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The Sandal with the Nails
By Larry Fine
The Importance of Being Joyful on the Sabbath and Holidays
The pages of the Talmud are a sea of precious insights for our lives. One interesting discussion that was recorded in the Tractate of Sabbath is that which pertains to the case of the Sandal with Nails.
It seems that the Mishna mentions that one must not go out on the Sabbath with a sandal that has nails in it. The Talmud comes to explain the reason for forbidding this particular type of sandal.
Three scenarios are given:
First, Samuel says that the reason is that there were Jews who sought refuge from the various decrees which were made against them. They would hide in a cave to escape detection. Now according to Samuel, the sandal in question was made of wood with an upper covering of leather. The heal area and the toe area were exposed similar to an open toe slipper. The front was wider than the heal area and a because of this a person could mistakenly put the sandal on backwards.
Those Jews who hid in the cave would say, "who ever wishes to enter may do so, but who ever wishes to leave may not do so." The reasoning was that it was easy to see an enemy as one approached the cave and therefore upon sighting the enemy, the Jew would continue to walk but in another direction so that his friends in the cave would not be detected. But since one who desired to leave the cave could not see what was outside until he emerged and then was visible to the enemy; they therefore feared that if one person were to leave, he would be spotted and all would be endangered.
One day a person wearing a sandal of this type, but wearing it backwards as described above, entered the cave. When others looked out they saw his footprints, which since he had the sandal on backwards, appeared to them that some one had left the cave.
Fearing that the enemy had discovered their location and that they were soon to be attacked, there was mass panic in the cave. Many people were killed in the ensuing struggle to escape.
Rabbi Eloy, the son of Elazar, explained differently. He said that they were hiding in the cave and the enemy soldiers were marching on the rock which was the roof of the cave. The enemy was wearing sandal that were made with nails. The sound came into the cave. Again, panic ensued as the people feared that the enemy was coming to attack them. In that panic many people were killed as they struggled to escape.
Rami, the son of Yechezkiel, gave a different explanation. He said that the sandal with nails was more like cleats of golf shoes, where the nails were on the bottom and they protected the sole from wearing out. The Jews were hiding in a synagogue and they heard noises that sounded like the approaching enemy. The people panicked and in their attempt to run away they trampled on each other and many were killed.
From these occurrences, the mere sight of a sandal with nails was enough for Jews of that time to recall the disastrous evens that had transpired. This recollection of such a disaster caused people to become saddened. Although the sages did not forbid the wearing of sandals with nails in them during the week day, they instituted a decree that this type of sandals should not be worn on the Sabbath or on the Jewish festivals since these were times of joy and happiness.
Now although the Talmud continues to discuss in detail exactly what constituted a sandal with nails that the sages forbade us to wear, and what is not in the ban, we can see a very important principle here for us in regards to the Sabbath and the Jewish festivals.
The sages felt the need that the Sabbath and the Jewish festivals be days of joy and happiness. They saw that just looking at a sandal, an article of dress which possessed no inherent or intrinsic reason to forbid its usage, had become the source of depression for their time. Therefore the sages in order to keep the observance of the Sabbath and the Festival in the spirit in which G-d wanted us to keep them, made this decree that we not wear this particular sandal with nails.
The concept of joy and happiness is so important, especially for the Sabbath and the Jewish holidays that all which detracts and depresses must be refrained from. This is a central point in the Sabbath and holidays.
Although today the decree is not brought down in the Code of Jewish Law since it no longer causes us any discomfort or depression. However we may certainly learn from this the importance of avoiding those things which bring sadness such as speaking about unpleasant event.
In being careful about our speech, as well as our actions, our Sabbath and holidays will turn into a fountain of inspiration and joy that will bring us through those unpleasant events in the coming week and give us the fortitude to overcome difficulties from the past. Reading newspapers and books which discuss unpleasant subjects should be avoided.
The key is in your hands. Refrain from talking and reading newspapers on the Sabbath and festivals. When you turn your mind to G-d's literature and to His thoughts by praying devoutly and studying His Holy Torah on the Sabbath, then He will stand with you when you are doing your work during the coming week.
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Two Methodist Hospitals Earn Accreditation in Echocardiography
Published On 05/14/2013
Article Teaser
Methodist University and Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown have received a "seal of approval" that heart patients can trust for high-quality echocardiography services.
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Germantown Hospital and Methodist University Hospital have been granted a three-year term of accreditation in Echocardiography in the area of Adult Transthoracic by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC).
Early detection of life threatening heart disorders and other cardiovascular diseases is possible through the use of echocardiography procedures. Echocardiography, or echo, is a simple test that uses sound waves to create moving pictures of the heart. These pictures show the size and shape of your heart. They also show how well your heart's chambers and valves are working.
Accreditation by the IAC means that these two hospitals have undergone a thorough review of their operational and technical components by a panel of experts. The IAC grants accreditation only to those facilities that are found to be providing quality patient care, in compliance with national standards through a comprehensive application process including detailed case study review.


Wine Tasting Tips to Sip Like a Sommelier
Attending a wine tasting is one of the best ways to learn about wine and spend some time with friends. Some people, however, aren't all that familiar with the difference between wine tasting and drinking. So, we've prepared wine tasting tips that will help you sip like a professional sommelier.
Even though the two activities sound similar (and are sometimes synonymous), there is a world of difference between drinking wine, and truly tasting it.
For people who are new to the wine tasting world, getting the hang of the technique may be a little tricky. Do you take it right in or do you take a small sip that you savor? How much do you swirl? What are you supposed to see when you inspect the wine? Is your sense of taste sophisticated enough to savor the taste of wine? These are some common questions people who are new to the business have.
Another popular question is if the technique remains the same for non-alcoholic wine. The truth is, the tasting experience doesn't differ much with alcohol composition. So whether you lead an alcohol-free lifestyle or prefer to enjoy a chilled glass of alcoholic wine every once in a while, follow these wine tasting tips so sample like a sommelier.
Look At The Wine
This step might seem like a no-brainer, but as they say, you drink with your eyes. The actual process of wine tasting starts with seeing the wine, and involves a lot more than just a quick glance at your glass before you chug it all down.
To taste wine like a sommelier, the first step is to take a moment to evaluate the liquid in your glass. You've probably seen this step being performed in a movie every time there is a luxury wine tasting scene. Notice the color, clarity, and consistency. Take note of how rich or deep the color is and how clear it is by holding it up in good lighting.
Notice if the wine is pale, rich, dark, or colorless. White wine ranges from completely clear to very pale green, yellow, and even some shades of light brown.
Red wine varies between true red, ruby red, and various shades of purple. One key difference between white and red wines is that white wines tend to turn a darker color as they age, while red wines lose their color and start to turn brown.
Keep these wine tasting tips in mind when you evaluate the wine and move onward to the next step.
Look at the Wine
Swirl The Wine
There is a very strong reason for why sommeliers swirl their wine around their glass. Swirling exposes the wine's 'legs.' A wine's 'legs' are the tears that run down the surface of the glass after you've swirled it. A wine with very strong tears indicates a high level of alcohol and glycerin, which is also evident in a denser texture.
As you swirl the wine, be mindful of how you hold the glass. Since the temperature of your hand can warm the wine up a little, it is recommended to hold the glass from the base or the stem. Some experienced sommeliers even swirl the wine in the air. However, if you're new to wine tasting, we recommend you stick to the glass method.
Experts say that swirling also makes the wine smell and taste better because it mixes the ingredients, drawing oxygen from the air, and in turn, also intensifying the smell.
Smell The Wine
Even though this step might sound like it exists to add a dramatic flair to the entire experience, there is science behind smelling wine.
According to LiveScience, researchers suggest that an approximate of 80% of the flavors we get to experience in food and beverage items are a manifestation of what we smell. This means that our experience of eating depends majorly on our sense of smell; to truly gauge the flavor of a food or beverage item, you must first smell it.
As you smell your wine, pay special attention to the aromas that arise from the swirling action. These aromas tell you a lot about the nature of the wine; for example, the grape variety, the vineyard location, etc. Some experienced sommeliers can even tell what wine making process it has gone through, just by the smell!
For reference, keep in mind the aromas and scents from popular vegetable and fruit items. Some major wine varieties include fruit and floral, spice and vegetable, and oak.
Sip The Wine
This is where you confirm all the things you noticed earlier. Do the aromatic scents you experienced in the previous steps match the tastes? Do they belong to the same food source they indicated? Does the wine taste as dense and dark as it looked? What about the lighter wines, do they taste as light on the palate as the color they show?
The art of tasting wine involves filling your mouth about halfway and then subtly swishing it around instead of gulping it down in an instant. Different areas of the tongue have different functions; for example, the tip of the tongue detects sweetness, the inner sides recognize sour tastes, the outer sides favor saltiness, and the back of the tongue tells you that you've eaten something horridly bitter.
In order to fully taste the wine, it is a good idea to roll a sip around your mouth, and evaluate the taste. Mineral and earthy tastes also help pinpoint the identity of the wine.
Another thing sipping helps with is determining the structure of the wine. There are three things that wine must consist of, namely; Tannin, acidity, and alcohol (with the exception of non-alcoholic wines) and sipping helps determine the composition of each of these components.
Sip the Wine
Swallow The Wine
Finally, the last step of the process is swallowing the wine. Just like all other steps, there is a technique and art to it that determines some particular aspects of the wine. To swallow, tilt your head back slightly and instead of gulping the wine down, let it slowly run down your throat.
Now, notice the aftertaste of the wine. This is called the 'finish' of the wine. The higher quality the wine is, the more pronounced its finish will be. The strong finish of luxury wine will linger on your palate for a longer time.
During this final phase, go over your entire wine tasting experience. Did you enjoy it? What part of the entire experience did you like the most? What impression did the wine leave you with? Was the wine worth its cost? What food would you drink this wine with? Would you try it again? At this point, it may be helpful to write down your favorite and least favorite aspects of the experience as you move forward.
To clean your palate and prepare for tasting a different wine, eat something plain or drink water to wash down the finish. Then, raise your next glass!
If you're thinking of treating your friends or family to a wine country tours vacation, consider The Wine Stay as your shot at an unforgettable wine experience.
Keep these wine tasting tips in mind as you immerse yourself in the tranquility of the Wine Country with luxurious vacation rentals in Healdsburg, CA. Apart from visiting 3–4 wineries, our tour also includes a personal sommelier who will answer all your questions and elevate your experience!


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Texas Southern University's (NAACP) chapter has spread the word on the importance of voting this midterm election. Throughout the campus and nearby neighborhoods chants of encouragement and excitement filled the air of Houston.
TSU's NAACP members met at the student center, organized and began the march to the neighborhood voting polls. NAACP members and TSU students shouted historical chants, held signs to encourage people to vote and reminded everyone of the meaning of Election Day. Once the group made it to the polling booths at Lockhart Elementary, students entered the school and casted their votes.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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- Vertex Specification
- Vertex Processing
- Vertex Post-Processing
- Primitive Assembly
- Fragment Shader
- Per-Sample Processing
Vertex Post-Processing is the stage in the OpenGL Rendering Pipeline where the vertex outputs of the Vertex Processing undergo a variety of operations. Many of these are setup for Primitive Assembly and Rasterization stages.
Primitives generated by previous stages are collected and then clipped to the view volume. Each vertex has a clip-space position (the gl_Position output of the last Vertex Processing stage). The viewing volume for a vertex is defined by:
This volume can be modified by depth clamping as well as the addition of user-defined clip-planes. The total volume that primitives are clipped to, including user-defined clip planes, is the clipping volume.
The way primitives are clipped to this clipping volume depends on the basic Primitive type:
- Points are not really "clipped". If a point is in any way outside of the clipping volume, then the primitive is discarded (ie: not rendered). Points can be bigger than one pixel, but the clipping remains; if the center of the point (the actual gl_Position value) is outside of the clipping range, it is discarded. Yes, this means that point sprites will disappear when the center moves off-screen.
Platform Issue (NVIDIA): These cards will not clip points "properly". That is, they will do what people generally want (only discard the point if it is fully off-screen), rather than what the OpenGL specification requires. Be advised that other hardware does what OpenGL asks.
- If the line is entirely outside of the volume, it is discarded. If the line is partially outside of the volume, then it is clipped; new vertex coordinates are computed for one or both vertices, as appropriate. The end-point of such a clipped vertex is on the boundary of the clipping volume.
- A triangle is clipped to the viewing volume by generating appropriate triangles who's vertices are on the boundary of the clipping volume. This may generate more than 1 triangle, as appropriate. If a triangle is entirely outside of the viewing volume, it is culled.
When primitives are clipped, new per-vertex outputs must be generated for them. These are generated via linear interpolation (in clip-space) of the output values. Flat-shaded outputs don't get this treatment.
The clipping behavior against the Z position of a vertex (ie: ) can be turned off by activating depth clamping. This is done with glEnable(GL_DEPTH_CLAMP). This will cause the clip-space Z to remain unclipped by the front and rear viewing volume.
The Z value computations will proceed as normal through the pipeline. After computing the window-space position, the resulting Z value will be clamped to the glDepthRange.
|This section needs to be filled in.|
The clip-space positions returned from the clipping stage are transformed into normalized device coordinates (NDC) via this equation:
The viewport transform defines the transformation of vertex positions from NDC space to window space. These are the coordinates that are rasterized to the output image.
The viewport is defined by a number of viewport parameters. These parameters are set by these functions:
void glDepthRangef(GLfloat nearVal, GLfloat farVal)
The second two functions set the same parameters, the near and far values of the depth range.
Given the viewport parameters, we compute the window-space coordinates via these equations:
Where x, y, width, height, nearVal, and farVal are the viewport parameters.
|Core in version||4.3|
|Core since version||4.1|
|Core ARB extension||ARB_viewport_array|
Multiple viewports can be used in OpenGL. The specific viewport for a particular primitive can be set by the Geometry Shader. If the GS does not specify a viewport, then viewport number 0 is selected. The computation works as above, except where it says "the viewport parameters", it means "the viewport parameters for the primitive's viewport index".
There are sets of viewports, indexed on the half-open range [0, GL_MAX_VIEWPORTS). Each index has its own depth range and viewport coordinates. The previously defined functions will only set the value for viewport index 0.
To set the viewport parameters for a particular index, use this pair of functions:
void glDepthRangeIndexed(GLuint index, GLdouble nearVal, GLdouble farVal)
Multiple viewport indices can be set with a single function, via these APIs:
The first index is the first viewport index to set. count is the number of viewport indices to be set by the function. v is an array of viewport values, which contains count * 4 or 2 values, depending on the function being called. The values for a single viewport index are in the same order as the arguments in the regular function calls.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


31 Appropriate Sympathy Gift Ideas
What is an Appropriate Sympathy Gift?
When a loved one experiences a tragedy or loss, we often wish we could do something to ease their pain. Unfortunately, choosing appropriate sympathy gifts to help them through the grieving process can be challenging, especially because each person deals with grief and sadness in their own way. The most important thing to remember is that anything you do to show love and sympathy will be appreciated.
You're currently reading ➔ [31 Appropriate Sympathy Gift Ideas]
See below for other posts in our sympathy gift guide:
Sympathy Gift Etiquette
Your main goal when choosing appropriate sympathy gifts is to show love and support. However, your message may be better received when you follow the rules of sympathy gift etiquette:
 - Whether or not there is an official service to attend, it is still encouraged to send a gift or card to express your sympathy.
 - The best time to send gifts is during the first two weeks, but if more time has passed, a simple note or card is still acceptable.
 - Charitable donations are often appreciated, particularly if the family has ties or sentimental feelings toward a specific charity. As a general rule, look for the phrase "in lieu of flowers" on any announcements or in the obituaries and follow the instructions given. Sympathy etiquette suggests that you still write a note or card expressing condolences and letting them know you made a donation.
Chicken and Wild Rice
Use the guide below to find ideas for appropriate sympathy messages and gifts that follow the rules of sympathy etiquette.
1. Classic Sympathy Gift
When you aren't sure what to get someone in need of comfort, these classic ideas are always well received.
 1. Gift basket
 2. Teddy bears/stuffed animal
 3. Balloons
 4. Letters/card
 5. Throw blanket/heated blanket
 6. Acts of Service
 7. Flowers
2. Personalized Sympathy Gift
Another great way to express genuine sympathy is by choosing or creating a gift with a personal touch.
 1. Personalized throw blanket
 2. Sympathy ornament
 3. DIY compassion care package
 4. Photo album with family/friend pictures
 5. Book or jar with memories of the deceased, written by friends and family
 6. Charitable donation
 7. Gift card for home cleaning or other services
3. Decadent Sympathy Gift
 1. Memorial jewelry (necklaces, bracelets, rings, etc.)
 2. Memorial tumbler mug
 3. Memorial flower planter box
 4. Angel wind chime
 5. Memorial garden stone
 6. Plant a tree in their name
 7. Keepsake box
4. Sympathy Food Gifts
In situations of extreme sadness or stress, it is often the simple things that bring the most comfort. Bringing over a meal or special treat is the perfect way to cheer someone up and show you care.
 1. Gourmet soup
 2. Candy
 3. Tea or Hot Chocolate (something warm to drink)
 4. Cookies (Spoonful of Comfort has several great cookie options you can have sent right to their home!)
 5. Ice cream
 6. Fruit or Fruit basket (fresh or dried)
 7. Assorted nuts
 8. Tin of popcorn
 9. Bottle of wine
 10. Favorite soda
Frequently Asked Sympathy Gift Questions:
How do you sympathize with someone who has lost a loved one?
In addition to cards and gifts, the best way to show your sympathy is by providing service. What can you do to take away some stress during this time? Maybe you can provide a meal, mow the lawn, shovel snow, help with cleaning, or take care of kids.
Is it appropriate to give money in a sympathy card?
Yes, in fact, it is often one of the best ways you can support a loved one. The deceased may have been the one bringing in the majority of the household income, or the survivor may be faced with high funeral costs. Put the money in a card with a kind message and simply mention there is a gift inside so the recipient doesn't wait too long to open it.
Is it appropriate to send flowers to a funeral?
There are circumstances where flowers would not be an appropriate gift. In some cultures and religions, sending flowers to show sympathy during mourning may not be part of their tradition. For example, traditionally Jewish people do not have a culture of sending flowers to the funeral. The same applies to Hindus. If you know the family has no such concerns, then flowers are a great gift for a funeral.
Are group sympathy gifts appropriate?
Sending sympathy gifts as a group works well when the person or family you are supporting is affiliated with your group and is not a particular close friend. For example, multiple coworkers can pitch in for a group gift and each sign the same card.
One of the most helpful ways to provide comfort during difficult times is by making sure your loved ones are well fed. During the grieving process, it is not uncommon for people to let their nutrition slide or to skip meals altogether. Send your loved ones a delicious meal from Spoonful of Comfort, which includes delivery of soup, cookies, and rolls, as well as a personalized note card and a ladle for serving. Check out our Sympathy Soup Gift Baskets today, and get more inspiration for appropriate sympathy gifts on the Spoonful of Comfort blog.
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- Indigenous social work around the world: towards culturally relevant education and practice
Yellow Bird, Michael
- University of Newcastle. Faculty of Education & Arts, School of Humanities and Social Science
- How can mainstream Western social work learn from and in turn help advance indigenous practice? This volume brings together prominent international scholars involved in both Western and indigenous social work across the globe – including James Midgley, Linda Briskman, Alean Al-Krenawi and John R. Graham – to discuss some of the most significant global trends and issues relating to indigenous and cross-cultural social work. The contributors identify ways in which indigenization is shaping professional social work practice and education, and examine how social work can better address diversity in international exchanges and cross-cultural issues within and between countries. Key theoretical, methodological and service issues and challenges in the indigenization of social work are reviewed, including the way in which adaptation can lead to more effective practices within indigenous communities and emerging economies, and how adaptation can provide greater insight into cross-cultural understanding and practice.
- Contemporary Social Work Studies
study and teaching;
- Resource Type


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The organic peaches, pears, grapes and apples Kinju Watanabe grows in Fukushima City have shown no detectable radiation, despite soil contamination in the area of 2,000 Becquerels per kilogram, and other farmers' fruits testing at 40-80 Bq/kg.
Although grown in contaminated sectors, Fukushima organic produce distributor Takehiro Makuta says all the food he distributes has tested "ND," not detected—below the detection limit of the measurement device, not necessarily zero.
Some researchers theorize that bacteria and fungi that flourish in organic soil prevent the crops from absorbing cesium, or transmute the cesium into non-radioactive barium.
Uncanny Terrain is a documentary about organic farmers facing Japan's nuclear crisis, and an online community fostering dialogue on food safety, sustainable agriculture, alternative energy and disaster response. Please keep the conversation going by making a tax-deductible donation.


import old database in new schema with mysql and rails
posted by Matthias Frick in Ruby on Rails / 4 Comments
In this tutorial I will show you how you could import an old database into a new schema with mysql and rails. I will explain the process with an example scenario.
Imagine you have an old php project with an old database schema and you want to completely refactor this project. Firstly you want to use rails instead of php and create a new rails project with the standard rails conventions. Secondly you want to restructure the old database into a new scheme without losing data and make it more "railsish". You just have a mysql dump of your old database.
Old database:
You have a mysql database with a few tables:
 - "Person" with: pid (bigint 20), uid (varchar 8), firstname (varchar 40), lastname (varchar (50), mail (varchar 40), isfemale (tinyint 4)
 - "Work" with: wid (bigint 20), headline (varchar 250), text_facts (text), text_long_facts(text), pub_date (date), hyperlink (varchar 200)
Now you want to change this scheme to the following one:
New database:
Your new database contains the following tables:
 - "users" with: id (int 11), first_name ( varchar 255), last_name (varchar 255), email (varchar 255), isfemale (tinyint 1)
 - "projects" with: id (int 11), title (varchar 255), teaser (text), description (text), published_at (date), link (varchar 255)
Now you have good the background information, let us move one step further:
Model creation
You have to create migrations for your new models. Just open a terminal and generate them with the normal rails generators:
rails g model User first_name:string last_name:string email:string isfemale:boolean
rails g model Project title:string teaser:text description:text published_at:date, link:string
Do not forget to migrate your database:
rake db:migrate
Now you have generated your models and you can add some validations. In this scneario I add the "presence: true" validation to every model attribute.
Importer Structure
You have a mysql dump and want to import this dump into the new schema. I will now explain how you can do that through a Raketask.
You need a Importer class and a normal Raketask. For a better structure I will split up the Importer class into different modules. The structure of the whole importer looks like as follows:
 - /lib/tasks/project_name.rake: this file contains the Raketasks
 - /lib/tasks/importer/importer.rb: Importer class which includes the different sub-importer modules and all necessary extension files.
 - /lib/tasks/importer/users_importer.rb: sub-importer module which contains the users importer stuff.
 - /lib/tasks/importer/projects_importer.rb: sub-importer module which contains the projects importer code.
Subsequently I want explain each of this classes and modules. Let's start with the Raketask file
namespace :project_name do
 require Rails.root + "lib/tasks/importer"
 desc "Import old database, usage: rake project_name:import['old_database_name']"
 task :import, :oldDatabase, needs::environment do |t, args|
 args.with_defaults(oldDatabase: "import")
 oldDatabaseName = args.oldDatabse
 newDatabaseName = YAML::load("config/database.yml")))[Rails.env]["database"]
 importer = newDatabaseName, oldDatabaseName
This is the.rake-File and contains just one normal Raketask. This Raketask requires the name of the old database. For example you create a new database called "old_database" with phpmyadmin or a tool like that. After that you have to import the mysql dump from your old database in the currently new created one. The next step is to call the Raketask in your terminal: "rake project_name:import['old_database']. This will trigger the import. At this moment the import will fail, because you do not have neither the Importer class nor the instance method "execute" called at the end of the Raketask. So let's move further to the Importer class.
require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/users_importer"
require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/projects_importer"
class Importer
 # include sub-modules
 include UsersImporter
 include ProjectsImporter
 # initializer for a new importer
 def initialize new, old
 # feedback for the programmer
 puts "Importing from #{old} to {new}"
 _USER_ = new
 _USER_ = old
 # execute the import
 def execute
 # if you do not like to import data, if the new database
 # already contains data, just a security hint..
 if User.count > 0
 raise "Import aborted! There already are users in the database."
 if Project.count > 0
 ..and so on..
 # call sub-importer modules
 # later in the import process you have to switch beween
 # the old and the new database.
 # use new database (= switch to new database)
 def use_new_database
 ActiveRecord::Base.connection.execute("use #{_USER_}")
 # use old database (= switch to old database)
 def use_old_database
 ActiveRecord::Base.connection.execute("use #{_USER_}")
The importer.rb contains the Importer class with a normal initializer and an execute method. This method just calls all sub-module importer methods to completely start the import. At this moment it will not work, because the sub-modules do not exist yet. But in the end everthing will work together very good :-). Furthermore the Importer class has two helper methods to switch between the old and the new database.
Do not forget to include the different sub-modules in the Importer class, otherwise it will not work and you will get include errors and undefined methods.
For convenience you can write following mysql extensions and put them in the importer.rb File under the Importer class, but not in the Importer class.
# custom mysql row to facilite access
class Row
 def initialize fields, values
 _USER_ = fields
 _USER_ = values
 def get field
# Add get_row method to Mysql2::Result class
class Mysql2::Result
 def get_row index self.fields, self.to_a[index].to_a
Now let's start with the first import script:
module UsersImporter
 # import users
 def import_users
 puts "Importing users..."
 users = ActiveRecord::Base.connection.execute('
 SELECT pid, uid, firstname, lastname, mail, isfemale FROM Person
 for i in 0...users.count do
 row = users.get_row i
 user = User.where(first_name: row.get("firstname"),
 last_name: row.get("lastname"),
 email: row.get("mail"),
 isfemale: row.get("isfemale"))
 unless user
 user = row.get("firstname"),
 last_name: row.get("lastname"),
 email: row.get("mail"),
 isfemale: row.get("isfemale"))
 rescue Exception => e
 puts "Failed to save #{row.get("firstname")} #{row.get("lastname"): #{e.message}"
This sub-module contains the users importer. You can see that you have to use pure Mysql for the queries in the old database. That's because you do not have a model and cannot use the ActiveRecord ORM.
module ProjectsImporter
 # import projects
 def import_projects
 puts "Importing projects..."
 projects = ActiveRecord::Base.connection.execute('
 SELECT wid, headline, text_facts, text_long_facts, pub_date, hyperlink FROM work
 for i in 0...projects.count do
 row = projects.get_row i
 project = Project.where(title: row.get("headline"),
 teaser: row.get("text_facts"),
 published_at: row.get("pub_date"))
 unless project
 project = row.get("headline"),
 teaser: row.get("text_facts"),
 description: row.get("text_long_facts"),
 published_at: row.get("pub_date"),
 link: row.get("hyperlink"))
 rescue Exception => e
 puts "Failed to save #{row.get("title")} #{row.get("published_at"): #{e.message}"
The projects importer works exactly like the users importer. There is one method which handles the import.
Now everything should work and you are done. I know that my example import scripts are not really heavy to program, but I just wanted to explain how you could structure such an importer. If you have a database with a lot of joins and a tricky schema your import script will be much much more complicated. But with this importer-structure you just have to add a new module which handels the import part, call the method from the module in the Importer class and you are done.
You always should keep a very close eye on the topic "Testing". You should test your importer script before starting an import on your production system, that is very important! Otherwise you can destroy your production database and that never is funny ;-)
Feel free to comment on this blogpost, I will be happy about that! If you are interested in a more difficult importer script do not hestitate to ask me.
Simple mysql search with rails and jquery.highlight


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Your Colonoscopy Is Covered, But The Prep Kit May Not Be
Without some sort of bowel cleansing preparation — often a powerful laxative that scours out the colon — the exam, which involves inserting a flexible tube with a camera on the end into the rectum and snaking it through the large intestine to look for polyps and other abnormalities, couldn't be done.
When the federal government clarified in May that under the Affordable Care Act's preventive services provisions consumers can't be charged for anesthesia they receive as part of a screening colonoscopy, it didn't address other services that are generally part of the exam, including bowel prep kits.
Why should I buy travel insurance if it won't cover pre-existing medical conditions? That's exactly what I'd probably need it for.
Even if you miss that window, as long as you haven't recently needed medical attention for your diabetes or bad back, for example, you may not run into trouble.
"Most policies have relatively short 'lookback' periods," Peters says. That means that if you file a claim, the insurer will only review your medical records for pre-existing conditions for a specified period before your policy's effective date, typically 60 to 180 days. As long as you haven't received any medical treatment, testing, medication changes or recommendations from a physician related to your pre-existing condition during that timeframe, the claim wouldn't be denied on that basis, Peters says.
With too many children affected by prenatal exposure to illicit drugs, alcohol or tobacco, why doesn't the federal government include prenatal screening in its list of preventive services that must be covered without cost sharing?
It's standard practice to screen pregnant women for alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use and intimate partner violence during their initial visit with an OB-GYN, says Dr. Lisa Hollier, of the Center for Children and Women in Houston who is assistant secretary of the executive board of the American Congress Of Obstetricians And Gynecologists.
Screening involves asking a series of questions about substance use. It doesn't involve urine or other tests that might discourage women from getting appropriate prenatal care because they fear running into legal problems, according to ACOG.
In addition, the health law requires most plans to cover preventive services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force without requiring consumers to pay anything out of pocket. The task force recommends that tobacco and alcohol screening be performed and counseling provided if necessary for pregnant women. It concludes that there's not enough evidence to assess whether screening pregnant women for illicit drug use is clinically useful. As a practical matter, the task force's lack of endorsement for drug screening for pregnant women doesn't mean plans won't cover it.
While screening isn't generally a concern, treatment can be.
"There are not many professionals who have specific expertise in managing these problems with pregnant patients," Hollier says.
Copyright 2021 Kaiser Health News. To see more, visit.


IIT's will be stepping into Medicine degrees also soon.
 And, that would be the day when you will see more of engineering becoming part of MBBS curriculum too. Then no one will be able to make wrong statements that calculating weighted average is part of probability theory. Why i say this? Well look at the quote from the article:
 "It will bring the two diverse disciplines of engineering and medicine together in education and research. Technology will be used to access and treat large number of patients through satellite centres and secondary hospitals," the director said.
 For the moment, I am sure I know a lot more correct information / maths / calculations when it comes to theory of probability and statistics.
 So, what next? Time for interdisciplinary engg+medicine is on the horizon in India. They will be taught real probability and statistics too.
 Before that, many engineers are leading from the front already when they dump ADA/USDA diet.
 - Anup
 you are absolutely right.
 - Sir ji,
 I read a lot and do not forget things easily. Perhaps, a result of of training at IIT's because there we were/are trained to understand the BASICS and apply in real world where individual ingenuity is the KEY and not some OUTDATED TEXTBOOKS.
 We are never told to MUG for passing exams. In fact, by and large, mugging for passing to get a paper degree just produces duffers.
 - It is apity that no one pointed out the mistake.
 suramo did as he is a doctor on LC diet.
 - No sir. In the IIT they did not teach
 IIT they teach to read, learn, apply, tweak and achieve results. They are against the idea of "guidelines" from some cozy clubs. Students are trained to LEARN new things. My batch mate -- Met engg -- Is doing Assembly level programming in the US for a company. No degree in Comp Science.
 Sundar Pichai - CEO of Google is a B Tech in Metallurgical Engg from IIT Kharagpur. It's funny that people with just a certificate on mushroom farming are talking of IIT even without knowing anything about it and the real brains that graduate from there. It is IIT and not some Rangathhaiya College of Engg. Probability and Statistics -- I think people will faint when they know what Stats and Maths is taught there.
 What you talk of as probability as an example, is not even probability. It's weighted average. So, please get your facts and details right about theory of probability and statistics. Weighted average even a grade 10 student can do. Don't preach that weighted avg is probability and statistics. It is NOT. Theory of Probability starts with rolling of a dice which even a grade 10 student is taught. then it gets to two, three and "n" dices before moving to next basic chapter on probability.
 Chrome OS was not written in some UNIVERSITY. MSDOS was coded by a college drop out. You know who?
 Yes, I can understand diabetes management better than a diabetologist by and large. I am not bragging, just get your best expert on diabetes and anti high fat guy from AIIMS and I am ready for a debate with him on any Open Platform under public eye and not some behind the curtain talks.
 Challenging ADA is not bringing down the image of any country because ADA gets challenged in every country across the globe. That's a fact. So emotional appeals won't work in scientific world.
 I still haven't got any "to the point" answer to my two questions to you. Why are you avoiding the two questions?
 Talking with backing of medical reports is SCIENCE for the intelligent and PROPAGANDA for the politicians. And yup, engineers can understand self management of diabetes far better than anyone with a certificate on mushroom, grapes or wheat farming. Engineers will never make absurd statements like some special quality Wheat works like SU drug or DPP4 drugs, unless they can back it up with science and data. Only those involved in propaganda resort to such tricks.
 - Oh there are many tourists who visit IIT for some workshops. Attending workshops in IIT for 3 or 6 days means nothing -- absolutely nothing. Even Shatrughan Sinha and Poonam Dhillon visited the campus in the mid 1980's for shooting a movie and they were bluntly denied permission. So they also visited IIT.
 Discuss Diabetes, syndrome we know a lot too. Brushing teeth six times a day is also a syndrome, jumping from one topic to another and mostly irrelevant to the context is also a syndrome. What is that syndrome called? Can you educate us please?
 If you really have to talk about SYNDROMES relevant to this forum, talk about METABOLIC SYNDROME. van den Ende-Gupta syndrome people can google.
 Answer my two questions first, if you can:
 (1) Science behind 60% CARBS. Where is the SCIENCE and DATA?
 (2) What nutrients/micronutrients are missing on 100g carbs, 75g proteins and 100g fat diet, for example?
 Teach and let the students conclude. Followers on profile here reveal who is being listened to and who is not. Diabetics sharing their success here on diet change shows what is working and what is not.
 Let's talk based on science of medical reports.
 - hope this GUPTA Syndrome is not one of those non existent nomenclature of yours like u came up with OEF and LCCF for vco and lchf. if it is, then i don't think anyone would be interested.
 if i say that tomato is not tomato but ORC ie Overgrown Red Cherry, ppl will laugh at me.
 - Hi all learned participants of this post,
 I read the post and all the 50 responses one by one from top to bottom in this one sitting.
 Before that I was under the impression that HbA1c=5% means that 5 out of 100 of all the Hb-s are glycosylated and 95 out of 100 are not. I was understanding it as a binary state. By this what I mean is analogous to the states of an ORDINARY electrical switch - either on or off (SPST), or to the bits of a computer representing either zero(0) or one(1) at any time.
 Filtering out the venting of ego clashes, the residue makes me, in my incompetence & ignorance, think that all Hb-s of a body are glycosylated, with the difference that the extent of glycosylation is different.
 If all Hb-s are glycosylated to different extents, how, in my case, the result 5% for HbA1c is arrived at? Does it not mean that even though each Hb is glycosylated to a different extent, the average extent of glycosylation of each Hb is 5%?
 There are some more related doubts. Shall ask later; it is 0130hrs & feeling sleepy. Good day everyone :-)
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"Imagine", a famous song composed by John Lennon in 1971, was talking about the pursuit of cosmopolitanism. Though the melody of this song was simple, but the message conveyed was meaningful and people could easily understand it.
We believe in "Imagine". "Imagine" could change the world. We also realize that the message must be passed on clearly, making a balance between imagination and execution is our goal.
Imagine Lab, an established design agency, excels in creative field marketing, design, event production and graphic design. New media such as interactive programming, computer graphics and animation arts are also our focus.


There are two mathematicians with incredibly strong memories sitting in a coffee shop passing the time. Their server proposes a game:
First, he gives them a large number:
Then he whispers a number $x$ to the first mathematician, and another number $y$ to the second mathematician. Afterwards, he tells them that the first large number is either the product of the two numbers, or one number raised to the power of the other.
He promises to pay for their order if they can each demonstrate that they know the other's number without offering each other any additional information.
After along silence this conversation takes place.
 - The first mathematician declares: I don't know your number.
 - The second mathematician says: Now I know your number.
 - The first mathematician states: Now I think I know both numbers.
Before anyone announces these numbers, the manager of the cafe promises to award a prize to the first person in the coffee shop who succeeds in discovering what they are. Can you find $x$ and $y$?
 - (x, y) differs from (y, x)
 - Silence is significative, and everyone knows this
 - $\begingroup$ So, it is x*y = _PHONE_ OR x^y = _PHONE_ OR y^x = _PHONE_? Or are those (AND)? $\endgroup$ – Raystafarian Apr 17 '15 at 15:25
 - 1
 $\begingroup$ "I Just know your number". Does "just" here mean "recently" or "exclusively"? In other words, is the second mathematician saying "because you said that, I learned your number", or "I know your number and nothing else"? $\endgroup$ – Kevin Apr 17 '15 at 15:25
 - $\begingroup$ yes just is significative $\endgroup$ – Abr001am Apr 17 '15 at 15:26
 - $\begingroup$ Your note, does that mean x!= y? $\endgroup$ – Raystafarian Apr 17 '15 at 15:29
 - 2
 $\begingroup$ Um, you changed the question significantly..... $\endgroup$ – Jiminion Apr 17 '15 at 18:35
The first mathematician: F
The second mathematician: S
F has $x$ and S has $y$.
F thinks that S has a number in the form of $6^{12/x}$ or $6^{12}/x$.
S thinks that F has a number in the form of $6^{12/y}$ or $6^{12}/y$.
Let's say $G_1=\{2,3,4,6,12\}$ are the sets of number that can be used in $6^{12/z}$ and to get a whole number (I didn't include $1$ for obvious reasons) and let $G_2=\{6^2,6^3,6^4,6^6\}$ be the numbers that can not be used in $z^{G_1}$. We call $G$ as the union of $G_1$ and $G_2$.
Now see a table:
Rows for the first mathematician and columns for the second one
From OUR point of view:
If F had numbers in the red row he could easily guess S's number. He says I don't know, which means he has $6,6^2,6^3,6^4,6^6$.We are confused between green cells and red cells, for $6^6$ between green and blue cell.
S says at first he didn't know, which means he didn't have a number in red column, if not he could easily guessed F's number. Also he knows that F does not have a number in red row, if F had he would guess S's number. Since we eliminated red rows now we are not confused in yellow and red cells. The only possible situation that F and S has that conversation is that both of them has $6^6$.
Mission accomplished.
As the OP noted I took $(x,y)$ different than $(y,x)$, if not there would be multiple solutions. To see the solutions color yellow cells to green.
 - $\begingroup$ The two numbers must make $_PHONE_$ by either multiplication or exponentiation. $6$x$6=36$ and $6^6=46656$, neither of which is close to $_PHONE_$. $\endgroup$ – GentlePurpleRain Apr 17 '15 at 18:20
 - $\begingroup$ sorry I mean 6^6. I am not sure still. I'm working on it. $\endgroup$ – newzad Apr 17 '15 at 18:22
 - $\begingroup$ This is the same answer I came up with. $6^6=46656$. $\endgroup$ – GentlePurpleRain Apr 17 '15 at 21:00
 - $\begingroup$ But I remember that you were saying $2$, $46656$. Correct me if I'm wrong. BTW I'm still not very sure. $\endgroup$ – newzad Apr 17 '15 at 21:22
 - 1
 $\begingroup$ im confused between this one and GentlePurpleRain answer, if u put such details at first place i would accept it, well it is good explained thu, refer to my poof for supplementary informations. $\endgroup$ – Abr001am Apr 18 '15 at 13:35
proof of uniqueness: this analysis is from the first non modified version of the puzzle.
lets denote $S={2,3,4,6,12,36,216,1296,46656}$ set of valid solutions.
 - if someone would have been informed a number bigger than a number from this set $S$ he declares that he knows other number immediatly befoe the conversation would take place.
the first said I dont know numbers means:
since the second mathematician didnt declare anything revealing from his number,As ear witness, we know the first dont have ${2,3,4,12,36,216,1296}$ because: these numbers are to be multiplied by a bigger number than $6^6$ which is not the case. Secondo, these numbers can be one of either the exponent, or the number te be powered by the other one, to attain the huge number result, like:
$2$ leads to either $2*_PHONE_$ or $46656^2$, the first is excluded before the first statement. so the first would know henceforth.
the second statemnt : I just know numbers.
if the first person has $6$ the second would have had consequently either $12$ or $36$, if he has $12$, the result is written as $6^{12}$, other case it is $36^6$, both cases second mathematician shoud be aware of first number.
the other choice is $46656$,as $2$ is excluded before the conversations starts, and supposing second mathematician is aware of it, the result cant be written as $46656^2$, the unique case left is $46656*46656$.
Set of valid solutions is ${12,36,46656}$
the third statemnt: Me too i knew them
this doesnt fit the number $6$ because it leads to two options of $y$ either $12$ or $36$, wheras he said I know that leave us with the last unique choice : $(x,y)=(46656,46656)$
I think the answer is :
(6, 12) or (6, 36)
If x is NOT one of 6, 12 or 36, then the first mathematician would know the other one's number, so the numbers are definitely 6, 12 or 36.
If x was 6, then y could be either 12 or 36 (as 36 to the 6th power is also an answer). So first mathematician can't be sure. Therefore his number is 6.
The second mathematician's number is either 12 or 36, so he knows x must be 6. Then the first mathematician knows that the numbers are either (6, 12) or (6, 36).
 - $\begingroup$ You say that ''if $x$ is not one of $6,12$ or 36, then the first mathematician would know the other's number." But if $x=2,3$ or $4$ (for example), it is also true that he wouldn't know the other's number. $\endgroup$ – Mike Earnest Apr 17 '15 at 17:17
 - $\begingroup$ If x was 2, then the numbers could be (2,46656) or (2,_PHONE_). If x was 4, then (4,216) or (4,544195544). If x was 3, then (3,1296) (3,725594112). But those are all unique such that the 2nd guy would know both numbers. $\endgroup$ – Jiminion Apr 17 '15 at 18:36
NOTE: This actually


potfit wiki
open source force-matching
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Following is a complete list of all potfit parameters, together with a short description of their meaning, and indications when they are needed. Floating point numbers should be given in decimal notation. Vectors are given as a list of components, separated by spaces or tabs (all on one line).
An asterisk (*) marks required parameters.
parameter name parameter type default value
short explanation
main parameters
ntypes* integer (none)
number of atom types (types vary in [0,..,ntypes-1])
file names
config* string (none)
file with atomic configurations in force format, see Configurations
startpot* string (none)
file name containing the starting potential, see Potential files
tempfile* string (none)
file name for temporary (intermediate) potentials, see tempfile
endpot string $startpot_end
file name for final potential, see Potential files
imdpot string (none)
file name prefix for imd potentials, see IMD
plotfile string (none)
file name for plotting potential, see plotfile
flagfile string (none)
file, whose presence terminates the current fit, see Flagfile
general options
write_pair boolean 0
write radial pair distribution, see Pair distribution
write_lammps boolean 0
write potential in LAMMPS format, see LAMMPS
cell_scale float 1.0
rescale all cells, see cell_scale
Minimization options
opt boolean 0
whether or not to perform an optimization
eng_weight* float (none)
weight of energy in minimization, see Algorithms
stress_weight float (none)
(* if compiled with stress) weight of stress in minimiziation, see Algorithms
anneal_temp float 1.0
starting temperature for simulated annealing, set to 0 to skip simulated annealing, see Simulated Annealing
evo_threshold float 1.0
stop the evolutionary algorithm if the difference in the population is smaller than this, set to zero to skip evo, see Differential Evolution
d_eps float 0.0
error margin for powell minimization - if the improvement is smaller, the optimization is stopped, see lsq
seed integer 4
seed for random number generator
apot_punish float 0.0
scaling factor for apot punishments, this does not affect out-of-bounds punishment, see Analytic potentials/Punishments
options only for tabulated potentials
plotpointfile* string (none)
file name for plotting the sampling points, see plotpointfile
distfile string (none)
file name for distribution file (* with compile option 'dist'), see bindistfile
maxchfile string (none)
file with maximal permissible changes for each parameter, see Maxchfile
options only for analytic potentials
plotmin float 0.0
starting point for plotting potentials, see plotfile
enable_cp boolean 0
whether or not to include chemical potentials, see pair_potentials
options for output
imdpotsteps integer 500
number of sampling points in each function in imd potential files, see IMD
output_prefix string (none)
prefix for various output files, see Output
extend float 2.0
how many steps should the imd potentials be extrapolated, see IMD
lammpspotsteps integer 500
number of sampling points in each funcation in LAMMPS potential files, see LAMMPS
parameter for option coulomb
dp_cut float 10
cutoff-radius for electrostatic interactions, doesn't depend on other pair-function-radii.
parameters for option dipole
dp_tol float 1.e-7
dipole iteration precision.
dp_mix float 0.2
mixing parameter for dipole convergence during iteration.
parameters for OpenKIM potentials
The options for OpenKIM potentials are described in more detail on the OpenKIM page.
kim_model_name string (none)
KIM model indentifier
kim_model_params string (none)
Special parameter option, see OpenKIM page for details
kim_model_output_directory string (none)
Output directory for the optimized KIM model
kim_model_output_name string (none)
Name for the optimized KIM model
parameters.txt · Last modified: 2019/08/11 12:11 by daniel


text:
Thread is one of important Class in Java and multi-threading is most widely used feature,but there is no clear way to stop Thread in Java. Earlier there was a stop method exists in Thread Class but Java deprecated that method citing some safety reason. By default a Thread stops when execution of run() method finish either normally or due to any Exception.In this article we will How to Stop Thread in Java by using a boolean State variable or flag. Using flag to stop Thread is very popular way of stopping thread and its also safe, because it doesn't do anything special rather than helping run() method to finish it self.
How to Stop Thread in Java
As I said earlier Thread in Java will stop once run() method finished. Another important point is that you can not restart a Thread which run() method has finished already, you will get an IllegalStateExceptio, here is a Sample Code for Stopping Thread in Java:
Sample Code to Stop Thread in Java
Should we make bExit Volatile
Since every Thread has its own local memory in Java its good practice to make bExit volatile because we may alter value of bExit from any thread and making it volatile guarantees that Runner will also see any update done before making bExit.
That's all on how to stop thread in Java, let me know if you find any other way of stopping threads in Java without using deprecated stop() method.
Related Java Multi-threading Post:


text:
POTIPHAR () or POTI-PHERAH ():
Name of an Egyptian officer. The form "Potiphar" is probably an abbreviation of "Potiphera"; the two are treated as identical in the Septuagint, and are rendered Πετρεφῆς or Πετεφῆς. "Poti-phera" is the Hebrew rendering of the Egyptian "P'-di-p'-R'" = "He whom Ra [i.e., the sun-god] gave." This name has not been found in Egyptian inscriptions; but names of similar form occur as early as the twenty-second dynasty.
Potiphar was the Egyptian officer to whom Joseph was sold (Gen. xxxvii. 36, xxxix. 1). He is described as a "saris" of Pharaoh, and as "captain of the guard" (Hebr. ). The term "saris" is commonly used in the Old Testament of eunuchs; but occasionally it seems to stand in a more general sense for "court official," and sometimes it designates a military officer (II Kings xxv. 19; comp. ib. xviii. 17; Jer. xxxix. 3, 13). The second title, "captain of the guard," is literally "chief of the slaughterers," and is interpreted by some to mean "chief of the cooks" (comp. I Sam. ix. 23, 24, where = "cook"). The former is much the more probable meaning here, and is supported by the closely corresponding title ( ) of one of the high military officers of Nebuchadnezzar (II Kings xxv. 8, 10; comp. Dan. ii. 14). Nothing, however, of this office is definitely known from Egyptian sources.
Poti-pherah was a priest of On (Heliopolis), whose daughter Asenath became the wife of Joseph (Gen. xli. 45, 50; xlvi. 20). See also Joseph.


Provisional government
A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government,[1] is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of new nations or following the collapse of the previous governing administration. Provisional governments are generally appointed, and frequently arise, either during or after civil or foreign wars.
Provisional governments maintain power until a new government can be appointed by a regular political process, which is generally an election.[2] They may be involved with defining the legal structure of subsequent regimes, guidelines related to human rights and political freedoms, the structure of the economy, government institutions, and international alignment.[3] Provisional governments differ from caretaker governments, which are responsible for governing within an established parliamentary system and serve as placeholders following a motion of no confidence, or following the dissolution of the ruling coalition.[3]
In opinion of Yossi Shain and Juan J. Linz, provisional governments can be classified to four groups:[4]
 1. Revolutionary provisional governments (when the former regime is overthrown and the power belongs to the people who have overthrown it).
 2. Power sharing provisional governments (when the power is shared between former regime and the ones who are trying to change it).
 3. Incumbent provisional governments (when the power during transitional period belongs to the former regime).
 4. International provisional governments (when the power during the transitional period belongs to the international community).
The establishment of provisional governments is frequently tied to the implementation of transitional justice.[5] Decisions related to transitional justice can determine who is allowed to participate in a provisional government.[citation needed]
The early provisional governments were created to prepare for the return of royal rule. Irregularly convened assemblies during the English Revolution, such as Confederate Ireland (1641–49), were described as "provisional". The Continental Congress, a convention of delegates from 13 British colonies on the east coast of North America became the provisional government of the United States in 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. The government shed its provisional status in 1781, following ratification of the Articles of Confederation, and continued in existence as the Congress of the Confederation until it was supplanted by the United States Congress in 1789.
The practice of using "provisional government" as part of a formal name can be traced to Talleyrand's government in France in 1814. In 1843, American pioneers in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America established the Provisional Government of Oregon—as the U.S. federal government had not yet extended its jurisdiction over the region—which existed until March 1849. The numerous provisional governments during the Revolutions of 1848 gave the word its modern meaning: A liberal government established to prepare for elections.
List of provisional governments
Numerous provisional governments have been established since the 1850s.
As of 2021 in Africa, only Libya, Sudan, and Chad currently have provisional governments.
As of 2020 in the Americas, Venezuela is the only country currently hosting a provisional government, which is established by the oppositions in parallel with the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Provisional Government of the Republic of China (1912), established after the success of the Wuchang uprising.
World War I and Interbellum
World War II
Cold War and aftermath
21st century
As of 2020 in Asia, only Syria and Yemen currently have provisional governments. However the Syrian provisional governments were established as umbrella governments of the oppositions, in parallel with a pre-existent internationally recognized government; both provisional governments are not recognized internationally.
Provisional Government of Spain (1868–1871), established after the Spanish Glorious Revolution pending the election of a new Constitutional Monarch.
World War I and Interbellum
World War II
Provisional governments were also established throughout Europe as occupied nations were liberated from Nazi occupation by the Allies.
Cold War
Provisional Cypriot Turkish Administration[11] (_PHONE_)
Collapse of the USSR and aftermath
21st century
As of 2020 in Europe, Belarus is the only country currently with a provisional government, established by the opposition in parallel with the government of the Republic of Belarus.
/ Belarusian Coordination Council (2020–present), established in the aftermath of the 2020 Belarusian presidential election and during subsequent protests. The transitional government is only supported and recognized by Lithuania.
See also
 1. ^ Google Ngram Viewer
 2. ^ "caretaker government". Credo Reference. Dictionary of politics and government. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
 3. ^ a b Shain(1) Linz(2), Yossi(1) Linz(2) (January 1992). "The Role of Interim Governments". Journal of Democracy. doi:10.1353/jod._PHONE_.
 4. ^ Yossi Shain, Juan J. Linz, "Between States: Interim Governments in Democratic Transitions", 1995, ISBN 9780521484985 [1], p. 5
 5. ^ McAuliffe, Padraig (09/01/2010). "Transitional Justice and the Rule of Law". ague Journal of the Rule of Law. doi:10.1017/S1876404510200015.Check date values in: |date= (help)
 7. ^ United Nations General Assembly Session 67 Resolution 19. A/RES/67/19 Retrieved 2013-01-07.
 8. ^ "The Palestinian Authority".
 9. ^ "Syria: Who's in control of Idlib?". BBC News. 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
 10. ^ "The Provisional National Government (1945)". The Orange Files: Notes on Illiberal Democracy in Hungary. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
 11. ^ [2]
Last edited on 29 April 2021, at 19:03
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text:
Study Guides for AEPA
Benefits of Studying from an AEPA Study Guide
We recommend that candidates preparing for the AEPA test look for a good guide. Based on the number and type of these tests that are required for your teacher certification, you must select the resources for preparation. This article will describe the features of 3 effective study guides. Thereafter, we will review some of the benefits of using a study guide for AEPA test preparation.
The 3 Most Effective AEPA Study Guides:
- AEPA General Information About the AEPA Program and Test Preparation
This study guide is published by the administrators of the AEPA test. This guide serves as a prelude to all the certification-specific study guides because it provides a detailed overview of the test, its objectives, rules and sections. It contains a set of guidelines on how to prepare for the tests, along with many practice questions and sample answers. The information available in this guide, especially regarding the types of questions that will appear in the test, is very clear and is supported with several examples. Moreover, the guide also provides a sample test and answer sheet to help the candidates get a clear-cut idea of what they could expect in the test. Apart from this, the guide presents a summary of how the test objectives are usually organized and how an applicant must focus on them to prepare effectively for the test. You may download this guide for free from the AEPA website (_URL_
- AEPA Test Objectives and Practice Questions - _URL_
Under this section, the AEPA website offers about 45 free, certification-specific study guides. All these guides follow the same format and have 2 main sections; namely, Test Objectives and Practice questions. We will now review one such resource called?"36 Early Childhood Education", as an example. The Test Objectives section of this study guide describes the 3 key objectives of the Early Childhood Education certification. Each test objective broadly describes a subject or knowledge area that is essential for being a successful early educator in Arizona. Under each test objective statement, there is a complete list of all the types of skills within that subject area, along with examples. Moreover, the guide also lists out the types of questions that will appear in the test. Thereafter, it provides a chart visualizing an approximate distribution of questions across the different test objectives. As you may already know, there are 2 types of questions in the AEPA test; namely, multiple choice response and written response. The guide provides sample questions in both these question types, covering each of the test objectives and many of their sub-areas. The sample questions are followed by an answer key with detailed rationale for the multiple-choice questions. For the written-response sample questions, corresponding sample responses are provided. Though this book prepares the candidates on the test structure and content, it does not provide study material on all the test objectives. Therefore, the candidates will have to refer to external professional or subject textbooks to cover all the subject areas in the test. You could download this guide or any of the available 45 study guides from -_URL_
- TeachRite AEPA Basic Skills Test Study Guide
This is an online study portal that provides an interactive resource for the Basic Skills test. This guide covers all the 3 subject areas of this test; namely, Reading, Writing and Math. It includes about 500 practice questions with answer keys, video lessons for sample problems, timed practice tests and test-taking tips. Some online teachers' blogs have recommended this website for the AEPA Basic Skills test preparation and there are a few positive comments on the TeachRite video lessons on Youtube too. To purchase this guide, you may visit _URL_
The 5 Key Benefits of Preparing from an AEPA Study Guide
Here is a list of 5 benefits that you will receive by using an effective AEPA study guide:
- A good book will make you more familiar with the structure and content of the test, as it will describe all the key test objectives and subject areas.
- Using the list of the test objectives in your AEPA guide, you may refer to other study materials such as school textbooks or professional books. However, the study guide will remain a focal point of your test preparation process.
- All good study guides will include several sample questions and practice tests. Such practice, especially if it timed, will equip you better for the actual test.
- In most study guides, the practice tests will come with answer keys that explain the rationale behind each answer. This is very useful in figuring out how the questions and answer choices are usually designed. The guide will therefore, provide invaluable hidden tips in choosing the right answer.
- Apart from the above-mentioned benefits, an effective AEPA study book will also provide you with a set of well-researched and proven test strategies. These strategies will go a long way in ensuring your success in the test.
In conclusion, we hope the above benefits that we have discussed and the earlier study guide reviews have convinced the readers of this article to use a comprehensive prep resource for successful test preparation.


Are My Fruits and Vegetables Going Bad or Can I Still Eat Them?
When you look at a bruised apple, slimy cucumber, or brown banana, do you throw them away? Are changes in color or texture really signs of fruits and vegetables going bad?
These reader questions show an uncertainty as to when fruits and vegetables going bad is serious enough to throw away money spent on groceries.
As it turns out, spoilage is not the same thing as bruises on fruit. Microbes constantly try to enter plants in nature because they want the nutrients just like humans do. This is a natural part of the environment, but most bacterias that target plants aren't bad for humans.
Are bruises a sign of fruits and vegetables going bad?
The answer is yes, but you can still eat them. Bacteria that fight plants in nature and create discoloration or dark spots cannot fight the human immune system in the same way, as TED-Ed explains. Therefore, eating bruised fruits or vegetables will not put you at risk for infection.
Most "mushy spots" on things like peaches or tomatoes come about after people take the fruits and vegetables off of the plant. This is because it is easy for fungi and bacteria to enter the fruit or vegetable after it falls or bumps other things during transport. Furthermore, water-based microbes can get on fruits after the grocery stores wash them for the display.
Bruised areas might not taste great because they represent the cells of the produce that bacteria is slowly killing. However, this does not translate to the human body.
Dangerous pathogens like E.coli can be on fruits and vegetables, but they do not create any visible marks. This type of bacteria can harm humans but has nothing to do with making fruit go bad. As a result, you should be more worried about washing your produce of these bacterias rather than eating brown or bruised spots.
What if there are no spots or bruises on them in the store? How can I prevent fruits and vegetables from going bad in my fridge?
Farms and grocery stores are not the only places where you can see fruits and vegetables going bad. Bruises and brown spots can appear after you bring your produce home from the grocery store as well. This is because your house and refrigerator can lead the fruit to get wet, bumped, and injured by bacteria or bugs. Not only does this make your produce spoil faster, but it can add bruises that a lot of people refuse to eat.
The best way to prevent this is to store produce properly. The Tri-State Fruit and Vegetable Safety Consortium suggests that you only wash fruits and vegetables right before you eat them. Washing them before storage can lead to bacteria, bruises, and mushy spots.
Another factor is knowing which fruits and vegetables need to be stored at room temperature versus in the refrigerator. This also has to do with which fruits and vegetables you can store together. If certain fruits that are meant to last longer lie next to fruits that spoil faster, they might go bad quicker in a shared space.
Environmental impact
Not eating produce because you think you see the fruits and vegetables going bad can lead to serious food waste. Throwing away food wastes the energy and water that farms use to grow the produce. Not to mention, it deprives starving people of perfectly safe foods. Some people throw food away simply because it looks like "ugly" produce, as the Huffington Post writes.
Produce that is thrown away might not even be spoiled, which wastes money and resources. In order to prevent this, it is important to know the difference between spoilage and bruises as shown above.
Next time you see a slightly discolored fruit or vegetable in your grocery store or in your refrigerator, don't throw it out. Instead, wash and eat it knowing that you are not putting yourself at risk. Moreover, you are helping the environment stay sustainable.


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Compass Needle in Uniform and Rotating Magnetic Fields
A compass needle undergoes forced oscillations under the influence of a uniform magnetic field and a rotating magnetic field with angular velocity (black arrow). The compass needle has a moment of inertia, a friction constant, and a magnetic moment ℳ. This is a simple example of a system that shows chaotic motion. In a real experiment it is impossible to repeat a particular motion from initial conditions and because the system is chaotic.


When we talk about the world of cooking, air fryers are quite new to the scene. They were introduced to the market in the year 2005. While they were initially only intended for commercial purposes, news about the various benefits they brought along spread fast, and they quickly found themselves in demand from regular consumers. There are various air fryer recipes and specializations, like a turkey air fryer, in the market today. And they are here to stay.
How Does an Air Fryer Work?
Ever wondered how does an air fryer work? Or why an air fryer is good for us? Well, the major benefit of using it lies in its working. It uses a steady flow of hot air instead of a lot of hot oil for cooking your favorite dishes. The cooking chamber inside is sealed, and superheated air is circulated around your dish by a fan. This process packs in your dish's flavor along with the moisture, giving it that golden and crunchy crust you get when you fry food. So why should you buy an entirely new appliance that does the same job as something you already have? We are here to answer this.
Benefits of Having an Air Fryer
Besides being one of the ways to make your fried dishes healthier, there are various benefits of having an air fryer. While some of them are well-known, some of them become evident only when one uses them. We are here to list them out for you.
1. They Are Faster and Conserve Electricity Too
When you put them against traditional fryers, they win easily when it comes to time taken. While a deep fryer needs its oil to be heated before the cooking can begin, and an oven also needs some time to preheat, it takes only a few minutes for an air fryer to go from its normal temperature to whatever temperature you want. In the time it takes for the other appliances to get ready for cooking, your air fryer will have cooked the entire dish. Since they are on for lesser times, they use much less electricity than you may think. Most of them have low voltages as well. It is one of their biggest benefits over traditional frying appliances.
2. They Are Much Easier to Clean
Everyone knows how greasy frying in the traditional way can be. An air fryer uses much less oil and hence has barely any grease. The grease accumulates on various surfaces in the kitchen and all the utensils you use to cook. Taking care of the leftover oil is another headache in itself. Even if you have an air fryer with a stainless steel basket, almost all of the parts are dishwasher-safe. Since so little oil is used, the pan can be cleaned in a dishwasher as well. Moreover, a lot of the parts nowadays have a non-stick coating, making them even easier to wash.
3. They Can Prepare a Lot of Dishes
These appliances were not just built to do only traditional frying. They can be used for various other purposes like baking, reheating food, roasting, thawing food, and even stir-frying. That's right. You can use an air fryer for baking cookies too. Some of the newer ones even have various accessories that allow the cooking of more than one dish and even grilling. There are a ton of air fryer ideas out there that are healthier than traditional cooking.
4. They Do Not Compromise on Taste
Traditional frying involves using a lot of oil and dunking your food in it. Since air frying uses a fraction of that amount (generally one tablespoon of oil for air frying for 3 or 4 cups of oil for deep frying), many people think the food might not taste as good. However, everyone who has tried them has concurred that they are just as good without any of the high-calorie and high-fat oil. So bring out your chef's hat and make anything, from air fryer French fries to air fryer turkey.
Conclusion: Getting an air fryer is one of the healthiest changes you can make in your kitchen. Along with being extremely health-friendly, it also saves you a lot of money in power costs and a lot of time and effort in both cooking and cleaning. Do you have any air fryer recipes you'd like to share with us? Comment down below.
Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay
Post Your Thoughts


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For transferring existing knowledge into new projects, reuse has become an important factor in today's software industry. However, to set reuse into practice, reusable artifacts have to be stored somewhere, and must be offered to (re-)users on demand. For this purpose, advanced reuse repository systems like, for instance, instantiations of the Experience Base concept, are quite frequently used. Many people, from different projects, have to access such a repository at various phases of software development processes to retrieve or store reusable data. In order to fulfill the given tasks, each of these user has specific needs. Taking this into account, a reuse repository has to offer tailored user interfaces and functions for different user groups. Furthermore, since the contents of such a repository usually represent the state of the art of an organization's (core) competencies, not everyone should be allowed to freely access each and every repository entry. This isespecially true for persons that are not part of the organization. This report discusses role concepts that can be applied to reuse repository systems to overcome some of the stated access problems. Commonly used roles for software development and reuse repository management are listed. Based on these roles, a basic set of roles, as implemented in the SFB 501 Experience Base, is introduced.
In order to improve the quality of software systems and to set up a more effective process for their development, many attempts have been made in the field of software engineering. Reuse of existing knowledge is seen as a promising way to solve the outstanding problems in this field. In previous work we have integrated the design pattern concept with the formal design language SDL, resulting in a certain kind of pattern formalization. For the domain of communication systems we have also developed a pool of SDL patterns with an accompanying process model for pattern application. In this paper we present an extension that combines the SDL pattern approach with the experience base concept. This extension supports a systematic method for empirical evaluation and continuous improvement of the SDL pattern approach. Thereby the experience base serves as a repository necessary for effective reuse of the captured knowledge. A comprehensive usage scenario is described which shows the advantages of the combined approach. To demonstrate its feasibility, first results of a research case study are given.


School Safety
 - See Something Say Something
 - Submit a Safety Comment/Question
 - Report a Threat
 Is my child safe on campus?
 The Tuscaloosa City School district is dedicated to providing a safe environment to those entrusted to our care. While the U.S. schools remain relatively safe, any amount of violence is unacceptable. To ensure the safety of all of our students, staff and parents the Tuscaloosa City Schools have taken several safety measures over the years. These safety measures include but are not limited to physical safety, safety policies and practices. TCS has also partnered with city and state agencies to ensure the safety of our students, staff and parents.
 What is heightened alert?
 This means a potential may exist for an unusual situation and all parties should have heightened awareness to react as needed.
 What is a secure perimeter?
 Secure perimeter status may be called when there a threat outside the school that is not currently affecting the campus. During this time, teachers and students remain in the classrooms and continue with instructional activities. However, during a call for a secure perimeter no outside activities will be allowed, and there is limited movement in halls and unsupervised areas.
 What is a lockdown?
 Lockdown is an emergency protocol used to protect everyone inside TCS facilities. All interior and outside doors of the building are locked. If evacuation is not a safe option, no one will exit or enter the building. Everyone will stay in a secure location within the building until further notice from law enforcement.
 What is ALICE?
 ALICE, or Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate: ALICE provides preparation and a plan for individuals and organizations on how to more proactively handle the threat of an aggressive intruder or active shooter event. ALICE training option base tactics have become an excepted response versus the traditional lockdown only approach. ALICE teaches individuals to participate in their own survival while leading others to safety. Though no one can guarantee success in this type of situation, this new set of skills will greatly increase the odds of survival should anyone face this form of disaster.
 What is Gaggle?
 Gaggle is a technology utility that runs in the background of all student TCS Google accounts. This service reveals potentially harmful content in email, documents, shared files, images, photos and more which allows school leaders to be proactive in addressing student and school safety concerns.
 How often are safety drills completed?
 School administrators are responsible for conducting monthly safety drills in compliance with the state and local TCS policies and procedures. Each school conducts searches by using a mixed method approach, including searches of backpacks, hallways, classrooms, etc.. Searches are conducted by school personnel using handheld wands and metal detectors.
 Why do we need to show ID when visiting schools?
 IDs and ID badges allow school administrators to know who is who, and add extra security to the buildings. Schools want to make sure everyone on campus has a legitimate purpose. Showing ID or ID badge is another management tool for campus access control.
 Metal Detector Search Procedures
 Metal Detector Searches will be executed regularly during the school year. It is the responsibility of the school administrator to assure that the procedure is followed and reported in the appropriate manner. These searches include but are not limited to the following:
 - Walk through at the point of entry
 - Conducted at the start of the school day
 - Only at the point of entry
 - Only at secondary schools
 - All students and staff will walk through the metal detector
 - Wing metal detector search
 - Conducted during school hours
 - School administrator lock down a wing of the school
 - Search using both walk through detector and handheld wand
 - Wing/hall/classroom random search
 - Conducted mainly at elementary schools
 - Secondary schools may choose to use
 - Administrators and SRO/security choose a wing and search personal belongs, backpacks using hand-held wands.
 What are learning supports?
 Learning supports provide resources to help meet the non-instructional needs of students. Additionally, schoolwide supports are provided and implemented to address barriers to teaching and learning, as well as re-engage disconnected students while serving all students. The resources, strategies, and practices that support physical, social, emotional and intellectual development and well-being to enable all students to have an equal opportunity for success.
Frequently Asked Questions
 - Is my child safe on campus?
 - What is heightened alert?
 - What is a secure perimeter?
 - What is a lockdown?
 - What is ALICE?
 - What is Gaggle?
 - How often are safety drills completed?
 - Why do we need to show ID when visiting schools?
 - Metal Detector Search Procedures
 - What are learning supports?


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The presented book Disaster Management is abundant with the facts beginning from the meaning of disaster management its management how to tackle with natural calamities, its preventions and the steps taken by the government and many more. The book is of tremendous significance for the students, teachers, scholars and researchers.
About Author :
BK Singh is an academic and scholar in his own rights and a profilic writer. He was obtained his all higher qualifications from reputed universities of India. He is totally devoted to serious writings. Having attended a number of seminars and workshops, he has written hundreds of articles on the subject.
2. Occurrence of Disasters
3. Study Programme in Disaster Management
4. Types of Disaster
5. Disaster Management: ASEAN
6. Policy of Disaster Risk Management
7. First Aid and Patient Care
8. Rescue Methods in Disaster
9. Losses of Natural Disasters
|Title:||Handbook of Disaster Management: Techniques and Guidelines HB|
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Program Components
English Courses
Puente students take two consecutive English courses. These writing courses provide a supportive and stimulating environment for Puente students to build confidence in their writing skills through the exploration of Latino/a literature.
Personal Growth Courses
Puente students take two consecutive Personal Growth courses. These courses are designed to help students improve study skills and learn personal success techniques in order to become better students.
Puente students work closely with their Puente Counselor until they graduate, exploring career options, developing an academic educational plan, and identifying lifetime goals.
Puente students are matched with a mentor from the business or professional community. Mentors share with students their personal, academic, and career experiences, and provide a realistic view of the professional world.


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Research topics in nutshell:
Assembly Rules: studying trait based assembly rules by comparing observed functional diversity to random references; identifying traits influenced by environmental filtering and competition
Biological invasion: pattern of plant invasion in Hungary; studying invasiveness by comparative ecological and experimental methods.
Phytosociology: syntaxonomical revision of Molinietalia meadows, development of Hungarian Phytosociological Database
Development new methods for data analysis: functional diversity, fidelity, co-occurrence based niche-width, validation of classification, semi-supervised classification.
- Attila Lengyel: Diversity patterns of Hungarian mesophilous meadows. Doctoral School of Biology, ELTE
- Annamária Fenesi:Traits influencing the invasion success of
annual plant species., Doctoral School of Biology, ELTE
- Lajos Balogh: Plant invasions in Western Hungary, Doctoral School of Botany, University of Pécs
- Basic statistics in R for biologists. ELTE, Budapest


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Jean-Loup Chrétien, (born Aug. 20, 1938, La Rochelle, France), French astronaut who was the first person from western Europe to go into space, aboard a Soviet flight to the Salyut 7 space station in June 1982. Chrétien flew a second Soviet mission to space station Mir in 1988 and then returned to Mir as a U.S.-trained astronaut aboard the space shuttle in 1997.
Chrétien graduated in 1961 from the French Air Force Academy at Salon-de-Provence in southeastern France. He ultimately became a brigadier general in the French air force. In 1962 he began his career as a fighter pilot and then a test pilot, and in 1980 he was assigned to the French space agency, Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). After his 1982 Salyut flight he served as head of the CNES astronaut office, and he began training for a flight aboard the space shuttle in 1984–85. His flight opportunity was postponed after the Challenger accident of 1986. After his first flight to Mir in 1988, Chrétien participated in training as a pilot of the Soviet space shuttle Buran in 1990–93 before that program was canceled.
Chrétien returned to astronaut training with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1995. In addition to his 1997 flight to Mir, he worked closely with NASA on overall U.S.-Russian cooperative activities. An off-duty accident forced Chrétien to retire as an astronaut in 2001. He became senior vice president of research and development at Tietronix, a software engineering firm in Houston, Texas, and in 2002 he founded Tietronix Optics, an optical technology company in Lannion, France.
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
Aleksandr Volkov…Soviet Union and research cosmonaut Jean-Loup Chrétien of France. The cosmonauts conducted scientific experiments with the three cosmonauts who were already stationed on Mir, focusing their research efforts mostly on medical and technology experiments in support of the Hermes shuttle project of the European Space Agency. On Dec. 9, 1988,…
Salyut, any of a series of Soviet space stations (of two designs), launched between 1971 and 1982, that served as living quarters and scientific laboratories or military reconnaissance platforms. The program name Salyut (Russian: "Salute") was chosen to honour cosmonaut Yury Gagarin's historic first orbit of Earth in 1961.…
Space station, an artificial structure placed in orbit and having the pressurized enclosure, power, supplies, and environmental systems necessary to support human habitation for extended periods. Depending on its configuration, a space station can serve as a base for a variety of activities. These include observations of the Sun and…


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ObjectivesCommunication | Collaboration | Team Strategy
- 1' x 1' squares of cardboard or foam or rubber baseball bases work well also(half to two-thirds as many squares as people in the group)
- You can also substitute 8.5" x 11" pieces of paper
- 2 pieces of rope (or masking tape or 4 cones)
- Several Blindfolds (optional)
Create a river by marking two river banks with the rope. Make the river wide enough to be a challenge for the group to get from one side to the other (look at about 15 – 25 ft.). Distribute the cardboard squares – 1 piece for every 2 people.
The object of the activity is to get all members of the group safely across the river. They must go as one big group, not multiple smaller ones. Also stress that everyone must be on the river before anyone can get off the river, forcing the entire group to be engaged at once. Participants cannot touch the water (floor/grass) and therefore must use rafts (cardboard squares) to cross. The water is filled with piranhas. Therefore if someone loses their balance and touches a hand in the water it gets eaten(put behind the back). Same goes for a foot. If a person completely comes off the raft they are gone and since this is a team exercise everyone must start over. I recommend using this motto with the group, "start as a team end as a team." You can also be creative and add challenges in as the group crosses. For instance you can say a fish jumped up and tail slapped someone in the eyes so now they cannot see(blindfolded). Tell them the river is acidic and when two people share a raft it tipped and now their legs are fused together(tie ankles together). Use these tools to help take away the natural leaders or more outspoken participants and it forces the others to step up and take on more substantial roles. No scooting or sliding on the squares. This can be a safety issue and it emphasizes individual work versus teamwork. Rafts must be in contact with a human at all times or they will be swept away with the current. Once the group has started the process, your role is to take cardboard squares that are "swept away by the current" and to watch for safety issues. Use this to your advantage as well. The participants will invariably slip up and leave some rafts here or there with no one contacting them, those you should steal. When the first group members get to the other side immediately start to encourage them to hurry and get off the river. Nearly every time the first few people will rush off the rafts leaving them unattended for you to steal and stranding some of their team-mates. Work this into your debrief, when working with a team you can't forget about your mates. just because you have made it to the finish line someone else may not have.
- Participants must stay in constant contact
- Each raft represents a symbol named by participants
- River Sections
- The tiles can only go forward. They cannot move backwards
- No one can finish until everyone has left the "bank" of the river
- Choose to add challenges like muting individuals, using only 1 arm, eyes closed/blindfolded, no one can talk, others can be "gators" in the river and try to impede those crossing the river, stand in front of the group with arms outstretched to simulate tree they must go around.
- Give group an object that they need to carry with them to safety and discuss what that might represent
- Create situations for them to draw from that are connected directly to their group
- What happened during the process? What worked? What didn't or what hindered the process?
- What leadership was demonstrated during the process? How so? What did you observe?
- What were the individual roles people played? Were members comfortable with their roles?
- Who knew what the process for crossing was? Who didn't? How did you communicate the plans to group members?
- What might the different aspects of the exercise represent in your group: the squares, the river, the loss of squares, the facilitator, etc?
- When the first people rushed off the river and stranded some of you how did that feel?


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POWERPOINT: PRESENTATION WITH AUDIO: SOIL 1: COMPOSTING (MULTI-AGE)
PowerPoint with Audio: Composting Creates Soil. Part 1 of 4 soil presentation in the Living on Planet Earth Series. This program describes how soil is made. By recycling plant materials we help produce vibrant soils that offer nurturing food, and dependable clothing fiber and building materials.
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Costa Rica's brilliant forest frog
Tortuguero Canal
Tortuguero Canal
One amphibian commonly spotted in Costa Rica is the brilliant forest frog, a species known for its pointy nose, slender build and unique coloration.
Where to See It
The brilliant forest frog, the scientific name of which is Rana warszewitschii, makes its home through the southern part of Central America, particularly in the countries of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. In Costa Rica, travelers are most likely to see the species when they visit La Selva Protected Zone, Tortuguero National park, Carara National Park and Corcovado National Park. The frog's habitat primarily consists of forested areas with ponds, small creeks or slow-moving bodies of water. Any kind of forest is ideal for the frog, ranging from dry mountain forests to lush rainforests at sea level - even including small forested areas in larger urban areas.
Members of this species are typically of moderate size, featuring a slender build that makes them appear more elegant than some squatter amphibians. Brilliant forest frogs have smooth skin, a pointed head and a relatively long snout, giving them a sleeker appearance than other species. The animal is also known for its large golden eyes and its visible ears.
Typically, brilliant forest frogs have a bronze color, but they also feature brightly colored blue or green patches. In addition to these patches, the animal has red streaks under its legs and on the bottom of its toes as well as brilliant yellow patches on its legs. The bronze coloration serves to camouflage the frog, helping it to blend in with the leaf litter on the forest floor. When it is spotted by a potential predator, the frog jumps high in the air, flashing its bright patches of color. These spots serve to dazzle animals that pose a threat, giving the brilliant forest frog the few seconds it needs to escape to safety.
In addition to these colorful spots, the frog is also known for having a pale stripe from the snout to the eye as well as a fold of skin running down its side. Generally, the species does not climb as well as some of Costa Rica's more arboreal frogs. It lacks the sticky pads on its toes that helps other amphibians cling to leaves, instead relying on longer fingertips to climb. In addition, it only has webbing on its rear feet, making it less adept at swimming than many other amphibian species.
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