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Being able to afford a college education for your children or grandchildren is one of the top goals for most parents and grandparents. This goal is becoming more difficult for most families. According to the Department of Agriculture report, the average cost to raise a newborn child in the United States is $233,610, and this does not include college. Depending on where you live in the United States, this number could actually be higher. So how do you save for college and where should you begin?
As a parent, you need to look at a few things before you start saving for college. This list may change in priority for each family, but all of them need to be considered before you create your plan.
This process can be daunting but the sooner a family starts analyzing their unique financial situation, the sooner you can develop a strategy on how to pay for college. I am seeing this lack of planning illustrated through the growing higher college debt levels. Today, student debt is over 1.52 trillion dollars and growing. To help your children reach a level of independence without excessive student debt, you need to make saving and college planning a priority as a parent.
A key term in the college funding and financial aid process is called your Expected Family Contribution or EFC. This number is used to determine if a family will qualify for need-based financial aid. On the PayForED website, we have a free EFC calculator. We would recommend that you determine that number since it may make your saving goal a little more realistic rather than the list price of many of these colleges.
By understanding your EFC, you will be able to create a better saving plan and other paying strategies in lowering your total net cost of educating your children. A good exercise in the college saving planning process is to build your estimated EFC and align it with some of the colleges that your child may want to attend. Our PayForED App has a 13 question EFC builder and the ability to add 10 colleges. With this information, you can better understand your financial aid position at the different colleges and the possible financial aid you will qualify for as a family.
By understanding the timing, you can then determine which investment options will be the most beneficial. You may need to have a combination of retirement tools and college saving tools to attain both your goal of saving for retirement and college funding. Each saving investment accounts have different features and benefits. Before making any investment decision, you need to understand the access to the funds, penalties, and cost of each investment.
This is an account that is in the student's name with a person assigned as a custodian of the account. The account funds must be spent for the benefit of the child. It is under this legal structure to protect the child. Depending on the state, the account becomes the child's money at age 18 or 21. This can be a bank savings account, checking account, or investment account.
The myth of assets in your child's name affecting the financial aid process is not always true. A family needs to understand their EFC and the colleges they are considering before that decision can be made. By moving assets out of a child's name, there could be significant tax and legal consequences if not done correctly.
This is an investment that has the full backing of the US Federal Government and grows with interest that is earned based on the type and month purchased. This investment is often given as a gift to younger children with the expectation of tax-free growth for education.
This investment offers the most amount of financial security. To receive the tax-free benefit, it must be titled correctly and used for qualified educational expenses. At the time a parent redeems the bonds, there are income limits based on the tax filing status of the parent that needs to be considered.
A 529 Plan is an investment plan operated by a state designed to help families save for future college costs. There are a few non-state 529 plans. As long as the plan satisfies the federal tax law requirements, it will provide for special tax benefits to the plan participant and beneficiary of the plan. (Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code).
It is up to each state to decide whether it will offer a 529 plan (or possibly more than one), and what it will look like. The 529 plans are usually categorized as either prepaid or savings, although some have elements of both.
With the 2018 tax code change, 529 plan money can now be used for elementary and secondary schooling. It does have an annual limit of $10,000 per year per child.
This plan is also called an Educational IRA. This investment option can be used for college and tuition expenses of elementary and secondary school. There are contributor income limits and investment amount limits per child per year from all sources. The annual limit is $2,000 per year, and the source of funding is limited by income level based on the tax filing of the person.
The significant advantage to a Coverdell Plan is the investment flexibility that the 529 plan does not offer.
This is a general investment tool. The investment goes into the account with after-tax money and offers the most amount of investment flexibility. The limit to these accounts is the tax consequence in liquidating the account for payment. If held long enough, it will qualify for capital gains tax treatment.
For financial aid positioning, this could also be an advantage since parent taxable investment accounts are weighted in the EFC calculation at 5.64% rather than the student's rate at 20%. The parent also receives an asset allowance based on their tax filing and age.
As stated above, it is essential that a family understands their EFC positioning before starting their saving plans.
This is primarily a retirement saving investment option. The investment goes into the account with after-tax money. After five years, these contributions are available for educational expenses if correctly withdrawn. There are specific contribution rules set by the IRS, which may limit your ability to use this option. The Roth IRA option allows parents to save for both retirement and college. It is not counted in the Federal EFC calculation but is reported under the CSS method. It has better investment flexibility and grows tax-free. It is an excellent option to consider when you have younger children. Money must be in the plan for 5 years before you can have access to withdraw without any penalty.
This is a general investment tool normally set up by another family member. The investment goes into the account with after-tax money and offers investment flexibility. This option allows the trustee to control the distribution of assets over a specific period. This investment is counted in the Federal EFC calculation and CSS profile method by each beneficiary. The listed beneficiary name is where the asset value will be reported. These plans are often set up as a simple solution for estate planning but ignores the financial aid position of the individual family members. This is especially a problem when a family may qualify for need-based financial aid.
Finding the best ways to save and pay for college is becoming a more significant part of many families' financial plans. Educational savings plans are just one-way families can begin this process. Having a combination of strategies will better help families reach the goal of educating their children at the lowest cost.
If you find that you need help creating the proper strategies for saving and paying for college, we recommend that you see an advisor with the CFSLA designation. These advisors take a holistic approach to the situation and are trained in this area. Advisers need to understand the financial aid process, college savings plans, educational tax strategies, student loans, and various loan repayment options. PayForED website does have a list of College Funding & Student Loan Advisors (CFSLA) listed on our website in the resource tab.


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Christian movie "Facing the Giants" faces FFRF . . . and fails (April, 3 2013)
Thanks to immediate action taken by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a middle school in Kirtland, N.M., canceled plans to indoctrinate students by showing them a proselytizing Christian movie.
The Kirtland Middle School principal had planned to show a movie, "Facing the Giants," billed as a Christian drama. The movie's byline is a New Testament verse, "With God, all things are possible." A concerned teacher contacted FFRF a few hours before the movie was slated to be shown.
The movie tells the story of a high school football coach whose team cannot win a game, is in danger of losing his job, drives a jalopy and has a wife who is having trouble getting pregnant—until he turns to god for help. After finding god and encouraging his student athletes to have faith in the Christian god, everything turns around for the better and the team wins the state title.
The movie was produced by the Sherwood Baptist church and distributed by the Trinity Broadcasting Network.
FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel contacted the superintendent of Central Consolidated School District #22 to explain that showing a movie with this proselytizing message to a captive audience of students at a public middle school is inappropriate. The administration agreed and informed FFRF that the movie would not be shown.
In addition to being an egregious violation of the separation of church and state, the movie received terrible reviews from critics, including one star on the popular movie review website, Rotten Tomatoes.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Santhi Parva
Created by Jijith Nadumuri at 02 Apr 2010 07:36 and updated at 02 Apr 2010 07:36
MAHABHARATA, BOOK 12: SANTI PARVA
<<<< Previous Section Current Parva All Parvas Next Section >>>>
CCXII Bhishma said, Persons engaged in the practice of acts regard the practice of acts highly. Similarly, those that are devoted to Knowledge do not regard anything other than Knowledge. Persons fully conversant with the Vedas and depending upon the utterances contained in them, are rare. They that are more intelligent desire the path of abstention from acts as the better of the two, viz, heaven and emancipation Abstention from acts is observed by those that are possessed of great wisdom. That conduct, therefore, is laudable. The intelligence which urges to abstention from acts, is that by which one attains to Emancipation. Possessed of body, a person, through folly, and endued with wrath and cupidity and all the propensities born of Passion and Darkness, becomes attached to all earthly objects. One, therefore, who desires to destroy one's connection with the body, should never indulge in any impure act. On the other hand, one should create by one's acts a path for attaining to emancipation, without wishing for regions of felicity in the next world
As gold, when united with iron, loses its purity and fails to shine, even so Knowledge, when existing with attachment to earthly objects and such other faults, fails to put forth its splendour He who, influenced by cupidity and following the dictates of desire and wrath, practises unrighteousness, transgressing the path of righteousness, meets with complete destruction One who is desirous of benefiting oneself should never follow, with excess of attachments, earthly possessions represented by the objects of the senses. If one does it, wrath and joy, and sorrow arise from one another and make one miserable. When every one's body is made up of the five original elements as also of the three attributes of Goodness, Passion, and Darkness, whom shall one adore and whom shall one blame with what words? Only they that are fools become attached to the objects of the senses. In consequence of folly they do not know that their bodies are only modifications As a house made of earth is plastered over with earth, even so this body which is made of earth is kept from destruction by food which is only a modification of earth. Honey and oil and milk and butter and meat and salt and treacle and grain of all kinds and fruit and roots are all modifications of earth and water. Recluses living in the wilderness, giving up all longing for rich and savoury food, take simple food, that is again unsavoury, for only supporting the body.
After the same manner, a person that dwells in the wilderness of the world, should be ready for labour and should take food for passing through life, like a patient taking medicine A person of noble soul, examining all things of an earthly nature that come upon him, by the aid of truth, purity, candour, a spirit of renunciation, enlightenment, courage, forgiveness, fortitude, intelligence, reflection, and austerities, and desirous of obtaining tranquillity, should restrain his senses. All creatures, stupefied, in consequence of Ignorance, by the attributes of Goodness and Passion and Darkness, are continually revolving like a wheel. All faults, therefore, that are born of Ignorance, should be closely examined and the idea of Self which has its origin in Ignorance, and which is productive of misery, should be avoided. The fivefold elements, the senses, the attributes of Goodness, Passion, and Darkness, the three worlds with the Supreme Being himself, and acts, all rest on Self-consciousness As Time, under its own laws, always displays the phenomena of the seasons one after another, even so one should know that Consciousness in all creatures is the inducer of acts Tamas from which proceeds Consciousness should be known as productive of delusions. It is like Darkness and is born of Ignorance. To the three attributes of Goodness, Passion, and Darkness are attached all the joys and sorrows of creatures. Listen now to those consequences that spring from the attributes of Goodness, Passion, and Darkness.
Contentment, the satisfaction that arises from joy, certainty, intelligence, and memory, these are the consequences born of the attribute of Goodness. I shall now mention the consequences of Passion and Darkness. Desire, wrath, error, cupidity, stupefaction, fear, and fatigue, belong to the attribute of Passion. Cheerlessness, grief, discontent, vanity, pride, and wickedness, all belong to Darkness. Examining the gravity or lightness of these and other faults that dwell in the Soul, one should reflect upon each of them one after another for ascertaining which of them exist, which have become strong or weak, which have been driven off, and which remain' Yudhishthira said, What faults are abandoned by persons desirous of Emancipation? What are those that are weakened by them? What are the faults that come repeatedly and are, therefore, incapable of being got rid of? What, again, are regarded as weak, through stupefaction and, therefore, as permissible? What, indeed, are those faults upon whose strength and weakness a wise man should reflect with the aid of intelligence and of reasons?
I have doubts upon these subjects. Discourse to me on these, O grandsire' Bhishma said, A person of pure Soul, by extracting all his faults by their roots, succeeds in obtaining Emancipation. As an axe made of steel cuts a steel chain and accomplishing the act becomes broken itself, after the same manner, a person of cleansed Soul, destroying all the faults that spring from Darkness and that are born with the Soul when it is reborn, succeeds in dissolving his connection with the body and attaining Emancipation The qualities having their origin in Passion, those that spring from Darkness, and those stainless one characterised by purity viz, those included under the quality of Goodness, constitute as it were the seed from which all embodied creatures have grown. Amongst these, the attribute of Goodness alone is the cause through which persons of cleansed Souls succeed in attaining to Emancipation. A person of cleansed soul, therefore, should abandon all the qualities born of Passion and Darkness. Then again, when the quality of Goodness becomes freed from those of Passion and Darkness, it becomes more resplendent still. Some say that sacrifices and other acts performed with the aid of mantras, and which certainly contribute to the purification of the Soul, are evil or cruel acts. This view is not correct.
On the other hand, those acts are the chief means for dissociating the Soul from all worldly attachments, and for the observance of the religion of tranquillity. Through the influence of the qualities born of Passion, all unrighteous acts are performed, and all acts fraught with earthly purposes as also all such acts as spring from desire are accomplished. Through qualities born of Darkness, one does all acts fraught with cupidity and springing from wrath. In consequence of the attribute of Darkness, one embraces sleep and procrastination and becomes addicted to all acts of cruelty and carnal pleasure. That person, however, who, possessed of faith and scriptural knowledge, is observant of the attribute of Goodness, attends only to all good things, and becomes endued with moral beauty and soul free from every taint'


As the Building Facilities Planner, you will provide advice and make decisions as a technical expert on buildings, support systems, and architectural settings that impact the Airports Authority's ability to provide functionally sound and aesthetically pleasing structures.
Serves in the Planning Department of the Office of Engineering at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).
Develops and advises on design aspects of the Airports' Master Plans, serves as a project manager during planning and programming phases, and serves as a project team member during a design, construction, activation, and operation phases. Performs related functions.
Serves as technical expert and advisor with regard to airport terminal, gate, concourse, and facility building planning and design. Recommends or establishes building program criteria and standards for design or redesign of structures; contributes to budget plans for facilities planning.
Assists in the development of Airport Master and Subarea Plans, including for facilities and projects at DCA, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), the Dulles Toll Road, and other Airports Authority property.
Serves as a member of a program management team that establishes and manages processes and resources necessary for the Capital Construction Program (CCP) and Capital, Operating, and Maintenance Investment Program (COMIP).
Reviews and makes recommendations on airline space reallocations, equipment changes, and gate configurations; interprets and assesses the impacts of changed procedures, equipment, and operations on security, especially as required by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Assists in developing strategies for growth and change from the perspectives of the airlines and their customers; reviews and makes recommendations on changes and advancements in commercial programs in the terminals and for changing technology used by passengers.
As a Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR), develops statements of work for technically demanding planning and design projects; assists in selection of consultants and oversees quality, schedule, and cost control.
Liaises with other Airports Authority staff, as well planning partners or interested parties in the private and public sectors, to resolve conflicts and gain approval for parallel efforts.
Conducts meetings with stakeholders to relay in-progress study findings, develop consensus on recommendations, and gain approvals for conclusions. Communicates technical and administrative progress to senior management and the Board of Directors.
Works with project managers from the Design, Construction, and Building Codes/Environment Departments during preparation of pre-design programs to identify issues and solutions and coordinate cost estimates and schedules.
Makes site visits to DCA, IAD, and peer airports to observe operations and conditions and confirm the practicality of ideas for planning studies and programs.
Seven years of progressively responsible experience in planning, pre-design, and design of airport facilities and structures.
Knowledge of the principles, practices, and procedures of overall airport facility planning and operations and ability to apply it to develop or review comprehensive, integrated designs.
Knowledge of related fields (e.g., civil engineering, structural engineering, construction industry) and skill in applying it to coordinate and sequence work and minimize collateral problems during planning and design for construction.
Knowledge of and ability to apply sustainable airport facility planning/design practices involving energy use, building materials, waste management, and building placement.
Knowledge of and ability to apply building and fire codes, laws governing accessibility, regulations and standards involving airport facilities, and other Federal, state, and local laws and regulations to ensure compliance.
Knowledge of historic preservation and ability to identify pertinent preservation issues, develop appropriate mitigation responses, establish or maintain effective liaison with preservationists, and ensure overall conformance of plans with public policy.
Ability to perform complex analyses of data and information and make recommendations.
Skill in using a computer and modern office suite software, with emphasis on specialized software for project planning, graphics illustration, and facilities and infrastructure design and planning applications.
A Bachelor's Degree in Facilities Planning, Architecture, Civil Engineering, or related field.
May be exposed to some adverse weather conditions and dust, grease, dirt, and loud noise when visiting work sites. Wears personal protective equipment, as needed, at work sites.


Hobbies My hobby is music, traveling and sports. I just can't live without it. Sometimes I go to the gym to keep fit. Of course, I enjoy jogging listening to my favorite music. About Myself My name is Nastya. I am 24 years. I am a student of the National Shipbuilding University. I'm single. I enjoy listening to music and having fun with friends. I love to study and to learn something new. I'm also very interested in communicating with intelligent and educated people.
Search For I wish to find the man of my dreams. He should be strong, wise, courageous, charming and reliable. With him I'd feel myself as safely as behind a stone wall. I don't like to quarrel, so I am looking for easy-tempered, loyal man. But the most important thing for me is certainly to find love.


Israeli armed forces supported by bulldozers continue to displace thousands of Palestinians from the small territories they managed to hold on to after the massive displacement of Palestinian populations during the 1948 Naqba and subsequent Israeli military offensives.
The International Coordinating Group (ICG) calls on Commission No. 16 to take the lead to organize a comprehensive and global campaign against displacements over the next period. But since this campaign cuts across issues, the ICG also calls on Commissions Nos.3, 6, 10, and 14 to assist Commission No.16. Kindly provide a report on the campaign and plans for the 2011-1014 continuation and expansion of the campaign against displacements at the 4th International Assembly in July 2011.


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Defiance playable (and viewable) at the SCI-FI-LONDON film festival
By Phil Savage 2013-02-28T11:50:46.58Z
Trion Worlds have announced that Defiance, their unusual MMO shooter/TV-show collaboration with SyFy, will be the lead sponsor of the 2013 SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival, taking place at the BFI Southbank between April 30th and May 6th. Both endeavours will be present on the show floor, giving you the chance to experience hot media synergy in action.
"We're delighted to be involved with the SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival," says John Burns, Senior Vice President of Trion Europe. "It is the perfect opportunity to showcase all the excitement Defiance has to offer. Defiance is the first of its kind – a unique and never-before-attempted entertainment experience that seamlessly melds together an online video game and TV series."
Defiance takes place in the San Francisco Bay Area, on a future Earth ravaged by terraforming technology run amok. Players take on the role of an Ark Hunter, searching the land for mysterious alien tech. And also shooting up giant bug monsters. Trion previously released a live-action trailer, teasing the game's setting.
Defiance is released April 2nd.
Phil has been PC gaming since the '90s, when RPGs had dice rolls and open world adventures were weird and French. Now he's the deputy editor of PC Gamer; commissioning features, filling magazine pages, and knowing where the apostrophe goes in '90s. He plays Scout in TF2, and isn't even ashamed.


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Belle of Louisville boiler anniversary
Jim Reising
The big question is not "any other western river boilers last 50 years?"....but rather were there any other BOATS with western boilers that lasted 50 years????????
R. Dale Flick
Western boilers "lasting" 50 years?*
Hi, Jim! Glad you posted here as I'd not read much from you on the webs or at home. I agree with your question "any...Western boilers that lasted 50 years?" What about the boilers from the GORDON C. GREENE put on the AVALON/BELLE? I heard 'something' about that but, frankly, can't remember. The DQ's boilers now approaching 100 years old came as a surprise to a few reading here that sent a 'private E=Mail' to me.
With steamboats in the past there was no real concern or worry about aging boilers. Boats not built to last that long with the average life in the old days being four (4) to seven (7) years at most. If boilers wore out they replaced them. Usually the boat and boilers wore out together. The thinking back then of milking the life out of an aging steamboat beyond their life span never considered. Facts/figures showed that any boat then over four (4) years of age was faced with increasing insurance coverage along with mounting repairs. Others met their end by fire, snagging, wind storms, flexible hulls wearing out. Engines then fared better at times being handed down from boat to boat. Steam, contrary to thinking, just as dangerous back then as it is now being under strict monitoring and control with instruments, gagues etc. even in this age. Letha Greene told me from her experience, "I always had a respect for steam and the boilers on any of our boats." "Respect" to the point of being nervous during steamboat races whether contrived for PR, media cxoverage and old time steamboat romance. It was all a kind of financial equation from profit to loss with boats and their boilers. Even Jim Burns never considered that his DK and DQ would survive as long as they have. They were exceptions to the rule in design, construction far more solid than our Western Rivers boats here. Let's get Dan and Kenny Howe to chime in here. Well, what do I know?
Old Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati.
David Tschiggfrie
Okay, Dale, you've finally sucked me into making a post! (Yes, the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.) IDLEWILD's second set of boilers which replaced her original trio from Rees came from CITY OF HELENA after that towboat burned at Cairo in 1937. They served up until the fall/winter of 1953 when they were replaced by three from GORDON C. GREENE at Owensboro. The GCG's four boilers were built in 1941 by Acme Boiler Works of Gallipolis. So of the four sets of Western Rivers boilers (and the one short-lived set of Brown Fintube boilers which were a big bust) that saw service on the boat, their longevity was respectively: 23 years; 22 years -- assuming CITY OF HELENA's were new when that boat was built; 12 years; and 50 years. That should give a hint, anyway, about the relative longevity of the current set of Nooter boilers and what a fantastic job they have done over five decades.
Dave what you wrote is most interesting. The life expectancy of a wood hull boat was about 20-25 years. By that time the hull was waterlogged and rotten, no way around it. Now from what you wrote the life expectancy of western river boilers is about the same..interesting, a perfect balance, by the time the hull was no good the boilers were also worn out. Those old boat builders knew what they were doing.


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US stocks slump; S&P 500 has its worst week since February
The quickly recovering economy after the pandemic has caused a degree of inflation, with prices for basic materials rising.
Author: DAMIAN J. TROISE and STAN CHOE (AP Business Writers)
Published: 9:36 AM CDT June 18, 2021
Updated: 3:39 PM CDT June 18, 2021
WASHINGTON — Stocks fell broadly on Wall Street Friday, sending the S&P 500 to its worst weekly loss since February.
The index fell 1.3% and gave back 1.9% over the course of the week.
Banks and other stocks that soared earlier this year on expectations for the economy and inflation were among the biggest losers.
Investors are still recalibrating their moves after the Federal Reserve's signal this week that it may raise rates sooner than expected. Short-term Treasury yields continued to spurt higher, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average had its worst weekly loss since last October.
St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said on business news channel CNBC that he expects the first interest rate increase the Fed could make could come as soon as 2022. That's faster than what the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday, when a forecast by policymakers put the consensus estimate of interest rate hikes in 2023.
The quickly recovering economy after the pandemic has caused a degree of inflation, with prices for basic materials like lumber, copper and oil rising as well as other goods like airline tickets and used cars. The general consensus is that the inflation will be temporary and is a result of an economy recovering from near depression levels, but part of the Fed's mission is to keep prices under control.
White House says markets showing little worry about inflation
Yes, Biden previously pledged to forgive $10,000 of federal student loan debt
US economy sees plenty of growth, but not enough workers or supplies
"You just don't have the firms able to build capacity to meet demand," said Ken Johnson, investment strategy analyst at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. "Investors are nervous about that."
The first action the Fed is likely to take would be a slowdown in its $120 billion of monthly bond purchases, which are helping to keep mortgages cheap, but the Fed's chair said such a tapering is still likely "a ways away."
Higher interest rates would cause high-priced stocks like technology companies to be less attractive to investors, and would likely push a greater number of investors into securities like bonds for better returns, which would come at the expense of the stock market.
The Fed is also closely monitoring the employment market, which has been improving but is still lagging behind the rest of the economy during the recovery.
"That gives investors some reassurance that the Fed isn't going to move on rates when the economy, from a labor market perspective, isn't back to where it was," Johnson said.
The yield on the 2-year Treasury note, which closely tracks expectations for future Fed moves, rose to 0.27% from 0.23% a day earlier. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 1.46% from 1.51% late Thursday.
Several stocks bucked the broader decline after reporting encouraging news. Software maker Adobe rose 1.9% after giving investors a solid profit forecast and strong second-quarter financial results. Firearm maker Smith & Wesson jumped 15.5% after raising its quarterly dividend and reporting strong fiscal fourth-quarter financial results.
Tonga volcano before-and-after satellite images show ash, destruction


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Home > News > Six-Legged Robot Launches Its Own Kickstarter Campaign
Six-Legged Robot Launches Its Own Kickstarter Campaign
September 17, 2017 September 18, 2017 TNC
3D printed hexapod by Vorpal Robotics, LLC promotes education.
STOCKHOLM, N.J., Sept. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — For the first time, a Kickstarter project has launched its own campaign. On September 12 the Vorpal Combat Hexapod—an open source, 3D printed, wireless walking robot—used one of its six robotic legs to press the "LAUNCH" button on the popular crowdfunding website, triggering its own campaign to go live to Kickstarter's millions of backers.
"We gave the honor to the oldest surviving prototype hexapod," remarked Steve Pendergrast, founder of Vorpal Robotics, LLC, the developer of the product. "Its name is Scrum. Every Vorpal Combat Hexapod has an individual name."
Although somewhat spidery looking as they scamper across a tabletop or floor, the hexapods sport whimsical eyes and other decorations, making them look more like cartoon characters than arachnids.
Up to sixty different motions can be triggered by the hexapod's custom Bluetooth gamepad, which is also 3D printed. Because of this versatility, the hexapod can be used to play games using appendages attached to its accessory port. These appendages are—you guessed it!—also 3D printed. Joust, Capture-the-Flag, Fidget Spinner Challenge, and other games are already available, with more in the pipeline.
"This is a great platform for fun activities that promote STEM education," continued Pendergrast. "Schools with 3D printers can fabricate the plastic parts themselves and then buy low-cost kits with the electronics and motors from our Kickstarter campaign. They can even motivate students to design their own 3D printed attachments."
The company also provides complete kits that include all 3D printed parts, and even fully assembled hexapods for those who just want to play games and program.
The Vorpal system also supports the MIT Scratch drag-and-drop programming language. Many schools already use Scratch to introduce programming to students, so this builds on a system many teachers already know. Students can even create new leg motions using Scratch and upload them to gamepad buttons for use during games and activities.
"Scrum the hexapod launched this project on Kickstarter," Pendergrast remarked, "but it will be his descendants who will go out into the world to teach kids about science, technology, engineering and math."
About Vorpal Robotics, LLC:
Vorpal Robotics, LLC creates fun, interactive robots and robot kits for educators, Makers, and hobbyists. For more information, visit www.vorpalrobotics.com. On Kickstarter: www.tinyurl.com/VCH-KS
Steve Pendergrast, Founder
pend@vorpalrobotics.com
SOURCE Vorpal Robotics, LLC
http://www.vorpalrobotics.com
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Mark Carey is the President of OSoft. Mark graduated from Northeastern University and later received a MBA degree in marketing. After 6 years in the military and 18 years in sales and marketing, Mark started his own software training business. The Helper Company was founded in March 2001 and has become a leading regional software training company in the Northwest, providing online software training for government agencies, businesses, and dozens of academic institutions. Mark was instrumental in creating new markets for innovative online training. His background has been the foundation upon which OSoft is formed.


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Constitution amendment in Nigeria: A fatal blow to nation-building
By Godwin Onyeacholem*
Nigeria has a frightening history of precariously balancing herself on the cliff's edge from time to time. And each moment usually comes with a fair amount of anxiety and numbing terror, such that it is only through the intervention of some supernatural force that the country has not gone the way of some chinaware smashed on a concrete floor.
By October 1, 2017, the country will roll out the drums to celebrate 57 years of independence from its British colonizers. It survived a civil war, six military coups and eight military heads of states who ruled for a total of 29 years until the will of the people forced the soldiers to return to the barracks in 1999, with a cautionary note never to return to the political arena. Since the last seventeen years, the country has witnessed a succession of civilian governments produced from four general elections, the last being an unprecedented transfer of power from an incumbent government to an opposition party.
But despite these seeming achievements, the national question has remained unanswered. Post-independence Nigeria is contending with a fierce centrifugal pull by popular and fringe tendencies tearing away at the soul of the world's most populous black country. It seems that the restive elements would hardly be blamed for their actions. Successive governments have not been able to muster the leadership vision and statesmanly discipline required to forge a nation from the diverse ethnic nationalities occupying the geographical space called Nigeria.
Rather than strive to construct a proper federal state based on social justice, equity and merit, as envisioned by the colonizers and their local inheritors, otherwise known as founding fathers, the new crop of leaders have stubbornly stuck to a retrograde unitary arrangement imposed by the military since 1966. Thus Nigeria has remained in the backwoods of underdevelopment, pitifully existing not even anywhere near the shadows of countries like South Korea and Brazil with which she rubbed shoulders in the early days of independence.
In this suffocating atmosphere of pathetic leadership, ethno-religious and regional anger is flaring, fuelling a renewed and more intense cry for a restructuring of the so-called federal republic, as well as strident agitations for a dismemberment of the country amid mutual sabre-rattling and hate speeches. Indeed, this moment is reminiscent of the eerie call in the mid 60s for a return to the homestead. For sure, for a particular ethnic group down south, this is the kind of tense situation that warrants an exigent call on those who aren't moving to get off the way (B'o lo oya).
This country has been in that frame of emergency for a long time. It has perpetually groped in the darkness it brought upon itself. Now, those who argue that we don't have a country yet really have to be excused. At no time other than this moment does Nigeria need to heal herself of the pathologies that have held it down for decades.
That can only begin by reinventing the country through a total redesigning of its architecture. And the place to start is the constitution. What Nigeria needs today is a brand new, people-driven constitution, not an amendment of an anti-federal, military-imposed 1999 constitution which is currently being operated. In the first place, the idea of amendment is odious as it has been repeated again and again to the point of becoming a cliché that the extant constitution is Decree 24 handed down by the military. And it's not only that its originators are not known believers of federalism, they are also the least qualified to give the country a constitution that will guide it through its democratic journey.
A democratic Nigeria cannot continue to rely on a military document, for the military cannot give what they do not have. That is why a constitution that originates from their regimented, command-and-obey mindset can only be nothing but a document full of useless unitary principles even for a multi-ethnic society.
Therefore, by embarking on an amendment of a constitution of such massively flawed origin, a dubious document which politicians swore to defend but which the military never allowed them to see before assuming office in 1999, the National Assembly is only carrying out a futile exercise. It is no surprise that the purported amendment turned out a jamboree of self-service. The legislators have proved once again that their interest is more important than that of other citizens and the country. That is why they can afford to fiddle when the country is forever tottering on the brink.
But what is more of a surprise is that even very senior lawyers who ought to know better have weighed in on the side of a hopeless amendment when they should be beating the drums for a fresh people's constitution. These lawyers, and indeed all those who genuinely love this country, should let the legislators know that the way to go is not amendment, but by putting in place a law for a Constituent Assembly whose duty it is to draw up a constitution that will be approved by a referendum of the people.
Anything short of that, such as the misguided exercise the National Assembly has taken upon itself, will escalate agitations and intensify the drums of war.
Godwin Onyeacholem is a journalist. He can be reached on gonyeacholem@gmail.com


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Month July 2019
Helsinki Photo by F. Widding
When Heikki Eriksson emailed me the start time of 0300 for my birding adventure in Helsinki I thought it must be a misprint. I know we birders like to start early, but 3:00 AM? No misprint. I forgot we were in the land of the "white nights", latitude 60 degrees North, about the same as Anchorage, Alaska. Heikki was gifted by his ability to bird-by-ear so the dim, predawn light was no problem for us, or at least for him. The bird calls for me were all foreign, but interesting, none-the-less.
Heikki Eriksson
We arrived in Helsinki by train from Saint Petersburg on May 22, traveling along the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, through low, boggy terrain, passing Vyborg near the border. I've come to learn of the historic significance of this frontier south of Lake Ladoga, separating the great bear of Russia from Finland.
"Before the Storm" by H Munsterhjelm, 1870 (at the Ateneum)
From the 13th until the early 19th century present day Finland was part of the powerful Swedish Empire. Russia replaced Sweden as "empire-in-charge" in 1809, initially granting the Finns considerable local autonomy. They, in turn, gave their women the right to vote in 1906, I believe the first people to do this. The Bolsheviks granted Finland its complete independence after the Russian Revolution of 1917, but the subsequent first half of the 20th century was anything but tranquil for the Finns.
Mew Gulls, Larus canus
The nonaggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939 allowed Russia to annex the small Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, while Germany was busy fighting further to the west. Finland however, also a Baltic state, resisted this Russian intrusion, preferring to fight to maintain their recent independence. Russia invaded Finland on November 30, 1939, and for over 5 months the Finns heroically fought before succumbing to their superior foe. They refer to this struggle as the "Winter War", differentiating it from later events of WWII.
Finland's eventual defeat by Russia and the reluctance of other western democracies to come to their aid in 1939, partly explains their uneasy alliance with Hitler from 1941 to 1944. This period is referred to by the Finns as the "Continuation War". Caught between the proverbial "rock and a hard place" they had few choices, ultimately distrusting the Stalin more than Hitler. The Finn's battlefield support for Germany however, was decidedly lukewarm, until they finally changed sides against a defeated Germany in 1945. This turbulent and controversial chapter of Finnish history is well chronicled in "Finland's War of Choice, The Troubled German-Finnish Coalition in World War II" by Henrik O. Lunde, published in 2011.
A Birder's Balance Beam somewhere near Helsinki
The weather in Helsinki was exactly the opposite of what we experienced in Russia. The clear blue skies and unseasonable Russian heat were replaced by a cool, cloudy, drizzle, clearly not a good test for my new mirror-less camera and lens (Panasonic Lumix G9 camera and Leica F2.8-4.0 50-200mm lens). Heikki picked me up at 3:00 AM sharp and we headed west along the coast to the nearby principalities of Espoo and Kirkkonummi where we birded several fields, tidal wetlands, and scattered woodlots.
Eurasian Blue Tit, Cyanistes caeruleus
Much of the serious birding in Finland is done further north than Helsinki, even above the Arctic Circle. Visit the website of Finnature, a guiding company, at http://www.finnature.com to fully appreciate what this land has to offer. They are the people that connected me with my guide. I only had one birding day to spare during this initial visit, but Heikki certainly made the most of it, even close to the city. I especially liked seeing the Goldcrest and Eurasian Blue Tit. Spotting a Ruff in the wetlands and a flyover by an Arctic Tern were also notable. We saw 76 different species in 9 damp hours, 28 of which were lifers for me.
Common Golden Eye, Bucephala clangula
Soon after sunrise the cold rains began. The new equipment is weather sealed but even they must have their limits. As the rain increased I reluctantly retired them to the car after only a few good shots, continuing the outing with just binos, visual memories, and eBird documentation of the sightings.
Every time I hire a guide I'm reminded of how much I have yet to learn. Heikki displayed exceptional knowledge of birdsong and many of the early birds were "heard but not seen". I had no problem ticking them however, since most were seen later after sunrise. His other skill was long distant ID by GISS (general impression, size, and shape), so helpful on the viewing platform.
Northern Goshawk and Cooper's Hawks by J.J. Audubon
A memorable surprise for us both was a sudden, swooping, stealth attack by a Northern Goshawk, just feet away, taking a poor unsuspecting dove in broad daylight. I liken it to the team of pick pockets who surprised me the prior week on Nevsky Prospect in Saint Petersburg. The only difference was they just got my wallet; the dove lost much more.
When we were not birding or strolling Helsinki we discovered the fabulous Ateneum Art Museum. Rainy day–not a problem, just head to the gallery resplendent with the works of Finnish artists and other masters. Or you can relish the great seaside cuisine and take pictures of your plate as my "foodie" companions were apt to do.
Tallinn Estonia
We also took the ferry across the Gulf of Finland 50 miles, to the ancient and historic city of Tallinn, Estonia. Near the city wall I finally ID'ed that common American Robin-like bird hunting for worms on seemingly all the European lawns. It's a Fieldfare; no big deal to the locals, but a life bird for me.
Fieldfare, Turdus pilaris
After 3 short nights in Helsinki it was off to Bergen, Norway by plane. Just scratching the surface of fascinating Finland has enticed me to return; perhaps to the area above the Arctic Circle. I knew I was leaving a "birdy" country when I visited the airport toilet before boarding the flight and they were playing birdsong on the public address system. Heikki would have known the exact bird.
July 4, 2019 July 11, 2019 brighamstephen	10 Comments
"The Rooks Have Come" by A.K. Savrasov
I've been trying to figure out a way to chronicle our recent trip to Russia in this birding and photography blog. Is it absurd for me to liken birding to strolling through the famous Tretyakov Gallery of Moscow and The Hermitage of St. Petersburg, observing the works of the masters? One does note the frequent depiction of birds in the various art forms; that, along with the typical European urban birds comprised the totality of my Russian birding. Even so, it was a trip for the ages.
You've heard all the cliches. Travel breaks down barriers and biases; it broadens one's horizons, it dispels misconceptions; it makes the world smaller. All are true. My preconceptions of Russia could not have been more wrong. "You'll find it cold and bleak" they said. The food will be barely edible and the people rude. The streets will be littered and the gardens unkept. Instead we found exactly the opposite, at least in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Hooded Crow, Corvus cornix
Warm sunshine and blue skies graced our entire 10 days in Russia. I've not seen more immaculate cities than these, with numerous green spaces and gardens in perfect springtime bloom. The old palaces and churches sparkled and spoke to their rich history, now more unabashedly celebrated in post-Soviet Russia. I sampled beef stroganoff to die for and feasted daily on exquisite cuisine to rival any in the West, from an intimate dinner with a friend at the Moldavian Embassy to the extensive morning brunch at our Metropol Hotel.
"Hunters at Rest" by V. Perov
I'm well aware of our significant geo-political differences with Russia and vividly remember with you, hiding under our school desks in the 1950's, drilling for the unthinkable. Winston Churchill described the country as "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." Today's Russia is a definite improvement over that, but significant opportunities for progress still exist. Global politics and current events, although interesting, are thankfully beyond the scope of this post.
"Boy With A Crow" by A. Gallen-Kallela
We hired two delightful guides, one in each city, to shepherd us around the cities and surrounding countryside. These were young, impressive, Russian women, proficient in multiple languages, and highly knowledgeable and proud of their city's history, architecture, culture, and artwork. Both Inam Khasanova and Eugenie Cantor are highly recommended if you ever venture to these cities.
"The Fighting Capercaillies" by F. von Wright
The vastness of this country, the largest on the planet, is difficult to grasp. While standing in Moscow at Red Square one is equidistant from the country's east coast city of Vladivostok and Chicago, USA to the west. Our visit obviously sampled only the two great cities and only viewed the rural landscape between them from a train's window. Moscow (Muscovy, MOCKBA), the ancient kremlin, dates back to 1147, while St. Petersburg (Leningrad, Petrograd) on the wide Neva was more recently founded by Peter the Great when he captured the Swedish fortress near the Gulf of Finland in 1703.
Birds figure prominently in the artwork of the countless galleries and palaces. The gilded two headed eagle is ubiquitous, supposedly symbolizing a multicultural country that geographically and politically straddles both Europe and Asia and their numerous ethnic groups and histories. My favorite picture is "The Rooks Have Come". It depicts returning rooks heralding an early spring thaw on the frigid steppe. "Boy With A Crow" and "Hunters At Rest" were actually seen at the Finnish Gallery in Helsinki, but continue the birds-in-art theme. One depicts a budding bird watcher while the other may explain the paucity of game birds on the steppe. So, tak, I believe one can bird while in museums.
My actual outdoors birding in Russia was informal and meagre, primarily occurring while walking from church to palace, through the great formal parks and gardens. I was forewarned about wandering through the city in early morning with binoculars and telephoto lens. That advice was probably an unnecessary caution and limited me to shots of the usual urban birds with the walk-around camera and lens.
St. Basil's Cathedral
Still I did notice a flock of swifts flying among the colorful domes of Saint Basil's Cathedral at Red Square. Since the only Russian swift is the Common, I was able to claim a new life bird, the first of many eventually seen later in this trip in Finland, Estonia, and Norway. I also stole a few private moments birding the informal, tranquil gardens of Tolstoy's modest home and in the small park just across the street from the Metropol Hotel and Bolshoy Theatre.
I asked our guides if there was a book they would recommend to a visitor to more fully understand their country and people. They recommended "And Quiet Flows the Don", written by Mikhail Sholokhov in 1934. This Tolstoyesque novel of rural Russia depicts the lives of Cossacks in the early 20th century as they pass through relative peace, into WWI, the Russian Revolution, and finally the White vs. Red Civil War. It's a wonderful story of mixed loyalties and torn families, struggling through the global geopolitical upheavals of their day. Add to that the later Great Depression, Stalin's purges, and the horrors of the Eastern Front of WWII, and one gets a more complete picture of these people.
A trip like this does not just happen without considerable planning and research. We did not take the common path of joining a tour group, but actively made each hotel and dinner reservation, hired guides and drivers, and bought every train, plane, boat, museum, and concert ticket. More accurately, Fred and Mary, our intrepid travel companions did all this work, and we went along for the ride–and what a sublime ride it was.


KUWAIT: The government is finalizing its emergency plan this week in order to ensure that the country is protected from foreign dangers in case the regional situation escalates and a war breaks out between Iran and the USA.
An unnamed senior official revealed that the government has learnt that two aircraft carriers are scheduled to arrive in the Gulf and the Red Sea in preparation for the expected war at any time. The official said that this information led the government to accelerate its emergency plan preparations, which include arrangements for protecting all sectors and vital installations.
The plan is divided into three parts, said the official - Security, Humanitarian and Vital Services. He added that the Kuwaiti Civil Defense and the Health and Interior Ministries would prepare the plan's outlines in order to discuss them and complete all parts of it.
The official said that Ahmad Al-Abdullah, the Commerce and Industry Minister and State Minister for National Assembly Affairs is preparing the livelihood and supplies plan, while Mohammed Al-Olaim, the Minister for Oil, Electricity and Water and Oil is preparing the electricity plan.


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Finalists Announced for 19th Annual FINE CUT Festival of Films
KCET, the nation's largest independent public television station, announced today the finalists and the broadcast dates for the 19th annual FINE CUT Festival of Films, a collection of exemplary short films from Southern California student filmmakers that is made possible by The Bridges / Larson Foundation.
In total,16 short films (25 minutes or under) were selected as finalists in the categories of Documentary, Animation and Narrative shorts.
Winners in each of the categories will be announced at a private awards ceremony and screening event sponsored by IndieWire on Wed., Sept. 19 at the Director's Guild of America (7920 Sunset Blvd. Blvd., LA, CA 90046) and awarded the opportunity to be a part of the American Pavilion screening at the Cannes International Film Festival in May of 2019 thanks to a partnership with The American Pavilion, the epicenter of American hospitality and communication at the world's largest film market.
All short films selected as finalists in the FINE CUT Festival of Films will be included in a series of half-hour broadcast episodes on KCET public television in Southern California that will air starting Wed., Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. with many films available for streaming at kcet.org/finecut.
Finalists and winners in each category were determined by an industry panel of ten esteemed experts that included Pixar's Animation Studios director Domee Shi (Bao, Inside Out, Incredibles 2, The Good Dinosaur), film/TV producer Effie T. Brown (Dear White People, Star, Project Greenlight), Indiewire film reporter Jenna Marotta, actress/writer/composer Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Blindspot, Without a Trace, Broadchurch, Training Day), story artist Michael Herrera (Angry Birds the Movie, Wreck It Ralph 2), Deadline.com Chief Film Critic/KCET Must See Movies Host Pete Hammond, producer/director Phillip Rodriguez (Los Angeles Now, The Rise and Fall of Brown Buffalo, Ruben Salazar: Man in the Middle), Executive Director of the International Documentary Association (IDA) Simon Kilmurry (PBS' POV), Head of Logo Documentary Films Taj Paxton (Hungry, Out of Iraq, The IT Project) and animator/writer/producer Van Partible (Pete the Cat, Johnny Bravo, The Cartoon Cartoon Show).
A fourth trip to the 2019 Cannes film festival will be awarded to the recipient of The Jack Larson Student Filmmaker Award which exemplifies FINE CUT founder Jack Larson's commitment to fostering new generations of filmmakers in Southern California. This award recognizes the filmmaker's strength as a storyteller. Last year's recipient of this award, Southern California film student Tom Teller ("Hum"), will review the finalists from this year's pool to select the 2018 honoree.
In addition to appearing as part of the broadcast series, all finalists of the 19th Annual FINE CUT Festival of Films are also eligible for the Viewers Choice Competition, where filmmakers will have a chance to have their peers and at-home viewers vote online at kcet.org/finecut during and up to one-week after the broadcast date. The winning filmmaker will be notified in November and receive a production package prize worth over $15,000.
The winning Animation, Documentary, Narrative and Jack Larson Student Filmmaker Award films will be selected as part of the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmakers Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019, hosted by The American Pavilion as well as a networking event.
Each filmmaker will receive a cash prize up to $500 to use towards airfare and accommodations for five nights through The American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Travel Accommodations program. Additionally, three of the winning films from The 21st Annual American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase competition will be featured in the FINE CUT broadcast series.
The finalists were announced as follows:
al imam (University of Southern California)
Documentary directed by Omar Al Dakheel
Candy Crushed (California Institute of the Arts)
Animation directed by Chloe Hsu
Deviant (San Diego State University)
Narrative directed by Benjamin Howard
Dumpling (California Institute of the Arts)
Animation directed by Siti Lu
General Dupont in General Dupont Does Laundry (University of California, Los Angeles)
Animation directed by Kim Nguyen
If You Want Out (San Diego State University)
Documentary directed by Mark Ledbetter
Kip (Biola University)
Documentary directed by Nicholas Moyer & Nate Norell
Labor (University of California, Los Angeles)
Narrative directed by Cecilla Albertnini
On Time (University of Southern California)
Narrative directed by Xavier Neal-Burgin
One Small Step (University of Southern California)
Narrative directed by: Aqsa Altaf
Raccoon and the Light (California Institute of the Arts)
Animation directed by Hanna Kim
Serial Killer Superstar (University of Southern California)
Narrative directed by Joseph Picozzi
Where I was Born (California Institute of the Arts)
Animation directed by Jungmin Cha
American Pavilion (AP) Selections
Guns Found Here (Emerging Filmmaker) – won AP "Best Emerging Documentary 2018"
Documentary directed by David Freid
My Mom and the Girl (Emerging Filmmaker) – AP "Emerging Filmmaker LGBTQ Showcase – Honorable Mention 2017"
Narrative directed by Susie Singer Carter
Night Call (Chapman University) – won AP "Best Student Film 2018"
Narrative directed by Amanda Renee Knox
Over 300 films were submitted by filmmakers enrolled in 54 Southern California schools (36 collegiate level and 18 grade schools). Additional stats include:
50% of the finalists had a director that was a person of color
56% of the finalists were female directors
13% of the finalists included LGBTQ themes
The festival is a tribute to FINE CUT founder Jack Larson who was an American actor, librettist, screenwriter and producer who may be best known for his portrayal of photographer/reporter Jimmy Olsen in the 1952-1958 television series Adventures of Superman. In the late 1990s Larson approached Southern California's KCET with the idea of creating a student film series that would provide talented students with the much needed opportunity to have their short films selected for television broadcast. Larson understood how difficult it was for young filmmakers to get broad exposure for their work because, typically, student work is only seen at special screenings and film festivals. Larson thought that public television was an excellent platform for providing critical visibility to emerging filmmakers. KCET shared Larson's enthusiasm and together they created FINE CUT, which continues to be a flagship program for KCET today.
Funding for FINE CUT is generously provided by The Bridges/Larson Foundation
Join the conversation on social media using #FineCut
*KCET and Link TV are expected to merge with PBS SoCal, subject to regulatory approvals.
On-air, online and in the community, KCET plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the world. Throughout its 54-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. KCET is a donor-supported community institution.. KCET is a part of the KCETLink Media Group. Select original programming from KCET is also available for streaming on Apple TV, YouTube, Amazon and Roku platforms. For more information visit http://www.kcet.org/apps.
animation, documentary, female directors, film festivals, LGBT, Narrative feature


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What Type of Plant Is Snakeroot?
By Michelle Wishhart
Is Trillium Poisonous?
White Bird of Paradise Diseases
Is Pulmonaria Lungwort Poisonous to Cats?
Are Cardinal Climbers Poisonous?
What Is the Difference Between Roman & German Chamomile?
White snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) is a perennial wildflower native to eastern North America that belongs to the aster/daisy family (Asteraceae). Formerly categorized in the Eupatorium genus, the plant is sometimes listed as Eupatorium rugosum. Snakeroot gains its common name from early American settlers, who incorrectly believed that the plant's rhizomes could treat snakebites. The plant is now known to be poisonous.
White snakeroot grows to be between 1 to 3 feet tall, producing 6-inch long, deeply serrated green leaves and fluffy rounded flowerheads that are up to 6-inches across and composed of tiny white florets. The fragrant flowers last for about two months in late summer and early fall. White snakeroot is very similar in appearance to boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), though white snakeroot has broader leaves. The garden cultivar "Chocolate" is notable for its shiny purple stems and brown colored leaves.
White snakeroot commonly occurs in disrupted areas such as degraded woodlands and overgrown vacant lots, though it may also occur in meadows near rivers. The plant attracts bees, moths and butterflies with its nectar. In the home garden, white snakeroot may be grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 4 to 8. The plant prefers full sunlight, though it will also grow in partial or light woodland shade. In optimal conditions, white snakeroot self-sows freely.
Low maintenance and tough, white snakeroot will easily adapt to a range of soil and moisture conditions. Best growth is in a moist, humus rich soil that is slightly gravelly or rocky. Spent flowers from the "Chocolate" cultivar should be deadheaded to prevent self-seeding, as they will not come true from seed. Deadheading will also help keep the plant looking neat and tidy. White snakeroot may be propagated by division, done in the spring.
Snakeroot contains toxins such as tremetol and glycosides that cause a fatal disease in cows, sheep, horses and goats called "staggers." The disease causes symptoms in livestock such as difficulty breathing, inactivity and weight loss. Humans who ingest milk from poisoned cows can develop a disease known as "milk sickness," which according to Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses is believed to have killed Abraham Lincoln's mother. Symptoms of milk sickness include vomiting, nauseas, difficulty breathing and weakness.
University of Texas Austin: Ageratina altissima (White Snakeroot)
Illinois Wildflowers: White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima)
Missouri Botanical Garden: Eupatorium Rugosum 'Chocolate'
Plants for a Future: White Snakeroot
Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses: White Snakeroot
Michelle Wishhart is a writer based in Portland, Ore. She has been writing professionally since 2005, starting with her position as a staff arts writer for City on a Hill Press, an alternative weekly newspaper in Santa Cruz, Calif. An avid gardener, Wishhart worked as a Wholesale Nursery Grower at Encinal Nursery for two years. Wishhart holds a Bachelor of Arts in fine arts and English literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
7 gadgets for the obsessively clean
White Root Rot Disease
What Are Some Interesting Facts About White Calla Lillies?
Can Cat Litter Kill Grass?
Identifying a Ginseng Plant
Varieties of Toad Lily Plants
Unusual Strawberry Varieties
What Is the Difference Between Laurelwood & English Laurel?
How to Identify Datura
1 7 gadgets for the obsessively clean
2 White Root Rot Disease
3 What Are Some Interesting Facts About White Calla Lillies?
4 Can Cat Litter Kill Grass?


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Coccophagus adustus is een vliesvleugelig insect uit de familie Aphelinidae. De wetenschappelijke naam is voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1976 door Annecke & Prinsloo.

Aphelinidae

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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package org.apache.hadoop.hdfs;

import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;

import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.PrintStream;

import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
import org.apache.hadoop.fs.BlockLocation;
import org.apache.hadoop.fs.FileStatus;
import org.apache.hadoop.fs.FileSystem;
import org.apache.hadoop.fs.FsShell;
import org.apache.hadoop.fs.Path;
import org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.protocol.ClientProtocol;
import org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.server.datanode.SimulatedFSDataset;
import org.junit.Test;

public class TestSetrepIncreasing {
  static void setrep(int fromREP, int toREP, boolean simulatedStorage) throws IOException {
    Configuration conf = new HdfsConfiguration();
    if (simulatedStorage) {
      SimulatedFSDataset.setFactory(conf);
    }
    conf.set(DFSConfigKeys.DFS_REPLICATION_KEY, "" + fromREP);
    conf.setLong(DFSConfigKeys.DFS_BLOCKREPORT_INTERVAL_MSEC_KEY, 1000L);
    conf.set(DFSConfigKeys.DFS_NAMENODE_RECONSTRUCTION_PENDING_TIMEOUT_SEC_KEY, Integer.toString(2));
    MiniDFSCluster cluster = new MiniDFSCluster.Builder(conf).numDataNodes(10).build();
    FileSystem fs = cluster.getFileSystem();
    assertTrue("Not a HDFS: "+fs.getUri(), fs instanceof DistributedFileSystem);

    try {
      Path root = TestDFSShell.mkdir(fs,
          new Path("/test/setrep" + fromREP + "-" + toREP));
      Path f = TestDFSShell.writeFile(fs, new Path(root, "foo"));

      // Verify setrep for changing replication
      {
        String[] args = {"-setrep", "-w", "" + toREP, "" + f};
        FsShell shell = new FsShell();
        shell.setConf(conf);
        try {
          assertEquals(0, shell.run(args));
        } catch (Exception e) {
          assertTrue("-setrep " + e, false);
        }
      }

      //get fs again since the old one may be closed
      fs = cluster.getFileSystem();
      FileStatus file = fs.getFileStatus(f);
      long len = file.getLen();
      for(BlockLocation locations : fs.getFileBlockLocations(file, 0, len)) {
        assertTrue(locations.getHosts().length == toREP);
      }
      TestDFSShell.show("done setrep waiting: " + root);
    } finally {
      try {fs.close();} catch (Exception e) {}
      cluster.shutdown();
    }
  }

  @Test(timeout=120000)
  public void testSetrepIncreasing() throws IOException {
    setrep(3, 7, false);
  }
  @Test(timeout=120000)
  public void testSetrepIncreasingSimulatedStorage() throws IOException {
    setrep(3, 7, true);
  }

  @Test
  public void testSetRepWithStoragePolicyOnEmptyFile() throws Exception {
    Configuration conf = new HdfsConfiguration();
    MiniDFSCluster cluster =
        new MiniDFSCluster.Builder(conf).numDataNodes(1).build();
    DistributedFileSystem dfs = cluster.getFileSystem();
    try {
      Path d = new Path("/tmp");
      dfs.mkdirs(d);
      dfs.setStoragePolicy(d, "HOT");
      Path f = new Path(d, "foo");
      dfs.createNewFile(f);
      dfs.setReplication(f, (short) 4);
    } finally {
      dfs.close();
      cluster.shutdown();
    }
 }

  @Test
  public void testSetRepOnECFile() throws Exception {
    ClientProtocol client;
    Configuration conf = new HdfsConfiguration();
    conf.set(DFSConfigKeys.DFS_NAMENODE_EC_POLICIES_ENABLED_KEY,
        StripedFileTestUtil.getDefaultECPolicy().getName());
    MiniDFSCluster cluster = new MiniDFSCluster.Builder(conf).numDataNodes(1)
        .build();
    cluster.waitActive();
    client = NameNodeProxies.createProxy(conf,
        cluster.getFileSystem(0).getUri(), ClientProtocol.class).getProxy();
    client.setErasureCodingPolicy("/",
        StripedFileTestUtil.getDefaultECPolicy().getName());

    FileSystem dfs = cluster.getFileSystem();
    try {
      Path d = new Path("/tmp");
      dfs.mkdirs(d);
      Path f = new Path(d, "foo");
      dfs.createNewFile(f);
      FileStatus file = dfs.getFileStatus(f);
      assertTrue(file.isErasureCoded());

      ByteArrayOutputStream out = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
      System.setOut(new PrintStream(out));
      String[] args = {"-setrep", "2", "" + f};
      FsShell shell = new FsShell();
      shell.setConf(conf);
      assertEquals(0, shell.run(args));
      assertTrue(
          out.toString().contains("Did not set replication for: /tmp/foo"));

      // verify the replication factor of the EC file
      file = dfs.getFileStatus(f);
      assertEquals(1, file.getReplication());
    } finally {
      dfs.close();
      cluster.shutdown();
    }
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This e-mail form is for our users and prospective users to send in feedback, questions, or suggestions for diveroster.com.
Some suggestions will be easy and quick to implement, some will be impossible, some will fit too narrow of a need, and some will be too costly. The point is that unless you make the suggestion, you'll never know. You can keep an eye on the Plans section of the help page to see what is already planned for the future or to see if your suggestion has become part of the vision for the software.


It's almost exactly one year since I last posted about the Magnificent Frigatebird aka Man-o-War Bird (Fregata magnificens). You can read about their courtship displays, gular pouches, nesting habits, names, uses to mankind (if any), and 10 magnificent facts about them HERE. I've included some truncated facts below.
Now is a good time to revisit these wonderful sky pirates, for 2 reasons. The first is that photographer Michael Vaughn has produced some outstanding images of the species. The second is that I have just watched a characteristically superb BBC David Attenborough prog showing frigatebirds robbing tropicbirds of fish – despite them being lodged in the tropicbirds' throats (for safekeeping…). Here's the link to the sequence.
Maybe a bit of rivalry going on here….?
I have a feeling that today's header image may be one of the best I have been fortunate enough to be able to use. Certainly in the top ten. This is a male frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) in the breeding season, with his extraordinary inflatable GULAR POUCH fully blown up. He is at his most chest-burstingly dashing, at least to female frigatebirds, and this great capture by photographer Athena Alexander from the excellent blog of JET ELIOT, shows one of the wonders of the bird world. A glimpse of his mate can be seen just behind his head, but frankly he has made the story his own! And just look at the size of his wings. If a bird can steal limelight, he has effortlessly done so.
Even on the nest, males are keen to be in the picture. Not for them the 'absentee father' role, out fishing the entire day. Instead, they share chick-care duties, looking after the single enormous, fluffy chick. An adult pair stays together for the year, forsaking all other. Chick care takes a long time from egg to fledging and beyond – so much so that frigatebirds only breed every other year, and always produce a single egg. For this reason, habitat destruction of breeding grounds has a far greater effect on population numbers than for birds that breed annually.
Columbus encountered them on his first voyage in 1492, but knew them by their Spanish name rabiforçado or 'fork-tail'.
'Man-o-War Bird' was the name given to the bird by English mariners in the Caribbean, being the colloquial name given by sailors to a frigate.
ARE FRIGATEBIRDS ANY USE TO MAN OR BEAST?


text:
"""A multi-producer, multi-consumer queue."""

from time import time as _time, sleep as _sleep

__all__ = ['Empty', 'Full', 'Queue']

class Empty(Exception):
    "Exception raised by Queue.get(block=0)/get_nowait()."
    pass

class Full(Exception):
    "Exception raised by Queue.put(block=0)/put_nowait()."
    pass

class Queue:
    def __init__(self, maxsize=0):
        """Initialize a queue object with a given maximum size.

        If maxsize is <= 0, the queue size is infinite.
        """
        try:
            import thread
        except ImportError:
            import dummy_thread as thread
        self._init(maxsize)
        self.mutex = thread.allocate_lock()
        self.esema = thread.allocate_lock()
        self.esema.acquire()
        self.fsema = thread.allocate_lock()

    def qsize(self):
        """Return the approximate size of the queue (not reliable!)."""
        self.mutex.acquire()
        n = self._qsize()
        self.mutex.release()
        return n

    def empty(self):
        """Return True if the queue is empty, False otherwise (not reliable!)."""
        self.mutex.acquire()
        n = self._empty()
        self.mutex.release()
        return n

    def full(self):
        """Return True if the queue is full, False otherwise (not reliable!)."""
        self.mutex.acquire()
        n = self._full()
        self.mutex.release()
        return n

    def put(self, item, block=True, timeout=None):
        """Put an item into the queue.

        If optional args 'block' is true and 'timeout' is None (the default),
        block if necessary until a free slot is available. If 'timeout' is
        a positive number, it blocks at most 'timeout' seconds and raises
        the Full exception if no free slot was available within that time.
        Otherwise ('block' is false), put an item on the queue if a free slot
        is immediately available, else raise the Full exception ('timeout'
        is ignored in that case).
        """
        if block:
            if timeout is None:
                # blocking, w/o timeout, i.e. forever
                self.fsema.acquire()
            elif timeout >= 0:
                # waiting max. 'timeout' seconds.
                # this code snipped is from threading.py: _Event.wait():
                # Balancing act:  We can't afford a pure busy loop, so we
                # have to sleep; but if we sleep the whole timeout time,
                # we'll be unresponsive.  The scheme here sleeps very
                # little at first, longer as time goes on, but never longer
                # than 20 times per second (or the timeout time remaining).
                delay = 0.0005 # 500 us -> initial delay of 1 ms
                endtime = _time() + timeout
                while True:
                    if self.fsema.acquire(0):
                        break
                    remaining = endtime - _time()
                    if remaining <= 0:  #time is over and no slot was free
                        raise Full
                    delay = min(delay * 2, remaining, .05)
                    _sleep(delay)       #reduce CPU usage by using a sleep
            else:
                raise ValueError("'timeout' must be a positive number")
        elif not self.fsema.acquire(0):
            raise Full
        self.mutex.acquire()
        release_fsema = True
        try:
            was_empty = self._empty()
            self._put(item)
            # If we fail before here, the empty state has
            # not changed, so we can skip the release of esema
            if was_empty:
                self.esema.release()
            # If we fail before here, the queue can not be full, so
            # release_full_sema remains True
            release_fsema = not self._full()
        finally:
            # Catching system level exceptions here (RecursionDepth,
            # OutOfMemory, etc) - so do as little as possible in terms
            # of Python calls.
            if release_fsema:
                self.fsema.release()
            self.mutex.release()

    def put_nowait(self, item):
        """Put an item into the queue without blocking.

        Only enqueue the item if a free slot is immediately available.
        Otherwise raise the Full exception.
        """
        return self.put(item, False)

    def get(self, block=True, timeout=None):
        """Remove and return an item from the queue.

        If optional args 'block' is true and 'timeout' is None (the default),
        block if necessary until an item is available. If 'timeout' is
        a positive number, it blocks at most 'timeout' seconds and raises
        the Empty exception if no item was available within that time.
        Otherwise ('block' is false), return an item if one is immediately
        available, else raise the Empty exception ('timeout' is ignored
        in that case).
        """
        if block:
            if timeout is None:
                # blocking, w/o timeout, i.e. forever
                self.esema.acquire()
            elif timeout >= 0:
                # waiting max. 'timeout' seconds.
                # this code snipped is from threading.py: _Event.wait():
                # Balancing act:  We can't afford a pure busy loop, so we
                # have to sleep; but if we sleep the whole timeout time,
                # we'll be unresponsive.  The scheme here sleeps very
                # little at first, longer as time goes on, but never longer
                # than 20 times per second (or the timeout time remaining).
                delay = 0.0005 # 500 us -> initial delay of 1 ms
                endtime = _time() + timeout
                while 1:
                    if self.esema.acquire(0):
                        break
                    remaining = endtime - _time()
                    if remaining <= 0:  #time is over and no element arrived
                        raise Empty
                    delay = min(delay * 2, remaining, .05)
                    _sleep(delay)       #reduce CPU usage by using a sleep
            else:
                raise ValueError("'timeout' must be a positive number")
        elif not self.esema.acquire(0):
            raise Empty
        self.mutex.acquire()
        release_esema = True
        try:
            was_full = self._full()
            item = self._get()
            # If we fail before here, the full state has
            # not changed, so we can skip the release of fsema
            if was_full:
                self.fsema.release()
            # Failure means empty state also unchanged - release_esema
            # remains True.
            release_esema = not self._empty()
        finally:
            if release_esema:
                self.esema.release()
            self.mutex.release()
        return item

    def get_nowait(self):
        """Remove and return an item from the queue without blocking.

        Only get an item if one is immediately available. Otherwise
        raise the Empty exception.
        """
        return self.get(False)

    # Override these methods to implement other queue organizations
    # (e.g. stack or priority queue).
    # These will only be called with appropriate locks held

    # Initialize the queue representation
    def _init(self, maxsize):
        self.maxsize = maxsize
        self.queue = []

    def _qsize(self):
        return len(self.queue)

    # Check whether the queue is empty
    def _empty(self):
        return not self.queue

    # Check whether the queue is full
    def _full(self):
        return self.maxsize > 0 and len(self.queue) == self.maxsize

    # Put a new item in the queue
    def _put(self, item):
        self.queue.append(item)

    # Get an item from the queue
    def _get(self):
        return self.queue.pop(0)


The whole idea for providing this type of service began on my wedding day, when after a long day of non-stop action, the parents of bride and groom had to stay after the wedding reception and clean up for a couple of hours. This was after months of wedding planning, after a very busy and chaotic wedding day. It just didn't seem right, so I wanted to provide a service to help everyone enjoy their big day without the stress of worrying about the hassle of cleaning up.


text:
Below you'll find a list of all posts from June, 2000
The Rogue or Sleaze provisions of the Employment Act
Two different organizations of developed countries, the OECD and the G-7 Group, are attacking the offshore banking industry of the …
The Good News/Bad News of the Minimum Wages Act
Generally minimum wage legislation, such as the Minimum Standards Act that was circulated for comment in January of this year, …
Truthfulness in the Workforce
The Employment Act dated May 2000 is an updated version of the proposed Minimum Standards Act circulated in January 2000. …
Opposition to Agency Shop Provision
A good example of the controversies surrounding the Trade Union Act is that related to the Agency Shop (Clause 73(1)). …
Misrepresentations in Parliament
The summer of 2000 could be the beginning of the Bahamian "year of discontent". Old laws relative to two major …
A National Role Model
Gary S. Becker, the Nobel Laureate in Economics, wrote in the May issue of Business Week "Egads! The Left is …
Personal liberty is the paramount essential to human dignity and human happiness.Edward G. Bulwer
…the task of the entrepreneur consists precisely in finding, in a world of perpetual change, which combination of resources will yield, in the conditions of today, a maximum surplus of output over input value, and in guessing which will do so in the probable conditions of tomorrow, when output values, cost of complementary input, and technology all will have changed. (1940)Ludwig M. Lachmann


We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Product availability, styles, colors, brands, promotions and prices may vary between stores and online. Early sell-out possible on special purchase items,and quantities may be otherwise limited. 1 Party Supplies. The dollar store has everything you need for any type of party birthdays, baby showers, bridal showers, graduations, etc. The products are cute and the price, unbeatable. Deluxe Import Trading is a leading wholesale item supplier of dollar stores, wholesale products, discount stores, and grocery stores nationwide. If you have the choice between shopping for bargains at Walmart or the local dollar store, there are at least 50 ways Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and the like beat the chain America's come to think of as defining discounts. From flashlights and sunglasses to spices and toilet cleaner, here are some deals to consider. Shop online for bulk Dollar Tree products, perfect for restaurants, businesses, schools, churches, party planners & anyone looking for quality supplies in bulk. Billion Dollar Baby [Bob Greene] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Book by Greene, Bob. All natural health, beauty, and wellness products for mind, body, & spirit. Shop natural and organic products online. Free shipping on orders +$40. Dollar store crafts and ideas make excellent decor, accessories, activities, and gifts for your homestead. Check out this list of 54 dollar store crafts, then head over to your own dollar store and get crafting. The other day, my non-frugal hubby came home with $40 of drugstore products that I could have bought for $8 at the dollar store. I smiled sweetly and made a mental note to keep these items in stock so he doesn't run out.


text:
DAWN MEATS & DUNBIA AGREE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Dawn Meats has agreed a strategic partnership with Dunbia to establish a majority owned joint venture ['JV'] in the United Kingdom comprising the UK operations of both organisations. Dawn will separately acquire Dunbia's operations in the Republic of Ireland. The deal is subject to approval by the relevant competition authorities.
In Ireland, Dawn Meats will have 9 facilities (including 5 abattoirs), following the addition of two complementary Dunbia facilities – one abattoir in Slane, and one boning hall in Kilbeggan.
The combined UK businesses will trade as Dunbia and will deliver enhanced scale and market presence to better serve existing farmer suppliers and customers of both organisations across the retail, manufacturing, wholesale and food service sectors. The businesses are highly complementary, and will offer customers regionally sourced solutions for both beef and lamb from 15 facilities across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Dunbia's CEO Jim Dobson, OBE will be CEO of the new Dunbia JV, and Dawn Meats' CEO Niall Browne, will be Executive Chairman. The JV will be run from Dunbia's existing headquarters in Dungannon, Northern Ireland.
Commenting, Niall Browne, CEO of Dawn Meats said:
"We are both family businesses with a deep connection to farming and a culture and business ethos that is centered on quality and sustainability. Given the uncertainty posed by Brexit, this partnership should further underpin the competiveness of both operations to the benefit of all stakeholders in the UK, Ireland and across Europe."
"We are very excited about the future of both companies and the opportunities that this transaction will bring for our staff, customers and suppliers. In our key operating markets we will be involved in 3 leading national businesses with Dawn Meats in Ireland, Dunbia in the UK and Elivia in France, with our cooperative partners Terrena."
Jim Dobson, CEO of Dunbia said:
"This is the right strategic partnership for Dunbia's staff and customers, and sees us joining with a company with a shared heritage of excellence in the production of premium beef and lamb products. The new UK joint venture confirms our future as a leading supplier in the UK market. In a consolidating industry this deal makes strategic sense for both companies, our customers and our farmer suppliers."
Across Dawn Meats and Dunbia, the businesses process approximately 900,000 cattle and 2.6 million sheep annually.
Dawn Meats is a premium meat processor and supplier of choice of premium Irish and British red meat to a range of leading supermarket, food service and restaurants businesses in Ireland and the UK and is exporting to 48 countries around the world. Dawn Meats is also a 49% shareholder in Elivia, the number 2 beef processor in France, which processes approximately 500,000 cattle annually.
Dunbia is a leading processor of beef and lamb with 9 sites located across the UK and Ireland, employing around 4,000 people. The company is one of Northern Ireland's largest privately-owned companies and currently exports to 36 countries worldwide.


Fairbanks is the largest city in the interior region of Alaska - just 180 miles south of the Arctic Circle - with a population of about 36.000 people. Captain Barnette founded the city in 1901 setting up a trading post and during 1902 the first gold was discovered. Get ready for a few days of winter fun and adventure within the Last Frontier. Choose from a variety of tours: Van Tours across the Arctic Circle on the Dalton Highway - aka: "The Ice Road" from Fairbanks, Alaska Flightseeing Tours, Gates of the Arctic National Park excursions from Bettles, Dog Mushing and our scenic Aurora Rail Tours to Talkeetna and Anchorage. Fairbanks - your Gateway to Adventures ! Please note: The sightseeing tours can only be booked in combination with our tour packages.
Explore Fairbanks and the surrounding area on this afternoon tour. Your city tour starts right from your hotel and combines fun with Fairbanks history, Alaskan craftsmanship and Alaska winter activities. Your first stop is the Santa Claus House in North Pole. The tour continues on to the Trans Alaska Pipeline viewpoint. It is the perfect spot to explain the astonishing engineering of the pipeline and the oil fields in Prudhoe Bay. Afterwards you'll visit the Morris Thompson Cultural Center offering knowledgeable cultural programs and an interpretive exhibit gallery featuring the land, seasons and people of Interior Alaska and the Arctic. If you are looking for an authentic gift, then the Great Alaskan Bowl Company is the perfect place for you. Last stop either at the Museum of the North or the Antique Auto Museum (depends on the weekday).
Have a thrilling ride on a dog sled pulled by happy huskies! This is the tour for everyone. Most ages and physical abilities can be accommodated. Our scenic trail leaves our cabin and takes you from winter woodlands with beautiful views of the valley. It also includes a straight run that is the perfect place for beginners to take a turn on the runners of the sled while the guide rides in the sled basket or you can choose our tandem sled option and stand on the runners for the whole run!. You'll get to see the how the dogs are harnessed and hooked to the sleds then climb on board for the run. Afterwards you can take your time: meet and greet the dogs and take lots of photos.
The 3 hour tour starts with instruction covering basic dog care, equipment use (sled, gang lines, etc.) harnessing and hooking up the dog team, followed by one-on-one instruction with a guide/musher driving the sled. When you are ready and the guide feels you are capable, the guide will switch places with you and you will take a turn on the runners. Then it's back to the cabin for a short break and setting up the sleds for smaller teams. Next is a 6-8 mile run driving your own dog team and sled! Finally the tour ends with instruction on un-harnessing, equipment checks and dog care after the run (checking sled and lines, checking dog feet and water and feeding, etc.). Optional add another 1.5-2 hr of mushing for $200.
Your Ice Fishing day trip begins with the pick up from your hotel. While catching fish in a warm hut on a beautiful lake you can still safely enjoy the brisk, clear air and peaceful environment of Interior Alaska, the home to some of the best ice fishing this state has to offer. Learn the old native skill of ice fishing from our experienced ice fishing guides. Hot drinks and grilled fish for a late lunch are served while fishing. Warm arctic gear is available and our heated van is always close by. Please provide each participant's height, weight, and shoe size for the arctic gear. The tour price includes: hotel transfer, arctic gear, fishing license, tackle, hot beverages and lunch.
Every year the world's best ice artists gather in Fairbanks, Alaska to create the finest ice art in two spectacular ice sculpting events. Do not stand in line to get tickets but be treated as a very important person (VIP) and get a first rate experience at the World Ice Art Championships. The guided tour includes narrated transportation along the single block classic and multi-block classic displays. An ice artist is available to create a special sculpture just for you. Also, your visit to the "Fun Park" is a delight for all ages. The souvenir shop and complimentary hot beverages will be the "finish line" of this extraordinary day at the "World Ice Art Championships". Free pick up & drop off from your hotel.