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La dénomination  que l'on peut traduire par l'expression « organismes maçonniques » est utilisé dans la franc-maçonnerie nord-américaine, et en particulier dans celle des États-Unis, pour désigner l'ensemble des organismes qui se rattachent à la franc-maçonnerie des trois premiers degrés dans sa branche principale. Ces organismes prennent souvent la dénomination d'« ordres » et gèrent des activités diverses allant de la pratique des hauts grades maçonniques à la collecte de fonds pour des œuvres caritatives.

Des organismes maçonniques comparables aux masonic bodies existent également, quoi qu'avec moins de variantes, dans d'autres pays, en particulier au Royaume-Uni.

En Europe continentale, ces organismes sont quasiment inexistants, et c'est plutôt le système des juridictions de hauts grades maçonniques, le plus souvent constituées en symbiose avec une obédience symbolique (c'est-à-dire des trois premiers grades), qui domine.

Généralités
La franc-maçonnerie américaine présente cette particularité d'établir une frontière assez nette entre :
 d'une part, les grandes loges symboliques (des trois premiers degrés) et historiques (fondées peu de temps après l'indépendance et reconnues par la Grande Loge unie d'Angleterre) : aux États-Unis, au Canada et au Mexique, il n'existe qu'une seule grande loge de ce type par État ou province ;
 et d'autre part l'ensemble de tous les autres organismes rattachés plus ou moins directement à ces grandes loges, qu'il s'agisse :
 d'ordres gérant les hauts grades maçonniques dénommés aux États-Unis : side degrees,
 d'ordres regroupant des dignitaires ou anciens dignitaires des organismes mentionnés ci-dessus,
 d'ordres féminins, mixtes ou de jeunesse,
 ou d'ordres caritatifs recrutant dans les loges maçonniques.

La franc-maçonnerie mixte, très minoritaire aux États-Unis, n'y est pas considérée comme appartenant à la franc-maçonnerie elle-même, ni non plus aux  qui lui sont rattachés. Elle y est dénommée .

Les grandes loges noires américaines, dites de Prince Hall, forment aux États-Unis un ensemble séparé, qui n'est considéré ni comme faisant partie des grandes loges « historiques » (), ni comme appartenant aux  qui lui sont rattachés, bien que la plupart des grandes loges blanches américaines aient, à partir des années 1990, commencé à tisser des liens de reconnaissance et d'inter-visites avec elles.

L'expression « ordre paramaçonnique » est parfois utilisée en français pour désigner les , bien qu'elle ne procède pas de la même conception de la franc-maçonnerie et qu'elle soit d'une extension beaucoup plus vaste. En effet, on utilise en français cette expression pour désigner non seulement les  nord-américains, mais également tout sortes d'autres ordres paramaçonniques très divers, allant des ordres martinistes aux sociétés amicales.

Histoire
Pendant tout le  et pendant les vingt premières années du , la franc-maçonnerie des îles britanniques ne comportait qu'un ou peut-être deux degrés: ceux d'apprenti et de compagnon. Le troisième degré, celui de maître, apparaît dans les années 1720.

La première Grande Loge d'Angleterre, issue de la , fondée en 1717, refusait de reconnaître quelque degré que ce soit au-delà du troisième.

Cependant, la Grande Loge des anciens, formée en 1751 et se réclamant d'une tradition plus ancienne, très liée aux franc-maçonneries écossaise et irlandaise, autorisa la pratique d'une gamme plus vaste de rituels. Les  pensaient, à tort ou à raison, que leur connaissance du degré de  témoignait d'une tradition plus complète et plus ancienne, et ils appelaient pour cette raison par dérision leurs concurrents de la Grande Loge de Londres les .

Quand les deux grandes loges fusionnèrent en 1813, l'article deux du traité d'union, avec une certaine habileté rhétorique, affirma que .

Pendant la période allant de 1740 à 1813, de très nombreux autres rites, ordres et degrés maçonniques avaient vu le jour. Ces nouveaux rituels reprenaient souvent, en les développant, des éléments pratiqués dans la franc-maçonnerie des trois premiers grades. Beaucoup de ces systèmes disparurent rapidement et il semble que beaucoup d'entre eux n'aient jamais existé ailleurs que sur le papier. Mais certains perdurèrent et existent encore aujourd'hui.

Reconnaissance

Les différentes grandes loges nord-américaines n'ont pas toutes les mêmes relations avec les autres . Certaines considèrent qu'ils ne font pas du tout partie de la franc-maçonnerie. Ceci les conduit à ne pas les considérer comme des  (« organismes annexes »), mais comme des organisations totalement séparées, même lorsqu'elles ne recrutent que parmi les francs-maçons.

Recrutement
Le recrutement des masonic bodies est très variable, chacun d'entre eux ayant ses propres règles. Beaucoup d'entre eux cependant, et en particulier ceux qui confèrent des degrés maçonniques additionnels, ne recrutent que parmi les maîtres maçons des grandes loges « historiques ».

D'autres acceptent les personnes (épouses ou enfants) qui ont une relation familiale avec un maître maçon. Certains exigent que le candidat croit en la Trinité chrétienne, ce qui va au-delà de la simple exigence de la croyance en un Être suprême pratiquée par les grandes loges historiques nord-américaines.

Certains exigent que les candidats aient auparavant exercé certaines responsabilités dans d'autres groupes (par exemple qu'ils aient été président d'une autre loge).

Le recrutement peut être ouvert ou ne se faire que sur invitation. Ainsi par exemple, aux États-Unis, le Rite d'York et le Rite écossais ancien et accepté examinent les candidatures de tous les maîtres francs-maçons, mais se réservent le droit de ne pas les accepter. D'autres groupes comme les prieurés de chevaliers de la croix d'honneur de York (Priories of Knights of the York Cross of Honor) exigent que les candidats aient au préalable présidé une loge bleue, un chapitre de l'Arche royale, un conseil cryptique et une commanderie de chevaliers du Temple dans le système du . D'autres encore, comme les chevaliers maçons (Knight Masons) sont dits , c'est-à-dire qu'on ne peut pas y présenter une candidature et qu'on ne peut y entrer que sur invitation.

Rites, ordres et degrés

Principaux organismes de hauts grades
En Amérique du Nord, les deux principales sortes de juridictions de hauts grades maçonniques sont nommées « organismes annexes » (Appendant Bodies). Ce sont :

 le Rite écossais ancien et accepté, qui ne concerne aux États-Unis que les degrés du  au  ;
 le Rite d'York (parfois appelé ) dans sa partie qui va au-delà des trois premiers degrés, et qui se subdivise à son tour en quatre organismes :
 les chapitres de l'Arche royale (Royal Arch Chapter) (Capitular Masonry),
 les conseils de la maçonnerie cryptique ((Royal & Select Masters Council of Royal & Select Masters ; Cryptic Masonry),
 les commanderies de chevaliers du Temple (Knights Templar) ;
 à ces quatre organismes, il convient d'ajouter le Priories of Knights of the York Cross of Honor qui regroupe les anciens présidents des différents ateliers du rite.

Autres ordres et degrés

Les organismes suivants confèrent également des degrés maçonniques. Les candidats doivent posséder au moins le degré de maître maçon, entre autres exigences possibles :

 Allied Masonic Degrees : aux États-Unis, les conseils des AMD délivrent 12 degrés supplémentaires. Il existe également des conseils similaires en Angleterre, qui délivrent 5 degrés supplémentaires ;
 Royal Ark Mariners : aux États-Unis, ce degré fait partie des AMD. Au Royaume-Uni, les loges de Royal Ark Mariners sont administrées par la Mark Grand Lodge. Au Canada, ce degré est associé au Cryptic Rite ;
 The Order of the Secret Monitor : aux États-Unis, ce degré fait partie des AMD En Angleterre, il est administré par un conclave séparé qui gère trois degrés ;
 The Red Branch of Eri : aux États-Unis, il fait partie des AMD En Angleterre, the Order of Eri confère trois degrés ;
 The Antient Order of Noble Corks : aux États-Unis, c'est une partie des AMD En Angleterre et dans d'autres pays il est conféré séparément ;
 The Knight Masons : en Irlande des conseils de Knight Masons of Ireland confèrent trois degrés connus sous le nom de « degrés verts ». Aux États-Unis, le Grand Council of Knight Masons of the USA administre des conseils qui ont établi des accords avec le Grand Council of Ireland ;
 Royal Order of Scotland : la Grand Lodge of the Royal Order at Edinburgh, Scotland contrôle approximativement 85 grandes loges provinciales dans le monde. Elle confère deux degrés ;
 Chevalier bienfaisant de la Cité sainte : aux États-Unis, les grands prieurés qui gèrent les hauts grades du Rite écossais rectifié confèrent quatre degrés et ne recrutent que par invitation ;
 The Rite of Baldwyn at Bristol : il n'existe que dans la ville de Bristol (Angleterre). Il confère cinq degrés ;
 The Holy Royal Arch Knights Templar Priests : un rite de 33 degrés dont seul le dernier est réellement conféré au cours d'une cérémonie ;
 Societas Rosicruciana : neuf degrés ;
 Order of St. Thomas of Acon : un ordre commémorant la chevalerie, organisé en  ;
 The Order of the Worshipful Society of Free Masons, Rough Masons, Wallers, Slaters, Pavoirs, Plaisterers and Bricklayers : sept degrés ;
 The August Order of Light : trois degrés. Six temples dans le mondes, deux dans le nord de l'Angleterre, un aux USA, un en Australie et deux en Inde.
 The Order of Athelstan : sur invitation seulement, organisé en .

Autres organismes ne recrutant que des francs-maçons

Les organismes suivants ne recrutent que des francs-maçons, mais ne confèrent pas de degrés maçonniques :

 Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine : les « Shriners » sont très connus pour leurs parades caritatives et leur hôpitaux pour enfants ;
 Order of Quetzalcoatl : association de francs-maçons de l'Ouest et du Sud-Ouest des États-Unis ;

 Royal Order of Jesters : l'initiation, sur invitation et après vote unanime, est réservée aux Shriners ;
 Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm : organisation caritative connue sous le nom de « Grotto ». Les membres portent un fez noir ;
 National Sojourners : association patriotique de francs-maçons ayant servi dans l'US Army en tant qu'officiers ;
 Heroes of '76 : association liée aux National Sojourners ;
 Tall Cedars of Lebanon : association caritative et de soutien à la recherche contre la dystrophie musculaire et les maladies neuromusculaires ;
 Order of the Sword of Bunker Hil : ordre maçonnique patriotique de la côte est des États-Unis.

Autres organismes recrutant parmi les francs-maçons et leurs proches
Les organismes suivants recrutent des francs-maçons, mais aussi des non-maçons :

 Order of the Eastern Star : les membres sont soit des maîtres-maçons soit des femmes de leurs familles. Le chapitre est toujours dirigé par une femme ;
 Order of the Amaranth : les membres sont soit des maîtres-maçons soit des femmes de leurs familles ;
 Social Order of the Beauceant : ordre mixte regroupant des Knights Templar, leurs épouses ou leurs veuves ;
 White Shrine of Jerusalem : ordre mixte regroupant des maîtres-maçons et des femmes de leurs familles ;
 Daughters of the Nile : ordre d'épouses de Shriners.

Organisations de jeunesse
Il existe également en Amérique du Nord de nombreuses organisations de jeunesse rattachées à la franc-maçonnerie :

 DeMolay International : garçons de 12 à 20 ans. Sans obligation d'avoir un parent maçon. L'organisation s'est également implantée au Canada, Australie, Allemagne, Brésil, Italie, Japon, etc. ;
 Association de la Jeunesse Espoir de la Fraternité (A.J.E.F.) : garçons de 14 à 21 ans. Les chapitres sont implantés au Mexique, aux États-Unis et certains pays d'Amérique latine ;
 Job's Daughters : filles de 10 à 20 ans, filles d'un maître maçon ou d'une « Job's Daughter » majeure. Les Jobies ont des Bethels en Australie, au Brésil, au Canada, aux Philippines, et dans de nombreux États des États-Unis ;
 International Order of the Rainbow for Girls : filles de 11 à 20 ans. L'organisation s'est aussi implantée en Australie, Bolivie, Brésil, Canada, Allemagne, Italie, Japon et aux Philippines.

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Franc-maçonnerie
 Franc-maçonnerie aux États-Unis d'Amérique
 Obédience maçonnique

Lien externe
 U.S. National Masonic Appendant Bodies.

Franc-maçonnerie américaine
Vocabulaire et concepts maçonniques


Press play to meet four types of networkers. Did you recognise your own networking style?
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If you would like to practice your networking skills and meet new and interesting people, we recommend the excellent events organised by The Irish Institute of Training and Development and The Sales Institute of Ireland.


Next up in our series of workshops once the grass had grown tall enough in mid July, was a weekend of scything and hay making, with tutor and Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust Craft Scholar Steve Tomlin, and we were blessed with the right weather.
We looked at Walter's English scythe blades, which unfortunately were too tired to renovate, and compared them to Austrian Schröckenfux blades, which would learn to use, sharpen and peen over the course of the day.
After learning how to mount the blade and handle accurately – something which varies person to person and greatly affects your technique, we made our way into Walter's field and made some headway.
We raked the cut grass into rows and turned it in the sun to expedite the drying process. We were able to make use of some hay rakes and pitch forks from the Walter's Tools collection for this stage. We were also able to repair and make use of Walter's hay racks, upon which we would later throw the cut hay once it was partially dry.
As the A framed hay racks are propped against each other,and the hay piled on top air can circulate through and underneath. By the time some light rain came later in the afternoon, the outer layer of the hayrick was sufficiently dry to act as a sort of thatched roof, protecting the less dry hay underneath. To complete the circle, the hay would be used to feed Walter's son Tom's Fell Ponies in the field next door.


Creating a sustainable operating environment is the mainstay of our existence in this business.
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The challenges include reducing emissions, water consumption and energy, favouring a circular economy – in recycling, waste management, advocating higher efficacy in use of essential raw materials or finding substitutes, ultimately working towards making urban areas to be better places to live.
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Our venture Mano Infrastructure LLP specializes in producing renewable energy.


Cochlear is an existing hearing rehabilitation company. This welcoming and fun packaging aims to reach out to not only parents but also the affected children themselves. The use of colourful information graphics and the inclusion of fun facts gives a lighter approach to the whole experience, alleviating the distress of the parents and the children. The information in the book is concise and arranged in a way that is easily comprehended. The booklet is also clearly divided into sections. The logo is a modern and simple icon resembling the ear. The target audience are young children who are deaf and/or hard of hearing (0-12 years old).
Gabriel's Supersonic Ears is an illustration book for the children who will be able to know what is it like to hear sounds, and how powerful the Cochlear device is.
The welcome packaging box is specially designed for the deaf children and their parents. In the package, the informational book, illustration book and several promotional items are included. Promotional items such as pencils, whiteboard and markers and pin buttons.


text:
David Houghton may refer to:

 David Houghton (cricketer) (born 1957), Zimbabwean Test cricketer
 David Houghton (designer), English graphic artist, designer and photographer
 David Houghton (footballer), New Zealand international football (soccer) player
 David P. Houghton (born 1966), British political scientist
 Dave Houghton, British drummer for the Joe Jackson Band

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Tag: Distance
Rice, Houston Symphony study social distance for musicians
[email protected]_84 November 19, 2020
Researchers used high-speed cameras to measure airflow around musicians when they play their instruments.
HOUSTON — The Houston Symphony has become an example for other orchestras around the country.
They're showing it's possible to perform during a pandemic safely. Weekly performances resumed at Jones Hall in July.
"It was kind of emotional being back that first time for sure after being off. I think we were out of work for about three months or so," said John Parker, Associate Principal Trumpet with the Houston Symphony.
Parker said he feels safe at work, because the safety protocols enacted during the pandemic are backed by research.
Engineers at Rice University partnered with the Houston Symphony to figure out how to bring performers back to the stage safely.
"Most of these microparticles tend to rise up as soon as
DistanceHoustonmusiciansRicesocialStudySymphony
Stanford University Appears To Distance Itself From Scott Atlas After 'Rise Up' Tweet : Coronavirus Updates : NPR
Dr. Scott Atlas, member of the White House's coronavirus task force, speaks at a news conference in the briefing room of the White House in September.
Joshua Roberts/Getty Images
Stanford University appeared to distance itself from Dr. Scott Atlas, a prominent member of the Trump administration's coronavirus task force, following his remarks that residents of Michigan should "rise up" against the state's new coronavirus restrictions.
University officials said in a statement that Atlas' position was his alone, and his comments were "inconsistent with the university's approach in response to the pandemic."
"Stanford's position on managing the pandemic in our community is clear. We support using masks, social distancing, and conducting surveillance and diagnostic testing,"
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Stanford University Tries To Distance Itself From Scott Atlas
Stanford University has pushed back on controversial statements concerning the coronavirus made by … [+] Dr. Scott Atlas (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images).
Stanford University is trying to distance itself from White House coronavirus task force member Dr. Scott Atlas, a neuroradiologist and senior fellow at the University's Hoover Institution, after he wrote a tweet that many interpreted as potentially inciting violence.
On Sunday, Atlas tweeted: "The only way this stops is if people rise up." You get what you accept. #FreedomMatters #StepUp." The tweet came in response to the announcement of new Covid-19 restrictions made by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in the latest attempt to slow the spread of the virus, which has surged to all-time-high levels in recent weeks.
Atlas' comments were seen as particularly offensive because of the discovery last month that Governor Witmer was the target of a kidnapping plot allegedly orchestrated by more
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Walden University Celebrates National Distance Learning Week
[email protected]_84 November 5, 2020
"Walden University has 50 years of experience in providing adult learners access to quality higher education through distance education and online learning," says Dr. Ward Ulmer, president of Walden. "To celebrate National Distance Learning Week, our expert faculty and staff will be sharing best practices on timely topics such as addressing implicit bias in online learning and pivoting to a virtual environment during COVID-19."
In addition to webinars, Walden will be hosting a Talks for Good virtual panel on "Online Learning in Higher Education" on November 12, 2020 from 7-8:30 p.m. ET. The COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly changing the way students are learning around the world, especially at U.S. colleges and universities. Presidents from Marymount University, Kentucky State University and Walden University will discuss the challenges, benefits and future of online learning in higher education.
The panel will be moderated by Elizabeth Leiba, a
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Jersey City man to go the distance in Run for Education
Michael Rolek has been addicted to running since he was a Freshman at Seton Hall Prep in 2000. As a husband, father and attorney, he runs to stay in shape, explore his limits, and keep off the pounds. On Sunday, Nov. 8, he'll be running the perimeter of Manhattan to raise money for the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children (SFIC), in connection with SFIC's "A Run for Education."
Rolek and his wife, Nicole, have been a Jersey City residents for three years, and now have a 2-year old daughter, Ryleigh. He lived in Hoboken for three years prior to moving to Jersey City and is a former elementary school teacher in Newark, where he taught at North Star Academy Elementary School from 2008 to 2010. He runs three to four days a week.
"I was a pretty small kid growing up," said Rolek. "I became hooked on distance running
CityDistanceeducationJerseyManrun
Vitru Ranks #1 Pure Distance Learning Education Group in Brazil in its Market for Second Consecutive Year
[email protected]_84 October 26, 2020
FLORIANÓPOLIS, Brazil, Oct. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vitru Limited, or Vitru (Nasdaq: VTRU), today announced that the Brazilian Ministry of Education (Ministério da Educação), or the MEC, released the data relating to the 2019 annual census of the undergraduate market in Brazil on October 23, 2020. Based on the newly-released data by MEC:
Vitru ranks #1 pure distance learning education group in the postsecondary distance learning education market in Brazil (considering only participants in the Brazilian education market with at least 95% of students engaged in distance learning) based on the number of enrolled undergraduate students for the second consecutive year.
Vitru ranks #2 distance learning postsecondary education group in Brazil based on the number of enrolled undergraduate students (up from #3 in 2018).
Between 2018 and 2019, the Brazilian distance learning market in terms of enrolled students grew 21.7%, while Vitru grew 38.2%
BrazilConsecutiveDistanceeducationgrouplearningMarketPureranksVitruyear
University of Mumbai's distance education institute gets UGC nod to conduct admissions for academic year 2020-21
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In a relief to students seeking admission to distance learning courses of the University of Mumbai (MU), the University Grants Commission (UGC) has allowed the varsity's Institute of Distance and Open Learning (IDOL) to go ahead with admissions for the academic year 2020-21.
The approval from UGC is applicable to 15 distance learning courses offered by IDOL including Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and Bachelor of Science (BSc), among others.
"We will soon begin the admission process," the university said in a statement released on Friday. Last year, more than 67,000 students were admitted in the July session, while 920 students took admissions in the January session.
IDOL had lost its recognition from the UGC – the apex higher education institute – in 2018, as MU did not have an accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) since 2012.
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University of Mumbai's distance education institute releases new dates for online exams – cities
University of Mumbai's (MU) Institute of Distance and Open Learning (IDOL) released the exam schedule for the upcoming online exams on Sunday.
These exams had to be rescheduled after the first session was marred by technical glitches that left around 9,000 third-year Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) students unable to appear for the tests online.
"Backlog exams will commence from October 19 and the first three papers will be conducted on Google forms, with the help of all IDOL teaching staff," read a statement released by the institute late on Sunday.
The statement further read that all fresh third-year BCom and BA exams, scheduled to start from October 26, will be conducted online.
The second-year Master of Arts (MA) exam will commence from November 2, while the Master of Commerce (MCom) exams will start on November 6.
"Practice exams for the same will be held soon,"
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Ashford University Faculty Member Receives Support Service Award from Association for Distance Education and Independent Learning
Press release content from PR Newswire. The AP news staff was not involved in its creation.
https://apnews.com/press-release/pr-newswire/legislature-government-and-politics-social-affairs-professional-organizations-legislation-a8418c8a065c48a98fbc98613a3fe169
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Martin McAuliffe, J.D., Associate Professor of Social and Criminal Justice at Ashford University, is the recipient of the 2020 Excellence in Support Service Award from the Association for Distance Education and Independent Learning (ADEIL), a professional association for those engaged or interested in distance education.
McAuliffe has taught at Ashford since 2005, when he joined the University as an adjunct faculty member teaching online criminal justice, law, ethics, history, and introductory courses. In 2012, he became a full-time associate professor teaching criminal justice, law, and ethics. During his tenure at Ashford, McAuliffe has led efforts in curriculum review and redesign, including assisting with the Master of Science in Criminal Justice program review process; faculty evaluation, coaching, and mentoring; and collaboration in the development
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Ashford University Courses Receive Honors from Association for Distance Education and Independent Learning
https://apnews.com/press-release/pr-newswire/technology-professional-organizations-social-affairs-social-groups-and-organizations-higher-education-d755ade52cf93fb28bf193e4bd8bd112
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Four courses at Ashford University have received 2020 College Level Course honors from the Association for Distance Education and Independent Learning (ADEIL), a professional association for those engaged or interested in distance education.
"Ashford has a long history of providing students with innovative, quality academic programs that integrate current technology and are taught by experienced, dedicated faculty," said Dr. Craig Swenson, President of Ashford University. "We are proud to receive these honors from our ADEIL peers, and to be recognized for our work in course design and development."
Four of Ashford's courses were honored with acceptance into the juried ADEIL 2020 Course Showcase as part of the association's annual conference United Together: Enhancing the Quality of Online Learning on October 16, 2020, where
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


What does E-safety look like in our school?
•Ask your children to tell you about the sites they like to visit and what they enjoy doing online.
•Ask them about how they stay safe online. What tips do they have for you, and where did they learn them? What is OK and not OK to share?
•Ask them if they know where to go for help, where to find the safety advice, privacy settings and how to report or block on the services they use.
•Encourage them to help. Perhaps they can show you how to do something better online or they might have a friend who would benefit from their help and support.
At the start of the school year, each class discusses how we can all stay safe online and the dangers we may face on the internet. We ask every child to sign an Acceptable Use Agreement so that we know they have read and understood our school's rules on staying safe.


Tuesday night, the Crimson Tide will take on the Tennessee Volunteers in a match-up of two struggling teams looking to make a push just before the halfway point of SEC play.
The Volunteers' most important recruit last year wasn't a player, but their new head coach, Rick Barnes. We all remember his days at the University of Texas, leading the Longhorns to 14 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, and coaching current NBA stars Kevin Durant, D.J. Augustin, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Tristan Thompson. It's been a rough season so far for the Vols, but they are coming off a nice win over the South Carolina Gamecocks by a score of 78-69, led by outstanding senior guard Kevin Punter's 36 points.
Punter has been one of the elite scorers in the country so far, averaging 23.3 points/game (7th in the nation), shooting 49.1% from the field, and 40.1% from beyond the arc. However, he's been much more than that for the Vols. Punter has also been great on the defensive end of the court, averaging 1.5 steals/game. Shutting him down isn't really an option, so containing him will be Alabama's best option if they want to send the Vols back to Knoxville with their tenth loss of the season.
The Tide were able to "contain" All-America candidate Ben Simmons this past weekend (23 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists) as they dropped a tough loss to the LSU Tigers 72-70, but when a team has a player like that, you just have to let them get their's and shut down the rest of the team. Alabama wasn't able to do that against the Bayou Bengals, as five Tigers scored in double digits, so shutting down the rest of the Volunteers team will be integral for Alabama to earn their second SEC win of the season.
Retin Obasohan and Arthur Edwards have been the production leaders for the Tide over the past few games, and Alabama will need the same kind of output from each of them in this game. Also, Shannon Hale hasn't had a great game since conference play started (he had 13 points twice, but his shooting percentage in those two games was 40% and 21.4% from the three point line), so head coach Avery Johnson and company will need him to start producing more, and doing so quickly, if they have any aspirations of post-season play.


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Duke Dissertations
Sex in Cryptococcus: Signaling, Mating-type Locus Evolution and Gene Silencing
Hsueh, Yen-Ping
Heitman, Joseph
Fungi have a genetically controlled sex determination system, which is governed by a small, sex-specific region in the genome called the mating-type locus (MAT). In the basidiomycetous yeast Cryptococcus neoformans, the pathogen that causes cryptococcal meningitis and cryptococcosis, sex has been associated with virulence. To further understand how sex is genetically regulated in C. neoformans, we focused our studies on the evolution of the MAT locus and molecular dissection of the pheromone signaling pathway that controls sexual development. Two MAT-linked meiotic recombination hotspots that likely drove the assembly and rearrangement of MAT were identified. Fine mapping through the integration of genetic markers established that two hotspots, one on each side of the MAT locus, are located in an ~10 kb and ~5 kb region. Plotting the G + C content along MAT and the flanking regions revealed a strong association between the location of these two hotspots and a high G + C content. By deletion and insertion of the G + C rich region, we demonstrated that the high G + C rich region is required but not sufficient to induce recombination. On the other hand, to provide direct experimental evidence to support the previously proposed model for the evolution of MAT, we sought to recapitulate the ancestral tetrapolar, and the intermediate tripolar mating systems of C. neoformans by manipulating the MAT structure to model a tetrapolar system. In the two modified "a" and "α" strains, the sex-determining genes SXI1α or SXI2a residing at the MAT locus were disrupted and the wild-type allele of these two genes was then reintroduced at another genomic location (URA5) that is unlinked to MAT. Our results show that C. neoformans can complete the sexual cycle with a tetrapolar mating configuration and the transitional tripolar state might be under strong negative selection pressure, which could have facilitated the transition from a tripolar state to the final bipolar mating system.
The MAT locus is the major determinant of the sexual identity of a cell, but several signaling pathways, including the pheromone signaling pathway, are required to regulate mating and sexual development. Many components of the pheromone signaling pathway have been identified; however, it is less clear what lies upstream of the MAPK cascade. To address this question, we studied the role of two Gα subunits (Gpa2, Gpa3) in mating and concluded that they share both redundant and divergent roles in mating. gpa2 gpa3 double mutants, but neither gpa2 nor gpa3 single mutants, are sterile in bilateral crosses. In their GTP-bound form, they signal in opposition: Gpa2 promotes mating whereas Gpa3 inhibits. Furthermore, we also studied the functions of a novel upstream component Cpr2, a pheromone receptor-like gene, in pheromone signaling and sexual development. All lines of evidence suggest that Cpr2 is a constitutive ligand-independent receptor that, when expressed, engages the same G-proteins and activates the same pheromone signaling pathway as the canonical ligand-activated pheromone receptors. Expression of Cpr2 is induced post cell fusion during mating, and likely introduces a positive feedback loop to allow a self-perpetuating signaling state to enable efficient mating. Cells lacking this receptor are fertile, but produce abnormal filamentous structures. Overexpression of CPR2 in a or α cells strongly enhances fruiting, an alternative same-sex mating process in C. neoformans. Therefore, Cpr2 establishes a new paradigm for a naturally occurring constitutively active GPCR that governs cell fate in fungi.
Finally, we described a sex-induced silencing (SIS) phenomenon in C. neoformans. Using genetic approaches, we showed that SIS is triggered by a tandem insertion of a transgene during the sexual cycle. Interestingly, only a proportion of progeny carrying the transgene are silenced. Gene deletion, RIP, or DNA methylation do not contribute to SIS but the RNAi machinery is required. In conclusion, these studies provide further understanding of sex in C. neoformans from different perspectives, which invites comparisons to other fungal and even more broadly, eukaryotic pathogens to address the role of sex in evolution.
Biology, Genetics
Biology, Microbiology
Cryptococcus
recombination
pheromone receptor
G proteins
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/665
Hsueh, Yen-Ping (2008). Sex in Cryptococcus: Signaling, Mating-type Locus Evolution and Gene Silencing. Dissertation, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/665.
Rights for Collection: Duke Dissertations


text:
The Best Time to Visit Oahu
Jodi Thornton-O'Connell, Leaf Group Updated March 15, 2018
The best time to visit Oahu depends on what you want from your Hawaiian vacation. (Photo: the beach image by SBphotographer from Fotolia.com )
The Best Time to Travel to Hawaii
Free Things to Do in Honolulu & Waikiki
The Best Time of Year to Visit Oahu
Famous Surfing Beaches in Hawaii
The island of Oahu in Hawaii is a beautiful place to visit any time of year. However, the time most people go – during summer and winter break – are when weather and crowds are at their worst. To see Oahu at its best – and with the fewest tourists – tweak your timing and book a dream getaway during one of the best times to travel.
December in Oahu brings more than 3 inches of rain that can turn a hike to one of the island's stunning waterfalls into a slippery, muddy adventure. The dry season in Hawaii runs from April through September when less than an inch of rainfall makes trail conditions more reliable. April offers a 12 percent chance of daily rain and humidity levels that are some of the lowest of the year, at just above 30 percent and temperatures in the low 80s during the day. By mid-May, humidity increases to above 45 percent; rising temps and humidity make midday hikes uncomfortable by late June.
When days spent snorkeling, swimming or sailing are on tap for vacation, warm summer temperatures in the upper 80s roll out plenty of no-shiver days for water sports. This is also the safest time to head into the water because waves and currents are gentler than they are during the winter. Crowds peak from July through August when schools are out throughout much of the mainland United States. Head to Hawaii during the period after Labor Day through early October to enjoy water temperature of 80 degrees F, gentle sea breezes and temperatures that stay between the mid-70s and upper-80s.
Absorb Local Culture
May's beautiful weather and lack of tourist crowds make it the perfect time to attend local festivals. On May 1, Oahu celebrates Lei Day, which centers around the Hawaiian tradition of making and wearing leis. Head to Queen Kapi'olani Park to see colorful yellow and orange leis made from hundreds of paper-thin 'Ilima flowers. The beautiful leis, which are used to grace the necks of royalty, are the island's representative flower.
During May, check out the Hawaii State Fair or hit the beach to watch the Duke Kahanamoku Challenge with canoe outrigger races and ancient beach games at the Waikiki Community Center. At month's end, commemorate loved ones at the Annual Lantern Floating Hawaii at Ala Moana Beach Park.
Wildlife Watching
Bring your camera to take photos of humpback whales or green sea turtles in season when you visit Oahu. Whales visit during the winter months, with January through March the peak times. Plan your trip for February to avoid the biggest crowds – numbers dwindle as winter visitors start to head home and before March spring break ramps up.
Turtles are best seen during warm weather when water temperatures rise and currents are gentle. Laniakea Beach is where turtles often come to rest on the sand, but summer visitors are often dense at the beach. Visit during September and early October when water temperatures are warmest and turtle-watching crowds are relatively thin.
Fodor's: When to Go to Oahu
WeatherSpark: Average Weather in Honolulu
Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism: Monthly Visitor Statistics
U.S. Climate Data: Climate Honolulu, Hawaii
TripSavvy: Lei Day in Hawaii
The Hawaiian Lei Company: Ilima Lei
Lantern Floating Hawaii
Hawaii.com: 50th State Fair
Waikiki Community Center: Duke Kahanamoku Beach Challenge
Expedia Viewfinder: Best Spots for Whale Watching on Oahu
Adventure & Immersive Travel: Indulging her passion for vacation vagary through the written word on a full-time basis since 2010, travel funster Jodi Thornton-O'Connell guides readers to the unexpected, quirky, and awe-inspiring.
the beach image by SBphotographer from Fotolia.com
Attribution: Martin D. Adamiker; License: GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
Thornton-O'Connell, Jodi. "The Best Time to Visit Oahu." Travel Tips - USA Today, https://traveltips.usatoday.com/time-visit-oahu-15067.html. 15 March 2018.
Thornton-O'Connell, Jodi. (2018, March 15). The Best Time to Visit Oahu. Travel Tips - USA Today. Retrieved from https://traveltips.usatoday.com/time-visit-oahu-15067.html
Thornton-O'Connell, Jodi. "The Best Time to Visit Oahu" last modified March 15, 2018. https://traveltips.usatoday.com/time-visit-oahu-15067.html
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