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The highly complex steps in the mountain carving process at Crazy Horse can be summed up in relatively simple terms. We are making a very large duplicate of Korczak's sculpture to tell the story of North American Indian cultures. That artwork depicts the Lakota warrior, Crazy Horse, seated on his horse and pointing over the horse's head as he says, "My lands are where my dead lie buried." In order to convey that powerful story on a monumental scale on the mountain we follow three basic steps: 1) measure Korczak's model; 2) measure the mountain; 3) remove all the rock that doesn't fit! In reality each of these steps gets quite complex and requires the use of powerful tools and techniques, but the guiding principles remain quite simple.
The members of the Crazy Horse mountain crew are experts in precision blasting, equipment operation and engineering. They maintain a strong emphasis on safety in all steps of the operation and are proud to have an outstanding safety record. Here's a little closer look at each of the meticulously detailed steps this team carries out to carve the mountain:
Measuring systems have evolved steadily during the 60-year history of the mountain carving. Korczak relied on artistic estimates and his incredibly practiced eye and natural feel for dimensions and scale. After his death, his family and the mountain crew developed a mechanical pointing system to measure the 1/34th scale model of Crazy Horse's face. After completion of the face, we designed and built another mechanical pointing system to measure the 1/300th scale model of the entire carving. More recently laser scanning methods have been used to measure the 1/34th scale model and just in the past year brand new technology has been used to measure the 1/300th scale model with a laser scanning arm. Monique Ziolkowski is currently working to build a 1/60th scale model that will combine the artistic elements of Korczak's story with dimensions and geologic details from the mountain. Some combination of mechanical pointing systems and laser scanning technology will likely be used to measure this model when it is complete.
Korczak used a combination of his artistic eye, tape measures and a beautiful old theodolite (survey instrument) to determine the basic location of his model within the mountain and begin the process of removing excess rock. A 60-foot long measuring boom was fixed to the top of Crazy Horse's head in 1987 to direct the work on the face. A plumb bob suspended from that measuring boom was used to transfer numbers from the pointing system on the 1/34th model of Crazy Horse's face.
When work moved beyond the face in 1998, a survey control system was developed and a modern survey instrument was used to measure the entire mountain. This instrument, known as a total station, measures very precise angles and distances from known control points to calculate 3 dimensional coordinates for any point on the mountain. It uses an infrared beam reflected from a hand held prism to measure distances up to several thousand feet with accuracy to the nearest 1/1000th of a foot. Measurements from Korczak's models are transferred to the mountain using this same instrument and survey control system.
Laser scanning equipment has been used to measure the entire mountain on several occasions over the past 10 years. These instruments work on the same principle as the total station to measure angles and distances from known control points to points of interest on the rock. They use a laser beam reflected from the rock to measure the distances without need of a prism at each point. This allows for measuring huge numbers of points very quickly and accurately to build 'digital models' of the mountain in our engineering computers.
The next step in measuring on the mountain will be to apply the best possible methods to measure the geologic structure of the mountain in addition to the basic geometry of the mountain. This information becomes critical in refining the shape of the models and in planning for long term stability of the memorial.
Rock is removed from the mountain primarily with explosives. Again this complex process can be summed up in basic steps: Drill precisely placed holes in the granite; load explosives in the holes; time the detonation sequence of those explosives; push the blasted rock (known as 'muck' in the mining industry) off the mountain with heavy equipment and finally remove the last layer of rock in the finishing stage. All blasts at Crazy Horse are designed, drilled and executed to protect the rock that is left after the blast. This is the opposite of most blasting operations, where the main concern is the final size and location of the material being blasted away. The mountain crew prepares most blasts using a system that explosives engineers call "pre-splitting." It is similar to perforating a piece of paper to allow it to tear evenly. The rock to be removed is drilled on all sides with a series of parallel drill holes. Explosives are detonated throughout the entire length of each of the drill holes, cleanly removing the desired rock while leaving the remaining rock undamaged. Here's a more detailed look at each of the steps in the rock removal process:
Equipment has evolved from Korczak's use of a single-jack (sledge hammer and hand steel) to drill the holes for the first blast on the mountain. Korczak quickly advanced to pneumatic jack hammer drills powered by 'Buda', the ancient air compressor which quit frequently during the work day and forced him to make many trips down and back up the 741 steps to the top of the mountain. He then progressed to wagon drills, a larger drifter drill mounted on a D8 Cat and finally air track drills. These machines required less manual labor but still relied on gas or diesel powered air compressors to drive the hammer. The mountain crew did much of the drilling for Crazy Horse's face using hand held rotary hammer drills powered by more modern, efficient electric air compressors. We still drill 1 3/8 inch or 1 5/8 inch holes up to 21 feet deep using these hand drills on rare occasions when the track drills cannot be maneuvered to the drilling site. Hydraulic drills are now the standard and our fleet includes three of these very efficient machines mounted on tracks or rubber tires. Most of our holes are drilled about 20 feet deep using 2 inch diameter carbide steel bits. Our largest machines approach drilling rates up to 10 feet per minute! The next generation of these drills will be faster and more efficient and will have enclosed cabs to better protect the mountain crew from the noise and dust generated in the drilling process.
When most people think of explosives, they imagine dynamite. The primary types of explosives used here at Crazy Horse, however, are not dynamites but detonating cord and small diameter water gel or emulsion based pre-split products. Dynamite is very effective at fragmenting rock, but expends all of its energy in an area equal to the length of the cartridge – a very small portion of the drill hole. Our blasts using detonating cord and pre-split products can be designed to expend the same amount of energy over the entire length of the drill holes. This provides much better control of the explosive energy and does much less damage to the rock that is not removed by the blast. In a typical blast at Crazy Horse up to several hundred drill holes are loaded with the appropriate size of detonating cord or pre-split explosives. After the product is in place the holes are filled with small crushed stone. The stone fills the open space in the hole and better focuses the explosive energy to precisely split the rock.
The typical blast is actually a carefully timed series of smaller blasts spaced only a few milliseconds apart. The vibration and damage caused by the blast can be controlled by limiting the amount of explosive detonated in each section of the blast. The distance to what will be the finished surface of the mountain carving ("final grade") dictates the distance between drill holes and the type and amount of explosive used in each hole. The closer to final grade, the smaller the drill hole spacing and the smaller the explosives charge weight in each hole. Timing between the blast sections is controlled by the blasting caps (detonators). This is another area where advancing technology is making a big difference in our mountain carving operation. Electric blasting caps which are susceptible to premature detonation caused by static or nearby lightning strikes or radio transmissions are no longer used. Our most common method uses non-electric delay detonators fired by sending a spark through long plastic tube or with a highly secure 2-way radio controlled remote initiation system. We have also used the latest technology – a system of electronically controlled, programmable detonators which allow nearly infinite choices in blast timing. We expect systems like this to play a key role in controlling blasts as we work closer to finished grade in the future.
Removing the blasted rock or muck from the mountain is accomplished with heavy equipment. Here again there has been a steady improvement in the type, size and efficiency of the equipment used over the past 60 years. A typical blast today produces 2000 to 3000 tons of rock fragments. These rocks range in size from small gravel up to the occasional 10 ton boulder and most remain on the blasting bench rather than falling off the mountain from the force of the blast. The mountain crew spends 2 or 3 days with a combination of excavators and bulldozers to move this rock off the mountain and clear the way for the drills to prepare the next blast. To lend some perspective to the quantity of rock being handled – the average dump truck on the highway is hauling about 15 tons of material. It would take 200 truck loads to haul away the rock from just one large blast on the mountain!
When the crew returns to finishing work it will be accomplished as it was on Crazy Horse's face by drilling to isolate small blocks of rock (100 to 1,000 pound chunks).


On the Clock: A Pocket Guide to Timeclock Rounding
Back in the day when handling payroll was pretty much a pen-and-paper process, employers would use rounding to account for odd minutes and seconds outside the regular work schedule. Time clock rounding helped streamline calculating wages and save chunks of time in the process.
But does it still make sense today?
What Is Time Clock Rounding?
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), all employers are required to track and store employee time records completely and accurately. This can be done either by asking employees to write their hours down, using regular time clocks or through time-tracking software.
"So, what does time clock rounding mean?"
In a nutshell, time clock rounding means that the actual work hours of your nonexempt employees are rounded up or down by set increments. Depending on the type of your business and general industry practices, you can round work hours in 5-minute and 15-minute increments or to 1/10th of an hour (more on that in a moment).
These days, thanks to GPS-enabled time tracking and payroll automation, fishing for small deviations from regular clock-ins and clock-outs has become much easier. And yet, some small-business owners still use rounding to calculate their employees' wages.
Is Time Clock Rounding Legal?
The short answer is: Yes. The Department of Labor (DOL) allows employers to round time up or down within 15-minute increments, but there's a catch. This method can't be used as a means of cutting labor costs or favor the employer in any way.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when rounding work hours:
 - If you choose to round to 15-minute increments, you need to observe the 7-minute rule; for every 1 to 7 minutes that are rounded down, there is a corresponding timeframe of 8 to 14 minutes that are rounded up to the nearest quarter-hour and counted towards total work time
 - Time clock rounding should be performed in a way that doesn't favor the employer but rather "averages out so that the employees are fully compensated for all the time they actually work". If it's impossible to ensure a "neutral" outcome, rounding should favor the employee
 - The maximum rounding increment allowed by FLSA is 15 minutes so anything greater than that exposes your business to potential legal trouble
 - Regardless of the rounding method, you must still observe the minimum wage and overtime requirements to stay compliant. You can read more here
 - When you round employee work hours, it's key to maintain accurate and complete records. Some of the information you need to store include total employees' time worked each day and week, overtime earnings and wages paid each pay period
 - Finally, although rounding is legal under the FLSA, you may want to refer to state regulations first and see if they don't overrule the federal law
3 Common Rounding Rules
There are several rounding methods that are generally compliant with the FLSA and DOL requirements. While they all work in a similar way, each may be suitable for a different type of business.
15-Minute Rounding (1/4th of an hour)
Rounding to 15 minutes (or 1/4 hour) observes two thresholds that indicate whether the clock-ins and clock-outs are rounded up or down; The first 7.5 minutes is always rounded down while the second-half 7.5 minutes are rounded up to a full quarter of an hour
Here's an example:
5-Minute Rounding
Similarly to the previous method, 5-minute rounding splits every 5 minutes into two parts of 2.5 minutes. Whenever your employee clocks-in or out in the first 2.5 minutes of that timeframe, time is rounded down. If an employee punches their card in the other half, the time is rounded up to the nearest 5 minutes.
Rounding to 1/10th of an Hour (6 minutes)
Finally, rounding to 1/10th of an hour uses 6-minute increments (6×10), each split into 3-minute intervals. For every three minutes after each the 6-minute increment, time is rounded down. Conversely, the second half of the interval rounds up to the nearest 6 minutes. It's that simple.
3 Risks of Time Clock Rounding
Now that you know how time clock rounding works, the big question that remains is: "should I do it?" Would your current payroll process really benefit from this approach?
If you still want to give it a try, you should be aware of some of the risks that come with the package.Employer-Employee Friction
It's no secret that employees are not particularly fond of time clock rounding. Sometimes, business owners are not transparent enough about it or don't educate the workforce on how it affects wages. In more grim scenarios, employers use rounding as an easy way to pocket some extra cash, which is considered wage theft.
If the grievance builds up over time, a dissatisfied employee may take legal action. Considering that DOL is rather strict about the "fairness" of recording work hours, the dispute can turn into a full-blown lawsuit and lead to further investigation into your payroll practices.
Before you implement time clock rounding at your small business, it's important that you first discuss it with your employees. Want to keep them from clocking in late or clocking out early? Can't enforce signing time cards? Try voicing your concerns and mediate the issue before it escalates.
Inaccuracies in Employee Records
The popular argument for using rounding is that it makes handling payroll a tad easier. But does it really? Shaving down a minute here and there can lead to small anomalies popping up all over. And once they stack up, it's impossible to keep your records accurate.
For some business owners, work hours are also one of the KPIs that help measure the performance of their business. With these numbers askew, you won't be able to see the big picture and plan strategically because of the flawed data.
Remember that tracking hours and calculating wages don't have to be that difficult. You just need the right set of tools to do so quickly and accurately.
Overpaying or Underpaying Employees
In the ideal world, time clock rounding balances out (as required by DOL and FLSA) for the employer and employee. But this is rarely the case.
Most of the time, it's either the employer OR the employee that reaps the benefits. If it's the latter, you're most likely miscalculating wages and overpaying your workers. If the former, your risk running into grievance complaints and costly legal trouble.
Regardless of which is true for your small business, the potential benefits of rounding are simply not worth it. When you "adjust" work hours to save time and money, the risk of underpaying or overpaying your workforce defeats the purpose of rounding at the onset.
Let's Wrap It Up
Many small-business owners still use rounding to reclaim a portion of the time and money that escapes due to inaccurate time-tracking methods. Is it justifiable? With the potential risks and questionable gains on the scale, it may be better to look for an alternative solution.
This article was contributed by Dawid Bednarski and originally posted on


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As is well known, the space of solutions of a linear ODE with, say, $\mathcal{C}^\infty$ coefficients on $\mathbb{R}$ is a finite dimensional affine space (a vector space, in the homogeneus case).
What is the structure of the space of solutions of a non linear ODE? In which cases does it have a "natural" structure of finite dimensional smooth manifold?
For the question to make sense, some conditions on the form of the equation must be put. Let's assume the ODE is of the form
where $F:\mathbb{R}\times\mathbb{R}^n\to\mathbb{R}$ is a smooth function.
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You need to put more assumptions on $F$ in order for this to have a meaningful answer. For example, you haven't ruled out that $F$ is identically $0$ (all functions $u$ satisfy the equation) or $1$ (no functions $u$ satisfy the equation). Usually, in the case of a higher order ODE for one unknown function, one assumes that the equation can be solved smoothly for the highest derivative. Then one locally has the structure of a smooth manifold of dimension $n$, with the 'initial values' $\bigl(u^{(j)}(t_0)\bigr)$ for $0\le j< n$ giving local coordinates. – Robert Bryant Dec 8 '12 at 20:25
In addition to what Robert already said, there's also the issue of whether you care about the size of the interval on which a solution exists. For a linear ODE, the solution exists for all time (both positive and negative), but for a nonlinear ODE, solutions may exist for only a finite time and the size of the time interval might depend on the initial data. – Deane Yang Dec 8 '12 at 20:30
_USER_ Bryant: your comment comes very close to what I would have expected as an answer! Are there cases in which the manifold is compact? And in which it has nontrivial topology? – Qfwfq Dec 8 '12 at 20:55
_USER_ Yang: yes, that is an issue too; that's why I didn't specify in which functional space the solutions have to live ($\mathcal{C}^{\infty}(\mathbb{R})$ or $\mathcal{C}^{\infty}(t_0-\epsilon,t_0+\epsilon)$); should I have considered solutions as living in the space of germs of smooth functions at $t_0$ (which is still infinite dimensional)? ( _USER_ commenters: I realize my question is perhaps a bit elementary for people who know differential equations). – Qfwfq Dec 8 '12 at 20:55
I didn't know whether to accept R.Bryant's or F.Ziegler's very well written answer. The latter just seemed a bit more general, so I've clicked on it. – Qfwfq Dec 19 '12 at 17:34
3 Answers 3
up vote 8 down vote accepted
As Robert Bryant observed, something like the solubility of $F$ for $u^{(n)}$ needs to be assumed. Then by the trick (due I believe to D'Alembert) of setting $x=(t,u,\dots,u^{(n-1)})$ and dt/ds=1, the equation can always be rewritten $$ \frac{dx}{ds}=f(x). $$ This is what most geometers would call the "standard ODE", wherein $f$ is a smooth vector field on the manifold where $x$ evolves.
In this setting, the space of (maximal connected) solution curves is indeed always a (not necessarily Hausdorff) manifold. I don't know who first wrote this, but according to this recent obituary a contender would be J.-M. Souriau in his 1970 book "Structure des systèmes dynamiques". Translation of the relevant passage:
The manifold of motions of a system
Jean-Marie Souriau has observed that the set of maximal solutions of a differential system on a differentiable manifold possesses itself a natural structure of differentiable manifold, not always separated: thus one can speak of the system's manifold of motions. This very simple property is rarely mentioned in the usual courses on differential calculus.
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There is yet another direction in which one could take the question, one that makes more contact with the linear and affine structures that one observes in the standard treatment of linear equations (both homogeneous and inhomogeneous). For example, consider the Riccati equation $$ u'(t) = a_0(t) + a_1(t)u(t) + a_2(t)u(t)^2,\tag{1} $$ which is nonlinear (when $a_2$ is not zero). A standard fact that is proved in ODE courses is that there is a 'trick' for 'linearizing' this equation, yielding the result that the general solution can be written in the form $$ u(t) = \frac{c_1b_1(t)+c_2b_2(t)}{c_1b_3(t)+c_2b_4(t)} $$ for some functions $b_i(t)$ (defined on the entire interval on which the $a_i$ are defined) and constants $c_1$ and $c_2$ (not both zero). Obviously, only the ratio of $c_1$ to $c_2$ matters for specifying $u$, so the ($1$-dimensional) space of solutions to $(1)$ is 'naturally' diffeomorphic to the real projective line $\mathbb{RP}^1$. Note that this representation works even when the solution $u$ has a 'pole'. (For example, consider the Riccati equation $u' = 1 + u^2$, which has $u(t) = \tan t$ as a solution.)
Sophus Lie developed a theory that associated a type of ODE to each homogeneous space of what we now call Lie groups, one that generalized the theory of linear ODE (both homogeneous and inhomogeneous) and Riccati equations in their various forms (which correspond to vector spaces, affine spaces, and projective spaces, thought of as homogeneous spaces of appropriate Lie groups).
It's possible that the OP is interested in learning more about the theory of ODE (and PDE) of Lie type, which is what this theory developed into. For this theory, putting a (possibly non-Hausdorff) manifold structure on the space of solutions is a necessary first step, but it is only the beginning.
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The formula given in this answer is related to the fact any four solutions of the Ricatti equation are in constant Cross-ratio. – Denis Serre Dec 9 '12 at 13:47
That's true. The point is that the 'evaluation map' from the space of solutions with its natural $\mathbb{RP}^1$-structure to $\mathbb{R}$ given by $u\mapsto u(t_0)$ is an affine chart on the $\mathbb{RP}^1$ for each $t_0$. The constancy of the cross-ratio is then a reflection of the fact that projective transformations of $\mathbb{RP}^1$ preserve the cross-ratio of $4$ points. Of course, this generalizes to all equations of Lie type, replacing $\mathbb{RP}^1$ with the appropriate homogeneous space $M$ and the cross-ratio with appropriate invariant function(s) on products of $M$ with itself. – Robert Bryant Dec 9 '12 at 14:36
Deep and interesting theory exists when $F$ is analytic, not just smooth. It was developed by J. F. Ritt in his books on Differential algebra. (In particular, Ritt rigorously defined the things like "singular solutions").
Some parts of the theory also apply to PDE.
Most interesting and useful theory is obtained when $F$ is a polynomial, in which case the set of solution is a "differential-algebraic manifold", and a theory of DA manifolds is parallel to the theory of the usual algebraic manifolds.
For a more modern exposition (including fields of non-zero characteristic) see Kolchin, Differential algebra and algebraic groups.
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- Select Tableau Server.
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- Select Data > Replace Data Source.
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How do Europeans travel in Australia? Examining cultural convergence in travel behaviour
The impacts of globalisation and cultural convergence theory have been discussed in various research areas. Scholars agree that global consumer behaviour becomes increasingly homogenous. However, in tourism, there is still evidence that visitor markets are distinguished and segmented according to their nationality. This study argues that national borders have lost in significance to separate markets. By means of a correspondence analysis, this study provides evidence that European travel...[Show more]
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Biodiversity in the eastern Mediterranean Sea could take a deadly hit if drillers rush in on recently discovered gas-rich fields, the World Wildlife Fund warned Wednesday.
The international environmental organization warned that gas drilling in the area shared by Turkey, Israel and Egypt could ravage the sea's ecosystem, which would take at least a millennium to regrow.
Gas drillers have been eager to capitalize on the recently discovered Leviathan gas field, a deepwater area off the Israeli coast that may hold as much as 16 trillion cubic feet of gas, AFP reports.
The West Nile Delta gas field, another potentially lucrative region for drillers, was discovered earlier this year. That field is located off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt.
But the eastern Mediterranean is home to rare species that are millennia old, including deep-sea sponges and cold water corals. Sergi Tudela, head of WWF's Mediterranean Fisheries Program, says this makes them particularly vulnerable.
Tudela said that once the sea is tapped for gas, "it can take a millennium or more before the unique micro-ecosystem grows again, so the most fragile and valuable species and under-sea areas must be left untouched by gas development," according to AFP.
WWF appealed to the European Union and a number of Mediterranean countries to prohibit deep-sea drilling and industrial development in the areas.

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 And I repeat this for the duration of our natural lives.
 - The probability that such a sequence is the result of a truly random process is infinitely much smaller than the probability of winning the lottery and being hit by lightning on the same day. This is known as a statistical impossibility: it could happen, but the odds are stacked so high against it that it never does.


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to apply a very low current to the base of the pile for up to 10 minutes. It is usually painless and has the best safety record of all available treatments. More than 120,000 patients have been successfully treated worldwide, and it is the only treatment approved in the USA for all grades of piles.
Cryosurgery freezes the pile to destroy it. It is not used much because it causes a watery discharge afterwards.
Infrared coagulation uses infrared light to destroy the pile. This method is not commonly used in the UK because it is not as effective as other methods.
Surgery. There are several different operations for piles.
- In the usual operation, the swollen spongy pad that forms the pile is cut away. It is painful for 7–10 days afterwards.
- A newer operation, called 'stapling', involves cutting away a 2 cm strip of the lining of the rectum and joining the cut edges with a special stapler. People seem to recover quicker from 'stapling' than from the ordinary operation. It is not yet a common operation in the UK, but it is popular in the rest of Europe. Although it is less painful than the ordinary operation, it seems to be less effective in the long-term and about 12% of people have a recurrence of the piles within 16 months (Surgery 2006;24:148–150). However, more research is needed.
- Another type of operation uses ultrasound to locate the arteries that feed blood into the pile. These arteries are then closed off using stitches. Bleeding from the pile decreases over the following few weeks. This treatment is becoming more popular, partly because it does not involve any cutting and is almost painless. More research is needed to see if it is effective in the long-term.
First published on: embarrassingproblems.com
Reviewed and edited by: Dr Kevin Barrett
Last updated: October 2020


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- Proposed changes to the regulatory capital rules governing the stress testing requirements and the enhanced supplementary leverage ratio (ESLR) would tailor these rules to reflect the business activities and risk profile of large banking organizations.
- New stress buffer requirements would integrate the quantitative assessment of the Federal Reserve's CCAR and stress test rules with the regulatory capital buffer requirements.
- Modifications to the ELSR applicable to GSIBs would replace the leverage buffer with an amount based on a firm's risk-based capital surcharge; corresponding changes would be made to incorporate this new amount into the "well-capitalized" threshold applicable to Covered IDIs and to the TLAC requirements.
Federal Reserve Board (Federal Reserve) Vice Chairman for Supervision Randall Quarles has advocated tailoring the post-crisis regulations to better reflect the risk posed by individual institutions. Although the focus has primarily looked to reducing the regulatory burden of community banks, two recently proposed rules would tailor certain regulatory capital requirements for very large banking institutions and tie those requirements to the firms' business activities and risk profiles. Key features of each proposal is summarized below.
Capital and stress test requirements
The Federal Reserve has proposed to integrate the quantitative assessment of its Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR) with the buffer requirements in its capital rules to create "stress buffer requirements," including a "stress capital buffer" and a "stress leverage buffer." The rule would apply to bank holding companies (BHCs) with total consolidated assets of $50 billion or more and intermediate holding companies of foreign banking organizations. A firm's stress buffer requirements would be effective on October 1 of each year, and remain in effect until September 30 of the following year. As proposed, the rule would become effective on December 31, 2018 with the first stress capital buffer and stress leverage buffer requirements becoming generally effective October 1, 2019.
- Stress capital buffer: The stress capital buffer would be calculated as the difference between a firm's starting and lowest projected common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio under the severely adverse scenario of the supervisory stress test calculated using the standardized approach, plus the firm's planned common stock dividends for each of the fourth through seventh quarters of the planning horizon (expressed as a percentage of risk-weighted assets (RWAs)). The stress capital buffer would be subject to a floor equal to 2.5 percent of RWAs.
- The stress capital buffer would replace the 2.5 percent of RWAs portion of the capital conservation buffer under the standardized approach; the advanced approach would continue to use the 2.5 percent of RWAs measure in the capital conservation buffer.
- Stress leverage buffer: The stress leverage buffer would be calculated as the difference between a firm's starting and minimum projected tier 1 leverage ratio under the severely adverse scenario of the supervisory stress test plus planned common stock dividends for each of the fourth through seventh quarters of the planning horizon (expressed as a percentage of RWAs). The stress leverage buffer requirement would replace the CCAR requirement that a firm demonstrate its ability to maintain capital levels above minimum leverage requirements on a post-stress basis. It would have no floor and would be additive to the 4 percent minimum required CET1 leverage ratio.
- CCAR changes: The proposed rule would make three adjustments to CCAR: (1) firms would be required to prefund only four quarters of planned common stock dividends; (2) a firm's balance sheet would be assumed to remain constant under stress; and (3) the 30 percent dividend payout ratio threshold for heightened supervisory scrutiny would be removed.
- Objections to stress test results: The proposed rule would eliminate the Federal Reserve's ability to object to a firm's CCAR results based on quantitative measures. A pattern of materially underperforming baseline projections for earnings, capital levels, or capital ratios may be indicative of weaknesses in the firm's capital planning and result in heightened scrutiny in the qualitative assessment.
Enhanced supplementary leverage ratio
The ESLR is applicable to U.S. global systemically important banking holding companies (GSIBs) and their Federal Reserveand OCC-regulated insured depository institutions (Covered IDIs). For these entities, the proposed changes would:
- Replace the ESLR buffer: The 2 percent leverage buffer would be replaced by a leverage buffer equal to 50 percent of a firm's GSIB risk-based capital surcharge (GSIB surcharge). The current minimum 3 percent supplementary leverage ratio requirement would not change.
- Change IDI "well-capitalized" threshold: he current "well-capitalized" threshold of 6 percent applicable to covered IDIs under the prompt corrective action framework would be changed to a threshold of 3 percent plus 50 percent of the GSIB surcharge applicable to the IDI's GSIB holding company.
- Make corresponding changes to TLAC: Calculation of the external Total Loss-Absorbing Capacity (TLAC) leverage buffer and long-term debt requirement would be amended to incorporate 50 percent of the firm's GSIB surcharge, consistent with changes to the ESLR.
Federal Reserve staff estimate the proposed stress buffer requirements would decrease the amount of capital required for non-GSIBs subject to CCAR relative to current requirements, and generally maintain or, in a few cases, increase the amount of capital required for GSIBs. With regard to the ESLR proposal, Federal Reserve and OCC staff estimate that the changes would lead to a reduction in CET1 capital requirements of approximately $400 million. Firms would continue to be expected to meet minimum capital requirements plus minimum buffer requirements to avoid limitations on capital distributions and discretionary bonus payments.
For more information, please contact Steve Arnold or Frank Manahan.


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The health benefits of Irish moss seaweed
As our approach to food becomes more globalized, ingredients that were once unusual to us are now commonplace. Take seaweed, for instance. While this edible underwater plant life has been a staple in Asian cuisine for ages (Japan alone uses over twenty species in their cuisine), it's still relatively new to us. As such, we're still learning about the different types and how we can incorporate them in our diets. If you're taking a deep dive into the wonderful world of edible seaweed, you should learn about Irish moss.
What is Irish moss seaweed?
Irish moss is sometimes called sea moss, but don't let either name fool you. This is a red cold-water seaweed that thrives in Ireland, where it's been used as a source of food for centuries. Irish moss rose to prominence on the Emerald Isle in the mid-1800s, when it became a key nutritional supplement during the potato famine.
The seaweed has a tough, rubbery texture, which makes it virtually inedible when it's pulled directly from the sea. Because of this, it's traditionally simmered and enjoyed as a liquid soup broth. However, modern recipes tend to incorporate its gel as a thickening agent, or even as a vegan substitute for gelatin.
Benefits of Irish moss
Even if you're not vegan, there are still several beneficial reasons why incorporating Irish moss in your diet is essential. For one thing, it contains several organic compounds that have been shown to help thyroid regulation, such as iodine. This is extremely important, as an unbalanced thyroid can lead to many other health issues.
It's also thought that Irish moss may be a beneficial agent in the fight against cancer. Scientific studies conducted on animal test subjects reveal routine ingestion of the seaweed has a radioprotective effect that's not unlike chemotherapy. While these tests don't conclude it can cure cancer, they do surmise that it can be an essential supplement to cancer therapy. Other potential benefits of incorporating Irish moss in your diet include lowering cholesterol, supporting heart health and various anti-inflammatory properties.
More health inspiration: Nuts too can be a great source of health benefits, check out this article on the 7 best nuts for women!


How Central Banks' domestic gold purchase plan can formalise artisanal gold mining
 - Artisanal and small-scale mining has grown significantly since the start of this century.
 - There are various drawbacks of artisanal gold mining, including environmental degradation, money laundering, smuggling, etc.
 - Central banks' domestic gold purchase plan can help countries across the globe to formalise and incorporate best practices into the sector.
Artisanal and small-scale mining has grown immensely in developing countries over the last twenty years. More than 20 million people across the globe are involved in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) practices. Poverty, unemployment, organised crime, lucrative gold prices are some of the leading factors that encourage ASGM activities. Though the ASGM practice is illegal in few countries, it is the second most significant source of livelihood, followed by agriculture.
Good Read: Westpac Banking Corporation (ASX:WBC) Bumps Up Fixed Mortgage Rates
There are various associated ill-effects of ASGM, including substantial environmental degradation, mercury release, soil pollution, child labour, health, safety & environment (HSE) issues, money laundering and smuggling. The limited access of artisan miners to financial institutions also makes them vulnerable to robbery and marginal prices for the mined gold. In most cases, the trading of gold involves middlemen, which significantly reduces the margin of gold miners. Additionally, the gold coming from these sources is probably not going to have an option to fulfil due diligence for global processing plants.
Role of Banking System to implement best practices:
Copyright © 2021 Kalkine Media Pty Ltd
Gold has become the cornerstone of the modern reserve management. It is the third most broadly held reserve currency, followed by the US dollar and the euro.
Good Read: Is this the Hottest Gold stock on ASX?
Since emerging economies face challenges of currency instability, they try to increase their gold reserves. Central banks in such markets are reinforcing their gold reserves with locally mined gold with the help of artisanal miners. The practice allows banks to buy gold in local currencies, avoiding currency losses. At the same time, the practice also supports the livelihood of artisanal miners.
However, the formalisation of the sector in a responsible way can significantly enhance artisanal miners' lives by incorporating the best practices in the sector.
How a central bank domestic ASGM purchase program can help miners:
Source: © Kjpargeter | Megapixl.com
The World Gold Council (WGC) has highlighted the four countries – Ethiopia, Mongolia, Ecuador and the Philippines – whose central banks followed domestic ASGM purchase program and elaborated how these programs have brought a change in ASGM practices in these countries.
Interesting Read: US Fed maintains status quo on the interest rate, bond purchases
In Mongolia, the central bank promoted the Fairmined Standards. In Ecuador, the bank decided to purchase gold from licensed miners with bank accounts and issue invoices. In the Philippines, the central bank assured the quality of gold through London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) accredited refineries. In the case of Ethiopia, the central bank sells a portion of their purchase to LBMS accredited refineries.
The examples shared by WGC have clearly shown the prospect and potential of widening their use. These initiatives can help countries to formalise artisanal mining practices and limit illegal mining.


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Teatree Tells is an age-appropriate, interactive program designed for 4- to 6-year-olds that focuses on the strategy of keep and speak secrets.
Who is it for?
Educators and Parents/Guardians
What does it do?
Teatree Tells has been designed to help early childhood educators and parents address the sensitive subject of child sexual abuse. Prevention lessons are age appropriate and include topics such as identifying a safe adult, identifying feelings, naming body parts, establishing personal boundaries, and okay and not okay touching.
How does it support child safety?
Teaching safety skills in preschool and early years establishes a foundation for later learning and is effective at reducing a child's risk of sexual abuse. Research shows that offenders are less likely to target children who present a risk of telling.


Why do I get "Driver Not Capable" errors and what does it mean?
swarraj kulkarni
This error indicates that: the operation is valid but not supported by either the driver or the data source.
For example, if the user is trying to use the callable statement to call a stored procedure but the database does not support stored procedures, then the operation will fail and give this error.
To provide robust code, you should always work with the DatabaseMetaData to find out whether the operation you are trying to perform with your database specific classes is supported by the underlying database and have alternative mechanisms in place to carry out the desired operation.
If you know that the database supports the operation and you get this error, then change to a more robust JDBC driver.


Algonquin Books
304 pages
Product Description
Fifteen years ago, Krista Bremer would not have been able to imagine her life today: married to a Libyan-born Muslim, raising two children with Arabic names in the American South. Nor could she have imagined the prejudice she would encounter or the profound ways her marriage would change her perception of the world.But on a running trail in North Carolina, she met Ismail. He was passionate and sincere—and he loved adventure as much as she did. From acquaintances to lovers to a couple facing an unexpected pregnancy, this is the story of two people—a middle-class American raised in California and a Muslim raised by illiterate parents in an impoverished Libyan fishing village—who made a commitment to each other without forsaking their own identities.It is the story of a bicultural marriage—and aren't all marriages bicultural? In any marriage, we might discover that our mate is foreign to us, with very different language, memories, and assumptions about home and family. How we respond to difference shapes our world.Profoundly moving and often funny, this meditation on tolerance explores what it means to open our hearts to another culture and to embrace our own. It is Krista Bremer's unexpected struggle to reach beyond herself, her accidental Jihad.


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New sodium reduction technology allows meat processors to cut the sodium content of their products by up to 50 per cent, according to its developer Nu-Tek.
The company's new salt system for processed meats is said to add flavour and functionality similar to salt but with the potential for big cuts in sodium content. Nu-Tek has evaluated the process in ham and beef systems for flavor and functionality with the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Results showed that the sodium levels of deli ham slices could be reduced by 25 per cent without compromising flavour, said the company.
Meat naturally contains 50-70 mg sodium/100 g but when salt, in the form of sodium chloride, is added to processed meats that may rise by up to 30 times. This makes processed meats a leading contributor of sodium in processed foods. Salt typically contributes the most sodium in processed meats followed by phosphates and lactates.
Water holding capacity
"Nu-Tek's low sodium salt provides as good if not better water holding capacity and fat emulsifying capacity than salt (sodium chloride) in a ground beef system," claims the company. The study shows that typical Potassium Chloride (KCl) does not function as well as Nu-Tek salt, it added.
Product developers have been trying to reduce sodium in processed meats for some time. Sodium adds to the flavour of processed meats and certain functional benefits which include preservation, emulsification, tenderness and juiciness.
"If you are looking for an easy and economical solution to sodium reduction in processed meats, Nu-Tek's salt technology can help resolve flavour and functional issues," said the company.
Salt is typically used to preserve meat, fish, and eggs by reducing the water activity of such foods to the point where not enough is available for the growth of pathogenic or spoilage organisms. Sodium chloride also enhances the hydration of proteins and the binding of proteins to each other and to fat which stabilises emulsions of ground meat mixed with fat.
Also salt activates meat proteins to bind more water molecules which increases the tenderness and juiciness of meats.
Nu-Tek Products, based in Minneapolis, develops and markets new technologies for the food and medical industries.


February 12, 2013Dancho Danchev By Dancho Danchev
New underground service offers access to thousands of malware-infected hosts
Thanks to the success of multiple botnet aggregating malicious campaigns launched in the wild, cybercriminals are launching malware-infected-hosts — also known as loads — as a service type of underground market propositions, in an attempt to monetize the botnet's infected population by selling "partitioned" access to it.
How much does it cost to buy a thousand US-based malware infected hosts? What about hosts based in the European Union? Let's find out. In this post, I'll profile a newly launched underground service offering access to thousands of malware-infected hosts to virtually anyone who's willing to pay the price.
More details:
Sample screenshot of the advertised underground service:
The price for a thousand US-based hosts is $200, the price for a thousand EU-based hosts varies between $60/$120, and the price for a thousand international mix type of hosts is $20. How are cybercriminals coming up with these pricing schemes in the first place? Pretty simple, as it all has to do with high purchasing power and long-term value of a malware-infected host.
Based on the pricing scheme used in this underground market proposition, the cybercriminals behind the service assume that a US-based user would have a higher online purchasing power, compared to an EU/Internationally based user, hence, the higher price. What's also worth noting is that this isn't the first time they've reached the same conclusion and naturally increased the price for US-based hosts. On the majority of occasions, every service offering access to malware-infected hosts would put the US on the top of its price list, of course, if we are to exclude novice market entrants who will do everything to undercut professional cybercriminals and purposely lower the price, or take advantage of price discrimination schemes.
A logical question emerges in the context of these services – what would a potential customer do with all of these malware-infected hosts? It entirely depends on the customer in question. For instance, novice cybercriminals looking for efficient ways to scale their malicious operations would buy access to these hosts and utilize them for launching related malicious and fraudulent campaigns.
Other cybercriminals, whose botnets' infected population is no longer possessing clean IP reputation, and whose campaigns aren't achieving the necessary results, would buy access to malware-infected hosts that are part of another botnet and use this "partitioned" access to further disseminate their very own malware variants. It's not uncommon for the security industry to often come across these inter-connections between different malware families. And although they may sometimes be the result of a direct/known purchase of "partitioned" access, there's always the probability that cybercriminal A would never known that cybercriminal B is spreading his malware variants through his service, due to lack of investment in time and resources to monitor the post-purchase behavior/activities of the customers.
We'll continue monitoring the development of the service, and post updates as new features become available.
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Blockade runner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For the book by Jules Verne, see The Blockade Runners.
Blockade runner SS Banshee, 1863
A blockade runner is usually a lighter-weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city. In other cases the blockade runners would carry mail in an attempt to communicate with the outside world.
Blockade runners are often the fastest ships available, and come lightly armed and armored. Their operations are quite risky since blockading fleets would not hesitate to fire on them. However, the potential profits (economically or militarily) from a successful blockade run are tremendous, so blockade-runners typically had excellent crews. Although having modus operandi similar to that of smugglers, blockade-runners are often operated by state's navies as part of the regular fleet. Notable users of blockade runners include the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War and Germany during the World Wars.
Blockade runners have always been considered enemy combatants by the blockading party and have been fired upon or captured when detected.
Blockade runners are often the subject of press coverage when they reach port, giving the act of blockade running a propaganda value.
In history[edit]
Ancient Greece, Peloponnesian War[edit]
There were numerous blockades and attempts at blockade running during the Peloponnesian War.
 - With his fleet blockaded, Leon of Salamis dispatched blockade runners to seek reinforcements from Athens.
Ancient Rome, Punic Wars[edit]
During the Punic Wars, the Carthaginian Empire attempted to get around Roman blockades of its ports and strongholds. At one point, blockade runners brought in the only food reaching the city of Carthage,[1][2]
American Revolutionary War[edit]
War of 1812[edit]
American Civil War[edit]
Cretan Revolt (1866–1869)[edit]
During the Great Cretan Revolt, Greek blockade runners supplied the Christians revolting against the Turkish rule during this time. Names of the ships include: Arkadion (named after the Arkadi Monastery, sunk by the Ottoman sloop-of-war Izzedin in August 1867);[6] Hydra; Panhellenion; and Enosis (Unification), which was detained in Syros by Hobart Pasha in December 1868, just about the time the rebellion collapsed.
Prohibition era[edit]
World War I[edit]
During World War I the Central Powers, most notably Germany, were blockaded by the Entente Powers. In particular the North Sea blockade made it nearly impossible for surface ships to leave Germany for the then neutral USA and other locations.
The blockade was run with cargo submarines, also called merchant submarines, Deutschland and Bremen, which reached the then neutral USA.[7]
The Marie successfully ran the British North Sea blockade and docked, heavily damaged, in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (now called Jakarta) on May 13, 1916.[8]
In 1918 Germany tried unsuccessfully to supply their forces in Africa by sending Zeppelin LZ104.
World War II[edit]
Axis blockade runners[edit]
On the outbreak of war, the Royal Navy imposed a naval blockade against Germany. However, the fall of France provided the German occupying forces with access to the French Atlantic coast, and between 1940 and 1942, many blockade running trips succeeded in delivering cargoes of critical war supplies - especially crude rubber - through the port of Bordeaux; a trade that increased with the entry of Japan into the war in December 1941. Allied attempts to disrupt these operations initially had only a limited effect; as in Operation Frankton. From 1943, however, improved Allied air supremacy over the Bay of Biscay rendered blockade running by surface ships effectively impossible. By some counts, during the war Germans sent 32 (surface) blockade runners to Japan, only 16 of them reaching their destination. Later in the war, most of the trade between Germany and Japan was by cargo submarine.[9]
In an attempt to transfer technology to Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany dispatched a submarine, U-234, to sail to Japan. The war ended before the ship could arrive in Japan. The Japanese submarine I-8 completed a similar mission.
On Nov. 23, 1942, the German ship Ramses attempted unsuccessfully to sail from Batavia (now called Jakarta), the ship being in the Pacific when the war started, to Bordeaux with a cargo of rubber. The hope was that maintaining a sharp 24-hour lookout they would be able to evade the Allied blockade.[10]
A small number of planes succeeded in flying between the Axis-controlled Europe and the Japanese-controlled parts of Asia. The first known flight was by an Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM.75 Marsupiale, which flew in July 1942, according to various sources, either from Zaporozhye to Baotou or from Rhodes Island to Rangoon.[9] Later, German Junkers Ju 290-A aircraft prepared for (or, according to some source, completed) similar flights.[9]
Allied blockade runners[edit]
During World War II, trade between Sweden (which remained neutral throughout the war) and Britain was severely curtailed by the German blockade of the Skagerrak straits between Norway and the northern tip of Denmark. In order to import vital materiel from Sweden, such as ball bearings for the British aircraft industry, five Motor Gun Boats, such as the Gay Viking, were converted into blockade runners, using winter darkness and high speed to penetrate the German maritime blockade.
Modern era[edit]
In modern times, tracking equipment such as radar, sonar, and reconnaissance satellites make evading a total blockade by a world power nearly impossible. Drug smugglers and groups like the Tamil Tigers are able to run blockades due to the partial nature of the blockade, or because the navy imposing the blockade is weak and under-equipped. Reminiscent of earlier German attempts, drug smugglers have used semi-submersibles (narco submarine) in their smuggling operations.[11]
See also[edit]
 1. ^ Kern, Paul Bentley: Ancient siege warfare (p. 294)
 2. ^
 3. ^ Wyllie, 2007 p.22
 4. ^ Scharf, 1894 pp.479-480
 5. ^ "Confederate blockade mail". Richard Frajola, philatelist and historian. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
 6. ^ Morning Post, London. 5 September 1867 citing Official Ottoman report of the incident.
 7. ^ German U-boat WWI Blockade Runners
 8. ^ SURVIVED BRITISH SHELLS.; German Blockade Runner, Almost a Sieve, Sailed from Africa to Java.
 9. ^ a b c Harvey, A. D. (1992), Collision of Empires: Britain in Three World Wars, _PHONE_, Continuum, pp. 581–582, ISBN _PHONE_
 10. ^ Blockade Runner Ramses
 11. ^ Colombia navy seizes submarine supected of hauling cocaine


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San Cristobal, Nicaragua
- November 29, 1999
- The San Cristobal Volcano erupted and sent
gas and ash 10,000 feet skyward on 22 November. The volcano had been dormant
for several years. Ash rose to levels of around 10,000 feet (~3 km). Local
communities were covered with volcanic ash.
- A resident near San Cristobal has informed
VolcanoWorld that the volcano began erupting on May 20, 1997. As of May
22, the eruption continues. The eruption follows a period increased earthquake
activity reported by Wilfried Strauch of the Department of Geophysics
at the Instituto Nicaragense de Estudios Territoriales. More than
500 volcanic earthquakes were recorded each day shortly before the eruption.
People living near the volcano had reported a strong smell of sulfur gas
prior to the eruption. The last confirmed eruption of San Cristobal was
in 1977. It lasted less that one day and was moderate in size (VEI=2).
Unconfirmed eruptions were reported in 1985 and 1987.


text:
Select a letter to browse an alphabetical listing of terms and definitions.
Royal Canadian Army Pay Corps (RCASC)
Authorized on December 1, 1903 as Canadian Army Service Corps. Received its Royal title from 1919.
Royal Canadian Army Veterinary Corps
Established on November 2, 1910 as the Canadian Army Veterinary Corps and redesignated Royal Canadian Army Veterinary Corps on November 3, 1919. It was disbanded on November 1, 1940, when mechanized equipment had replaced horses.
Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA)
See: Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery
Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (RCCS)
Militia component authorized on October 24, 1903 as Signalling Corps and became Canadian Corps of Signal in January 1913. The egular component was authorized on April 1, 1919. Received its Royal title in 1921.
Royal Canadian Dental Corps (RCDC)
Militia component authorized as The Canadian Dental Corps on 20 April 1915. It was disbanded in November 1920 but authorized again on June 15, 1921. The Regular component was authorized on 31 August 1939. Received its Royal title in 1947.


Exceprt from "Crafting A Better Life"
A GREAT daily habit to improve our dispositions
We are all born with different personalities, preferences, inclinations and dispositions. There was a vast study done in the 1950's called the 'New York Longitudinal Study on mood and temperament'. They studied toddlers to predict the various temperaments each child would likely exhibit as an older child and further on in life.
Or maybe you used to be pretty happy in general but life has just served you up platter of shitty life circumstances and you feel bummed out more days than not?
Keeping a Gratitude Journal
Everyday for the next 2 weeks, sit down with your journal and write about something good that happened to you that day. You have to come up with and write specifically about something new that happened to you…that you were grateful for…every day for at least 2 weeks.
As I've said, our brains love repetition and love feeling good. So, by repeating this action of positive journaling every day, your brain will start to look for more experiences for things to write about. Your brain can't help it! Remember it's wired to create habits! And, this habit happens to feel good…so your mind will have no choice but to reinforce it daily.
And no need to wait until you're depressed to start this habit…I think we could ALL benefit from finding more gratitude in our lives.
I've said it before, I'll say it again: We all have the capacity to increase the sum joy in the world every minute of every day.
Despite our dispositions, we do have a choice.
And as always, repost, retweet, and forward this to your friends.


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int WidthInInches(int feet);
// Initialize variables by calling functions.
int feet = WidthInFeet();
int wd = WidthInInches(feet);
// Display results.
std::cout << "Width in inches = " << wd;
std::cout << "Enter width in feet: ";
std::cin >> feet;
int WidthInInches(int feet)
return feet * 12;
I'm a new to C++ and I understand that it reads up to down. However, I don't understand how the last part could return a number and then that number is returned to the out line in the main function. Can someone please explain this?


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Learn More About Cleaning Tips
Posted on Aug 17, 2012 by Charles Slater
Spring cleaning tips usually took place during the first dry days of the summer season. It is most common in areas associated with winter season. It involves ensuring the house is clean and tidy in each and every corner. Also, the surrounding environment of a house is swept and objects arranged in an orderly manner.
The spring washing practice was a routine task performed by the indigenous people. Thorough washing was done at this time because the weather was very conducive for drying wet garments. The spring period became very essential as man began to engage in farming practices rather than hunting and gathering as a source of livelihood. The environment around their homes was cleaned as well as the houses in anticipation of the demanding farm preparation and crop harvesting.
It has been suggested that the origin of this season of tidying the environment dates back to the Persian New Year. The Iranians continue to perform this practice to date. Also, it has been suggested that another origin can be traced back to the ancient Jewish practice of cleansing the house in preparation of a Jewish Passover feast.
Another suggested origin of the spring washing practice is the Chinese practice to clean their homes in anticipation of a new calendar. They sweep away the dirt in their environment as a symbol of getting rid of misfortune and bad luck that is believed to have accumulated over the ending year.
When the house is believed to be clean, then the Chinese invite good luck and fortune. They refrain from sweeping the floor for a few days after New Year. This is to avoid sweeping away any good luck that came during the ceremony of ushering in the New Year.
On the other hand, scientists have determined the cleaning tips to have been predominant during the spring season rather than winter due to hormonal stimulation. The people had little energy during winter to carry out their tasks due to long exposure to cold. This led to stimulation of melatonin hormone that produces sleepiness. This is contrary to long exposure to sunlight during spring period where less melatonin is stimulated. Thus, people had more energy during spring to carry out their daily activities than during cold seasons.


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Tips for "Normalizing" Adoption as Adoptive Parents – Thoughts from a Birth Mother
Adoption is not something that is yet considered "normal" by society. While adoption is much more accepted now than ever in the U.S., it is still something that seems to touch very few. How many people do you know who are affected by adoption?
The truth is, adoption is definitely something that should be considered "normal."
To achieve a level of normality in society for adoption, we can begin with "normalizing" adoption within our own lives. Birth mothers and adoptive parents can begin "normalizing" adoption in their own lives with the child who was placed for adoption.
How to "Normalize" Adoption as Adoptive Parents
The first step in normalizing adoption for an adoptee is for the adoptive parents to create a welcoming, inclusive environment for discussions about adoption. This can take many forms for different families. Some adoptive parents will honor their child's birth mother through conversations about her, while other adoptive families might talk about how special an adopted child is.
Normalizing adoption will look different for every family depending on many factors, including their level of openness with the birth mother, equal treatment for adopted and biological children, and emphasis on other adoption values. If, as an adoptive parent, you are looking for ways to normalize adoption for your child, here are a few tips for how you can do that:
- Talk openly and often with your child about how they are special because they are adopted. Instead of looking at adoption as "something we just don't talk about," consider opening the topic up for some great conversation with your child. Let your child know that he or she was chosen twice: once by his or her birth mother and once by his or her adoptive parents. How you choose to present this idea to an adoptee is somewhat irrelevant, as long as the point is made that adoption is a normal part of society. This will ultimately strengthen your child's self-confidence and sense of identity, as they can be proud of where they come from instead of feeling ashamed of it.
- When you speak of adoption, share how much you not only love your child but also your child's birth mother. Birth mothers and adoptive parents become a family after the child is placed for adoption and custody is transferred. This adoption triad is very special, and a bond of love can be created between them that nothing can break. While this is not always achievable, it is more likely to be the case in an open adoption. When you discuss loving your child's birth mother with others, you are creating a positive adoption identity for your child. Also, when the adoption triad is acknowledged as a blended family, it seems to become more acceptable to society. So, speak of the love you feel for your child's birth mother.
- Try to always talk positively about adoption, regardless of the challenges you may be facing. While it may be difficult during the lows of the rollercoaster ride that is a post-placement relationship to speak highly of your child's birth mother, please always try to honor her. Society is always looking for one reason to judge a situation, no matter how big or small that reason might be. When you speak of adoption with others, remember that this may be one of the few opportunities that person will have to learn about how adoption is normal. Also, an adoptee will always have a stronger identity when their birth mother is spoken of highly. Remember, there will likely be highs and lows when it comes to post-placement relationships — but don't let the lows define how you speak of adoption when the highs are so beautiful.
Adoptive parents play a crucial role in "normalizing" adoption for their children. Adoptive parents are the main caretakers for their child and will have the biggest role in helping their child create a positive identity.
Birth mothers are also an important piece of the puzzle in "normalizing" adoption for the child. Remember to honor your birth mother, and if you feel as if she is not respecting boundaries, make sure she is at least aware that they have been put in place. That way, she can always be a part of "normalizing" adoption for your child.
Lindsay is a guest blogger for Considering Adoption. She placed her son for adoption 7 years ago and hopes to use her experience to support and educate other expectant mothers considering adoption, as well as adoptive families.


10 Interesting Libya Facts
Thursday, June 12th 2014. | Countries
Find out the information about one of the interesting countries in Africa by reading Libya facts. Libya is famous with its hot temperature. People also remember it with the overthrown of Gadaffi. It gains a lot of attention from the foreign media. Let me who to the detail facts about Libya below:
Libya Facts 1: flag
The national flag of Libya only came in one color. Before Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011, the national flag of Libya was in solid green.
Libya Facts 2: Idris
The regime of Idris King was overthrown by Gaddafi in 1969. Idris king was the head of the Senussi Muslim orde and the king of the country from 1951 to 1969. He was the only king ruled the country.
Libya and Desert
Libya and Desert
Libya Facts 3: women
The women in Libya suffer a lot because they have to do the domestic roles without any right. What the women should do is serving the husband, giving birth to children, cooking and cleaning the house.
Libya Facts 4: free education
It is a surprising fact to know that Libya can give each citizen in the country free education.
Libya and War
Libya and War
Libya Facts 5: Alcohol consumption
If you live in America and Europe, you can drink alcohol anytime you want as long as you are adults. In Libya, the law states that alcohol consumption is prohibited.
Libya Facts 6: zero percent interest rate
The loans that people get from other people or other institutions should go in zero percent interest rate.
Libya facts
Libya facts
Libya Facts 7: people in Libya
Until the recent bombings in Libya, you will never find the people live without a home. There are no beggars living on the street.
Libya Facts 8: area and population
Libya is home to 6,244,174 people based on the data reported in July 2014. The area of Libya is slightly larger than Alaska. It spans on the area of 1,759,540 sq km. Check Alaska facts here.
Libya Country
Libya Country
Libya Facts 9: capital city
The capital city of Libya is Tripoli. Libya is well known as one of the top ten oil rich countries in the world. It can produce 48 billion barrels of oil.
Libya Facts 10: Colonel Moammar Gadhafi
Colonel Moammar Gadhafi is one of the important men in Library. He was the ruler of Libya from 1969 to 2011. The Palestinian terrorist groups were supported by the colonel in 1970s and 1980s based on the media's speculation.
There are many ethnic groups that you a find living in Libya. 97 percent of the people are Berber and Arab. The rest 3 percent of the population are Maltanese, Greeks, Italian, and Pakistanis. Do you have question on facts about Libya?
tags:,


text:
Productivity of Dairy Production in Individual States
Tauer, Loren W.; Lordkipanidze, Nazibrola
In a competitive market dairy production will shift to that region which is the most productive. Thus, this paper reports the measurement of productivity of dairy production in the various states of the U.S using recent Census data and non-parametric Malmquist index techniques. These are total factor productivity measures that do not require the assumption of cost or profit maximization behavior for aggregation. The Malmquist approach utilizes distance functions and can be used to measure technical and efficiency differences over time and between regions at a point in time. Using two output and six input variables, the distance functions were calculated via linear programming methods. The scalar values from those distance functions were used to calculate indexes for efficiency, technical, and productivity changes across the time periods. Individual state estimates of changes in efficiency, technology, and productivity from 1987 to 1992 were computed, divided by 1987 values. Over these states the average increase in productivity was 3.6 percent, or about 0.7 percent per year. Almost all of the productivity increase occurred from technological change, since the average increase in efficiency was only 0.1 percent. Technological change averaged 3.5 percent over the five year period, or about 0.7 percent each year. Ifthere is a significant decrease in the number of farms in a state, it might be expected that the remaining farms are more efficient, under the assumption that the least efficient farms are those that exit the industry. This was tested by regressing the percent change in efficiency on the percent change in farm numbers. The results were statistically insignificant. Likewise, if the output of the average farm increased it might be expected that efficiency might fall. This was tested by regressing the percent change in efficiency on the percent change in output per farm. Again the results were statistically insignificant. It was further expected that states that increased output per farm might have done so by using new technology. This was tested by regressing percent technological change on the percent change in output per farm. These results were also statistically insignificant.
WP 1999-08 April 1999
Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University


Home Life Trends Benefits Of Cherry And Side Effects
Benefits Of Cherry And Side Effects
Cherry health and dietary advantages, forms of cherry, facts about cherries, cherry results. Improve your health whereas bettering your data about cherries; with cherry fruits facts, dietary content material and its advantages.
cherry benefits
Cherry is a small fruit normally crimson, black or yellow, with a easy arduous seed and a brief arduous stem. By flavour, Cherries are "candy" or "bitter"; supply of nutritional vitamins (A and C), additionally, comprise phytochemicals.
Cherry names
Family: Rosaceae
Scientific identify: Prunus avium
Common identify: cherrycandy cherry
French identify: cerise
German identify: Kirsche
Italian identify: ciliegia
Portuguese identify: cereja
Russian: (candy cherry) чере́шня
Spanish: cereza, guinda
benefits of cherry
Cherry fruits are spherical with a despair on the stem. They are a fourth to an inch in diameter and have a easy, skinny pores and skin that adheres to the fleshy pulp. The color of the pores and skin, in addition to the pulp, can vary from yellow to crimson to close to black, relying on the range. Each fruit has a tough seed at its heart which is to be eliminated earlier than consuming or cooking.
While candy cherries are golden with a slight contact of crimson, bitter cherries are smaller, softer, and extra globular. However, there are hybrids of candy and bitter cherries which is the Duke Cherries. Duke cherries are of a probable candy cherries' form and color whereas its flavour, rigidity and tartness is of bitter cherries.
Cherry Varieties
 1. Black Tartarian
 2. May Duke
 3. Northstar
 4. Sam
 5. Bing
 6. Corum
 7. Kansas Sweet
 8. Emperor Francis
 9. Meteor
 10. Montmorency
 11. Chinook
 12. Angela
 13. Van
 14. Schmidt
 15. Windsor
 16. Utah Giant
 17. Hedelfingen
 18. Late Duke
 19. Lambert
 20. English Moreno
Health Benefits of Cherry
Cherry fruits are believed to be of large financial and health worth to us. Most importantly, bitter cherries are supply of vitamin C and vitamin A (carotene), fibre, together with potassium, calcium, and folic acid. Also, Cherry comprise terpenes, phytochemicals which will assist forestall most cancers.
Nutrition is essential to all of us. What we eat has a profound impact on our health and our enjoyment of life. Below are advantages of cherry fruits:
Cherries helps type and preserve wholesome tooth, skeletal and tender tissue, mucus membranes, and pores and skin. It additionally produces the pigments within the retina of the attention performing as a retinol through vitamin C.
#1. Lowers hypertension danger
Eating meals wealthy in vitamin C is essential in your total health, particularly in case you are in danger for hypertension. Studies counsel that people who eat meals wealthy in antioxidants, together with vitamin C, have a decrease danger of hypertension than people who've poorer diets. Meanwhile, cherries are good supply of vitamin C.
#2. Protect arteries in opposition to harm
Reasonable consumption of cherries can decelerate the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). It maybe helps forestall harm to LDownload ("bad") ldl cholesterol, which then builds up as plaque within the arteries and might trigger coronary heart assault or stroke. Cherry might assist preserve arteries versatile. Cherry additionally stimulate synthesis of Type IV collagen, which has essential filtration traits within the kidney, the blood-brain barrier, and the arterial lining .
#3. Good bone catalyst
Cherry fruit helps within the formation and upkeep of high quality, high-density bone materials. It promotes assimilation of calcium into the bone, protects in opposition to leaching of calcium out of the bones, and as a robust antioxidant, it fights the oxidative stress that works in opposition to assimilation.
#4. Cancer preventive
Food sources of carotenoids similar to beta-carotene might cut back the danger for most cancers, most research opined. Though, beta-carotene dietary supplements don't appear to cut back most cancers danger. Furthermore, cherry comprise many helpful vitamins and antioxidants, there was a good quantity of analysis through the years into cherries being wealthy in beta carotene, vitamin C, anthocyanins and quercetin, which can synergistically battle most cancers. It might forestall genetic mutations that may lead to most cancers and preserve most cancers cells from rising uncontrolled. The riper the higher: as cherries darken, they produce extra antioxidants.
#5. Reduce danger of chilly
Taking cherry fruits frequently (not simply at first of a chilly) produces solely a small discount within the period of a chilly (about 1 day). In these research, vitamin C did appear to cut back the danger of getting a chilly.
#6. Reduce irritation
Cherry comprise many helpful vitamins and antioxidants generally known as anthocyanins and cyanidin which can have anti-inflammatory results and preliminary analysis has proven that these antioxidants may very well be helpful in inflammatory circumstances similar to arthritis.
#7. For higher sleep
Some researches have made it recognized that cheap consumption of cherries impact to higher sleep. Cherries are one among nature's few sources of melatonin, a hormone that lowers physique temperature, making us sleepy.
#8. Rapid therapeutic of wounds
There are combined takes on whether or not taking cherries velocity up restoration and heals. However, a good quantity of researches established it that consumption of Cherry fruits frequently minimise pains. Researchers consider that cherries' antioxidants defend in opposition to assaults by exercise-induced free radicals, which might lead to painful irritation. Nevertheless, it additionally helps defend the pores and skin by selling the manufacturing and migration of fibroblasts that help regular wound therapeutic.
#9. Better visible acuity
Cherries as a supply of vitamin A helps in bettering imaginative and prescient for these with uveitis (an irritation of the center a part of the attention). It promotes good imaginative and prescient, particularly in low gentle. It can also be wanted for copy and breastfeeding.
Cherries are additionally good for:
 1. Boosting immunity
 2. Maintaining wholesome gums
 3. Treating allergy-related circumstances, similar to bronchial asthma, eczema, and hay fever (known as allergic rhinitis)
 4. Reducing results of solar publicity, similar to sunburn or redness (known as erythema)
 5. Lower danger of stroke
 6. Reduce stomach fats
 7. Alleviating dry mouth, significantly from antidepressant drugs
 8. Decreasing blood sugar in people with diabetes
Top "Cherry" Facts
 1. Cherry fruits are believed to have originated in northeastern Asia, named after the Turkish city of Cesarus.
 2. Cherry fruits had been first cultivated in Cesarus in Turkey.
 3. Sour cherries are larger in vitamin C and vitamin A (carotene) than the candy varieties. They additionally comprise terpenes, phytochemicals which will assist forestall most cancers.
 4. The riper the higher: as cherries darken, they produce extra antioxidants. The extra intense the color of a fruit or vegetable, the upper the beta-carotene content material. Vegetable sources of beta-carotene are fatand cholesterol-free. The absorption can be improved if these sources are consumed with a fats.
 5. Cherry is the identify given to somebody linked with AFC Bournemouth, as a fan, participant, coach and so forth.
 6. Cherry timber present a spectacular show of white or pink blossoms in spring, and a few varieties are grown purely for his or her decorative worth.
 7. Cherry is a feminine given identify, a pet type of Charity, additionally interpreted as a flower identify.
 8. Anything of a brilliant crimson color; one thing in wonderful situation; mint situation are additionally thought to be Cherry.
 9. In cricket, the phrase Cherry means a cricket ball.
Meanwhile, when choosing cherry fruits, it's quiet advisable to select the shiny agency ones. The tender or shriveled fruits with darkened stems are an indication of outdated or poor storage circumstances.


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Disoriented Chiral Condensates in High-Energy Nuclear Collisions
- Author(s): Randrup, Jorgen
- et al.
This brief lecture series discusses how our current understanding of chiral symmetry may be tested more globally in high-energy nuclear collisions by suitable extraction of pionic observables. After briefly recalling the general features of chiral symmetry, we focus on the SU(2) linear sigma model and show how a semi-classical mean-field treatment makes it possible to calculate its statistical properties, including the chiral phase diagram. Subsequently, we consider scenarios of relevance to high-energy collisions and discuss the features of the ensuing non-equilibrium dynamics and the associated characteristic signals. Finally, we illustrate how the presence of vacuum fluctuations or the inclusion of strangenesss may affect the results quantitatively.


Barresi seeking $2,000 raises for all Okla. teachers
Barresi 1
OKLAHOMA CITYThe state superintendent is now turning her attention to Oklahoma's teacher shortage.
Janet Barresi convened the first meeting of the Teacher Shortage Task Force Monday morning.
The group came up with a list of factors impacting the district's ability to recruit and retain the best teachers.
Among them were teacher salaries, strong competition in the private sector and border state competition for higher paying jobs.
Currently, a first-year teacher in Oklahoma makes about $31,600 per year.
That puts us in the bottom ten states in the country when it comes to starter salaries.
The average teacher's salary in our state is just over $44,000 per year.
Teachers in 46 other states make more money, including our neighbors to the south in Texas.
Teachers there make an average of more than $48,000.
Barresi is asking that each teacher receive a $2,000 raise, which would make the Sooner State more competitive with surrounding states like Arkansas, Missouri and Texas.
She says the extra money could be funded by tapping into surplus funds and reducing schools' administrative overhead.
The group will meet up three other times before the end of the year.


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Embrace the Adventure: Murder Drones Stuffed Toys for Brave Hearts
The creators of the Murder Drones Cuddly Toy Collection have taken this into account and ensured that their products meet all necessary safety standards. They are made from child-friendly materials and undergo rigorous testing to ensure they pose no harm to users. While some may argue that introducing children to such concepts at an early age might be controversial, others believe it's a way of preparing them for the future. In a world where technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace, it's no surprise that even children's toys are becoming more sophisticated. Gone are the days of simple stuffed animals and action figures; now, we have murder drones stuffed toys designed specifically for brave hearts. These murder drone stuffed toys may sound like something out of a science fiction movie, but they are very much real.
Created by innovative toy manufacturers who understand the thrill-seeking nature of today's youth, these toys offer an exhilarating experience unlike any other. So what exactly are murder drone stuffed toys? Essentially, they are remote-controlled drones disguised as cuddly plush animals. From adorable teddy bears to fierce lions and everything in between, there is a wide range of options available to suit every child's taste. But don't let their cute appearance fool you – these toys pack quite a punch! Equipped with state-of-the-art technology and advanced weaponry systems, murder drone stuffed toys allow children to engage in thrilling aerial battles right from the comfort of their own homes or backyards. One might wonder why anyone would want to introduce such violent elements into children's playtime.
However, proponents argue that these toys provide an outlet for adventurous spirits while teaching valuable skills such as hand-eye coordination and strategic thinking. Moreover, murder drone stuffed toys encourage outdoor play and physical activity. Instead of spending hours glued to screens playing video games or watching TV shows, children can now take part in exciting adventures outside with their friends or family members. Safety is always a top priority when it comes to children's products. Rest assured that manufacturers have taken this into Murder Drones stuffed toy account during the design process. These drones come equipped with safety features such as propeller guards and automatic shut-off mechanisms if they detect any potential danger nearby. Additionally, parents need not worry about their little ones getting hurt during playtime since all interactions occur through remote control.


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Download the PDF Version of this blog so you can share or read it later.
Get a PDF copy of this article so you can read or use it later
The Vector 4D uses innovative Time-of-Flight technology, allowing a range of new characteristics and behaviours to be measured, opening the door to a huge range of new possibilities. While many systems on the market today claim to gather height data, due to the passive nature of video systems the best that can be achieved is often only an estimate. With the Vector 4D however, the height of all people passing through the field of view is measured directly, with high accuracy.
Using this measurement a height histogram of all people counted can be collected, giving a rich resource for estimating the distribution of adults vs children, for example. Limits can also be intelligently applied to counts to include or omit people above or below a given height, allowing children to be included or excluded from the count.
The heights of people may also be continually monitored allowing changes in behaviour to be detected; are they sitting or standing, for example? This will enable some new insights into the way that people use a space. Only the Vector 4D has the capacity to record this type of data with such accuracy and combine it with other built-in capabilities to give end-users a data resource with so many options.
The capabilities of the time of flight sensor also extend to the more practical side of operating the device, as it can understand its environment in great detail. It is able to automatically calculate its mounting height, and therefore the area of the field of view, making installation and calibration easier.
High accuracy by design, coupled with an innovative feature set mean that the Vector 4D will be unparalleled in terms of capability and practicality.


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It is likely that Romans made no distinction between today's terms integration and assimilation. They did everything that was necessary for the expansion of the Roman empire and worked from experience. Due to the communication lag between Rome and conquerors in distant, marginal territories, there had to exist directives/guidelines on how to deal with newly conquered cultures/tribes.
While the Romans adopted a lot of foreign culture as well (e.g. Greek philosophy, mythology), they likely didn't allow conquered tribes to practice their religion/language any more (?). That's probably the rough border line between integration/assimilation compared to today's meanings. Maybe they even married foreign women and killed foreign male adults/children to "speed up" cultural assimilation.
What known and/or documented procedures did conquerors/military tribunes conduct to assimilate foreign cultures in the best way? What was "officially" prescribed by the Roman senate and philosophy?


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Details about Measuring Quality Improvement in Healthcare:
This ground-breaking book addresses the critical, growing need among health care administrators and practitioners to measure the effectiveness of quality improvement efforts. Written by respected healthcare quality professionals, Measuring Quality Improvement in Healthcare covers practical applications of the tools and techniques of statistical process control (SPC), including control charts, in healthcare settings. The authors' straightforward discussions of data collection, variation, and process improvement set the context for the use and interpretation of control charts. Their approach incorporates "the voice of the customer" as a key element driving the improvement processes and outcomes. The core of the book is a set of 12 case studies that show how to apply statistical thinking to health care process, and when and how to use different types of control charts. The practical, down-to-earth orientation of the book makes it accessible to a wide readership.


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Indicator Report - Teen Birth Rate Girls Age 15-17, by Race and Ethnicity 2008-2010
Why Is This Important?Early pregnancy and childbearing is closely linked to a host of other critical social issues, including poverty and income disparity, overall child well-being, out-of-wedlock births, and education, to name just a few. Simply put, if more children in this country were born to parents who are ready and able to care for them, we would see a significant reduction in a host of social problems afflicting children in the United States, from school failure and crime to child abuse and neglect.
Teen childbearing is costly to the public sector - federal, state, and local governments and the taxpayers who support them. Reducing teen pregnancy will enhance overall child well-being. The children of teen mothers bear the greatest burden of teen pregnancy and childbearing, and are at significantly increased risk for a number of economic, social, and health problems.
Preventing teen pregnancy is critical to improving not only the lives of today's young women and men but also to enhancing the future prospects of their children. Indeed, one of the surest ways to improve overall child well-being is to reduce the proportion of children born to teen mothers.
Linking Teen Pregnancy Prevention to Other Critical Social Issues, March 2010, National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Washington DC.
Teen Birth Rate Girls Age 15-17, by Race and Ethnicity 2008-2010
Data NotesU.S. data are for 2009.
Data SourcesBirth Certificate Data, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics (BVRHS), New Mexico Department of Health.National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) public use data file.
DefinitionTeen Birth Rate is the number of births to females in the age group per 1,000 of the age group female population.
How We Calculated the Rates
Page Content Updated On 04/17/2012, Published on 06/14/2012


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Rank tests for clustered survival data when dependent subunits are randomized.
In clustered survival data, subunits within each cluster share similar characteristics, so that observations made from them tend to be positively correlated. In clinical trials, the correlated subunits from the same cluster are often randomized to different treatment groups. In this case, the variance formulas of the standard rank tests such as the logrank, Gehan-Wilcoxon or Prentice-Wilcoxon, proposed for independent samples, need to be adjusted for intracluster correlations both within and between treatment groups for testing equality of marginal survival distributions. In this paper we derive a general form of simple variance formulas of the rank tests when subunits from the same cluster are randomized into different treatment groups. Extensive simulation studies are conducted to investigate small sample performance of the variance formulas. We compare our non-parametric rank tests based on the adjusted variances with one from a shared frailty model, which is an optimal semi-parametric testing procedure when the intracluster correlations within and between groups are the same.
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Over 500 million people lack access to safe sanitation and 120 million plus people lack access to safe drinking water in India. In fact, the adverse economic impacts of inadequate sanitation were reported
to be as high as 6.4 percent of India's Gross Domestic Product (WSP Economics of Sanitation Initiative 2010).
In such a scenario, it becomes critical to create awareness and encourage participation on these issues.
Research has proven that children can be the drivers of change within a community. Given the IT revolution in the country coupled with the ease of access to mobile phones by children, there might be a potential window of opportunity for the sector.
Create applications/tools for children so as to ensure that Water and Sanitation (WatSan) hygiene is instilled in them. This could be achieved through the provision of:
Games, puzzles, and so on,on WatSan emphasizing the 'play & learn' approach Free 2D and 3D animations/cartoon applications on WatSan, pre-loaded on mobile phones
Some otherways tocreate awareness on WatSan issues could be the availability of quick 'Did You Knows' or 'Trivia of the Day' for people, preferably in their local language, on mobile phones, for example, did
you know that open defecation in India is nearly 58 percent vis-à-vis the world percentage?
Owner: Shilpi Jain Water Aid
The content for the application could be provided by the service provider to the end user either free of cost or on subscription.


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Science Discovery Tuition
A specially designed and proven science improvement program for Primary Students. This program comprises 2 main blocks:
1. Understand Well Block - to inspire interests and fun learning in science through video learning and in-class discussions.
2. Score Well Block - to master scoring skills in science exams
(Objective: To fully understand all the fundamental elements. To get everything right)
All about basic science elements (4 lessons)
All about plant (4 lessons)
All about animal (4 lessons)
All about human (4 lessons)
All about energy (4 lessons)
All about environment (4 lessons)
(Objective: To master the essential skills and technics to score A* in exam or PSLE.)
To achieve optimum results: minimum score is 75 and above.
All about MCQ in Booklet A (4 lessons)
All about open questions in Booklet B (4 lessons)


The Return of the Dishwasher
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The Return of the Dishwasher
The Return of the Dishwasher
In the Dungeon of Doom, you find a sink. Because it seems like a good idea at the time, you kick it.
A voice booms out "The dishwasher has returned..." and a very ampersandy [Succubus|Incubus] walks into the room.
"Hey there, [big boy|pretty lady]," [she|he] says... "Wanna help me work up some suds?"
Long story short, you have a magical evening. Short story long? Anything by Dickens.
You gain 21 Enchantedness.
Occurs at The Dungeons of Doom.
 - In the game NetHack, kicking sinks is a common activity because it's one of the few things one can do with a sink in the game, one of the others being drinking from it. Any of a wide variety of outcomes can result from kicking a sink, such as finding a magic ring, hurting your foot, summoning a black pudding, or summoning a succubus for male characters or an incubus for female characters. The message that this action produces is "The dishwasher returns!"
 - The adjective "ampersandy" seems to be a neologistic adaption of the noun "ampersand": the & symbol. In NetHack, the & symbol is used to represent daemons, such as a Succubus or an Incubus. One strategy is to "dance" with them, which involves having level-gaining sex as many times as possible.
 - The octothorpe (hash mark / US pound sign) # symbol is used to illustrate the adventure because it denotes a sink in NetHack. (That, and it's easier to draw than an ampersand.)
 - In Victorian literature, large volumes sold for more money, so writers like Charles Dickens had to bulk up their short stories to 600-page novel length. Dickens also published his stories first as serials in the newspaper, and there was paid by the word.


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Medical Term:
Pronunciation: har-mon'ik
Definition: A component of complex sound, the frequency of which is a multiple of the fundamental frequency, which is also called the first harmonic; the second harmonic has twice the frequency of the fundamental, and so forth.


text: |This deep coppery-green, upright, branching, bush reaches between 9 and 20 feet in height, has barbed spines in the wild but is spineless in cultivation. The joints are elongated-oval or oval and grow to 10 inches in length, 1 to 2 inches wide. The short yellowish glochids extend from yellowish areoles. In summer the bell-shaped, large yellow flowers are borne singly on the stem tips and then produce reddish, subglobose fruit. This genus has the largest membership of sun loving species. Australia has even banned a few because of their rapid growth.