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How to Choose the Right Cane for You
Patty is a licensed physical therapist assistant. Physical therapy helps patients recover from joint pain caused by orthopedic injuries.
Straight Cane
Straight Cane
When a physical therapist or a doctor suggests that you use a cane, it is probably because they see something in your balance that needs to be fixed. You might be unsteady and not even realize it. If you walk around through your house reaching for a wall or piece of furniture to steady yourself, its probably because your balance is off a bit and you could fall. If you are most comfortable holding on to someone's arm when you walk through the department store, it may be because your balance is poor.
How Does a Cane Help?
 - Helps you to steady yourself
 - Prevents you from falling
 - Improves your balance
 - Helps you walk more upright
 - Allow you to take longer steps
 - Makes you feel safe
Quad Cane
Quad Cane
Do I Need a Cane?
 1. Do you feel unsteady when you walk?
 - Yes
 - No
 2. Have you fallen recently?
 - Yes
 - No
 3. Do you feel more steady if you hold onto a shopping cart when you shop?
 - Yes
 - No
 4. Do you furniture walk?
 - Yes
 - No
 5. Do you have trouble lifting the front part of your feet when you walk?
 - Yes
 - No
 6. Do you have good sense of feeling in the bottom of your feet?
 - Yes
 - No
 7. Are you diabetic?
 - Yes
 - No
 8. Do you get light-headed or dizzy when you stand up?
 - Yes
 - No
 9. Are your feet feel numb?
 - Yes
 - No
 10. Do you trip over your own feet sometimes?
 - Yes
 - No
Answer Key
 1. Yes
 2. Yes
 3. Yes
 4. Yes
 5. Yes
 6. Yes
 7. Yes
 8. Yes
 9. Yes
 10. Yes
How Does a Cane Improve Your Balance?
The answer lies in the laws of physics and the theory of gravity. Simply said, using a cane increases your base of support because it gives you stability between the cane and your weaker side or leg when you are walking. If you walk with your feet wide apart, you are said to have a wide base of support and that signals that your balance is poor. By adding a cane, your base of support becomes more narrow because the cane gives you stability and you begin to walk with better balance.
Furniture Walking
If you use furniture or walls to help you balance when you are walking, you are guilty of furniture walking.
What Kind of Cane Do I Need?
When I ask a patient if they have a cane to use, I never know what they are going to drag from the darkest corner of the hall closet. It's rare that it is a good device that will support them safely but as long as it isn't cracked, has a good rubber tip, and is the right length, I give my approval. If not, if the cane looks like it won't support it or it is too short or too tall, I recommend getting a new one.
Once we determine if they need a cane with a single tip or one with four tips, I encourage them to purchase a cane that suits them. Single tip canes come in a variety of colors and patterns including paisley, stripes, and camouflage.
A cane with four feet (quad cane) will give you more stability because it will accept your weight on a wider base than a single point cane does. It requires a slower cadence to correctly place all four feet on the floor before stepping and that is a good thing for some users. For those that have a quicker cadence, a quad cane can become a fall hazard because the user gets their own feet tangled around the four feet of the quad cane and stumble. A quad cane is most often used by a person who needs something to lean on for support for weight shift to advance the opposite leg when they walk.
A cane with a single tip on the end can improve balance because it improves your base of support by giving you an additional point of contact with the walking surface.
Is My Old Cane Safe to Use?
Straight Cane (Single Point)Quad Cane (Four Point)
No cracks
Adjustable to left or right hand use
Straight without bends or breaks
Four flexible rubber tips
Flexible rubber tip
Can be adjustable to the correct height
Can be adjusted to the right height
Flexible rubber tip
Curved or flat handle
Handle that fits your hand
Left Hand or Right Hand?
The cane goes in your left hand if your right leg is injured or weak. If your left leg is weak or injured, the cane goes in your right hand. This is a challenge for those who have to use the cane opposite their dominant side and it will take some practice and getting used to. This is the correct method and will improve your balance if you work at it.
What Size Cane Do I Need?
A cane should be adjustable. If its made of wood, you may be able to shorten it by cutting it off at the bottom and replacing the rubber tip. If its too short, you will need to get another cane. Metal canes though, are adjustable up and down.
Try standing beside the cane with your hand down at your side. The curve of the cane should rest right at your wrist. If it doesn't, it needs to be adjusted to your height.
Think About It!
If you are having some difficulty walking and find yourself depending on pieces of furniture to get you safely through your home, it might be a good idea to consider using a cane. It might just renew and improve your quality of life!
Peggy Woods from Houston, Texas on January 31, 2021:
The questions you posed are good ones for people to consider when deciding if a cane would be of help to them.
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FBI warns child abductors may use social media to lure victims
Facebook and Twitter applications are seen on an Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
The FBI is warning parents that criminals may pose as minors online in order to lure children into traps and abduct them.
"While criminals exploit social media and social networks to commit crimes involving child sexual abuse material, sex trafficking of a minor, and child sex tourism, the use of these platforms to facilitate child abductions is lesser-known," the Bureau said in a statement.
According to authorities, child abductors will create accounts on various social media networks and dating apps to search for targets, as those tools are considered lower-risk ways of gaining access to children.
Criminals will then groom the children online, enticing their victim to meet with the eventual abductor in person.
While the number of child abductions using social media only represents a small percentage of FBI child abduction investigations, authorities say that with children spending so much more time on computers or mobile devices with access to the internet, they expect the percentage of criminals using those methods to lure victims will increase.
"With current restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools in many areas of the United States are likely to remain closed, resulting in children being left at home and potentially unsupervised due to reduced daycare options and parents having to return to work," the FBI said. "As a result, they are likely to spend more time on the Internet, further increasing their vulnerability."
The FBI also described three incidents where social media or social networks were used to facilitate child abductions.


RGB is an image encoding scheme with three data bands, one for each visible, primary color - red, green, and blue. It is based on the additive color model of the same name. Each band contains cell values which are a measure of that color's contribution to the image. Only by combining all three bands can you get a 'true color' image. Note that some formats allow for a fourth 'alpha' band used to specify areas of transparency. The actual number of colors depends on the precision with which the values are stored - see color depth.
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now recommends _PHONE_ IU daily for adults under the age of 50 years and _PHONE_ IU daily for adults over the age of 50 years.
The Canadian Cancer Society recommends 1000 IU/day during the fall and winter for adults in Canada. For those with a higher risk of having low vitamin D levels, this dose should be taken year round. This includes people who have dark skin, usually wear clothing that covers most of their skin, and people who are older or who don't go outside often.
Many experts now recommend using vitamin D supplements containing cholecalciferol in order to meet these intake levels. This seems to be more potent than another form of vitamin D called ergocalciferol.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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Change management in information systems projects for public organizations
Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Management • Volume 10 • 2015 • pp. 047-062
It can be argued that public organizations, in order to provide the public with sufficient services in the current, highly competitive and continuously evolving environment, require changes. The changes that become necessary are often related to the implementation of information systems (IS). Moreover, when organizations are faced with changes, a change management (CM) process needs to be put in place. CM theories that are currently available to practitioners and academics are often contradictory; they mostly lack empirical evidence and are supported by unchallenged hypotheses concerning the nature of the contemporary CM. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to identify critical success factors (CFSs) for CM in IS projects. In order to reach this aim an explanation of changes in public organizations and the nature of CM are presented. Following this, a framework of CFSs for CM in IS projects are identified based on the literature review. The paper also examines two IS projects and uses them to demonstrate CFSs influencing CM in IS projects in Polish pubic organizations. A discussion of the research findings is provided and the paper concludes with a presentation of the study's contributions and limitations as well as the stream of future work.
project management, change management, public organizations, information systems, IS, critical success factors, CSF
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Why Read Ezekiel on Shavuot?
Tradition connects the prophet's vision to the revelation at Sinai.
In relating Ezekiel's vision to the Sinaitic revelation, an implicit connection is made between prophecy and revelation. Ezekiel's vision is taken to be a collective vision at Mount Sinai, where every Jew was able to see God's presence. This implies that every Jew was a prophet and could become as great as Ezekiel. This article is excerpted from The JPS Bible Commentary: Haftarot. It is reprinted with permission from the Jewish Publication Society.
Given the content of the haftarah [prophetic reading], it may be wondered why Ezekiel's vision was chosen for recitation on Shavuot--the festival celebrating the Giving of Torah. What is the link between his experience and the public revelation at Sinai?
One ancient teaching provides a clue, suggesting that rabbinic tradition found a parallel between the events. Beginning with the verse stating that "God's chariots [rekhev]are myriads upon myriads, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them as in Sinai in holiness" (Psalms 68:18), it was taught that "there descended with God (on Mount Sinai) 22,000 chariots, each one like the chariot [merkavah]that Ezekiel saw" (Midrash Tanhuma Yitro [Buber] 14).
A similar tradition is found in an anthology of teaching for the festival of Shavuot (Pesikta de-Rav Kahana, Ba-hodesh, piska 12:22), and elsewhere (Midrash Shoher Tov, on Psalm 68:18). The upshot of this is that Ezekiel's theophany was long preceded by a national precedent (preserved in Psalm 68:18), when God descended upon Sinai to make a covenant with all Israel. Indeed, according to rabbinic midrash, a mystical theophany occurs in the course of the Sinaitic revelation. Ezekiel's experience was thus anything but unique. To the contrary, his throne vision is a personal expression of an ancient pattern.
A further connection between Sinai and Ezekiel's vision can be noted. It is based on a spectacular account of Moses' ascension on high to receive the Torah. According to a tradition preserved in Pesikta Rabbati 20 (Piska Matan Torah), we learn how Moses rose through the throne world of God like any mystical voyager depicted in the Merkavah tracts. Passing the guarding angels of destruction, Moses is told that even the angels that serve the throne do not know God's place--for they say "Blessed is the Presence of the Lord, from His place" (Ezekiel 3:12); and he is also graced with a vision of the crowning of God, while the angels that serve the throne repeat the word "Holy" three times (Isaiah 6:3). At the apex of his ascent, all the cosmic vaults are opened to Moses, and he sees the majesty of God. But not only Moses!
With the opening of the heavens, all Israel sees the Glory face to face. As the words "I am the Lord" (Exodus 20:1) blast forth, the entire people (all 600,000) die in ecstasy. Revived by divine mercy, God sends forth 1,200,000 angels to enable the nation to receive the revelation and live. Each person is therewith supported by two divine beings, one to hold the head (so that he may withstand the vision), the other, the heart (so that it would not escape in awe). According to Rabbi Abba bar Kahana, however, these angels served a different purpose. One of them turned each Israelite about by the belt, to face God Himself, while the other crowned his ward with a heavenly crown. Thus aided, the nation of Israel received the Torah in ecstasy and vision.


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Education and the Development of Reason (International Library of the Philosophy of Education Volume 8)
Edited by R.F. Dearden, Paul H. Hirst, R.S. Peters
Routledge – 2010 – 548 pages
This volume critically and constructively discusses philosophical questions which have particular bearing on the formulation of educational aims. The book is divided into three major parts: the first deals with the nature of education, and discusses the various general aims, such as'mental health','socialization' and 'creativity' which have been thought to characterize it; the second section is concerned with the nature of reason and its relationship to feeling, will and action; finally the development of different aspects of reason in an educational context is considered.
1. Education and the Educated Man R. S. Peters 2. Education: The Engagement and its Frustration M. Oakeshott 3. 'Needs' in Education R. F. Dearden 4. Education as a Process of Growth R. F. Dearden 5. 'Mental Health' as an Aim of Education J. Wilson 6. Happiness and Education R. F. Dearden 7. Socialization and Education P. A. White 8. Creativity and Education: A Philosophical Analysis J. P. White 9. The Concept of Reason D. Pole 10. A Rational Animal G. Ryle 11. Reasonableness M. Black 12. Reason and Passion R. S. Peters 13. On belief A. Phillips Griffiths 14. Objectivity D. W. Hamlyn 15. The Correspondence Theory of Truth D. W. Hamlyn 16. The Foundations of Knowledge A Quinton 17. Practical Reason R Edgley 18. Reason and Desire J. D. Mabbott 19. Reasons and Causes A.Phillips Griffiths 20. Belief and will H. H. Price 21. Emotion G. Pitcher 22. Liberal Education and the Nature of Knowledge P. H.Hirst 23. On Teaching to be Critical J. Passmore 24. Can Virtue be Taught? G. Ryle 25. Autonomy and Education R. F. Dearden 26. The Education of the Emotions R. S. Peters 27. The Arts and the Education of Feeling and Emotion R. W. Hepburn 28. Education and Human Development R. S. Peters


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Blood Bound Summary and Analysis
FreeBookNotes found 4 sites with book summaries or analysis of Blood Bound. If there is a Blood Bound SparkNotes, Shmoop guide, or Cliff Notes, you can find a link to each study guide below.
Among the summaries and analysis available for Blood Bound, there is 4 Book Reviews.
Depending on the study guide provider (SparkNotes, Shmoop, etc.), the resources below will generally offer Blood Bound chapter summaries, quotes, and analysis of themes, characters, and symbols.


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NSF grant supports new concept for manufacturing nanoscale devices being developed at Wayne State UniversityJuly 30, 2014
DETROIT – A professor from Wayne State University's College of Engineering recently received a $330,000 award from the National Science Foundation for the project, "Nanoparticle-directed synthesis of organic nanorods."
According to the National Science Foundation, nanotechnology is the creation and utilization of functional materials, devices, and systems with novel properties and functions. A major bottleneck in scaling up nanotechnology is the lack of manufacturing methods that connect different functional materials into one device. A research team led by Dr. Guangzhao Mao, professor of chemical engineering and materials science, is seeking answers to this problem.
Mao will explore a new concept of manufacturing nanoscale devices using a solution-based process with inexpensive raw materials. Mao's concept could potentially revolutionize the field by allowing new functional materials to be added to basic devices from solution droplets.
"Our research will investigate nanorod and nanowire synthesis using nanoparticles as seeds," said Mao. "This will allow us to add flexible materials made of organics and polymers into nanoscale devices."
One of the devices Mao plans to make is an inexpensive and field-ready electrochemical nano-sensor. Seed-mediated crystallization is used to make drug crystals and gem stones, and Mao believe that if small seeds are used, she can reliably make small crystals. These small crystals can be in the form of nanowires to connect to other units of the same device. This solution-based room-temperature process can be scaled up for the manufacturing of molecular conductors, connectors, switches, and networks.
"In addition, we will monitor the seed-mediated crystallization process in real time as it occurs in a solution using atomic force microscopy to better understand this process," added Mao.
"Dr. Mao's important research illustrates how commercial technology development sparks new research and vice versa," said Gloria Heppner, Ph.D., associate vice president for research at Wayne State. "She is most deserving of this award from the National Science Foundation."
The award number for this National Science Foundation award is NSF CHE-_PHONE_.
Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit _URL_.
- Contact: Julie O'Connor
- Voice: _PHONE_
- Email: _EMAIL_
- Fax: _PHONE_


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Chemistry in Context: A Citizen-First Approach to Foster Student Engagement and Motivation
WEBINAR (69 minutes) recorded April 9, 2020
Students are the next generation of citizens who will need to deal with the consequences of today's global challenges (i.e., climate change, air and water quality, nutrition). As such, all students need to understand basic chemistry principles to gauge the accuracy of media reports. In this webinar, we will present a strategy to introduce fundamental chemistry concepts through a context-first approach using the ACS textbook Chemistry in Context. With chemistry principles woven into discussions on a need-to-know basis, students can easily grasp how chemistry influences their everyday lives. We will describe how a variety of media (e.g., videos, simulations, labs, demos) can be used to initiate in-class discussions and assist students with retaining knowledge outside of the classroom.


- Research Paper on:
 Late Bill Payment Research Paper
 Number of Pages: 5
 Summary of the research paper:
 This 5 page paper uses data supplied by the student to examine if there is a correlation between the lateness of a bill and the amount of the bill. The paper presents a background to the research, hypothesises, data analysis and a conclusion. The bibliography cites 6 sources.
 Name of Research Paper File: TS14_TElatebill.rtf
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 Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
 bill payments 5 Figure 3 Pattern of late residential bill payments 6 1. Background to the Problem The timing of payments on loans or amounts due are key to the cash flow of a company to whom the money is loaned. It is known that as loans become later it the payment may become increasingly difficult to collect and the potential for a default increases (Greenberg, 1997). For companies wishing to avoid taking on collections of more risky debts and for those who already have them, the ability to understand patterns of payments and the ability to predict the way in which these patterns will move will enable better decisions making to take place and increased the effectiveness of any risk assessments that take place (Howells and Bain, 2004). 2. Aims of Research The aim of the research is to look at the different patterns seen with overdue bill payments. The paper will seek to answer the following questions in order to increase the understanding with which late bill payment collections can be managed more efficiently and bill collections company can use to determine which risks they can afford to take on (Blazenko and Vandezande, 2003). The specific questions will include; * Is there any correlation between the amount and lateness of a bill? * Is there any difference between the residential ands the commercial bill payment patterns? * If there is a correlation for either the residential or the commercial costumers, to what extent does the correlation hold. The hypothesis is that First Hypothesis H1 There will be different patterns in payments seen with commercial bills being more likely to be paid later than the residential bills. H0 There is no difference between the bill paying patterns of
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Archaeologists excavating the site of the nation's first presidential mansion have found a trove of 19th-century clay pipe fragments, including one bowl depicting a stereotyped African head.
The pipe fragments, uncovered earlier this week, probably date from the mid-19th century and are therefore not connected directly with the President's House, located at Sixth and Market Streets, the archaeologists said.
But the find is of particular interest, they said, because the focus of the excavation is on the house occupied by George Washington, his family and at least nine slaves during the 1790s. John Adams, Washington's successor, also lived in the house; he was staunchly anti-slavery.
Jed Levin, an archaeologist with the National Park Service, which is conducting the dig in partnership with the city, noted that "one important component" of the project "is the exploration of the racial and racist legacy that allowed human bondage" at the birth of the nation.
"In that context, this [pipe bowl] has relevance in a concrete and material way," Levin said. "It demonstrates the continuing legacy of racism."
Levin and other archaeologists speculated that the pipe and fragments were breakage tossed into the basement of one of the commercial buildings erected on the site after demolition of the President's House in 1832.
Levin said such "Negro-head pipes" and other decorative pipes were quite popular in the middle of the 19th century.
In a related development, Independence National Historical Park officials said the excavation site would remain open this weekend from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to accommodate burgeoning public interest in viewing the work.
A public platform has been erected on Market Street. Park rangers will be on hand to describe what has been uncovered so far.
Previously open only on weekdays, the site was opened last weekend and drew 1,000 visitors, officials said.
Next week, archaeologists expect to begin excavating so-called shaft features on the site — old wells and privies.
If any artifacts from the time of Washington and Adams have survived, they could turn up in those locations.


Pasadena is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Harris County, 15th-largest in Texas, and 159th largest in the United States. The area was founded in 1893 by John H. Burnett of Galveston. Burnett named the area after Pasadena, California because he thought the vegetation was similar. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city's population was 141,674. As of 2007, it is estimated to be at 152,968. The Pasadena Volunteer Fire Department is the largest all volunteer municipal fire department in the United States.
Criminal Appeals Law Lawyers In Pasadena Texas
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CT Cerulean Warbler
Conservation Tales: The Cerulean Warbler
By Tom J. McConnell, illustrated by Sami Pfaff
Meet Alyssa, a girl who wants to know more about a bird she sees at home. She learns about are doing to protect the endangered Cerulean Warbler, and how she can help protect this animal and its habitat. Includes inquiry learning activities suited for school, home or after-school programs. Written for grades 3-5.


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ABOUT THE STATE PLAN
Every five years, the Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities is required by federal law to develop a 5-year strategic plan, outlining goals, objectives and specific activities that will be implemented each year of the plan. With public input and guidance from the Administration on Intellectual Developmental Disabilities, the state plan is developed in accordance with requirements of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (DD Act).
The 2017-2021 State Plan covers the time period from October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2021. It addresses specific information required by the federal Administration on Developmental Disabilities, and includes the Council's determination of areas of emphasis and resulting goals and objectives for the five-year time period. The Council must spend a minimum of 70 percent of its federal funding to address the Plan objectives. All programs and projects of the Council are to be conducted in a manner that respects individual differences and cultural diversity.
STATE PLAN REQUIREMENTS
The DD Act, which provides the framework for how goals and objectives are developed, requires that state plans:
- Be developed through data-driven strategic planning.
- Be derived from the unmet needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.
- Focus on advocacy, capacity building and systems change.
- Reflect the diversity of the state.
- Address needs of populations who are considered unserved and underserved. According to the DD Act, this includes populations such as individuals from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, disadvantaged individuals, individuals with limited English proficiency, individuals from underserved geographic areas (rural or urban) and specific groups of individuals within the population of individuals with developmental disabilities.
In addition, the State Plan must include annual activities that:
- Establish or strengthen a program for the direct funding of a state self-advocacy organization led by individuals with developmental disabilities.
- Support opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities who are considered leaders to provide leadership training to individuals with developmental disabilities who may become leaders.
- Support and expand participation of individuals with developmental disabilities in cross-disability and culturally diverse leadership coalitions.
2017-2021 STATE PLAN
GOAL 1. COMMUNITY SUPPORTS
Promote a comprehensive system that results in self-directed community supports and engagement for people with disabilities.
- Convene a home and community based services workgroup of consumers and key stakeholders to guide the development of policy recommendations and educational materials for legislators and policymakers.
- Advocate for a minimum of (5) five new or amended state or public programs, policies, or practices including improvements to home and community based supports and services, and funding changes that support self-directed community living.
- Support a minimum of (10) ten programs and policies that increase safe, accessible, affordable, and integrated housing and community infrastructure.
- Develop and promote educational and information resources that facilitate community engagement and accessibility.
- Engage with community partners to educate a minimum of 400 people with disabilities and family members about legal rights and remedies to home and community based services and equitable access to services.
- Educate a minimum of 100 direct care providers and families on the importance of recognizing and respecting the autonomy of individuals with disabilities.
GOAL 2: EMPLOYMENT
Increase resources, access and options for competitive, integrated employment at a living wage for people with disabilities.
- Work with partners, including policymakers, employers, and Chambers of Commerce, to develop and implement a plan to double the number of individuals with developmental disabilities who are employed in competitive, integrated employment at minimum wage or higher by 2021.
- Through collaboration with the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Indiana Disability Rights, and the Council, the Developmental Disabilities Network will work with Indiana Association of People Supporting Employment First (INAPSE) and other partners to advocate for the adoption and implementation of a statewide Employment First initiative.
- Increase the employment of youth transitioning from high school to adult life through business, industry, and government partnerships by 10%.
- Promote opportunities for youth and adults with disabilities to develop career pathways that match their interests, skills, and desires.
- Educate a minimum of 50 people with disabilities about opportunities to become self-employed or create a microenterprise.
- Educate a minimum of 250 people with disabilities and family members on work incentives and financial options such as ABLE accounts and special needs trusts.
- Provide information to a minimum of 1,500 educators, guidance counselors, employers, family members, and educational support staff that addresses attitudinal barriers and misperceptions, as well as highlights successes, about the employment of people with disabilities.
- Advocate to abolish the sub-minimum wage while expanding other employment options.
GOAL 3. HEALTH CARE
Reduce disparities through ensuring equal access, health promotion, illness prevention, and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses for people with disabilities.
- Identify and encourage the use of at least (3) three emerging approaches that promote increased access to health care such as telemedicine and home visits.
- Promote healthy lifestyles and illness prevention through patient-focused health care, education, and equitable wellness incentives.
- Identify at least (4) four barriers to women's health care, including preventative screening and healthcare access for women who have disabilities, and develop recommendations to address disparities through outreach, education, and changes to policies and practices.
- Identify and address at least (4) four policy, practice, or funding systems barriers to access to mental health and addiction services for people with disabilities.
- Identify and address at least (5) five educational needs and policy changes to improve appropriate access and respect for people with disabilities in hospitals and other healthcare settings.
GOAL 4. TRANSPORTATION
Increase resources, access, and options for transportation for people with disabilities.
- Identify and address at least (4) four transportation-related policies, practices, or funding barriers to community employment or participation and conduct activities to improve access to transportation and mobility.
- Advocate for changes in Medicaid and waiver regulations and policies related to transportation.
- Identify and train at least 25 transportation service providers on disability etiquette, respect, and rider rights.
- Increase transportation options by recommending policy changes that reduce multijurisdictional issues, promote ride-sharing, and support additional funding sources.
GOAL 5. INCLUSION AND ADVOCACY
Promote full inclusion through educating people with disabilities, their families, and their communities.
- Support a statewide organization(s) led by self-advocates who will train other self-advocates to become leaders and expand participation of individuals with development disabilities in cross-disability and culturally diverse coalitions.
- Assist at least 400 individuals with disabilities and family members to gain the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to influence decisions that affect the lives of people with disabilities.
- Promote mutual understanding and appreciation between people with and without disabilities through a comprehensive campaign and other effort that result in participation of at least 2,000 individuals per year in disability awareness events and activities.
- Support the growth and development of a cross-disability statewide advocacy network to disseminate information and achieve change through nonpartisan political action, community engagement, and public issue forums.
- Serve as a statewide resource to individuals with disabilities, their caregivers, and others by providing educational materials and information about state and community-based resources.
- Promote programs that educate at least 250 law enforcement and first responders on how to properly engage with individuals with disabilities.


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One of the major concepts to understand on the LSAT is the use of formal logic. Formal logic is found predominantly in the Analytical Reasoning section of the LSAT, but it is also found in the Logical Reasoning section in inference questions and assumption questions.
Formal logic is founded on the understanding of necessary and sufficient assumptions. A necessary assumption is something that MUST be true, whereas a sufficient assumption is something that COULD be true. Formal logic is the use of rules to make deductions.
In the Analytical Reasoning section of the LSAT you want to diagram formal logic and necessary/sufficient problems. For If—then statements you want to diagram them as:
If A then B: A —–> B
The left side of the arrow (A) is the sufficient condition, and then right side of the arrow is the necessary condition (B). Thus, it is possible for A to happen (although it doesn't have to happen), but if A does happen then B MUST happen as well.
When you have a conditional statement you can also write the if—–then statement's contra-positive. A contra-positive is just a further deduction that can be made from a conditional statement. To do this you will negate both terms and then flip them to the other side of the arrow.
If A then B: ~B —-> ~A
1) If not X then Y: ~X —–> Y OR ~Y —–> X
2) if not S then not T: ~S —-> ~T OR T —-> S
Another common type of formal logic seen on the LSAT is the "only if" statement. For example, A only if B. Only if means that if A does happen then B must also happen. That means that:
A only if B can be rewritten as: if A then B: A—–> B
Once again the contra-positive would be ~B —-> ~A
Another common type of formal logic seen on the LSAT is the "if and only if" and "if but only if" statements. "If and only If" is a bi-conditional logical connective between statements. This means that the truth of one of these statements requires the reverse to also be true. For example:
A if but only if B can be written as: if A then B AND if B then A: A <—–> B
The contra-positive would be: ~A <—–> ~B
Also, the phrase "if and only if" means the same thing as "if but only if" in terms of formal logic and would be written the same way as the above example.
***"~" means NOT ***


TY - CONF TI - A simple repair mechanism can alleviate computational demands of pragmatic reasoning: simulations and complexity analysis AU - Arkel, Jacqueline van AU - Woensdregt, Marieke AU - Dingemanse, Mark AU - Blokpoel, Mark AB - How can people communicate successfully while keeping resource costs low in the face of ambiguity? We present a principled theoretical analysis comparing two strategies for disambiguation in communication: (i) pragmatic reasoning, where communicators reason about each other, and (ii) other-initiated repair, where communicators signal and resolve trouble interactively. Using agent-based simulations and computational complexity analyses, we compare the efficiency of these strategies in terms of communicative success, computation cost and interaction cost. We show that agents with a simple repair mechanism can increase efficiency, compared to pragmatic agents, by reducing their computational burden at the cost of longer interactions. We also find that efficiency is highly contingent on the mechanism, highlighting the importance of explicit formalisation and computational rigour. C3 - Proceedings of CoNLL 2020 DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 KW - key ER -


SINA Gateways und Ethernet Encryptors
Highly qualified and motivated professionals
Data connections can be encrypted at layer 2 or 3 of the ISO/OSI layermodel. SINA L2 Boxes are particularly suited to the rapid and secure transfer of large quantities of data, for example in mirrored data centres, as they produce no overhead and thus offer the highest possible security and full performance with minimum latency. They are therefore preferred for time-critical applications and heavily utilised connections.
Layer 2 encryption is protocol-independent. The encryption at layer 3, on the other hand, is protocol-dependent (IP-based) and thus more flexible in terms of device selection. This means that more complex environments can be mapped at layer 3. It is possible to configure security connections with gateways, stationary and mobile clients. Encryption can be made at both layers with SINA as point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and multipoint-to-multipoint connections.
Public authorities and corporations can select the encryption method best suited to their specific application.
As a VPN gateway, the SINA L3 Box is a key component of the central IT infrastructure in high-security networks. The data exchange between the SINA components is securely transmitted via encrypted VPN tunnels. SINA L3 Boxes connect public authority or corporate networks via the Internet. In addition, access to (terminal) servers by SINA clients is provided via pre-switched SINA L3 Boxes, which serve as cryptographic network accesspoints.
The holistic security concept of the SINA L3 Box comprises a secure SINA OS system platform, smart card technology, IPSec-protected communication and scaled and configured hardware compliant with approval standards.
The SINA L3 Boxes are approved in various configurations for the transmission of classified material up to and including German SECRET, NATO SECRET and
SECRET UE/EU SECRET. They are used, for example, to protect the IVBV and IVBB networks of the German Federal Administration or to ensure secure communication between all of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' German embassies and the central network nodes in Berlin and Bonn.
The modern workplace needs to be increasingly flexible.There are high expectations in terms of convenience, security and efficiency. However, the reality often looks quite different: regulations regarding internet use and the daily handling of data and documents which serve the required security often are at the expense of convenience and productivity.
With the SINA Workstation as a desktop, notebook or tablet, you can have both security and convenience, online and offline, as you move at will around your trusted working environment. At the same time, you will always have access to data and documents from your working environment: you can use all the functions of your familiar applications and apps, such as email, word processing, presentation slides, spread sheets etc. from anywhere in the world. With a voice and video conference system, you can conduct conversations in real time and your telephone set will become redundant, thus enabling you to reduce telephone costs. Thanks to the tablet's handwriting recognition feature, you always have your notepad with you. Enjoy the mobility and flexibility of your familiar workstation as well as the additional benefit of constant security with the SINA Workstation.
© 2021


Home > Content Index > Salvation > The Gospel > Born again
What does it mean to be a born again Christian?
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Question: "What does it mean to be a born again Christian?"
The classic passage from the Bible that answers this question is John 3:1-21. The Lord Jesus Christ is talking to Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin (the ruling body of the Jews). Nicodemus had come to Jesus at night with some questions.
The phrase "born again" literally means "born from above." Nicodemus had a real need. He needed a change of his heart—a spiritual transformation. New birth, being born again, is an act of God whereby eternal life is imparted to the person who believes (2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-4, 18). John 1:12, 13 indicates that being "born again" also carries the idea of "becoming children of God" through trust in the name of Jesus Christ.
The question logically comes, "Why does a person need to be born again?" The apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1 says, "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins" (NKJV). To the Romans he wrote, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Sinners are spiritually "dead"; when they receive spiritual life through faith in Christ, the Bible likens it to a rebirth. Only those who are born again have their sins forgiven and have a relationship with God.
How does that come to be? Ephesians 2:8-9 states, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." When one is saved, he/she has been born again, spiritually renewed, and is now a child of God by right of new birth. Trusting in Jesus Christ, the One who paid the penalty of sin when He died on the cross, is the means to be "born again." "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).
If you have never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, will you consider the prompting of the Holy Spirit as He speaks to your heart? You need to be born again. Will you pray the prayer of repentance and become a new creation in Christ today? "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God" (John 1:12-13).
Recommended Resource: What Does It Mean to Be Born Again? - Crucial Questions Series by R.C. Sproul
Related Topics:
What does it mean to be born of God?
What is the bad news / good news approach to sharing the gospel?
What is the meaning of spiritual rebirth?
What is a Christian?
How can I become a Christian?
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Chat Lab
ShareIT is an interdisciplinary project, funded by the UK's EPSRC, and is a collaboration between the Chat Lab and the Pervasive Interaction Lab at the Open University.
The project is investigating how a new generation of shareable technologies, designed specifically for more than one person to use at a time, can enable groups to collaborate more effectively. The technologies include gesture-based wall displays, multi-touch tabletops and interactive tangibles.
At Sussex we are exploring children's use of these technologies. Children are not miniature adults, but bring their own cultural context, concerns,cognitive resources and cognitive constraints that all need to be considered: what works for adults won't necessarily work for children. Our first
Children using a digital touch tabletop
study assessed the potential of using a digital touch tabletop to support children's collaborative learning interactions. Children aged 7-10 worked in groups of three on a collaborative planning task to make a seating plan for their classroom. In one condition (single-touch) the tabletop surface was designed to allow only one child to interact with the digital content at a time. In the other condition (multiple-touch), all the children could interact with the digital content at the same time. We found that touch condition did not affect how frequent or how equitable the interactions were, but it did influence the type of discussion children had. In the multiple-touch condition, children talked more about the task in hand; in the single-touch condition,they talked more about turn taking. We also found interesting age and gender differences.
Sheep Game - How does the Sheep game teach about sustainability?
Click here to see a YouTube video the sheep game being played. We conducted an ethnographic study with a multi-touch table in a redundant church using a game exemplifying Garret Hardin's 'Tragedy of the Commons':the tragedy arises through individualistic use of shared, limited resources, as in the use of common land to graze sheep in medieval England.
In the Sheep game, each of 3 players can make as many sheep as they like, to graze on the table and produce jumpers to enrich the player, but as the number of sheep increases, overgrazing occurs, the grass fails to re-generate and the sheep begin to die of starvation. Profitability or sustainability Does the tabletop game help people reflect on the consequences of selfishness, and what happens if we put this technology at the mercy of passers-by 'in the wild'? We are especially interested in how family groups negotiate the dilemmas.


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Author(s): Kebarle P, Verkerk UH
Abstract Share this page
Abstract There is an advantage for users of electrospray and nanospray mass spectrometry to have an understanding of the processes involved in the conversion of the ions present in the solution to ions in the gas phase. The following processes are considered: Creation of charge droplets at the capillary tip; Electrical potentials required and possibility of gas discharges; Evolution of charged droplets, due to solvent evaporation and Coulomb explosions, to very small droplets that are the precursors of the gas phase ions; Production of gas phase ions from these droplets via the Ion Evaporation and Charge residue models; Analytical uses of ESIMS of small ions, qualitative and quantitative analysis; Effects of the ESI mechanism on the analysis of proteins and protein complexes; Determination of stability constants of protein complexes; Role of additives such as ammonium acetate on the observed mass spectra. Copyright 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This article was published in Mass Spectrom Rev
and referenced in Journal of Analytical & Bioanalytical Techniques


#!/usr/bin/perl -w # # compare_sequences.pl # A script to compare two sequences and output the position and base change at each position # # _EMAIL_, 22/02/2011 # # Script used to compare the cured A and C versions of the naive reference sequences # The unigene identifier needs to be the same in both sequences # can also be used to compare a cured sequence to the naive reference sequence # Input the sequences to be compare as fasta files # Outputs a list of the unigene,position within the unigene,and the base in both versions of the sequence at this position use FileHandle; # Hashes my %A=(); my %C=(); # Check arguments unless(_USER_ == 3) { print "Usage: compare_sequences.pl \n"; exit; } # Open FHs open(A, "<$ARGV[0]") or die "Couldn't open inputA fasta file ($!)\n"; open(C, "<$ARGV[1]") or die "Couldn't open inputC fasta file ($!)\n"; open(OUT, ">$ARGV[2]") or die "Couldn't open output file ($!)\n"; _TAG_ in genome A refseqs print "Reading in A genome cured refseq... "; while () { chomp; if (/^>(\S+)(.*)/) { ($id)= $1; } elsif (/^(\w+)$/) { $A{$id}.=$1; } } close A; print "done\n"; _TAG_ in genome C refseqs print "Reading in C genome cured refseq... "; while () { chomp; if (/^>(\S+)(.*)/) { ($id)= $1; } elsif (/^(\w+)$/) { $C{$id}.=$1; } } close C; print "done\n"; foreach my $id (sort keys %A) { my _USER_ = split //, $A{$id}; my _USER_ = split //, $C{$id}; foreach my $pos (0... $_TAG_) { if ( $A[$pos] ne $C[$pos]){ print OUT "$id\t"; print OUT "". $pos+1. "\t"; print OUT "$A[$pos]\t"; print OUT "$C[$pos]\t"; print OUT "\n"; } } } close OUT;


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Introduction to Opera Online
In this course you will have an added opportunity to meet with opera singers and directors when possible.
This course is an intoduction to the standard operatic repertoire in terms of development of musical style, dramatic structure, and performance tradition. Emphasis is on the elements of the art of operatic singing, voice classification, vocal range, technique, and dramatic values.Opportunities for attendance at operatic performances will be provided.
Textbook and Supplies
- Opera for Dummies - 1997 Edition (w/CD) - David Pogue and Scott Speck - ISBN _PHONE_
- Carmen - George Bizet - Black Dog Publishers (2 CD's)
ISBN - _PHONE_
- The Barber of Seville - Rossini - Black Dog Publishers (2 CD's) - ISBN _PHONE_
You can order books online from the Cypress College Bookstore.
The Honors Introduction to Opera Course (Music 118 H) is designed to provide a broader intellectual experience with increased critical thinking, analysis, discussion and/or writing skills. Honors students will extend the range of reference matierials to include opera libretti, opera music journals such as Opera News and online resources from major opera companies such as the New York Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera,.Los Angeles Opera and San Diego Opera.
Opera Attendance Requirement and Review
We will be attending 1 live opera performance A Night at the Opera and watching 2 opera DVD's called Opera Movie Nights in class. A schedule and ticket information will be given the first Orientation meeting. Students will complete an Opera Review for the live opera presentation.


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A survey of childhood blindness in three schools for the blind in Zambia
Aim: To assess the causes and distribution of blindness in children in three schools for the blind in Zambia, and to estimate the average cost of primary education per child per year. The results of this study will be used to develop baseline data for planning a nationwide intervention.
Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative component, conducted in three schools for the blind in Zambia. The World Health Organization Prevention of Blindness childhood blindness proforma was used to collect data and a questionnaire on cost was developed and administered to the head teachers. The data were recorded in Excel and analysed in the Epi InfoTM statistical software package, version 6.
Results: A total of 133 children were examined. The sex distribution was 91 males (68.4%) and 42 females (31.6%), giving a male to female ratio of 2.2:1. The age range was 6-24 years with a mean age of 13.9 years. A total of 64.7% of the children were below 16 years of age. Whereas 1.5% of the children were found to have no visual impairment, the majority (60.9%) were blind. The major anatomical site for visual loss was the retina (30.8%). Oculocutaneous albinism accounted for 68.3% of all visual loss affecting the retina. Hereditary diseases (36.8%) were the most common cause. Measles and vitamin A deficiency combined accounted for 65.2% of all causes due to childhood factors. A total of 60.2% of children were blind from conditions that could have been avoided. Fifty per cent of children changed visual status from blind to severely visually impaired after refraction. Overall, 23.3% of children were recommended for enrolment into mainstream education. The three schools had unique features, which meant there was a wide variation between them in the total yearly cost per pupil. It was therefore not possible to determine a yearly cost per child that could be used as a guide for the whole country.
Conclusion: If low vision aids are provided, a significant proportion of visually impaired children can be given the same opportunities and educational experiences as sighted children.
Using the key informant method to investigate childhood blindness related to vitamin A deficiency disorder in six rural sub-districts in Bangladesh
Aim: This study was undertaken to assess the prevalence, causes, and risk factors of childhood blindness related to vitamin A deficiency disorder (VADD) in six rural sub-districts in Bangladesh.
Methods: The study was carried out in rural sub-districts of Kishoreganj during June and July 2006. Risk factors of VADD-related childhood blindness were explored in six rural sub-districts. The key informant method of identifying blind children was used for the study. Key informants are unpaid volunteers from the local community who know their community very well. After receiving training from the field team of the Child Sight Foundation, the key informants had two weeks to identify blind children and motivate parents to bring the child for an eye examination. A cross-sectional study design was used to determine the prevalence and causes of childhood blindness for the Kishoreganj district. A case-control study was carried out to explore the risk factors of VADD-related childhood blindness.
Results: Prevalence of childhood blindness in Kishoreganj was found to be 1.03/1,000 children; 32.7% of all children with severe visual impairment/blindness (SVI/BL) had lens disorders leading to blindness. Corneal opacity was the cause of SVI/BL in 23.4% of the study children. Thirty per cent of children were severely visually impaired or blind due to hereditary diseases and 27.1% were severely visually impaired or blind due to childhood factors. Overall, 37.8% children were severely visually impaired or blind due to treatable eye conditions. Illiteracy of mother (odds ratio [OR]=2.45), illiteracy of father (OR=1.74), mother's disease in pregnancy (OR=3.74), child not receiving vitamin A capsule during diarrhoea (OR=5.01), and child not receiving vitamin A capsule during measles (OR=3.88) appeared as significant risk factors for VADD-related childhood blindness. The following were found to be significant protective factors against vitamin A deficiency in children: child immunised against measles (OR=0.10); colostrum given to child (OR=0.15); child breastfed (OR=0.13); child given dark green leafy vegetables (OR=0.01); child given meat/fish/eggs (OR=0.08); oil/fat used in child's food (OR=0.14); vitamin A capsule given to child in last year (OR=0.31); vitamin A-rich food eaten during pregnancy (OR=0.02); and antihelminthics given to child (OR=0.15).
Conclusion: A comprehensive and integrated programme is needed to control the high prevalence of childhood blindness in the Kishoreganj district. The control programme should include primary prevention strategies for VADD-related blindness, strategies to identify children with eye disease at an early age, and referral and treatment of children with cataract. These programmes should take a primary eye care approach to highlight the risk factors and protective factors of VADD-related blindness in children.
Use of key informants in determining the magnitude and causes of childhood blindness in Chikwawa district, southern Malawi
Background: Population-based studies to determine the magnitude and causes of childhood blindness require very large sample sizes and are very costly. Alternative methods such as the key informant method (which is cheap and easy to use) have been found to be as reliable as population-based studies in settings where the population is very dense.
Aims: To determine the magnitude and causes of childhood blindness in Chikwawa district, Malawi, using the key informant method; to see how this method can be used in a setting of low population density, where the population is widely dispersed.
Methods: Key informants are local people who know their community well. They were randomly selected by the communities themselves and trained for one day in techniques to identify children in the community who are blind. Each key informant covered on average 4-7 villages which were widely dispersed. Identified children were examined by the ophthalmologist to confirm the diagnosis.
Results: A group of 44 key informants was selected and trained. There were more female (80%) than male (20%) key informants. The key informants correctly identified 37 children who were blind in 196 villages (86% of the expected number from the area). The prevalence of childhood blindness was found to be 0.09%. Cataract was found to be the most common cause (35%) of childhood blindness, followed by corneal scarring (22%).
Conclusion: The key informant method was found to be cheap and useful in identifying children who are blind, even in areas where the population is widely dispersed. We recommend that this method be used to identify children who are blind in other districts of Malawi and where population-based surveys cannot be conducted.
A national survey of visual impairment in Botswana
Aims: To estimate the prevalence and determine the causes of visual impairment in people aged 50 years and older in Botswana, and to assess cataract surgical services in the country.
Methods: Multi-stage cluster randomised sampling with probability proportional to size was used to select a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of 2,662 adults aged 50 years and older. Demographic details were collected for each of the subjects. This was followed by measurement of distance visual acuity. The crystalline lenses of all the subjects were examined for cataract. All those whose vision did not improve to 6/18 with pinhole had their pupils dilated with a short-acting mydriatic and their fundus examined. Subjects with vision <6/60 due to cataract were asked why they had not had surgery. Blindness was defined as vision <3/60 in the better eye with available correction and visual impairment as vision <6/18 in the better eye with available correction. The convention used by the World Health Organization, of assigning the major cause to the disorder most amenable to treatment, was used for those with more than one disorder causing visual impairment.
Results: A total of 2,127 eligible subjects were examined (79.9% response rate) from 55 clusters. Of those, 130 were blind. The age and sex-standardised prevalence of blindness was calculated to be 3.69% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.38-5.00%). A total of 56 had severe visual impairment (ageand sex-standardised prevalence of 1.69%, 95% CI 1.04-2.33%). The main causes of blindness were cataract (46.9%), diabetic retinopathy (20.0%), non-trachomatous corneal opacities (13.1%), and trachoma (6.2%). Cataract was also the main cause of both severe (58.9%) and moderate (40.2%) visual impairment. Refractive errors were responsible for 38.5% of moderate visual impairment. In total, 55 (37%) of the eyes had best corrected vision <6/60 after cataract surgery. The ageand sex-standardised cataract surgical coverage for vision <3/60 was 66.5% for persons and


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22 repetitive questions for early French language learners. Two types of questions are highlighted:
As-tu déjà …?
Each questions asks about a winter activity. Find out who has already gone ice-fishing and who likes hockey.
Activities include skiing, snowboarding, skating, sliding, curling, playing hockey, ice fishing, snowmobiling, making a snowman and snowshoeing
11 different recording sheets are also included for students to survey their classmates or copy the names from the board.


text: The launch of the Nintendo Wii at the end of 2006 introduced a revolutionary concept of interaction with computer games through gestures. For the first time, gamers had the ability to use natural, expressive movements to control game play. Furthermore, the use of input devices with haptic feedback is increasing as it allows users to utilize more of their natural senses, creating richer and more intuitive experiences. The design challenge was to transfer these advantages to industrial applications. The sWand allows users to break away from touchscreen displays and control complex machines using gestures.


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Sudan is preparing to vote on January 9 to decide if the South will become independent from the North. Sudan is a huge country (2.5 million km2), with an estimated population of 44 million people, but it's poorly mapped. Without basic geospatial information, it's difficult for humanitarian agencies and first responders to monitor and evaluate the risks and current needs, target their efforts, and mobilize proper resources.
If you've knowledge of Southern Sudan, an interest in mapping, and some free time, Google encourage you to join the effort. With tools such as Google Map Maker and Sudan Vote Monitor, you've the opportunity to take concrete action by improving the map, helping to monitor and report human rights violations in near-real time and providing insight into the socio-political climate prevalent in the country and region.
Items that you can map:
- Towns and town names (Arabic and local names especially)
- Roads (in-town roads as well) and trails
- Displaced persons camps
- Cultural landmarks
- Geographic landmarks
- Orphanages, shelters etc.
- Community centers
- Border crossing points
- Nomadic camps
- Markets and large cattle gathering points
[tags]vote,voting, map maker,sudan,arabic,maps,landmarks[/tags]


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Here are several videos to jump start your learning of the vowel sounds in both English and Spanish! Later this week I will send you some other cool teaching tips regarding this topic.
I am not certain in this first video if the little boy is enjoying teaching us the vowel sounds in the English language, but we all know that children really enjoy watching other children so here it goes:
This song just goes on and on and on with the English vowel sounds, but repetition is the key to learning. I know that children find it catchy and jump around like crazy when they hear it:
In Spanish you will find this video catchy, short, and cute to introduce the vowel sounds:
This children's video on YouTube is with Mickey teaching the Spanish vowel sounds! The quality of the sound is not so great, but I have not met a child who doesn't love learning with Mickey Mouse:
Happy Educating! ¡Sea feliz educando!


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Sustainable Change – A Simple Approach to Eating Better in 2013
Making Kimchi for Winter Health
This post is excerpted from The Entwife's Journal.
But there are a proportionately large number of people who make resolutions and set goals and never fulfill them. Why is that? I think it is in part because those goals and changes are not really sustainable and so we are set up for failure. In order to succeed we need to look at our new year goals and figure out how to sustain them. That often means we need to set smaller goals or make them smaller steps that build on one another.
So if your goal is to eat healthier in the new year how can you break that into smaller more sustainable pieces?
 - Make a list of several different ways you could be healthier
 1. Add in fermented foods to your diet.
 2. Start making bone broth.
 3. Start soaking your grains.
 4. Make sourdough bread rather than buying bread.
 5. Stop eating gluten.
You can get the idea. The above are 5 possible choices, all of which would make anyone's life healthier who is not already doing these things.
 - Pick one of the above or something else that you feel would be a good choice for you.
 - Brainstorm some different ways to implement your choice. Make a list of utensils, ingredients,etc that you will need to make your changes.
 - Find a friend who also wants to make changes and get some agreement on accountability.
 - Write down what you plan to do and if it looks too big, break it into smaller parts.
 - Set your day to begin and jump in.
How would this look if you want to eat more fermented foods?
Read More on The Entwife's Journal
The Pilgrims in 1621: Agriculture
First Thanksgiving by Brownscombe
As the American holiday of Thanksgiving is celebrated we often will hear some bit of the story of the Pilgrims and their "First Thanksgiving." Regrettably, their story is often boiled down to the basics and we lose some of its fullness. Here I want to flesh out a small part of the story concerning the Pilgrims' work in agriculture.
In the spring of 1621 the Pilgrims and the Indian tribes planted and worked in the fields of agriculture. We can see that both the English and the native tribes had skills and abilities the other lacked. We read in William Bradford's book Of Plymouth Plantation, "Afterwards they…began to plant their corn, in which service Squanto stood them in great stead, showing them both the manner how to set it, and after how to dress and tend it." Squanto and the Indian tribes had great experience with the land that the English lacked. They had a history of learning from mistakes and finding what worked. They knew the right seeds to plant. Squanto taught the English to fertilize their corn with the fish that would spawn in the river nearby at just the right time. If they didn't, the nutrients in the land would get used up.
Pilgrims with Samoset
Here we can recognize that God provided the Indians with fish that would spawn at just the right time to fertilize the land so they could eat and live. As Matthew 5:45 says, God "makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." Here the Pilgrims reaped the benefits of working with the pagan tribes by learning the good things God had given them. This was a very providential blessing as their own seed did not do well, but thanks to this help they had enough food. But despite God's blessing on the native tribes, they were not exactly prosperous and thriving. The help was not all one sided, as we can see from an event that happened two months later.
It had been a little time since the English had seen Massasoit and so they sent two men along with Squanto to meet with him. This expedition had several objectives. First, to reaffirm peace with Massasoit and to keep a good relationship with him. Second, to exchange for seed for experimentation. The Pilgrims wanted to make sure that had a variety of things planted in case some failed. Third, to find out which tribe it was that they had taken corn from in the winter, so they could pay them back for it. Fourth, to explore the area around them. And fifth, to limit hungry visitors. It is this last objective that shows something about the Indians' work ethic and food production. What was happening was there were many Indians that were taking advantage of the Pilgrim's hospitality and staying there eating up their food. The Pilgrims wanted to be hospitable, but did not want to run out of food and so asked Massasoit to limit visitors to the amount they could handle. They were generous with gifts and hospitality, but did not want to become welfare providers, especially when they couldn't afford it.
Pilgrims with Wampanoag
As the small expedition went out they could start to see why many Indians preferred to get the food from the English. The Indians, despite having a great abundance of natural resources, still struggled in having a stable food supply and clean habitations. As Edward Winslow (one of the two men on the expedition) says in his book Mourt's Relation, describing a meager meal they had with Massasoit, "this meal only we had in two nights and a day, and had not one of us bought a partridge we had taken our journey fasting…he was to have us stay with them longer: but we desired to keep the Sabbath at home: and feared we should either be light-headed for want of sleep, for with bad lodging, the savages' barbarous singing (for they use to sing themselves asleep), lice and fleas within doors, and mosquitoes without, we could hardly sleep all the time of our being there; we much fearing that if we should stay any longer, we should not be able to recover home for want of strength." Bradford remarks concerning this lack of prosperity among the Indians, "For the Indians used then to have nothing so much corn as they have since the English have stored them with their hows, and seen [the Englishmen's] industry in breaking up new grounds therewith." On their trip some Indians desired that the Englishmen kill some crows, because they had been ruining the corn. There the two Englishmen with their superior weapons killed 80 crows in an afternoon.
We can see that the Indians benefited both from observing the English work ethic, and the technology it produced (such as guns and hows). This work ethic had come from the long history of Christendom where it had been taught that work is worship to God, that work is a blessing, that we are created to work and produce to the glory of God, that our first command from God is to "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion" (Gen. 1:28).
Even the monks in the Middle Ages were taught this and spent much of their time in working and agriculture. The Protestant Reformation continued this and expanded it with its teaching of vocation, that the farmer and the pastor are both doing God's work. The Pilgrims understood the importance of work and produced great things. When my family and I were in Plymouth in 2009 we saw a mill built only fifteen years after the Pilgrims first landed. It was amazingly intricately designed with all sorts of wheels, gears, stones, and levers–and it's still working! We can see that the Christianity of the Pilgrims made them hard-working, productive, and a relatively prosperous society. It was this culture that built America.
Read more at The Christian Philosophy of Food
There's a Food Crisis and You are the Solution
Food is not what it used to be, at least not the food found at the supermarket. The modern world boasts of a bountiful harvest provided by technology – the wonders of industrialization applied to agriculture. But the result of this production system has largely become one of turning a few crops into commodities and engineering a vast new sea of "foods" from them. The modern western (and especially U.S.) diet largely consists of highly processed food products, far removed in form and nutrition from the original life form that they came from.
The Industrialization of Food
This commoditization of food has been greatly aided by government subsidies for corn and soy, to the benefit of the food processing and fast food/junk food industries. The creation of very cheap inputs into factory foods by government policy is a foundational contributor to the change in the nature of food in America over the past several decades. This, combined with the cultural changes valuing mobility and convenience over family time and traditional cooking, have led the sea change in the way that Americans interact with food.
The results have been devastating. We now have widespread (if not epidemic) rates of obesity, heart disease, cancer of all kinds, food allergies, and behavioral problems linked to poor digestion and gut health. It is not coincidental that these changes have come with the change in the American diet and lifestyle. Causal is a better term to describe it.
Industrial Agriculture
Industrial farming has leveraged economies of scale to produce for the mass market through factory farming, but the land, animals, and humans have suffered the consequences in falling nutritional quality and illness caused by chemical farming techniques. And industrial farming is petroleum based farming, turning oil into food.
The era


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This article looks at the nature of a valve driving a resonant load, and a method for determining the resonant load impedance for a given load line and drive conditions using a Triode in Class B grounded grid. The techniques are extensible to other valve types, other active devices and other Classes, though some of the waveform factors change.
RF amplifiers with resonant load can be operated in a range of classes which identifies the anode conduction angle with sinusoidal grid-cathode drive voltage. Those of interest in this article are:
There are sub classes of AB, namely AB2 and AB1 to denote whether or not grid current flows during the input cycle.
The first three of these classes are suited to linear amplification of amplitude modulated RF waveforms such as SSB, AM etc. Most amplifiers for SSB telephony operate in Class AB, but with conduction angles that are very close to 180°, so much so that a first approximation as a Class B amplifier is a good starting point.
In the case of Class B amplifiers, the anode current with sinusoidal drive is not sinusoidal, it is a distorted sine wave.
Above in blue is a plot of the instantaneous anode current in an ideal Class B amplifer. The anode current 'pulses' rather than conducting for a whole cycle as in a Class A amplifier. The current pulses in this case flow for exactly 180° of the input cycle, and it can be seen that it resembles a rectified sine wave.
The anode current waveform contains a DC component (orange), an RF component at the frequency of the input signal (magenta), and harmonics of that frequency (not shown). The harmonics diminish in magnitude with increasing order.
The properties of this half sinusoid are used in the following analysis.
The simplest way that this anode current can be used for an RF transmitter is to use the anode current to develop power in the output circuit at the fundamental frequency and negligible output at the harmonics. What is needed is a load that offers a very low impedance at the harmonics so negigible power is developed, and a suitable resistance at the fundamental to develop the desired output power with the available voltage swing and fundamental component of current.
Valve datasheets usually contain a graph of anode characteristics. They come in two forms, both are usable for the purpose of designing the stage.
Above is the constant anode current characteristics of an Eimac 3-500Z triode which will be used as an example to demonstrate an effective design process. The design objective is for 1000W RF output power from the amplifier.
The datasheet states some maximum ratings that constrain the design, the key ones are here are that maximum DC voltage is 4000V, maximum DC anode current is 0.4A and maximum anode dissipation is 500W. Limits might be stated differently in different datasheets, Ia pk, Ik RMS are other examples.
So, for the sake of this example, lets take the DC power supply to be 3150V. Note that in grounded grid operation, the valve operates at a slighly higher DC component of anode to cathode voltage as the drive voltage adds to the DC supply voltage.
Another important constraint is the minimum anode voltage. If the instantaneous anode voltage is driven too low, excessive grid current may damage the grid, and in any event, linearity is degraded. To obtain 1000W from the amplifier, anode current will need to be driven up to the high end of the curves, and it can be seen from Fig 2 that the anode current lines rapidly change slope and grid current increases rapidly below 500V anode to cathode voltage. Lets use 400V as the minimum anode voltage.
The next step is to draw a line on the anode characteristics that plots the combinations of anode voltage and grid voltage that will occur over the input cycle. This is know as a Load Line, and finding the load line can be an iterative process where the results of the first drawn load line suggests some changes and so an improved load line is drawn.
Forming the initial load line for an ideal Class B amplifier is a series of simple steps.
Anode efficiency is the ratio of RF power at the anode to DC power. Note that the DC power includes here the effect of drive voltage in a grounded grid amplifier.
We need to calculate the available voltage swing and from that the anode efficiency.
The available voltage swing in a grounded grid amplifier is the sum of DC supply voltage and peak grid - cathode drive voltage (which gives the effective DC anode to cathode voltage) less the minimum anode voltage. For the example, it can be seen that peak grid - cathode voltage is about 130V, so using the other items mentioned earlier, anode - cathode RF voltage will be 3150+130-400=2880V pk.
For a perfectly linear Class B amplifier, anode efficiency equals π/4*Varfpk/Vakdc=3.14/4*2880/3280=68.9%.
To calculate the RF power at the anode for our target 1000W output, we need to make an assumption of the efficiency of the output network. For most practical HF pi couplers, efficiency should be 95% or better. Lets use 95%.
So, for 1000W output, the RF power at the anode must be the desired ouput power divided by the network efficiency, or 1000/0.95=1053W in this case.
We have estimated the anode efficiency, and we now know the RF power at the anode, so we can calculate the anode dissipation. It is Parf*(1/ηa-1) where ηa is the anode efficiency, so 1053(1/.689-1)=475W, just within the 500W maximum.
Knowing the RF power at the anode, and the voltage swing, we can calculate the peak anode current, it is 2*Parf/Varfpk=4*1053/(2880-130)=1.532A. The DC component of anode current is Ipk/π=1.532/3.14=0.488A. The RF component of anode current is Ipk/2=1.532/2=0.766A.
The required resonant load impedance can be calculated from the anode RF voltage and current, Ra=Varfpk/Iarfpk=(2880-130)/0.766=3590Ω.
The above information allows us to plot the intial load line on the anode characteristics. The left hand point will be at Vamin, Iapk or 400,1.5 in this case, and the right hand one at Vakdc,0, 3280,0.
Above, the initial load line plotted on the anode characteristics.
Above is a clip of a tool (Calculate initial load line of valve RF amplifier) to perform the calculations described in the foregoing text.
Note that in this case, Idc exceeds the datasheet maximum of 0.4A. If the output power requirement is respecified as 800W, Idc comes in just below 400mA for a conservative design, but the nearly 0.5mA for 1000W output is unlikely to degrade valve life in SSB telephony. The 800W output would be a better design target for high duty cycle modes.
Practical Class AB RF amplifiers depart from ideal Class B, partly due to the slightly increased conduction angle, but mostly because of the non-ideal transfer characteristics of real valves.
Eimac's RF Power Amplifier Tube Performance Computer based on the work of E L Chaffee provides a method for a more practical analysis that takes into the account the valve's transfer characteristics. The method of the Eimac's RF Power Amplifier Tube Performance Computer is a bit laborious by hand and relies on some pre-established Fourier analyses. Modern computer technology provides a better solution, the same underlying method applied in a spreadsheet that calculates not just the transfer characteristic, but the Fourier analsis in real time.
The Ia/Vg transfer characteristic along the load line determined above is entered into the Characteristic Sheet.
Above is a plot of the intered data points (blue) and a cubic spline interpolation which will be used to calculate the anode current waveform.
Above the calculated distorted anode current waveform (blue), and the DC (orange) and RF components (magenta) calculated by Fast Fourier Transform of the anode current waveform. Grid bias has been adjusted for about 0.07mA quiescent current, and drive level adjusted for 1000W output.
Above are the calculated results from RFPATPC. Note the similarity to the figures for the ideal Class B amplifier in Fig 4, the ideal Class B analysis gives a very good estimate of the load line and some key performance characteristics. The difference depends on how closely a valve approaches ideal linearity, and how much quiescent current is added to the mix.
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© Copyright: Owen Duffy 1995, 2012. All rights reserved. Disclaimer.


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Researchers at the Vienna University of Technology improved 3D-printing technology using two-photon lithography, they developed a process by which one can generate three-dimensional objects, they are several orders of magnitude faster and smaller than the existing counterparts. In the process of 3D printing using liquid resin that hardens in place, which focuses the laser beam. Coordination of the beam by means of movable mirrors, which allows to produce parts from a solid polymer with up to hundreds of nanometers.
1. Micro-model race car.
4. This new solution allows you to create complex structured sculptures not bigger than grains of sand. "Until now this technique has been used quite slowly," said by Prof. Jürgen Stampfl (Jürgen Stampfl) from the Institute of Materials Science and Technology of Vienna University of Technology. "Previously, the print speed is measured in millimeters per second – our device can operate at speeds of up to five meters per second."
6. A total of 4 minutes, it can generate 100 layers, consisting of 200 lines each, at a speed of five meters of solidified polymer in a second. In the two-photon lithography, it is actually a world record.
7. Scientists in Vienna are currently developing a biocompatible resin compositions for medical use. For example, 3D – the printer can be used to create special "scaffolding" to ensure the proper information of biological tissues for growth and reproduction of cells, as well as for other biomedical technologies and nanotechnology.


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Fly masks paired with an insect repellant, can greatly reduce the amount of stress faced by your horse during fly season. An alternative to traditional insect repellants, we also carry feed throughs which when ingested can help ward off pesky insects without the use of sprays.
Dr. Timothy Gibb, Clinical Professor of Entomology at Purdue Agricultural University in Indiana, explained: "Fly masks are used to relieve the stress that a horse deals with when continually fighting flies – primarily the face fly. Face flies are persistent and annoying while they feed around the eyes and nose of horses. They are capable of transmitting eye-worm to horses but this is not common. The mask simply acts as a physical barrier between the horse and the flies."


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Country of Origin: United States of America
Overall: 6ft x 7ft (182.88 x 213.36cm)
Frame: Aluminum, with circuit boards attached. Wires in interior.
This is a CRAY-1, an early example of a class of computers called "supercomputers." It was built by Cray Research, Inc. of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and installed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. Unlike most computers, it was hand-wired, and its circuits were arranged in a three-quarters circle. Both helped increase the speeds at which signals travel from one part of the computer to another. Hefty power supplies are located below each of the circuit bays, and the padding on them suggests a piece of lounge furniture.
At NCAR, the machine was used between 1977 and 1983, where it performed complex calculations involving the numerical modeling of weather phenomena. As the speeds of ordinary workstations increased over the years, it became obsolete and was donated to the Smithsonian.
Gift of Cray Research, Inc.


The Freedom of Knowledge, The Power of Thought ©
Rock Electricity and the Source of Gravity
Editor's Note: This is an extremely important report which deserves ones fullest attention and careful scrutiny. It deals with the subject of gravity ~ what it is and what creates it. The orthodox view is that gravity is a function of mass. The greater the mass, the greater the force of attraction exerted. However, the conventional explanation falls on its face in a number of instances explained later in this article. To understand how gravity is created, we must recognize the existence of the Ether (or Aether), an extremely fine "fluid-like" substance, much, much lighter than an electron, which pervades and penetrates all things within our universe. You'll never find any of the concepts or observations mentioned here in any school curriculum or taught by any science teacher, yet the "shielding model" explanations given here fits the observed facts much better than that of the Newtonian view.
I'm grateful to the author, Waves Forest, for sending me this extraordinary report and giving me the opportunity to present it to a wider audience. I've taken the liberty to add bold type and italics to emphasize key words or concepts that are pivotal to its understanding. I've also embedded links to books, articles and videos that support the information being presented here. Interested readers or web site owners are encouraged to freely reproduce this article in its entirety provided full attribution be given to its author and this url source.
The quest for truth is at the heart of the human experience. The knowledge being explained here was known to Nikola Tesla in the latter half of the 19th Century and it could have greatly benefited all of humanity for more than a 100 years had it not been ruthlessly suppressed in 1904 by JP Morgan who stopped construction of Tesla's Long Island Wardenclyffe tower, which was based on Ether-extracted Radiant energy, and could have provided unlimited free electricity and telephone service for millions of American homes. Let's hope the 21st Century doesn't have to wait another 100 years to discover the truth that curious thinkers like T. Townsend Brown and dedicated investigators like Waves Forest, have worked so hard to preserve and make known to the world....Ken Adachi]
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From Waves Forest (Winter 2019)
February 6, 2019
Rock Electricity and the Source of Gravity by Waves Forest (Feb. 6, 2019)
Facebook Censorship
Visiting Thomas Townsend Brown
Thomas Townsend BrownIn the Spring of 1978, Townsend Brown showed me around the lab at his home in Sunnyvale, California. It turned out to be just minutes from the patent library where I'd spent many hours studying and copying his and others' patents, while working on Free Energy: Healing the Earth. He liked the article, and that invitation to visit was extended through the publisher Tom Valentine, the first to print it, in the January 1978 National Exchange.
Most of Brown's lab at that time was devoted to his investigation into petrovoltaics, or rock electricity. This was an outgrowth of his earlier work with man-made dielectrics, which had led to his groundbreaking and sky-opening discovery of electrokinetics, aka electrogravitics or the "Biefeld-Brown Effect" (his professor Paul Biefeld got top billing).
His experimental setup consisted of several specimens of granite and basalt, each from several inches to a foot thick, with copper painted on their flat opposite faces. They were like big capacitors with thick rocks where the insulator would usually be. Each specimen was connected to an electrostatic voltmeter, for measuring low currents, via wires running to the copper-painted faces. The greatest output came from a specimen inside a sealed container, which he politely declined to identify.
The rocks we could see each emitted about one volt per foot thickness of rock. The current was proportional to the surface area painted with copper.
An aspect of the phenomenon that was fascinating him was the source of the variations in the amount of electricity emitted by the rocks. The daily fluctuation was the most pronounced. The peak output was around 30% greater than the minimum. All specimens showed the same regular variation in output, at the same time. Brown had hooked graph tracers to the voltmeters' output, to generate a precise continuous record.
Although the output fluctuation cycled over a 24-hour period, it didn't correlate with the sun's position. Brown had just recently established, to his excitement, that the rocks' electrical emissions peaked when the core of our galaxy was directly overhead.
This daily increase suggested a likely source for the rocks' electrical output. Brown tentatively guessed that the strongest emissions of gravity waves (or gravitons or whatever it turns out causes gravity) were probably coming from the heart of the galaxy. So the source of the electricity could be gravity waves being shifted into electromagnetic energy by the rocks' crystalline structure.
On hearing this, I had to wonder if this might be part of the mechanism under which a shielding model of gravity could operate. There could be huge implications for deep geomorphology and hydrology, planetary physics and even hollow or honeycomb planet theories. Absorption of gravitational "pressure" by rock layers converting it into electricity could account for the measured decrease in gravity at great depths underground, for subsurface waters emerging from rocks high above any likely aquifers, for small asteroids orbiting each other and generally behaving as if their surface gravities are far higher than standard theories predict, for a whole assortment of discrepancies in lunar observations, and so on.
However I did not at that time feel I could discuss these possibilities with Townsend Brown, for a few reasons.
First, I couldn't think of a way to pursue the implications without involving his electrogravitational work, which he'd gently made clear that he was still not free to discuss, beyond what was already known through his patents and early articles. We couldn't even talk about the particulars of whatever non-disclosure he'd agreed to. (Though he did provide a very oblique confirmation of his participation in the infamous "Philadelphia Experiment", which we'll get to later.)
Next, it's one thing to obtain a new scientific insight, but quite another to have the technical chops to explain it persuasively. By any conventional measure, I wasn't even qualified to have written the article that sparked the invitation to visit his lab. Also I was both star-struck, or whatever the frontier science version of that would be, and excessively cautious. Here was this guy who basically invented anti-gravity about fifty years earlier, which we all still weren't allowed to use, for reasons way outside the scope of this report, but sufficiently paranoid readers are welcome to guess.
These factors still apply forty years later to the rather obvious question, why did this story take so long to write? Parts of it were set down years ago, then put on hold until now. I did address a few aspects in the Space-Age Snow-job section of the 1986 version of Further Connections, but since then have mostly left it alone except for a few radio discussions.
A more immediate concern is: should there be yet another digression to answer that question here, or should we get back to the main story already and digress later? Well what do you think?
Is Gravity Due to Masses Blocking Etheric Pressure?
In 1975, George W. Van Tassel advised me to consider a shielding model of gravity. I'm not indicating here whether I endorse all Van Tassel's claims, but in all fairness, it was also through his writings that I first learned about T. T. Brown's work.
The so-called standard model describes gravity's behavior, or much of it, but has never come up with a plausible cause for it. "Curved space-time" has long been the placeholder, but that's only provable through mathematical manipulation, not direct observation. We can't actually see that extra dimension through which that curvature would have to occur. And it just kicks the central question down the road; how exactly does matter or energy curve space-time? Everyone is expected to just take it on faith, along with the general relativity from which it is derived. The vast majority of humans don't speak higher math, and we have no way to directly verify or falsify the alleged curvature. And relativity's persistent inability to reconcile with quantum mechanics does not help matters.
Beyond invoking the gospel according to Einstein, mainstream astrophysicists have mostly shied away from this most basic question: what really causes gravity? The equations used to calculate orbits work well enough, why focus on embarrassing discrepancies? High on the list of such would be the conventional assumptions about various planets' and moons' surface gravities, which do not match actual observations.
A properly framed shielding model could explain not only the actions of gravity, but also its cause.
Over the past century or so, several researchers have independently proposed various versions of a shielding model. In this interpretation, rather than being "attracted" to each other by a force of unknown origin, masses are actually being pushed together by the pressure of the interstellar medium, from which they shield each other.
Now it may seem odd to describe a vacuum as exerting pressure. But here we are considering space as a very thin fluid, a "space-juice" so fine-grained that it permeates everything floating in it, whether matter, energy, plasma or nano-dust. Matter consists almost entirely of empty space, but let's say that space is ether in motion, exerting some drag on matter's subatomic particles, or wave patterns. Then the combined effects of this drag would include pushing matter toward other matter. (In case it isn't obvious, Ether in this usage