Monkey-Patching, Single Responsibility Principle, and Scala Implicits
Feb 09, 2010
When it's impossible to extend core classes, there's no choice but to write a whole bunch of classes with names like StringUtil to house your utility methods. Every namespace winds up having at least one StringUtil class, and it gets really ugly.
In ruby, it's possible to add methods to absolutely any class including String, Integer and other core classes. Rather than calling StringUtil.pluralize("monkey"), you call "monkey".pluralize. The technique is known as monkey-patching. Compared to utility classes, it's a hell of a lot more convenient, and it reads better.
But, monkey-patching isn't without flaw. When you add a method to String, you add it to everybody's String. You're polluting a global namespace.
A lot of rubyists will tell you that in practice, monkey-patching related namespace pollution isn't a problem, and they're mostly right. But, sometimes, they're wrong. The json gem doesn't work properly with activesupport, for example. That's a real problem that gives me real headaches on a daily basis.
In his CUSEC talk, and follow-up blog post, Reg Braithwaite raises the issue that monkey-patching Integer to add duration methods (like 1.hour or is a violation of single responsibility principle. He goes on to justify monkey-patching somewhat:
A Ruby program with extensive metaprogramming is a meta-program that writes a target program. The target program may have classes that groan under the weight of monkey patches and cross-cutting concerns. But the meta-program might be divided up into small, clean entities that each have a single responsibility...In effect, the target program's classes and methods have many responsibilities, but they are assembled by the meta-program from smaller modules that each have a single responsibility.
I think this is a mostly adequate justification for violating SRP. But, needing such an in depth justification at all feels wrong. There must be a better way.
It turns out there is, in scala at least, in the form of something called implicits. Implicits are a way to tell the scala compiler how to convert from one type to another in the event that a method is needed from the second type. Implicits can be definted at (or imported in to) arbitrary scope, and their effects are entirely localized. In fact, they don't do anything at all unless they're needed.
So, let's say we wanted to add a k-combinator type method (like ruby's Object#tap) to all scala objects. First, we need a class that implements the tap method in a way that can be applied to any type.
class Tapper[A](tapMe: A) {
 def tap(f: (A) => Unit): A = {
This class has one method that taps the object supplied to the class's constructor. The details of its implementation are interesting, but unimportant here. This REPL session should explain everything:
scala> val tapper = new Tapper("hello!")
tapper: Tapper[java.lang.String] = Tapper@5e53bbfa
scala> tapper.tap { s => println(s) }
res0: java.lang.String = hello!
Now we need to get objects responding to _TAG_. We do that by defining an implicit.
object Tap {
 implicit def any2Tapper[A](toTap: A): Tapper[A] = new Tapper(toTap)
We wrap the implicit's definition in an object, which is scala for singleton. Those methods can then be imported in to arbitrary scope using the import statement. This REPL session should make everything clear:
scala> "hello!".tap { s => println(s) }
:5: error: value tap is not a member of java.lang.String
scala> import Tap._
import Tap._
res2: java.lang.String = hello!
This Tapper certainly doesn't violate SRP. The addition of the _TAG_ method to all Objects is localized and doesn't affect other running code. Libraries your code depends on can implement their own tap method without collision.
In the end, Reg's argument about meta-programming might still apply here. But, if it does, the kind of meta-programming introduced by implicits is limited in scope and prevents the kind of global namespace pollution that can bite you in the ass in ruby. And the resulting code doesn't have to violate SRP.
In practice, I've found scala's implicits a lot more pleasant to work with than ruby's monkey patching. They're more explicit which provides additional clarity without sacrificing much in the way of terseness. Like anything else, scala isn't a perfect language, but implicit type conversions are a really elegant solution to an ugly problem.


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The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has announced that it is planning to conduct a study to determine reasons for the Long Island Sound's declining lobster population.
According to the DEEP website, the study will look into effects of pesticides, water temperatures and chemical contaminants on the lobster population.
"We are now developing the procedures and protocols for a study that will rely on a Sound-wide sampling of lobsters and sophisticated laboratory tests to obtain a better understanding of why this species--and an industry it has historically supported--is now in danger of collapse in Long Island Sound," Daniel C. Esty, DEEP Commissioner, said in the article.
"We will also develop a screening--similar to an annual physical exam--to monitor the vital signs of lobster health over time."
According to the article, the Long Island Sound's lobster landings came down to only 142,000 pounds in 2011--back in 1998 the count was at 3.7 million pounds.
More infomation on the study is available on the DEEP website.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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Real Life Stories
The Low-Tech Active Learning Classroom at Cégep de Sept-Îles
The term active learning classroom usually evokes images of a sleek space packed with all of the latest technological bells and whistles. Not so at Cégep de Sept-Îles. To fit our teaching and learning needs and goals, we consciously opted for a classroom where inter-activity – not technology – plays a central role. This being 2017, of course it doesn't mean we relegated electronic devices altogether. Here's the story that explains the "how" and "why" of our low-tech active learning classroom.
Picturing Our Active Learning Classroom
Even though our active learning classroom (ALC) officially opened its doors in the Winter 2017 term, its story started about 5 years prior to that. I took part in a tour of several ALCs at McGill University, Dawson College and Champlain Saint-Lambert College organized by the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE/SAPES). This proved to be an incredibly valuable first-hand experience, and something I would whole-heartedly recommend to anyone planning to lobby for an active learning classroom at their institution. I had the chance to exchange with ALC "gurus" Adam Finkelstein, Jim Sparks, Chris Whittaker and Elizabeth Charles. It also allowed me to make some first-hand observations that would shape our project at Cégep de Sept-Îles:
- Space is very important. Students need to be able to move around, both on their chairs and throughout the room.
- Air and temperature are another important consideration. When students are active, the temperature can go up quickly. Electronic devices also generate a considerable amount of heat.
- It is important to keep noise and acoustics in mind. If there are no sound-absorbing elements, things get chaotic quite quickly once students get talking.
- Big tables allow students to spread out, but hinder conversation. This, in turn, increases noise levels even further!
- Workstations can also become a physical barrier to conversation, as students need to talk "over" or "in between" computer screens.
Sharing a Vision
I documented my visit with photos and videos, which I shared with the college's administration. As a teacher pushing for an active learning classroom, gathering the necessary documentation as well as theoretical and pedagogical references to back up my vision proved key in making a convincing case.
- Administrators talked to me about my ideas for an "e-learning class" or a "computer lab." I had to make it clear that active learning is not all about technology; it's about students collaborating.
- Technical Services and Purchasing each had their own vision about equipment and design. From a teacher's perspective, for instance, rolling chairs were non-negotiable, even if it meant fitting in fewer students in the room. The most cost-effective solution is not necessarily the best one: imagine the sound of twenty-odd students moving about on squeaky chairs with noisy wheels.
All design decisions should first and foremost be based on pedagogical considerations, not on what "can" or "cannot" be done in terms of cost, or protocol. Teachers need to be solid about their vision for the active learning classroom.
Getting Colleagues Involved in the Design Process
Once the idea of an active learning classroom got some traction with the administration, we set up a poll with SurveyMonkey. We wanted to find out which teachers were already using active learning techniques – even if they didn't necessarily refer to them by that name. About 80% of the respondents already used approaches like project-based learning, case studies, flipped teaching, peer feedback, etc. I also wanted to get other teachers across the college on board, so the ALC would not be a one-woman project. Everyone had the opportunity to get involved. We formed a working group, which allowed us to work with different points of view and experiences. This was very enriching. In total, 6 teachers got release time to turn the active learning classroom dream into reality. Subsequent meetings led to the final design, which includes:
- 5 regular whiteboards (3 on the walls and 2 on wheels)
- Rolling chairs that swivel
- Narrow trapezium-shaped tables with a slightly wider side toward the whiteboard. These were made in-house; their colours are representative of the area.
- A convertible standing desk for the teacher
- A projector and speakers, as in any other classroom
The active learning classroom at Cégep de Sept-îles
The room's colour scheme represents local elements such as plants (blueberries, spruce) and wildlife (gulls, minke whales). The wall and flooring colours did not make it into the final design.
Three elements are essential to the success of an active learning classroom: adapted chairs and tables, and writeable surfaces.
Low-Tech, yet Active?
As the above list shows, we took a decidedly low-tech approach, for several reasons:
- It is less stressful for the teacher and the students, as there is no pressure to use technology at all times.
- It is more accessible budget-wise.
- Any technological device that is an integral part of the room is prone to becoming outdated at some point.
- Interactive whiteboards are a nice feature, but different brands and models can lead to compatibility problems. They are also rarely used to their full potential.
Does this mean we shun technology at Cégep de Sept-îles? Of course not! We have carts with laptops and iPads, which are accessible to students in the active learning classroom when relevant. As a result:
- Students do not see the active learning classroom as a mere computer lab, but as a space where they collaborate in different ways.
- Technology is never a distraction; it is only used when it enhances learning.
- There is better continuity between work in different spaces because students can use the same devices and platforms (such as Moodle or Google Drive) elsewhere.
- The room offers better flexibility because there are no fixed workstations or cables to hinder movement.
Students learning actively, without the use of technology.
First Experiences and Observations
Once our active learning classroom was ready to welcome its first groups of students, the teachers involved created a folder on Google Drive where we documented our use of the ALC. This included images, a list of problems and solutions and a document compiling our ideas and success stories. Below are a few examples of teacher notes, representing very different fields:
|Traditional Lesson||Active Learning Lesson|
PowerPoint, lecture with examples and discussion on elements of the plot in a short story.
|I listed the events in a short story in the order they appeared in the story. This story had a lot of flashbacks and repetition. Students put them in chronological order. Each group used their whiteboard to make a diagram of the plot of the short story.|
Lecture-type delivery of theory on protein synthesis starting with the DNA molecule in the nucleus.
|Each team was given a protein to synthesize. Students first researched information online and in their course book. Then, they discussed the concepts and illustrated them on the whiteboard. At the end of the activity, each team presented a skit to illustrate the protein synthesis to the other teams.|
|"The respiratory system"
|Students had to analyze mini case studies (one / table). Each team had a different color marker to write their interpretations on the white board. After 10 minutes, they changed places and tried to solve the next mini case. They could add or modify the information already available on the board. When every team had resolved all cases, there was a class debriefing.|
Short story plot diagrams produced during the Plot Lines activity described above show how different student teams creatively used their whiteboards to complete the task at hand.
For each class taught in the ALC, teachers also had one additional period in the room to explore and plan their activities. This was important to overcome two important concerns shared by several colleagues:
- Loss of control (classroom management)
- Loss of time (efficiency)
Learning in the active learning classroom definitely feels "messier," but it is also more profound and effective. Activities seem more chaotic and less productive, but my students feel like they get more out of the learning experience. As soon as they walk into the room, they start talking straight away. This is a refreshing change from seeing students riveted to the screen of their smartphone while they are waiting for class to start!
Learning activities may seem less orderly, but students are more focused and learn more effectively.
In this video, teachers who were also on the Cégep's ALC working group, share their experiences and thoughts on active learning.
Teachers sharing their experiences and thoughts on active learning (video in French)
Tips for Getting Your Very Own Active Learning Classroom
It took a considerable amount of effort, but I am proud to say the active learning classroom at Cégep de Sept-Îles is a success! If you are interested in getting an ALC at your college, the following steps are crucial:
- Establish a working group and get teachers as well as administration involved.
- Identify your specific needs and do research.
- Don't try to reinvent the wheel – look at what's out there and visit in person, if possible.
- Keep the main focus on pedagogy; only consider technology as a supporting tool.
- Obtain release time to plan and implement the ALC.
When planning your first classes in the active learning classroom, carefully choose your activities, but always allow for creativity and flexibility. Instead of asking yourself "what am I going to say to my students?" consider what you are going to get your students to do to meet the learning objectives." Keep it simple,

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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A number of fire-related resources and programs are available to you through UC Cooperative Extension. These programs are wide-ranging, covering topics from building materials and landscaping to fire science, prescribed fire, and sudden oak death. Please see below for a list of programs and links to online tools, publications, and other useful resources, and contact us with any questions!
UC Cooperative Extension Resources
UCCE is involved in fire research and education, helping enhance understanding of fire's role in human and natural communities. We've developed a range of useful publications and online tools, addressing wildfire risk, fuels impacts of forest diseases, and other fire-related topics. Here is a sample of our resources:
- Home Survival in Wildfire-Prone Areas: Building Materials and Design Considerations: _URL_
- Homeowner's Wildfire Mitigation Guide: _URL_
- Sudden oak death-caused changes to surface fuel loading and potential fire behavior in Douglas-fir-tanoak forests: _URL_
California Fire Science Consortium
Northern California Prescribed Fire Council


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One way to personalize your child's learning may be by setting a time limit. This can motivate your child to remain focused while being self-sufficient with their allotted time.
Studies have shown that only 45 minutes a week on ABCmouse can make a significant increase in children's overall learning outcomes.
We encourage you and your child to spend 15 to 20 minutes a day using ABCmouse together until you feel they are ready to utilize ABCmouse independently.
For more information how to set a time limit, please see the following article:


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- Hits: 2169
The Leominster canal ran just over 18 miles from Mamble to Leominster through 16 locks and a number of tunnels, some of which suffered engineering problems even before the canal opened.
Originally the canal was part of a much more ambitious plan to run 46 miles from Stourport to Kington.
Following the opening of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal in 1772, which linked the industrial Midlands to the River Severn at Stourport, the engineer Robert Whitworth proposed a canal to link Stourport to Hereford, passing through Pensax and Leominster in 1777.
Meetings were held at Leominster and Tenbury in 1789, at which it was decided to survey possible routes from Leominster to Stourport. Thomas Dadford Jr carried out the survey, and presented a plan to a meeting in December 1789 for a 31-mile (50 km) canal, costing £83,000, with estimated receipts of £4,300 per year. Three tunnels would be required, at Putnal Field, Southnet and Pensax.
Despite the low returns, a meeting in January 1790 decided to proceed with Dadford's Canal. A further meeting was held in Kington in April, and there were calls to build a connecting canal to the town. The two schemes became one, and the total length of the canal would be 46 miles (74 km). From Kington, locks would raise the level of the canal by 48 feet (15 m), and then it would fall by 496 feet (151 m) to reach the River Severn.
The lack of major towns or industries did not seem to worry the proposers, and an Act of Parliament was obtained on 13 May 1791, which allowed the Proprietors to raise £150,000, with another £40,000 if necessary. Dadford was appointed as Engineer, a position which he held until 1795, although he only devoted one-quarter of his time to the Leominster Canal, as he performed the same role for the Monmouthshire Canal and was contracted to them for the remaining three-quarters of his time.
Work began soon afterward his appointment, and by October 1794, the section from Woofferton near Tenbury to Marlbrook near Mamble was open for traffic.
The following year saw most of the section from Leominster to Woofferton completed, while beyond Marlbrook the 1,254-yard (1,147 m) Southnet tunnel was finished and work started on an aqueduct over the River Lugg at Kingsland. Around £90,000 had been spent to reach this stage.
There were problems with the Southnet tunnel, part of which collapsed in 1795. The Proprietors sought the advice of John Rennie, who criticised Dadford's work. He estimated that £20,000 would be required to rectify the existing works from Southnet to Leominster, and that another £135,937 would be needed to complete the project.
Undaunted, the Proprietors applied for a second Act of Parliament, which they obtained on 26 April 1796, authorising them to raise or borrow a further £180,000. The 330-yard (300 m) tunnel at Putnall Fields, which had proved very difficult to construct, was completed in July 1796, completing the route to Leominster, and creating a working canal which was 18.5 miles (29.8 km) long.
On 1 June 1797, a ceremonial cut was made on the banks of the River Severn, where the canal was eventually planned to join it, but only £62,582 had been raised under the terms of the second Act, and with some £25,000 owing, all work ceased.
In 1803, the Proprietors sought the advice of John Hodgkinson, as to how the canal could be completed. As a railway engineer, Hodgkinson recommended that railways should be built at either end of the existing section of canal, to connect to Kingston and Stourport. Although another Act of Parliament was obtained, no construction work took place.
Nine years later, they again approached Hodgkinson, and this time he suggested that they should abandon the authorised route to Stourport and extend the canal on a new alignment to the River Severn at Worcester. Nothing came of this plan, either.
In January 1794 the canal opened from Marlbrook to Woofferton and seven boatloads of coal were transported from the Mamble collieries on the first day.
Engineering difficulties delayed the opening of Putnall Tunnel (south of Woofferton) until 1796.
By the end of that year an 18.5 miles (29.8 km) stretch of the canal was open between Marlbrook and Leominster and on the first day 14 boatloads of coal arrived in Leominster. Coal from the Mamble collieries was brought down the hill on tramways to Southnet wharf, where it was loaded onto barges and transported to Leominster.
For the next 60 years the canal carried coal to Leominster, enabling the Mamble collieries to prosper. However the traffic from Mamble Colliery was not sufficient to run the canal at a profit, so the owners were constantly seeking to extend it eastwards to meet the River Severn, although this never materialised.
The canal never paid a dividend. What little money was collected was mostly paid for tolls on the transport of coal.
In 1858, after sustained pressure by the Canal Company, the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway paid £12,000 for the canal, which valued each £100 share at £16, and drained it soon after to sell the land.
Part of the route was subsequently used for the railway that connected Woofferton to Bewdley via Tenbury Wells station, which was actually in Burford, not Tenbury Wells.
Although the canal has been closed for over 150 years, there are some remains left, including an aqueduct over the River Rea, and parts of a 3-arched aqueduct over the River Teme. The centre arch of the latter was destroyed as part of an explosives exercise during the Second World War.


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Tip of the Month (September 2006)
Using a Lookup Control in a Macro
In the midst of a macro, you may want to use a lookup control to look up a value in another table. But macros can only contain buttons and a lookup control is not a button. Here's how to incorporate a lookup into your macro.
Let's assume that there is a support table called PRICES with two columns (PART_NUMBER and PRICE) and that PART_NUMBER is indexed.
Let's also assume that your macro has two buttons in it:
First, somewhere outside the visible part of your form, create a lookup control that will look in the PRICES table and find the record whose PART_NUMBER equals _USER_(10). This lookup control should save the value found in _USER_(20).
Then, modify your macro by adding one button to it:
Please note that you do not put the lookup control into the middle of the macro. You put the OPTION | RECALC button into the middle of the macro. The lookup control is not a step in the macro.
When the macro runs, the new OPTION | RECALC button will cause the lookup control to fire and put the value found into _USER_(20).


screen dimmer for the night
In today's society, computers have become an indispensable part of our life, work, and study. When you use the computer at night, do you feel eye fatigue, headache, and trouble falling asleep?
blue light cause eyestarin
 A screen dimmer for night is necessary
Why do computer screens are harmful to our health, especially at night? One important reason is computer screens emit blue light. The brighter the screen, the more blue light is emitted. Blue light can cause eye fatigue and cause sleep troubles. Research had shown that too much exposure to blue light at night can suppress melatonin production, disrupting our normal body clock and making our brains think it's still daytime. A screen dimmer for night is very necessary for all people who use computers at night.
What is the feature of the screen dimmer for night
The screen dimmer for night is a kind of software that can adjust the brightness of the screen. You can use it to dim the screen brightness at night, soften the dazzling screen light and make the eyes more comfortable. While dimming the screen brightness, it also reduces blue light, and you will fall asleep easier.
CareUEyes is an excellent screen dimmer software
screen dimmer for night
CareUEyes is a professional eye protection software, it has the feature of dimming the screen brightness, supports Windows 10/Windows 7/Windows XP.
CareUEyes can dim all screens, whether you are a desktop monitor or a laptop monitor, or a monitor external to the laptop, or your computer is connected to multiple monitors. With CareUEyes, you can dim the Screen brightness from 20% to 100%. The operation method is also very simple.
Three ways to dim the screen brightness
The first way, you can drag or click the brightness bar on the main interface of the software to adjust;
screen dimmer for night
The second way, you can adjust the brightness in the tray right-click menu;
The third way, you can customize the hotkey, and then use the keyboard to adjust the brightness.
screen dimmer hotkey
Automatically dim the screen brightness at night
You can set different screen brightness for day and night, CareUEyes will automatically dim the screen brightness at night, you only need to set the sunset time in advance.
CareUEeys has more features that can protect your eyes
1.Editing mode
editing mode
Editing mode changes your white screen to black, making it easier on the eyes at night. This feature is very suitable for you to edit or read the text at night because the black background can eliminate most of the blue light and relax your eyes.
2.Professional blue light filter feature
CareUEyes filters blue light by adjusting the color temperature, you can freely adjust the intensity of blue light filtering.


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What do they do
Who are the members
Setting up an Action Learning Set
The concept of the whole life whole person recovery approach is founded in human values and their application by the expert by experience, professionals and the service itself. The objective is to achieve health and well-being regardless of the degree of disability or distress of the individual.
This requires a paradigm shift in thinking from pathology and illness to self-determination, life stories, human strengths, hopes and dreams, peer support and control by the user with support from professionals as partners, mentors and advocates.
It should be rooted in cultural, social, religious and ethnic diversity that gives meaning to the person's identity, belief and circumstance.
Recovery is not just about regaining something lost it is a process of development, emancipation and discovery.
Action Learning Sets work together as safe, experiential and participative groups to explore the principles of shared responsibility, co-production and the belief in culture change towards a Whole Life Recovery Approach in mental health. The purpose is to explore the real needs and interests of people and how these can better understood and met.
Action Learning Sets consider
- the way in which we understand life stories and their significance
- the importance of developing trusting relationships based on reciprocal partnerships
- sharing and reflecting on local practices using case studies
- working alongside the person recognising the essential importance of each others personal strengths
- understanding the needs and the important contribution of families and social networks
- constructing whole life plans for named individuals
Active Learning Set programs involve up of 20-25 members.:
- Service Users
- Family and Friends
- Community workers (including faith groups)
- Mental Health Practitioners (All Professions)
- Emergency workers
- Significant others
It is an effective approach to:
- Changing people's attitudes/thinking
- Changing Practice
- Changing the System
This is an action based learning approach bringing together communities of common purpose.
The programme focusses on three main issues
- knowing the person
- working alongside the person
- a whole life for the person
Considering the following agendas in peoples whole life recovery journeys as follows:
- Identify what is recovery, who and why people need to recover?
- identify what contributes to the person's desire to recover
- Recognise the importance of significant Life events and Life stories
- Recognise the importance of self determination and self management
- Reflect on our own and others initial responses to a person's experiences
- Reflect on the effects of our initial traditional approaches (assesments, diagnosis, treatments, beliefs, attitudes)
- Consider what does and doesn't help (depersonalisation, exclusion, responsibility and dependency, friendships and isolation)
- Identify responses that enable the person to live with their experiences
- Understand what the barriers are in developing approaches that enable personal recovery?
- Use critical reflective practice in understanding and changing our ways of working
- Collate evidence of recovery approaches in our work
- Develop recovery approaches in our areas of responsibility
- Develop Whole Life, Recovery planning
- Develop Whole Life Recovery practice
- Provide coaching and mentorship
Action Learning Sets develop a clear and broad understanding and a consistent working definition of:
1. Whole Life Recovery philosophy, values and practice
2. Whole Life Recovery into Practice for Mental Health Workers
3. Whole Life Recovery into Practice for Family Members and People with Lived Experience
4. Whole life Recovery focused services
in forming a Whole Life, Whole Person, Whole System and Recovery strategy and implementation plan.
An action plan is produced by the Learning Set members of how to disseminate this learning and to consider the barriers that need to be overcome in its wider application.
Action Learning Sets are supported by and use the knowledge and skills of IMHCN facilitators. They combine skilled facilitation, questioning and putting into practice what has been learnt and where necessary:
- challenging familiar, outdated concepts and ideas.
- promoting the recovery approach
- re-evaluating roles in the treatment process to one of negotiation, partnership and trial and error
At the end of the Action Learning Set programme we share achievements and the outcomes of the programme which determines future action. This includes sharing the learning and how to put recovery into practice in all service areas.
The outline Whole Person - Whole Life Recovery Implementation Plan that is produced is presented at a Symposium to key stakeholders for their consideration and action. Their comments, views and ideas form the basis of further developing a shared vision and ownership for a Whole Life – Whole System Strategic Plan for the community.
Since 2013 we have these Action learning sets in the UK and internationally. If your organisation wishes to discuss with IMHCN setting up an Action Learning Set pleas contact John Jenkins at [email protected]
Copyright © 2014 International Mental Health Collaborating Network IMHCN


Bison Rib Eye Steaks - 2 Steaks 8 Oz. Each
 Bison Rib Eye Steaks - 2 Steaks 8 Oz. Each
Item# 619191919191
Regular price: $49.99
Sale price: $39.99
Availability: Usually ships the same business day
Product Description
Bison Rib Eye Steaks - 2 Steaks 8 Oz. Each Our Bison Rib Eye Steaks comes from American Bison Meat. This package includes TWO (2) Premium Center Cut Bison Rib Eye Steaks. 8 oz. Each.
Is it buffalo or bison? The American Buffalo is it not buffalo. Its closest relatives are the European Bison, or Wisent, and the Canadian Woods Bison, not the buffalo of Asia or Africa, such as the Cape Buffalo or Water Buffalo. Scientifically, the American Buffalo is named Bison and belongs to the Bovidae family of mammals, as do domestic cattle. Because our history has so ingrained in us the name "Buffalo," we still use it, although "bison" and "buffalo" are used interchangeably. *
A brief history Bison once roamed the plains in numbers so large that early explorers could not count them. Variously described as: "numbers-numberless," "the country was one black robe," and "the plains were black and appeared as if in motion."
The bison has been called the important wild animal in the development of North America. They were the center of the life of the Plains Indians, providing them with food, clothing, shelter, and much of their culture. Bison also sustained the lives of the explorers and settlers going West.


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Click images to Enlarge
Time period: 3 Days, starting on March 6th, 2017.
Anonymous Review. Winners sponsored by EPIC Metals.
Prompt: The teachers at the Pittsburgh Environmental Charter School would like to create a prototype self-sufficient shelter to engage their students in learning about the universe through celestial observations. The prototype shelter will first be installed on their Milton Street site. After using and evaluating the prototype, the design will be refined through iteration and the actual shelters will be constructed and deployed in the Laurel Highlands. The shelter must produce all the energy that its occupants need from bio or renewable energy systems. It must protect the occupants from wind, rain and snow and allow night time observations of the sky.
Designed like a chashitsu (Japanese tearoom), the celestial observation shelter is a simple one-story space planned intentionally to be almost uncomfortably small, with little to no fenestration on each of the four walls. This provides an environment for intimacy and conversation, while directing attention towards the sky above.
This geometry is inspired by the hull of ships which represents adventure and discovery and the sextant, an instrument of maritime navigation and astronomical study, emphasizing the practical use of celestial observation as a means of way-finding and understanding our relative presence in the universe.
Complimenting this sense of curiosity with a greater understanding of its origins, a camera obscura allows for the entrance of the universe through a projection onto the floor, an opportunity to use the space as a dynamic learning environment. Bringing the wonders of the universe into the confines of a "classroom", where students can feel their presence amongst the stars.
Enhancing a sense of continuity, and constant awareness of being in a vessel. A single plane swoops from the entrance of the universe to its exit. The plane forms the space, acting as a floor system, an enclosure system and a structural system.
Loosing oneself as the universe opens up above. A series of operable windows slide open to allow for the eventual exit of the universe and accentuate the vertical relationship.
The shelter is designed as an aggregation of attach additional bays to the end in the event of an expansion. The adjustable footings produced in the sectional perspective below also allows situation in uneven terrains.


my reflection
Yesterday morning a cute thing happened while we were getting ready for church.
Our children were running around underfoot vying for our attention by singing, handing us toys, and asking 247 questions while we were somewhat focused on things like combing hair and brushing teeth. (That is not the cute part. Just a piece of what defines normal around here).
While I was straightening my hair and Ian was putting on his shoes and socks, Ky marches into our bedroom, stomping her feet to a little ditty she had made up. After a few verses, she looked at us and asked, "Hey, I'm singing a song I made up and stomping my feet to the beat. Isn't that impressive?"
To which Ian and I both responded affirmatively. After all, some of us in the family I'm not mentioning names have difficulty clapping and singing at the same time. Not to mention that the little song was rather cute. And she did correctly used the word impressive.
Satisfied with herself, she smiled and started to walk away. But after just two steps, she paused, turned around and said, "So what does impressive mean?"
We had to pause for a moment to be able to break down the definition of impressive for her. We stumbled over several partial definitions before finally coming up with, "If something is impressive then it makes people say, 'Hey, that's cool!'" And then of course we asked her why she used a word if she didn't know exactly what it meant. Her answer came without hesitation.
"Well, I've heard you use it before, and I thought that it meant something that was neat or good, so I wanted to try it out."
And from that brief encounter, I've realized two things.
The first was immediate. Ian and I looked at each other as soon as Ky seemed satisfied with our explanation of impressive and noted that we had a VERY HARD time defining the word without using a form of it in our definition. We laughed as we realized that we totally stumbled over explaining what impressive means in "almost five year old" terms (cause you know, she's no longer 4 1/2) and pretty much used examples of how the word is used.
The second took me until today to fully see. My big girl is now taking things in at an amazing rate. She may not have known exactly what Webster's uses to define the word impressive, but she sure knew what it meant in context. And she used it correctly as she tested that word out on us.
Which makes me stop to think...
As my big girl watches me, though she doesn't understand it all, what does she take in about my speech, my habits, my life? As she heads off to kindergarten in the fall or over to friends houses (GASP ~ without me) in the coming years, what parts of me will she reflect in context?
Gulp...that's a big responsibility!
Glenda said...
No worries, Kristi, you're up to the challenge! With the Lord as your guide, you are training Kylie to reflect him and his heart! It is a big responsibility isn't it? I'm so thankful that we aren't in this alone!
Angela said...
She gets more and more beautiful with every post. Inside and out.
Heather said...
Well, She certainly is impressive! And yes, it is scary that they can copy, repeat, and tell all!!!!
Ally said...
She is just Beautiful :) Can you believe how fast they are growing? It breaks my heart to think she will be going to Kindergarten next year.
And love your post.
Shannon said...
OK...I have tears welling up in my eyes... I guess because my "almost five year old" is doing some of the same things and I can't believe our "babies" will soon be headed to kindergarten!!! Though I look forward to the slumber parties...I am sure they will be different than with boys :)... Lottie is blessed to have Kylie for a friend...and I am blessed with you!!! We'll figure all this out...together!!!
Amy Murphy said...
She so smart!!! Great post.
Andrea said...
I was noticing the not-so-great features of myself that LeighAnna was reflecting last fall. When I paused long enough to ponder what I was teaching my daughter both deliberately and accidentally, I realized there were a lot of good things too. I realized how much she IS like me! And for better or worse, I'm so glad she wants to be just like her mommy!
Jordan Carl said...
I'm quite certain you are a great model for your children to follow.
Reminded me of a poem from John Wooden, who was recently named the "Greatest Coach Ever" by Sports News Magazine. They turned it into a gatorade commercial... Check it out!
Laine said...
Your Kylie is one smart cookie!
And I think her parents are pretty "impressive" myself!
It does make us mighty mindful when our little ones begin voicing the things they hear us say.
Traci said...
Yep! Scares the wits out of me!
Nancy said...
Wow, isn't it just amazing to watch the kids make connections? It just fascinates me! I've thought similar things and often said to Dave that this is the easy part... making sure Noah is fed, diaper changed, warm, taken care of. The hard part is raising him to be a good man. And I know he's watching me & Dave all the time. Scary stuff!
Grandma Shultz said...
Four going on.....?
Grandma Shultz said...
Correction - Five going on....? How could I forget - I only have 6 precious grandchildren all 6 and under! How blessed can one person be?????


text:
This book was the chosen book for the Celebration of Reading campaign, 2012
A Dog Named Worthless:
A Hero Is Born Children's Book
for K-6th Grade Humane Education
A Dog Named Worthless: A Hero Is Born
Written and illustrated by Rocky Shepheard
Welcome to Dogs Deserve Better's first Fantasy Action/Adventure Fiction picture book for kids and adults alike! Disney-esque in tone, the book is beautifully illustrated and written by Rocky Shepheard, a long-time supporter and advocate for chained dogs. The book is full color, hardback for better protection and sturdiness, and comes to life on 32 pages.
Worthless is a chained dog who has never lived inside the house. He suffers through cold winters and hot summers only with the help of his two friends—Otto and Sly Fox. His friends plot to free him and they set off on an adventure to look for a new life somewhere where there are no chains.
They search for days in snow and ice until they find a place on the edge of a pond to hunker down for the winter.
But fate intervenes and presents an opportunity for Worthless to finally prove to himself that he is worthy of love and a good home. Will Worthless have the courage to face his fears and become the dog he has always wanted to be?
About Worthless: Worthless was the name of a real dog, he was the reason that Dogs Deserve Better was founded and that's why the book was named after him. Someone actually named their dog Worthless, can you believe that? Read about his rescue here. It was fitting that the winning contest model for the book was another black lab named Maggie, beloved companion of Joe Maringo of SPARRO.
Dan Piraro - Internationally acclaimed cartoonist and creator of Bizarro:
"'A New Name for Worthless: A Hero is Born' is, like it's title character, anything but worthless. This is an exciting story with a full range of emotions that kids will love and adults will take pause to think about.
The same story that is lovingly illustrated within plays itself out in communities all over the world and the lessons learned from this story are simple but so important. This book will lead readers of all ages to more fully understand the true nature of "man's best friend" with a common-sense, compassionate approach that can change the world for the better."
– Dan Piraro, creator of "Bizarro"
Cia Bruno, Esq. - New York Animal Rights Advocate:
"A masterfully captivating illustrative theme! In A New Name for Worthless: A Hero is Born, the author skillfully introduces several elements of conflict and resolution that are rich in
opportunity for mutual exploration between parent and child.
The dominant message being that 'all' sentient creatures are worthy of our respect for their needs and existence."
— Cia Bruno, Attorney at law and advocate for all sentient creatures at _URL_
Lorraine Chittock -Photographer and Author:
"Wow. I love it. Finally a book appears which addresses a pressing dog
issue, but doesn't come across as preachy or pandering. From the first
page to the last, the reader is drawn into the troubles of Worthless,
and captivated by a wonderful story juxtaposed with exquisite
paintings. For children this book is a must. For adults, it signifies
hope and the progress being made for the lives of chained dogs all
over the world."
Travel books exploring our unique bond with animals
DDB Founder Tamira Thayne:
"When Rocky presented his idea, I was instantly intrigued by a story that is less about the reality of everyday chaining, and more a fun fiction tale featuring animal friends and foes. I was delighted with his storyline, and even more enamored with his illustrations. I hope that A New Name for Worthless: A Hero is Born ends up on every dog lover's bookshelf, because that's where it deserves to be!"
– Tamira C. Thayne, founder and CEO of Dogs Deserve Better _URL_
Robin Helfritch Co-founder of Open The Cages Alliance:
"Rocky Shepheard's inspiring and delightful book, "A New Name for Worthless: A Hero is Born" will warm your heart and leave you smiling. Beautifully illustrated, it tells the tale of "Worthless," a neglected dog who is callously left by his uncaring human "owner" to live his life chained to a rickety wooden box in extreme temperatures. This is, unfortunately, the fate for far too many dogs. Luckily for Worthless, he has good friends, Sly Fox and Otto the Otter. Through teamwork, bravery and a little luck, Worthless's life takes a turn for the better!
This book teaches the importance of compassion, friendship, collaboration, acceptance, and the fact that all deserve freedom from oppression. It is perfect for children and adults of all ages, and the life lessons learned in this book will resonate within all who read it."
– Robin Helfritch
Co-founder, Open the Cages Alliance
Catherine Hedges founder of Dont Bully My Breed, Inc.:
"A New Name for Worthless; A Hero is Born, is a wonderful combination of fantasy and reality, and a reminder that no dog is born "Worthless" but, any dog, in the hands of the wrong person, can be treated as worthless. The book shows children everyone has worth and is a great lesson in self esteem, as well as emphasizing the importance of loyalty and friendship and what can be accomplished when friends work together. It shows the importance of compassion and love and should inspire kids to ask questions about animal cruelty and neglect. It is evident in Shepheard's heartwarming story and stunning illustrations that he is a person with a great heart and one hopes that his message will impact every adult or child who reads it."
– Catherine Hedges
Founder of Dont Bully My Breed, Inc.
Nikki Brown - The UK DOG WHISPERER from Canine Angel:
"'A New Name for Worthless: A Hero is Born' is just such a delightful book with a really simple yet powerful message about how these creatures that we humans call "Dogs", can teach us all the important lessons of forgiveness, love, devotion, courage, bravery, living in the moment and never holding a grudge.
The story is about how this dog views his world after being chained up to a dog house all his life suffering all weather conditions and being given the name of "Worthless " by his human owner, reminding us all that neglect and cruelty still exists in today's world.
The beautiful illustrations help to ignite your imagination and take you into this dogs world where all he ever wants is the opportunity to show he can be the dog that he was born to be, and show that even though he has been mistreated he can still find it in his heart and soul to forgive, love unconditionally and become man's best friend.
A great read for kids and adults, and every dog owner or potential dog owner needs to have this in their book collection."
– Nikki Brown – The UK DOG WHISPERER – Canine Angel
Leigh-Chantelle -Australian Vegan Activist/Singer Songwriter:
"Worthless the Dog is much more than his namesake. His friends Sly the fox and Otto the sea otter unite to free him from his unbearable life chained to a rickety wooden box, all Worthless has known as a home.
Beautifully illustrated by Rocky Shepheard and written in the first person from Worthless' point of view, A New Name for Worthless: A Hero is Born is a wonderful story of courage, friendship and bravery.
Families can read this wonderful book together and learn lessons in patience, humility, forgiveness and respect, all taught by Worthless the dog.
This is a great resource book for Humane Education released by the not for profit organisation Dogs Deserve Better who believe in respecting, freeing and enhancing the freedom of all chained animals."
Founder of Green Earth Day, _URL_
Viva La Vegan _URL_
Performing Artist _URL_
Veterinarian / Activist Dr. Armaiti May:
"What an inspiration! Engaging as it is educational, this children's book brings to light the little-known problem of dogs being neglected and left to languish on the end of a chain rather than with their family inside the home.
This dog's story of hardship, collaboration with his fellow animal friends, and ultimate freedom from unfair confinement warms the heart. It is beautifully told and fills the reader with empathy for the dog's predicament as well as admiration for his determination to free himself and find a more loving home."
– Armaiti May, DVM
Using age-appropriate messaging,
this book targets the following Humane Education
aspects for coursework and can be used to stimulate discussion
about these issues with students and children:
- Dog Chaining
- Importance of friends
- Working as a team
- Wildlife education
book follows the success of Puddles On The Floor, by Lorena Estep and illustrated by Tamira C. Thayne, and is only the second children's book created specifically for Dogs Deserve Better. It can be bought in package with Puddles at a discounted price, see below for package deals.
book is perfect for family fun reading, and for humane
education from kindergarten-through 6th grades. If
you're a nonprofit who would like to buy wholesale for fundraising
purposes, please call us at _PHONE_ for pricing options.
you'd like DDB to come to


text:
The purpose of the Equality Indicators is to capture progress toward the betterment of the lives of the subgroups of the NYC population who are mostly likely to experience inequalities on a specific issue. Therefore, for most indicators we looked into the experiences of the most and least disadvantaged populations on that particular issue. We arrived at these groups and the issues to measure based on the review of the literature and feedback from experts and community groups. Although there are many other groups adversely affected by inequalities in NYC, groups which are the focus of specific indicators are:
Most of the individual indicators compare the most and least disadvantaged populations on a particular issue. For example, we compare: the percentage of people with and without a disability who are unemployed; and the percentage of women and men obtaining degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. Another example: the indicator on jail admissions—one of four indicators measuring fairness in the justice system—compares blacks to whites. In this way, the Equality Indicators captures progress (or setbacks) for specific groups in particular areas of life in which they tend to be disadvantaged. Cumulative progress for these groups across different areas of life would be a sign of increasing equality citywide.


text:
This is a great online color tester and designer. Unlike other hex code color testers, this application can also test hex colors on a selected background and guides you in color mixing. Type the color(s) in 3 or 6 digit hex code format eg. _TAG_, _TAG_ or RGB numbers format eg. 162, 168, 201. Backgroud color is optional. Default value FFFFFF (white) is selected when no value supplied for bg color. (Note: no matter whether the symbol # is used in hex code or not.) The online color tester also helps you to select the harmonic color combinations. The complementary, triadic, analogous, split complementary, tetradic and square color schemes in the Color combining guide recommend you the best color groups for the two, three or four color design. You can also pick up the colors from the gradient scale, best brightness (lightness) level from tints or shades scale and the best suitable vibrance level from the saturation scale. Moreover you can pick the color you like from the random color palette generator. Color tester also shows you the negative and monochrome (grayscale) representation of selected color and the closest websafe color. You also find there the RGB and CMYK representations calculation.
Title in color _TAG_ on selected background color
Dummy text written in hex _TAG_ color on a background color. Text in color _TAG_ on the desired background color will look just like this. You just see the hex _TAG_ colored text written on a hex _TAG_ color backgroud... Or you can't see, if you selected the wrong combination of colors :). The background color should be selected so that the intended _TAG_ text color is well visible on it. Alternatively, you can choose text color different than _TAG_ to achieve better text readability. It can be rounded to the 3 character hex code _TAG_. The RGB values of the _TAG_ hex color are R: 162, G: 168, B: 201. In percentage it is Red: 63.5%, Green: 65.9%, Blue: 78.8%. The CMYK values of the _TAG_ hex color are C: 0.194, M: 0.164, Y: 0, K: 0.212. The nearest web safe color is #9999CC. Test of bold text in selected color. Test of italic text in the color. Finally the test of bold italic.
RGB values of hex _TAG_ color:RGB (Red, Green, Blue) additive color model representation (display)
CMYK values of hex _TAG_ color:CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) subtractive color model representation (printer)


Advantage and Disadvantage of X Ray?
X-rays are essential medical tools. It has its advantages, which includes being a cheap medical procedure as compared to MRI or CT scan. It also has a disadvantage which includes not giving a detailed data on tissues and organs.
Q&A Related to "Advantage and Disadvantage of X Ray?"
Advantages Very hot objects like a black hole swallowing a star are easier to see in x-ray Disadvantages They can only be used in space
Not Medical Advice: Advantage - X-rays can be used to produce an image of any body part. Disadvantage - Exposure to ionizing
In 1895 Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen was passing electric currents through a vacuum tube and saw that a nearby fluorescent screen glowed until he switched the electricity off. The X is
advantage it lets you see if your bones are broken or about cancer. disadvantages it has radiation and that can cause radiation cancer.
Explore this Topic
Radiations have both advantages and disadvantages. Radiations are used to our advantage in the form of X-ray radiations, to view internal bodily structures. Particular...


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Waite Arboretum Labyrinth
The purpose of the Waite Arboretum Labyrinth is to be an aesthetically pleasing element linking the Urrbrae House Gardens and the Waite Arboretum. The Labyrith aims to provide a beautiful, tranquil setting for contemplative walking – but feel free to run, skip or dance it!
The Labyrinth is located on the original site of Peter Waite's tennis courts, overlooked from the Rose Garden with a wonderful view towards the Arboretum.
The lines of the labyrinth are formed with 921 timber rounds mostly recycled from Arboretum trees and the paths are sawdust. The whole installation is intended to be ephemeral or renewable and sit softly on the landscape.
Dr Jennifer Gardner the Director of the Waite Arboretum and Conservation Reserve personally designed and constructed this labyrinth, completing it in mid January 2010. Jennifer states "It was an enormously pleasurable, stimulating and satisfying way to spend my Christmas holidays and I am delighted by how many children it has attracted to the gardens."
Arboretum groundsperson Mark Ziersch skilfully cut most of the rounds while, Giles Goldney cut the Norfolk Island Pine. All rounds used in the Labyrinth were collected from dead trees or fallen branches. It is a long standing policy that the Arboretum recycle timbers for carving, turning and other artworks giving the tree new life as objects of beauty.
Labyrinths are thought to date back 20,000 years and occur across continents and cultures in many different designs and materials. The pattern in the Waite Labyrinth was based on an ancient Finnish 9–circuit stone labyrinth.
Labyrinths have also long been recognised for their health benefits, promoting a calm mind and a place for mediation.
In colloquial English, labyrinth is generally synonymous with maze, but many contemporary scholars observe a distinction between the two. A maze refers to a complex branching puzzle with choices of path and direction, while a single-path (unicursal) labyrinth has only a single, non-branching path, which leads to the center. A labyrinth in this sense has an unambiguous route to the center and back and is not designed to be difficult to navigate.
Both the Latin labyrinthus and Ancient Greek labýrinthos mean 'maze'.
In contemporary usage however labyrinths and mazes are distinguished as follows:
|One simple continuous path (unicursal) to the centre and out again, no dead ends.||A puzzle, confounding pathways with branching paths and dead ends.|
|The centre or 'goal' visible at all times.||The centre or 'goal' hidden until you reach it.|
|Usually 2-dimensional or with very low divisional lines.||
3-dimensional, dividing lines tall enough to obscure the goal.
|Design may be marked with a variety of materials e.g. different coloured pavers, ceramic tiles, stones, low mounds, herbaceous borders, painted lines, depressions in clay tablets (hand labyrinths) – even timber rounds!||Divisional lines made of hedges, vertical fabric partitions, masonry etc.|


text:
Patterns of Outpatient Antihypertensive Medication Use During Pregnancy in a Medicaid Population
Hypertensive disorders occur in approximately 6% to 8% of all pregnancies and are a significant source of maternal and fetal morbidity. Little is known about the range of agents routinely used in practice. We used Medicaid claims from 2000 to 2007 to identify completed pregnancies. We included women who were Medicaid beneficiaries from at least 3 months prior to last menstrual period to 1 month postdelivery, and were successfully linked to infant records. Maternal exposure to antihypertensive medications was derived from Medicaid pharmacy claim files, and duration of exposure was assigned based on the days' supply dispensed. We identified 1 106 757 Medicaid patients in our cohort, of whom 48 453 (4.4%) were exposed to antihypertensive medications during pregnancy. The prevalence of antihypertensive use increased from 3.5% to 4.9% during the study period. Antihypertensive medication users were older than nonusers, more likely to be white or black, and more likely to have comorbid diabetes mellitus and renal disease. Overall, 1.9% of pregnant women were exposed during the first trimester, 1.7% during the second trimester, and 3.2% during the third trimester. The range of antihypertensive medications to which patients were exposed was highly heterogeneous and frequently included agents other than methyldopa or labetalol. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor exposure, which is contraindicated in late pregnancy, occurred in 928 (4.9%) antihypertensive medication users in the second trimester and 383 (1.1%) in the third trimester. Antihypertensive use during pregnancy is relatively common and increasing. The wide range of agents used during pregnancy includes medications considered contraindicated during pregnancy.
- Received April 13, 2012.
- Revision received April 30, 2012.
- Accepted August 1, 2012.
- © 2012 American Heart Association, Inc.


text:
Fraserburgh occupies an exposed position at a point where the Buchan
coastline turns west along the Moray Firth
following the rocky Phingask Shore to Rosehearty
. To the east a sandy beach stretches out along the edge of Fraserburgh Bay
into which flows the Water of Philorth
The short-lived Fraserburgh University was erected following a grant from the Scottish Parliament in 1595 but closed a decade later following the arrest of its first principal who had incurred the displeasure of King James VI by taking part in the 1605 General Assembly. The college building erected by Alexander Fraser was, however, used for a short time in 1647 when King's College
was forced to move from Aberdeen
to Fraserburgh following an outbreak of the plague.
Since the early 1800s the town's population has increased six-fold in response to the growth in the 19th Century of the herring fishing trade and in the 20th century the development of white fishing, food processing and machine tool industries. Ship repair, fish canning and the manufacture of refrigeration vans are important modern industries.
(1990) Banff and Buchan: An Illustrated Architectural Guide.


text:
A collaboration between The University of Manchester, Edinburgh University, Essex University, Lancaster University and Leeds University with Fellowships based at Cardiff University, Queens University Belfast and The University of Salford
The Uses and Abuses of Community for Sustainable Development
Communities are complex, contested and conflict-ridden objects. And in order to involve them in sustainable development, we need to take a more realistic and critical approach to governing and understanding them.
SPRG researchers Fraser Stewart and Lucie Middlemiss organised a workshop that brought together 30 scholars from around the UK to the University of Leeds (21-23 March) to discuss and critically analyse recent governance strategies in the UK that position 'community' in contrasting ways. Despite the proliferation in recent years of community action and governance strategies aimed at achieving sustainable development there has been little critical attention directed to this issue. Framing the workshop were three key themes:
1. Developing a practice-oriented approach to community and sustainable development
2. Critically theorising the connections between community and sustainable development
3. Understanding the role of public scholarship in sustainable communities work
Together the papers questioned how, why and to whose ends community emerges as a vehicle for achieving sustainable development. They argue for a nuanced and context-specific interpretation of community in sustainable development work that is able to capture the diversity of those involved.
The workshop consisted of eleven oral papers and six poster presentations from within and beyond the SPRG and its sister project the SLRG. Papers were circulated to those attending beforehand to ensure insightful discussion amongst participants.
Key Issues & Reflections
A number of crosscutting issues and questions emerged from the papers and the resulting discussions:
- What is the imaginary of community in sustainable action and policy?
- How is community practiced for sustainable development?
- What does community mean at different scales?
- Is there is a tension between community as neo-liberalism or radicalism?
- What is the role of social difference?
- How do different definitions of community shape what is possible to achieve?
- Who legitimately speaks for or acts on behalf of the community?
- What is the role of social science in doing research 'on' or 'with' communities?
- How and in what ways should researchers/communities be attempting to influence policy?
A key theme that emerged from the workshop was the divide between understandings of community as a social process involving, among many other things, shared learning; and technical or instrumental applications in which people are passive recipients of policy directives devised and delivered by others.
Whilst theories of practice was not the organising theme of the workshop papers reflected practice theoretical traditions in their contributions There were a number of useful contributions from SPRG members that reflects the diversity of SPRG's programme of research. Isabelle Darmon and Alan Ward from the Changing Eating Habits project discussed the provision of sustainable food in poor communities. Gordon Walker from the Zero Carbon Homes project discussed communities, codification and zero carbon homes. Alex Franklin (SPRG Fellowship on 'Sustainable Communities, Social Enterprise and Local Food') offered a critical review of the Welsh Government Pathfinder Programme. And SPRG Fellow Lucie Middlemiss discussed the implications of individualization for sustainable development and her co-authored paper on doing sustainability in low-income communities.
To take just two examples from a very stimulating set of posters and papers:
Paul Chatterton described his involvement in LILAC, a radical new community, in Leeds attempting to change the social and environmental nature of living space was fascinating from a public scholarship and sustainability point of view. And Richard Hauxwell-Baldwin provided a fascinating and critical insight into how policy is modified to fit national government's goals, through looking at the transformation in the Low Carbon Community Challenge from Labour to Coalition governments.
Community and public policy
When it comes to achieving sustainable development, public policy tends to privilege rational choice or individualized approaches. However, does this mean that we, as enlightened social scientists, should offer an alternative? Some participants in the workshop thought that we should perhaps be making (normative) recommendations to policy. However, given the undercurrent of disaffection with all things neo-liberal, what sort of policy recommendations could be made other than changing the paradigm? Perhaps a critical approach to studying the uses and abuses of community can remain just that, presenting a challenge to policy without having to directly engage in trying to change it.
The range and depth of work being done at the community level offer significant 'windows of opportunity' for achieving more sustainable ways of living, however with that opportunity also comes risks. The state funding of communities can be a mixed blessing that opens up a whole plethora of tensions relating to community, including issues of power. Indeed, there were plenty of examples provided at the workshop of communities being worse off after funding or interventions being implemented at the community scale. This begs the question about whose vision of sustainable development is being privileged? This is important because 'sustainable development' is just as contested a term as 'community'.
Date: 21 Mar 2013 - 22 Mar 2013Location: University of LeedsTime: time TBA


The Vapnik–Chervonenkis (VC)-dimension formula for neural networks ranges from $O(E)$ to $O(E^2)$, with $O(E^2V^2)$ in the worst case, where $E$ is the number of edges and $V$ is the number of nodes. The number of training samples needed to have a strong guarantee of generalization is linear with the VC-dimension.
This means that for a network with billions of edges, as in the case of successful deep learning models, the training dataset needs billions of training samples in the best case, to quadrillions in the worst case. The largest training sets currently have about a hundred billion samples. Since there is not enough training data, it is unlikely deep learning models are generalizing. Instead, they are overfitting the training data. This means the models will not perform well on data that is dissimilar to the training data, which is an undesirable property for machine learning.
Given the inability of deep learning to generalize, according to VC dimensional analysis, why are deep learning results so hyped? Merely having a high accuracy on some dataset does not mean much in itself. Is there something special about deep learning architectures that reduces the VC-dimension significantly?
If you do not think the VC-dimension analysis is relevant, please provide evidence/explanation that deep learning is generalizing and is not overfitting. I.e. does it have good recall AND precision, or just good recall? 100% recall is trivial to achieve, as is 100% precision. Getting both close to 100% is very difficult.
As a contrary example, here is evidence that deep learning is overfitting. An overfit model is easy to fool since it has incorporated deterministic/stochastic noise. See the following image for an example of overfitting.
Example of underfitting, fitting, and overfitting.
Also, see lower ranked answers to this question to understand the problems with an overfit model despite good accuracy on test data.
Some have responded that regularization solves the problem of a large VC dimension. See this question for further discussion.
 - $\begingroup$ Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat. $\endgroup$ – D.W. May 15 '17 at 3:37
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 $\begingroup$ I don't think questions why is something "hyped" are good. The answer is "because people". People take interest in things because of plethora of reasons, including marketing. $\endgroup$ – luk32 May 16 '17 at 13:49
 - 3
 $\begingroup$ Deep learning works in practice. It might be overfiting. It might be completely unjustified. It might be learning secrets of the universe from an eldritch deity. But the hype is coming from practioners who are suddenly able to write 30 lines on code and teach a camera to scan signatures and match them with stored ones to validate bank transactions. Or tag unknown people in photographs. Etc. Maybe you've heard the line "it's not an insult if its true"? Well it's not hype if it works. There are lots of problems it doesn't work on and excessive popular hype. But it works in real life application. $\endgroup$ – Stella Biderman Jun 27 '19 at 15:51
 - 1
 $\begingroup$ _USER_ The fact that adversarial examples exist is somewhat to the side of generalization. I can train a neural network on 10k data points and then test it on 100k data points and it'll do amazingly. That is generalization. The fact that we can deliberately concoct adversarial examples doesn't mean that the network doesn't work any more than the fact that we can concoct optical illusions doesn't mean that your vision doesn't work. Your entire question is predicated on the idea that neural networks don't generalize. But it's an empirical fact that they do. $\endgroup$ – Stella Biderman Jun 27 '19 at 20:07
 - 1
 $\begingroup$ _USER_ You are conflating good out-of-sample accuracy with generalization. While generalization implies the former, the former does not imply the latter. One example I've heard about is when a neural network "learned" to distinguish criminals from non-criminals by memorizing the white background of the prison photos. While the NN had great accuracy on out-of-sample dataset, it did not learn some general principle about criminal facial features. This is why we can concoct such absurd adversarial examples for NNs, because the NN is identifying 'cat' with incidental features. $\endgroup$ – yters Jun 30 '19 at 20:39
"If the map and the terrain disagree, trust the terrain."
It's not really understood why deep learning works as well as it does, but certainly old concepts from learning theory such as VC dimensions appear not to be very helpful.
The matter is hotly debated, see e.g.:
Regarding the issue of adversarial examples, the problem was discovered in:
It is further developed in:
There is a lot of follow-on work.
Update March 2020. A new hypothesis that appears to explain some of the mismatch between clear over-parameterisation of modern (feed-forward) NNs and good recognition performance is Frankle and Carbin's Lottery Ticket Hypothesis from 2018:
The claim is that a "randomly-initialised, dense [feed-forward] neural network contains a subnetwork that is initialised such that when trained in isolation it can match the test accuracy of the original network after training for at most the same number of iterations." Regarding the original question, the Lottery Ticket Hypothesis might be understood as saying that:
 - Training by stochastic gradient descent searches for small subnetworks that work well and deemphasises the rest of the overparameterised network's learning capacity.
 - The bigger the original network, the more likely it is to contain a small subnetwork with good performance on the task at hand.
This has found empirical support, e.g. in
and theoretical support in:
As far as I'm aware, it has not yet been possible to generalise the Lottery Ticket Hypothesis to recurrent NNs.
Update March 2021. The original 2016 paper Understanding Deep Learning Requires Rethinking Generalization has been updated. Here is the new version:
C. Zhang, S. Bengio, M. Hardt, B. Recht, O. Vinyals, Understanding Deep Learning (Still) Requires Rethinking Generalization.
 - $\begingroup$ When you say "There is a lot of follow-on work" are you referring to the last 2014 paper? The first two papers you mention are fairly recent. Could you update with the papers you're referring to?. $\endgroup$ – VF1 Jun 17 '17 at 18:55
 - 7
 $\begingroup$ Strong +1 for "If the map and the terrain disagree, trust the terrain." The models work extremely well in practice regardless of if the math says they should. From a scientific POV, this happens all the time and if anything makes problems more interesting. Nobody read Razborov and Rudich's work on Natural Proofs and went "well, I guess P vs NP isn't an interesting question after all." They went and figured out that it might be possible to use algebraic geometry to do complexity theory. From the point of view of science, problems that transcend our understanding are better, not worse. $\endgroup$ – Stella Biderman Jun 27 '19 at 15:45
 - $\begingroup$ Thank your for this nice reference list and (+1) for the quote. I would like to update and add this discussion: _URL_ $\endgroup$ – stackExchangeUser Jul 9 at 13:30
 - $\begingroup$ _USER_ Feel free to add the references. $\endgroup$ – Martin Berger Jul 11 at 20:33
"Given the inability of Deep Learning to generalize, according to VC dimensional analysis [...]"
No, that's not what VC dimensional analysis says. VC dimensional analysis gives some sufficient conditions under which generalization is guaranteed. But the converse ain't necessarily so. Even if you fail to meet those conditions, the ML method still might generalize.
Put another way: deep learning works better than VC dimensional analysis would lead you to expect (better than VC analysis "predicts"). That's a shortcoming of VC dimensional analysis, not a shortcoming of deep learning. It doesn't imply that deep learning is flawed. Rather, it means that we don't know why deep learning works as well as it does -- and VC analysis is unable to provide any useful insights.
High VC dimension does not imply that deep learning can be fooled. High VC dimension doesn't guarantee anything at all about whether it can be fooled in practical situations. VC dimension provides a unidirectional, worst-case bound: if you meet these conditions, then good things happen, but if you don't meet these conditions, we don't know what will happen (maybe good things will still happen anyway, if nature behaves better than the worst possible case; VC analysis doesn't promise that good things can't/won't happen).
It could be that the VC dimension of the model space is large (it includes very complex patterns as possible), but nature is explained by simple patterns, and the ML algorithm learns the simple pattern present in nature (e.g., because of regularization)


Strong's Greek: 5603. ᾠδή (ódé) -- a song, ode
5603. ódé
Strong's Concordance
ódé: a song, ode
Original Word: ᾠδή, ῆς, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: ódé
Phonetic Spelling: (o-day')
Definition: a song, ode
Usage: an ode, song, hymn.
HELPS Word-studies
5603 ōdḗ – a song. 5603 (ōdḗ) is used in the NT of spontaneous, impromptu (unrehearsed) melodies of praisenot merely sung about (for) God but to God from a Spirit-filled heart. Spirit-inspired songs minister to God and exhort others, giving testimony about the living God to other worshipers.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
contr. from aoidé (a song); from the same as adó
a song, ode
NASB Translation
song (5), songs (2).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5603: ᾠδή
ᾠδή, ᾠδῆς, (equivalent to ἀοιδή, from ἀείδω, i. e. ᾄδω, to sing), from Sophocles and Euripides down, the Sept. for שִׁיר and שִׁירָה, a song, lay, ode; in the Scriptures a song in praise of God or Christ: Revelation 5:9; Revelation 14:3; Μωϋσέως καί τοῦ ἀρνίου, the song which Moses and Christ taught them to sing, Revelation 15:3; plural with the epithet πνευματικαι, Ephesians 5:19 (here Lachmann brackets πνευματικαῖς); Colossians 3:16. (Synonym: see ὕμνος, at the end.)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
From aido; a chant or "ode" (the general term for any words sung; while humnos denotes especially a religious metrical composition, and psalmos still more specially, a Hebrew cantillation) -- song.
see GREEK aido
see GREEK humnos
see GREEK psalmos
Forms and Transliterations
ωδαί ωδαις ωδαίς ᾠδαῖς ωδάς ωδη ωδή ωδην ωδήν ᾠδὴν ωδής ωδών odais ōdais oden ōdēn oidaîs ōidaîs oidḕn ōidḕn
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Ephesians 5:19 N-DFP
GRK: ὕμνοις καὶ ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς ᾄδοντες
NAS: and spiritual songs, singing
KJV: and spiritual songs, singing and
INT: hymns and songs spiritual singing
Colossians 3:16 N-DFP
GRK: ψαλμοῖς ὕμνοις ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς ἐν
NAS: [and] spiritual songs, singing
KJV: and spiritual songs, singing with
INT: in psalms hymns songs spiritual with
Revelation 5:9 N-AFS
GRK: καὶ ᾄδουσιν ᾠδὴν καινὴν λέγοντες
NAS: a new song, saying,
KJV: they sung a new song, saying, Thou art
INT: And they sing a song new saying
Revelation 14:3 N-AFS
GRK: ᾄδουσιν ὡς ᾠδὴν καινὴν ἐνώπιον
NAS: a new song before
KJV: a new song before
INT: they sing as a song new before
Revelation 14:3 N-AFS
GRK: μαθεῖν τὴν ᾠδὴν εἰ μὴ
NAS: learn the song except
KJV: could learn that song but the hundred
INT: to learn the song if not
Revelation 15:3 N-AFS
GRK: ᾄδουσιν τὴν ᾠδὴν Μωυσέως τοῦ
NAS: And they sang the song of Moses,
KJV: they sing the song of Moses
INT: they sing the song of Moses the
Revelation 15:3 N-AFS
GRK: καὶ τὴν ᾠδὴν τοῦ ἀρνίου
NAS: of God, and the song of the Lamb,
KJV: and the song of the Lamb,
INT: and the song of the Lamb
Strong's Greek 5603
7 Occurrences
ᾠδαῖς — 2 Occ.
ᾠδὴν — 5 Occ.
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 1. 2027 - Wikipedia › wiki › 2027
 2027 will be a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2027th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 27th year of the 3rd millennium, the 27th year of the 21st century, and the 8th year of the 2020s decade.
 2. Hanfu - Wikipedia › wiki › Hanfu
 Hanfu is a term used for the historical styles of clothing worn by the Han people in China. There are several representative styles of hanfu, such as the ruqun (an upper-body garment with a long outer skirt), the aoqun (an upper-body garment with a long underskirt), the beizi (usually a slender knee-length jacket) and the shenyi (a long, belted robe with wide sleeves), and the shanku (jackets...
 3. Pompeii - Wikipedia › wiki › Pompeii
 Pompeii (/ p ɒ m ˈ p eɪ (i)/, Latin: [pɔmˈpei̯.iː]) was an ancient city located in what is now the comune of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy.Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
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ST. PAUL, Minn. – A new type of therapy may help people with symptoms such as pain, weakness, or dizziness that can't be explained by an underlying disease, according to a study published in the July 27, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. These symptoms, which can also include fatigue, tingling and numbness, are also known as functional or psychogenic symptoms.
"People with these symptoms make up one-third of all clinic visits, but the outcomes are poor," said study author Michael Sharpe, MD, of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
Previous studies have shown that intense cognitive behavioral therapy can reduce the symptoms, distress and disability in people with these symptoms, but there are obstacles to providing this therapy. Many people do not feel psychological treatment is appropriate and resist referrals to mental health services, and therapists trained in cognitive behavioral therapy are not available in all communities.
Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to improve people's physical symptoms, emotional state and functioning by helping them to understand, and where necessary change, how they think about and respond to their symptoms and life situation.
For the study, the researchers developed a self-help workbook especially for patients with physical symptoms that was based on the therapy. A total of 62 people were given the workbook and over three months had up to four half-hour hour sessions guiding them in the use of the book with a nurse at their neurologist's office in addition to their usual medical care. They were compared to 63 people who received only their usual medical care. Most of the participants also had psychiatric diagnoses, such as panic disorder, anxiety disorder and depression.
After three months, the people who received the extra therapy were approximately twice as likely to report improvements in their overall health as those who did not receive the extra therapy. A total of 13 percent more people who received the extra therapy reported that their health was "better" or "much better" than those who received only their usual care.
After six months, there was no longer a significant difference in improvements in overall health between the two groups. However, those receiving the extra therapy continued to have greater improvement in their symptoms than those who received the usual care and also in their physical functioning. They were also more satisfied with their treatment.
"This study suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy-based guided self-help may be a new and potentially useful first step in improving the management of these challenging symptoms," Sharpe said. "This approach needs further evaluation but can be a potentially effective and cost-effective first step toward providing more help for these often neglected patients."
The study was supported by the United Kingdom Medical Research Council.The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 24,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit _URL_.


Certified Bookkeeper
Earn Bookkeeper Certification Online
Earn Your Bookkeeper Certification with Florida Gulf Coast University!
 - Course Objctives
 - Are there any prerequisites?
 - When can I start the course?
 - Can I get financial assistance?
Bookkeeping Cengage
Job Outlook for Bookkeepers
According to PayScale.com, bookkeepers earn on average $17.37 per hour. Top bookkeepers' earnings exceed $56,900.
CareerBuilder.com cites bookkeeping skills as highly transferable to financial supervisory, analysis, or managerial roles. The site calls bookkeeper an "ideal choice" for those who are motivated to keep organizations on track with regard to their finances.
Technology is highly relevant to the bookkeeper's role. Mastery of bookkeeping software applications is the key to matching bookkeeping skills with expanding requirements for analysis, visual data presentation, and reporting that provides value-added to the traditional bookkeeper's duties.
Certified Bookkeeper FAQs
What does the Bookkeeper role involve?
Bookkeepers serve on the front lines of a person, company or organization's financial health. Strong bookkeepers set up, deploy and manage systems that record the flow of funds into and out of an entity's coffers. Using reporting tools and systems, bookkeepers help individuals and operational managers stay aware of and improve an entity's financial status and performance.
Hasn't technology replaced Bookkeepers?
Technology has had a huge impact on the bookkeeping field. However, the bookkeeper's underlying organizational skills and precise attention to detail are as valuable as ever to their employers and clients. Programs like QuickBooks® or Microsoft Excel® have widely replaced the manual entry functions of traditional bookkeeping. However, the organization, reporting, and use of financial data still rely heavily on human input and processing.
How do I become a Certified Bookkeeper?
To earn your AIPB Certified Bookkeeper designation, you must pass the AIPB certification exam and be able to submit proof of at least two years of full-time or 3,000 hours of part-time experience.
Is certification important for Bookkeepers?
Certification in any profession signals to employers, colleagues, and clients that a professional is committed to the highest standards of excellence and accountability. Certified bookkeepers meet the AIPB's highest standards for financial accounting, business practices and ethical conduct.
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Because bookkeeping relies heavily on technology and can be done almost entirely using digital tools, it is considered an excellent prospect for remote, contract, and work-at-home career opportunities.


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Well, you have already known about QuickBooks software and its amazing functions. Sometimes, you need to create multiple accounts in QuickBooks. Today, we are here to tell you about a clearing account that needs to be created to move money from one account to another. The information provided in the following article appears to be suited for a clearing account in QuickBooks. You can get all the aspects related to a clearing account in this article. So you have to be connected with us through this blog.
Now, we can proceed further and understand a payroll clearing account in QuickBooks and its uses.
Before knowing the steps to create a clearing account, you first must know what a clearing account is. This account will help you to move money from one account to another account in case of unable to move money directly. A clearing account usually contains a balance of $0.00 since you will be able to take back the amount that you transfer in it. This account is also called a Barter or wash account.
You might be looking for the uses of a clearing account in QuickBooks and thinking "why we need to create a clearing account". We have provided all the advantages of making a clearing account in QuickBooks for your convenience.
Once you have got all the information about "clearing accounts in QuickBooks", it is time to create the account. We have mentioned the complete steps that will help you in creating a payroll clearing account in QuickBooks.
After creating a clearing account in QuickBooks, you might be looking for the steps to use it. Below, you can find out the steps that will help you to use clearing accounts in QuickBooks. You can follow all the steps in order and make your accounting easier.
Hopefully, you have got all the essential information regarding a "clearing account in QuickBooks" with the help of this blog. In our assumption, you have successfully set up a clearing account and found the above article fruitful. Sometimes, you may get stuck into steps while setting up an account.
In such cases, you are free to take the assistance of our experts. All you require to do is get in touch with our experts by dialing the QuickBooks Support Phone Number _PHONE_). We will guide you in the right direction by setting up a QuickBooks payroll account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: How can you remove a clearing account in QuickBooks?
A: The following are the steps to delete a clearing account in QuickBooks:
Q2: Where is the clearing account on the Balance Sheet?
A: A clearing account does not directly come under the balance sheet till gets disbursed. And, it is the suspense account shown under Assets.
Q3: Can a payroll clearing account consider as an asset?
A: A payroll clearing account is a general ledger account that comes under the assets section of the balance sheet.
Q4: How can you set up a payroll clearing account in QuickBooks?
A: The following are the steps to set up a payroll clearing account in QuickBooks:
Q5: What is the main purpose of a payroll clearing account?
A: The main purpose of a payroll clearing account is to separate a bank account that is used by the company to pay employees.


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6 Sigma Categories
- Six Sigma (General)
- Six Sigma Certification & Training
- Lean Six Sigma
- Six Sigma Implementation
- Six Sigma Specialized (By Industry)
- Green Belt
- Black Belt
- Master Black Belt
- DFSS (Design for Six Sigma)
- Six Sigma Jobs
- Six Sigma History
- Six Sigma News
- Six Sigma Humor
- Six Sigma Book Review
- Six Sigma Terms & Definitions
- Six Sigma Tools & Templates
- Six Sigma Videos
Business & Career Improvement
Confidence Intervals in Six Sigma
Six Sigma Training and Certification is highly reliant on statistics. Confidence intervals can be used to analyze data in a way that will enable Six Sigma organizational leaders and team members to reach conclusions in the form of percentages.
When a statistic is calculated, whether it be mean, variance, or proportion, there generally isn't any reason to ensure that this estimate you've calculated is equal to the true population value. This is because you are working off a sample of a population. This means that you are assuming a certain number, or sample group, represents the entire population as a whole. Even when you increase the size of your sample, you must factor in the errors and inaccuracies that often occur.
In most of the projects where Six Sigma is used, there are some descriptive statistics that are calculated from sample data. This data does not necessarily accurately represent the true mean, variance, or proportion value of the population, but it can give team members a good idea of what these outcomes will be once a particular process has occurred.
Instead, it may be preferable to express an interval in which you would actually expect to find the true value of the population. This is what is called an interval estimate. A confidence interval is an interval that has been calculated from the sample data that will likely cover the unknown mean, variance or proportion.
Because of the inconsistencies that can develop from making such calculations, error must be factored into the equation. This is what is known as an error of estimation, margin of error, or standard error. This error is between the sample statistic and population value of that statistic. The confidence interval will define that margin of error.
Six Sigma methodology uses many different tools to reach important conclusions that can significantly improve overall organizational productivity. Confidence intervals are just one example of how useful these tools can be to all parts of an organization, which is why they have been implemented in many settings to test a wide range of data types. There are also various formulas that can be used for making different determinations using pieces of data that is collected for a specific purpose. This decision is dependent on specific situations so the best and most accurate results may be obtained.
Six Sigma Basics
Six Sigma Videos
- Six Sigma Online Announces Free Six Sigma Certification for a Limited Time
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- Six Sigma Black Belt and Six Sigma Green Belt
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| Student Services
| Learning Centers
| LSC-Kingwood Learning Center
LSC-Kingwood AT Lab
The primary goal of the Assistive Technology (AT) lab is to provide students with documented disabilities access to technology resources that can facilitate successful academic and career success. The services provided by the AT lab support the mission of the Lone Star College System (LSCS) and are coordinated with the instruction, counseling, tutoring and training provided by other departments on campus.
How are students referred to the AT lab?
Students are referred for AT lab services by the Disability Services Counselor, and the AT lab provides accommodations as determined by the Disability Services Counselor.
What technology is available through the AT lab?
Kingwood College maintains a number of devices and soft-ware programs that help "level the playing field" for students with disabilities. Some items are portable, and can be checked out by the student.
- Alternative input devices allow individuals to control their computers through means other than a standard keyboard or pointing device.
- Braille embossers transfer computer generated text into embossed Braille output.
- Reading tools and learning disabilities programs include software and hardware designed to make text-based materials more accessible for people who have difficulty with reading. Options can include scanning, reformatting, navigating, or speaking text out loud.
- Screen enlargers work like a magnifying glass for the computer by enlarging a portion of the screen which can increase legibility and make it easier to see items on the computer.
- Speech recognition or voice recognition programs allow people to give commands and enter data using their voices rather than a mouse or keyboard.
- Text-to-Speech (TTS) or speech synthesizers receive information going to the screen in the form of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks, and then "speak" it out loud in a computerized voice.
- Talking and large-print word processors are software programs that use speech synthesizers to provide auditory feedback of what is typed.
- TTY/TDD conversion modems are connected between computers and telephones to allow an individual to type a message on a computer and send it to a TTY/TDD telephone or other Baudot equipped device.
- Videophones allow deaf and hard of hearing individuals to communicate with each other using sign language.
Assistive Listening Devices are hard-wired or wireless transmitting/receiving devices that transmit sound from the microphone directly to the listener, minimizing the negative effects of distance, noise, and reverberation on clarity.
What services are available through the AT lab?
- Textbook Conversion/Audio Book Services are available for those with appropriate accommodations; i.e. impaired vision or blindness. Scanned material is reformatted; ready to be processed by screen reader software or converted to audio files. Conversion requests require a disposable copy of the textbook, a copy of the course syllabus, and current accommodations documentation. Our current turn-around goal for textbook conversions is 10 working days from receipt of request.
- Other services the AT lab may provide are an overview of Assistive Technology to others, demonstrate AT equipment as well as provide training and support. The AT lab coordinator works with the Office of Technology Services (OTS) as well as academic departments and faculty to provide assistive technology services in the classroom -- installing special software on the computer the student uses for a particular class, or to convert a test to an alternate format, e.g. large print.
Who can I contact for more information?


Fractional Repeat counts?
From: John Navil Joseph
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004 11:58:10 +0530
To: _EMAIL_
Message-ID:
SMIL 2.0 supports fractional repeat counts (ex. repeatCount = "0.75").
Consider the following example.
I suppose that the standard assumes that the intrinsic duration of
is available beforehand for this to work correctly. But on small hand held
devices it may be very expensive to calculate the exact intrinsic duration
of the
streams. (especially for elementary streams as that of MPEG4, AAC).
How does the standard expect the SMIL players to deal with these
situations in which
the intrinsic duration of the media objects is simply "unknown"?
Received on Friday, 23 July 2004 02:37:04 UTC


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can be caused by a variety of things. Sometimes even normal contrails can appear dark due to lighting effects or excessive pollution. Many black lines are the result of a trail casting a shadow onto a canopy of haze below. It can have the appearance of proceeding the airplane if the sun is shining from behind. Cloud cutting, the process in which a plane flies through a layer of cirrus aviaticus can sometimes create channels which also appear dark.
What about the silver orbs?
A rare but documented phenomena, silver orbs, which are also described as white or nickle in color, have been observed in conjunction with spraying. They are reported to hover in the general area of Chemtrails and then leave. These may be advanced military drones involved with testing the components of the trails. Sighting locations include California, Texas and Alabama.
This information is from _URL_


text:
Tooth decay prevalent among Alaska native children
Sep 23, 2011, 7:36 a.m.
By Yereth Rosen
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Native Alaskan children living in remote villages have rates of tooth decay about four times the national average, a government study showed.
Lack of fluoridated water and an abundance of sugary, carbonated soda pop were the major reasons cited in the research that tracked dental health of children in the mostly Yupik Eskimo region of southwestern Alaska.
Dr. Brad Whistler, Alaska state oral health director and a co-author of the study, said children need major dental work.
"When they smile, you see a lot of silver teeth," he said.
Such severe decay sets up children to have serious dental problems as adults, Whistler said.
One reason for the high level of tooth decay is poor water-system infrastructure in many Alaska Native villages, which prevents the fluoridation of drinking water that has helped lower rates of tooth decay.
In some villages that were part of the study, residents must haul water home from central pumps, he said. Even those places with more sophisticated systems are likely to lack fluoride in drinking water, because few qualified technicians are available to work in such far-flung locations and install the necessary equipment.
The other major problem is the erosion of the traditional Native diet with the introduction of food laden with sugar, Whistler said.
The study, by the federal Centers for Disease Control and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, analyzed 2008 dental records and habits of 348 children between the ages of four and 15.
(Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Cynthia Johnston)