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Why residence event and not Address?
The discussion of how to enter addresses in GRAMPS pops up from time to time, especially with new users. Let's give some reasoning on why to use the residence event for genealogical research, and not address.
You find a definition of an address in Glossary, as well as for Place. So the address is for mailing, while the place is to indicate a point on a map. Mailing is in general not very useful for deceased people, the main focus of your research. So:
- What is an Address?
- The GRAMPS concept of an Address is a particular location with an associated time frame. Think of it as a mailing address. It is intended to represent where a person lived and when the person lived there.
- What is a Place?
- The GRAMPS concept of a Place is a particular location independent of time. Over time, the same Place may have different address information due to changing borders and political situation. For example, Leningrad and St. Petersburg represent the same place, but with different names. GRAMPS offers the alternate locations tab in the Place Editor, allowing to enter different address information of the place.
Apart from this, an event is important here: A defining moment in a person's life. Events can be coupled to places and are a central object in genealogy research, together with people, families and sources. They give a timeline on the life of a person, a timeline on which it is important to also indicate where a person lives.
Why residence events?
So, what are the advantages of residence events then? Well:
- You can attach a place to it. This place will then be the effective address, with possible alternate locations (see the place dialog) indicating how eg this place is called today as opposed to when the event happened.
- You can share that place between people and families. With addresses there is no way to check if an address is already in your database - unless you remember it. That makes it unlikely to discover that two people actually lived at the same address. You can also filter on place city, eg give me all residence events that are in a place with city Berlin.
- Hence, you can search places and see not just what happened in a certain city, but also who lived (resided) there. That's also not possible using the 'address' system. This is a timeline of a place with all events that happened there.
- On a timeline of a person you can see the event and infer details, eg a person marries before or after moving to a new house.
- Using a place for the address allows you to use this place for other events. Eg suppose Jim marries at home, then the Marriage event can be linked to the place indicating his home, just like the Residence event does.
- Just like the address field, events have full time control, so time spans and periods can be used and are recognized for reports.
- Individual attributes on residence event are handled on Gedcom export.
What is a disadvantage:
- For a change in streetname, the address changes but the position on the map is the same. GRAMPS allows you to store this information in an alternate location, but alternate location has no date span, so you cannot indicate during which time frame an address for a place was in use.
Note that some researchers on the mailing list have expressed they like to store address changes in notes connected to a place, instead of in the alternate location tab. This because in general notes are exported to GEDCOM correctly and understood in other programs you might want to use the information.
It is important to note that you could use the Location event also, or make a custom event with a naming that suits you more.
Try it out
There is no standard method of storing addresses in GRAMPS. Try out the two methods, and use what works for you.
Note the following:
- Address is not always well supported in other genealogy applications.
- Alternate location of place used in GRAMPS is not present in many other applications. You might consider recording this in notes instead.
- Events are supported by all programs you use, as is the default place location.


able strategy if not the best since no strategy can exceed 1/2. On the other hand, if the probability decays to 0, it raises a new question to understand why that's the case, if all strategies decay to a victory probability of 0 as the number of doors increase, or if there exists a strategy that is within some bound \Delta < \frac{1}{2} of \frac{1}{2}.
We can start asking these questions if we have an expression for the probability of victory. Let's consider n = 2k doors, where k represents the number of tries, and n = 100 in the original problem. We have characterized the victory cases as those in which the permutation of doors can be represented as cycles of at most k. To calculate the probability, we can use the cycle index of the symmetric group S_n as
Z(S_n) = \sum_{j_1+2 j_2 + 3 j_3 + \cdots + n j_n = n} \frac{1}{\prod_{i=1}^n i^{j_i} j_i!} \prod_{i=1}^n a_i^{j_i},
where a_i denotes cycles of length i.
It turns out the cycle index of the symmetric group can be expressed as the recurrence
Let's define F_n(a_1, \ldots, a_n) = Z(S_n) to highlight the dependence on the cycles. Thus, we can rewrite the above equation as
F_n(a_1, \ldots, a_n) = \frac{1}{n} \sum_{l=1}^n a_l F_{n-l}(a_1, \ldots, a_{n-l}).
Let's define the cumulative distribution function (CDF) F_{n}^{(i)} as F_n(a_1, \ldots, a_n) evaluated at a_l = 1, l \leq i and a_l = 0, l > i. In words, F_{n}^{(i)} is the probability that all cycles are of length i or less.
Thus, if we can find an expression for F_{n}^{(k)}, we can evaluate it at F_{100}^{(50)} to get our result. The results are contained in Propositions 1 and 2 below, where Proposition 2 is reminiscent of our folk theorem, which yields a probability of 0.306, which is slightly less than 1/3. Furthermore, Corollary 1.1 indicates that we decrease monotonically to this probability, so regardless of the number of doors, this strategy is within 0.2 of \frac{1}{2}, the upper bound on how well one could possibly do.
Proposition 1. F_{2k}^{(k)} = F_{n}^{(k)} = 1 - \sum_{m=k+1}^n \frac{1}{m}.
Proof: The first equality is by definition, so we simply need to show the second equality. For i \leq j, we can evaluate the probabilities as
F_{2j}^{(i)} = \frac{1}{2j} \sum_{l=1}^i F_{2j-l}^{(i)}
F_{2j}^{(2j-i)} = \frac{1}{2j} \sum_{l=1}^i F_{2j-l}^{(2j-i)} +\frac{1}{2j}\sum_{m=i+1}^{2j-i} F_{2j-m}^{(2j-m)} = \frac{2j-2i}{2j}+ \frac{1}{2j} \sum_{l=1}^i F_{2j-l}^{(2j-i)}
F_{2j+1}^{(i)} = \frac{1}{2j+1} \sum_{l=1}^i F_{2j+1-l}^{(i)}
F_{2j+1}^{(2j+1-i)} = \frac{1}{2j+1} \sum_{l=1}^i F_{2j+1-l}^{(2j+1-i)} + \frac{1}{2j+1} \sum_{l=i+1}^{2j+1-i} F_{2j+1-l}^{(2j+1-l)} = \frac{2j+1-2i}{2j+1} + \frac{1}{2j+1} \sum_{l=1}^i F_{2j+1-l}^{(2j+1-i)}.
Note that if i \leq j, then i - 1 \leq j, so we can apply the same result to get that
F_{2j}^{(2j+1-i)} = \frac{2j-2(i-1)}{2j}+ \frac{1}{2j} \sum_{l=1}^{i-1} F_{2j-l}^{(2j+1-i)}
and substituting this into our expression for F_{2j+1}^{(2j+1-i)} yields
F_{2j+1}^{(2j+1-i)} = \frac{2j}{2j+1} (F_{2j}^{(2j+1-i)} - \frac{2j-2(i-1)}{2j}) = F_{2j}^{(2j+1-i)} - \frac{1}{2j+1}.
Likewise, one can similarly derive
F_{2j}^{(2j+1-i)} = F_{2j-1}^{(2j+1-i)} - \frac{1}{2j}.
Starting with the base case that F_{2k}^{(k)} = F_{n}^{(k)} = F_{n-1}^{(k)} - \frac{1}{n} and the above inductive steps, one can conclude that
F_{n}^{(k)} = F_{k}^{(k)} - \sum_{m=k+1}^{2k} \frac{1}{m}.
However, F_{k}^{(k)} = 1, so we have our result.
Corollary 1.1. F_{n+2}^{(k+1)} = F_{n}^{(k)} - \frac{1}{(n+2)(n+1)}.
Proposition 2. \lim_{k \rightarrow \infty} F_{2k}^{(k)} = 1 - \ln 2 \approx 0.306
Proof: From Proposition 1, we can write
F_{2k}^{(k)} = 1 - \sum_{m=k+1}^{2k} \frac{1}{m}. Note that we can rewrite the summation
\sum_{m=k+1}^{2k} \frac{1}{m} = \sum_{i=1}^{k} \frac{1}{k+i} = \sum_{i=1}^{k} \frac{1}{1+i/k} \frac{1}{k}.
The key is to observe that this is simply a Riemann sum approximating the integral
\int_{0}^1 \frac{1}{1+x} dx = \ln 2,
which converges as we let k \rightarrow \infty.
Posted in Probability, Puzzle | 8 Comments
Ages of Three Daughters
My uncle's in town and just reminded me of a puzzle that he'd asked me over ten years ago. A census worker goes to a house and the person who answers the door tells the census worker that she has three daughters.
"I need to know their ages," replies the census worker.
"Well, the product of their ages is my age: 36."
"That's not enough information."
"Well, the sum of their ages is the same as the number as the house on the right."
The census worker checks the house next door and responds, "That's still not enough information."
"My eldest daughter is asleep upstairs."
The census worker thanks the homeowner and leaves. How old are the three daughters?
I love this puzzle because on the face of it, it would appear that there isn't enough information to figure out the puzzle. If you want to figure out the puzzle yourself, do not read beyond this point.
The first thing we learn about the ages of the daughters is that the product of the ages is 36.
Let's consider all such possibilities (let's assume the puzzle maker only allows for integer ages):
As the census worker notes, there are still too many to disambiguate the ages.
The next clue is that the sum of the ages is the same as the number of the house next door. We don't know the sum, but the census worker does, and we also know that the house number is insufficient to disambiguate the ages. Let's look at the sums of the factorizations above:
1+1+36 = 38
1+2+18 = 21
1+3+12 = 16
1+6+6 =


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A: Parent letters print in Spanish if the "primary language" of that student is set to Spanish when you add the student to the class list.
If it is set incorrectly, you can click "edit" next to the student's name to change their Primary Language.
**NOTE: If your district is importing students, your students are automatically added to your class list by the district, including the Primary Language. You are unable to edit them. Please contact your district office if you need to request a change of Primary Language for a student.
If you edit the English template, it will NOT update the Spanish template. You must update the Spanish template in Spanish.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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At first glance, amiable and amicable look like they could be different forms of the same word. Indeed, their meanings are quite similar. However, their meanings differ and so do their uses.
Amiable vs. Amicable: A Pleasantly Simple Guide
The Difference Between Amiable and Amicable
Amiable and amicable are both adjectives that come from the same root. Amiable comes from the Old French term amiable which means "trying to please," and both amiable and amicable are derived from the Latin word amicus, meaning "friend."
amiable - kind, friendly or sociable
amicable - pleasant or peaceable
When and How to Use Amiable
Amiable is defined as "having a friendly disposition" or someone or something that is "agreeable."
Everyone likes him because he's an amiable sort of person.
She was an amiable hostess capable of smoothing over even the most awkward interaction.
Their home has a very amiable vibe.
Using Amicable in a Sentence
The adjective amicable usually refers to the relationships or interactions between people and means "pleasant" as well as "without disagreement or discord."
My parents have an amicable relationship, despite their divorce.
Although opinions were flying fast and furious, in the end it was an amicable debate.
We didn't agree on everything, but still, we reached an amicable agreement.
Remember the Difference
Amiable and amicable are understandably sometimes used interchangeably since they both refer to friendliness and pleasantry. However, there is a way to remember the distinction between them.
The only difference between the spellings is a "c." Since amicable applies to events and situations between multiple people, you can associate the "c" with words like "crowd" or "crew."
Friendly Reminders to Choose the Correct Word
Choosing the right word can be difficult. That's why it's nice to have friendly reminders about how to distinguish between commonly confused words and choose the correct one. Once you review the basics, check out other commonly confused words like conscience and conscious or continually and continuously.


comparative method
The topic comparative method is discussed in the following articles:
 - TITLE: adaptation (biology and physiology)
 The comparative method, using comparisons across species that have evolved independently, is an effective means for studying historical and physical constraints. This approach involves using statistical methods to account for differences in size (allometry) and evolutionary trees (phylogenies) for tracing trait evolution among lineages.
animal behaviour studies
 - TITLE: animal behaviour
 SECTION: Adaptive design
 A second way of studying the adaptive design of a behaviour is what Darwin called the comparative method, which takes advantage of the thousands of "natural experiments" that have occurred over evolutionary time (that is, throughout the formation of new species and the evolution of their special characteristics). Here again, specific hypotheses regarding how natural selection has...
philosophy of biology and natural selection
 - TITLE: biology, philosophy of
 SECTION: Testing
 Various methods have been employed to improve the soundness of tests used to evaluate adaptive hypotheses. The "comparative method," which involves considering evidence drawn from a wide range of similar organisms, was used in a study of the relatively large size of the testicles of chimpanzees as compared to those of gorillas. The adaptive hypothesis was that, given that the...


News Stories
Drugs Don't Work
Just when the controversial new Medicare drug bill has been passed, a new report has come out showing that half the time, prescription drugs don't work. And a couple of illegal drugs can cause changes in DNA that can be passed down to future generations.
Steve Connor reports in the Independent that Allen Roses, vice-president drug company GlaxoSmithKline, says that more than half of the patients who take expensive prescription drugs don't get any benefit from them. Connor writes, "It is an open secret within the drugs industry that most of its products are ineffective in most patients but this is the first time that such a senior drugs boss has gone public."
It turns out that drugs for Alzheimer's disease only work for one of every three patients, and cancer drugs only work for 25% of patients. Drugs for migraines, for osteoporosis, and arthritis work about half the time. Diabetes drugs only work for about 60% of patients. Most of the time when drugs don't work, it's because the patient has genes that interfere with the medicine. Roses says, "The vast majority of drugs?more than 90%?only work in 30 or 50% of the people." He thinks drug companies should create genetic tests to identify which patients will benefit from certain drugs before they're prescribed. Also, if one drug doesn't work, another may, and a genetic test would help doctors discover what drug works for which patients more quickly, without patients having to experience negative side effects from ineffective medicine.
At a time when drugs are being used more and more for treatment, and insurance companies and the government are trying to figure out how to pay for them, this knowledge could cut costs considerably, by avoiding unnecessary prescriptions.
Nobody ever accused cocaine and ecstasy of not working, but Italian researcher Giorgio Bronzetti says, "Cocaine and ecstasy have proved to be more dangerous than we had imagined. These drugs, on top of their toxicological effects, attack DNA provoking mutations and altering the hereditary material. This is very worrying for the effects it could have on future generations."
Ecstasy use in the U.S. has increased 70% between 1995 and 2000, and is taken mostly by young people who are just entering their reproductive years.
Did you know Steven Halpern makes music that's especially designed to heal?
To learn more, click here and here.
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Salmon: Correcting the Record
It wasn't that long ago Dr. Sanjay Gupta told audiences that farmed salmon was "injected" with dye. He later devoted an extraordinary amount of time and research into an expose for 60 Minutes about farmed salmon where he explained that the dyed salmon narrative was simply a myth that needed rebutting:
 - Some people use that as a point to criticize farmed salmon that there are these artificial dyes—"It's not accurate to call these artificial dyes. I think people conjure up this image of the farm salmon being injected with something that causes it to turn that pink color. That's not what's happening here. It's a much more natural occurring process where the farmed salmon eat a type of food that causes a reaction in the body, just like the wild salmon does, and that causes that more pinkish color."
While we take our hats off to Dr. Gupta for correcting the record and doing it in a science-based manner, we also have to say good job to Cooks Illustrated. The venerable cooking magazine made the very same mistake Gupta once did but has done a service to its readers by also correcting the record:
 - In our March-April 2017 issue, we state that farmed salmon is "dyed pale pink by synthetic astaxanthin and carotenoid pigment in [the] feed." To be clear, farmed salmon is not dyed. The pinkish color of the flesh is created by compounds in the feed. A similar process occurs in wild salmon, which get their pink color from eating shrimp and other sea creatures rich in carotenoids.
Getting accurate information out about the food we all eat is important. Misinformation, especially about healthy food like salmon, can actually hurt public health. Whether its chefs or doctors who are helping to set the record straight they should be applauded.


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Orthogonal Complements and the Lattice of Subspaces
We know that the poset of subspaces of a vector space is a lattice. Now we can define complementary subspaces in a way that doesn't depend on any choice of basis at all. So what does this look like in terms of the lattice?
First off, remember that the "meet" of two subspaces is their intersection, which is again a subspace. On the other hand their "join" is their sum as subspaces. But now we have a new operation called the "complement". In general lattice-theory terms, a complement of an element in a bounded lattice (one that has a top element and a bottom element ) is an element so that and.
In particular, since the top subspace is itself, and the bottom subspace is we can see that the orthogonal complement satisfies these properties. The intersection is trivial, since the inner product is positive-definite as a bilinear form, and the sum is all of, as we've seen.
Even more is true. The orthogonal complement is involutive (when is finite-dimensional), and order-reversing, which makes it an "orthocomplement". In lattice-theory terms, this means that, and that if then.
First, let's say we've got two subspaces of. I say that. Indeed, if is a vector in then it for all. But since any is also a vector in, we can see that, and so as well. Thus orthogonal complementation is
Now let's take a single subspace of, and let be a vector in. If is any vector in, then by the (conjugate) symmetry of the inner product and the definition of. Thus is a vector in, and so. Note that this much holds whether is finite-dimensional or not.
On the other hand, if is finite-dimensional we can take an orthonormal basis of and expand it into an orthonormal basis of all of. Then the new vectors form a basis of, so that. A vector in is orthogonal to every vector in exactly when it can be written using only the first basis vectors, and thus lies in. That is, when is finite-dimensional.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
Program Fact Sheet
Bureau of Youth Services & Delinquency Prevention
Division of Community Health & Prevention
Illinois Department of Human Services
The Youth Build program enrolls youth and young adults aged 16 to 24 who have dropped out of school, are unemployed and/or have limited job skills.
The purpose of the Youth Build program is to empower struggling teens and young adults. Youth Build focuses on academic goals while also helping youth to develop job skills by building homes for low-income families.
Youth Build is a year-long, highly demanding program that prepares youth and young adults for the challenges they will face in today's world. The program offers young people a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build their futures and their communities
through education, leadership development, job training, and the rehabilitation and production of affordable housing.
The Youth Build program is administered by local communities. There is not one single model that can be applied to every Youth Build program. Although each Youth Build program is unique in its approach to addressing the needs of the community, all
embrace the same basic principles; Youth benefit from the opportunity to join and function in a community; education comes not only from the classroom but from life skills learned from having to function as a team, maintain a job, manage money and speak
effectively with one another; adults in the program mentor students as they mature; and each site's unique approach addresses the complexities within their community.
Youth Build Program Data
|Grant Amount (Numbers in 000's)
|Number of Grantees


text:
Often I find that I prefer an artist's studies to the completed work. Perhaps it is that they are raw beginnings, a hint of what is to come. Although usually I feel that a certain emotional quality is captured in the face of the model and somehow lost in translation when recreated in oils.
Study for the Virgin Mary inEcce Ancilla Domini! The artist's sister, poet Christina Rossetti, served as a model.
Elizabeth Siddal appears as a model in this study for The Return Of Tibullus to Delia:
Study for 'The Bride':
Study for The Bower Meadow:
Study for Desdemona:
A later study for Desdemona:
Fanny Cornforth in a study for Found:
Two studies for Beata Beatrix, which later became a posthumous tribute to Elizabeth Siddal.


Masters of introductions
Are you looking for good ways to start novels? If so, here are some great models.
If you want to foreshadow:
A crisis in a marriage caused by a man's casual affair is how Leo Tolstoy begins Anna Karenina, a novel whose introduction is considered by many to be the best ever written. Ultimately, the couple reconcile, with their affair acting as a comparison to Anna's affair later in the novel. Because the comparison is not a direct, and because it involves Anna's brother, it is all the more compelling.
If you want to highlight a first person point of view:
Start with a character who reveals his personality with a bang, such as Holden Caufield in The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth." From this first sentence we know this is a kid with an attitude, and we are hooked.
Or how about Huck Finn's opening comment in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? "You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain't no matter." The poor English hints at Huck's lack of education and perhaps backwoods roots. So much is revealed about the protagonist in one sentence.
If you want to capture tone:
If the tone is satirical, start with a satirical statement, such as Jane Austen does in Pride and Prejudice. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a large fortune, must be in want of a wife." Must be? Acknowledged by whom? We can expect wit, comic characters and a happy ending–a marriage. This introduction is considered a classic.
If the tone reveals the misery of life, layer it on as does Frank McCourt in the third paragraph of Angela's Ashes. "People everywhere brag and whimper about the woes of their early years, but nothing can compare with the Irish version: the poverty; the shiftless loquacious alcoholic father; the pious defeated mother moaning by the fire; pompous priests; bullying schoolmasters; the English and the terrible things they did to us for eight hundred long years."
If the tone is mystery, Edith Wharton in Ethan Frome nails it. "I had the story, bit by bit, from various people, and, as generally happens in such cases, each time it was a different story." Not until the second last word of the sentence do we realize where the author is going, and we are hooked.
If you want to focus on an important symbol or motif:
Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 immediately talks about fire, but with a twist. "It was a pleasure to burn." This seems like a contradiction. Is the narrator an arsonist?
If you want to describe a character:
Joseph Conrad, in Lord Jim, starts with a powerful character sketch. "He was an inch, perhaps two, under six feet, powerfully built, and he advanced straight at you with a slight stoop of the shoulders, head forward, and a fixed from-under stare which made you think of a charging bull."
If you want to rattle the reader:
See how L. P. Hartley does it in The Go-Between. "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there." Comparing the past with a foreign country provokes thoughtfulness, but then the writer compounds the mystery with the second clause.
Or see how Charles Johnson does it in Middle Passage. "Of all the things that drive men to sea, the most common disaster, I've come to learn, is women." A woman is a disaster? Even if you disagree, you want to find out why the narrator believes this is so.
One response to "Masters of introductions
 1. Great ideas and examples!
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80/20 Bass Rule
80/20 Rule for Better Bass Lines
In this tutorial, you'll learn the secret 80/20 bass rule that will forever change the way you write bass lines. But first… Tea!
Scroll down to listen to the podcast episode of this tutorial.
Right, so here's what a regular bass line sounds like, and this was written in the same way that most bass lines are written these days:
MIDI Screenshot: Bass exclusively playing root note of each chord – this is not a bass line!
It's in the key of A minor, so that's all the white notes from A to A, and the chords are: Am→Em→Cmaj→Dsus2. Now, because most songwriters and producers don't know about the secret 80/20 bass rule, most bass lines nowadays simply copy the chord progression by playing the root note of each chord. So in the example you just heard, the bass copied the chords by playing: A→E→C→D. But, that is not a bass line, that is merely the root note of each chord. And that is not a musical approach to bass, it's a sonic approach, because the bass is so boring that it actually blends into the background and is heard as a frequency, not an instrument!
When we approach bass from a musical perspective, we realise that it obviously wants (and deserves) its own melody. However, this is where we run into the bass paradox: To give the bass an independent melody, it needs to venture off the root note of each chord, but if it does that, then it takes away the music's stability as it's no longer providing a solid foundation for the other instruments. So, how can you write a bass line that's both a solid foundation and also an independent melody? That's where the 80/20 bass rule comes in. It's so simple: it is the percentage of time spent on root notes versus the percentage of time spent on other notes.
Root notes in the bass build a solid foundation, but it's the non-root notes that transform the bass into an independent melody. This is the magic bass balance. Get it right, and your bass lines are pure magic! Get it wrong, and it could literally ruin your whole song. If your bass spends too much time on root notes, it'll be nothing more than a frequency. On the other hand, if your bass spends too much time on non-root notes, it'll step forward into the spotlight like a diva and start stealing attention from your lead melody. Remember, the spotlight is only big enough for one!
So, what's the perfect ratio? 80% roots, 20 % non-roots. And obviously every song is different, and every section within every song is different, but the 80/20 rule will ensure that every bass line you write starts out in the sweetspot, then you can adjust the percentage up or down, depending on what the other instruments are doing. For example, if there isn't a lead melody in a section, then there's space for your bass to step forward and take the spotlight, without any musical fights! However, if a section has a lead melody and a backing melody, then your bass should definitely spend a little more time on root notes, for extra stability. In our example, our bass line is 81% root notes and 19% non-root notes. And of course, you don't actually have to calculate the exact percentage, just get it somewhere in the 80/20 sweetspot.
MIDI Screenshot: Bass line with about 80% roots and 20% non-roots (highlighted)
And by the way, if you want our step-by-step guide for writing great bass lines, then download our Songwriting & Producing PDF, which also contains all our other essential music making hacks.
Finally, let's talk about those non-root notes. There are three possibilities for these: harmonic notes, non-harmonic notes, and non-diatonic notes. Harmonic notes are notes that are in the chord. For example, over the Am chord, the harmonic notes are A, C and E. And A is obviously the root, so the options are C and E. Next, non-harmonic notes are notes that are not in the chord, but are still in the scale. So over the Am chord, the non-harmonic notes are B, D, F and G. Then lastly, non-diatonic notes are not in the chord either, but they're not even in the scale. These notes are super spicy, so in the same way that you don't add chili peppers to every meal, you don't wanna add non-diatonic notes to every bass line. In our example, we do actually play a non-diatonic note (C♯) under every other Dsus2 chord. But, it's just a 1/16 note. That's like throwing a tiny sliver of chili pepper into the pot for flavour, not for heat. Okay now I'm hungry, but before we head off to cook up a yummy vegan chili, let's have a listen to the Before & After of our bass line, so you can hear what a game-changer this 80/20 bass rule is. Just before the playthrough though, we'd love to share one more thing with you.
Want More?
Listen below, or on any podcast app.


Slaves helped build White House, U.S. Capitol
Breaking News
January, President-elect Barack Obama and his family will make history, becoming the first African-American first family to move into the White House -- a house with a history of slavery. In fact, the legacy of American presidents owning slaves goes all the way back to George Washington.
Twelve American presidents owned slaves and eight of them, starting with Washington, owned slaves while they lived in the White House. Almost from the very start, slaves were a common sight in the executive mansion. A list of construction workers building the White House in 1795 includes five slaves - named Tom, Peter, Ben, Harry and Daniel -- all put to work as carpenters. Other slaves worked as masons in the government quarries, cutting the stone for early government buildings, including the White House and U.S. Capitol. According to records kept by the White House Historical Association, slaves often worked seven days a week -- even in the hot and humid Washington summers.
In 1800, John Adams was the first president to live in the White House, moving in before it was finished. Adams was a staunch opponent of slavery, and kept no slaves. Future presidents, however, didn't follow his lead. Thomas Jefferson, who succeeded Adams, wrote that slavery was an"assemblage of horrors" and yet he brought his slaves with him. Early presidents were expected to pay their household expenses themselves, and many who came from the so-called"slave states" simply brought their slaves with them.
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We fight to end the R-Word every day. We all know it's how the world should be, but many times, those with no connection to our athletes have trouble understanding why it's so critical.They read it in laws. They hear it used every day by their friends. They say it in their everyday conversation. Thanks to the passing of Rosa's Law in the Senate earlier this month, the first of these three has been eliminated and we are one step closer to achieving the respect, dignity, and acceptance of those with intellectual disabilities.
Samantha Huffman (left) with Sara Wolff at the 2010 National Youth Activation Summit.
For all of us involved in the Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign, we know how difficult our fight is. And it's even harder when the government is using the language we're fighting to end. In school, we learn that being "politically correct" means using the language that our government uses. So how can we be fighting for the elimination of the R-Word in everyday conversation if our government is still using it in the laws they pass?
In Soeren Palumbo's famous speech, he states, "In an era of such political correctness, why is it that 'retard' is still okay? Why do we allow it?" To many, their answer would be that using the R-Word is politically correct, because our government uses it in their laws.
While we know that this isn't true, many others don't. They use these laws as an excuse to use the R-Word. They use these laws as an excuse to hurt someone else. But today, thanks to Rosa's Law, the R-Word has been eliminated in health, education, and labor law. Today, people can no longer use the law to hurt someone else. Today, we are one step closer to reaching our goal of ending the use of the R-Word."
Samantha Huffman is a member of the Youth Activation Committee and a Sophomore at Hanover College in Indiana.


page title icon Can Cats Eat Chocolate?
by Linda Mathews Last Updated February 4, 2021
Cats are very curious. Despite they are rather picky eaters, they will never miss an opportunity to explore and taste what you are savoring so much. Especially, they are interested when eating that treat is preceded by the unfolding of its wrapper. So shiny, so beckoning – your kitty just can't resist it.
Many cat owners say that their pets like eating chocolate, candies, ice cream. At first glance, it may seem that cats do it consciously, enjoying the taste of sweets. But that's not true: cats, being true predators, do not feel the taste of sugar at all.
When a cat eats chocolate, it feels the taste of vegetable fats, milk, nuts, but not sugar.
The thing is the cat DNA lacks the TAS1R2 gene, which is responsible for the perception of sweet taste. In comparison, human DNA includes this gene along with the TAS1R3 gene, allowing us to distinguish different sweet tastes.
For omnivores and herbivores, this skill is necessary, since they need carbohydrates, which are abundant in sweet food. Since carnivores (which the cats are) need a large amount of protein rather than carbohydrates, sugar for cats is useless. Therefore, it is not necessary for felines to taste it. It is much more important to recognize the protein, and a kitty is a great one for it!
No matter what their real nature is, lots of cats eat chocolate, making their owners worry and look for answers. Is chocolate poisonous to cats? Is chocolate toxic to cats? Can I give my cat chocolate if it likes it? Is it dangerous to treat my kitty with sweets from time to time? What should I do if my cat was fed with chocolate? Let's deal with this once and for all!
Is Chocolate Bad For Cats?
Is Chocolate Bad For Cats
Definitely YES.
Of course, it is not toxic in small amounts and you have no reasons to worry if your cat has licked or bitten a little piece of chocolate. However, eating more can be fatal and requires emergency vet care.
But what is that "small amount" of chocolate and how much is too much for cats? It depends on the weight of your pet, the amount of chocolate, and the concentration of theobromine in it. As little as 20 mg per pound of cat can cause health problems.
This toxic agent is a component of all kinds of chocolate, including white chocolate. The darker the chocolate is, the more dangerous it is. In the order of theobromine concentration, here is the list from least to worst (for 100g of chocolate):
 1. Vegan chocolate (very low level)
 2. White chocolate (about 10mg)
 3. Milk chocolate (about 200mg)
 4. Dark chocolate (802-493mg)
 5. Unsweetened baking chocolate (1297 mg)
Besides theobromine, milk and dark chocolate also contain caffeine, which affects feline nervous system badly.
For sure, chocolate has a positive effect as well – it's made of cocoa beans, which offer calcium, iron, vitamins (A, C, E), fiber, protein, and other important nutrients. But the harm from theobromine and caffeine is much more destructive.
Why Is Chocolate Bad For Cats?
 - Reason 1 – Theobromine
Theobromine in small amounts acts as a diuretic, causing increased loss of body fluids, and as a stimulant, leading to increased blood pressure, heart rate, also causes gastrointestinal upset, and the nervous system problems.
As cat body can't break theobromine down and eliminate it like humans, in bigger amounts it can even cause general intoxication and death of a pet. The first symptoms of a cat's critical condition during the theobromine poison are vomiting and diarrhea.
In such case, you should immediately contact the veterinarian and collect the vomit for the laboratory test.
 - Reason 2 – Sugar
Since cats can't taste sugar, they eat chocolate and other sweets because of the protein, which is the basis of any predator's diet, and don't suspect that they also consume lots of harmful sugar as well.
 - Reason 3 – Carbohydrates
A cat, which lives in an apartment, consumes little energy since it has no need to hunt or protect its territory. Carbohydrates (such as sugar) are stored "in reserve". They turn into fat under the skin and in the tissues of organs, eventually leading to a decrease in their functionality. Finally, your pussycat will end up overweight or obese, significantly shortening its life expectancy.
 - Reason 4 – Diabetes
As the cat's body is not meant to absorb a large amount of glucose, eating chocolate can lead to lack of insulin, which in turn leads to a violation of protein metabolism in the feline body. Thus, the level of glucose in the blood and urine increases and diabetes develops.
 - Reason 5 – Immune System
Also, chocolate and sweets reduce the protective functions of the cat's body.
Since the intestinal immune system has more protective cells than the respiratory immune system, it's very important to keep it at the highest level. But all kinds of sweet products are bad for the entire digestive system of the cat (including the intestines) – it is just not built for the digestion of such products.
Chocolate is the most dangerous for young and aging cats, pregnant and lactating cats, kittens, and cats with chronic illnesses.
Symptoms of Chocolate Poisoning in Cats
 - Nervousness
 - Increased reflex responses
 - Hyperactivity
 - Restlessness
 - Tremors/muscle twitching
 - Muscle rigidity
 - Rapid breathing
 - Lethargy
 - Excessive thirst
 - Nausea
 - Vomiting
 - Diarrhea
 - Excessive urination
 - Seizures
 - Abnormal heart rhythm
 - Arrhythmia
 - Heart attack
 - Increased body temperature
What to Do If Your Cat Eats Chocolate
What to Do if Your Cat Eats Chocolate
First of all, observe the cat for a while. It is very important to notice the onset of symptoms of poisoning. If you catch your cat eating chocolate, take him to the vet immediately.
Are Cats Allergic To Chocolate?
Chocolate is poisonous to cats, but they are not allergic to it.
Allergy means that the product is harmless for the body, but the immune system overreacts to it, causing some typical symptoms as a result. As we already know, chocolate contains some dangerous components, which cause more severe health problems than a regular allergy.
However, individual cats can be allergic to chocolate, but such cases are very rare.
How Much Chocolate Can A Cat Eat? Can Cats Die From Eating Chocolate?
We already know how harmful the bitter alkaloid theobromine can be for our little feline friends. But it can hurt even more, leading to coma or death. The average lethal dose for a cat is the amount of chocolate containing 200mg of theobromine.
Does chocolate kill cats? – Yes, it does!
How to Prevent Chocolate Toxicity in Cats
Keep chocolate out of reach of cats. Cats are very curious creatures, and they can be very cunning at times, so make sure your pet can't get to the chocolate. If you want to please your pet, then get special cat treats.
Cat Chocolate Toxicity Treatment
Emergency relief for chocolate poisoning is to induce vomiting. Veterinarians examine the internal organs of the feline and take blood and urine tests. Often, veterinarians prescribe a soft diet for several days.
To Sum Up
Stop thinking like "Can my kitty be allowed to eat a chocolate treat once in a while?" – It's a definite huge NO-NO.
Make sure that every member of your family knows and understands the risks of chocolate for pets, always call the vet if something's wrong with your cat, and keep the level of chocolate in your kitty's diet at a firm zero.


Evolution average number of beds per hospital
July 27, 2012
(This article was first published on Fishy Operations, and kindly contributed to R-bloggers)
The OECD collects (among a lot of other statistics) information on the number of hospitals and hospital beds per country. These two parameters combined and its evolution over the years could give an indication on whether or not the country's hospital landscape is evolving towards large medical centers, small scale hospital settings or whether there is no trend to detect.
In the graph below you can see the evolution of the average number of beds per hospital for a number of countries. The first datapoint for every country serves as a reference point and equals 100 percent. A point above this reference point denotes an increase in the average numbers of beds per hospital. In contrast, a point below the reference point means a decrease in the average number of bed per hospital. Of course, a decrease/increase could mean an country-wide decrease/increase in the number of beds. However, assuming that in these 'developed' countries there would be no drastic sudden changes in total number of hospital beds, a continuous increase might indicate that the country's hospital landscape is evolving towards large scale medical centers (through for example mergers & acquisitions).
Even though no solid conclusion can be drawn from the two parameters at hand, countries like Greece, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand and Turkey do seem to be evolving towards a healthcare landscape with large scale medical centers. Conversely, Estonia, Italy, Korea, Poland, The Slovak Republic and Slovenia seem to evolve towards smaller scale hospitals.
The R script to generate the graph:
hospitals<-subset(dataset, Variable=='Hospitals')
hospitalbeds<-subset(dataset, Variable=='Total hospital beds')
dataset_new<-merge(hospitals, hospitalbeds, by=c('Country', 'Year'))
ratioperc<-function(ratio, country){
Year==min(dataset_new[dataset_new$Country==country,]$Year) &
if(length(value)==0) return(NA)
else return(value)
dataset_transform<-ddply(dataset_new,.(Country, Year), transform,
refvalue=ratioperc(ratio, Country))
ggplot(dataset_transform, aes(x=Year, y=refvalue, group=Country,
colour=refvalue)) + geom_line() + geom_point() +
facet_wrap(~Country, ncol=4) + opts(axis.text.x=theme_text(angle=-90,
hjust=0), legend.position='none') + scale_colour_gradient(low='blue',
high='orange') + ylab('')
The.csv file used: hospitaldata.csv (source: oecd.org)
To leave a comment for the author, please follow the link and comment on his blog: Fishy Operations.
Comments are closed.


text:
- Data Sheet (英语)
Ningbo Zhenhai Haide Biochem Co., Ltd目前只在以下作出标识的区域展示其产品资料:
Cystine is the amino acid formed by the oxidation of two cysteine molecules that covalently link via a disulfide bond. Cystine is used as a dough softener to make the dough into a more workable, more machinable substance for industrial uses such as in making bread products.
Ningbo Zhenhai Haide Biochem Co., Ltd is a developer and manufacturer of amino acid products used in the Food, Beverage and Nutrition industry. This company works closely with research institutions to create a broad range of products that include L-Arginine, L-Cysteine, L-Glutamic Acid, L-Isoleucine, and more. Most of these products are widely used in beverages and nutritional supplements.
- Amino Acids, Phytochemicals, Nucleotides & Nutrients ~ Amino Acids ~ Non-Essential Amino Acids ~ L-cystine
Ningbo Zhenhai Haide Biochem Co., Ltd


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Tennessee Heritage: Soldiers Monument founders' families' assistance needed10:18 am | October 15, 2012
In our last column, we wrote about the building of our Soldiers Monument in the courthouse square; the question then arose about the identity of the primary people involved in the project.
This led to further research about the monument, and we learned there are inscriptions on the north face of the obelisk. The one highest up on the structure says, "In memory of Mary Patton who made the powder that fought the Kings Mountain battle. Placed by her great-grandson, T.Y. Patton."
Most Carter Countians will remember that Mary McKeehan Patton was an early settler, and according to the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture:
"Mary McKeehan Patton, pioneer gunpowder manufacturer, was born in England in 1751 and immigrated with her family to Pennsylvania in the late 1760s. McKeehan served an apprenticeship, possibly under her father, David McKeehan, and learned the art of gunpowder making. In 1772 she married John Patton, an Irish immigrant, who served as a private in the Pennsylvania militia early in the American Revolution. The Pattons manufactured gunpowder in the Cumberland County region of Pennsylvania. Following the birth of two children, the couple sold their Carlisle powder mill for cash and migrated to the Overmountain region of North Carolina, now East Tennessee. With the help of family friend Andrew Taylor, they established a mill on what became known as Powder Branch, adjacent to the Taylor homeplace. Patton earned her place in history by providing over five hundred pounds of gunpowder to the 850 Overmountain Men led by Isaac Shelby and William Campbell for the battle of Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War. Essential to the victory over Major Patrick Ferguson's British troops was Patton's gunpowder … On December 15, 1836, Mary Patton died and was buried in Patton-Simmons Cemetery near … [near Milligan College] The family tradition of gunpowder manufacturing continued until after the Civil War, when the powder mill was sold."
She continued to make powder for many years, and furnished it to people as far away as South Carolina, for $1 per pound. During those years, land often sold for 50 cents up to $1 an acre and she tried to acquire new property every time she sold a load of gunpowder. It has been reported that, at the time of her death, she owned more than 3,000 acres of land!
The local chapter of the DAR is named for her, and that organization has published the following information:
"Chapter Name – Its History & Significance: Mary McKeehan Patton (_PHONE_) Gunpowder Maker – Mary Patton was an early settler who came to the area presently in Carter County with her husband, John. She had learned how to make gun powder as an apprentice in England. When Nathaniel Taylor, who had married Mary's cousin, settled in Carter County, he built a powder mill. Here Mary Patton worked making gun powder … The Overmountain Men are justly famed for their rugged strength in marching and their unrelenting courage in fighting and winning the critical battle of Kings Mountain. Yet, without the skill of a woman, their task could never have been completed. On September 24,1780, when the men departed to fight the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain, it was Mary who furnished the vital 500 pounds of gunpowder from her mill. The men planned a surprise attack on the British to prevent the British from coming across the mountains and raiding Watauga and the other settlements. The mountain men defeated the British at Kings Mountain and returned to Watauga to protect their homes and families from the British and the Indians. She continued to make powder for many years, furnishing the necessity to folks living as far away as South Carolina."
When Mary Patton died on Dec. 15, 1836, she was buried on a hillside overlooking the beautiful hills where she had lived for 60 years. The Patton-Simmons Cemetery holds her remains, which lie under a large memorial stone erected by her descendants. The epitaph says: "One of that heroic band who established a civilization in the wilderness. She made the powder used by John Sevier's troops in the Battle of Kings Mountain."
Many years later, when this area was occupied during the Civil War by the Confederate Army, many devices were conceived and resorted to in order to deceive the CSA soldiers and to protect Union men. As related in the History of the TN 13th Volunteer Cavalry: "In what was known as the Patton Settlement, T.Y. Patton dug a square hole in his yard, covered it with puncheons and made a trapdoor to it. Over this he placed brush or branches of trees. Here he concealed refugees for days at a time without any one suspecting their presence." As her great-grandson, one can see why Mr. Patton wanted to dedicate part of the Soldiers Monument to Ms. Mary. If you go there to see the inscription, you will note that is quite high off the ground, probably elevated at 12 to 15 feet.
In the north-facing box immediately below the dedication to Ms. Mary, appears the following inscription: "Built in honor of all soldiers of Carter County in all the wars from the revolution down to this date, 1912. By building committee – D.P. Wilcox, First Lieut., Company H, 2nd Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, War 1861; G.W. Emmert, First Lieut. Company H, 13th Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry; J.G. Burchfield, Cpl. Company G, 13th Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry; E.C. Cass, First Sgt. Spanish-American War and C.R. Hathaway, Cpl. Company D, Third Tennessee Volunteer Infantry, Spanish-American War."
The early readers of this column may remember that we said state and local history was best presented when covering "Who were these people and why were they doing the things they did?" So, having once learned who the primary movers behind the Soldiers Monument project were, curiosity led us to find out more about them than just their names.
In our next column, we will impart the little knowledge we have gained on these men, but at this point we have exhausted our current research, and we would have a much more interesting column next week if all readers who are related to Messrs. Wilcox, Emmert, Burchfield, Cass and/or Hathaway will furnish us with any information beyond that presented in their military service records, most of which we located. We would like to gather any personal information you may have; even just oral tradition within the family will do! Also, it is especially odd that we have been able to find very little personal information on Mr. Burchfield, as the news and committee reports indicate that he was very active in this effort.
We hope our readers can fill in the missing knowledge about the founders of our century-old Soldiers Monument … Please mail your comments to: Judge Earl R. Hendry, POB 220, Roan Mountain, TN 37687.


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Development of a Rubber-Bonded Grinding Wheel - Studies on Aspherical Grinding -
Aspherical surfaces are an important technology in optical instruments. Until now, only improvements in form accuracy and surface roughness of aspherical surfaces have been investigated. However, when the surface roughness becomes low, the small waviness of the surface becomes marked. This small waviness is termed "Nano-topography." Nano-topography causes grinding marks and reduces the accuracy of an optical instrument. Nano-topography is caused by the vibration of a grinding wheel during the manufacture of the surface. This paper will reveal how a rubber-bonded grinding wheel has been developed to absorb that vibration. The dressing of the grinding wheel was also investigated. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the generation of nano-topography.
Dongming Guo, Tsunemoto Kuriyagawa, Jun Wang and Jun'ichi Tamaki
N. Yoshihara et al., "Development of a Rubber-Bonded Grinding Wheel - Studies on Aspherical Grinding -", Key Engineering Materials, Vol. 329, pp. 465-470, 2007


So there is a desktop and root permission isn't needed on it (or if it's needed, then reboot to single mode/whateverlivecd fix a config file-> get root, do the stuff with it and at the end, disable again the root). There is no service on this machine (ex.: sshd), since it is a desktop.
My question: Does it bring more security if I disable the root user on a system? (If yes, how to do it? Disable password for it? Modifying the default shell for root to /sbin/nologin in the /etc/passwd and /etc/master.passwd file doesn't helps, since after reboot the shell will be ksh for it. Nevertheless the ex.: passwd file still contains /sbin/nologin)
Disabling the root password isn't really useful. Either there's a way to become root without using the password (such as another system service, or a security hole in a program running as root), in which case whatever you do about the password is irrelevant; or becoming root requires the password, in which case a strong enough password is as secure as disabling the password.
A strong password has to withstand brute force attacks. There is a first layer of security, which is that ordinary users cannot read the password hash, so they can only make attempts by calling su or login or a similar service. Even if an attacker manages to obtain the password hash, they have to calculate hashes by brute force until they find the right one. OpenBSD properly uses a slow hash; if you want your password to withstand a billion-CPU bot for 10 years, a password with 60 bits of entropy (13 random letter) is overkill.
So my recommendation is to generate a strong random password, write it down on a piece of paper, and store it in a physically secure place. That way you have the password available in an emergency.
Of course, if you set up sudo, then your account becomes the weakest link, and there is no point in securing the root account more than your account.
OpenBSD offers a security feature that restricts the root account: the securelevel. If you set the securelevel to a positive value, then certain actions (including changing the securelevel, loading kernel code, and modifying files marked as immutable) are restricted to kernel code. This can be used to guarantee the integrity of a part of the system even if the root account is compromised; the downside is that console access is required in certain situations such as a failing hard disk. See File protection in Unix and How to guarantee the integrity of an OS? for more details, as well as the documentation.
Your Answer


How to Use the Red Letter Tribe
Introduction: How to Use the Red Letter Tribe
About: my name is Adam!
So, you want to become a regular poster on State Radio's message board, do you?
It's not as easy as you may think. if you make a mistake, you could be shot down, and banished from the boards. but don't be intimidated. Most people on the tribe are kind, lovely State Radio fans, such as yourself.
Just follow these steps, and maybe one day you will be as cool as Shannon or Red.
Step 1: Creating a Username
When you come up with a username, there are a couple of things you might want to consider
1. Something creative
2. Something that is nice and easy to pronounce
3. Or just ignore the previous two, and tell everyone your name.
Step 2: Posting - Replying to a Topic
To reply to a topic, simply press the "Post Reply" button.
Now that you have done that, it is time to post your reply.
Just remember these three simple rules:
1. Keep it intelligent (this means good grammar and spelling)
2. ALWAYS stay on topic
3. Never double post (see step 4)
Step 3: Posting - Starting a New Topic
When you are ready to start a topic, choose wisely, cause' them RLT folk don't take kindly to "dumb" threads.
Here are some questions to ask yourself before posting:
1. Am I posting in the right thread? (Is it SR related, Non-SR related, about a show, or does it belong in the activism forum?)
2. Is it necessary? (does it serve any purpose whatsoever?)
3. Has this already been posted? use the search feature.
Step 4: Editing a Post
So you messed up on a post? Edit it!
Also, as mentioned in step 2, DO NOT double post! Just Edit your last one.
Here is how.
Use the Edit Button.
Step 5: Quoting
There are two ways to quote: a quote from another RLT'er, or a quote from another person/source.
To quote an RLT'er hit the "cloud button" above their post.
To quote someone else, click the quote button on the "Post Reply" page and type or copy the quote.
Step 6: Sending a Private Message
If you would like to privately contact another member you can send them a private message.
to do that click on the private message icon above one of their posts.
Step 7: Entering a URL
Putting a URL in your post can be tricky, but here's how.
1. click on "URL"
2 Enter the page you are linking to into the box.
3. Enter the URL text
Step 8: Linking to a Picture
one of the most confusing things for people is linking to a picture, here is the patented 4 step process:
1. Find the picture
2. Right/Control click, and select "view image"
3. Copy URL
4. Create a link to the page from 2 (see step 7)
Step 9: HOORAY!
Now You are Ready to be an RLT pro!
Good Luck, have fun, and Wage Peace!
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 Battery Powered Contest
 - Plywood Challenge
 Plywood Challenge
 - Plastic Contest
 Plastic Contest
 12 years ago on Introduction
 Bahaaa. "I can tell that this guy's in the military, and he enjoys camping." well done, sir.


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What is a Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP)?An SHSP is a statewide-coordinated safety plan that provides a comprehensive framework for reducing highway fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. The SHSP strategically establishes statewide goals, objectives and key emphasis areas developed in consultation with federal, state, local and private sector safety stakeholders.
The SHSP plan process is a requirement of the Federal Highway Administration's Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). In general, the federal HSIP requires that state transportation departments develop an SHSP that:
- Includes consultation from a variety of stakeholders during the development process.
- Analyzes and makes effective use of crash data.
- Addresses the 4Es plus management and operations. (The 4Es are engineering, enforcement, education and emergency services.)
- Considers the safety needs of all public roads.
- Describes a program of projects or strategies to reduce or eliminate safety hazards.
- Is implemented and evaluated.
When will Iowa's SHSP be revised?Over the next few months, the Iowa DOT, along with many highway safety interests, will discuss and then develop an updated Strategic Highway Safety Plan.
Why now?The Iowa Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan was developed in 2006 and a peer review was conducted in 2011. It is time for an update.
How is the Iowa SHSP developed?This effort is led by the Office of Traffic and Safety and will be similar to the 2006 Iowa Comprehensive Highway Safety Plan. The process will include collaboration to analyze Iowa safety data, and identify safety improvement strategies and opportunities.
For more information, contact: SHSP program manager


More Information +33 7 60601385
The 5S method refers to the Japanese terms: SEIRI, SEITON, SEISO, SEIKETSU, SHITSUKE.
The 5S method allows for an organized work place and total visibility of the necessary equipment, environment and services.
It is translated as:
 1. Seiri: eliminate the useless.
 2. Seiton: tidy up and organize.
 3. Seiso: clean thoroughly with the goal of determining anomalies.
 4. Siketsu: render evident, render visible, equipment, instruments, areas.
 5. Shitsuke:maintain the level obtained through discipline.


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Governors strive to boost higher ed's ranking on political agendas
March 26, 2001
The National Governors Association hosted a roundtable discussion on higher education, Tuesday, March 20, marking the formal launch of an effort to put higher education at the top of state and national agendas.
Goals of the four-year initiative are to expand the dialogue on postsecondary education and help states improve their higher-education systems.
"Governors recognize that economic competitiveness is no longer based on which state can provide the best tax breaks or corporate incentives," said NGA chairman Gov. Parris N. Glendening. "Economic development is being driven by investments in education, particularly in higher education."
The group released five papers it commissioned to describe the economic and demographic forces affective higher education. The essays are available at


1 million and 994 283 corona virus in U.S
Pensacola, fl
The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the total number of those infected with the emerging coronavirus in the United States amounted to 1,994,283 people, an increase of 20,486 cases from the previous census, adding that the number of deaths rose 834 to the total to 112967 deaths.
The statistic includes cases of deaths and deaths from Covid-19 until four o'clock pm EST, compared to the report issued yesterday, and US center numbers do not necessarily reflect the data issued by each state separately.
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Adult Roles and Responsibilities - COS410
Adult Roles and Responsibilities helps students prepare for independent living.This course prepares students to understand the nature, function, and significance of human relationships involving individuals and families. Topics include: family living, parenting, household and money management, decision-making skills, communication skills, self - awareness, crisis management, and the individual's roles and responsibilities within the family and community.
If you'd like to learn more about this class or provide a copy of the syllabus to your school counselor to ensure you are taking the right course, please fill out the form below to begin the download.
- Semester: Semester 1
- SKU: COS410-5
- Category: Life Skills


Keadilan Pancasila dalam Persepektif Teori Keadilan Aristoteles
 - Riky Sembiring Kantor Hukum Ricky Sembiring dan Rekam
Keywords: Justice, Pancasila, Aristotle's Theory
The basis of Pancasila justice is found in points 2 and 5, which reads the second principle of just and civilized humanity and the fourth principle of justice for all Indonesian people. Fair and civilized human values, that awareness of attitudes and behaviors that are in accordance with moral values in living together on the basis of the demands of conscience by treating things as they should. Humans need to be treated according to their dignity and dignity, as God's creatures who are equal and have the same rights and human obligations. Based on this value, there is absolutely recognition of human rights. The value of social justice for all Indonesians implies both the basis and the goal, namely the achievement of a just and prosperous Indonesian society both physically and mentally. Based on this value, justice is a very basic value that is expected by all nations. The expected Indonesian state is an Indonesian state that is just. Justice is described fundamentally by Aristotle, namely to know about justice and injustice, three main things must be discussed, namely what actions are associated with the term, what justice means, and between the two extreme points whether justice lies
Amalia, E. (2009). Keadilan Distributif dalam Ekonomi Islam. Jakarta: Raja Grafindo Persada
Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan. (2001). Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia. Jakarta: Balai Pustaka
Friedrich, C.J. (2004). Filsafat Hukum Perspektif Historis. Bandung: Nuansa dan Nusamedia
Aristoteles. Nicomachean Ethics, translated by W.D. Ross, pag/Aristoteles-nicomachaen.html.
Abstract viewed = 31 times
downloaded = 39 times


text:
Findings from a recent National Center for Education Statistics report suggest a strong relationship between the rigor of a high school student's coursework and the student's academic achievement.
The report, America's High School Graduates: Results from the NAEP High School Transcript Study, analyzed student transcripts for coursework taken, credits earned, and grade point average (GPA). Specifically, the connection between courses taken and student achievement was considered.
Based on a representative sample of 37,700 public and private high school graduates, the analysis of the 12th grade NAEP assessment reveals that students taking more challenging coursework earn higher math and science scores. On average, 2009 graduates earned more credits, including those in career technical education (CTE) courses, than any previous graduating class. Additionally, the overall GPA for students taking classes in areas like CTE increased from 3.03 to 3.39.
Students taking Algebra I before entering high school scored 31 points higher on the math portion of the NAEP than those who did not take Algebra I until high school. Additionally, the study indicates that students taking basic or mid-level curriculum can greatly increase the rigor of their studies simply by adding more challenging science classes. Girls were found to take less science coursework than boys.
The report describes that students taking the most challenging or "rigorous" level coursework earned proficient-level scores on the NAEP test. On average, students taking "mid-level" curriculum or "standard" curriculum (the lowest level of coursework) received basic-level scores on the NAEP exam, indicating only partial mastery of the knowledge and skills needed for success in 12th grade math and science.
The report states that, on average, high school students are taking increasingly challenging coursework, and the increased rigor leads to higher student achievement. We can continue this trend by increasing the rigor of CTE programs of study and by ensuring that CTE students are taking rigorous math and science courses.


The process of backing up refers to the copying and archiving of computer data so it may be used to restore the original after a data-loss event. Having a backup system in place can provide peace of mind; however that peacefulness will be short lived if you have chosen the wrong backup setting. Choosing between Syncing, Mirroring, Copying and Full Backup can become confusing since they are all considered a form of backup—each offering unique benefits. Using mirroring as the backup option, here's an easy-to-understand solution to keep your photo library backed up to ensure your data is safe and prevent your work day from being disrupted in the event of a hard drive failure.
Our backup needs
We want to store our photo library on two external hard drives and a third offsite, using cloud storage. Our photo library will be identical bit-for-bit on two external drives while the cloud storage will keep a copy of all photos, changed or deleted. If we have a hard drive failure, we can use the second local drive until we rebuild the failed drive. If both drives fail, are damaged or stolen, we can use the third offsite cloud drive to rebuild our photo library.
Backup software
There are many software programs to backup hard drives. Both Windows and iOS have built-in programs. There are also many 3rd party programs—SyncBackPro, Acronis, and Carbon Copy Cloner for mirroring, Backblaze, CrashPlan and Carbonite of Cloud backup—to choose from. They all offer similar features. Although setup maybe a little different, the concept is the same. For this example, let's use Syncback Pro to mirror two local hard drives and Backblaze for a full Cloud backup.
Why mirroring is right for our example
Mirroring creates two identical copies that are only updated one way. We want our second drive to be the same bit-for-bit. If the main drive fails, we swap and use the mirrored drive until we rebuild a new one. No downtime. Syncing, on the other hand, also creates two identical copies; but they are updated both directions. If a file or change is detected on drive A, drive B is updated. If a file or change is detected on drive B, drive A is updated. If a file is deleted on one drive, both are deleted immediately. Imagine accidentally deleting an image or your entire Photo Library! For our example, this ISN'T RIGHT for us. We want our Photo Library to be updated at a set time every day. If we accidentally delete an image or a folder, we have time to fix the mistake.
Simplify your Photo Library folder
Organizing your photos into subfolders and keeping them under a main folder such as My Pictures or Photography, will make backing up your Photo Library simple—not to mention the convenience of finding your photos quickly.
SyncBackPro: Create a Photo Library Profile
SyncBackPro allows multiple backups. Profiles organize these backups and keeps everything nice and clean.
Step 1: Create a new profile by selecting New from the Profile menu and name the new profile Photo Library; then click next.
Step 2: Select the Mirror option to ensure both drives will be identical. Click next when done.
Step 3: Select the default, Internal/external drives, network path, etc. from the dropdown list as the Source and Destination for your Photo Library. Click done when finished.
SyncBackPro: Select the Source files and Destination
We are first going to select the ROOT FOLDER of both the source and destination drives, then select our Photo Library folder. This will keep the file structure identical.
Step 1: Choose the source directory by clicking on the file icon, then browse and select the ROOT FOLDER that your Photo Library folder is under. Click select folder when done.
Step 2: Choose the destination directory by clicking on the file icon, then select the ROOT FOLDER of the drive.
Step 3: Select your Photo Library folder by clicking Choose sub-directories and files. Uncheck the box next to the root folder. Browse to your Photo Library folder and check the box. Click OK when done.
SyncBackPro: Run the Photo Library profile and create a schedule
Let's run the new profile for the first time, then create a schedule to automatically run the profile.
Step 1: There are several ways to run a profile. The easiest is to click the Run icon found at the bottom of the screen.
Step 2: SyncBackPro selects your Photo Library and prepares the backup. If a conflict occurs, SyncBackPro pauses and displays the information. After reviewing the information (and correcting/changing, if necessary), click Continue to processed with the backup.
Step 3: Scheduling an automatic backup is easy. Click on the schedule icon found at the bottom of the screen. A dialog will appear if this is the first time you are scheduling a backup. Click Yes to continue.
Step 4: Windows requires you to enter your password when scheduling an automatic backup for the first time. Enter your password and click OK
Step 5: To run the backup every day, select daily and choose a time when your computer isn't being used. In the security section, choose "Run whether user is logged in or not." Click OK when finished.
Cloud Backup
Cloud backups are the easiest kind to create and maintain. For as little as $50 a year, Backblaze, CrashPlan or Carbonite are very affordable. To get started you create an account, download software, run it once to enter your account information, and set any preferences that you want. After the initial setup you don't need to do anything: the software will automatically keep your computer backed up any time it is turned on and connected to the Internet. Once your files are uploaded, you never have to worry about uploading them again unless they are changed. Even then, the software is smart enough to know what has been changed and only send the changed data. If a file is changed several times, it keeps a version of each change. This is helpful if you need to restore a different version other than the last saved copy. It even saves deleted files!
What are the downsides
The main downside with setting up an offsite backup is the initial upload, which can take a few weeks or even months. This depends on how much data you are trying to upload and the speed of your connection. It's best to backup your most important files first—your Photo Library being one of them—and add the other files later. If you are in a real hurry, some companies will ship you a hard drive and have you perform an onsite backup then ship them back the drive. This is a fast option but it comes at a cost of about $250 per drive.
Another potential negative is if you lose both of your local drives and need to get all of your files back. In that case you would be limited by the speed at which you can download from your cloud backup provider or again pay an extra fee to have a hard drive sent to you. This is the absolute worst-case disaster scenario. Even though this would be a pain, you still have access to files you would have lost forever.
Stay safe with the 3-2-1 concept
Having three copies of your files—two stored locally and one stored offsite—will guarantee your Photo Library and your important files are safe from the worst possible disaster scenario.


[UPDATE] Composition Exercise Book - The Write Book
full name / name of organization:
Russ Brickey
contact email:
NOTE: We have extended the deadline for submissions to July 1.
The Write Book
FORM: Composition exercise book (not a reader!) tentatively titled The Write Book. We are putting together a collection of exercises to be used as an aid to instructors in the high school or college composition classroom.
7. Any potential problems.
Also Looking for Assignment Sheets
We will also include a section with examples of different assignments and prompts, so feel free to send us your best assignment sheets also. In addition to assignment sheets, please include:
1. a brief write-up that explains where it comes in the semester,
2. what assignments proceed and follow,
3. what are its strengths and weaknesses,
4. why is it a useful assignment for the comp classroom, and
5. any practical tips for making the assignment work in and out of the classroom.
Send exercises, assignment sheets, and/or questions to Russ Brickey at _EMAIL_, Laura Beadling at _EMAIL_, or Kory Wein at _EMAIL_ by July 1.
cfp categories:


text:
CHALLENGES FACED" BY REGULAR TEACHERS, IN TEACHING WITH SPELLING PROBLEMS IN SOME SELECTED SCHOOLS IN TOMBEL
The custom academic work that we provide is a powerful tool that will facilitate and boost your coursework, grades and examination results. Professionalism is at the core of our dealings with clients
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This research investigated "Challenges faced by regular teachers in some selected schools in Tombel." The main research question of the study was, do regular teachers face problems in teaching children with spelling problems? The research design used in the work was the descriptive survey research design while the study consisted of only pupils with spelling problems from Government school Tombel Group One and Two, catholic school Tombel, Government School Ngapand Presbyterian School Tombel. The population size of teachers who answered the questionnaires concerning the pupils was 50.10 per school. The closed ended questionnaire was used and the major findings revealed that teachers face challenges in teaching children with spelling problems as/ home background is a major cause of spelling problems, likewise teachers teaching methods also is a cause of spelling problems again, children are also unable to discriminate certain sound and words. Inattentiveness is also a cause of spelling problems in pupils.
Education process develops an individual intellectually, emotionally, spiritual and physically so that all may become fully participating members of the community (Tambo 2003). Children face spelling problems at the elementary level which makes them unable to read and spell at the upper level. We shall also discuss some of the challenges faced by regular teachers in teaching children with spelling problems in the write up accordingly.
1.1 Background To The Study
A teacher is on who impacts knowledge to a learner. If they do not enjoy what they are doing, the students will be able to tell. They also must enjoy being around their students. A teacher who cares for their students is going to help that individual succeed in their life in the future. Teachers are of various categories namely regular teachers and special teachers. The former are the normal teachers while the latter are those who have been trained to handle special needs. As for the regular teachers they teach using didactic materials, teaching methods and try to solve problems of special needs children even though they have not had a training on special education. Therefore, they would obviously face problems in teaching children with spelling problems which would be seen in the write up. And the sound is straight forward as each letter or letter combination almost always represents one certain sound. The way in which letters are arranged in sequence to produce the pronunciation of a word is referred as spelling or orthography. In some languages, the correspondence between the letter.
White Smoke (2002), the way in which letters are arranged in sequence to produce the pronunciation of a word is referred to as spelling or orthography. In some languages, such as Spanish, the correspondence between the letter and the sound is fairly straight forward as each letter or letter combination almost always represents one certain sound. For example, compare the Spanish maleta with its English equivalent suitcase. The pronunciation of the vowels a and e in the former remains relatively constant across words, whereas that of u, i, a, and e in the latter is far from being stable across the English vocabulary, the largest and richest of all languages.
During the rather complex history of English, the language has been subjected to numerous influences that resulted in it actually becoming a mixture of other languages, benefiting from abundant contributions to its vocabulary, but also blending different spelling systems. These contribute to the irregular and sometimes incredibly inconsistent and confusing spelling of the written language, which in turn interacts with a varied and sometimes unpredictable pronunciation. In order to master English spelling, one needs to learn a great many spelling rules and be aware of the numerous possible letter combinations.
One of the most notorious inconsistencies among letter-sound correspondences is represented in the various sounds of the letter combination ough. Robert A. Heinlein in his novel The Door into summer came up with the following sentence to demonstrate this: "Though the tough cough and hiccough plough him through." Though is pronounced as slow, tough as huff, and cough rhymes with off. Hiccough is pronounced as cup, plough as how, and through rhymes with you. Such spelling inconsistencies were ridiculed by playwright George Bernard Shaw, who suggested that the word fish should be spelled ghoti, as gh would stand for f (laugh), o for i (woman in the plural as pronounced /wimin/) and ti would replace sh (as in nation).
However still, despite the bad reputation English spelling suffers from, hundreds of millions of English learners all over the world have managed to overcome it as they strive to improve their knowledge of the undisputed international language, used daily on millions of Internet sites – all in English. A perfect tool to help you in the process of mastering English spelling is the White Smoke online grammar and English writing software, which relies on cutting edge artificial intelligence algorithms that provide contextual proofreading any text you write in any application.
When the Anglo-Saxons started arriving at the British Isles around the 5th century AD, the Germanic roots of their language gradually created the core of Old English vocabulary, similar to modern German words, such as father, mother, daughter, son, under, hand, house, and cow. These were originally spelled and pronounced differently, but were transformed due to later linguistic changes. Additional contact with the language of the indigenous Celts and ongoing word borrowing from Latin speaking merchants, Roman conquerors and Christian monks have resulted in more words that integrated different spelling systems (street, plant, altar, kitchen, butter, wine).
The Viking invasions of the 9th century brought an influx of spelling conventions from Old Norse, which in addition to contributing words such as want, take and sky also caused the Old English word schirt to be written as both shirt and skirt, with the meaning of the two later diverging to denote two different pieces of clothing. Middle English saw a dramatic influence on English spelling with a torrent of Norman-French words coming into use starting from the 11th century. It is estimated that about 40% of currently used English words are derived from French, which has obviously brought with it yet additional spelling conventions (not changed for reasons of prestige), and word roots and suffixes that formed longer English words than before (parliament, justice, ornament, pleasure, establishment, foundation etc.)
Printing was at its early stages and there was still no set spelling standard, which would only later be canonized in dictionaries and language manuals. Divergent spellings for the same word occurred very often, sometimes even in the same sentence. This resulted, for instance, in the letter o bearing three different pronunciations in l ove, grove, and prove; the consonant digraph th replacing older letters; and o sounding like u in come, son and love.
From the 15th century onwards, the phonological phenomenon known as the Great Vowel Shift caused numerous vowel pronunciations to change into those more familiar to us today and thus marked the transition into Early Modern English. The spelling, however, remained as it was and still represented the Middle English pronunciation, adding another dimension to the bewildering English spelling saga.
Instead of initiating a full realignment of English spelling according to commonly accepted conventions, the expansion of printing has actually fossilized both old and new irregularities with remnants from all the language sources, which by then had been contributing to the ever-growing English vocabulary. The additional silent "magic" e, common to many words in English, followed these developments, in addition to the ough conundrum, illustrated above.
The English Renaissance of the 16th century boosted a renewed interest in classical Greek and Latin, bringing in a new wave of borrowed words, either with their original spelling (a now silent b in debt to resemble the Latin debitum, s in island as in Latin insula instead of Norse igland) or anglicised along the lines of the new spelling practices. This again amounted to yet further spelling diversity in words such as democracy, theory, physics, and rhythm from Greek (y in the middle of a word indicates Greek origin); medicine, library, recipe, conviction, and index from Latin.
The rise in education, printing and reading; English replacing Latin in church services; upward social mobility, and increased communication among the different parts of English society were some of the initial steps to finally start bringing order to the English spelling chaos, which by now had been set in print.
The publication of the first significant English dictionary by Samuel Johnson in 1755 and others that followed, the publication of the King James Bible in 1611, and the literary works of William Shakespeare mark the onset of Modern English. As written communication was becoming more prevalent, there was less leeway for spelling deviance. The British economy and naval trade prospered, allowing for culture and science to flourish, ever contributing to the development and enrichment of the printed lexicon. The 19th century revolutionized science and technology and gave rise to even more words, prefixes and suffixes from classical languages (cholesterol, telegraph, telephone, cyanide, and philanthropist).
The British colonization of America and other imperialist ventures around the globe allowed English to literally usurp a great deal of languages for more and more words that still keep spicing up English orthography with spelling irregularities. A major development following the global expansion of English is the spelling differences between British and American English, initially instigated by the publication of Noah Webster's American Dictionary in 1828.
Words are constantly being added to the English language and are transcribed using the Roman alphabet (mustang, algebra, bungalow, samurai, and voodoo, to


Do stand your ground laws increase crime?
Jan. 9, 2013
Do stand your ground laws increase crime?
A customer checks out a shotgun at Burdett & Son Outdoor Adventure Shop in College Station, Texas. (AP/Pat Sullivan, File)
Recently Salon posted on so-called stand your ground laws (sometimes known as castle doctrines), which increase the circumstances under which it is permissible for a gun owner to use lethal force against people he regards as a threat. Recently a report by Texas A&M economists Mark Hoekstra and Cheng Cheng found that these laws increase the number of homicides without acting as a crime deterrent. These laws were hotly debated after unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin was fatally shot in Sanford, Fla., last year.
Salon reached out to NRA and Gun Owners of America for comment. The latter, which considers itself the "no compromise" gun group (as opposed to those delicate tulips at the NRA), took on the report at length through spokesman Erich Pratt. Professor Hoekstra then defended his work to Salon.
Here are a few representative quotes from each. The full responses can be viewed here.
1. Even though homicide rates would NOT seem to be connected to the passage of Castle Doctrine laws in a state in any significant way, the biased researchers conclude that "castle doctrine increases homicide." But how exactly does giving people greater legal protections in defending their homes result in more homicides?
2. But the fact is the Cheng-Hoekstra study actually shows a drop in burglary, robbery and aggravated assault — although, because of their bias, the authors dismiss this as insignificant and only helpful to those who are "legally justified in protecting themselves in self-defense."
1. We use non-adopting states as a control group; the changes they experience over time form our best estimate as to what would have happened to adopting states had they not passed the laws.
The data, which are publicly available from the FBI, indicate that homicide rates rose in adopting states relative to non-adopting states after the passage of the laws.
2. Our study does not show any evidence that robbery, burglary, or aggravated assault rates fell due to these laws. I don't know where that assertion came from, but it is not true. Estimates are positive, small, and statistically indistinguishable from zero.


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A square dance is a dance for four couples (eight dancers) arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances were first documented in 17th century England but were also quite common in France and throughout Europe. They came to North America with the European settlers and have undergone considerable development there. In some countries and regions, through preservation and repetition, square dances have attained the status of a folk dance.
The Western American square dance may be the most widely known form worldwide except dances from China and India, possibly due to its association in the 20th century with the romanticized image of the American cowboy. Square dancing is, therefore, strongly associated with the United States of America. Nineteen US states have designated it as their official state dance.
The various square dance movements are based on the steps and figures used in traditional folk dances and social dances from many countries. Some of these traditional dances include Morris dance, English Country Dance, Caledonians and the quadrille. Square dancing is enjoyed by people around the world, and people around the world are involved in the continuing development of this form of dance.
In most American forms of square dance, the dancers are prompted or cued through a sequence of steps (square dance choreography) by a caller to the beat (and, in some traditions, the phrasing) of music. The caller may be one of the dancers or musicians, but nowadays is more likely to be on stage, giving full attention to directing the dancers.
The American folk music revival in New York City in the 1950s was rooted in the resurgent interest in square dancing and folk dancing there in the 1940s, which gave musicians such as Pete Seeger popular exposure.
Main types of square dances
Terminology: In America, in general, people go to square dances to do square dances and call it square dancing. In England, Ireland and Scotland people go to all sorts of dances at which some of the dances will be square dances, but they don't say that they are "square dancing".
Conversely, people not familiar with the various different forms of dance may ask for a evening of square dance meaning simply a barn dance where many different formations of dance are used. It is possible to go to one of these "square dances" and not do a single actual square dance all evening!
United States and Canada
- Traditional square dance, which is also called "old time square dance". Traditional square dance is not standardized and can be subdivided into regional styles. The New England and Appalachian styles have been particularly well documented; both have survived to the present time. There are several other styles; some have survived or been revived in recent years, some have not. Traditional square dance is frequently presented in alternation with contra dances (particularly in revival groups) or with some form of freestyle couple dancing (at surviving local events). One ancestor of New England style square dances is the quadrille, and older New England callers occasionally refer to their squares as "quadrilles." Where traditional square dance has been revived, it encompasses a wide range of new choreography.
- Modern Western square dance (MWSD), which is also called "Western square dance", "contemporary Western square dance", or "modern American square dance". Modern Western square dance evolved from the Western style of traditional square dance from about 1940 to 1960. Traditional Western square dancing was promoted beginning in the 1930s by Lloyd Shaw, who solicited definitions from callers across the country in order to preserve that dance form and make it available to other teachers. Since the 1970s modern Western square dance has been promoted and standardized by Callerlab, the "International Association of Square Dance Callers". Because of this standardization, it is possible for anyone with the proper training to enjoy modern Western square dancing in many countries around the world; although instruction is typically given in the local language, the calls are always in English. Modern Western square dance is sometimes presented in alternation with round dances.
- Playford: John Playford published The English Dancing Master in 1651. Eight of the 105 dances are square dances, many exhibiting concepts that we still use today such as the Heads performing an action and then the Sides repeating the same action. Three of the dances, such as "Dull Sir John", actually state "A Square Dance for Eight thus" (see the diagram on the right). Square dances such as "Newcastle", one of those original eight, are still very popular today, and countless new dances have been written in the Playford style, or English Country Dance (ECD) style as it is known in America.
- Folk Dance /Barn dance: At English folk or country dances a very wide range of dances is performed, many of which are square dances: Playford style dances; dances derived from the quadrille, for example "La Russe" published by H.D. Willock in the "Manual of Dancing" (c.1847); regional traditional folk dances such as the "Goathland Square Eight" and the "Cumberland Square Eight"; American traditional square dances; plus countless new square dances written in the 20th and 21st centuries.
- Céilidh: Ceilidhs often include square dances. At English Ceilidhs the same squares may be done as at folk dances or barn dances, but with more stepping. Stepping includes skip steps, hop steps, polka steps and rants.
- Céilí: Ceili dances cover a wide range of formations, including many square dances.
- Set dancing: Square dances with strong regional associations. Tops (rather than Heads) and Sides are used extensively. Stepping, often with a flat-foot polka step is normal.
- Scottish country dance: Scottish dances cover a wide range of formations, including many square dances.
Numbering of couples
Couple numbering in a square dance set usually begins with the couple nearest the head of the hall (the side of the room containing the musicians and caller, or in the pre-caller era, the royal presence or other hosts or important guests). This couple is the "first" or "number one" couple.
If most of the figures are danced between facing couples across the set, as in the 19th century quadrille and dances derived from it, the couple opposite the first is the "second couple". The first and second couples constitute the "head" or "top" couples (or the "head and foot" couples); the third and fourth couples are the "side" couples. In the 19th century quadrille, the third couple is to the first couple's right. In Irish set dances, the third couple (sometimes termed the "first side couple") is to the left of the "first top couple" (the couples facing the first top and first side are the "second top couple" and the "second side couple" respectively).
If most figures are danced around the set, with one or more couples visiting the others in turn, the couples are likewise numbered around the set. In 17th century England they were numbered clockwise, with the second couple to the first couple's left. In most present-day American square dance traditions, the couples are numbered counterclockwise: the second couple is to the first couple's right, the third couple is across from the first, and the fourth couple is to the left of the first. The first and third are "head couples" or "heads" (or, in older parlance, the "first four"); the second and fourth are "side couples" or "sides" (formerly "side four" or "second four").
Comparing square dance calls
In this context a "call" refers to the name of a specific dance movement. It may alternatively refer to the phrase used by a caller to cue the dancers so they dance the specified movement, or to the dance movement itself. It mirrors the ambiguity of the word "dance", which may mean a dance event, the dancing of an individual to the playing of one piece of music, or dancing in general.
In many communities, especially in Scotland and Ireland, the dancers are expected to know the dance and there is no caller.
A square dance call may take a very short time or a very long time to execute. Most calls require between 4 and 32 "counts" (where a count is roughly one step). In traditional square dancing the timing of a call is dictated by tradition; in some regional styles, particularly that of New England, the dance movements are closely fitted to the phrases of the music. In modern Western square dancing many calls have been given formally specified durations, based partly on direct observation of how long it takes an average dancer to execute them.
Traditional and modern Western square dancing have a number of calls in common, but there are usually small differences in the way they are performed. For example, the "Allemande Left" is traditionally performed by grasping left hands with the other dancer, pulling away from each other slightly, and walking halfway around a central axis then stepping through. In modern Western dance the grip is modified so that each dancer grips the forearm of the other, and there is no pulling (that is, each dancer supports his or her own weight). These modifications make it easier to enter and exit the movement, and thus easier to incorporate into a long sequence of calls.
Traditional square dance uses a comparatively small number of calls—between about ten and thirty, depending on the region and the individual caller. (Many traditional square dance calls are similar or identical to contra dance calls, which are described at Contra dance choreography). New dance moves are explained by the caller.
In