company in an partnership that will see some of the most famous paintings in the world adorn the labels of a new line of limited-edition wines. A percentage of the profits of each bottle sold will go back to the National Gallery, which enjoys charitable status. The three year licensing agreement allows access to over 2300 images and the first UK release includes a Pinot Noir depicting Camille Pissarro's 'The Boulevard Montmartre at Night' which retails for £8.50 in Sainsbury's, and a Chardonnay and Merlot sold by on-line wine retailer Laithwaites for £9.99 featuring George Seurat's 'Bathers at Asnières' and Turner's 'The Fighting Temeraire'.
We Got the Power
Trade magazine Drinks Business and online fine wine trading exchange Liv-Ex have compiled what they say are the world's top 10 most powerful fine wine 'brands', calculated by researching year-on-year price performance; trading performance on Liv-ex by value and volume; number of wines and vintages traded; average price of the wines in a brand. Bordeaux's Château Lafite took number one spot, generating the highest total value of all brands traded on Liv-Ex, though its average case price of £3,757 placed it only 17th in the rankings. The highest average case price went to D.R.C's Romanée-Conti, at a staggering £18,141, though Domaine de la Romanée-Conti managed 6th place overall in terms of 'power, no doubt due to the relative volumes being traded against the Bordeaux first growths, which occupied the top five slots.


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TREC Disk 4 & 5
TREC Disks 4 & 5 are the main adhoc TREC test collections that followed Disks 1 & 2.
Indexing Disks 4 & 5 is easy with Terrier. Only one property in terrier.properties needs to be altered from the default created by trec_setup, as follows:
#skip indexing some tags for these corpora TrecDocTags.process=TEXT,H3,DOCTITLE,HEADLINE,TTL
When indexing, we do not typically include the Congressional Record when indexing. See Query performance prediction, B.H He & I.Ounis, Information Systems 31(7), pp585--594, 2006. http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1226381


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ForEarth Trap Care has been developed to provide you with an easy, safe and effective solution to treat your grease traps, interceptors, ejector pits, septic tanks, floor traps and kitchen drainage pipelines.
These highly concentrated tablets contain carefully selected strains of bacteria, oxygen and nutrients that are essential for the degradation of waste. This environmentally friendly Trap Care is designed to release and rehydrate the freeeze dried bacteria at the bottom of the tanks where sludge build up is at its worst.
Benefits of using TRAP CARE
1. Reduces sludge production in grease traps, septic tanks and drainage pipelines.
2. Kills the odourous smell from the grease traps and septic tanks
3. Saves operations costs from reduced frequency in de-silting grease traps, septic tanks and flushing of kitchen drainage lines.
TRAP CARE to be used regularly
It is a well know fact the the use of many common cleaning chemicals kill beneficial bacteria in waste water systems so Trap Care tablets must be replaced for your systems to work effectivley. ForEarth Trap Care should be used regularly.
Trap Care is safe for humans and animals, but care should be taken to ensure that tablets are not ingested or in prolonged contact with skin
Grease traps normally have a higher flow at certain times per day. Consult your ForEarth representative on dosage and frequency of dispensing Trap Care.
Enquire Here


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So did I. But the comedians honored it:
Today [September 24] was National Punctuation Day, and hopefully Bill Cosby is celebrating with a really long sentence." — SETH MEYERS
"Weight Watchers is shortening its name to WW. Did you hear that? Which means that in the next Weight Watchers commercial, you're going to see the name bragging about how it dropped 12 letters." — JIMMY FALLON


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Multi Automation builds automation and special purpose machines for industry.
Our company - strategically placed in the Midlands - offers an impressive skills base, from small fixturing and controls to full-scale production lines.
We offer in-depth knowledge and expertise across a huge variety of projects, markets and technologies.
And our ability to design and integrate the best solution tailored to your needs and budget is second to none.
We have an excellent reputation in the marketplace, both at home and abroad, and make considerable investment in the latest technology to aid project delivery.
Plus, we have invested carefully in our people, processes and IT – including the latest design software – to stay strides ahead of the competition.


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As it turns out, working toward your legacy is the best way to yield massive gains as a General Manager in any business, but specifically in a car dealership.
In episode 126 I'm joined by Car Veteran, Jim "Alpha Dawg" Ziegler who shares the activities that a General Manager should be doing each week in order to promote positive growth in the store.
"Success isn't about the money you make, it's about the legacy you leave."
But why is that so important to understand? Well, working towards your legacy provides purpose to your day-to-day efforts. The vision of your legacy determines how you interact with and lead your people. Your legacy outlines the criteria for holding your vendors accountable – all factors that contribute to the general success of your dealership.
Season 8 Sponsor
Instant Cash Offer helps you attract customers who are motivated to trade in or sell their vehicles? Plus, it helps you to say "yes" to more customers without taking on cars you can't move. Visit b2b.kbb.com/gettoyes to learn more.
Thanks for Listening!
Thank you so much for joining me again this week. Have some feedback? I'd love to hear it in the comments section below.
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media links provided.
Also, I would be deeply honored if you would leave an honest review of The Dealer Playbook Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are super valuable and greatly appreciated. They matter in the ranking of the show, and I read each and every one of them.
I'm on a mission to enrich and empower automotive professionals all over the world. Don't forget to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio or you can visit the DPB channel on YouTube to watch the full video of this interview!
Finally, special thanks to Jim 'Alpha Dawg' Ziegler for joining me this week. Until next time, keep the Playbook open and DOMINATE!


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Jane Virgo ©
– Click –
Edna Enid Martingale lifts her straggly head out of her scraggly shawl and tries to make sense of the altered landscape.
"Oh dear", she sighs. "Not again! And I left all the lights on – oh, the waste!"
Around her leaves detach themselves from trees and fall gently upward. The sun has taken on a most unflattering shade of green and she feels too light for her one hundred and eighty kilograms.
"Gravity," she nods knowingly.
Another person might scream with terror, but Edna Enid has always known that reality is an absurdist plot, a television program subject to alteration at the last minute.
"Someone must have changed the channel," she muses, "Oh, and I left the TV on too."
She sits down on a convenient rock and takes out her knitting, which fortunately has come along for the journey. She is knitting a cardigan for her granddaughter. Last year she knitted a doll for her grandson. Edna Enid does not believe in sexism.
Over the horizon, which really does drop away much too sharply rides a knight in shining armor.
"Oh no," thinks Edna Enid, "all my life I dreamed of this, but now I'm much too old –
Meanwhile, the towering knight reins in his powerful stallion and courteously raises his visor, to reveal his aged, majestic face.
– perhaps I'm not too old, after all.
The knight graceously clears his throat:
"Fair maiden," he booms, "if you would but hear my plight! In yonder castle, beyond the dreaded Darkest Forest, lurks a golden dragon, of the fire breathing variety. With brazen claw and and adamant teeth, yea it has wrought much havoc on village and pasture, on man and beast. The fiend holds captive our king's own daughter, the fairest princess ever to grace our kingdom! And it falls my duty, and my honour to slay this monster. And yet I fear my great strength and unrivalled courage may not suffice, and so I seek a token, the least of tokens, from a beauteous virgin, such as yourself.
Edna Enid sneezes, which she always does when it's not polite to laugh. She opens her mouth to protest that, alas, she is no longer a virgin, when out of the Darkest Forest, tarnished hooves flying like the wind, gallops a dusty unicorn. It gazes longingly at Edna Enid with soft rheummy eyes,then trustingly lays its battered head upon her lap.
"And how can I argue with that?" she wonders, "Really, this must be a very low budget production."
Carefully Edna Enid removes her sequinned hairnet and presents it to the waiting knight. Overcome by the beauty of her long grey hair, he cannot speak, but solemnly lowers his visor before riding steadfastly into the Darkest Forest.
With a heartfelt sigh, Edna Enid turns her attention to the unicorn. "Do you speak?" she asks.
"Of course I do!" replies the unicorn, "though really, I don't wonder that you ask. The casting department has gotten me into such an obscure role. My hide looks, uh, motheaten, I don't know what I'm supposed to be, and if only I had hands…"
"Unicorns don't have hands." says Edna Enid.
"So that's what I am!" cries the unicorn, "I say, thank you so much!" and with a grateful dip of its gilded horn the creature prances off into the scrub.
Edna Enid gazes after it for a while, and then picks up her knitting. Some time later she notices that the sky is darkening to olive – and she is still here.
"Bother." she says, "I'm not going to be home for dinner."
But Edna Enid is reluctant to move.
If she does not get home soon, she will have to find shelter for the night, but what if she is transported home from a different location? The last time that happened, she materialized right in the middle of an all men's sauna. And the time before that she popped up in a courtroom. A trial was in progress and the judge was most unfriendly. It was all quite awkward, but Edna Enid has grown adept at talking her way out of awkward situations.
Most people do not understand that all the world's a soundstage and the men and women only players in a TV soup opera.
Edna Enid shivers: a cool wind is blowing and the last gold streaks are fading from the olive black sky. She must find shelter, despite the consequenses. After plaitting her hair, she secures it under the wolly cap that she always keeps in her pocket, just in case. Then she begins to walk in the opposite direction to the forest, and
– Click –
Edna Enid is sitting inside something large and…yes, moving. It seems to be some kind of freight transport.
"I probably won't be home for dinner tomorrow night either. Hugo will be upset. I wonder if this is going to Melbourne. I'd like to go to Melbourne. It has been a long time since I saw Ethel and Mildred. I hope Hugo remembers to water the pot plants. Last time I went away, all the ferns dried out and I had an awful time getting them wet again. Still it would be nice to go to Melbourne.
She takes out her knitting.
"They can run films at different speeds, when they run old silent movies on TV, they're all speeded up. Maybe I"ve been speeded up! Then I won't be late for dinner after all – but what if I've been slowed down. It's such a bother. Hugo will just have to do his own cooking and…Oh!
Edna Enid puts down her knitting, quite horrified.
"I'm a stowaway. Wherever I am, whatever will they think of me? I wonder what they do to stowaways here. I'll just explain it was an accident.
She picks up her knitting and carefully unknits the last row.
"Strange." she says, examining the needles. She takes her watch out of her pocket – yes! it is ticking backwards.
"Really! They've started this program from the wrong end! Most careless…unless they're rewinding. Yes, that must be it. I do feel strange." Her heart is beating rapidly and her ears are ringing. She begins to feel nauseous, but then the lights go out, and she faints.
The huge intergalactic liner, in whose hull Edna Enid lies unconscious, continues to travel at many times the speed of light.
Long ago the beneficial side-effects of faster-than-light travel were discovered when the first F.T.L. ship returned to port piloted by a bewildered five year old captain. Nowadays, crew and Class A passengers reside in specially shielded null-time cabins, while Class B passengers – which category now includes Edna Enid – are subjected to the naked temporal forces which provide the most effective and expensive rejuvination process ever discovered. Temporal therapy generates unnpleasant side effects such as rapid heart beat and nausea, but while bonefide Class B passengers are blissfully comotose, Edna Enid has not been so lucky.
But there are no permanent ill effects, and when the ship slows to below the light barrier, Edna Enid awakes. She yawns, stretches, and notices that she feels extremely well.
"That was a fast rewind. I'm not even hungry yet."
And then the lights come on: "Oh no. I'm quite unwrinkly. What? Oh, bother. This means I'll have to go through all that living again, I do hate reruns. How will I ever explain this to Hugo? and the children – they're so conservative." She wrinkles her nose in disgust on noticing that her hips have lost enormous bulk. She has to tie her scarf around her waist to keep her skirt from falling down and her stockings are bagging at the ankles.
"It's a good thing I don't have varicose veins any more. These things wouldn't support anything. I'd better neaten myself up before I meet the officials. What a shame, I don't think I'm in Melbourne, or even on the right channel. I wonder what the people are like here. Maybe they look like big blue slugs. Wouldn't that be quaint?"
Edna is still tugging at her stockings when the door slides open to reveal a big blue slug.
"Aha!", it slithers, "A stowaway!"
"I knew it," thinks Edna, keeping calm. I wonder what big blue slugs do to stowaways."
As the slug advances menacingly
– Click –
This time Edna Enid's knitting is missing. Three clicks in one day were too much for it. Three clicks are too much for Edna too. She has a nasty feeling that she is never going to get home again, for any dinner. By now she must be well out of receiving distance for her home chanel and the novelty of clicking has quite worn off.
Still, tomorrow could be interesting providing she can find something to eat, and providing nobody wants to eat her.
– Click.


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Bonsoy Soy Milk has been linked to at least ten instances of thyroid problems. One of the victims is a newborn, whose mother drank Bonsoy milk during her pregnancy. The soy milk was found to contain excessive amounts of iodine.
"Bonsoy has a Natural, full bodied mellow aroma and a subtle, mildly sweet flavour. Made from a selected variety of soybeans and processed to a unique and original Japanese recipe.""What we mean by a "traditional recipe" is that soy and grain give a complete protein profile. Kombu (sea-veg), known for its mineral content, is also used when beans are consumed. Job's tears (also known as Hato Mugi) is held in high regard in Chinese medicine for its properties. These ingredients form the corner stone of a "traditional recipe" in that all these products work together not only for taste and texture but also for nutrition."


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A Prediction Worth Considering
By Ya'akov Peretz
Be'er Sheva, Israel
Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson, and expert in the Torah Codes, has found an interesting Table that seems to point toward the reelection of that treasonous Islamic Mole Barack Hussein Obama. Is Obama Urmilus? Certainly he is Anti-Israel, and in his second term all the American Jews shall find, to their utmost horror that he truly is an anti-Semite.
In 1959 I was living in Cuba and I heard Castro say on TV that all the accusations that some people were circulating in reference to him being a Communist were "absolutely false;" and then he pronounced the famous but highly deceiving words that most Cubans wanted at that time to believe: "This Revolution is not Red! It is Green, green as our palm trees." The palm tree is the Cuban national tree and a symbol of Cuban nationalism. The Cuban people of at that time took the same attitude that Americans have taken with Obama nowadays: Why doubt his own word about himself, right?
Well, three years after his denial of being Communist, in April 1962, when Castro had already achieved his total military control over the island, he shamelessly confessed also on TV: "I am – and have always being – a Communist! And this Revolution is, and will be, Communist." Of course, by then it was too late. Cubans found a shred of hope in trying and leave the enslaved island. Most Americans will have no place to run to when Obama comes out "clean" in his second term as who he really is.
Sadly, the fall of America is at hand.


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10 iOS 5 Tips and Tricks You Need to Know
iOS 5 has been released for over a month now, and while it's reportedly been the source of battery drainage issues for many (in particular iPhone 4S owners), the new OS is still by far the best that Apple's offered to date. From the overhauled Notification System to iMessage, iOS 5 boasts over 200 new features for iDevice users. So unless you've made it a point to learn all there is to know about iOS 5, it's likely you have yet to come across certain "hidden" features on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Let's take a look at 10 Tips and Tricks that'll add functionality to your device you may never knew existed.
1. Create Keyboard Shortcuts
One of the more useful iOS 5 features, Keyboard Shortcuts allow users to create custom abbreviations, which will then expand into snippets of text. Just like the popular TextExpander app, iOS Shortcuts will save you loads of time when banging out that email or iMessage. To enable it, go to Settings –> General –> Keyboard –> Shortcuts –> Add New Shortcut… Then create your own Phrase (ie "What's For Dinner") and Shortcut. Once that's saved, the moment you type out "wfd", you'll see What's For Dinner appear above the abbreviation (same as the auto correct functionality). A simple tap on the space bar and the custom text fully expands. The default On My Way shortcut has already been created for you to get started.
2. VoiceOver – Have your emails and webpages read out to you
As cool as Siri is, it currently can't read emails back to you – or any user selected text for that matter. The VoiceOver feature, which made its debut on iOS 4, is found under the Accessibility menu. While it was created to assist the visually impaired, VoiceOver can just as easily be used to dictate emails for when you're driving, for example. To enable it, go to Settings –> General –> Accessibility –> Triple-click Home –> Toggle VoiceOver. Now whenever you triple click the home button, VoiceOver becomes active and is ready to do thy bidding. Tap on any block of text (in an email or webpage) and its contents will be read aloud. To move onto the next sentence/paragraph, simply swipe right on the screen, and three fingers are needed to scroll up/down the page. Note: you can turn on VoiceOver at the very top of the Accessibility menu as well (Under 'Vision'), but for this purpose, the method above will allow you to turn it on/off no matter where you are on the iDevice.
3. Weather – View Hourly Forecasts
The stock Weather app remains essentially unchanged from iOS 4, except for one handy feature: Hourly forecast. To reveal the hourly forecast, simply tap on the screen with a selected city and the current day will display the weather for the next 12 hours, by the hour. Useful for when you want to see whether it's likely to rain later in the day. And if you have the Weather widget displayed in the Notification menu (by default, it only shows current temperature, you can swipe it left/right to show the forecast for the next 5 days.
4. Custom Vibrations
That's right, you can actually lay down your very own vibrating beats on iOS 5 and assign them to specific contacts. Now you can "see" who's calling or texting by feeling and/or listening to the custom vibrations. First, head on over to Settings –> General –> Accessibility and turn Custom Vibrations to On. Then make your way to Settings –> Sounds and ensure that Vibrate is turned ON (either in Silent or Normal mode). Scroll all the way down to Vibration Patterns and open the Vibrations Menu. Five "Standard" (or defaults) are already there, but to make your own, you'll need to tap on Create New Vibration. The next screen is where you let your creativity shine. Start tapping and the device will begin recording your pattern – up to 10 seconds long. Once you save, you'll give it a name and it now becomes the default vibration for all incoming calls.
Should you wish to assign different vibrations to individuals (i.e one for your wife, another for your boss), you'll need to go to that person's contact page (found in the stock Contacts app) and tap Edit on top right of screen. Now scroll down until you see "vibration". Tap that and you can then choose a custom made one (or create a new vibration from this screen).
5. Create Photo Albums
iOS 5 finally lets you better organize your photos right from within the iDevice. In the Photos app, tap the Edit button, then Add in top left corner. Select the album you wish to add images from (most likely the Camera Roll if its your first time), and tap on the thumbnails one by one. Hit Done and voilà ! Alternatively, you can be in the Camera Roll screen and tap the bottom left action button. Now make your individual selections and tap the Add To button at the bottom. From here, you can add photos to a new or existing album. This feature doesn't actually move your pictures into folders – they're all still in the Camera Roll. Rather, think of it as image tagging, where a photo can appear in more than one album.
6. Swipe for Photo Library, Pinch to Zoom and Shutter button(s)
While you're in the Camera app, you can easily jump into your Photo Library without having to tap on the thumbnail square located on bottom left of the screen. Simply swipe to the right to transition into the Camera Roll. You can continue swiping right to view previous photos, and left swipes will eventually bring you back into the Camera. To activate the digital Zoom, you can use multi-touch gestures – move two fingers apart to zoom in, and pinch them to zoom back out. Finally, the Volume Up button now acts as a physical shutter button, making it a whole lot easier for most when taking pictures. And did you know that the volume up on the earphone's remote (Apple's own or third party both work) also mimics the shutter function?
7. Private Browsing
You don't have to rely on the likes of PERFECT or Atomic Web Browser to hide your naughty surfing habits anymore. iOS 5 lets you turn on Private Browsing for mobile Safari. Settings –> Safari –> Private Browsing –> On. You'll be asked right away if you'd like to close all existing tabs or keep them open. Upon using Safari again, you'll notice that the browser's "skin" has gone black (an indication that private mode is on). Until you turn the option off, Safari won't be saving any urls visited, cookies, search terms and other browsing history info.
8. Access Camera from locked screen
For shutterbugs, this is undoubtedly a favorite iOS 5 feature. From the locked screen (or when iDevice is in sleep mode), a double tap on the home button will bring up not only the iPod controls, but also a new Camera icon (bottom right) that will take you into the i-Camera. Not to worry, existing photos on the Camera Roll can't be accessed via this method, though pictures that have just been taken can still be previewed.
9. Open Safari Links in the Background
Here's a minor Safari 'tweak' that I've come to love. By default, if you tap and hold on a link in Safari, you're given the option to "Open in New Page". That's fine and dandy, but what if you want to continue reading the article and not have to switch back to current webpage after the new one has been opened? With the "Open Links In Background" function, you can do just that. To enable: Settings –> Safari –> Open Links –> In Background. Now when you tap and hold a link, you'll see "Open In Background" instead, which will allow you to continue reading while the new page loads in the background. Tap the bottom right "Tabs" icon and you'll find the recently opened page waiting for you.
10. App Management – View App sizes (and delete)
It used to be that you couldn't view how much space each app took up on your iDevice while away from iTunes on your desktop (without jailbreaking anyway). Thankfully, iOS 5 makes it easy to see just how many MBs or GBs an app is actually using. To get there, navigate to Settings –> General –> Usage. Here under the 'Storage' heading, your list of apps are shown from largest to smallest. Tap on an app and you'll be given the option on the next screen to wipe it from your iPhone/iPad. And if you have audiobooks onboard, you can even delete them if you select Music from the list of apps displayed (entire books only, not individual chapters).


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I realize up front that I will likely be savaged and trashed for my opinions in this post. However, after receiving a plethora of e-mails from Democrats with the catch phrase "Not Voting is a Vote for Tea Party Republicans," I am beyond over the standard Democrat bogey man ploy to sucker LGBT voters into voting for those who have no intention of actually furthering our equality. Thus, I have been responding with this catch phrase: "Not Voting is Saying No to Being Played for a Fool Yet Again."
I first cast a vote in an election over 38 years ago and since that time I have never failed to vote in any city, state or federal election. That track record may change on November 2, 2010, as I seriously consider not voting. Yes, that's right, I may not vote in the coming election. From conversations with others I am not the only one who is leaning toward staying home from the polls.


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Book Cover Jacket
I chose the Swiss design style for this book cover jacket. I used the rule of thirds to place the text in the upper left. I used a giant slanting arrow to bring attention to the center of the design. I chose the warm colors red and yellow to add more contrast.


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Book Biscuit and I watched a great little video a while ago that shows the difference between how adults and children think about their bodies. Each person was asked what they would change about themselves, if they could. The children... Continue Reading →
Inside, outside, upside down, From head to toe and all around, I like it all! It all is me! And me is all I want to be. "I Like Myself" by Karen Beaumont is a rhyming story about a child... Continue Reading →
I've been reading some dull stuff recently and I needed a break. I needed some FUN! I needed some MAGIC! I needed some EXCITEMENT! And I got it all in THE SECRET MOUNTAIN by Tom Percival. Phew! What a relief...... Continue Reading →
Crunch, crunch. Crunch, crunch... a wandering storyteller, a landscape shrouded in snow and a richly-drawn community of folklore-loving rabbits make a superbly compelling combination in this middle-grade story. Readers of Podkin One Ear will hanker for a few peaceful hours' reading time, a roaring fireside and preferably... Continue Reading →
I first read this book when I was a child. Or perhaps it was just that I watched the BBC drama and later fancied that I read it. I have certainly read it again within the last ten years so I don't know... Continue Reading →
MOCKINGBIRD by Kathryn Erskine is a story about Caitlyn, a girl with Aspergers who has just suffered the loss her brother. This story delivers an awesome protagonist, especially for Autistic Spectrum readers. It's my first library read in a while and I'm feeling very warm... Continue Reading →
I've been lucky this week to get my hands on lots of gorgeous children's books and super-cute read BEAR ON A BIKE by Hannah Shaw, is one of them. Bear has made a lovely cake for his peppy little friend Mouse.... Continue Reading →
With its gorgeous, lively cover, THE GLUMP AND THE PEEBLE is the sort of picture book you can't help but pick up. Poor Glump SO wants to dance like a Peeble but he's just a Glump sitting in his cave, he's... Continue Reading →


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Studying is not fun. I have been trying to cram for my CCRN exam (to become certified as a critical care nurse) and to put it plainly... it sucks. I have not been doing well on the practice exams which is incredibly frustrating because I only have a week or so left before the test. At this rate I honestly wonder how in the world I even made it through nursing school. I promise I'm not a horrible nurse, I'm just a horrible test taker.
I decided recently that I was going to go back to school for my bachelors degree. (As of right now I only have my ASN) Originally I had planned to go through Cal State Domniguez hills because its online and its geared for nurses who work full time. The program is about 3 years long if you take classes part time which is what I was planning on doing. Luckily my wonderful bff Bethany discovered a program through UT Arlington that offers the same degree with the same credentials but with half the amount of units required. End result = I only have to go to school for 15 months instead of 3 years. (Which I guess is the norm and Cal State DH is just unusually long) Yay for me!
I have discovered that the root of all evil is lack of sleep. Seriously there were two days last week were I got over 5 hours of sleep both nights and I literally felt like a different person. A less angry, less irritable, more energetic version of myself and I really enjoyed it. I'm pretty sure my co-workers did too. Now this week.... a whole different story... back to grumpy Andi :P
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This week we are trialing new TB isolation room masks. I was the lucky one stuck in the TB room for two days straight which meant that I got to look like a storm trooper for two days.. either that or one of those super sick kids who has to live in a bubble.
I finally joined the rest of the iphone user world and got the instagram app and I love it. Took this picture on a drive a few weeks ago and it makes me smile. I love where I live :)
This week I have officially met my favorite patient of all time. Him and his wife are truly the cutest and sweetest people I have ever met and they will be getting a post all of their own soon.
And since I have nothing else for you I will wish you all a wonderful weekend. My goal is too study and sleep like mad. YAY it's Friday!
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!


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The key cost to consider when building or buying a new home is the cost of the home itself. When you purchase a new home from a builder, the cost typically includes the base price of the home (and lot) plus the price of any upgrades you choose - from fireplaces to other add-ons.
In addition, there are other costs that you should be aware of, from legal fees to mortgage insurance premiums, which can apply to a home purchase.
Discuss any specific items and costs that apply to your situation with your builder and your lender, so that you can budget with confidence and avoid being faced with unexpected last minute expenses.
Mortgage Insurance. If mortgage insurance is required on your purchase, all mortgages carry risk. If you finance over 80% of the property value, it is considered a higher risk than a loan equal to or less than 80%. For those borrowers who can't make the full 20% down payment, PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) is considered a valuable financing tool that offers benefits to the lender and borrower. Mortgage insurance reduces that risk by protecting the lender.
Appraisals. The lender typically requires an appraisal to verify the value of the property that will be their security for the loan you are getting. The appraisal cost is part of the Buyer paid loan fees. This is often considered part of "closing/settlement costs."
Closing costs. When you show up to sign your closing documents, you will also be paying various fees known as closing costs. They can include processing fees, underwriting fees, state deed transfer tax, recording fees, survey and title insurance fees. Make sure to get an estimate of what the fees will add up to. A general rule of thumb is 3% of your home purchase price.
Moving expenses. How much are you willing to do yourself or ask of friends and family? Make sure to shop around for a moving company and get various estimates.
Appliances, furniture, window treatments. Once you've moved all of your existing items, you may find that it's not what, it doesn't fit or it doesn't properly work for the space you have. You may need more than you think. It's a good idea to budget in advance and not let these items catch you off guard.
Property taxes and homeowners insurance. If you have never had a mortgage before, be aware that your monthly bill won't simply reflect the loan amount plus interest. It will also reflect property taxes and premiums for homeowners insurance, which all mortgage borrowers are required to obtain.
Supplemental Insurance. If you buy a home in an area exposed to flooding, you may have to purchase a supplemental policy.
Homeowners association/condo fees. Consumers who buy into certain developments may have to pay an additional monthly fee on top of their payments for principal, interest, taxes and insurance. Condo and single family developments often charge residents for services that benefit the community, like lawn mowing, snow plowing or employing a front-desk attendant.
Utility connection fees. Transferring your phone, internet, cable and other utilities can be added expenses. Check it out. If you previously rented and are not accustomed to making all utility payments, do your research and know what to expect.
Double payments. If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of owning two homes for a period of time, you'll have to count on double payments. Don't forget that includes utilities, mortgage, taxes, etc. until the old house has been sold.


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Gude's Law
January 21st, 2009 | Published in Core theory, Reporting commentary | 4 Comments
The roos were indifferent as usual, even to Gude's Law.
As I contemplate Obama's inauguration what comes up for me in terms of Newmediatheory is the theme I have been discussing in recent posts. How new technological environments make us collectively and individually numb as we struggle to come to terms with a new landscape – our vision clouded by the geography of the past. In celebration of the occasion I would propose Gude's law (Hat Tip to Donald Rumsfeld):
In times of great technological change the ratio of unknown unknowns to known unknowns rises such that they exceed our capacity to accommodate them.
I can think of no politician who personifies McLuhan's numbness more than ex President Bush. I think it is often mistaken for stupidity. What I believe we are so often witnessing is, in large part, a man who is so embedded in the role of an industrial age CEO that he is completely unaware of the new technological environment in which he operates.
Not so President Obama. While Reagan and Clinton were masters of the television environment, Obama lives in the computer age as well as being absolutely at home on television. But this is my point. All of us are blind to the total disruptions to our settled institutions and ways of thinking that today's new technological environment serves up to us. And the computer age is still in short pants, to use a Victorian metaphor.
I think Obama's intelligence and flexibility of mind and the fact that he has spent a greater percentage of his time living in the computer age than any previous president or candidate gives him a much better chance of coping with the what Gude's law predicts is the remorseless emergence of unknown unknowns. I think he recognizes that he is not dealing with the industrialized world of the past 250 years, but something genuinely different with different possibilities and dangers. His interest in appointing a governmental CTO, as well as his instinct to hang on to his BlackBerry, are small indicators of that awareness.
Last week I was listening to TWIT (Leo Laport's podcast, This Week In Tech) as I walked my dog Lanthe along a bush track near where I live in Perth, Western Australia. A group of Silicon Valley's best pundits were debating the merits of then President elect Obama's attempts to keep his Blackberry. They were humming and hawing about the legal issues and being what I thought was inexcusably numb to the implications of a President using his BlackBerry to Tweet (ie use the social networking software Twitter) to reach his national and world wide constituency. I found myself shouting "Would FDR have used Twitter? He used the Radio to broadcast 'Fireside Chats" in '29!! Idiots!" Lanthe is used to me and my eccentricities and fortunately no one else was about, except the roos, who were indifferent as usual.
And there I was doing what McLuhan said we all do – plunging into the future with my eyes firmly fixed on the rear view mirror. I don't know if Obama should keep his BlackBerry or if he or future presidents will use the directness and spontaneity of the Internet to bypass the press and even the vast PR, legal, and security apparatus that has built up around the American presidency. I do know I will support him as I did his predecessor as he tries to cope with terrorism, and economic crisis. What is new for me is that Obama has a real chance of building new kinds of institutions in the computer age. What computer theorist Eric S Raymond referred to as Homesteading the Noosphere.
Listening today to Leo Laporte's Mac podcast MacBreak Weekly done just after the inauguration I learned that President Obama has managed to keep his BlackBerry and will continue to use Twitter. Score: President 2, Lawyers 0.


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"Choqazanbil" one million bricks to the god of Shush
It is winter but the weather is great. Sprinkles of rain and ground covered with fresh and green vegetables,feels like we are in spring. A few meters away, the "Dez" river is crawling silently in its long side jungles, and the narrowpalms have reached the sky. Maybe that's why the Achaemenian kings had built their winter castle here, but few people know that this structure is Iran's sole world structure,somehow about one thousand years older than Persepolis.
In history, Iran has been a pathway for nations, religions and cultures, and in addition to Islam, that is most of Iranians' religion, followers of many religions of the world such as Jews, Zoroastrians, Christians, Buddhists, Medians and Indians have had temples in Iran, however if we want to introduce the oldest temples in this large land,it would be undoubtedly the "Choqazanbil Ziggurat". this great phenomenon that is in the list of the world cultural heritage , is a brick made structure built for two great gods of the Elamits, Shoshinak the great god of shush and Napirish the god of skies, in 3300 years ago and there are more than one million bricks used to build this structure .
An ancient temple for Elamits:
The Elamits built their Ziggurat, which was a symbol of ascension to heaven, in five floors and 52 meters high, but during hundreds of years,its 3 upper floors were collapsed and the other two floors were buried. Thus, one of the biggest temples in the ancient world looked like an upside down basket that in the local language is called "Choqazanbil" (basket like hill). Till the early 20th century , no one knew that what a great treasure was hidden beneath this upside down basket, but eventually the curiosity of one of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company employees who lived there , attracted the archaeologists and the Choqazanbil ziggurat was scooped by the French archaeologists from 1951 for 11 years . If you go to visit the ziggurat,you can see the remains of the ancient city "dur-untash", the ruins of some small temples and the family graves of Elamit kings too. The distance of this great site to Shush city is 42 kilometers that you may go by personal or rental vehicle. In a part of this rout,you would pass the sugarcane fields and jungles that are habitats of the Iranian yellow fawn and you will enjoy landscapes.
Choqazanbilowes to the oil drilling
The discovery of Choqazanbil owes to the oil drillings in south of Iran. It goes back to 1935, when the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company was drilling near the Dezriver. One of the employees whowas a citizen of New Zealand, noticed a greatcomplex similar to a hill, that was on an elevated place. He found a brick inscription there. Ironically, archaeological operations were running in Shush at the same time.
So there is no wonder that he took the brick inscription to the group ofarchaeologists in Shush and discovered this magnificent structure. During 1951 to 1962 other discoveries were done by French Roman Girshman and more information about Choqazanbil was found.
The sun rises twice here :
The style of architecture in Choqazanbil causes to think that the sun rises and sets twice in this site. This arises from that the angle of the horizon with an imaginary line that connects the corner of the first floor of each side of the structure, to the top floor, completely equals to the angle and direction of the morning sun, during the equinoxes.since each floor of the ziggurat , is smaller than the lower floors, in the eyes of a visitor who stands in the observatory of the north side, the sun appears to rise and set several times in the back of the ziggurat, in a short time. If you wish to see this phenomenon, you should record a video and watch it .
Usage of the sun clocks
If you go to Choqazanbil ,you will notice that there are some sun clocks .In three sides of the Choqazanbil there are three brick structures built in the shape of circle. At this time , only one of these three in the northwest side remained somehow intact. Another structure in southwest, ishalf renovated similar to the sample, by the French group. From the third structure almost remained the foundation and nothing else. It is said that these three structures were three bases to set a sculpture, but with little attention you will find out that they were used in order to time detection. At the four sides of these three structures, there are four sun measurements made of bricks,in shape of arcades or window , that are similar to the sun measurements in the observatoryof NaghsheRostam.
These three structures make a united complex, an observatory or sun calendar to measure the rotation of the sun and subsequently, keeping account of the year , counting the years, extracting the calendar, detection of the first and middle days of each season or vernal and autumnal equinoxes and summer and winter revolutions. The method of building these sun measurements had followed the aim to detect the first or middle of each seasons that are in accordance with vernal and autumnal equinoxes and summer and winter revolutions by observing the shadows made during sunrise or sunset.
The Pythagorean and ancient Refinery
A large brick structure in five floors built in the hottest regions of Iran, must have an interesting system as water supply for its residents. If you look for the wonders of Choqazanbil, we advise you to study about the water system in this structure .At the beginning it seems that the water for Choqazanbilwas taken from the DezRiver which is near the temple. It is not right, because the river bed is lower than the plain in which Choqazanbil is situated. So the water for Choqazanbil should be taken from somewhere else, "Karkhe River" , do not be surprised. An Elamit king commanded to dig a 45 kilometers cannel inorder to bring the water of Karkhe river to Choqazanbil, but it was not the end, because the river became muddy as it passed the plain, and was not good to use, so the transferred water was conducted into pools so that the mud would be settled and the water would be refined. It is said that during the water treatment, they had used the Pythagorean rules. If it is right,the intelligence of those must be congratulated who built a modern water refinery system in 1200 yearsb.c.
The unsaid about "Acropolis"
In shush and it surroundings, there are many ancient sites from thousand years before the Christ to the middle decades of Islamic era. The most important is the acropolis hill, that is overlooking the city and in close distance to Danial temple.
This hill has allocated many layers of civilization from Elamit, Achaemenid, Parthian , Sassanid and Islamic era. But many of antiquities that are taken from excavations in the different layers of this hill, are now in the Louvre in Paris. French people who discovered these antiquities, had built a castle on top of the hill for themselves, to protect them from the raid of the tribes who lived near Shush anddo their researches stealthily at the same time. The French used the thousand years bricks of Elamit era to build the castle and had done a lot of damages to the historic remnants of acropolis. This shows that their aim of research in Shush , was not the scientific discoveries, but to get antiques for their museum.
Down the hill of acropolis and inside a rather small garden, there is the Archaeological Museum of Shush. In this museum there are some of the antiques from the historic sites of Shush. But one of the most beautiful objects in the museum are the painted glazed tiles with designs like winged lion and lotus flower, that belonged to the interior walls of Apadana Palace. Years before, " Roman Girshman" agreat French archaeologist, who is Ukrainian-born, was invited to Iranin order to do the necessary researches and to reveal the secrets of its unopened history . Most of the structures, sculptures and antiques found in the site and kept in the museum of Shush and the museum of ancientIran, are the results of his40 years efforts in Iran.


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The Gratitude Diaries Continued...
"Gratitude is the best attitude." - unknown
Welcome back friends to another post for our Virtual Book Club on The Gratitude Diaries by Janice Kaplan. I apologize for not keeping a regular posting schedule. I love the book but I am loving a lot of other books at the moment as well. So far my joy has been keeping the gratitude journal. However I have also noticed a shift in how gratitude colors some of my other relationships at work and at home for the better. I hope you can all say the same.
This blog entry is brought to you by a guest blogger, my niece Alana. She introduces herself a little more down so keep reading. She is an extraordinary young woman, and I love and admire her greatly. I was thrilled when she accepted my offer to guest blog for me. Please fell free to leave comments for her below to continue the conversation! The exploration of any idea is always more interesting when more participate. Thank you Alana for sharing!
When I was asked to write a guest post for the blog, I was elated. I loved The Gratitude Diaries (I finished a few weeks ago) and have referenced it multiple times for myself, during interactions with roommates, and in a workshop with student community service leaders on my campus. At first I thought I'd focus on specific passages that spoke to me, but I decided its impact on me would be better explained in a broader sense. The past couple months of my life have been extremely transformative—figuring out life goals, eating habits, and exercise regimens—and this book was an integral part of that journey.
A little about me: I'm one of Lynda's nieces and a junior at Penn State University. I'm in the College of Communications studying Media Studies, a major focused on communication theory, policy, law, political communication, telecommunications, social justice, research, and writing. Simply put, I appreciate authors that use words to do good things. It's not always easy to be as expressive and relatable as Janice Kaplan manages to be, but by the end you want to be her friend.
College in general was a bit of a rollercoaster ride to start, but now I feel like I'm sailing pretty smoothly. As someone who struggles with situational anxiety, taking time to reflect, meditate, eat well, sleep well, and exercise is absolutely crucial to my wellbeing. It's something I'm still learning to balance, but this year was the first time I've felt really confident about the path I want to take in life and the person I have become. This book could not have entered my life at a better time; I was ready for the gratitude challenge! I was lucky enough to have received a journal to accompany the book, and I want to share some entries written in the very beginning:
1/18/17: I am grateful for…the yummy pho dinner Lauren and I had in the dining hall, the funny yoga instructor who insisted that "enlightenment doesn't have to be serious" and used an accordion to pitch the "oms" at the end, housing for fixing the light outside of our door, that my rain boots came in the mail
1/19/17: I am grateful for…the sky had no clouds (so when I was walking home at night, I could see the stars), we won our first intermural volleyball game of the season, I had really delicious 6-vegetable pesto soup today for lunch (that I made!), my professor let us out of class 20 minutes early today
Super simple stuff, but reading it back now makes me smile.
So now to the three instances I mentioned in the beginning: applying lessons from the book to real-life situations. The part I found most personally useful was the section about gratitude and health (specifically diet and eating). As a food lover with a sweet tooth, self-control has always been an issue. I've been transitioning to a more plant-based diet, and in the process, it's been helpful to be grateful for the good things that fruits, veggies, seeds, nuts, and legumes do for me. Taking care to prepare quality food for myself involves lots of self-love, and the experience has been rewarding. Not only that, but in times when I'm stressed or annoyed, I take some deep breaths and try to look for something to be grateful for.
This strategy has helped me with my roommates, as well. My roommates are all lovely, and I can't complain about my living situation. Regardless, we aren't all perfect, and I have my off days. There was a day when my roommate was particularly upset about the number of ants appearing in our living room and insisted on getting housing to come and spray. Not being a big fan of chemicals, I was not enamored by this idea and insisted that the problem would solve itself. The situation created a bit of tension, but I had to remind myself that I was lucky to have a roommate that cared about maintaining a clean apartment. She was willing to take action to solve a problem. In the end, an Orkin guy came and squeezed tiny bits of goo around the molding in our living room. I had overreacted, but putting the issue in perspective and being grateful for my roommate's concern made the situation much better. My attitude improved immediately, like a flipped switch.
One morning turning to "Chapter Four: The No-Complaining Zone must have been fate. The weather was particularly miserable one day (similar to Kaplan's experience), and as I was reading with breakfast, my roommate came in lamenting about how cold it was outside. I echoed Kaplan, mentioning how lucky we were to have class in nice toasty rooms. I noticed an immediate change in her frame of mind, and suddenly the morning was made more pleasant. I wish I could always have gratitude in my pocket like that, but I'm not always that quick to think on my feet. In this case, the mentioning of weather in the book could not have been timelier.
Lastly, I am a Healthy Penn State Ambassador, which means I work with a group of students to promote health and wellness around campus. In our training, we learned about all sorts of awesome free things that our health center has to offer (but few people know about, which is why the group was formed). In another organization, Council of LionHearts (a roundtable of student community service leaders), I was asked to lead a workshop on a topic of my choice. Drawing from what I learned at the Healthy Penn State Ambassador training, I chose burnout and self-reflection. The first thing I mentioned as a key to mental health? Gratitude! I brought my book along, explaining the whole endorphin phenomenon that occurs with a habitual practice of gratitude. The workshop was a hit!
I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read The Gratitude Diaries. It's the first non-academic book I've read in a while, and I'm happy to say that it's reignited my interest in reading for fun. I'm now working on Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good, a hilarious read about how Paul Newman and A.E. Hotchner developed the Newman's Own brand.
This post was a lengthy one, but thank you if you stuck around 'til the end! The Gratitude Diaries is a book I'll be recommending over and over to friends. Although the emphasis is on gratitude, I believe one of the biggest takeaways is patience. As mentioned before, gratitude is a habitual practice. It's something that takes time to develop into a routine. So be patient and loving with yourself, as we all have off days and must remember that it's called practice for a reason. - Alana Fiero
December 2019


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24th-25th November 2014 – BBC Radio 4
On the eve of returning home from a backpacking holiday in Mexico, British students Sally and Rachel, come up with a plan to make easy money: they just need to file a report with the police to say that they have been robbed and then, when they get home, make a claim on their travel insurance. But when the police decide to search their hotel room to check, their simple plan starts to fall apart…
An original two-part drama from writer INGEBORG TOPSØE and director JOHN DRYDEN.
Made in Mexico City. Starring Olivia Darnley, Lucy May Barker, Joaquin Cosio, Enrique Arreola, Norma Angelica, Aida Lopez, Israël Islas, Karla Souza, Rubén Olivarez, Claudia Nin, Emilio Savinni, Leon Ockenden and Saskia Wickham.
A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4
Originally broadcast 25-26 March 2013 on BBC Radio 4.


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The Story
From the stunning sadism that brought you an entire brood of Deadpool droogs comes the chromosomal clusterhiccup that is Lady Deadpool. Agile, armed, and a howling she-lunatic, this recluse is robbed of the only thing she adores more than binge eating: cable TV. In an America ravaged by colossal debt and careening unemployment, the loss of the glowing idiot box is more than this girl can take. Why won't the government do anything? How is General America complicit? Was the genocide of all sitcom writers necessary? Should Wanda ransack the loins of a hot activist? Probably. 'Cause this Merc with a Mouth packs lipgloss. And it's sticky.
Free Comic Download
Lady Deadpool #1
Language : English | Year : 2010 | Size : 27 MB
Screenshots :
Notes :
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- Want to see all the comic list? Please go to this page.


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Job title
Senior-level Human Services Research Analyst
Mathematica Policy Research
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Undergraduate education
Bachelor's degrees in history and Spanish, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, 2002
How have your La Follette School courses and/or experiences contributed to meeting your career goals?
Coursework on public budgeting, microeconomics, statistics, and public administration gave me a very well-rounded public policy education. La Follette courses work together to form a strong foundation for understanding the legislative and rule-making processes and public program design, implementation, and evaluation. The courses provide this foundation, but they go further to cover the dynamics between the public policy components I listed above. It is extremely important for someone working in public policy to understand these dynamics. If one is seeking to improve the effectiveness of public policies, understanding these dynamics helps one explore where and how to target improvements.
Most challenging experience at the La Follette School
My most challenging experience was working as a research assistant at the Population Health Institute. I was part of a team that was analyzing a statewide survey of Wisconsin physicians and writing up the conclusions for publication in a medical journal. I had to draw upon a new skillset, including statistical analysis and technical writing, that I had never used in practice, but that I was developing at La Follette.
Most rewarding experience at the La Follette School
My most rewarding experience at La Follette was working with the Wisconsin Legislature on a special taskforce to address childhood obesity. La Follette helped me connect to this project through the Wisconsin Legislative Council and this experience ignited an interest in nutrition policy that has held ever since. It was a particularly rewarding experience because I developed great relationships with the staff I worked with. They became mentors and also gave me the freedom to explore research topics that I was interested in. My work helped lead to an increase in the state's investment in school meals, particularly around farm-to-school programming.
Why would you recommend the La Follette School to a prospective student?
La Follette is a small program. I think there were about 25 students in my class. If you think about all of the resources you can access through the UW-Madison system, yet still be among a small class, it's really a great balance. You can get to know your peers and professors, yet still seek opportunities beyond La Follette.
Why the La Follette School?
There were two major factors in my decision: Madison is a great city to live and Madison is home to a great university as well as the capital city. It's the perfect place to study public policy. I also found La Follette's building to be very charming.
Marlia Moore was a great mentor to me. She graduated several years ahead of me. We both grew up in Eau Claire, so when I visited La Follette, I contacted her and she shared her experience at La Follette.
Volunteer activities
I volunteer with Common Threads, a national nonprofit that started in Chicago. Common Threads teaches nutrition and cooking skills to schoolchildren. I have been helping them evaluate their programs to learn about their potential impact on diet and academic performance.
I was selected for the German Chancellor Fellowship in Berlin, Germany, during 2013 and 2014 to study nutrition policy and programming in Europe.


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Our pristine coastline extends over 31 kilometres from O'Sullivan Beach to Sellicks Beach. The clear gulf waters attract beachgoers for many different activities including swimming, surfing, sailing, walking, snorkelling and beachcombing.
The surf offers a variety of conditions. The gentle beach breaks suit novice surfers while Southport, Trigg Point, Seaford, Gull Rock and Moana offer more challenges for experienced surfers. The south coast attracts swimmers, surfers, divers and boaties. Notable dive spots include the Port Noarlunga reef and the Aldinga 'Drop-off'. Our clear southern waters are home to many unique species of marine life such as the leafy sea dragon.
Play safe, be safe and enjoy our beaches.
Summer is a time to enjoy the beautiful beaches our city has to offer, but to also remember to be safe and help ensure the safety of others.
Foreshore areas, of which some are designated dry zones where alcohol restrictions apply, are regularly patrolled by councils Community Safety Officers and the police to ensure the safety of beachgoers.
For more information contact our Community Safety team on 8384 0666.
With a boat ramp, good swimming and breakwaters providing protection for fishing boats and fish, O'Sullivan Beach is a beach that provides you with all you need.
Witton Bluff provides swimmers with shelters at Christies Beach. Divers can explore the nearby reef. The foreshore picnic area and nearby shopping precinct all add to the attraction of Christies Beach.
Visit Christies Beach Tourist Park.
The picturesque steep red sandstone cliffs of Port Noarlunga and long jetty provide visitors with a scenic walk and a place to fish. The Port Noarlunga reef and aquatic reserve are recognised as a popular diving location; they also shelter the beach from large waves.
Southport is popular for beach fishing and surfing. Regular surf lifesaving carnivals are also held at Southport.
Very popular with surfers, Seaford offers more than just waves. From the extensive walking/bicycle trail along the cliff tops, you'll have a magnificent view of the coastline.
Moana is a popular beachside town for families to holiday at with their caravans and beach houses. The foreshore is dominated by towering Norfolk Island pines. With a beach pass, cars may be driven on the sand at Moana.
Visit the Moana Beach Tourist Park.
Maslin Beach is Australia's first nudist beach. One of the coast's prettiest sites, 'Maslin's' features a protected cove, high cliff-face and long expanse of sand. If you are keen to try out this popular bathing spot but wish to remain clothed, the northern end of the beach is the place to be.
It was at Port Willunga in 1888 that the sailing ship 'Star of Greece' was driven ashore during a fierce storm, with the loss of 11 of its crew. At low tide the wreck is often partly exposed and is a popular site for snorkellers and scuba divers to explore.
Aldinga Beach is very wide, with firm sand allowing vehicles with a beach pass to access certain sections. A launching area gives easy access to the water. Here divers can explore the Aldinga Aquatic Reserve with its spectacular 'drop-off' (an underwater cliff). Swimming and surfing are also popular here. If you walk along the boardwalk, you can see the Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park.
Sellicks Beach, the southernmost point of the City of Onkaparinga, is where the Mount Lofty Ranges meet the sea. Steep cliffs soon give way to a long expanse of sandy beach. This part of the coastline is renowned for its plentiful fishing and boat launching facilities. Cars with beach passes are also permitted on the beach below the Esplanade.


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Winger in hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink. Nowadays, there are different types of wing men/women (wingers) in the game — out-and-out goal scorers, checkers who disrupt the opponents, and forwards who work along the boards and in the corners.
This position is commonly referred to by the side of the rink that the winger normally takes, e.g. "left wing" or "right wing."
A winger's responsibilities in the offensive zone include:
Wingers should (typically) not:
Aggression is key to being a winger; games often hinge on the grit and determination behind players who relentlessly fight for the puck and harass opponents. This is not always how a winger plays. He could be a winger that only plays for assists and goals. This sort of play holds the immediate goal of keeping the puck deep in the offensive zone, and the longer term goal of exhausting the defense and scoring a goal. This is usually referred to as hemming the opposition, as in "the opposition is hemmed in their own end". Wingers who play very physically are known as grinders for their ability to literally grind opposition against the boards until the puck squeezes out.
Wingers tend to "plant" themselves in front of the net, usually to distract or screen a goalie, attempt a deflection, throw the defense into disarray, or draw a penalty. It is a common tactic for teams on the power play to plant a winger in front of the net and attempt to deflect a slapshot past the goalie.
A winger's responsibility in the defensive zone is to:
A winger should (typically) not:
Wingers should be playing high in the zone, and always be vigilant for a breakout pass or a chance to chip the puck offside. When a winger receives a pass along the boards, they can exercise a number of options:
Wingers are usually the last players to backcheck out of the offensive zone. On the backcheck, it is essential that they cover the last free opposing player rushing in. Once the puck is controlled by the opposing team in the defensive zone, however, wingers are responsible for covering the defenseman on their side of the ice.
During faceoffs, it is essential for the wingers to occupy the opponent they have been assigned. Although the centres are the only official participants in the faceoff, anyone can charge in for possession of the puck once it hits the ice, thus making it essential that every opponent is too tied up to fight for possession.
Once the faceoff is clearly won, wingers can set themselves up into appropriate position.
|Positions on the Hockey Rink
|Power forward | Enforcer | Captain | Head coach | Referee & linesman


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Mum says that this is one of our most unappealing habits and she has eyes in the back of her head when it comes to catching us about to indulge our particular gourmet delight. Her pet hate is when Nellie manages to carry a bit home! Come on chums, back us up here. We just can't see the problem. It doesn't smell as bad as tripe and it is vegetarian and it is nicer than rabbit poo and it is readily available and if only Mum would realise the saving in dog food, if she would only let us tuck in, she might change her mind. Anyway, we didn't manage even a small aperitif today and we are particularly annoyed that she is making us blog before dinner.
Mum has been getting up early here at Glyn's View, so we have had to go out for a wee but she has been really mean and made us wait until 8 o'clock for our breakfast. It is totally unfair but we do snooze the time away and Mum says it would just be a long time until dinner if we had breakfast at 5 am. We could have a snack though to tide us over couldn't we?
We've had some men in the cottage. Paul the plumber (all hail the gravy bone king), Vinnie and Aled. We lost the cowl in the high winds and they have replaced it. Dad says the fire won't sound so loud now. They have also fixed the bath handle which came off in our guest's hand. Mum says it couldn't have been connected properly but Vinnie had a great idea on how to do it. They have also done something in the shower room which we hope will sort out the little damp patch. We were good girls and didn't run off (even when those hills called to us) when they left the gate open and we didn't get in the way, so we had some carrot and broccoli as well as our GB's and a bit of chicken too.
We had a great trip through Bedgelert (where the sad story of the brave Gelert is commemorated by his statue). Did you know that Gelert saved the great Lord's son from a wolf but the Lord thought Gelert had killed his son so killed the wonderful dog. The lord is said never to have smiled again once he realised his mistake. We are the most loyal animals in the world aren't we? You would think extra Gravy Bones would go some way to rewarding us – never mind our waist lines! We went further to Llandwrog and the sea. That old camera was much in use and we had to wait around quite a bit. Mum and Dad like flowers – Mum especially and they loved the sea pinks along the beach. Dad loved the hill fort and ran up it while Mum gave us a drink. We could have done that too if he'd asked.
Speaking of flowers, the Bluebells are coming out in Cwm Penmachno and here at the head of the valley, Mum and Dad say we have a great show. The Glasgwm (the next valley to us ) is very nice to sniff in but of course, we have to keep stopping with that stupid camera because it is full of Bluebells. We are definitely NOT interested in them, or the Cuckoo Flowers on our verge, or the Primroses, or the Orange Tip Butterflies blah, blah, blah. We just think that scents should be foxy, doggy, pooey, carriony, deery, ottery and altogether disreputable, not flowery – although we quite Stinking Iris it smells of rotting beef. Yummee!
Well, we have been lucky 'cos we have had our little top dog with us and she brought Polly puppy with her. Polly can be a bit of a pain and Nellie doesn't like her one bit but we do get to do nice things with her and she is getting better and better at leaving us alone when we want to snooze. We didn't have a lovely early life like she has 'cos we are puppy farm girls, so we haven't any happy memories until we came to live with Mum and Dad. I know, we wouldn't remember anyway (according to Cesar) but Mum isn't convinced. There are some things (and some people) that really spook us still, even after 6 years of doggy heaven.
Back to work for Mum and Dad and lots of lovely Derbyshire walks for us – no sheep poo but fantastic FOX. Got to get some shuteye so we are fresh for the ritual rolling – can't wait to perfume our necks. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


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by Betty
Have you heard of the brochure called Five Wishes? It's a gift you give yourself and a gift to those you love.
It's been called the first living will with a heart. It was inspired by a hospice resident working with Mother Teresa in Washington D.C. It was written with the help of the American Bar Association on the Legal Problems of the Elderly.
It is your wish
- Of the person you want to make decisions if you can't
- The kind of medical treatment you want or don't want.
- How comfortable you want to be.
- How you want people to treat you.
- Things you want your loved ones to know about you and remember.
It's all about you, it's for you, and it's by you.
The questions can be provocative or easy when you can make your own decisions. Much of life is not under your control. But these five wishes are yours to choose. And now may be the time.
You doctor may have the brochure. The Council on Ageing has them. The brochure lists many questions that may help you decide your wishes. It needs to be notarized by a witness to your signature to be legal. Your family and your doctor need a copy.
When your time comes, your family will not have to guess what you'd like done.
The time to ask is now.
March, 2011


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Editor's Note: This story accompanies the May 2016 issue of National Geographic magazine, devoted entirely to America's first national park. Find more at natgeo.com/yellowstone.
Just a few miles south of Bozeman, Montana, in the rolling foothills of the Gallatin Range, spacious dream homes pepper the landscape. Forty years ago, wapiti, the Shawnee name for elk, poured out of the mountains in December and spent winters grazing in farmers' alfalfa fields.
Today an ever expanding human footprint weighs on these hills, as it does on many corners of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, where public and private lands intersect. The Greater Yellowstone's 22.6 million acres include both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, plus national forests, wildlife refuges, and surrounding chunks of 21st-century America: highways, towns, parking lots, malls, and suburbs.
Dennis Glick, founder of conservation group Future West, assesses the scene.
For the second half of the 20th century, he, like many U.S. conservationists, believed that if anything would destroy the integrity of Yellowstone and neighboring lands, it would be the noose of natural resource extraction tightening around the national park's borders.
Hard-rock mining, conservationists believed, would foul the rivers. Oil and natural gas wells would fragment wildlife habitat; industrial-strength logging would lay waste to national forests; and livestock grazing on public lands would cause conflicts with grizzly bears, wolves, and other predators.
But Greater Yellowstone survived the era of natural resource extraction that swept across the West for a century. Ask Glick now to identify the most ominous threats facing the ecosystem, and he doesn't hesitate. "Number one would be the effects of climate change: droughts, big wildfires, and diseases that were never here before."
But close on the heels of climate change is people.
"It isn't that we are behaving callously," he says. "Humankind may very well be loving this place to death."
Visitors from around the world are swarming to the region in record numbers. Last year both Yellowstone and Grand Teton set visitation records, and they are expected to shatter those marks again in 2016. Meanwhile waves of others summoned by an instinct to live closer to nature—"lifestyle pilgrims," as Glick calls them—are leaving cities and relocating to Greater Yellowstone.
"Greater Yellowstone management is on the map for doing things right," Glick says, "protecting big pieces of public land so it now supports every major mammal species that was here before Columbus arrived on the continent." But how people develop a few million acres of private land has huge implications for the ecological integrity of public land and the wildlife that depends on it.
As long as adjacent private lands remain open and undeveloped, species can survive. For example, nine major elk herds pass through Greater Yellowstone on epic migrations. Although they spend a majority of their time on public land, they also spend crucial winter months on private ranches.
Back in the day, Glick says, most population growth in this region occurred in existing communities or, if in rural areas, remained tucked into draws out of the wind or above the floodplain. "Nowadays," he says, "rural sprawl has been the dominant development pattern, and it has ripple effects for public lands."
Andy Hansen, a conservation biologist and professor at Montana State University, points out—in a study due to be published this summer—that the number of private land tracts with no homes or few homes is declining. And the number of parcels with one home per 40 acres increased 328 percent from 1970 to 2010, he says.
By 2013, 30 percent of Greater Yellowstone was considered "developed," and some wildlife migration pathways were believed to be imperiled. By 2020, between 5 and 40 percent of the ecosystem's most biologically rich habitats will undergo conversion from ranch and farmland to exurban development.
Today Yellowstone and Grand Teton, plus Glacier National Park, located along the U.S. border with Canada, are the only national parks in the lower 48 states that support populations of three major North American predators: grizzlies, wolves, and mountain lions. In Yellowstone and Grand Teton this success is due to the parks' good neighbors: surrounding private lands that support habitat for the prey species—elk, deer, and pronghorn—that the predators eat.
But over time the severing of corridors will likely contribute to a decline in migratory elk, mule deer, and pronghorn populations inside the national parks.
People are also pushing deeper into grizzly habitat, causing conflicts that typically result in bears being removed or killed. And climate change, a looming wild card, is expected to reduce the carrying capacity of public lands, making private lands on the periphery of Greater Yellowstone all the more important.
In recent decades local land trusts have protected important parcels of private land through conservation easements. But the process isn't keeping up with the rate at which land is being steadily fragmented.
Foresighted federal environmental laws preserved Yellowstone and the national forests. But protecting private lands requires a different kind of thinking. And at a time when anti-regulation sentiments serve as an obstacle to community planning in the West, the coming decades will be critical.
In the long term what will save Greater Yellowstone from experiencing the same fate as most other regions in the lower 48? "I'll say it in one word: 'restraint,'" Glick says. "In 1872 the creation of Yellowstone National Park was an exhibition of restraint against the prevailing forces of Manifest Destiny, and we are reaping huge benefits. What's going to save Greater Yellowstone comes down to the same ethic. But I'm sorry to say I'm not seeing much of that these days. If we are going to act, the time is now."
In a spectacular yearlong event, the National Geographic Channel series America's National Parks will show you the parks' natural wonders—both big and small—as you have never experienced them before. Learn more about the series.