Online learning can be defined as an implementation of e-Learning using Web-based technologies (Petrova 2001). E-Learning on the other side is often used as a comprehensive term to identify the use of a variant of information and communicating technologies to enhance and support learning, sometimes blending their use (OECD 2005 p.11). Today online learning and e-learning have become an accepted educational paradigm across universities worldwide (Ling et. al. 2001, ANTA 2002, Lee & Nguyen 2005, OECD 2005).
Students have been identified and recognised as stakeholders in the development and implementation of online learning. Studies in the area of change processes related to the introduction of new educational technologies have found that students might be resisting change. Organizational formats developed to accommodate the new educational paradigm need to be managed carefully in order to avoid early disillusionment and the subsequent failure of students to realise the full education potential of online and e-learning (Hunt, Thomas, & Eagle 2002, McPherson 2002, Zentel, Bett, Meister, Rinn & Wedekind 2003).
Student participation in online learning and student perceptions in particular have been the emphasis of a significant research effort – see for example Swan 1995, Phillimore 2002, Lizzio, Wilson and Simons 2002, Lind and Soams 2003, Sahay 2004, Selim 2005, Wells, Fieger and de Lange, 2005. Other studies have highlighted usage patterns in terms of time, place and functional components (McKnight & Demers 2002, Burr & Spennemann 2004, Parry 2004). It is beyond the scope of this article to provide a comprehensive summary and comparison of the relevant literature. However the results of the reviewed research studies point out that in order to improve the scholarship of teaching online, it is necessary to study student perceptions and obtain timely feedback on what students value in 'online', and corroborating data on 'what' they use online, and 'where' and 'when'. Students' perceptions can provide valuable input to the continuing processes of curriculum development and management (McKnight & Demers 2002, Burr & Spennemann 2004).
The study presented here attempts to provide a one semester snapshot picture composed of student perceptions about online courses in business programme, and to supplement the picture with data about online platform usage.
The article is organised as follows: the next section provides background information about the structure and online content of the programme used in the study and explains its motivation. The main objective is stated in the section following which also describes the study design. The next two sections describe the data collection methods implemented and present the findings. These are followed by a summary and a brief conclusion, highlighting priority areas for future work. Some specific terms used are explained at the end of the article.
The Bachelor of Business programme (BBus) at the New Zealand University used in this study is a three year undergraduate programme with eleven separate majors and is offered by the Faculty of Business. It aims to develop graduates capable of working in electronic contexts in business and in the wider community. The BBus is committed to student centred learning. Students are involved in learning and assessment activities which prepare them for their future roles in industry and the wider community. The significant growth experienced over the last five years, both in terms of increasing student numbers and in adding majors, has also led to a change of the student profile. Students are transferring to the BBus through multiple entry points. Characterised by their ethnic diversity, some students have experienced different learning cultures and speak English as an alternative language. Many fulltime students work long hours.
Provide flexible offerings by way of reduced class contact for some courses i.e. one class hour replaced by an hour equivalent online activity ("flexible mode").
The Faculty of Business was one of the early adopters of online learning within the university, and initially built its own proprietary online learning platform (Parry 2004). However, since then online learning has become more widespread across the university and its importance is recognised within the university at a strategic level with regard to providing a learning environment that promotes student success.
A variety of curriculum and staff development strategies have been implemented, including grants. In early 2005 a full-time Flexible Learning Advisor was appointed to the Faculty of Business, who was charged with the task of supporting future online learning development. Following a number of pilot activities, a new university-wide online learning platform was introduced in early 2004 (AUTonline, based on BlackBoard®). A university wide infrastructure with regards to online learning emerged.
In their article on the use of information technology to enhance education in business schools, Leidner and Jarvenpraa (1995) pointed out that there was a need to better understand the role of students in learning models involving information technology, and suggested that students would be 'likely to resist the new learning models' (Leidner & Jarvenpaa 1995 p. 287). Lizzio, Wilson and Simons (2002) found that student perceptions of the teaching and learning environment and the assessment practice contribute to the development of deep approaches to studying. More specifically they established that positive perceptions of the environment directly influence both measured academic outcomes e.g. academic achievement and also qualitative learning outcomes e.g. workplace related skills.
Therefore, it was considered important to investigate students as stakeholders in the online teaching and learning process. An opportunity to design and conduct a study was provided in the second half of 2004, when a broad review of online learning within the BBus programme was undertaken. The purpose of the review was to enhance understanding about online learning and provide recommendations about further development and improvement.
The review included: two groups of stakeholders (students and lecturers), the two online delivery modes (enhanced and flexible), and the online course sites (Figure 1). Lecturers were seen as participants in online learning both as course developers and as course implementers while students interact with the online learning platform in the context of the online course and delivery model.
Figure 1: The general online learning framework.
The shaded part of the framework in Figure 1 shows the scope of the study reported here. The work was motivated primarily by the need to understand how the quality of student learning and the student learning experiences could be improved, whilst working within the environmental and academic constraints.
An additional motivation was to investigate further the usage pattern of the online platform in terms of time. A better understanding of student behaviour online in terms of time might help develop better course designs (for example, better timing of important announcements). Furthermore, research in the area of information technology supported learning has identified "time flexibility" as an important advantage (Petrova 2001). Parry's (2004) work presents some interesting examples of time and place patterns of online use for BBus staff and students but the results reported in the Parry's study did not allow the drawing of significant conclusions.
"To identify patterns of student online usage and to understand the key characteristics of student perceptions as active participants in online learning".
perceived value of online learning.
The following approaches towards data collection were adopted.
Course Content Area - uploading and storing course material such as notes, MS Microsoft Power Point presentations.
Course Announcements – posting an announcement to the whole class by the lecturer, permanent or temporary.
Course Discussion Board - a number of discussion forums and separate threads can be maintained.
Group Area – a group space fully enabled with its own forum and email facility, for group project work.
Communications Area – includes email, discussion board, group area and other collaboration facilities.
To investigate Question 2, data was collected through the use of two anonymous questionnaires – one for each of the two online learning models. These were designed to differentiate flexible from enhanced mode but at the same time to allow for a comparison between the modes. Each questionnaire included a section about the perceived usage of AUTOnline components as well.
The BBus comprises courses at three academic levels, level 5, level 6, and level 7, equivalent to first, second and third year of undergraduate studies. The first year is a foundation course (First Year Integrated Programme – FYIP). All BBus students are required to undertake a core Cooperative Education course (a full semester course, equivalent to four single courses), and to complete a core Ethics course as well as a core capstone Business Development Project course (BBus, 2005).
In their second and third year students specialize in one or two professional majors, each comprising a set of "level 6" Professional Studies courses and a set of "level 7" Professional Studies courses. All students included in the study were studying courses at levels 6 and/or 7 i.e. the subjects of the survey were either second or third year undergraduates. All questionnaires were distributed at the end of Semester 2 2004, after students had had significant experience with online learning.
Meeting the research questions would provide a one semester "snapshot" of BBus online learning, and a background for further development and improvement. Although the scope of this study was limited to courses offered in online enhanced and flexible modes, and distance education courses were not included, some information was gathered across the programme as a whole for comparison purposes (see for example, Tables 1 and 2). This section describes the structure of the programme under investigation and reports on the findings related to the two research questions formulated in the previous section.
All core courses in BBus include elements of online learning within their course and this could comprise up to 58% of the course of study of an individual student.
The BBus comprises a total of 83 courses and online learning in some form was offered in 54 courses during the semester i.e. in 65% of all BBus courses.
Flexible mode courses are available in five BBus majors with a concentration in the management major.
Online learning was used in enhanced mode in all majors, in at least one course, with a range from one to five courses across the different majors.
No courses were offered during the study time in an off campus mode, although two courses are under development for that mode.
20% of course enrolments are in courses in flexible mode.
AUTonline statistical data from the Professional Studies courses, throughout the period of August-October 2004, indicates that students were using the online platform as shown in Figures 2 and 3.
In enhanced mode (Figures 2a and 2b), 60% of all online activity took place between 10 am - 5 pm. There was little variation across the semester, or by course level. The first three days of the week were characterised by the heaviest usage levels - almost four times than that of weekend use.
In flexible mode (Figures 3a and 3b), the most common hours of use were between 10am-6pm, regardless of the level studied. Similar to the use of AUTonline by students enrolled in enhanced mode courses, days in the early to mid week appeared to be most commonly used by 'flexible' students. However the use over the weekends was higher compared to the 'enhanced' courses – which was to be expected given that one advantage of a flexible mode is to extend time flexibility for study.
AUTonline statistical data for the period of August-October 2004 indicates that students were using the functions of the online platform as shown in Figures 4 and 5.
In enhanced mode (Figure 4), the Content Area was the most commonly used feature of AUTonline overall, one third of the usage is associated with this component. Almost 20% of usage is of Announcements and the Discussion Board; however usage varies according to the level of the course. There was a range of 7% variation in the use of the Discussion Board, with level 6 courses using this component considerably more than level 7 courses (23.24% versus 16.10%).
In flexible mode (Figure 5), The Group Area was the most commonly used component of AUTonline (36.20%). This reflects the wide use of collaborative learning in flexible courses. This was followed by the Discussion Board (22.30%) and the Content Area (18.49%). There was a significant variation in the use of these components depending on the level of course. Students studying at level 7 flexible mode had a much higher usage of the Discussion Board (45.78% vs. 22.30%) compared to level 6 courses. At level 6, the Group Area had a higher proportion of use (36.20% vs. 21.19%).
Furthermore, there was a time variation in the use of the Group Area by students at level 6. A growing increase of use from 29.83% in August, to 34.54% in September and 44.22% in October was observed. The use of the Discussion Board mirrors this variation in a contrasting manner, with a decrease in usage from 33.25% to 17.79% in September and 15.86% in October.
Data were collected through anonymous questionnaires. The questions addressed the review objectives (student satisfaction with online learning, the value of online learning for students, the role of the online experience in student's learning). Information was gathered from six courses offered in flexible mode and seven courses offered in enhanced mode. All courses were part of Professional Studies and were characterized by a substantial use of AUTonline. The responses to the questionnaires were summarised separately for courses in enhanced mode and for courses in flexible mode.
In enhanced mode, responses were received from 197 students, representing 71% of the students enrolled in enhanced mode courses. 84% of the responding students regarded themselves as full time students.
The responses (Table 3) indicate that 75% of students agreed they would choose another course in enhanced mode and 72% of the students agreed or strongly agreed that their experiences had been positive. The majority of the students agreed or strongly agreed that the enhanced mode met their expectations, and that it supported assessment (66%) and communication (72%). In other words, most students perceived the course as valuable and were satisfied with the enhanced mode of teaching and learning in terms of support for their work.
A total of 75% of students agreed or strongly agreed on the benefits of the online platform for notices, deadline notifications, changes and announcements. The majority of students agreed or strongly agreed on the benefits of the online platform for content storage (83%) and additional materials (74%). The figures show that students value highly these online tools for organising course content.
A total of 58% of students would recommend this course in enhanced mode to another student, and 50% of the students agreed or strongly agreed that they preferred to take a course which uses AUTonline "a lot" while 19% disagreed. The figures show that more that about half of the students perceive the 'enhanced' course that they had undertaken in a positive way.
In flexible mode (Table 4), responses were received from 294 students, representing 65% of the students enrolled in flexible mode courses. For 43% of the responding students, this was their first course in flexible mode. 85% of the responding students regarded themselves as full time students.
The tables indicate that 62% of students agreed or strongly agreed that the flexible mode met their expectations and 73% of students would choose another course with a flexible option. The majority of students agreed or strongly agreed that the platform supported assessment (70%) and communication (70%). In other words, a significant percentage of the students perceived the course they had undertaken as valuable and were very satisfied with the flexible mode of teaching and learning in terms of support for their work.
A total of 82% of students agreed or strongly agreed on the benefits of the platform for notices, changes and deadlines. The majority of students agreed or strongly agreed on the benefits of the platform for content storage (77%) and additional materials (70%). The figures show that students value highly these online tools for organising course content.
A total of 52% of the students agreed or strongly agreed that they preferred this mode to 3 hours of face-to-face classes while 19% of students disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement. 66% of students would recommend the course in flexible mode to another student. The figures show that more than half of the students perceive the 'flexible' course that they had undertaken in a positive way.
The table in the Appendix provides a comparative summary of the responses to each question for the two groups (flexible and enhanced modes). The following are some specific findings relating to these responses.
It needs to be noted that the positive responses to questions relating to the AUTonline functional usage, in particular 'keeping up to date' and 'assessing course material' was backed up by relatively high usage rates in the Announcement and Content Area components of AUTonline for both enhanced and flexible mode courses. In other words, the online platform is recognised by students as having an important role as course content organiser and a communication channel between them and the lecturer.
The pattern of responses for questions relating to experiences in the enhanced mode shows that although students were generally positive about taking further enhanced courses themselves, they were less inclined to recommend enhanced courses to others. This suggests some uncertainty on the part of students as to the benefits of AUTonline in enhanced mode. This pattern was not replicated for flexible mode courses. In other words there are no strong grounds to believe that students clearly see online learning as more beneficial to students compared to face-to-face learning.
Enhanced mode may appear to show a broader level of satisfaction at level 7 than at level 6, but this is heavily biased by the small sample at level 7 with one of the two courses showing a very strong positive response. This is likely to be confounded with topic, course structure, and lecturer at least. In other words there are reasons to believe that third year student might be better prepared to take advantage of the benefits offered by online learning in some subject areas.
As shown previously, every student enrolled in the BBus will have some experience of online learning because of the adoption of online learning by the core courses within the programme. Depending on students' course of study, this could amount to 58% of the overall points needed to complete the BBus). At its greatest impact, this would include two courses in flexible mode and five courses in enhanced mode. Beyond the core courses, a student's experience would depend on which major(s) the student is enrolled in.
The study proposed to investigate two research questions: (1) What are the trends and patterns of the general use of the online platform? and (2) What are the trends and patterns of student perceptions and perspectives of online learning (enhanced and flexible modes)?
It was found that students are taking advantage of increased time (and place) flexibility in both modes. Most of the use is during the early/mid part of the week, although weekend use is a little higher in flexible mode. However, most students still prefer to login between 10am - 5/6pm. Similar results were reported by Burr and Spennemann (2004) and earlier by McKnight and Demers (2002).
It was found that the most extensive use of online learning is for enhancement of face-to-face classes, with 40 out of the 83 courses (48%) using online learning in that way. The flexible mode is less prevalent. Two of the compulsory courses were offered in this mode and the remaining eleven courses were in five majors, with a concentration in one of them (management).
Use of the Online Platform in Enhanced Mode.
Similarly to the results reported in Phillimore (2002), in the enhanced mode the Content Area component was used most especially for retrieving MS PowerPoint slides, followed by Announcements and Discussion Board. There was less emphasis on the use of the online environment to develop student capabilities.
This is probably a fairly typical pattern for many universities, where existing courses are enhanced with online learning (Lee & Nguyen 2005).There are several possible reasons for this. It may indicate that the enhanced mode is being used to support face-to-face classes, which are more interactive and capability focused. It may also reflect the absence of interaction or student centered approaches in the course. It may also be indicative of an early stage of development as teachers familiarize themselves with the environment and start to understand what it might offer for learning. There is probably a time and workload issue as well because any online activity must be fitted into the existing course structure and this implies either replacement (for the teacher) or additional work (for the teacher and for the students).
Use of the Online Platform in Flexible Mode.
In the flexible mode, there was a much greater use of online learning for communicative activities, i.e. group work and online discussions. While the platform was used to put a wide variety of content online, none of the teachers mentioned MS PowerPoint slides! A much wider range of capabilities were being addressed and there was much more emphasis on using the online platform for this purpose.
Here, it would appear that lecturers have used the flexible mode in a different fashion compared with the enhanced mode. This may be because this mode required significant curriculum appraisal and thinking in order to ensure student development, as opposed to the enhanced mode which appears to be more of an "add on" or support mechanism. What is noticeable is that students are more active in flexible mode; this may be because flexible mode represents a "transfer" of class activity due to the reduced time in class. It may also be that teachers who engage in flexible mode have different ideas about teaching and learning (Selim, 2005).
With regard to the trends and patterns of student perceptions and perspectives of online learning (enhanced and flexible modes) it was established that there was a reasonably high level of satisfaction from students enrolled in courses using both enhanced and flexible modes, with over 70% of students rating their experience as positive and being prepared to do a course in that mode again. There is a slightly higher level of satisfaction in flexible mode with the ways in which online learning related to various aspects of the course, e.g. assessment, communications and notices.
However, students' overall expectations from the course they had taken are not being met to the same extent, and it is notable that there is a big difference in the number of students that would take a course again in the same mode and recommend the course in the mode to a friend. A possible explanation to this might be found in the fact that the study did not take into consideration the subject complexity of their course neither factors related to the individual characteristics of other stakeholders – such as lecturers and peers. All these might have contributed to the final answer to the question.
In both modes students appear to be fairly evenly split in their preferences for face-to-face and online learning. There could be many reasons for this. Students may not understand the role of the medium in an on campus university and will still be adapting to the greater demands of independent and student centred learning and time management (Hunt, Thomas, & Eagle 2002). Lecturers may also be uncertain of the role of online learning in their courses and the ways in which it might be used to benefit learning in tandem with face-to-face classes.
Implementing online learning to develop the specific skills and capabilities expected from a business graduate.
Providing more flexibility within the course design to enable further student centered learning.
Continuing to develop online learning as a complement to face-to-face classroom learning.
At an implementation level, promoting online learning through the enhanced mode first might help achieve the goals above. This would encourage the development of student capabilities and active learning.
The Marshall report (2005) found that the university performed well and had a strong focus on teaching and learning and development co-ordination. The report suggested that more needed to be done in the area of evaluation of online learning - a task partially fulfilled by this study. However feedback about student perceptions of online learning needs to be gathered on a regular basis, to provide the information necessary to work successfully in the priority areas outlined (McPherson 2002, Zentel et al. 2003, Sahay 2004, Lindh & Soames 2004). A suitable vehicle for this is the existing course evaluation process, which might be extended to include questions specifically targeting online learning (enhanced mode, flexible modes), including parts of the framework used in Marshall and Mitchell (2002, 2004).
This article reports on the findings of a project, which included, in addition to the two authors, four other members: Philippa Gerbic, Helene Capner, James Prescott, and Mark LeFevre. The authors would like to acknowledge their contribution. The authors would also like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their critique and helpful suggestions, and Divesh Sharma for his comments and encouragement.
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AUTonline: The online platform used in at the university. It is based on Blackboard® and is linked to the student enrolment system. AUTonline provides controlled access on and off campus, 24/7.
BBus: Bachelor of Business – a three year undergraduate degree offered by the university's Faculty of Business.
Core Courses: These are the compulsory courses in the BBus. Include Ethics (15 points), Business development project (15 points), Cooperative Education (60 Points), and FYIP (First year Integrates Programme) – four double (30 point) point courses.
Course: An examined unit of study (in other programmes, known as "class", "module", "paper"). A single course is worth 15 points. A full time student typically takes four single courses in one semester'.
Enhanced Mode: Online learning is used as an additional teaching and learning strategy, with no change to the existing face-to-face class structure i.e. three hours of class contact per week.
Flexible Mode: Online learning is a more significant part of the course and there is reduced face-to-face contact i.e. two hours of face-to-face activity and more intensive online activities which replace a one hour class.
Level 6, level 7: The Bachelor pf Business programme comprises a mix of courses at three academic levels (5,5 and 7) - roughly equivalent to studies in Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 of the degree.
Major: In the Bachelor of Business programme students typically complete the requirements for at least on major specialization ("major"). A major contributes 90 points out of the 360 points required to complete the degree itself.
Distance (Off Campus) Mode: There are no or few face-to-face classes and online learning is the dominant teaching and learning mode.
Online Learning: The use of the online platform (AUTonline) within a course as a teaching and learning strategy.
Professional Studies: These comprise non-core professional courses, associated with each BBus major.
Semester: The academic year in New Zealand universities starts in Semester 1 during late February or early March each year, Semester 2 starts in July of the same year and Summer Semester starts in early December.
1) The flexible mode of this course met my expectations.
The majority of all replies agree with this comment but a significant number are undecided/indifferent.
The majority of all replies agree with this comment.
2) Assessment tasks were well supported by AUTonline.
The majority of the replies agree but the pattern is less strong with a wider spread of responses. ~10% disagree.
Somewhat more positive than enhanced mode but again a more spread pattern.
3) AUTonline supported communication between lecturers and students well.
4) AUTonline helped me to keep up-to-date with changes, deadlines and notices.
Between 47% and 100% agree with this statement. (The 47% is a single course outlier). Most students agree.
Most students (60% to 80%) agree here with no outliers.
5) AUTonline provided adequate storage for course materials.
There is majority agreement across all courses. Most are positive.
There is majority agreement across all course responses. Most are positive.
There is majority agreement across all courses but a significant number are undecided/indifferent.
There is majority agreement across all course responses.
7) My experiences with this course have been positive so far.
70% or more agreement across all courses. Replies are generally favourable.
60% or more agreement across all courses. Replies are generally favourable.
8) I would prefer to take courses in this mode (cf. 3 hour class mode).
The views here are very wide with ~30% in the "neutral zone". Despite the positive responses above, students do not seem to regard enhanced mode as a "selling" point.
The response here is more positive than the enhanced mode courses, with fewer neutral replies.
9) I had a choice between AUT online and 3 hour fact-to-face classes.
Question not asked for enhanced mode.
Responses range from 0 to 47%. The choice options don't always line up with timetable realities.
10) Would you choose another course with a flexible/enhanced option?
Responses are between 60% to 90% positive.
11) Would you recommend this course to another person based on its 'flexible mode of delivery?
More variable responses here, from 13% to 70%. Students seem less willing to recommend enhanced mode to others than their own enthusiasm would suggest.
A wide range of response here from 44% to 80% positive with no discernable pattern. Again students seem less willing to recommend flexible mode to others than their own enthusiasm would suggest.
12) Is this your first course in flexible mode (2 hours class time, 1 hour online)?
Not asked for enhanced mode.
13) Are you a full time student?


text:
Medicine -- United States -- History
The concept Medicine -- United States -- History represents the subject, aboutness, idea or notion of resources found in Boston University Libraries.
The Resource Medicine -- United States -- History
http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh2008107675
38 Items that share the Concept Medicine -- United States -- History
A history of the American Medical Association, 1847 to 1947,, by Morris Fishbein, M.D.; with the biographies of the presidents of the association, by Walter L. Bierring, M.D.; and with histories of the publications, councils, bureaus and other official bodies [by various authors]
Advances in American medicine : essays at the Bicentennial, edited by John Z. Bowers and Elizabeth F. Purcell
Aesculapius comes to the colonies; : the story of the early days of medicine in the thirteen original colonies
American doctors of destiny; : a collection of historical narratives of the lives of great American physicians and surgeons whose service to the Nation and to the world has transcended the scope of their profession., With an introd. by Harold W. Camp and twenty portraits by Raymond Warren
American doctors of destiny; : a collection of historical narratives of the lives of great American physicians and surgeons whose service to the nation and to the world has transcended the scope of their profession,, by Frank J. Jirka; with an introduction by Harold W. Camp and twenty portraits by Raymond Warren
American medical biography; : or, Memoirs of eminent physicians who have flourished in America, to which is prefixed a succinct history of medical science in the United States from the first settlement of the country
American medical schools and the practice of medicine : a history, William G. Rothstein
American medical schools and the practice of medicine : a history, William G. Rothstein, (electronic resource)
Bad medicine : doctors doing harm since Hippocrates, David Wootton, (electronic resource)
History of medicine in the United States
History of medicine, Rebecca Greene, editor
Homeopathy in America; : the rise and fall of a medical heresy
Marked in your flesh : circumcision from ancient Judea to modern America, Leonard B. Glick, (electronic resource)
Medical encounters : knowledge and identity in early American literatures, Kelly Wisecup
Medical men at the seige [sic] of Boston, April, 1775-April, 1776; : problems of the Massachusetts and Continental armies
Medicine and society in America, 1660-1860
Medicine in America : a short history, James H. Cassedy
Our present complaint : American medicine, then and now, Charles E. Rosenberg
Our present complaint : American medicine, then and now, Charles E. Rosenberg, (electronic resource)
Profession and monopoly : a study of medicine in the United States and Great Britain, Jeffrey Lionel Berlant
Send us a lady physician : women doctors in America, 1835-1920, edited by Ruth J. Abram
Sickness and health in America : readings in the history of medicine and public health, edited by Judith Walzer Leavitt and Ronald L. Numbers
Surgery in America: : from the colonial era to the twentieth century; selected writings
Sympathy & science : women physicians in American medicine, Regina Morantz-Sanchez ; with a new preface by the author, (electronic resource)
Sympathy and science : women physicians in American medicine, Regina Markell Morantz-Sanchez
Technical knowledge in American culture : science, technology, and medicine since the early 1800s, edited by Hamilton Cravens, Alan I Marcus, and David M. Katzman, (electronic resource)
Technical knowledge in American culture : science, technology, and medicine since the early 1800s, edited by Hamilton Cravens, Alan I. Marcus, and David M. Katzman
The Medicine show : patients, physicians, and the perplexities of the health revolution in modern society, Patricia Branca, editor
The structure of American medical practice, 1875-1941, George Rosen ; Charles E. Rosenberg, editor
Theory and practice in American medicine : historical studies from the Journal of the history of medicine & allied sciences, Gert H. Brieger, editor
Two centuries of American medicine, 1776-1976, James Bordley III, A. McGehee Harvey
Witches, midwives & nurses : a history of women healers, Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English, (electronic resource)
Witches, midwives, & nurses : a history of women healers, Barbara Ehrenreich & Deirdre English
Context of Medicine -- United States -- History
A history of the American Medical Association, 1847 to 1947,
Advances in American medicine : essays at the Bicentennial
American doctors of destiny; : a collection of historical narratives of the lives of great American physicians and surgeons whose service to the Nation and to the world has transcended the scope of their profession.
American doctors of destiny; : a collection of historical narratives of the lives of great American physicians and surgeons whose service to the nation and to the world has transcended the scope of their profession,
American medical schools and the practice of medicine : a history
Bad medicine : doctors doing harm since Hippocrates
Marked in your flesh : circumcision from ancient Judea to modern America
Medical encounters : knowledge and identity in early American literatures
Medicine in America : a short history
Our present complaint : American medicine, then and now
Profession and monopoly : a study of medicine in the United States and Great Britain
Send us a lady physician : women doctors in America, 1835-1920
Sickness and health in America : readings in the history of medicine and public health
Sympathy & science : women physicians in American medicine
Sympathy and science : women physicians in American medicine
Technical knowledge in American culture : science, technology, and medicine since the early 1800s
The Medicine show : patients, physicians, and the perplexities of the health revolution in modern society
The structure of American medical practice, 1875-1941
Theory and practice in American medicine : historical studies from the Journal of the history of medicine & allied sciences
Two centuries of American medicine, 1776-1976
Witches, midwives & nurses : a history of women healers
Witches, midwives, & nurses : a history of women healers

 Data from Medicine -- United States -- History - Boston University Libraries

Data Citation of the Concept Medicine -- United States -- History
http://link.bu.edu/resource/lYR8TflKAjs/
http://library.link/resource/lYR8TflKAjs/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Ms. Margaret Brennan has over 30 years of progressive management and leadership experience in public and private health care sectors. Her diverse background includes outpatient and inpatient settings offering primary, specialty, and tertiary care services. Ms. Brennan's visionary leadership style builds upon CHC's long history, strengths, and commitment to excellence.
She strives to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve; while providing exceptional and compassionate care in the most effective manner possible. Ms. Brennan has received recognition for her contributions in health care at local, state and federal levels. She is a volunteer board member on several non-profit and maintains a leadership role with Orange County Primary Care Access Network (PCAN); a nationally recognized integrated delivery model serving over 100,000 patients annually.
Additionally, Ms. Brennan holds a Master of Science in Strategic Leadership from Mountain State University and has served as College Area Chair/Lead Faculty at the University of Phoenix. She has taught in the areas of healthcare administration, community health, public policy, management and leadership.


text:
De Mexicaanse Liberale Partij (Spaans: Partido Liberal Mexicano, PLM) was een anarchistische Mexicaanse politieke partij.

De partij werd opgericht in 1901 door onder anderen Camilo Arriaga, Antonio I. Villarreal, Antonio Díaz Soto y Gama en Ricardo Flores Magón in San Luis Potosí als samenvoeging van verschillende liberale clubs. De partij had als speerpunten respect voor de (grond)wet, het verdedigen van de rechten van arbeiders, erkenning van burgerlijke en politieke vrijheden en eerlijke verkiezing. De partij verzette zich tegen de dictatuur van Porfirio Díaz en hoopte het liberale gedachtegoed van de Reforma, zij het in een radicale versie, te herstellen.

Al snel ontstonden er twisten en in 1904 viel de partij uiteen in tweeën toen de liberale vleugel van Arriaga de partij verliet uit onvrede uit de overmacht van de anarchisten. In 1906 stelde Flores Magón het manifest van de partij op, en diens tijdschrift Regeneración werd de spreekbuis van de PLM. De leden lieten zich inspireren door Peter Kropotkin, Michail Bakoenin en Pierre-Joseph Proudhon en de partij werd de voornaamste beweging in oppositie tegen Díaz, zowel vreedzaam als gewapend. De partij steunde de staking van Cananea in 1906 en organiseerde de staking van Río Blanco een jaar later. De PLM riep op tot een achturige werkdag, verbod op kinderarbeid, vergoeding in geval van ziekte of letsel, gratis en seculier onderwijs, minimumloon, verbod op religieus onderwijs, landhervormingen, vrije verkiezingen en onbeperkte vrijheid van meningsuiting.

Toen in 1910 de Mexicaanse Revolutie uitbrak nadat de liberale grondbezitter Francisco I. Madero door fraude de overwinning in de presidentsverkiezingen was ontnomen riep de PLM haar aanhangers op de wapenen ter hand te nemen de revolutie te steunen. Flores Magón weigerde echter trouw te zweren aan Madero en hoopte dat diens politieke revolutie vanzelf zou uitgroeien tot een sociale. Madero bood Flores Magón een post als vicepresident aan, maar deze weigerde dit, daar hij bevreesd was dat Madero zich ontpoppen als een nieuwe dictator. Nadat Madero erin was geslaagd Díaz omver te werpen ontstond een nieuwe scheuring, gematigde PLM-leden waaronder Villareal, Juan Sarabia, Díaz Soto y Gama en Flores Magóns broer Jesús Flores Magón besloten Madero's regering te steunen, laatstgenoemde werd zelfs minister van binnenlandse zaken in Madero's kabinet.

Bij de verkiezingen van 1911 besloot de PLM geen enkele kandidaat te steunen. De dissidente PLM'ers steunen Madero voor president en Fernando Iglesias Calderón voor vicepresident; de PLM zette de gewapende strijd voort en poogde een socialistische republiek te vestigen in Neder-Californië, maar werd verdreven door de federale regering. Na 1914 bestond de PLM eigenlijk alleen maar nog uit de directe vertrouwen van Flores Magón, hoewel veel ex-PLM leden zich bij andere revolutionaire groepen hadden aangesloten. Veel aanhangers van de PLM, waaronder Díaz Soto y Gama, hadden zich aangesloten bij het Bevrijdingsleger van het Zuiden van Emiliano Zapata, en na afloop van de revolutie waren veel voormalige PLM-leden betrokken bij de anarchistische vakbond Algemene Arbeidersconfederatie (CGT) en de libertarisch socialistische Socialistische Partij van het Zuidoosten (PSS).

Voormalige Mexicaanse politieke partij
Mexicaanse Revolutie
Porfiriaat
Anarchistische partij

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I. The Complete Vespers of Cozzoloni (Cappella Clausura/Amphion's Lyre/Amelia LeClair, dir.).
Chiara Margarita Cozzolani (1602 — c. 1678),was a Benedictine nun, who spent her adult life cloistered in the convent of Santa Radegonda, Milan, where she became abbess and stopped composing. More than a dozen cloistered women published sacred music in seventeenth-century Italy. The Cozzolani were a wealthy Milanese family. She must have received extensive musical training before she entered the convent in 1619, when she was of marriagable age. Her four musical opere were published between 1640 and 1650, which is the date of her Vespers, perhaps her best-known single work. There is also a Paschal Mass. As abbess she defended the nuns' music, which came under attack from Archbishop Alfonso Litta, who wanted to reform the convent by limiting the nuns' practice of music and other contact with the outside world. The archbishop's qualms could not have been reassured by the exstatic report of Filippo Picinelli, in Ateneo dei letterati milanesi (Milan, 1670) who found that "the nuns of Santa Radegonda of Milan are gifted with such rare and exquisite talents in music that they are acknowledged to be the best singers of Italy. They wear the Cassinese habits of St. Benedict, but they seem to any listener to be white and melodious swans, who fill hearts with wonder, and spirit away tongues in their praise. Among these sisters, Donna Chiara Margarita Cozzolani merits the highest praise, Chiara in name but even more so in merit, and Margarita for her unusual and excellent nobility of invention...". Vespers interspersed in the performance are sonatas by Dario Castello (fl. 1620); Giovanni Paolo Cima (c. 1570 – 1622); and Giovanni Legrenzi (1626-1690).
Vittoria Aleotti (c. 1575 – after 1620), was an Italian Augustinian nun, a composer and organist. She was born in Ferrara to the prominent architect Giovanni Battista Aleotti, and was mentioned in his will, written in 1631. When she was young, she overheard the music lessons of an older sister, and subsequently amazed her family by her facility on the harpsichord at the age of six. Aleotti was then taught by Alessandro Milleville for two years before being sent to study at the musically renowned Augustinian convent of St. Vito, Ferrara at the age of 14. She later became the prioress of the convent from 1636 to 1639. Aleotti was mentioned in M.A. Guarini's 1621 guide to Ferrara as very knowledgeable about music, and he also mentioned her publications of motets and madrigals. She set a number of madrigals by Giovanni Battista Guarini, which her father later sent to Count del Zaffo, who had them printed in Venice by Giacomo Vincenti in 1593. Another collection of motets was printed by Amadino in 1593, and was the first sacred music by a woman to appear in print. In addition to her composing, she also was organist at the convent, and led a large ensemble of instrumentalists and singers who presented concerts. According to writings by Ercole Bottrigari (a contemporary writer) this was one of the finest ensembles in Italy.
Lucrezia Orsina Vizzana (3 July 1590 – 7 May 1662) was an Italian singer, organist, and composer. She entered a Camaldolese convent in Bologna in 1598. Her works were published in Componimenti musicali de motetti concertati a 1 e più voci (Venice, 1623). She was taught by her aunt, Camilla Bombacci, who was the convent organist, and by Ottavio Vernizzi who was the unofficial music master. Vizzana's works are influenced by stile moderno (seconda prattica) music, especially the works of Claudio Monteverdi. Her works are mainly solos or duets with continuo accompaniment.
Sulpitia Cesis (b. 1577; fl. 1619) was an Italian composer and lutenist in Modena at the convent of San Agostino. She is known only from her 1619 publication Motetti Spitituale (Modena, Giulian Cassiani), a collection of 23 sacred motets for two to twelve voices. Some of the scores indicate the use of cornetts and trombones, which were not allowed in the convent at this time. She came from a noble family, the daughter of a count. Cesis is mentioned in Giovanni Battista Spaccini's chronicle of life in Modena, as the composer of a motet which was performed at the doors of San Geminiano in 1596 during a religious procession.


text:
Q: Android : Play a video from a private application file I'm using a videoView to display a video that I downloaded from my server.
If I play the video from the sd card, it works fine using something like :
video.setVideoPath(Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory().getAbsolutePath() + "/test.mp4");

But in my case, I don't want the video to be played from the sdcard but from the internal storage of the application. In this case, I don't find the right path ...
I thought it was something like :
video.setVideoPath("test.mp4");

or
video.setVideoPath("file://test.mp4");

or
video.setVideoPath("data/data/com.myapp/file/test.mp4");

But it doesn't work and the video view sends an error while trying to play the video.
Juste a precision, the file itself is well downloaded (in both ways), as I checked using the sd card and the file system (its size is ok). It seems to be the path given that is wrong .
Any idea ?
thx

A: If you want to play the video from the internal storage of the application, use the following lines of code :
MediaPlayer mMediaPlayer = new MediaPlayer();
File file = new File("data/data/com.myapp/file/test.mp4");
        FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream(file);
        FileDescriptor fd = fis.getFD();
        mMediaPlayer.setDataSource(fd);

This will surely help you.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Percentage-based fast forward button in GWT SimplePager I have a working CellTable with SimplePager attached, and have enabled fast forward button due to large number of rows.
The number of rows can vary quite a bit, and it makes more sense to advance forward proportional to total table size - e.g. 10% on each click instead of 100 records.

*

*Is there any way to directly set a %age based fast forward button?

*Can we set the fast forward increment at any time after the pager initialization; so that it could be varied based on record count?

A: You have to do it manually. If you fetch all the data at once, you will know the total number of records. If you don't make a query to get the total number of records. Override click method of fast forward button. Based on the total number of records, and the given percentage to skip, calculate the number of records to be fetched and make a query or show it if you already have the data.
EDIT : Fast forward button is a private member and there is no getter and setter for it. There are 2 options for this. Create your own pager class or copy the pager class and place it in a pacakage "com.google.gwt.user.cellview.client" in your project. And make the fastforward button protected or public. This will override the default class.


text:
Brig Mohammad Usman Centenary Celebrations Commence
To commemorate the martyrdom a special function is being organized by HQ Central Command Lucknow and another function at Delhi besides several other functions at Varanasi and Agra the base for partroopers, to remember and pay tributes to Brig Mohammed Usman whose courage and leadership continue to inspire men-in-uniform, generation after generations. Lt Gen Anil Chait, GOC-IN- C Central Command and Lt Gen AK Mishra, Chief of Staff will be presiding over important functions.
Brigadier Mohammad Usman was the highest rank officer of Indian Army killed in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, who as a Muslim became a 'Symbol of India's Inclusive Secularism'. At the time of partition of India he with many other officers declined to move to the Pakistan Army and continued to serve the Indian Army. He was awarded a posthumous Maha Vir Chakra for his role in the 1947-48 operations. He was in command of 50 Independent Para Brigade when he defeated a numerically superior enemy force in Naushera effecting a virtual turn-around in the J & K campaign. He met a heroic death when he was only 36.
Brig Usman was born on July 15, 1912 at Bibipur which is a part of today's Azamgarh District in Uttar Pradesh. Young Usman was educated at Harish Chandra Bhai School in Varanasi. An alumina of the prestigious Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, he was commissioned in the Baluch Regiment.
Despite the bait of becoming the Pakistan Army Chief and intense pressure from the Pakistani leadership to join the Army of the new nation, Brig Usman remained committed to the ideals of his motherland.
When the Baluch Regiment was allotted to Pakistan, Brig Usman was transferred to the Dogra Regiment. At the time of Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-48 , Brig Usman, Commander of 77 Para Brigade was side stepped to command 50 Para Brigade, deployed at Jhangar in December 1947. However, with odds heavily against him, Jhangar was wrested by the Pakistanis on December 25, 1947. The Brigadier vowed to recapture Jhangar - a feat he accomplished three months later.
With the fall of Jhangar, the emboldened Pakistanis seized Naushera and the situation looked grim indeed. In the face of overwhelming odds, he affected the defence of Naushera during the crucial battle by February of 1948. This proved to be the turning point in the campaign that earned Brig Usman two titles of endearment - 'Hero of Naushera, and 'Saviour of Naushera'. His fiery leadership resulted in major defeat of the enemy at and around Naushera with 2000 casualties (about 1000 dead and 1000 wounded) while he suffered only 33 dead and 102 wounded.
Jhangar, however loomed large in his mind, and the liberation of which became his obsession. After a month's planning, he was able to put into motion his operation to free Jhangar, and on March 18, the Para Brigade achieved its objective. Jhangar was once again in Indian hands. But it was Jhangar that cost Brig Usman's life. On July 3, during a lull in shelling, Brig Usman came out of his tent. In no time, a single shell caught him killing him instantly.
Brigadier Mohammed Usman set an example of personal courage, exceptional qualities of leadership and devotion to duty in the highest traditions of the Indian Army and was thus rightfully honoured with the Maha Vir Chakra.
Group Captain Amit Mahajan
PRO Defence Allahabad & Lucknow
Posted by Suman Sharma at 5:10 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Formations, Indian Army
IAF PoP
364 Air Warriors were inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) at a Combined Passing Out Parade today at Air Force Station, Tambaram. The Air Warriors went through rigorous and intensive training
at the two premier institutes of the base, namely Mechanical Training Institute and Workshop Training Institute, before passing out.
Labels: IAF
German Eurofighter Typhoons Participate In 'Red Flag – Alaska 2012'
Eight Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from German Air Force Jagdgeschwader 74 (JG 74) took part in a two week 'Red Flag' exercise in Alaska alongside American, Polish, Japanese and Australian air forces.
Cassidian
Labels: aircraft, MMRCA, US
Pakistan Plays Environment Card To Make India Withdraw From Siachen, India Quotes International Environment Rules
Labels: Pakistan, Siachen
MoD Challenges Disabled Pensioners In Court, Despite Antony Asking Them Not To Do So!!
2406_Page_06L, a photo by Chindits on Flickr.
Labels: A K Antony, controversy, MoD
DRDO Bio-Digestible Project Pioneered For High Altitude Soldiers
An evolved DRDO technology to treat biological wastes of soldiers serving in high altitudes of Ladakh and Siachen, is set to radically alter the rural sanitation and decomposition woes of fecal wastes in the plains across the country.
Six twin bio-digester toilets based on the technology was launched by DRDO in a tie-up with FICCI on Sunday, at Dhamra, Odisha, more famously known for the recent launches of various DRDO-developed missiles such as Agni, Akash, Prithvi among several others, from its nearby Wheeler Island test site.
Labels: DRDO, equipment
Ex-Alumnus Chhattisgarh Governor Visits OTA On Golden Jubillee
Shri Shekhar Dutt, SM, Governor of Chhattisgarh visited the Officers Training Academy, Chennai on 23 Jun 2012. The visit was on wake of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations being conducted at OTA wef Jan 2012 onwards.
Shri Shekhar Dutt is an alumnus of Officers Training Academy, Chennai and passed out from this prestigious institution on 06 Aug 1967 into the Regiment of Artillery as part of Short Service Commission Course-03
INS Teg Arrives In Western Naval Command, Mumbai, From Russia
A new stealth frigate built for the Indian navy by Russia arrived in the port of Mumbai on Friday, a diplomat said.
The ceremony for the arrival of INS Teg involved senior Indian navy officers as well as Russian officials and diplomats, said a spokesman for the Russian consulate in Mumbai.
INS Teg is the first of three modified Krivak III class (also known as Talwar class) guided missile frigates being built at the Yantar Shipyard under a $1.6 billion deal signed in 2006.
The other two vessels will follow in about a year, a Yantar spokesman said in April.
The 3,970-ton frigate incorporates stealth technologies and is armed with eight 290-km BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.
The Indian navy already has three Russian-built Talwar class frigates.
Photo & Text : Ria Novosti
Labels: Indian Navy, Russia, ships
Six C-130Js Fly Together Testing Skills, Capabilities
At the break of dawn early this week the Veiled Vipers (C-130J Squadron) flew six of their aircraft in a tactical formation thereby displaying the operational capability and potential of the Indian Air Force in combat airlift operations.
The six aircraft Viper formation also displayed the skills of the aircrew and maintenance potential of the IAF.
The C-130J, Super Hercules is the most newly inducted aircraft in the IAF inventory. It is a medium lift tactical transport aircraft capable of flying low levels undetected and landing at assault strips.
Labels: aircraft, IAF
Indian Navy's Nuclear Air Defence Shield In INS Shivaji, Lonavala, To Be Directly Under PMO!!
TheSundayGuardian
Labels: Indian Navy, MoD, submarines
Conference On Clothing Management Begins At HQ Maintenance Command Nagpur
A large scale conference on clothing management has commenced today at HQs Maintenance Command, IAF at Nagpur. The two days long conference (to be held on18 and 19 Jun 2012) was inaugurated by AOC-in-C, Maintenance Command, Air Marshal Jagdish Chandra.
The conference is being held under the auspices of the Logistics Management Branch of HQ MC to improve the clothing and uniform of all the Air Warriors of IAF. The Indian Air Force has, for the coming years identified, 'clothing management' as a key result area. Uniforms are a matter of pride for all the Air Warriors and play a major role in operational, day-to-day and ceremonial functioning of the force.
The focus of the conference is to improve the quality of the uniforms (in terms of fabric, suitability to weather conditions etc.), timely availability and mass production. Assistance of National Institute of Fashion Technology(NIFT) and Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) on design of various uniforms and quality of fabric has already been sought.
The uniforms are manufactured by various ordnance factories(OFs), namely the OFs at Kanpur, Shahjahanpur, Avadi (near Chennai) whose representatives are also attending the conference. Efforts would be put towards synergising the functioning of the ordnance factories production and the IAF's supply chain management system.
Representatives of Army's ordnance corps and Naval HQs logistics branch are also attending the conference to make suggestions on production of the uniforms and supply chain system.
Addressing the inaugural session of the conference Air Mshl Jagdish Chandra said "The IAF personnel operate in varied conditions of weather and terrain. Their uniforms are not only a matter of great pride but also protects them from extremities of weather and enhances their operational efficiency. Our efforts should be to improve on the quality, quantity and biometrics of production of various uniforms that we wear. New technology on fabric production and tailoring is available and is improving consistently. You should make full use of it to provide the best to our Air Warriors. Make full use the just-in-time aspect of production and prevent stock outs at all costs."
The conference would synergize all agencies that provide clothing to IAF and would conclude on 19 Jun 2012.
DPR Nagpur--Wg Cdr Mahesh Upasani
Labels: conference, IAF
Commissioning Of ICGS Krishnapatnam
Coast Guard Station Krishnapatnam, the third Coast Guard Station in Andhra Pradesh, was commissioned in Andhra Pradesh today by Dr MM Pallam Raju, Raksha Rajya Mantri, in the presence of Vice Admiral MP Muralidharan, Director General Indian Coast Guard, Inspector General Satya Prakash Sharma, Commander Coast Guard Region (East) and a host of senior officials of the state/central government and Indian Coast Guard.
The establishment of a Station at Krishnapatnam is part of the ongoing efforts by the Coast Guard to strengthen coastal security in the coastal states of the nation.
In his address during the Commissioning Ceremony, Raksha Rajya Mantri stated that the coast of Andhra Pradesh, being cyclone prone, had witnessed a number of incidents in the past resulting in loss of life and property at sea. This newly commissioned Coast Guard Station at Krishnapatnam would facilitate Search and Rescue operations towards saving lives.
The Station will function under the administrative and operational control of Commander, Coast Guard Region (East) through the Commander, Coast Guard District HQ-6 located at Visakhapatnam. Comdt (JG) TRK Rao has been appointed as the Commanding Officer of the Station.
Labels: Formations, ICG
Pakistan Fires Unprovoked in 25 Div, Leaves 2 Jawans Dead, India Protests, Army Chief Rushes To J&K
Pakistani troops indulged in unprovoked and heavy arms firing on the post along LoC in Krishna Ghati sector, 25 Div-Nangi Tekri, since 2 PM on June 13 leaving an Army jawan dead and three others injured
The Indian Army has lodged a strong protest with its Pakistan counterpart over firing on Indian posts along the line of control in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
The LC unit was 3 Grenadiers, which lost two jawans.Some BSF personnel also killed by Pak snipers.
Labels: Army Chief, Indian Army
Stand-Off Continues On Siachen, 13th Round Ends Without Any Breakthrough, Amid Cordial, Friendly Atmosphere, They Only Agree To Meet For 14th Round Again!!
1. The Defence Secretary level talks between Pakistan and India on Siachen were held at the Ministry of Defence, Rawalpindi from 11 – 12 June 2012. The Pakistan delegation was headed by Ms. Nargis Sethi, Secretary Defence. The Indian delegation was headed by Mr. Shashi Kant Sharma, Defence Secretary of India.
2. The Defence Secretary of India called on the Minister for Defence Syed Naveed Qamar.
3. The talks were held in a cordial and friendly atmosphere. Both sides reaffirmed their resolve to make serious, sustained and result oriented efforts for seeking an amicable resolution of Siachen. It was agreed to continue dialogue on Siachen in keeping with the desire of the leaders of both countries for early resolution of all outstanding issues. Both sides acknowledged that the ceasefire was holding since 2003.
4. It was agreed that the next round of talks on Siachen will be held in New Delhi on mutually convenient dates, to be fixed through diplomatic channels.
Labels: controversy, Indian Army, Pakistan
DCNS, Pipavav Team-Up To Address India's Naval Needs
Labels: Indian Navy, ships
Indian Coast Guard Hovercraft H-187 Commissioned
Indian Coast Guard Hovercraft H-187, the first of the series of twelve Air Cushion Vehicles (ACVs) designed and built by Griffon Hoverwork Limited (GHL), UK, was commissioned at Okha by Vice Admiral MP Muralidharan, AVSM, NM, the Director General Indian Coast Guard. The commissioning ceremony was witnessed by Deputy Inspector General BS Yadav, PTM, Commander Coast Guard Region (North-West) and other dignitaries from Central and State Government.
The 21 meters long Air Cushion Vehicle displaces 31 tonnes and can achieve a maximum speed of 45 knots. The ACV is capable of undertaking multi-farious tasks such as surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue and rendering assistance to small boats/craft in distress at sea.
The Air Cushion Vehicle H-187 will be based at Okha under the Administrative and Operational Control of the Commander Coast Guard Region (North-West).
The hovercraft is commanded by Commandant Anurag Kaushik, who is a Communication specialist. The hovercraft has a crew of two Officers and 11 Enrolled Personnel (EPs).
Labels: Formations, ICG, ships
MoD Suspends BEML Chairman VRS Natarajan
The Government has put the CMD of BEML Shri VRS Natarajan under suspension following a recommendation by the CBI that he should be kept away from the post to ensure fair investigation. The charge of CMD has been given to Shri P Dwarkanath, the senior most functional Director in BEML. The CBI is currently investigating into various charges against Shri Natarajan.
Labels: controversy, MoD
'I am first an Indian, a secular son of my country, didnt set up line of succession in Army' : Arunachal Governor Releases Autobiography
Posted by Suman Sharma at 1:05 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Army Chief
Helicopter Pilots Passing Out Parade At INS Rajali, Arakkonam, 78th Helicopter Conversion Course
An impressive passing out parade was held today to mark the graduation of the 78th Helicopter Conversion Course at Naval Air Station, INS Rajali, Arakkonam wherein 04 Navy and 05 Coast Guard Pilots including two women pilots were awarded "Wings" by Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of Staff, Headquarters Eastern Naval Command. The Pilots underwent rigorous training for 21 weeks in flying and aviation subjects at the Helicopter Training School INAS 561 (HTS). The school has graduated 558 pilots for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard till date and is commanded by Commander Ashish Bhargava. Very recently the unit was also awarded ISO 9001:2008 certification. The School was based at Kochi till 1992 and thereafter shifted to INS Rajali at Arakkonam which is the largest operational air base of the Navy. The base is commanded by Commodore Puneet Kumar Bahl.
The Governor of Kerala Rolling Trophy for the best all round trainee pilot was awarded to Sub Lieutenant Himanshu Choudhary. The Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command Rolling Trophy for the trainee pilot standing first in order of merit in flying was awarded to Sub Lieutenant Sachin Thakur. A book prize for standing first in ground subjects was awarded to Sub Lieutenant Himanshu Choudhary.
The graduated pilots would be joining operational flights at Mumbai, Port Blair, Goa Kochi Vizag and Daman.
Labels: Formations, Indian Navy
The Sunday Guardian Impact : Antony Felicitates Services Sportspersons
In a brief ceremony here today, the Defence Minister Shri AK Antony felicitated the Armed Forces sportspersons who won medals during the Commonwealth Games 2010. He also felicitated the Services Football team that recently won the Santosh Trophy-2012 after a gap of over 50 years.
The ceremony was attended by senior officers from the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence. The Defence Minister lauded the contribution of Armed Forces athletes by contributing an impressive tally of 10 Gold, 07 Silver and 08 Bronze medals which is more than 25% of the total medals won by the country that included 38 Gold, 27 Silver and 34 Bronze medals. 60 Armed Forces athletes had participated in 10 events of the total 17 events of the Commonwealth Games which amounted to 30% of the Men's contingent strength in these events.
Shri Antony also expressed his appreciation of the Services Football team that has won the Santosh Trophy with LAC VV Farhad of the Air Force being declared the Man of the Tournament. While addressing the winners, he felt that this cash award was not just a recognition of their achievements but more importantly it would serve to motivate others. Shri Antony exhorted the Services personnel to excel in fields other than sports as well and called upon the officers to encourage participation in cultural activities.
Services players have traditionally been in the forefront of evolution of the various sports disciplines in India. Though sportspersons have emerged from other walks of life and backgrounds, Services players have retained a major share in the overall national medal tally. The Services are also proactively undertaking talent scouting and grooming deserving sportsmen using the state-of-art infrastructure.
The Defence Minister presented cash prizes on the occasion individual Gold winners at the Commonwealth Games received Rs.12 lakhs each while the Silver and Bronze Medallists received Rs.7 lakhs and Rs.5 lakhs respectively. Chief Petty Officer Omkar Singh, who won 2 Gold, 1 team Gold and 1 team Silver in the Shooting events, was awarded the highest cash prize of Rs.38.25 lakhs while another shooter Sub Vijay Kumar bagged Rs.37 lakhs, winning 1 Gold, 2 team Gold and 1 Silver medal. Besides each of the 20 players of the Services Football team which won the 66th Santosh Trophy National Football Championship-2012 recently, were awarded Rs.1 lakh each.
Labels: A K Antony, MoD
'To Realize Full Potential Of Defence Trade Relations, We Need To Cut Through Bureaucratic Red Tape On Both Sides' : Panetta
"Thank you, Dr. . Gupta, for inviting me to the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, and for your leadership of this distinguished organization. It's a special honor to have this opportunity on my first visit to India as Secretary of Defense.
This trip has taken me from Pacific Command Headquarters in Hawaii, to the ShangriLa Dialogue in Singapore, to Cam Ranh Bay and Hanoi in Vietnam. It's appropriate that as I have defined our new defense strategy for the 21St Century, I am here with a key partner in this important region.
Over the past two days, I held excellent meetings with Prime Minister Singh, Defense Minister Antony, National Security Advisor Menon, and I Want to thank them for welcoming me back to this great country.
I also want to thank Ambassador Chandra for convening and moderating today's discussion, and for the contributions he has made to advancing U.S.-India relations during his career in public service.
Ambassador Chandra's first year in Washington as India's Ambassador to the United States overlapped with the end of my tenure as President Clinton's Chief of Staff in the 1990s. It was a time when the legacy of Cold War suspicion still loomed large. Though we shared many values and common interests, our bilateral relationship suffered from such suspicions.
My former boss, President Bill Clinton, got it right at the time, twelve years ago here in New Delhi when he said that "India and America are natural allies, two nations conceived in liberty, each finding strength in its diversity, each seeing in the other a reñection of its own aspiration for a more humane and just World."
Thanks to the efforts of past presidents, Republican and Democrat, our two nations have finally and irreversibly started a new chapter of our history.
So it was that when I returned to government in 2009 to serve as Director of the CIA, I found a transformed U.S.-India relationship. We had acted together to get past our differences and reestablish better cooperation. It required that we get beyond our outdated notions about one another.
And today, thanks to President Obama and Prime Minister Singh - along with Indian leaders from across this country's political spectrum - our two nations now engage actively and effectively as partners on a host of bilateral, regional, and global issues.
President Obama has said that the United States and India will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21St century. I believe that to be true. Today, We have growing economic, social and diplomatic ties that benefit both of our nations. But for this relationship to truly provide security for this region and for the world, we will need to deepen our defense and security cooperation. This is why I have come to India.
America is at a turning point. After a decade of war, we are developing a new defense strategy - a central feature of which is a "rebalancing" toward the Asia-Pacific region. In particular, We will expand our military partnerships and our presence in the arc extending from the Western Pacific and East Asia into the Indian Ocean region and South Asia.
Defense cooperation with India is a linchpin in this strategy. India is one of the largest and most dynamic countries in the region and the world, with one of the most capable militaries. India also shares with the United States a strong commitment to a set of principles that help maintain international security and prosperity.
We share a commitment to open and free commerce; to open access by all to our shared domains of sea, air, space, and cyberspace; and to resolving disputes Without coercion or the use of force, in accordance with international law. We share a commitment to abide by international standards and norms - "rules of the road," if you Will, which promote international peace and stability.
One of the ways We will advance these principles is to help develop the capabilities of countries who share these values. India is one of those countries.
Our two nations face many of the same security challenges - from violent extremism and terrorism to piracy on the high seas and from the proliferation of Weapons of mass destruction to regional instability. Handling these challenges requires a forward-looking vision for our defense partnership, and a plan for advancing it month-bymonth and year-byyear.
We have built a strong foundation, and we will enhance this partnership over time in the spirit of equality, common interest, and mutual respect.
In particular, I believe our relationship can and should become more strategic, more practical, and more collaborative.
Our defense cooperation is strategic in that we consult and share Views on all major regional and international security developments. Our defense policy exchanges are now regular, candid, and invaluable.
Our partnership is practical because we take concrete steps through military exercises and exchanges to improve our ability to operate together and with other nations to meet a range of challenges.
And our defense relationship is growing ever more collaborative as we seek to do more advanced research and development, share new technologies, and enter into joint production of defense articles.
I Want to share my views on the progress We have made in each of these areas and outline additional steps I think we should take in the coming years.
We have built a strong strategic relationship. In my own experience, including during my visits here as Director of the CIA, my Indian counterparts always offer clear strategic analysis and recommendations. We are transparent and honest in our discussions, something that has come to define the strength of our relationship.
During my two days here, we discussed the new defense strategy that is guiding the United States military's rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region. We discussed the value of the ASEAN "regional architecture" in promoting international norms and in guaranteeing freedom of navigation.
We discussed Afghanistan, where we have embarked on a transition to Afghan responsibility for security, governance, and economic affairs. India has supported this process through its own significant investments in Afghan reconstruction and has signed a 1ongterm partnership agreement with Afghanistan.
We are making significant progress with transition. The United States now has an enduring partnership agreement with Afghanistan. I urged India's leaders to continue with additional support to Afghanistan through trade and investment, reconstruction, and help for Afghanistan's security forces.
We also discussed lndia's immediate neighborhood. In particular, I welcomed the initial steps India and Pakistan have taken to normalize trade relations, a process that We believe is key to resolving their differences and to helping Pakistan turn around its economy and counter extremism within its borders. Pakistan is a complicated relationship for both of our countries but one that we must Work to improve.
Finally, we exchanged views about other key issues like piracy and terrorism, tensions in the South China Sea, our concerns about lran and North Korea's destabilizing activities, and new challenges like cyber intrusions and cyber warfare.
At a practical level, our defense partnership is coming of age. Expanded military exercises, defense sales, and intelligence sharing are key examples of the relationship's maturation. Last year alone We held more than 50 cooperative defense events.
Some of the most significant include our military exercises, which enhance our ability to prepare for real-World challenges. The annual "MALABAR" naval exercise has grown from a "passing exercise" for our ships into a full-scale engagement across all functional areas of naval Warfare. In March, U.S. Army soldiers joined their counterparts in India to rehearse scenarios involving United Nations Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief in a post-conflict setting. U.S. soldiers even had the chance to participate in a Holi celebration, which I gather is a very colorful experience.
One month later, the SHATRUJEET exercise took place at Camp Pendleton in California, with amphibious operations and other exercises between U.S. Marines and Indian soldiers.
These engagements and exercises provide opportunities for our rnilitaries to learn from each other. This will sharpen our skills the next time we are called upon to interdict a WMD shipment, break up a terrorist plot, or respond to a future tsunami.
We have also increased our defense sales relationship - from virtually nothing early in the last decade to sales worth over $8 billion today. Our sales are growing rapidly. For example, India and the US have agreed to sales of maritime surveillance and transport aircraft. India will soon have the second largest fleet of inthe World, expanding the reach and strength of India's forces and their ability to rapidly deploy.
Your C-1301 transport aircraft and P8-I maritime surveillance aircraft purchases are also historic. In fact, India and the United States will be the only countries operating the P8-I aircraft.
In providing such capabilities to the Indian armed forces, we also enabled new training and exchange opportunities between our militaries. For example, our sales of transport aircraft included U.S. Air Force training of Indian pilots, loadmasters and maintenance staff.
Finally, in terms of building collaboration, we have some early successes and are poised to embark on technology sharing, co-production and other initiatives that will be a great value to each of our nations. Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky and India's Tata Group are already jointly manufacturing spare parts for transport aircraft in Hyderabad. This proj ect benefits each of our nations by creating jobs in India and America and strengthening our defense industries.
Our shared goal should beto solidify progress and deepen defense engagement and cooperation in all of these areas. So now let me turn to the ñlture.
At a strategic level, we have worked together to counter piracy and terrorism, and now We should join forces to tackle new and ever more complex threats. We can do more to drive the creation of a rules-based order that protects our common interests in new areas like cyber security and space. We need to develop "rules of the road" in these domains to help confront dangerous activities by states and non-state actors alike.
In terms of regional security, our vision is a peaceful Indian Ocean region supported by growing Indian capabilities. America will do its part through the rotational presence of Marines in Australia, Littoral Combat Ships rotating through Singapore, and other U.S. military deployments in the region.
The United States supports Southeast Asian multilateral forums such as the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus, or "ADMM Plus." These mechanisms will prevent and manage regional tensions. As I have told my Indian colleagues over the past two days, lndia's voice and involvement in these international forums will be critical.
As the United States and India deepen our defense partnership with each other, both of us will also seek to strengthen our relations with China. We recognize that China has a critical role to play advancing security and prosperity in this region. The United States welcomes the rise of a strong, prosperous and a successful China that plays a greater role in global affairs - and respects and enforces the international norms that have governed this region for six decades.
And again with regard to Pakistan, India and the United States will need to continue to engage Pakistan, overcoming our respective - and often deep - differences with Pakistan to make all of South Asia peaceful and prosperous. _
To improve our practical cooperation, l believe US-India military exercises which are already strong must continue to be more regular and complex. And We must move beyond a focus on individual arms sales to regular cooperation that increases the quantity and quality of our defense trade.
I want to stress that the United States is firmly committed to providing the best defense technology possible to India. We are both leaders in technology development and we can do incredible work together. Indeed, I think close partnership with America will be key to meeting India's own stated aims of a modern and effective defense force.
The Obama administration is hard at work on Export Control reform in cooperation with Congress in order to improve our ability to deliver the best technologies even more quickly. Meanwhile, we look to India to modernize its own regulations in areas like defense procurement and nuclear liability legislation.
But to realize the full potential of defense trade relations, we need to cut through the bureaucratic red tape on both sides. For that reason, I have asked my Deputy Secretary Ash Carter to lead an effort at the Pentagon to engage with Indian leaders on a new initiative to streamline our bureaucratic processes and make our defense trade more simple, responsive, and effective.
Believe me, I know this will be hard. But that's the nature of the democratic systems that we share. Your leaders understand the challenges I face and we understand the obstacles you face. But we both need to persevere to support our defense needs and our strategic interests. Over the long term, I am certain that We will transition our defense trade beyond the "buyer-seller" relationship to substantial co-production and, eventually, high-technology joint research and development.
During my visit to Asia this week, I have sought to bring closure to some of the past chapters of US involvement in this region. The government of Vietnam opened three new areas to search for MIAS for the Vietnam War.
And here in India, I am pleased to announce that the Indian government will allow a team to return to India to continue the Search for US service members lost here during World War Il.
This is a humanitarian gesture by a government, with whom we share so many values. The ability to return heroes to their loved ones is something that America deeply, deeply appreciates.
America's involvement in Asia has an important past- but a more important future. India is at the crossroads of Asia, at the crossroads ofthe new global economy, and at the crossroads of regional security. We will stand with India at those crossroads.
I began my trip across the Asia-Pacific eight days ago. Along the way, I have laid out how the United States military plans to rebalance towards this region. As I come to the end of my trip, I'rn struck by the opportunities for closer cooperation, the strong support throughout this region for the rebalance, and the hope that this cooperation can help forge a brighter future for the region and the world.
The United States and India have built a strong foundation for defense cooperation in this new century. My country is committed to an even greater role in the Asia Pacific, extending all the way to the India Ocean, and our attention and resources will advance partnerships throughout the region, including with India.
Our two nations may not agree on the solution to every challenge facing us, and we both face the challenge of political gridlock at home that sometimes prohibits advancing our broader strategic objectives. But I am sure that we Will continue to draw closer together because We share the same values, the same challenges and threats, and the same vision of a just, stable, and peaceful regional order.
Our people, our businesses, our militaries and our governments will all be partners in this effort to serve the dream that guides both of our great democracies the dream of building a better, more prosperous future for our children. Together as partners, we will help one another realize that dream in the 21St century."
Posted by Suman Sharma at 10:12 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: MoD, US
India, US Hold Defence Talks : Asia-Pacific Countries Should Settle Bilateral Disputes As Per International Law: Antony
The US Secretary of Defence Mr. Leon Panetta met the Defence Minister Mr. AK Antony here today. Mr. Panetta was accompanied by a ten member delegation, including the US Ambassador to India and other senior officers from the US Department of Defence. The Indian delegation included the Defence Secretary Mr. Shashikant Sharma, Secretary (Defence Production) Mr. Shekhar Agarwal and the Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, Dr. VK Saraswat.
During the delegation level talks which lasted about an hour, both sides took note of the ongoing bilateral cooperation between India and the US in the area of defence. They agreed that there were opportunities for enhancing bilateral ties in area of mutual interest and concern.
During the discussion of the defence trade, Mr. Antony emphasized that the priority for India is to move beyond the buyer-seller transactions and to focus on transfer of technologies and partnerships to build indigenous capabilities.
The US Secretary of Defence assured the Indian side that the US Government will initiate measures to facilitate technology access and sharing.
Both sides also exchanged views on the security situation in South Asia, West Asia and the Asia-Pacific and on various global security challenges, including in the area of cyber security.
With regard to the security concerns the Asia-Pacific, Mr. Antony conveyed that India supports unhindered freedom of navigation in international waters for all. At the same time, with regard to bilateral issues between countries, he stressed that it is desirable that the parties concerned themselves should settle contentious matters in accordance with the international law. Mr. Antony emphasized the need to strengthen the multilateral security architecture in the Asia-Pacific and to move at a pace comfortable to all countries concerned.
Earlier on his arrival at South Block, Mr. Panetta was accorded a traditional tri-Service Guard of Honour and laid wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate.
Labels: A K Antony, MoD, US
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A retired couple from Manchester found dead at their home in Jamaica were "hugely popular and loved by many", family have said.
Police are treating the deaths of grandparents Charlie and Gayle Anderson, aged 74 and 71, as suspected murders.
The couple, married for more than half a century, had recently retired to Mount Pleasant on the Caribbean island after living in Manchester.
A statement from their sons released by the Foreign Office said: "Our parents Charlie and Gayle enjoyed a long and happy marriage of 55 years and leave behind their four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
"They were hardworking people, building a business with integrity and making sure we were always provided for.
"Charlie and Gayle were pillars of the community in Manchester and Jamaica, and were hugely popular and loved by many."
Former neighbour Kishore Singh, who lives on High Bank, in Gorton , said "they were two of the most beautiful people in the world, Charlie was like a father to me".
The 51-year-old said Mr Anderson had been building a house in Jamaica and had been going back and forth over the past few years.
He went on: "He would tell me 'I'm going home, I've worked in this country and now I want to go home and retire and enjoy my last few years'.
"He would tell me how the house building was going with so much pride in his face. We'd stand outside talking for hours.
"When I found out what happened I couldn't accept it. Not Charlie."
Mr Anderson, a builder, gave up his free time to help Mr Singh renovate his house when he moved in around 12 years ago.
He said: "He would come round every morning and show me what to do, and again at 4pm after he had finished work, he didn't ask for a penny. I can't big him up enough, he made time for everyone.
"And when we moved in Gayle was over straight away with housewarming presents and gifts."
Mr Singh said the Andersons moved out to Jamaica for good around 12 months ago having lived in Manchester for decades, but had been back in the UK recently after falling victim to credit card fraud.
Mr and Mrs Anderson were found dead on Friday, according to local media reports. The Foreign Office would not confirm when they were discovered.
The family statement added: "They were just beginning the next chapter of their lives, retiring to Jamaica before this terrible tragedy.
"We are completely devastated and ask for privacy at this extremely difficult time."


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Phillies returning for Opening Day in 2017
Red Sox, Yankees coming to Great American Ball Park in 2017.
Phillies returning for Opening Day in 2017 Red Sox, Yankees coming to Great American Ball Park in 2017. Check out this story on cincinnati.com: http://cin.ci/2cnxCTi
C. Trent Rosecrans, crosecrans@enquirer.com Published 1:02 p.m. ET Sept. 14, 2016
Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles coming to GABP
The U.S. Navy flies over during the National Anthem before the first inning of the MLB Opening Day game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies at Great American Ball Park on Monday, April 4, 2016.(Photo: Sam Greene)
The Phillies will return for Opening Day for the second year in a row, according to the 2017 Major League Baseball schedule, released Wednesday.
Opening Day for the Reds will be Monday, April 3. There will be three games on Sunday, April 2. The Reds and Phillies will be the first of 13 games on April 3. The Reds beat the Phillies 6-2 on Opening Day this year and swept the three-game opening series.
The first two games will be the Yankees at Rays and Giants at Diamondbacks, with a third game to be announced later.
As usual, the Reds will be off the day after Opening Day, before playing two more games against the Phillies before heading to St. Louis for the second series of the season.
The Reds will face American League East teams in interleague play, welcoming the Orioles to Great American Ball Park from April 18-20, the Yankees (May 8-9) and finishing the home schedule with the Red Sox from Sept. 22-24. The Reds will travel to Toronto (May 29-31), Tampa Bay (June 19-21) and to Yankee Stadium with two games (July 25-26).
The Ohio Cup series against the Indians will be held May 22-25 with two games at Great American Ball Park followed by two games at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
The Reds will finish the season at Chicago's Wrigley Field on Oct. 1.
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WITH a former Wales rugby international among its workforce, Kiwi Kit's dedication to the game is undisputed but the Ludlow-based agricultural supply company has taken that obsession to new heights by commissioning a calf-feeder in the colours of the British and Irish Lions.
Emblazoned in red, the 50-teat Stallion open trough trail feeder mirrors the Lions' famous jersey and is now being offered for sale to a farmer who shares Kiwi Kit's passion for the game.
The company's founder and director, Welsh dairy farmer, Kim Petty, and two of his staff, 34-times capped John Davies and Justin Rees, are currently in New Zealand with legions of other Lions fans.
Although Kiwi Kit imports much of its agricultural, equine and leisure products from New Zealand, its loyalty on this tour lies firmly with the British Lions as the squad takes on the might of the All Blacks.
Kim, who is an avid Lions fan, said the colourful feeder sent a clear message to the squad that the company was right behind it.
John, who has worked for Kiwi Kit since retiring from professional rugby and also rears beef calves on his farm in Pembrokeshire, is scrutinising each game with the benefit of an insider's knowledge.
The Stallion MG50LT feeder, which has capacity to hold 1,000 litres of milk, is a popular product with Kiwi Kit's customers on grass-based systems.


The Plast Technik company was founded in 1997. It is specialized in the production of PVC doors and windows. It all started from a leased production hall with an area of 500 sqm only to grow into two halls of 6000 sqm in total on a land of 20.000 sqm.
As for the production capacity while in 1997 we produced bellow 50 units / 8 hours, today it reached 480 unit / 8 hours.
Plast Technik consists of a team of dedicated people and a wide network of shops in several towns of the country. With the help of its team of professionals, Plast Technik experienced a fast development pace and managed to increase it's turnover while continuing the expansion process of the company.
On an external level, the company already collaborates with partners from countries such as Germany, Italy, Belgium and France and intends to continue to gather new collaborators from the European Union, including the Northern countries.
With professionalism, efficiency and quality of works, we can say Plast Technik has become a reference company in the economic and business environment of Romania.
Since its foundation, the company Plast Technik understood what care for the customer means and serve his interests. We are competitive and continuously perfecting ourselves. By taking into account (in consideration) the market trend, the needs and desires of our customers, we managed to achieve the goals we set out for ourselves and to always improve our performance.
Plast Technik offers the most sustainable and best thermally insulating PVC doors and windows on the Romanian market. Imagine functionality and aesthetics both incorporated in easy maintaining windows and doors, provided by a company offering novelty and openness to new ideas.