DVD 'Kashi, The Eternal City' captures every aspect of the holy city vividly. Malathi rangarajan
Unanswered questions and ambiguous thoughts become comprehensible and clear to the ordinary mind as you watch 'Kashi, The Eternal City,' the DVD brought out by Isha Foundation and Moser Baer Entertainment.
Kashi is a place where ratiocination and rituals, legend and logic, and tradition and science co-exist, without the dichotomies turning into debatable issues. A city projected as a mathematical marvel designed to perfection, you begin to think of Kashi with a sense of yearning.
"It is not for nothing that people flock to Kashi to live or die there," says Jaggi Vasudev in his interaction with lyricist and script writer Prasoon Joshi as the two walk through the city that is "stacked with layers and layers of energy." 'Kashi….' showcases day-to-day rituals religiously followed in its 468 temples, daily chores of burning the dead, the city's hoariness and much more. Fascinating facts about the temples situated symmetrically in perfect geometrical patterns, each built with a purpose, make the DVD a worthy watch. Interestingly, Benares, as a hub of art, culture and Mathematics, even before Athens, Egypt and Rome came into existence, is said to be older than history itself! The myths and realities of Kashi are discussed threadbare in simple English. It's disheartening to note that the greatness of the city, extolled by savants and saints, litterateurs such as Mark Twain, and philosophers, is being eroded. Every aspect of Kashi is brought to the fore, under different titles. The 468 temples that dot Kashi aren't random constructions. They are mathematically calculated and meticulously created structures. The DVD explains very lucidly the logic behind the number!
Kashi draws the godly and the lay, and is believed to be above every other place on this earth – on Siva's Trishul! Another significant number touched upon is 108, which again comes with a logical explanation.
The rest houses built for pilgrims centuries ago are still intact, as you see. Also, the Panch Kroshi Yatra, which lakhs of pilgrims undertake annually, in the month of April, and which begins with a dip in the Ganga, has been well-captured.
The legend of Kala Bhairava, with Anita Ratnam acting out the salient parts of it vividly, is yet another segment that stays with you. Finally, the treatise on death makes you ponder over the importance given to the mere physicality of life, when there's so much beyond!
Kashi -- The Eternal City
Devotional DVD -- English
Moser Baer & Isha Foundation
Price: Rs.99


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Hospice workers have schedules that keep them on their feet for most of the day. Often staff members barely have time to grab a cup of coffee or a sandwich and even less time to attend to paperwork. Reasons include the necessity to care for patients' physical, medical and psychological needs. Administrative tasks often take second place, but this becomes a serious problem when supplies aren't ordered or patient records are not properly updated since, ultimately, it's the patient who may suffer.
Fortunately, there are now mobile solutions available that simplify the chore of updating patient records and ordering essential supplies while enhancing hospice staff efficiency.The Balancing Act
Hospice providers operate by balancing the requirements of their patients with the responsibilities of administrative duties. Constant choices have to be made between the amount of time allocated to each patient, the needs of the other patients and the completion of administrative tasks that cannot be neglected:
- Patients' needs: These include their medical needs and necessities such as comfort, cleanliness, and healthy nutrition as well as their emotional health and wellbeing.
- Administrative tasks: Hospice caregivers are obliged to ensure medical records are correct and up to date with respect to treatment and medical supplies provided, as well as arranging to replenish used supplies.
- Clinicians: Hospice clinicians form relationships with patients, and as such are involved in the process of their passing. Apart from caring for the needs of their patients (and the patient's family), clinicians must also deal with the personal stress brought about by their work, and have adequate rest to avoid burnout.
While there are no cures for dealing with stress and burnout, the adoption of solutions to alleviate and streamline routine administrative functions are an important factor for ensuring that clinicians are motivated, fresh and able to perform their tasks efficiently.Tapping into Mobile Technology
According to a study published in The Permanente Journal, which evaluated how medical nurses spent their time, it was established that 35 percent of nursing practice work time was spent on documentation and administration.
The introduction of mobile technology offers a solution to reducing time lost on administrative tasks such as:
- Updating patient records
- Record keeping
- Mobile ordering
Mobile ordering systems are faster than paper-based systems while making the recorded information legible and easily shared. Additionally, records don't get lost. A good example of these types of solutions is uCommand® from Concordance Healthcare Solutions. This is a web-based supply chain management solution that provides:
- Electronic order placing
- Barcode tracking
- Interfaces with electronic medical records (EMR's)
- Mobile access
- Adding and amending patients' records
- Direct interface with multiple vendors
- Management approval processes
- Flexible and ad hoc reporting
To discover how uCommand® can help improve your staff's efficiencies, contact us for more information.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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Does a patient with bone TB need stay isolated?
Q: My relative is suffering from bone tuberculosis (TB). They have a child at home. Is this disease infectious? Do we need to keep the patient isolated? He is under medical treatment at the moment.
A:TB of the bones or joints is known as skeletal TB. The common sites involved in bone TB are the large weight-bearing bones or joints including the vertebrae, hip and knee. It is curable, and the duration of treatment is usually from 9 months to one year. If the x-rays of the patient are clear, and he does not have any respiratory symptoms, then there is no risk of infection to close contacts, provided there is no pus or wound discharge positive for acid fast bacilli (AFB).


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This section contains documents created from scanned original files and other
documents that could not be made accessible to screen reader software. A "#"
symbol is used to denote such documents.
Definition, including P = F*v; example of power for bicycle at two speeds.
Definitions of power, average power, and instantaneous power; power in terms of force (P=F*v) with examples; energy in terms of power (E = P*t); forms of energy.
Definitions, including average and instantaneous power; power in terms of force (P= F*v) with examples; energy in terms of power (E= P*t); forms of energy.
Power defined, with equation (P = F*v); impulse defined; center of mass defined; velocity and momentum of center of mass.
Definition of work-kinetic energy theorem (Kf = Ki + Wf,i); work done by non-constant force; work done along an arbitrary path; line integrals; definition of average power; definition of instantaneous power.
Calculating the stall torque and torque at maximum power of a motor.
Computing the work done and calories burned by a cyclist.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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- Enter a word for the dictionary definition.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Ghetto \Ghet"to\, n. [It.] A quarter of a city where Jews live in greatest numbers. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] I went to the Ghetto, where the Jews dwell. --Evelyn. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] 2. By extension: Any section of a town inhabited predominantly by members of a specific ethnic, national or racial group, such segregation usually arising from social or economic pressure. The term is commonly applied to areas in cities having a high concentration of low-income African-Americans. [PJC] 3. [fig.] Any isolated group of people. [PJC] 4. [fig.] Any group isolated by external pressures, with an implication of inferiority. [PJC]


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Later than a long tiring day, the top place to put the brain at ease is house. A house with the well environment has regularly been compared to heaven. A home is a life lone asset and so, should be built correctly. It need a right funds and a fine contractor who is skilled. Hiring fine contractors to need a lot of study and it is forever top to select a contractor locally. A practiced contractor will know how to hold the construction and will also know the resources required. Therefore, while constructing the home, certain factors have to be held in reserve in brain such as windows and doors, kitchen and baths, tiles and flooring siding and roofs and vents, etc.
One of the mainly key parts to be considered when constructing a home is sliding. Siding keeps the home in accurate shape and protects the exterior of the home from damages. The siding of the home is moderately hard, and for that reason it requires a contractor who is practiced to handle this kind of work. A good quality siding keeps a home secure from weather damages, fading, cracks, and breaks. The top way to find experienced contractors is through web search. A web search will provide names of top contractors, such as siding contractors.
Why is siding of the home main?
- Proper siding helps in growing the importance of the home
- The proper siding of the home will help to keep the house from climate damages
- Proper siding improves the external viewpoint
- Proper siding stops the humidity from suitable trapped within the siding
- Proper siding helps in keeping the walls and inside secure from outer surface damages
- Proper siding helps home from being water damaged like rot or mildew
- Proper siding prevents peeling of paint
- Proper siding stop the wallpapers from increasing loose
- Proper siding helps in avoiding common painting of the home
- Proper siding helps in making investments by avoiding frequent maintenance
Therefore, it can be concluded siding is a key quality of a home. It cannot be denied that siding keeps the exterior of the home secure from outer damages. The above points show the significance of a good siding. A home is unfinished if the significant parts are not handled correctly while constructing the home. Thus, hire the top and qualified contractor for the siding of your home.


Dawes' Limit
If two equally-bright stars are so close together that their Airy disks overlap, they will be seen as a single star, although perhaps as an elongated one. If, however, the Airy disk of one star falls in the first dark diffraction ring of the second, each star can be seen separately - not as two distinct points, but as two small disks of light touching and forming a Figure 8, in which the intensity of light between the two touching disks drops by a clearly visible 30%.
English astronomer William R. Dawes (_PHONE_, and known as the "eagle-eyed" for his acute vision) determined that the smallest separation between two stars which shows this 30% drop is equal to 4.56 arc seconds divided by the aperture of the telescope in inches. The larger the telescope aperture, the smaller the separation that can be resolved.
This "Dawes' limit" (which he determined empirically simply by testing the resolving ability of many observers on white star pairs of equal magnitude 6 brightness) only applies to point sources of light (stars). Smaller separations can be resolved in extended objects, such as the planets. For example, Cassini's Division in the rings of Saturn (0.5 arc seconds across), was discovered using a 2.5" telescope - which has a Dawes' limit of 1.8 arc seconds!
The ability of a telescope to resolve to Dawes' limit is usually much more affected by seeing conditions, by the difference in brightness between the binary star components, and by the observer's visual acuity, than it is by the optical quality of the telescope.
The resolving power of each of the telescopes on our website is shown as determined by the Dawes' limit formula, as this is the standard measurement that all manufacturers use to specify the resolving powers of their telescopes.


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How has Manchester shaped science and technology?
Manchester, England has a rich history of scientific and technological contributions. It also happens to be where Macrium Software's head office is located. While we obviously think we're great in our own right, our place in the rich tapestry of Manchester's history doesn't hold a candle to these others. In fact, you don't have to look much further than the name of the building that is home to Macrium's headquarters: Kilburn House, named after Thomas Kilburn. Thomas Kilburn, Geoff Tootil, and Freddie Williams worked on the world's first electronically stored-program computer, the Manchester Baby, which we'll look at below. This is just the beginning of Manchester's valuable contributions to science and technology. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the science and technology breakthroughs Manchester is responsible for, as well as the remarkable people that made them possible.
Jodrell Bank Observatory
The Jodrell Bank Observatory located in the county of Cheshire and a part of the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester has played an important role in astronomical research, as well as inspiring the scientists of tomorrow. As their mission states:
'We work to inspire the scientists of the future by engaging them with the scientific research carried out at Jodrell Bank and with the stories of the creation of the Observatory and its ground breaking science.'
Most famous for the striking Lovell Telescope, the site has been a favorite with astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts around the world, so much so that the site was recently made a UNESCO world heritage site in 2019.
Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson was born in New Zealand and spent much of his life working at the University of Manchester. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908 "for his investigations into the disintegration of the elements, and the chemistry of radioactive substances". Ernest Rutherford may be most remembered for the discovery of the proton and the first nuclear reaction initiated by a human.
'This was also the discovery of the proton and Rutherford showed that the "nucleus of hydrogen" existed in the nucleus of other atoms and thus appeared as a basic building block. The first nuclear reaction initiated by a human and the discovery of the proton are big steps in themselves, but from these reactions you can also infer the sizes of nuclei. It also led to the development of nuclear accelerators - so that you could induce all sorts of different nuclear reactions.
'This discovery, and the earlier work done by Rutherford that established the existence of an atomic nucleus itself, essentially established the field of nuclear physics right here in Manchester.'
- Professor Sean Freeman, Head of the School of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Manchester
Alan Turing was a brilliant mathematician, computer scientist and codebreaker. He is often credited with being 'the father of modern computing'. He is honored by the Alan Turing Memorial in Sackville Park in Manchester and appears on the £50 bank note. Alan Turing is perhaps most famous for his work at Bletchley Park during WW2 helping to decipher German transmissions that had been encrypted using the Enigma machine, enabling the Allies to gain important intelligence.
Alan Turing later worked at the University of Manchester where he worked on the Manchester Mark 1 computer. Whilst at Manchester University he wrote his famous work 'Computing Machinery and Intelligence', which introduced the idea of the Turing Test. The ever more relevant test aims to test the ability of a machine to exhibit intelligent behavior similar to that of a human.
He is also known for his unintentional role in the gay rights movement. With homosexuality illegal in the United Kingdom at the time, his same-sex relationship lead to a conviction of "gross indecency," and subsequent "treatment" by chemical castration. The conviction was posthumously overturned in 2013 by royal pardon, and led to the informally recognised "Alan Turing law" which paves the way for others convicted by similar anti-homosexual historical legislation to also receive pardons.
James Prescott Joule
James Prescott Joule was an English physicist, mathematician and brewer born in the city of Salford. He became famous for his work on the conservation of energy, which forms the first law of thermodynamics. He lends his name to the SI unit of energy, the Joule (J).
A statue of Joule now stands in the entrance to Manchester Town Hall, prior to this it stood in the Royal Manchester Institution, now the Manchester Art Gallery.
In 2004 graphene was isolated and studied at the University of Manchester. For this discovery Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics:
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2010 was awarded jointly to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov "for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene."
Graphene has been described by the University of Manchester as being "many times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible", "electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent", and "the world's first 2D material and is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair". Research into graphene and its practical applications are conducted at the National Graphene Institute in Manchester:
Along with its sister facility, the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, the NGI is ideally placed to take the rapidly advancing fundamental science of 2D materials and turn theories into real-world products that will transform the world around us.
The Baby and Manchester Mark 1
The Manchester Baby was the first electronic stored-program computer, this is a computer that stored instructions in electronic or optical storage. The Manchester Baby is often regarded as a proof of concept which was a predecessor to the Manchester Mark 1. The Manchester Mark 1 then directly led to the development of the Ferranti Mark 1, the world's first commercially available general purpose digital computer.
Freddie Williams and Thomas Kilburn began working at Manchester University in late 1947, and were able to store 2048 bits of data using Williams-Kilburn Tube Storage, also commonly known as the Williams tube. This is regarded as the first random-access storage device, and was successfully used as storage in many of the earliest computers.
Louise Joy Brown
Louise Joy Brown is the first ever human to have been born after being conceived using in vitro fertilization (IVF). She was born on the 25th of July 1978 in Oldham and District General Hospital in Manchester. This had wider implications for fertility treatment and medicine as a whole:
Today, IVF is considered a mainstream medical treatment for infertility. Hundreds of thousands of children around the world have been conceived through the procedure, in some cases with donor eggs and sperm.
John Dalton was a meteorologist and chemist, perhaps most famous for his work on color blindness and the atomic model. Dalton theorized that all matter was made up of atoms, becoming an early proponent of atomic theory. It is important to note that the idea of atoms was not a new concept, but John Dalton did help further describe the properties of atoms by providing a method of calculating relative atomic weights.
John Dalton has since been honored with a building named after him at the Manchester Metropolitan University, housing the Faculty of Science and Engineering. A statue of Dalton was also erected in 1855 in Piccadilly and then later moved outside his eponymous building. A Blue Plaque, used to celebrate buildings and sites associated with famous people and important events, was placed on George Street in Manchester. It reads:
'John Dalton (_PHONE_) founder of the scientific atomic theory and president of Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society had his laboratory here'
The Industrial Revolution
During the industrial revolution, Manchester saw an economic boom and with it came a boom in population. As woodvill.org states: 'In 1773, Manchester had a population of about 25,000 and no mills; in 1802, it had 95,000 people and 52 mills'. This enabled Manchester to be at the forefront of innovation during a period of economic and scientific development.
'Manchester was the world's first industrial city. From its towering mills, bustling warehouses and crowded streets came new ways to live, work and think, which transformed lives in Manchester and across the world.'
And for the future?
As we can see, Manchester's technological and scientific discoveries are extensive. And with institutions like Jodrell Bank Observatory and the University of Manchester pushing boundaries further than ever, it does not look like these contributions will slow down any time soon. Manchester is making history every day!


Red-necked pademelon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Red-necked pademelon[1]
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Family: Macropodidae
Genus: Thylogale
Species: T. thetis
Binomial name
Thylogale thetis
(Lesson, 1828)
Red-necked Pademelon area.png
Red-necked pademelon range
The red-necked pademelon (Thylogale thetis) is a forest-dwelling marsupial living in the eastern coastal region of Australia.
A small species of macropod, it has a head and body length of 29–62 cm, a tail length of 27–51 cm and mean weight of 3.8 kg for females and 7.0 kg for males.[3] Mainly nocturnal, the red-necked pademelon is very shy and generally inhabits temperate forests near grassland, hiding in the forests by day and emerging into the grasslands to graze in the dusk.
The red-necked pademelon is brown-grey with a cream underbelly and a red-tinted neck and shoulders. It breeds in the autumn and spring in northern Australia, and in the summer in southern Australia. Predators include the dingo and the red fox, however habitat destruction, particularly through land clearance, is currently the largest threat to the species. The red-necked pademelon is not currently listed as an endangered species.
This species is closely related to the red-legged pademelon.
 2. ^ Ellis, M., Denny, M., Burnett, S. & Lunney, D. (2008). Thylogale thetis. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 29 December 2008. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
 3. ^ [1] The Marsupial Society
External links[edit]


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African names encompass a variety of cultures, religions and languages.
Most people in North Africa are of the Muslim faith and therefore tend to use Muslim, Arabic names when naming their children. Central and South Africa maintain the influence of Western culture and frequently use European names when naming their children.
Traditional African names often reflect the order, time, or season of the child's birth. For example born on a given day or at a certain time, first born or second born. The name may also represent circumstances, for example, born while father was away. It is also common for given names to be vocabulary words from the local language.


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Michigan Avenue (DuSable) Bridge
the Michigan Avenue (DuSable) Bridge is part of Chicago.
Location is derived from the great work of WikiMapia
Check this place on Socialmapia
Location is derived from the great work of WikiMapia
Check this place on Socialmapia
Top photos chosen by u all:
Made by jlurie
Many people don't know the symbolism behind the flag of Chicago. For those who don't know, or those who need a refresher, here is the explanation from Wikipedia. Click here for the entire explanation. Stripes The three white stripes of the flag represent, from top to bottom, the North, West and South sides of the city. The top blue stripe represents Lake Michigan and the North Branch of the Chicago River. The bottom blue stripe represents the South Branch of the Chicago River and the Great Canal. Stars The four red six-pointed stars on the center white stripe, from left to right (although this is not the order in which they were added to the flag). Six-pointed stars are used because five-pointed stars represent sovereign states, and because the star as designed is not found on any other flags. The first star represents Fort Dearborn. It was added to the flag in 1939. Its six points symbolize transportation, labor, commerce, finance, populousness, and salubrity. The second star stands for the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and is original to the 1917 design of the flag. Its six points represent the virtues of religion, education, aesthetics, justice, beneficence, and civic pride. The third star symbolizes the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, and is original to the 1917 design. Its six points stand for political entities Chicago has belonged to and the flags that have flown over the area: France 1693, Great Britain 1763, Virginia 1778, the Northwest Territory 1798, Indiana Territory 1802, and Illinois 1818. The fourth star represents the Century of Progress Exposition (1933–1934), and was added in 1933. Its points refer to bragging rights: the United States' 2nd Largest City (became 3rd largest in 1990 census when passed by L.A.), Chicago's Latin Motto (Urbs in horto – City in a garden), Chicago's I Will Motto, Great Central Marketplace, Wonder City, Convention City. A possible fifth star has been proposed for the city flag on more than one occasion. The first occasion occurred in the 1940s when a letter to the Chicago Tribune asked that a fifth star to be added to the city flag in honor of going to the nuclear age. On another occasion, it was proposed in honor of Harold Washington, the first African-American mayor of Chicago. A fifth star was discussed for the Chicago Flood that occurred in 1992. A proposal was put forward by the 2016 Olympic Games Bid Committee; if the bid to host the games had been successful, a fifth star may have been added to the flag, however the Olympic bid was lost to Rio de Janeiro.
Michigan Avenue Bridge & Wrigley Building
Made by Thad Roan - Bridgepix
The Michigan Avenue Bridge is a bascule bridge that carries Michigan Avenue across the main stem of the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, Illinois. The bridge was constructed between 1918 and 1920 as part of a scheme to link Chicago's south side and north side parks with a grand boulevard. It is an early example of a fixed trunnion bascule bridge, which later became widely known as a Chicago style bascule; it is part of the Michigan–Wacker Historic District and is a Chicago Landmark. (Wikipedia) The Wrigley Building (400-410 North Michigan Avenue, Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois) is a skyscraper located directly across Michigan Avenue from the Tribune Tower on the Magnificent Mile. It was built to house the corporate headquarters of the Wrigley Company. When ground was broken for the Wrigley Building in 1920, there were no major office buildings north of the Chicago River and the Michigan Avenue Bridge, which spans the river just south of the building was still under construction. The land was selected by chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. to headquarter his gum company. The building was designed by the architectural firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White using the shape of the Giralda tower of Seville's Cathedral combined with French Renaissance details. The 425-foot (130 m) south tower was completed in April 1921 and the north tower in May 1924. Walkways between the towers were added at the ground level and the third floor. In 1931, another walkway was added at the fourteenth floor to connect to offices of a bank in accordance with a Chicago statute concerning bank branch offices. The two towers, not including the levels below Michigan Avenue, have a combined area of 453,433 square feet (42,125.3 m2). The two towers are of differing heights, with the south tower rising to 30 stories and the north tower to 21 stories. On the south tower is a clock with faces pointing in all directions. Each face is 19 feet 7 inches (5.97 m) in diameter. The building is clad in glazed terra-cotta, which provides its gleaming white façade. On occasion, the entire building is hand washed to preserve the terra cotta. At night, the building is brightly lit with floodlights. The Wrigley Building was Chicago's first air-conditioned office building. If one walks through the center doors, they will find themselves in a secluded park area overlooking the Chicago River. (Wikipedia)
Made by Bert Kaufmann
The Chicago River is a river that runs 156 miles (251 km) and flows through Chicago, including Downtown Chicago, also known as the Chicago Loop. Though not especially long, the river is notable for the 19th century civil engineering feats that directed its flow south, away from Lake Michigan, into which it previously emptied, and towards the Mississippi River basin. This was done for reasons of sanitation. The river is also noted for the local custom of dyeing it green on St. Patrick's Day. Originally, the river flowed into Lake Michigan. Its course jogged southward from the present river to avoid a baymouth bar, entering the lake at about the level of present day Madison Street. Today, the Main Stem of the Chicago River flows due west from Lake Michigan, past the Wrigley Building and the Merchandise Mart to Kinzie Street, where it meets the North Branch of the river. The North Branch is formed by the West Fork, the East Fork (also known as the Skokie River) and the Middle Fork, which join into the North Branch at Morton Grove, Illinois. From downtown, the river flows south along the South Branch, and into the Illinois and Michigan Canal and Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. From there, the water flows into the Des Plaines River and eventually reaches the Gulf of Mexico.
A Press of Peoples. Magnificent Mile Bridge over the Chicago River, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Made by Rana Pipiens
This is the bridge across the Chicago River on the Magnificent Mile. To the left the Wrigley Building (1920) and to the far right the Tribune Tower (1925), well-known for incorporating in its facade stones from many great buildings of the world. There's an almost continuous press of peoples across this bridge whether on foot or in busses, taxis and private cars. It's amazing how well everyone from a multitude of climes and nations melds into one great moving humanity... All was once not so. Here around 1800 stood Fort Dearborn. The sculptured monument immediately to my left - you just can't see it - is called 'Defense'. It was made by Henry Hering (_PHONE_) to memorialise an awful event of the War of 1812. A group of settlers under the command of Captain Wells abandoned the fort, was set apon by native Americans, and killed. The sculpture shows a dreadful scene of killing and death in the heroic style. The description has words such as 'Cherishing Martyrs' and 'Brutally massacred by the Indians'. Normal sentiments for the times of Henry Hering. Today we're more conscious of the problem of various peoples laying claim to the same lands... and to the press on morality that causes. The flags are those of the USA, the City of Chicago, and the State of Illinois.
Made by Millron
Hitting the archives today for this one. This is a shot of Chicago, taken from the Michigan Avenue Bridge over the Chicago River. The notable thing about this shot, at least for me personally, is that building on the right... the one with the angled roof. That used to be known as the RR Donnelley Building and I worked on the 12th floor. RR Donnelley is the world's largest printing company. I commuted every week from Portland to Chicago for several years before they finally moved us there. Almost immediately I was floating resumes back to Oregon. I've been back for 7 years now and have lots of good memories, but I haven't missed living there for a second. There are a few other notable things about the Donnelley Building. It has been used in several movies. It was prominently featured in The Negotiator with Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson. They filmed that during my commuter days and I was in fact living in an apartment building in the same block. Julia Roberts walked across the lobby of


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The GLANSER system can track approximately 500 firefighters simultaneously in a 50 story building and is accurate to as little as three feet.Honeywell
The Wireless Intelligent Sensor Platform for Emergency Responder (WISPER) relays a firefighter's vital signs back to the firetruck so that the base can monitored them and track him through a fire.DHS
Wildfires have ravaged the United States this year, so much so that a Congressional hearing was called in June to discuss extreme weather in the U.S.
Fortunately, the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology division has three projects underway that should reduce risk and improve the safety of U.S. firefighters.
GLANSER: A Firefighter locator
When firefighters enter a building or a wildfire they "vanish off the map" in the words of DHS S&T -- meaning a GPS satellite signal cannot follow them. Most firefighters also still use analog radio signals, which have problems getting through concrete, tunnels, forest and smoke-filled structures.
Yet nearly 90 percent of fire-related firefighter injuries happen within these types of structures, where locating an injured firefighter is a real challenge.
GLANSER is the Geospatial Location Accountability and Navigation System for Emergency Responders, a tool that lets incident commanders locate and track first responders inside enclosed areas.
This portable tracking device comprises a microwave radio, battery and navigation technology. The commander can plug a USB powered base station into a laptop that transmits and receives signals; the more firetrucks with base stations the better the accuracy.
The GLANSER system can track approximately 500 firefighters simultaneously in a 50 story building and is accurate to as little as three feet.
The Star Trek-style PHASER
Rather than a weapon, PHASER is like a tricorder for firefighters.
PHASER is the Physiological Health Assessment System for Emergency Responders program that DHS S&T has been working on with UCLA. It monitors the pulse, body temperature and blood pressure of a firefighter and then relays his or her vitals back to the base.
According to U.S. Fire Administration statistics, an estimated 81,000 firefighter injuries occur annually in the United States.
U.S. first responders have the highest occupational rate of line-of-duty deaths from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular incidents, making the ability to monitor and assist them an imperative.
Enabled by breakthroughs in medical science and technology, PHASER can instantly signal that a firefighter is in trouble and therefore expedite assistance from fellow firefighters.
While PHASER will let the commander know a firefighter is in trouble, fellow firefighters will still need to locate him or her. GLANSER and WISPER are two new technologies that can guide them to his exact location swiftly bring medical assistance.
WISPER 'bread crumbs'
PHASER uses a 900-MHz frequency, and due to its portable size, it needs a boost or it could be stopped by a wall or wall of trees in a wildfire. So it works with WISPER to achieve that boost and get the signal to the commander in spite of obstructions.
The Wireless Intelligent Sensor Platform for Emergency Responder (WISPER) relays a firefighter's vital signs back to the firetruck so that the base can monitored them and track him through a fire.
To use the system, a firefighter would carry a waterproof and heatproof canister (the coffee-mug sized containter is protected up to 500 degree Fahrenheit) on his belt with five of these throwaway signal routers -- little discs wrapped in heat-resistant silicon.
When he enters an environment where his signal becomes disrupted, the base station signals his motor-powered canister to release a router or "crumb" as DHS S&T describes -- just like in the Hansel and Gretel fable.
The routers arrange themselves like a network and pass the signal from node to node back to the laptop. Each WISPER has an antenna, a two-way digital radio and a 3-volt lithium cell.
Back at the base station, the WISPERs signal strength is monitored and if it falters the signal will be re-directed or the canister instructed to drop a WISPER.
If the router gets moved by accident during the action, the network will automatically adapt and reconfigure to get the firefighter's vital signs and location out to the truck.
Under the DHS S&T Small Business Innovation Research program Oceanit Laboratories of Honolulu and the University of Virginia's Department of Computer Science worked on WISPER using commercial-off-the-shelf components to keep costs and development time down.
Concrete, steel, stairwells, firehouse mist and smoke may reduce transmission rates to a paltry 10 kbps (you won't surf the net smoothly at that rate), but that's enough for the coordinates and vital signs of every firefighter to be transmitted and received.
In March 2011, Oceanit and UVA demonstrated WISPER works their signals stayed strong, even at up to 150 feet. One reason: When the signal strength gets low, the system drops a repeater.
Honeywell, Inc. has begun to commercialize GLANSER, but while PHASER and WISPER have also been success stories, first responders are still waiting on private industry to step up and partner to manufacture these tools to improve their safety.
For those who put their lives on the line, these innovations can't come soon enough.
Ballet dancer turned defense specialist Allison Barrie has travelled around the world covering the military, terrorism, weapons advancements and life on the front line. You can reach her at _EMAIL_ or follow her on Twitter _USER_


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There are certain types of people that are just naturally caregivers. These people are generally compassionate, motivating and kindhearted. Nursing is a popular career option for these types of people. For those thinking of becoming a nurse the research process can be quite overwhelming.
Bachelors and Associates Nursing Education
The first step to starting a nursing career starts with the preliminary research. Becoming a nurse requires an advanced education. Although you do not need a college degree to become a nurse, those who have a nursing degree will make more money and have more career options in the future.
There are many options to obtaining a nursing degree. The most common is a Bachelor of Science Nursing which is a 4 year degree at a traditional university. Usually a Bachelor of Science Nursing degree is required for admission to a Masters of Nursing program. By completing a college degree individuals will become a Registered Nurse and will have many career paths they could take. Individuals choosing not to become RN's can also obtain an Associates Degree from a community college and work taking care of the sick, injured or elderly in special needs programs. Make sure the nursing program is accredited with The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education before enrolling.
Advanced Nursing Education
Licensed Practical Nurses care for the sick, injured and disabled under the direct supervision of physicians and registered nurses. An LPN is responsible for taking basic care, taking vital signs, monitoring equipment and changing dressings. Getting an LPN degree usually takes 1 year and can be found at vocational schools. Some universities offer accelerated programs for students who already have some other degree but wish to pursue nursing. These programs usually last 1.5-2 years in length. There are many advanced degrees as well such as Degree Completion Programs for RNs, Master, Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Programs. Getting a degree is the first step in a meaningful nursing career.
Once you have a degree in nursing there are many different certification programs available to further ones career. Some Registered Nurses are required to complete certification classes on a regular basis to show competence of their job skills. There are no set standards for every hospital or clinic but rather each employer can choose to participate in ongoing training/certification. Online programs do exist and our gaining in popularity due to their reduced cost and time.
It Pays to be a Nurse
A nursing career is one of the most popular and most needed jobs in America. Currently there are more than 100,000 RN openings in the United States. By 2020 there will be a need for 800,000 RNs. The increased need is due to the world living longer and an increase in the geriatric population. Registered Nurses earn an average of $49,840 a year according to the U.S. Department of Labor. With such a need for nurses many hospitals are giving out huge signing bonuses up to $30,000 in some cases. If you enjoy taking care of people it definitely pays to look into nursing.


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Published in Spine Mar 2015
Authors: Darlow B. et al
STUDY DESIGN Qualitative interview study Objective. Explore attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions related to low back pain (LBP), and analyze how these might influence the perceived threat associated with back pain.
SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Psychological factors which contribute to the perceived threat associated with LBP play an important role in back pain development and the progression to persistent pain and disability. Improved understanding of underlying beliefs may assist clinicians to investigate and assess these factors.
METHODS Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 participants with acute LBP (<6 weeks' duration) and 11 participants with chronic LBP (>3 months' duration). Data were analyzed thematically using the framework of Interpretive Description.
RESULTS The back was viewed as being vulnerable to injury due to its design, the way in which it is used, and personal physical traits or previous injury. Consequently participants considered they needed to protect their back by resting, being careful with or avoiding dangerous activities, and strengthening muscles or controlling posture. Participants considered LBP to be special in its nature and impact, and they thought it difficult to understand without personal experience. The prognosis of LBP was considered uncertain by those with acute pain and poor by those with chronic pain. These beliefs combined to create a negative (mis)representation of the back.
CONCLUSIONS Negative assumptions about the back made by those with LBP may affect information processing during an episode of pain. This may result in attentional bias toward information indicating the spine is vulnerable, an injury is serious, or the outcome will be poor. Approaching consultations with this understanding may assist clinicians to have a positive influence on beliefs.


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This page summarizes information about AP ID labels and answer sheets. For complete information, review the "AP ID Labels and the Answer Sheet" section in the AP Coordinator's Manual, Part 2, available later this year.
AP ID Labels
When students provide their registration information in My AP when first enrolling in a class section, each student is assigned a unique, alphanumeric code known as an AP ID.
A personalized AP ID label sheet is shipped for each student included in your school's AP Exam order.
Students place AP ID labels on their paper exam materials, connecting their materials with the registration information they've provided. Once an AP ID is assigned to a student, it remains their AP ID every year they take an AP course or exam. Students will receive a new AP ID label sheet with their AP ID each year they take AP Exams.
For AP Chinese and AP Japanese Exams, students don't place their labels on anything because the entire exam is administered online, but they'll need to refer to their AP ID label sheet so they can enter their AP ID on the student information screen at the beginning of the exam.
For AP 2-D Art and Design and AP Drawing, students place their AP ID label on the back of their physical artworks before mailing them to the AP Program. AP Art and Design students also enter their AP ID in the digital submission web application before forwarding their digital portfolio to their AP teacher.
The AP ID labels arrive in the spring in separate shipment from the AP Exams.
The AP Program can't guarantee AP ID labels can be produced for students added to your exam order after March 15. If a student doesn't have an AP ID label sheet, they'll need to write their AP ID on their answer sheet and other exam materials.
Answer sheets are sent in your exam shipments. The answer sheet is a single page, double sided.


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Raising customer service productivity with gameification
(Image credit: Image source: Shutterstock/lenetstan)
Think about your last customer service experience, an occasion when you called a business to receive help about some issue or problem you were having. How was it? Was it frustrating? Satisfying? Or, dare I say – even fun?
If you are like many people, customer service can seem like a chore. Much of the negative connotations people associate with customer service calls come from low employee engagement, or low levels of motivation among contact center staff. This is easily detectable and quickly leads to negative, unproductive exchanges for the customer.
But the paradigm is shifting. As in many other domains, the "game" concept is powering a new approach to customer relationship management that leads to happier employees and, as a result, more satisfied customers. But in order to get the most out of this promising new trend, companies need to think outside the box when it comes to the data and metrics they use for it; speech analytics can provide a source for this.
Mobile apps are consistently using a "game layer" to improve user engagement. Apps for dating, fitness, and even grocery shopping are working in gamification as a way to introduce competition and offer some level of entertainment. Businesses that want to improve their customer service offering can take some lessons from app makers and leverage gamification to boost their staff's productivity and the overall customer experience. They can also learn from their mistakes, integrating their most valuable lessons into a consistent feedback process that optimizes outcomes for all parties.
Gamification is a great tool for call center managers to improve engagement. But it is important to note that such programs can run the risk of becoming stale. If for example the same individuals are consistently the "leaders" in terms of metrics, then the other staff might lose interest and become complacent. This complacency leads to low engagement among the call center staff, which leads to serious issues including: low employee retention, increased noncompliance risks, declining sales, and a lowered customer experience. Call center managers need another way to boost involvement with gamification that goes beyond scoring traditional metrics such as:
 - First-call resolution
 - Number of dials per day/hour/week
 - Percentage of calls handled (by type of call)
 - Average handle time
Advanced speech analytics platforms that record and transcribe 100 percent of calls provide call centers with new layers of data and insight into agent performance and how well agents engage with the callers.
Introducing Speech Analytics-based Metrics
The metrics that are available to call centers with speech analytics go beyond just the "number of calls handled per hour" and other metrics traditionally used by centers, and dive deeper into how the agent aided or hindered the customer experience and journey. The most advanced of these analytics solutions can identify instances where the agent used inappropriate language or when they did not closely follow scripted compliance language. Supervisors can utilize the analytics data to provide instant feedback to agents, helping to correct poor behaviors and instantly recognizing positive interactions.
In a gamification setting, an analytics-based metric could determine the customer's sentiment during the call, which could be extrapolated to a "customer happiness" leaderboard to provide incentives for staff to politely interact with the customers thereby earning recognition and rewards for their efforts. The agents who spend a little more time with the callers to fully and cheerfully explain the issue at hand can receive rewards in a similar fashion versus agents who speed through calls in order to improve their "handling" metrics.
Offering Multiple Rewards
Structurally, the most successful gamification programs for call centers will offer multiple types of awards with varying time periods. This is especially important for Millennial-aged service staff who are used to immediate feedback, and are more likely to respond to daily or hourly award targets/leaderboards, as opposed to monthly or quarterly. And gamification of any kind relies upon offering tangible and desirable rewards, so call center managers should carefully review what types of rewards typically garner the most attention and participation among the team. Speech analytics enables this type of structure because it allows supervisors to tie performance rewards into multiple metrics, everything from "empathy score" to "customer satisfaction levels."
Tying the rewards directly into compensation is a straightforward way to relate high performance with customer satisfaction and monetary gain. Gamification rules could be set daily or weekly, and allow agents to dynamically adjust their earnings based on how they perform relative to a specific metric.
Call center managers can be completely transparent in sharing the agent scoring because it's based on actual data that is gleaned from the analytics platform, across all interactions, not just a sample. This contrasts sharply to traditional methods of managers assessing agents by listening to a random sampling of calls and then interpreting the agent's performance. Using interaction transcription driven analytics removes guesswork and unfairness from the equation, and effectively "levels the playing field" so each agent can be rewarded based solely on their merits.
Generating Agent Improvements
Agents that are scored on their ability to improve the customer experience will continually improve their listening and communication skills. They are more aware of the effect that their demeanor and word choice play on the customer's actions, and how it corresponds to their own job performance and potential financial rewards. The customer experience is elevated when the agents are more engaged in actual interactions.
Speech and interaction analytics platforms that analyze 100 percent of conversations are not only vital for developing a rich gamified rewards program, they're also essential training tools.
Well-designed gamification platforms that include speech analytics can create internal environments where successes and improvement are celebrated,not ignored. Agents that are presented with several avenues for achieving recognition and rewards are more likely to improve their performance across multiple metrics. Supervisors can leverage this willingness to learn by presenting top performers as trainers to the rest of the team.
Gamified call centers that utilize speech analytics can offer deeper and more meaningful challenges and rewards to agents and supervisors. It provides firms with a more impactful way to boost revenue by recognizing and encouraging agent achievement, streamlining onboarding, and reducing costly agent churn.
Scott Kendrick, VP of Marketing at CallMiner
Image Credit: Lenetstan / Shutterstock


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Although today it is virtually unknown, the cistre ou guitarre allemande was a popular plucked instrument in France (and the Low Countries too) in the decades leading up to the Revolution in 1789. Instruments and music first appeared in the 1760s (see *) but by the 1790s the cistre was in decline.
Examples of this attractive instrument in its various forms (and with variant spellings), survive in museums and more than thirty collections of music were published for it in just twenty years. It is music for amateurs: mainly dances and opera tunes, and many songs with cistre accompaniment. There are sonnates too, for cistre with a second part (obligé ), usually a simple accompaniment for a violin or sometimes a second cistre.
The cistre is tuned to an A major chord and much (but not all) of the music for the instrument is in just two keys: A major and D major. Perhaps the limited number of keys and the simplicity of music for the instrument - and the simplicity of the music of that era - has led to its almost universal neglect today.
Despite its limitations it's a fascinating instrument. Like the English guitar (which was popular in Britain at this time), the cistre has wire strings and a chordal tuning which gives it a pleasing, ringing sound. But unlike the the English guitar, the tuning of the cistre is not fully chordal. The basic tuning is: E-A-d-e-a-c#'-e'. The texture of cistre music is different from the English guitar which is (in most cases) more like a single-line, melody instrument.
The Spanish guitar was also played in France at the time and the guitar then had five courses of strings tuned like the top five strings of the modern classical guitar. Although many songs with Spanish guitar accompaniment were published, the cistre seems to have been much more popular for amateurs to play solo pieces (as well as the many songs with cistre accompaniment).
Many cistres (sometimes described today as arch-citterns) had extra bass strings. A typical 'arch-cittern' has two pegboxes. The first pegbox has eleven pegs for the typical seven-course configuration of four pairs of strings and three single, bass, strings. The second pegbox often has five pegs for for five more basses, making a twelve-course instrument.
The music of the time as it is represented in compositions and settings for the cistre is also distinctive. It could not be more different from the elusive music of the French Baroque period. The era in which the cistre flourished is an era of simplicity and clarity. Some of the tunes of the time are familiar today as nursery rhymes. Here is a very typical, simple dance tune. But there are more sophisticated and ambitious compositions and arrangements too (see music).
* The Victoria and Albert Museum (London) has a cistre-like instrument with a lute-shaped body and ten tuning pegs. The accompanying notes describe it,surprisingly, as French and from 1757.


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A Click of the Tongue; December 2010; Scientific American Magazine; by Lisa Song; 1 Page(s)
Amanda Miller sits facing an old woman in Upington, South Africa, one hand on a cylindrical probe that she holds underneath the woman's chin. "Speak," Miller says in the woman's native language, N|uu, and as the words flow out, an ultrasound screen flickers with the video of a tongue in motion. Linguists are using the same technology that images fetuses to study endangered languages.
For someone who studies phonetics—the science of how sounds are perceived, articulated and organized in different languages—it is crucial for Miller to track the speaking tongue. Miller is a visiting assistant professor at Ohio State University and one of about 40 linguists worldwide who uses ultrasound. This portable technology, which became affordable to linguists around 2000, allows researchers to see the tongue as it moves in real time. It is one of the only medical scanning devices that can keep up with speech; MRIs, for example, are too slow.


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Open Access Dissertation
Date of Award
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The goal of my thesis is to develop an in-cell fluorescence technique that allows for measurement of the distances between fluorescence acceptors and donors within a protein or between two proteins inside the correct intracellular compartment of living cells. The successful achievement of this goal will allow us to obtain high-resolution structural information from a protein, one key step towards high-resolution structural biology of proteins inside the living cell.
To achieve this goal, we will apply the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technique to the specifically labeled proteins inside the cells. Our rationale is to specifically label the protein(s) of interest in the test tube with a small molecule fluorophore and then deliver the labeled protein(s) into the correct intracellular compartment of living cells for in-cell FRET measurement. The QQ-protein delivery technique can specifically deliver a protein to its intracellular destiny based on its signal sequence. This will result in special mammalian cells that contain a fluorescence labeled target protein with unlabeled intracellular endogenous proteins as the background. The FRET measurement will be performed on this specifically labeled protein and the calculated FRET-distance will be between the donor and acceptor of the protein(s) of interest, thus, high-resolution structural information of a protein inside living cells can be obtained using this novel approach.
Murray, Victoria Lynn, "Development of an in-cell förster resonance energy transfer technique to study protein structure inside living cells" (2012). Wayne State University Dissertations. 387.


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designate idiolectal lexemes by indicating, first, their principal component with an italic capital and then their secondary component(s) with an italic lower-case superscript; for example, Sa signifies Sahidic influenced phonetically (and to some extent, but irregularly, phonologically) by Akhmimic.
Click tabs to swap between content that is broken into logical sections.


First responders need as much training as they can get to deal with catastrophic events, but government agencies don't have the time and money to stage full-scale exercises as often as they would like.
But the federal government's deployed new gaming technology that could solve this problem for police and fire personnel — all they need is a computer, nimble fingers and an open mind.
The Enhanced Dynamic Geo-Social Environment (EDGE) system allows responders to engage in simulated environments without endangering civilians or themselves. The technology puts them inside a video game for virtual disaster mitigation, but the purpose is to educate, not entertain. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T) partnered with the U.S. Army to develop it.
EDGE is a government-owned prototype built on the popular Unreal Engine, the same platform behind many consumer first-person shooter and online role-playing games. In law enforcement's case, however, EDGE allows players to control an in-game avatar, navigate terrain and also use vehicles, equipment and tools to apprehend suspects, evacuate bystanders and perform other site-specific actions.
The players communicate with each other through gaming controls and headsets while training on the system. The communication and coordination required during the simulation is designed to prepare them to build those skills so that they are better prepared for when an actual crisis occurs.
The DHS S&T partnered with the Sacramento, Calif., Police Department on Nov. 20 for a live demonstration of the system inside a police building. Officers, firefighters, emergency medical professionals, dispatchers and unified command center operators worked together to respond to a virtual active-shooter event inside a model of the Sheraton Grand hotel in downtown Sacramento. In the game, terrorists had taken control of the building and the chaos started fires.
It was up to Sacramento's finest to remediate the situation, while unified command center operators coordinated first responder activity.
Assistant Fire Chief Niko King told Fox40 news that EDGE forces law enforcement and emergency management divisions to start thinking about how they'd collaborate during real-life scenarios.
"It's driving the conversations that need to take place. It takes a lot to go out and re-create something like this on the street, but to bring individuals to a controlled environment, to a room, and then create this chaos in the virtual world, it forces the training and thought process and conversations that need to take place," he said.
Players must perform their specific functions in the game in order to complete the mission successfully. Firefighters, for example, use virtual extinguishers to put out flames. EDGE had a fire propagation model inside the virtual Sacramento hotel that could spread throughout the game unless players handled it.
Officer Todd Edgerton's character got wounded in the game. He thought EDGE was useful to learn building layouts but said there were things in real-life police operations that a game just wouldn't be able to capture. "I think it'd be good to train me for a building that I've never been in because I do have some familiarization now with parts [of the building] that I've never been in," he said. "There's stuff that I can't do that I would do in a real tactical situation."
The DHS and U.S. Army had spent roughly $15 million for EDGE's development at the time of the demonstration. An additional pilot demonstration is planned for a simulated school shooting at a Sacramento district. If reception of these pilot demonstrations is positive enough, the federal government hopes to make EDGE available for all law enforcement agencies as an online service.
Hilton Collins, Staff Writer
Hilton Collins | GT Staff Writer


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The active cloud cluster from which Viola developed formed about 600 km to the northwest of Cocos Island on 7 December 1979. It was part of a semi-continuous line of convection extending eastward across Indonesia. A tropical depression had developed by 9 December 1979 and moved slowly to the southwest. Using the Dvorak intensity analysis technique Viola reached tropical cyclone intensity at about 0300 UTC 11 December 1979. The cyclone then began to move westward under the influence of an easterly middle level flow north of the sub-tropical ridge.
Viola attained its maximum intensity late on 16 December 1979 when the central pressure was estimated to be near 930 hPa giving a maximum mean wind speed of about 205 km/h. It maintained this intensity as it crossed into the Mauritius Region early on 18 December 1979.
Viola was renamed Claudette and passed close to Mauritius late on 22 December 1979 causing the loss of six lives and injuring 21 people. It was reported that the sugar cane crop on Mauritius was devastated and that buildings suffered considerable damage.
Severe tropical cyclone Viola was notable for its small size and long lifetime. Satellite pictures showed that nearly all of the intense convective activity was within 200 km of the centre. Including the pre-cyclone and post-cyclone stages the storm lasted about 18 days from 9 December 1979.


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Federal and state laws emphasize the importance of parents/guardians as key decision makers in the educational process. Child Study Team personnel share many common skills such as child advocacy, understanding of school functioning, knowledge and implementation of special education law, case management, transition planning, inservice training, research, and community collaboration. However, each discipline approaches the intervention and eligibility process from a different perspective based on the training and skills of each profession.
School Psychologists are specialists with training and expertise in psychology as it is applied to education. They use their training and skills to collaborate with parents/guardians, educators, and other professionals to ensure that every child learns in a safe and supportive environment. School Psychologists use their understanding of school organization and effective learning to help students realize their academic and social potentials. They tailor their services to the particular needs of each child and each situation. School Psychologists are trained to assess and counsel students with behavioral, emotional, and educational concerns through consultation, prevention, intervention, crisis management, evaluation, and program development. A psychological assessment shall be the responsibility of a School Psychologist employed by the district Board of Education. The psychological assessment should include standardized and functional appraisals of a student's current cognitive, intellectual, adaptive, social, emotional and behavioral status in the context of his/her environments. The assessment should include consultation with parents, educators, and relevant professionals; a student interview; and observation of the student in other than a testing situation.
School Social Workers provide unique services to students and their families, helping the students attain maximum benefits from their educational programs. The School Social Worker's knowledge of social, emotional, cultural and economic differences among children and families enable them to be the link between school, family and community. As a member of the educational team, School Social Workers promote and support students' academic and social/emotional well-being. Through sound school social work practice, the School Social Worker is able to enhance the full educational and individual potential of all students and eliminate barriers to learning by being pro-active within the academic community and providing early intervention, prevention, consultation, counseling, crisis management, and support services. A social assessment shall be the responsibility of a school social worker employed by the district board of education. The social assessment shall include observation of the student and communication with the student's parent(s)/guardian(s). It shall also include an evaluation of the student's adaptive social functioning and emotional development and of the family, social, and cultural factors which influence the student's learning and behavior in the educational setting.


Can an Expungement be Reversed?
June 3, 2021
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Are your records expunged? Can an expungement be reversed? Here's what to know.
The term "expungement" should be easily defined, yet the term will vary depending upon state laws. Even the federal government has no inherent expungement statutes. Nor do the federal courts have any explicit authority to be able to expunge records of any valid convictions.
That said, federal courts have given some leeway here. But to understand whether that question of can an expungement be reversed, first, we must look at expungements.
What is an Expungement?
Generally defined, an expungement is when a court orders the removal of criminal charges. Dictionaries trace the origin of this word to around 1600. Then, the term grew from a Latin verb to refer to when scribes mark words in manuscripts for deletion.
Today, we use the term to describe the deletion of a criminal record.
It is important to note that having records expunged is not the same as 'forgiveness'. Someone who gets their record expunged is not getting a "not guilty" post-conviction verdict.
However, there is a term and a process for that! Forgiveness for a person who commits a crime and the jury/judge finds them guilty for that crime is available via a "legal pardon."
However, legal pardons do not expunge records just as expungement does not equate with forgiveness.
Another key difference between pardons and expungements involves who gives them:
 - Legal pardons are only grantable by certain public officials. State constitutions will specifically lay out where the pardoning power lies in that state. But generally stated, only state governors or an official state pardon board can issue a pardon — and only for state offenses. The President of the United States can likewise pardon any criminal of federal law, but not state laws.
 - Court officials grant expungements. In contrast, there isn't one person or one board that can grant an expungement. Rather, expungements go through the courts where a judge decides them.
Next on our journey to answer "can an expungement be reversed," we take a closer look at:
How Do Expungements Happen?
Expungements for Federal Crimes
First off, expungements from federal courts are rare. Extremely rare. This is due to there being no federal statute regarding a federal expungement. As such, for many crimes, it is easier to get a presidential pardon than it is to get an expungement of a federal crime.
Note, however, the use of "many" but not all crimes. The federal government did pass an important federal First Offender Act. Under this law, persons with no prior drug convictions found guilty of misdemeanor possession are in luck. At least in terms of expungements, but only depending upon age.
This act specifically targets those defendants under the age of 21 at the time of the offense. Those applicable may receive expungement of all records related to the drug charges.
To receive such an expungement, the case must go through federal courts.
Expungements for State Courts
To have charges expunged in state courts, one must first look at the state's law. Each state has its own laws about what is and isn't eligible for expungement. These laws will include procedures people must go through and define how expungements will occur.
For most states, there is a list of criminal offenses that are ineligible for expungement. This list generally consists of more serious felonies. Felonies related to things like:
 - Violent assault
 - Child abuse (including child neglect cases)
 - Sex crimes
 - Drunk driving
In fact, some states will not allow expungement for any driving offenses. For example, Ohio has very strict expungement-related laws. Their laws include the disallowing of expungement for most traffic offenses.
Even more interesting is Kentucky. That state recently passed a law that will automatically expunge all cases ruled as acquittal or dismissal. With one big exception. No expungements for traffic cases, even those acquitted or dismissed.
But those really are big exceptions. Generally put, most misdemeanors and even more minor felonies are eligible for expungement. The best way to find out if a charge is eligible is to talk with an experienced attorney.
If the charge is, then next up is the expungement process.
When asking "can an expungement be reversed?", it's important to know:
What Do I Need to Do to Get an Offense Expunged?
Once a case is determined eligible for expungement, the real work begins. Expungements are not easy processes and will require research and a lot of documentation. You don't legally need an attorney or similar representation, but it certainly can help.
Parts of the expungement process will include:
 - The required time or other requirements. Many states will have a stated time required as part of their expungement process. For example, a person may have to wait three years following the end of their sentence to apply. The idea behind this is that if you make it without another arrest in that time frame, you were properly rehabilitated or are otherwise clear to go.
 - Have your disposition ready. Every state expungement court process will request a copy of the disposition. That is because the disposition will clearly state the results of the case. A person that doesn't have the disposition may get it from the clerk of courts.
 - Have the arrest affidavit ready. It is also necessary to have the arrest affidavit. This affidavit will include other key information like the arrest date and arresting agency.
 - Complete the application required by the state. Each state will have a form or expungement application that must get filled out.
 - Follow up on the court date. All of the above documents are critical, but nothing is more critical than the court presentation. Here, one should have a resume and personal people on hand to testify to character. Many expungement cases get decided by one person: The judge. Applicants must persuade that judge why they are worth of expungement and why it's needed.
Why Does a Person Need an Expungement?
One of the questions the judge will invariably ask is why is an expungement needed. For most going through this process, the answer is obvious. For those who don't yet understand, the most commonly cited reasons are:
Trouble finding a job
Job applications will often ask about previous arrests and convictions. A conviction, even of a misdemeanor crime, can absolutely damage a person's chances of getting their dream job. However, a person who has an expunged record can truthfully answer "no" to questions regarding convictions. That is because expungement legally erases the arrest and charges from ever having occurred.
Note, some states have certain jobs/licensing (finance-related licenses often fit this bill) that mandate a clean driving record. This is partly why DUIs are not eligible for expungement.
Getting a loan
Yes, sadly while redlining on basis of ethnicity and race is illegal, it isn't illegal to deny someone a loan due to past crimes. Banks and other financial institutes may deny a person a loan for a home, car, etc. on basis of a criminal conviction. This can severely handicap a person as they try to restart their life. The good news is that an expungement can erase this problem.
Adoption or fostering
Want to add a child to your life? If you are looking to adopt or foster, you may find yourself denied on the basis of a criminal conviction. Even if that conviction is a misdemeanor. Even if that conviction is five, ten, fifteen years old.
Firearm restoration
Individuals convicted of felony laws and domestic violence offenses can lose their right to own firearms. Some states also have laws that will further deny individuals convicted of other stated crimes. An expungement or a pardon is the only two ways to get that right back. Although, even expungement is not enough in a few states.
Voter rights restoration
Voting restrictions can also come into play in certain states. Thankfully, most states are changing laws to give the previously incarcerated their voting rights back. But barring that, an expungement is a sure way to restore one's voter rights.
Get off mugshot websites
An expunged record means a person never committed a crime. This means that mugshot websites have no right to post that individual's arrest information.
Simple peace of mind
Some people may choose an expungement simply because it takes away the anxieties. All the anxieties related to whether so and so will find out. Or whether it will impact a job change or promotion. Or impact any other of a thousand life decisions.
A person that did their time should feel that they can move on. If they can't, an expungement might be one good solution for how to.
Can an Expungement Be Reversed?
Finally, we get to that primary question. Can an expungement be reversed? Not in 49 states. In 49 states, excluding California, once expunged, that is it. Same as with a pardon. Some exceptions, but very very rare.
Furthermore, the federal government can only reverse a federal expungement in the case of a repeat offense. The courts must charge and convict the person of the same crime and only after conviction is the prior case available for reversal.
This same type of exception is also true for California. If the state of California conv


Articles by Julie Dirksen
Julie Dirksen divided her graduate school time pretty evenly between instructional technology and human-computer interaction. She's been an instructional designer since the early days of web-based learning, and wrote the book Design for How People Learn to help people create better learning experiences. Twitter: _USER_
Memory and Attention: Building Effective and Engaging Learning Environments
Memory and attention play an important role in cognition. Understanding them helps design relevant and memorable content for specific audiences, to create effective and engaging learning environments. [Read More]


How Powerful Is the US Military?
Image Credit: Department of Defense
How Powerful Is the US Military?
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington D.C.-based think tank, has recently published an index of U.S. military strengths. The report, subtitled "Assessing America's Ability to Provide for the Common Defense," predictably decries the current alleged degradation of the U.S. military – despite the world's largest defense budget – and notes that the United States will have difficulties fighting two regional wars simultaneously (the so-called Major Regional Contingency strategy).
"Overall, the Index concludes that the current U.S. military force is adequate to meeting the demands of a single major regional conflict while also attending to various presence and engagement activities. Clearly, this is what the military is doing now and has done for the past two decades, but it would be very hard-pressed to do more and certainly would be ill-equipped to handle two, near-simultaneous major regional contingencies," the paper, edited by Dakota L. Wood, states.
The reasons for this, according to the Heritage Foundation, are mostly fiscal constraints:
It goes without saying that the Heritage report sketches out American "vital national interests" as broadly as possible including "preservation of freedom of movement within the global commons: the sea, air, outer-space, and cyberspace domains through which the world conducts business." This of course can only be achieved through military domination of all those domains, an understandable goal for the world's sole superpower but also one that requires enormous expenditures of treasures.
Already the U.S. military appears to be underfunded to fulfill this global role:
As mentioned above, the benchmark selected for the individual services is whether they are "marginally" capable of fighting two regional conflict at the same time. "Marginal" in this context means that they are barely capable of doing so. The report's summary of the individual service branches capabilities to meet this requirement is as follows:
 - Army as "Marginal." The Army was at the low end of the middle grade (marginal) in capacity and capability and scored quite low in readiness (as reported by the Army), with the three scores combining to place it in the low end of the middle category.
 - Navy as "Marginal." The Navy scored quite strong in readiness but at a cost to future capability. Deferred maintenance has kept ships at sea, but at some point in the near future, this will affect the ability of the Navy to deploy. Combined with a weak score in capability (due largely to old platforms and troubled modernization programs) and a marginal score in capacity, the Navy is currently just able to meet requirements.
 - Air Force as "Strong." The Air Force flies a lot and has significantly more aircraft than required for a two-MRC force, but it is an Air Force of aging aircraft, and its modernization programs are problematic. Still, its high scores in capacity and readiness placed it in the best position of all of the services.
 - Marine Corps as "Marginal." The Corps' strongest suit was in readiness, but even here there are problems as stated by the Corps itself. While the fighting competency of the service is superb, it is hampered by old equipment, troubled replacement programs for its key ground vehicles, and a shrinking force. The progress it has made in replacing its rotary-wing aircraft is a notable bright spot in its modernization portfolio.
 - Nuclear Capabilities as "Marginal." Modernization, testing, and investment in the intellectual/talent underpinnings of this sector are the chief elements plaguing the U.S. nuclear enterprise. Delivery platforms are good, but the force depends on a very limited set of weapons (in number of designs) and models that are quite old in stark contrast to the aggressive programs of competitor states.
A real analytical problem arises when one digs into the methodology of how the report was compiled. "These characterizations are not a reflection of the competence of individual service members or the professionalism of the services or Joint Force as a whole; nor do they speak to the U.S. military's strength relative to other militaries around the world. Rather, they are assessments of the institutional, programmatic, and matériel health or viability of America's hard military power," the study notes.
Yet, military power always has to be compared and analyzed in relative and not absolute terms. If one does not take into account the dialectical nature of military competition, neither realistic threat assessments nor assessments on the proper amount of resources spent to meet those threats can be made. The lack of a solid analysis of relative military power makes the overall well-researched report less compelling, and appears to be a prime example of inside-the-beltway introversion, with the authors more consumed with battling the overblown Pentagon bureaucracy, than with what is happening in the rest of the world.
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The Diplomat Brief


Get the CorDapp Template
When writing a new CorDapp, it is helpful to start from one of the following standard templates:
The CorDapp templates provide the boilerplate for developing a new CorDapp. CorDapps can be written in either Java or Kotlin. Sample code is provided in both languages throughout this tutorial.
Download the template
 1. Open a terminal window in the directory where you want to download the CorDapp template, and run the following command:
 git clone
 git clone
 2. Once you have cloned the repository you wish to use, navigate to the correct subdirectory:
 cd cordapp-template-kotlin
 cd cordapp-template-java
 3. Once you have successfully cloned the CorDapp template, open the cordapp-template-kotlin or cordapp-template-java in IntelliJ IDEA.
 If you are unsure of how to open a CorDapp in IntelliJ, see the documentation on Running a sample CorDapp.
Template structure
For this tutorial, you will only be modifying the following files:
// 1. The state
// 2. The flow
// 1. The state
// 2. The flow
Progress so far
You now have a template that you can build upon to define your IOU CorDapp. Let's start by defining the IOUState.


text:
Read more: "About time: Adventures in the fourth dimension"
MONKSEATON High School in Tyneside, UK, has seen some amazing improvements in the past year. Absenteeism is down, punctuality is up and exam results have gone through the roof. Head teacher Paul Kelley cannot attribute these successes to better teaching or stricter discipline. Instead, he simply started opening the school at 10 am instead of 9 am.
The change was designed to synchronise the school day with pupils' body clocks. Teenagers are notoriously owlish, preferring to stay up into the small hours and sleep in till lunchtime. This isn't entirely their own fault: natural delays in secretion of the sleep hormone melatonin causes their body clocks to be shifted several hours backwards (see "Teenagers: Lost in time"). By aligning the school day with these biological rhythms, Monkseaton school avoids teaching teenagers when their brains are still half asleep.


Home > Features > Rookidee, Corvisquire, Corviknight – Origin of Species
Rookidee, Corvisquire, Corviknight – Origin of Species
As with every region before it, Galar has a common bird Pokémon which is found on many routes. This evolutionary line does have a distinctive British theme which makes it well-suited as the design for the region.
Rookiee, the Tiny Bird Pokémon, has a somewhat unique typing of just Flying. Aside from Tornadus, no other Pokémon has had flying as its only type. Generally the common bird Pokémon of each region starts with the type pairing of Normal and Flying.
Its name, a combination of Rook and Chickadee, suggests it is based on the chickadee bird. Outside of North America it may also be known as a tit (not a link to anything nsfw) or a titmouse. From that genus it may in particular be based on the European blue tit, which live pretty much everywhere in Great Britain. Both share the same blue coloring, the yellow belly, and the black marks around its eyes.
The former part of its name, the rook, could be a reference to a different type of bird. A rook is a large bird in the raven family. It is also the weakest in the line, so 'rookie' plays in nicely, too. Finally, the rook is a castle-shaped chess piece which ties into the medieval theme found in its evolutions' names.
It will bravely challenge any opponent, no matter how powerful. This Pokémon benefits from every battle—even a defeat increases its strength a bit.
The Pokédex suggests it is an acrobatic Pokémon and fairly brave. Though the chickadee is a small bird, there have been observations of its intelligence in gathering food. At a time when milk was delivered, they were able to break the foil seal and drink the milk—Miltank farmers beware.
Corvisquire is fully based on a raven, with its name being a combination of corvidae and squire. Corvidae is the family name for birds which include crows, ravens, and rooks.
In particular it may be based around the hooded crow, as both share many of the same coloration patterns. It is also known as the grey crow in some sregions.
Smart enough to use tools in battle, these Pokémon have been seen picking up rocks and flinging them or using ropes to wrap up enemies.
The lessons of many harsh battles have taught it how to accurately judge an opponent's strength.
The Pokédex makes reference to its intelligence, which is a trait that distinguishes ravens from many other animals. Corvids have shown an ability to learn how to create and use simple tools to accomplish tasks. To get insects burrowed into trees, they can use sticks to poke the insects and lure them out. They have also been observed placing stones into a body of water to raise the water level through volume displacement.
The new caledonian crows have shown the most success in developing tools, which may have served as a secondary influence for this Pokémon.
The latter half of the Pokémon's name is a reference to knighthood in England. Knighthood was given to those, often young nobles, who proved their skill in battle. The career growth of a knight became fairly regular.
At an early age they served the role of a page, assisting those in the castle and knights with basic tasks of maintenance and cleaning. At the age of fifteen they became a squire, where they trained in combat and wore basic armor alongside their duties of aiding knights.
They could be knighted after winning a decisive victory, completing a quest, or other reasons. Knights were given the new title as part of a ceremony by royalty or a noble.
Corviknight is the Raven Pokémon. While it may at first glance appear to be a Dark-type, due to its black color scheme and bright red eyes, it actually has Steel as its secondary typing.
Aren't ravens and crows basically the same? Not at all. The Audubon Society has put together a useful guide to the differences. Ravens are often much larger, organize in pairs instead of larger murders (murders here meaning a collection of crows). Ravens will make a low-pitched croak instead of a caw.
Similarly, Murkrow and Corviknight are also different. Looking at the two Pokémon side-by-side, you can very quickly see that there are size differences, and Corviknight looks more intimidating.
Looking closer at its design, it seems to resemble a knight in its overall design. As we can see in the screenshot below, its body seems to be slightly metallic, with its eyes peaking outside of its helmet-like head. This knight aesthetic could explain its Steel typing.
The association between knights and ravens is not unheard of in the folklore of England and neighboring countries. It makes sense, as knights were a big part of medieval culture, and ravens are also very common birds in that region. Bulbapedia suggests its design is based on the western jackdaw. It also suggests an allusion to the Black Knight, although it lacks the evil connotations.
Ravens are also a part of English folklore. There are six ravens kept in the Tower of London. A legend suggests that the tower and the nation would fall if the ravens left. This could be pretty interesting to dive into further, if there were legendary Pokémon based on ravens which lived in a tall tower.
While this doesn't come up in the game, as Corviknight is not a legendary Pokémon, this legend is directly referenced by one of the trainers on Route 10.
Another interesting piece of folklore, from Danish culture, is the valravn. These are mythical ravens which come into their form through ravens who eat the body of the dead on the battlefield. If a valravn eats the whole heart of a child, they will have the power to transform into the form of a knight. It's also said that if they eat the heart of a king, they will gain "human knowledge", act as a bad influence, and gain superhuman strength.
This Pokémon reigns supreme in the skies of the Galar region. The black luster of its steel body could drive terror into the heart of any foe.
So this could be the Pokémon equivalent of a valravn, with its half-bird, half-knight form. Valravn are also said to be able to transform into wolves, but that seems to be an alternative interpretation.
Vilderavn artwork from Pathfinder
As a quick aside, Valravn also appear in the tabletop RPG Pathfinder under the name Vilderavn. They appear in the fifth bestiary as a type of monster that players could encounter. Looking at the Pathfinder art for the creature, you can see that there's definitely a resemblance.
There was a Hungarian king in the 1400s, Matthias Corvinus, who is referred to as the "raven king". However, that is probably unrelated to Corviknight.
Corviknight plays a key role in the Galarian economy by allowing one to fast travel to various cities and locations in the region through a flying taxi. However this seems to be a specific skill that they need to be trained to learn, as one's own Corviknight is unable to do that.
Gigantamax Corviknight
In Corviknight's Gigantamax form, its wingspan grows dramatically and it starts to glow a reddish hue. Its glowing feathers appear to be detachable and used for attacks similar to throwing daggers or stars.
Imbued with Gigantamax energy, its wings can whip up winds more forceful than any a hurricane could muster. The gusts blow everything away.
The eight feathers on its back are called blade birds, and they can launch off its body to attack foes independently.
Ravens are a common bird in Great Britain, part of the kingdom's history, mythos, and environment. As such it is the perfect basis for the region's primary bird Pokémon.
Were there any raven folk stories I missed? Let me know in the comments below! Or hop on our Discord server to have more Sword & Shield discussions!