The English language and lesson plans.
I think that those are the best two phrases which sum up my life at present.
During this month of July, I'm training to be an English Language teacher, so that I can take this new skill and (hopefully) qualification with me to Cambodia. I'm doing the intensive 4-week CELTA course and we've just passed the halfway mark. In our most recent tutorials, my teaching practice group had been encouraged to try out materials in the classroom, outside of our coursebooks. On Monday we had a lesson on using 'authentic' texts. Texts, which are not created for the sole purpose of teaching. I felt inspired to try it out in my next lesson… which just happened to be the next day.
Me, being me, wanted to try using a recipe as authentic text. We teach in pairs. Each person has 45 mins to do half of the lesson. On Tuesday, I was teaching with Rachel. We divvied out the skills and the language. I had listening and vocabulary, Rachel had writing and grammar.
R: Ooh. Yes. There's lots of imperatives and vocabulary that we could be teaching. I could get them to write a recipe to follow on.
And as I had the enviable task of teaching the skill of listening, I thought that a short video from someone like Nigella would be good as they're easily accessible on the BBC Good Food or youtube.
And this is how I came to be teaching 14 students, a recipe on how to make a Tuscan Bread Salad called Panzanella – i mean, it's not even an English dish! However, importantly for our group of pre-intermerdiate learners, the ingredients are few and commonly available and the method is simple.
I had never heard of Panzanella until I watched Simon Hopkinson's, A Good Cook, a few years back. I've raved about him before to you, haven't I. I love his recipes and they have been really doable to recreate. Panzanella has become my favourite taste the summer salad: the one that I make when I want to taste a bit of sunshine, regardless of the weather outside. The difference in flavour imparted by sun-ripened tomatoes and good extra virgin olive oil sets it apart. It's also simple to make, healthy, easily adaptable to other ingredients and filling because of the bread. Have I sold it to you yet? I'll continue. How about, it's a great way to use up any stale bread and it uses ingredients that you're likely to have knocking around in your fridge and cupboards?
Tear the bread into small pieces and put it into a bowl. The best bread to use is sourdough bread, but you can use any stale bread.
Season with salt and pepper. You can always add more seasoning later on.
Add the olive oil and red wine to the bowl. You don't have to add in all the olive oil, if you want to be a bit healthier.
Put the tomatoes into another bowl and pour boiling water over them. This helps the skin to come off.
Remove the tomatoes from the water. Peel off the tomato skins and cut the tomatoes before adding it to the bread. If you want to be simplify this step, then you can get away with not removing the tomato skins or use the equivalent weight in cherry tomatoes. I like removing the tomato skins, not just for the therapeutic value but also, because it softens the feel of it in your mouth when you eat it.
Peel a cucumber and cut it into small pieces. Add it to the bread and tomatoes.
Cut the onion into thin slices and add it to the bread. Try using red onions or shallots because they are milder in flavour.
Finely cut or crush the garlic cloves before you add them to the salad. You could reduce the number of garlic cloves if you don't want such a strong flavour.
Tear up the basil leaves. This is essential and you must not miss them out!
Finally, mix up the ingredients. I'd suggest mixing them up with your hands because it always tastes better when you do.
You could serve this on a hot summer's day for lunch with friends, or on any day that you want a taste of summer.
Don't forget to pair it with a fruity red wine.
And how was the lesson? (I don't normally ask that at the end of a blog post on food! Told you my life is about the English Language and lessons plans at the moment.) The panzanella video with Simon Hopkinson went down really well with the learners, they learned some new words but then I got unexpectedly bogged down for 5 minutes trying to explain basil to the group. I learned that asking, "What is basil?" is relating noise to notion (there's some TEFL jargon for you!), and that is not the way to do teach new vocabulary! I ran out of time to do all the planned activities because of my basil moment, so I wasn't too sure how it had gone when I finished my part. The group did appear to be enjoying the subject matter, even with it being Ramadan. Then in Rachel's part of the lesson, I was delighted when the learners reproduced the vocabulary in the recipes and produced some really detailed, high quality writing in their recipes. In fact, our observer really praised Rachel and me on our learners' outputs.
Well done, pre-intermediate class in room 118!
This weekend I have an assignment to write and a lesson to plans, so I'd better get back to it. I leave you with this one question – how would you describe/define basil to english as a foreign language learners?
I have a newest favourite ingredient. Buttermilk. Who would have imagined that buttermilk would hold that honoured position? Not only is it my current fad, but learning how to make my own buttermilk has felt liberating. I no longer feel like there's a barrier stopping me from baking a recipe because buttermilk is 'another ingredient that I don't have' or 'where can I buy that from?' when I come across it in a list of ingredients. Since discovering how to make my own cultured buttermilk, my oven has been turning out soda bread, raspberry and buttermilk cake and vast quantities of Allinson's Banana Cake.
I first came across it when baking scones for an international tea party for 300 students. A friend of mine recommended Delia's buttermilk scone recipe to me and every single batch turned out great. They rose perfectly and were springy in the middle. Then, I made the banana cake that was on the back of the self-raising flour packet with the leftover buttermilk. Wow – that turned out to be a winner too.
Buttermilk is the liquid that is leftover from the butter making process. Cultured buttermilk that is commonly sold in supermarkets today is curdled, sour milk. I know… I'm really selling it to you, aren't I? Appetising, it does not sound. However, it is a lovely ingredient when you use it in baking because you're pretty much guaranteed lightness and a good rise. When I researched the chemistry, I was told that the acid in the buttermilk reacts with the sodium bicarbonate to release carbon dioxide. Those large bubbles help the mixture to rise quickly. Oh, and means you can bake soda bread within an hour from start to finish.
2. Add 1 tbsp/15ml of white or cider vinegar or lemon juice to 225ml/8fl oz of milk (preferably whole, or at least semi-skimmed) and wait about 10-15 minutes for it to curdle. This is the much easier way. Essentially, buttermilk is curdled, sour milk. I prefer to use lemon juice because the smell is that wee bit more safer when baking a sweet cake, but it doesn't matter really.
I experimented, as you'd expect me to, with whether the fat content of the milk makes a difference. I think it does. Full-fat milk will curdle better. My results with skimmed milk were disappointingly watery. Those of you who are lactose intolerant or vegan will be pleased to read that you can make it with unsweetened soya milk too. It just needs a bit more vinegar/lemon juice.
I'm still chuckling to myself, as I write this, because it is a random ingredient to get excited about. Oh, I should also add that Miss Buttermilk comes as a pair with Mr. Bicarbonate of Soda.
Okay, so who knows about substituting vinegar for eggs in baking already? I'm sure that this baking tip is one that many people are aware of. However, I'd only heard of it 18 months ago and it's taken me that long to be brave (or eggless!) enough to try it out. So, I thought that I'd blog it to promote even more uses of vinegar.
A friend of mine told me that a tablespoon of vinegar can be a substitute for an egg in baking. Admittedly I had quite a few questions and was a bit sceptical about it. Such as, what kind of vinegar can I use – malt, white, red or any? How does it work? And concerned about how a cake would taste with vinegar in it. Anyway, when baking Nigella's Clementine Cake recently, which asks for 6 large eggs and I only had 5, I decided to give it a go since the clementines had the potential to cover up the vinegar taste. Quick google search (don't I love it!) gave me enough details to give it a go.
So, in answer to my questions. I'd recommend using a tablespoon of white or cider vinegar with a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda too as a substitute for an egg in a recipe. Only use vinegar as an egg substitute when there's a rising agent in the recipe, such as baking powder or self-raising flour.
Perhaps someone knows more and could tell me more about the chemistry of how it works, please?
The only thing I gleaned is that when bicarb of soda and vinegar mix, it reacts to produce carbon dioxide, which is a gas and fizzes. Is that what makes it rise? Here's what it looks like when it mixes.
ss cooking website and vinegar cake recipes… Perhaps, I'll try them out another day!


Some loads are just too big for an average pickup truck to handle safely. You can go rent a bigger truck to handle the larger load, but if you are going to be moving larger and longer items that need extra space on a regular basis, you should consider increasing the length of the bed on your pickup truck. You can use bed extender kits to attach to the inside framework of your pickup truck to increase the bed length. Here is how you would install a pickup bed extender kit designed to fit your pickup truck.
You will have to install mounting brackets to hold the extender in place. Many of the kits will typically come with templates of the mounting brackets that you can use to place against the pickup truck so you can mark where the holes for the brackets will have to be drilled. Measure where the brackets will be mounted on the inside of the pickup truck, and tape the templates over those locations to ensure you drill the right spots for the holes.
Using a center punch to put an indent into the metal of the pickup truck will not only mark the spots you need to drill a hole, but will also help you keep the drill bit in one spot as you start drilling.
Drill the holes you have marked, then apply a silicon-based sealer to the hole before you screw in the brackets. The silicon will help to prevent moisture from getting into the metal that could cause rust to form in bed of your truck.
The brackets are normally mounted using screws that come with the kit.
Pickup truck bed extenders are a quick way to increase the load capacity of your truck. If you are regularly carrying large loads that are hard to manage, you should check into buying a pickup truck bed extension kit to make carrying these loads easier and safer.


text:
Anti-government protests continue in Sudan for fifth day
Doctors are expected to strike on Monday, with other professions calling for a work stoppage later in the week.
Protests in parts of Sudan continued for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday, as doctors prepared to strike over the rising cost of bread and fuel.
At least 12 people have been killed since demonstrations began on Wednesday after the government hiked the price of a loaf of bread from one Sudanese pound to three (about $0.02 to $0.06), exacerbating grievances over price rises, shortages of basic commodities and a cash crisis.
Protesters are calling for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who has been in power for three decades, to step down.
"Fuel and bread shortages may have triggered protests across the country, but other factors now seem to be helping to keep them going," Al Jazeera's Hiba Morgan, reporting from the capital, Khartoum, said.
"People seem to be frustrated not just by the economic crisis, but by the way the country is being run and they want to see change."
On Sunday, residents in Um Rawaba, 200km southwest of the capital Khartoum, told AFP news agency that some 600 people gathered in the market chanting, "the people want the fall of the regime".
Protesters burned tyres and branches in the streets and attempted to storm a government building before being turned back by security officials, witnesses said.
In Atabara, 300km northeast of the capital, riot police and plain-clothed operatives deployed tear gas against hundreds of protesters, a witness said.
Police also fired tear gas on protesters in Khartoum after hundreds of protesters blocked a road in the centre of the city late on Sunday. Earlier in the day, there was a tense calm as schools and universities were shuttered by a nation-wide government suspension and riot police equipped with batons and tear gas guarded buildings.
"We were asked to leave this morning," said a university student from northern Khartoum.
Sudanese queued outside bakeries in the city, where vendors were refusing to sell more than 20 loaves of bread per person.
"I have a big family and this bread is not enough for three daily meals," a local resident told AFP.
A bakery worker said a security guard standing nearby was not allowing the shop to sell any more.
Doctors strike
Doctors are also set to go on strike on Monday in the first of a series of work stoppages, announced by an umbrella coalition of professional unions.
In a statement, the coalition said the doctors will continue to deal with emergencies during the strike, which aims to "paralyse" the government and deny it much-needed revenues. The coalition also called on citizens to continue their street protests.
There have also been calls by a number of independent trade and professional unions for a general strike on Wednesday.
Sara Abdelgalil, president of the Sudan Doctors' Union in the UK, said Sudan is headed for a total shutdown if there's no change in leadership, calling the recent protests "the tip of the iceberg".
"I don't think people on the streets are protesting just because of fuel and bread. They are protesting because there is an overall failure of the whole system," she told Al Jazeera.
"For the medical sector, there is complete destruction for the infrastructure, for the access of health services, for the cost of treatment, for the absence of life-saving medication, so the health sector is similar to education and other sectors in Sudan where there is an overall failure from the current government, therefore they have to step down and hand over the power to a government that can lead and can provide a better life for the people of Sudan," added Abdelgalil.
A wave of unrest has rocked Sudan since Wednesday after the government hiked the price of a loaf of bread from one Sudanese pound to three [Al Jazeera]
Participants in the protests have so far numbered in the hundreds or low thousands in each location but their continuation for nearly a week despite the use of force by police suggests the level of popular discontent over al-Bashir's rule is at a dangerously high level. Sudan's official news agency SUNA reported on Sunday that authorities had arrested a "cell of saboteurs" which had planned "acts of vandalism in the capital".
The official outlet said the "cell" includes members opposition groups but did not elaborate.
Sadiq Youssef from the opposition coalition, the National Consensus Forces alliance, had said earlier that 14 members of his group, including its president Farouk Abu Issa, were arrested as they left a meeting.
A group bringing together representatives of different professions called in a statement on Sunday for a series of strikes over the price rise, starting with hospitals from Monday.
"This crisis can't be left to the government to solve alone, other political parties need to come in and join hands to find a way out," Abu Alqasim Idris, economic analyst, told Al Jazeera.
"The crisis is no longer an economy crisis, it's now a political crisis and people are blaming the government for it."
Economic struggles
Anger has been rising across Sudan over the rising costs of bread and fuel and other economic hardships, including skyrocketing inflation and limits on bank withdrawals.
The country's economy has struggled to recover from the loss of three-quarters of its oil output - its main source of foreign currency - since South Sudan seceded in 2011, keeping most of the oilfields.
Sudan's economic woes have been exacerbated in the past few years, even as the United States lifted its 20-year-old trade sanctions on the country in October 2017.
The US has kept Sudan on its list of state sponsors of terrorism, which prevents Khartoum from accessing much-needed financial aid from institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank.
Bread prices have more than tripled since the start of this year after a government decision to stop state-funded imports of wheat.
Officials had hoped the move would create competition between private companies importing wheat, and therefore, act as a check on price rises.
But a number of bakeries stopped production, citing a lack of flour. This forced the government to increase flour subsidies by 40 percent in November.
At least 10 people have been killed since the demonstrations began on Wednesday [El Tayeb Siddig/Sudan]
Meanwhile, the value of the Sudanese pound has slumped by 85 percent against the US dollar this year, while inflation soared to nearly 70 percent in September.
In October, Sudan sharply devalued its currency from 29 pounds to the dollar to 47.5 after a body of banks and money changers set the country's exchange rate.
The move led to further price increases and a liquidity crunch, while the gap between the official and black market rates has continued to widen.
The economic crisis is one of the biggest tests faced by al-Bashir, who took power in a coup in 1989.
In recent months, he has dissolved the government, named a new central bank governor and brought in a package of reforms, but the moves have done little to improve the situation.
Meanwhile, Qatar has offered its support to al-Bashir, according to Sudan's state news agency.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani spoke to al-Bashir on the phone on Saturday and pledged Qatar's "readiness to provide all that is needed to help Sudan get through this crisis", the Sudanese state news agency reported.
Will Sudan's Bashir survive the protests?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
We flew Alaska Airlines' 737 MAX inaugural revenue service – here's our newsy review
By Francis Zera
10 Mar2021
N913AK on its takeoff roll from SEA on its inaugural revenue flight for Alaska Airlines on March 1, 2021 – Photo: Jeremy Dwyer Lindgren
On March 1 at 6:30 a.m., Alaska Airlines' first Boeing 737 MAX 9 took to the skies from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on a flight to San Diego. That flight made Alaska the third U.S. carrier to place the MAX into service since the plane's grounding was lifted at the end of 2020, and it was the first airline to place the plane into service that didn't receive any of its orders prior to the grounding in March 2019.
What was it like? Alaska did invite the local news media and AvGeek outlets to cover the departure, but the event was tastefully subdued overall. The worst part? Getting up at 2:30 a.m. to get to the airport on time. The best part? The flight itself, of course. As we reviewed back in 2019 before the grounding, the MAX offers a fine passenger experience, even more so now that the tragic issues with the aircraft's avionics have been sorted and certified.
The flight crew consisted of Alaska's fleet captain and chief training pilot
During the standard preflight passenger briefing, the pilots commented on how much they liked flying the new aircraft, saying that Alaska did 50 hours of proving flights over 19,000 miles with that plane prior to putting it into line service, including several flights for employees. They also noted the MAX's greater efficiency, saving 15% in fuel costs over the prior model.
As I experienced on Icelandair's Max 8, the plane is noticeably quieter in the cabin than the NG-series planes the MAX replaces, even when seated near the engines
I flew in coach, seated in row 13 both ways, in the aisle southbound and at the window back to SEA. If you're familiar with Alaska's current 737 NG cabin configurations, the overall layout is the same, save for some nice detail improvements, including additional USB ports that are much more accessible, and a clever device holder in the seatbacks. All in all, the MAX 9 provides a very comfortable and surprisingly quiet passenger experience.
This was my first commercial flight in nearly 12 months, and the biggest change I noticed was how often the flight attendants came through the cabin to pick up trash. Well, that, and there were no hot meals, alcoholic beverages, or poured soft drinks offered – water and soda were dispensed in single-serving cans or bottles.
A nicely-designed adjustable device holder features prominently on the new coach seatbacks
Coach-class service during the times of COVID doesn't look that much different than in times past
The additional USB port (seen on the right side of the seatback) is far more accessible than the older style, which remain in their original location below the folding tray
Alaska has orders to take delivery of 68 MAX 9s, with options for an additional 52, so the MAX plays a primary role in the airline's plan to modernize its fleet. Alaska plans to eventually divest itself of most of the Airbus A319/320ceos it acquired as part of its acquisition of Virgin America, coming closer to being an all-Boeing airline once again, although it does look like they'll hang onto the 10 A321neos in their fleet for now.
The outbound flight to San Diego was quite full, with plenty of AvGeeks and Alaska Air crew in evidence. The return flight was considerably less full, more in line with what I'm told are more normal passenger loads given current COVID concerns.
At the gate at SEA for an early-morning departure
Local Seattle news media provided live coverage of the inaugural
Gotta love those huge overhead Space Bins
Alaska is currently using N913AK on two daily roundtrip routes from Seattle; flights 482 and 539 to and from San Diego in the morning and early afternoon, and flights 398 and 705 to and from Las Angeles in the late afternoon and evening.
Here we are on the base turn over Elliott Bay in Seattle on the way back to SEA. The MAX's engines are considerably larger than the NG.
Alaska AirlinesBoeing 737 MAX 9first revenue flightinauguralSan Diego International AirportSeattle-Tacoma International Airport
Francis Zera
EDITOR-AT-LARGE / LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER - SEATTLE, WA Francis Zera is a Seattle-based architectural, aerial, aviation, and commercial photographer, a freelance photojournalist, and a confirmed AvGeek.
http://www.zeraphoto.com
First to Fly — El Al and the Dawn of Commercial Twin-Engine Oceanic Flights
I am Glad I Waited to be Vaccinated Before Flying
We"re actually doing LAX not LAS in the afternoon haha
Reply to G
You are correct, and I made the change. Thanks for catching the typo, and for being a reader!
Reply to Francis
Las Angeles?
Reply to Bart


text:
Venerable Master Sheng-yen (聖嚴法師) (1931-) is one of the more famous living teachers of Chan (Japanese: Zen) Buddhism. Master Sheng Yen is the 57th generation descendant of Linji in the Linji (Japanese: Rinzai) School and a 3rd generation descendant of Master Hsu Yun. In the Caodong (Japanese: Soto) lineage, Master Sheng Yen is the 52nd generation descendant of Master Tung Shan (807-869), and the direct descendant of Master Tung Chu (1908-1977).
Born near Shanghai, he became a Buddhist monk at the age of 13. He went to Taiwan in 1949, and from 1961 to 1968 he trained in solitary retreat. He studied for a master's degree (1971) and doctorate (1975) in Buddhist literature in Japan.
He became abbott of Nung Ch'an Monastery in Taiwan in 1979 and founded of the Institute of Chung-Hwa Buddhist Culture in New York City in 1980. In 1985, he founded the Institute of Chung-Hwa Buddhist Culture in Taipei and the International Cultural and Educational Foundation of Dharma Drum Mountain in 1989.
He has been teaching in the United States since 1980, and has also visited many countries in Europe, as well as continuing his teaching in several Asian countries, in particular Taiwan. In this way his work has helped to bridge East and West and convey the Dharma to the West. Sheng-yen has given dharma transmission to several of his lay Western students, such as John Crook.
Sheng-yen, Song of Mind: Wisdom from the Zen Classic Xin Ming, Shambhala, 2004, ISBN 1590301404.
Sheng-yen and John Crook (ed.), Illuminating Silence: The Practice of Chinese Zen, Watkins, 2002, ISBN 1842930311.
Sheng-yen and Dan Stevenson, Hoofprint of the Ox: Principles of the Chan Buddhist Path As Taught by a Modern Chinese Master, Oxford University, 2002, ISBN 0195152484.
Sheng-yen, There Is No Suffering: A Commentary on the Heart Sutra, Dharma Drum, 2002, ISBN 1556433859.


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EducationUSA is a U.S. Department of State supported network. For information about F-1 visas, please visit: https://www.educationusa.info/. More information also available on http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1268.html.
The Student Visa (F-1) allows you to register for full-time courses in a college, university or language school. A full-time course in an American college or university generally consists of four classes that total 12 credits (units) a semester. In a language school, a full-time course is determined by the number of hours you take per week.
You cannot register for part-time courses if you have F-1 status.
Have a passport with an expiration date of more than 5 months in the future.
Apply for the I-20 form and register for the semester you want to attend.
Contact the American Embassy and request an appointment for the F-1.
Show the embassy official proof that you can pay for your educational and living expenses in the U.S.
If your F-1 application is approved, you will be permitted to travel to the U.S. on a student visa.
PLEASE NOTE: Once you enter the U.S., you must go to the school that accepted your admission request and begin your course of study there. You cannot attend a different school without permission from Immigration. It is a very serious violation!
If your F-1 visa is denied, you may need to wait a few months before you can re-apply. Ask the embassy official to give you a copy of his/her written decision so that you can read and understand the reason(s) for the denial.
Do I need to turn in an immunization form as an international student?
Yes, it is part of the admission process as an international student. If you have not had any immunizations you must see a physician and have these procedures done. Failure to submit an immunization record may result in having a hold placed on your academic record.
Most likely Yes. Most states require that all students enrolled in a full time program have health insurance. The insurance should be from a company in the US. This will make it easier to determine what services are covered by the insurance.
Can I work while I have my F-1 status?
After being under the student visa for 9 months you are allowed to work on campus for 20 hours a week while school is in session;you are allowed 40 hours a week during school breaks, i.e. Spring and Summer. You must get authorization from the International Student Advisor. Should you desire to work off campus, you must speak to the International Student Advisor to determine if you are eligible to get the forms to apply for INS authorization. Accepting employment without the appropriate authorization is a serious violation of your F-1 visa status.
Am I able to receive financial aid?
No. International students are not eligible for federal or state financial aid. There is a web site where you can apply for a scholarship or for a loan to help pay for your education. It is www.IEFA.org for scholarships and www.IEFC.com for loans.
How do I get an extension on my I-20?
To receive an extension you must speak to the International Student Advisor at least 60 days before the expiration date on the I-20.
How long can I stay in the United States after graduating?
You can stay in the United States for 60 days.
How do I get an extension on my visa?
You are given duration of status on your I-94 card in conjunction with your I-20 form to remain in the US until you complete your studies, as long as you remain enrolled in school as a full time student at all times. If you need to have your visa stamp on the passport extended, you must return to the US consulate in your home country.
How can I get a Social Security number? International students can only receive social security numbers if they are authorized to work. Students must receive authorization from the International Student Advisor (on campus-employment) or the INS (off campus employment). Employment without the appropriate authorization is a serious violation of your F-1 visa status. There is no other way to receive a Social Security number.
How do I get a driver's license? The department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in Massachusetts requires a Social Security number to issue a driver's license. If you are authorized to work, you may use your social security number to take the driver's test to receive a license. If you are not employed you will need to go to the local Social Security office and get a letter stating that you are an F-1 visa student who is not authorized to work and cannot be issued a social security number. You will take the letter and your F-1 visa to the DMV and they will assign you a driver's license number without the social security number after you take and pass the written and driver's test.
Do I need to file a tax return if I am an international student?
Yes. As an international student in this country, on an F, J or H visa, you must file a tax return by April 15th of each year. If you did not work you must file form 8843. If you did work you must file form1040 NR E-Z or 1040 NR and form 8843.
How do I change visa status?
How do I transfer from/to schools?
An F-1 student who is maintaining status may transfer to another Service-approved school. An F-1 student who was not pursuing a full course of study at the school he or she was last authorized to attend, is ineligible for school-transfer and must apply for reinstatement at the INS. To transfer schools, an F-1 student must first notify the school he or she is attending of the intent to transfer, then obtain a Form I-20 A-B from the school to which he or she intends to transfer. The transfer will be effected only if the F-1 student completes the Student Certification portion of the Form I-20 A-B and returns the form to a designated school official on campus, within 15 days of beginning attendance at the new school. The student must start attending the new school on the first available date.
What does "duration of status" mean?
Duration of status is defined as the time during which an F-1 student is pursuing a full course of study at an educational institution approved by the Service for attendance by foreign students, or engaging in authorized practical training following completion of studies, plus 60 days to prepare for departure from the United States. The student is considered to be maintaining status if he or she is making normal progress toward completing a course of study.
You are not deportable on any grounds.
The visa of any nonimmigrant who overstays his/her period of authorized stay in the US will be canceled, and the person must apply for a new visa at the US embassy or consulate in his or her country of last permanent residence. If a person is in unlawful status for a period up to 180 days and leaves the US, he/she will be barred from returning to the US for a period of 3 years. If the unlawful period exceeds 180 days, the person will be barred for 10 years.
International Students must keep passports and immigration documents valid at all times.
International students are responsible for observing the regulations of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Any international student attending school for the first time or any continuing student who has been absent for a semester or more, should show the passport, visa stamp and visa documents to the International Student Advisor within the first two weeks of class. Any international student who does not attend the International Student Orientation must see the International Student Advisor as soon as possible after arriving to campus in order to complete visa formalities. This process is to help avoid students overlooking any procedures that could cause them to be in violation of their status.
Students with F-1 visa status must take a full course load (at least eighteen clock hours of attendance a week if the dominant part of the course of study consists of classroom instruction, or to consist of at least twenty-two clock hours a week if the dominant part of the course of study consists of laboratory work or 12 credit/ semester hours at college/ university) at all times during their academic stay. Students taking less than a full time course load without authorization are considered in violation of their F-1 visa status. Students who have been suspended or dismissed from the college for academic or disciplinary reasons may not remain in the US on the F1 visa.
Most credit unions and commercial banks provide loans to international students with a guarantor. There may be limits on the loan amount. You can also visit and www.IEFC.com for loan options.


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Champion Spark Plugs 'Equipped With' Beige Oval Stickers. 5.5" or 8" Pair.
Champion Spark Plugs 'Equipped With' Black & Silver Oblong Stickers. 4" or 5" Pair.
Champion Spark Plugs 'Equipped With' Oval Stickers. 2" Pair.
Champion Spark Plugs 'Equipped With' Oval Stickers. Set of 4. 1.5".
Champion Spark Plugs 'Equipped With' Silver Oval Sticker. 8".
Champion Spark Plugs 'Fitted With' Oblong Stickers. 7" or 8" Pair.
Champion Spark Plugs 'The Racers Choice' Oval Sticker. 5.5".
Champion Sports Car Unlimited Co. Pomona California Sticker. 4.5".
Champion Wavy Flag Style Handed Stickers. 3.5" Pair.
Champion Worn Distressed Aged Look Stickers. 4" Pair.


PLAY Restaurant & Lounge™: Introducing a new dining experience where Mediterranean and Asian come together offering a unique Mediterrasian™ cuisine.
Winner of Time Out Awards Best Restaurant 2016!
Located in the heart of Dubai, on the 36th floor of H Hotel, the newest dining marvel will be brought to life through its playful spirit and its culinary genius, giving guests their first taste of Mediterrasian Cuisine. Set to become a hub for the region's most stylish and a favorite amongst tastemakers in the region, PLAY promises to be the missing piece in the city's dining puzzle.
The homegrown concept boasts immaculate interior design, and comprises a gourmet restaurant with an elevated private dining area, an intriguing lounge, as well as a one-of-a-kind specialized cocktail bar- all set against a backdrop of Dubai's mesmerizing skyline.
Lead by the multi award-winning Chef Reif Othman, ex Regional Executive Chef of Zuma Restaurants for Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul, as well as overseeing Miami and Hong Kong operations, the Mediterrasian Cuisine stems from the best of European cooking techniques infused with the finest Asian ingredients. The PLAY food concept is very unique and enables guests at a table to easily sample each other's dishes without having to pass plates around.


I HAVE a little Shih Tzu named Toby who was 5 years old in April. One day he started walking stiff-legged. His back was inflamed, and he was in great pain.
I took him to three vets, and they all wanted to do surgery at a cost of $2,500 to $3,000. It was either that or put him to sleep, they all said.
Then I found a fourth vet in Wildwood - Leigh McBride. She treated him with some medicine, and he has been OK for three years now.
I was thrilled to death to be able to spare Toby the surgery and see him still enjoying life. Thanks to a vet who found a nonsurgical solution, Toby is 100 percent as active as he used to be.


Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra are used to being the center of the action from their years as leading dancers at Miami City Ballet. But managing the whirl of activity at a rehearsal of their fledgling troupe, Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, is a whole other dizzying dimension—coaching ballets, fielding questions from a photographer and a dancer managing company logistics, squeezing in a quick self-coached rehearsal for themselves. Kronenberg perches on a bench as a costume designer hems her skirt, talking through schedules with Guerra before they hurl themselves into Ronald Savkovic's fraught Transparente, releasing real life tensions in choreographic drama.
Ballet dancers are nothing if not enterprising, and Rebecca King is certainly one of the most ambitious. The Miami City Ballet corps member has long been something of a social media maven—she helped coordinate an Instagram campaign for MCB and even started her own social media management company. She's also contributed regularly to her popular blog, Tendus Under a Palm Tree, since 2010. This week, King and fellow MCB corps member Michael Sean Breeden have started a new media venture: podcasting. Their self-produced show, "Conversations on Dance" (available on King's blog and on iTunes), will include discussions on training, technique and choreography, as well as interviews with other professional dancers. This week's timely topic: summer intensives.
King and Breeden join an increasing number of dancers taking to the virtual airwaves, including MCB soloist Lauren Fadeley, whose show, "ReDiscovering the Dream," chronicles her recent career move and new life in Miami. American Ballet Theatre principal James Whiteside, New York City Ballet principal Megan Fairchild and advice guru Kathryn Morgan have also started hosting their own podcasts on Premier Dance Network. So get your headphones ready. Dancers on dancing? Yes, please!
King in Raymonda Variations. Photo by Daniel Azoulay, Courtesy MCB.
On a flight home from a teaching stint in California last summer, Miami City Ballet corps member Rebecca King wrote a letter to her former self to post on her popular dance blog, Tendus Under a Palm Tree. Her hindsight advice to aspiring ballet students—no chit-chatting in class, implement corrections, study ballet videos—ended up going viral, eventually landing a page in Florida's World of Dance Magazine.
"Sometimes what takes off is a surprise," says King, 27, a native of Northern California who founded her blog in 2010. "It's made me realize how important social media can be for all businesses, especially in the way it can affect art."


This year's World Travel Awards Latin America Gala Ceremony was a big success for the Cabo hotels. Lima, Peru was hosting the event.
Loreto's Villa Del Palmar beside maintaining it`s position as "Mexico's leading Beach Resort 2016", also won a grander title as "Mexico and Central America leading Beach Resort".
And this was not the only hotel to win more then one award. The well known One&Only Palmilla walked away winning in both categories -Mexico's Leading Spa Resort 2016, and Mexico & Central America's Leading Spa Resort 2016.
This is already impressing enough, but it wasn`t all. JW Marriot Los Cabos bagged Mexico's Leading Resort 2016, Mar Adentro walked away with Mexico's Leading Hotel Residence 2016, and La Casa Que Canta won Mexico's Leading Boutique Hotel 2016.
The World Travel Award brand recognized worldwide as the ultimate hallmark, where winners are setting the benchmark to which all others aspire. It is already bringing much of prestige to both Cabo and Loreto, helping to high-light Baja Sur as a luxury destination both internationally and nationally.


ATIT 2019 or (Admission Test for ICFAI Technology) is a written entrance exam, conducted by IFHE University, Hyderabad (ICFAI Foundation For Higher Education) for admissions to UG engineering courses. The last day to apply for ATIT 2019 is April 20, 2019. The entrance exam will be conducted in both online and offline mode. To apply online, candidates can visit the official website, fill the application form and submit it. For offline mode, they have to download the application form and send it through speed post or courier along with demand draft.
The candidates have to pay the ATIT 2019 Application fee of INR 700. Candidates can pay it online through net banking/credit cards/debit cards. They can also pay the fee in form of a demand draft that is to be drawn in the favour of "IFHE - A/c ATIT (2019) payable at Hyderabad. Before applying for the exam, it is imperative that the candidates refer to the ATIT 2019 Eligibility Criteria and ensure that they meet all specified requirements.
Failure to meet the minimum ATIT 2019 Eligibility Criteria for the exam may lead to rejection of the candidate's application. All documents and certificates of the candidate will be verified thoroughly at the time of admission. If a discrepancy is found, then the admission will be cancelled on grounds of ineligibility, even after having been provisionally offered to the candidate. Hence, it is strongly advised to check the ATIT 2019 eligibility norms carefully before considering the process of registration.
Students who may be in the current appearing year of Class XII are also eligible to apply.
It is also necessary to fulfil the age requirements as specified by the particular Board through which the candidate has appeared for the qualifying HSC exam.
The application fee for ATIT 2019 is a sum of INR 700 and can be paid through different portals depending on the application method.
For those candidates who have selected the online application form filling process, the ATIT 2019 application fee can be paid using a credit card, a debit card or through net banking.
The application process of ATIT 2019 can be carried out in three ways, depending on the candidate's choice. Knowing about the various steps involved in each of these application methods is necessary to ensure that no unknown problems may rise during the application procedure. The complete details for the different methods of application are discussed below.
The responses must be marked in the space provided.
HB pencil should be used for filling items 1 to 14 of the form.
Circles must be darkened completely.
In case a wrong circle has been darkened, candidate must erase it properly without leaving any smudges.
A black or blue ball point pen should be used for filling the rest of the items.
Nothing should be pinned or stapled to the application form.
The form must not be folded in any way.
A photocopy of the completed application form should be kept by the candidates.
The completed OMR application form should be filled in the special envelope provided.
The form should be dispatched to the afore-mentioned address using courier or speed post.
The form must be sent in time to reach the address before the deadline.
Another option for the candidates is to fill the online application form. A scanned copy of the candidate's recent colour photograph must be uploaded as part of the application form. The prospectus for B. Tech programme will be sent by the University to all registered candidates.
Fill in details such as name of the candidate, parent's name, date of birth and gender.
Select the test option – online or offline – and the citizenship.
Upload a recent photograph in jpg/gif format according to the specified dimensions.
Provide the academic qualifications, such as marks obtained in Class X, XI and XII along with the year of passing.
In order of preference, fill five options for branch and university you wish to take admission in.
Provide complete mailing address for correspondence purposes.
Fill in the address of the institute from where Class XII has been completed.
Select the mode for application fee payment.
Tick the checklist for accepting the declaration.
The third option is to fill the online application form and download it after completion. The downloaded form will have to be sent by Speed Post or Courier to the afore-mentioned address.
The steps to fill the online application form are the same as explained above. Additionally, the candidate will have to download the completed form.
Download the filled online application form from the official website.
Enclose it in an envelope along with the DD for application fee payment.
Dispatch the envelope to the afore-mentioned address in time to ensure it reaches the venue before the closing date.
Under online slot booking link, Click on "Book Slot for ATIT 2019".
Enter the ATIT 2019 OMR Application Number in place of login ID and date of birth (As mentioned in OMR Application form during application process) as Password in the box provided.
The candidates are advised to change their password (min. 8 digits) soon after logging in, for security reasons.
Step-I: Select city you want to appear from using the drop down box provided on the left side of the screen.
Step–II & Step–III: Select the date and time slot for your exam from the radio buttons. Candidates can select from the list of available slots.


The first meeting of the committee was held on December 3, 2014 at the Keck Center of the National Academies.
*Opportunity is offered at end of this meeting for interested individuals to comment and offer information relevant to the study. Comments should not exceed 3 minutes in duration; lengthier comments and information can be submitted in writing to the committee. The total time available for public comments is 30 minutes. A sign-up sheet will be available starting at 12:45pm time the day of the meeting for interested individuals to register to comment on a first-come, first-served basis. Speakers must be present to register.


Welcome to the Pathology Residency Training Program at Duke University Medical Center, and thank you for your interest in our program.
Congratulations on your decision to pursue pathology as a career, and thank you for considering the pathology residency program at Duke University.
The objective of this fully accredited ACGME-approved training program is to produce leaders in diagnostic pathology and biomedical research.
Excellence in teaching has been a hallmark of this department since its inception..
Residents work with the broad range of our highly trained Pathologists throughout the program.
Graduates of our program work in private and academic centers around the world and currently fill several chairmanships across the country.
Our department recognizes the achievements of our residents and their mentors with annual awards.
We are pleased to announce the incoming first year residents for 2019!
Karissa Heck, MD and Rachel Jug , MB BCh BAO received the Edward Bossen Team Player Award for 2018.


We have a number of billboard design specialists in Dalwhinnie PH19 1 who can create top quality billboards to advertise your products and services. Our designs are created to get your target market to enquire with your business or visit your site.
Our billboard design specialists closest to you in Dalwhinnie PH19 1 can produce the most effective approach for the particular products and help you design the perfect commercial bill board. As an unbiased local traditional marketing and advertising expert, we provide a fantastic return on investment through the advertising campaigns.
If you are interested in having a bill board designed to promote your company, simply fill in our contact form. One of our design experts will get back to you as quickly as possible with a quotation and out billboard design specialists in Dalwhinnie PH19 1 can get to work on your advert straight away.


text:
Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914?)
He was born in Horse Cave Creek, Ohio, from a strictly religious family.
He left his home at the age of sixteen for starting off his career as a printer's devil at the Northen Indianian, but forfeited this position because he was falsely accused of stealing money.
His family insisted that he should enroll in the Kentucky Military Institute; thus, the knowledge of military strategy supported him in the Civil War where he had been fighting since 1861.
In 1866 he moved to California where he collaborated with newspapers such as News Letter, Californian, the Atla California, the Golden Era, the weekly News-Letter and California Advertiser.
In 1872 he moved to England for four years; later on, he went back to America to write for the San Francisco Examiner. The new owner of this newspaper was William Randolph Hearst, who had an eye for talented journalists like Bierce.
The fame and reputation of Bierce grew and in the years 1887-1906, the columns of Bierce were known as The Prattler. In 1897 he went to Washington to work for another newspaper owned by Hearst.
He often wrote in defense of Jews, Negroes and Chineses.
His personal life was a failure: he divorced in 1904; his elder son committed suicide at the age of sixteen; his youngest son died of alcoholism at the age of thirty.
In 1914 he disappeared in Mexico, where a civil war was breaking out and since then his destiny remains unknown. His best known works are The Devil's Dictionary (New York: Sagamore Press, 1957) and Tales of Soldiers & Civilians (1891) [also known as In the Midst of Life (New York: Heritage, 1943)].
barometer. An ingenious instrument which indicates what kind of weather we are having - Ambrose Bierce
consul. In American politics, a person who having failed to secure an office from the people is given one by the Administration on condition that he leave the country - Ambrose Bierce
cynic: a blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be - Ambrose Bierce
elector: one who enjoys the sacred privilege of voting for the man of another man\'s choice - Ambrose Bierce
history: an account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools - Ambrose Bierce
infidel: in New York, one who does not believe in the Christian religion; in Constantinople, one who does - Ambrose Bierce
interpreter: one who enables two persons of different languages to understand each other by repeating to each what it would have been to the interpreter\'s advantage for the other to have said - Ambrose Bierce
marriage: a community consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all, two - Louise Brooks
politics: a conflict of interests masquerading as a contest of principles - Ambrose Bierce
war is God\'s way of teaching Americans geography - Ambrose Bierce


text:
San Lucas Quiaviní es uno de los 570 municipios que conforman al estado mexicano de Oaxaca. Pertenece al distrito de Tlacolula, dentro de la región valles centrales. Su cabecera es la localidad homónima.

Toponimia
San Lucas deriva del nombre del santo patrono de la demarcación: Lucas el Evangelista, considerado como santo por el culto católico. Existen desacuerdos sobre el significado de la palabra Quiaviní. De acuerdo a José María Bradomín es de origen zapoteca y su significado es Piedra donde se llora. Esta interpretación ha sido acusada de ser errónea porque no se tomó en cuenta la acentuación de la palabra, la cual le da el significado de Piedra que brilla o igualmente el de Piedra preciosa.

Geografía
El municipio abarca 50.44 km² y se encuentra a una altitud promedio de 1730 , oscilando entre 3000 y 1600 .

Colinda al norte con el municipio de Tlacolula de Matamoros, al este y al sur con Santiago Matatlán y al oeste con San Bartolomé Quialana.

Fisiografía
El municipio pertenece a la subprovincia de las Sierras y valles de Oaxaca, dentro de la provincia de la Sierra Madre del Sur. El 61% de su territorio lo conforma el sistema de topoformas de la sierra con cumbres tendidas, el 21% pertenece al lomerío con llanuras y el 18% restante a la llanura aluvial con lomerío de piso rocoso o cimentado.

Hidrografía
El 97% de San Lucas Quiaviní se encuentra dentro de la subcuenca del río Atoyac-Oaxaca de Juárez, parte de la cuenca del río Atoyac, en la región hidrológica de Costa Chica-Río Verde; el 3% restante es de la subcuenca del río San Antonio, parte de la cuenca del río Tehuantepec, dentro de la región hidrológica de Tehuantepec. Los afluentes del municipio son escasos, siendo el más relevante el río Principal, un arroyo intermitente por el que fluye agua solo en épocas de lluvia.

Clima
El clima del municipio es templado subhúmedo con lluvias en verano en el 82% de su territorio, semiseco semicálido en el 16% de su superficie y semicálido subhúmedo con lluvias en verano en el 2% restante. El rango de temperatura promedio es de 16 a 18 grados celcius, el mínimo promedio es de 0 a 2 grados y el máximo promedio de 26 a 28 grados. El rango de precipitación promedio anual es de 800 a 1000 mm y los meses de lluvia van de octubre a marzo.

Demografía
De acuerdo al último censo, realizado por el INEGI en 2010, en el municipio habitan 1745 personas, ubicadas dentro de su única localidad. De la totalidad de habitantes de San Lucas Quiaviní, 1596 personas dominan alguna lengua indígena.

Grado de marginación
De acuerdo a los estudios realizados por la Secretaría de Desarrollo Social en 2010, 34% de la población del municipio vive en condiciones de pobreza extrema. El grado de marginación de San Lucas Quiaviní es clasificado como Muy alto. En 2014 el municipio fue incluido en la Cruzada nacional contra el hambre.

Gobierno
El municipio se rige mediante el sistema de usos y costumbres, eligiendo gobernantes cada tres años de acuerdo a un sistema establecido por las tradiciones de sus antepasados.

Referencias

Municipios del estado de Oaxaca
Distrito de Tlacolula
Municipios de México regidos por el sistema de Usos y Costumbres

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Best of the Northwest Filmmakers' Festival Touring Program
The Best of the Northwest Filmmakers' Festival, presents a carefully selected cross-section of filmmaking from the Northwest, selected annually from the films including in our Northwest Filmmakers' Festival. The works included in this program are chosen to represent the quality, range and vitality of filmmaking in the region. This collection is available for public screening.
Since its inception in 1973, the Northwest Filmmakers' Festival (formerly the Northwest Film & Video Festival) has attracted a unique breed of filmmaker that challenges the status quo of the cinematic landscape and introduces new ideas in filmmaking to enthusiastic audiences, both at its home in Portland, OR. and across the country through the Best of the Northwest Filmmakers' Festival Tour. The films selected for each year's Tour cannot properly express the breadth of talent in our region, but we hope that it will whet your appetite and encourage you to seek out and appreciate visionary work wherever you can find it.
Upcoming Tour Stops
Thanks to these sponsors of the Best of the Northwest Fest Touring Program
Oregon Latino Oral History Project
7GCTE Film Challenge
Héroes Magníficos
Project Viewfinder


Come down for a free tour of District Hall, Boston's public home for innovation. District Hall is the world's first freestanding public innovation center, designed to inspire innovation, foster collaboration, and make great ideas come to life. We operate a free, public workspace, rentable event space, and run free programming that's open to everyone. Come learn about our unique space and how you can get involved in Boston's thriving innovation community!


Those words were spoken to me many moons ago by my CW, QRP and outdoor radio sensei Jim Cluett, W1PID.
He wasn't talking about the Zombie Shuffle, a fun low-intensity contest that's held each year on the Friday night that's closest to Halloween.
This year the shuffle was on Halloween Eve, a perfect dark evening to have some great fun.
Jim's advice about courage had to do with getting on the air and wandering into the jungle of invisible radio waves as a CW beginner.
Believe me, it can be a scary place.
But last night, I was brave. Unbeknownst to me over the past two weeks I had reached yet another plateau on my long and arduous CW journey.
I was about to discover I finally had listening skills that would allow me to have the most fun yet on the air. And fun I had!
Last year I signed up for the Shuffle and was lucky enough to garner a very special number. Zombie numbers are given for life.
The two ghouls behind the Zombie Shuffle are Paul and Jan Harden, NA5N and N0QT. They refer to themselves as the Grand Zombie Grand Witchess and Contest Coroner.
I want to thank both for creating a special memory for me. Prior to last night the most QSOs I'd ever done on one day was three, maybe four.
In just over two hours last night I'd do thirteen.
Yeah, if you're an experienced pro, you can do 100 or more Qs in two hours, but years ago you were where I was last night. You didn't start out doing CW at 30 WPM.
The shuffle is a fun contest. It's not meant to be a high-speed adrenaline-filled sprint or like the madness of Field Day.
That's the philosophy of the contest taken right from the Zombie Shuffle website.
I was sending at 12 WPM with a spacing of probably 10 WPM. Everyone who I worked slowed for me and I was able to copy 98 percent of everything sent. I was euphoric.
Moments before sundown last night, that's when the contest starts no matter where you live, Jim called me.
What was he thinking? Well, when viewed from his perspective I've not been putting in the requisite time to become a skilled operator.
But Jim doesn't know me that well. When I decide to do something, I do it. The issue with CW is that I'm still a working stiff and a few other things have nudged me away from the key.
I hung up the phone and rushed up to the shack.
Quickly I reviewed the frequencies, made a crude logbook in my notebook and turned on the radio.
I started out at 40 meters because I thought that would be alive at this time of day / pre-night.
I wasn't disappointed. I went to 7.030.30 and started to call CQ.
Because I'm a rookie contest grasshopper, I did my CQ wrong.
Oh well, the pros knew what was going on and were gentle with me.
Within a few minutes N8RVE came back. BOOM!
I had my first Zombie QSO.
Then another, and another and another.
I can't remember if Jim texted me or called me, but over the next hour I'd text him at least five or six times and we'd talk on the phone a few times.
I was so excited I was telling him what was happening.
Early in the contest I had five or six QSOs to his one!
Hah! We eventually worked each other on both 80 and 40 meters. You're allowed to work the same station more than once so long as you're on different bands.
Time passed quickly. Before I knew it I had been on the air for over two hours with just a 10-minute break for dinner.
Jim knew I'd love to work an Elvis in the shuffle.
Elvis and Elvira stations are operators who you can work to get 666 extra points.
Jim found WA5TCZ on 20 meters and texted me.
After several attempts, he finally heard me and was extremely patient as I was battling lots of fading – QSB.
By 8:30 pm I was tired. What's more, my body chemistry was changing as the adrenaline that powered me two hours before was being neutralized in my veins.
It didn't matter. I had a grin on my face as big as any carved pumpkin in central New Hampshire.
It was a night I'll never forget and there's lots to be said about being brave.
You can be brave too.
Jim Cluett, W1PID, and I went to the jaw-dropping Livermore Falls today.
It was a bright cloud-free day and even though we're just days away from November, there was still lots of color on the trees. Fall came late this year because of a very warm September.
Here's what I was looking at just after leaving my driveway. It was going to be a splendid day!
We met to go to the falls after I left my truck to get serviced at a local Ford dealership. Jim and I had at least two hours to play radio and get some lunch. We ended up stretching it to three hours as it was such a gorgeous day.
As we walked down the dirt path to the falls, we could hear the roar of the water.
This is the Pemigewasset River just before it dives down the falls. You can see the first step in the falls in the lower right corner.
The Pemigewasset River cuts across some very hard metamorphic rock that's been polished and rounded by countless gallons of water over thousands of years.
I couldn't resist shooting this video of the rushing water.
Although Jim and I have been here at least two other times, this was the first time I had wandered down to the water's edge. There's a giant sand bar on the west side of the river and someone had stacked a few stone cairns.
This cairn was about 18 inches tall. I wonder how long it will stand?
It was peaceful down by the river.
As I was admiring the falls and soaking up being next to the roaring water, Jim was busy setting up next to some railroad tracks above the river.
Jim's a pro. He found a perfect spot in the sun with a nice flat rock to use as an outdoor ham shack.
He's my outdoor QRP radio sensei and he's a pro at working as many bands as possible in a short amount of time.
Today would turn out to be one of his best days ever with respect to other operators able to hear his signal. Propagation was superb and he was racking up the QSOs.
Here he is working his first contact. Years ago Jim was a TV news producer and helped create lots of news video, but as you'll soon see, he doesn't like to be on the other side of the lens.
I After shooting the above video, I wandered north up the railroad track about 150 feet and set up.
I've got a dandy HB-1B and was only able to work 20 and 40 meters.
Twenty meters was quite active, but for some reason many of the stations I could hear well, they couldn't hear me. Jim thought it was my piece-of-crap 3-foot BNC cable that connects my radio to my par-EndFedz antenna.
I was trying to hunt and pounce and all of a sudden I heard a station BOOMING into me. It was Ian from England – G4MLW.
He was going much faster than I could copy, but I got part of his call sign the first time.
He came right back to me giving me a 559 signal report and I clearly copied his name.
I responded with a 599 as his signal was so strong it was as I was sitting next to him in his shack.
I asked him to repeat his call sign and he did.
By that time Jim had wandered up the track and took one of my ear buds. He was able to hear, with ease, Ian's call sign.
I barely avoided the skunk, but the glorious WX made up for my dismal performance.
Winter is just around the corner and you can probably count on one hand the number of great days like today that we might get out to do more outdoor radio.
Here are the easy steps, as of October 2015, to add a ham radio call sign as part of your name at the very top of your Facebook page.
See my call sign just after my name? Both are in the red oval.
Facebook calls what you see between the ( ) a nickname. They also call it all sorts of other things in a drop-down list. For example, you may want your maiden name to appear after your name.
Here's how to get your call sign to show up.
Go to your primary account page and click the About text link.
Once you're at that page, in the left column select the phrase: Details About You.
See it just above in that screenshot?
When you click it, you'll see what you see above. Look at the lower right corner where the blue + is and it says: Add a nickname, a birth name …..
See the drop-down list box right to the left of the red arrow tip?
Make sure it says "Nickname".
Type in your call sign in the box just below where you now see "What's your nickname?".
Click the SAVE CHANGES blue rectangle and get back on the air and make a few QSOs.
IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please be aware that Facebook is constantly changing their interface and rules. You MAY have to do a few things differently to get the same result I did. I can't keep coming back here to adjust my instructions to match their whims at any given time.
TNX as we say in Morse.
The Beginners Guide can be found after the following story. I encourage you to read the story first and look at the photos before reading the Beginners Guide. The Beginners Guide was last revised on October 22, 2017.
The Head of the Charles Regatta is a world-class public service event for any amateur radio operator. It all started in 1965 and it's held in Boston, MA every October.
I've worked quite a few public service events, including the Boston Marathon and if you're an amateur operator that wants to challenge your skills, the Head of the Charles is one you don't want to miss.
Yesterday, October 16, 2015, I worked the regatta for the first time. I was out on the wind-swept water of the Charles River in an odd open fiberglass pontoon boat as part of a three-man team. My tactical call sign was Safety Launch 3.
Amateur radio operators provide critical communications during the event in case crew members tumble into the cold waters of the Charles River and need to be rescued.
I'll share my story of the day's events and then I'll provide you with invaluable tips that I wish I had known about prior to arriving in Boston.
While the competition is a two-day event, the hundreds of teams from around the USA and the world practice on the Friday before the event turning it into a three-day event for the hundreds of volunteers like me.
I decided to only work the practice day to get my feet wet. I'm glad I did because all volunteers need to be present for 6:00 AM meetings at the various boathouses dotting the shoreline of the infamous Charles River on the two competition days.
On the Friday practice day, that arrival time is pushed back to 8:30 AM. I decided that I'd leave my central New Hampshire home at 5:30 AM so I'd arrive in Boston just after 7:30 AM. It's only a one hour and fifty-minute drive so I thought I'd pad in some time for rush hour.
Since I rarely drive into Boston on a work day morning, I discovered that the commuters must leave their homes at 4:00 AM to try to avoid the snarled roadways that feed into the metropolis.
Stressed out after three, not two, hours of fighting stop-and-go traffic I pulled into an empty parking spot at the MIT boathouse in the famous Basin of the Charles River.
This is the correct boathouse to meet at. Note it's on the upstream side of the bridge. There's another boathouse on the downstream side of the bridge. I'm hoping my Beginners Guide inspires the event organizers to make better use of satellite images and custom Google maps that have exact icons showing exactly where certain positions are on the course. Look below at a sample of a custom map I created for the Finish Line area complete with photos of what you'll see when you stand in the location of one of the custom icons.
It's just upriver from the Route 2A bridge that spans the waterway soon to be clogged with hundreds and hundreds of the sleek sculls. I discovered I had to move my truck to a parking lot about a half mile away, but that had to wait until after the brief organizational meeting down next to the dock in the boathouse.
The boathouse was clogged with volunteers of all sorts getting other volunteers checked in. Safety launch boats and other launches were being readied for the day.
Many of the launches were manned by women and men who's job it was to try to keep the sculls from crashing into one another along the three-mile section of the Charles River where the regatta takes place.
As the day progressed I discovered these other launches would be anchored near bridges and tight turns in the river. Using megaphones the workers would alert the crews and coxswain about impending danger.
Visibility at the arched bridges that span the Charles can be limited as late in the day an eight-person scull nearly crashed into the launch I was in as we both entered, from different directions, a bridge archway.
The weather forecast for Boston yesterday was spot on. It was cloudy and windy in the morning. The air temperature was in the mid 50's F, but there was a stiff 15 mph wind whipping across the water from the west. It felt much much colder than it was. A passing light rain shower happened just before 9 am and I was fretting being out in the rain all day.
As the morning passed, the sun made a welcome appearance and it was quite sunny until sunset. The wind didn't let up all day although it was much stronger in the morning than the afternoon.
The weather almanac shows it reached 61 F in the afternoon, but I was wearing long underwear and four layers of clothes on my body core and was just barely warm enough. You can't bring too many clothes to this event.
Each safety launch is assigned a section of the regatta course to patrol. There were only five safety launches out on practice day, but on Saturday and Sunday there are usually no less than ten or more of the funny open pontoon boats scattered on the Charles River.
Our captain, Kevin, was an experienced pilot and this was his third year working the event. We kept to the Cambridge (north) side of the river and hugged the shore because some lane buoys were often just 100 feet, or less, from the shoreline.
We spent the day motoring at no-wake speed going up and down the river always scanning the rowers looking for someone who was in trouble. Fortunately no one ended up in the water all day. That's what we, as volunteers, want. No medical emergencies were reported all day. That's also a good thing.
The radio operators in charge of the event set up three different frequencies to handle the radio traffic. Two of them utilized local repeaters and the third frequency was a local simplex radio-to-radio frequency.
Signal propagation can change from day to day and hour to hour. We discovered that the Bravo – or secondary repeater – produced a much better clarity so all of us switched to it by Noon.
I was equipped with two Yaesu VX-7R hand-held radios. Both had the three frequencies pre-programmed into the memory. That makes it easier to switch from one of the three frequencies we were using.
It's hard to describe what it's like being on the water and watching the sculls go faster than the launch.
The crews vacate the river after the sun sets. Each safety launch is released from duty once their section of the river is clear of the sculls.
We pulled into the dock at the MIT boathouse as twilight was deepening. I turned in my life preserver and Kevin and I walked the half mile back the parking lot where we could saddle up and head home.
He had a two-hour drive back to CT and I was headed north up I-93 to central New Hampshire.
I thoroughly enjoyed my day at the event and will be back next year. If you're an amateur radio operator, I encourage you to volunteer. You'll be a better person in many respects if you do, and you'll get a handsome jacket or down vest and hat for your efforts.
If you've never worked the Head of the Charles (HOC) Regatta as a ham radio operator, the following should help you.
IMPORTANT BEGINNER TIP: If you're a new ham operator and have never worked a public service event the scope of the Head of the Charles, by all means request to be paired up for the day with a seasoned operator. There's NO SHAME in doing this. It will relieve your anxiety and it may save someone's life if you were to panic in an emergency situation while alone. I've seen it happen.
The walking teams include a ham operator and first aid volunteers to offer assistance should a scull capsize near a shoreline. They can provide initial care and call for more help if a paramedic is needed.
Here's a sample map I made to show a few of the radio communications positions. The giant parking lot you'll see in gray is filled with countless sculls and their trailers.
Click the tiny arrow box in the upper left corner of the below map to see the slide-out legend that explains what each of the colored icons represents. Click a few of the icons to see actual photos of what it looks like when standing at that position.
CLICK HERE to see the actual map with it's legend explaining what each of the colored icons above represents.
Parking in Boston and Cambridge can be a challenge. The universities seem to provide parking passes for a few parking lots near key meeting locations.
I was able to park in an approved lot about 1/3 of a mile from the MIT boathouse. It was a short walk and quite safe.
Parking for any assignment near the Finish Line is available at some businesses along Western Ave just a short walk from the giant finish-line area where the crews store their sculls.
You have to pay for these spots. I paid $30 to park in 2017. It was well worth it knowing that I would not get towed from a public street-parking location. If you decide to park on any street, pay very close attention to the signage and times parking is permitted.
My guess is it might cost you $250 or more to get your car back if it gets towed.
I parked at the Skating Club of Boston on Western Avenue when I worked at the Finish Line in 2017. There's a convenient foot bride at the western edge of the parking lot that allows you to cross over Soldiers Field Road safely.
Here's a handy Google Maps satellite image of part of the Finish Line area. The magenta arrow points to where I parked my car at the Skating Club of Boston. You enter the lot off Western Avenue. The red arrow points to the foot bridge that crosses Soldiers Field Road and dumps you into the giant gray parking lot. The yellow arrow points to the trailer and Red Cross area that makes up the Finish Line. On race weekend that giant parking lot and all the grass area in the park next to the river is filled with hundreds of sculls. Copyright 2017, Google, Inc.
The ramp dumps you out in the southwest corner of the massive parking lot where all the sculls are stored on trailers.
Walk across to the northeast corner of the parking lot to get to the Finish Line.
If you work on the Saturday and Sunday you should never have an issue getting into Boston at 5:30 AM to make your 6 AM meeting time.
If you work the Friday practice day as I did, plan for SEVERE traffic congestion within a 10-mile radius of the regatta course. It took me an hour to go the last ten miles of my journey.
Take extra time before the event to acquaint yourself with the exact location of the parking lots and how to navigate the dreadful one-way roads in Cambridge and Boston.
Add in enough time to walk from the parking lots to your assigned meeting place.
Don't trust Google Maps to provide you with the correct location for any names and/or addresses of the places the ham organizers tell you to be at for morning meetings. Google Maps sent me to the wrong MIT boathouse down river from the correct one.
Request from the communication team leaders satellite maps from Google Maps like the one below that has an annotation oval or arrow showing you the exact meeting places / parking lots / etc.
I'm told past regattas have ranged from hot to snow, sleet and driving rain. Only a tiny handful of radio operators would be under any sort of cover for the day.
If you're out on the regatta course, you'll have NO COVER. The safety launch boats are wide open like a row boat.
If it's raining, plan that you'll be out in the rain all day.
If you get wet and cold, you'll be useless to the crews in the sculls.
Wind is an issue. It cuts like a knife coming across the water.
Whatever clothes you bring must fit in a backpack you can carry all day. Store extra clothes in waterproof bags inside the back pack. There's plenty of room on the safety launches for large backpacks or even a duffle bag if that's what you want to carry.
Lunch is provided by the HOC event organizers. It was delivered to those of us who were out on the water. I suspect the same held true for all the other land assignments.
However, you may get it at 11 am or at 2:30 pm. Bring your own food for the day just in case.
Bagels and doughnuts were provided at some of the early-morning meetings. I took two extra bagels and put them in my backpack. I was glad to have them as I had eaten breakfast at 5 AM. They made for a great mid-morning snack.
There may not be a morning meeting at all if you're assignment is onshore. You may find expensive vendor food and $4-per-cup coffee at any number of vendor tents.
Hand-held radios work fine for this event.
I brought two of my expensive Yaesu VX-7R radios on the safety launch. That was a risky gamble in case there was a catastrophic accident aboard my launch.
It might have been smarter to bring two Baofeng $30 radios that could sleep with the fish at the bottom of the Charles River in the event I and the radios tumbled into the water.
Losing a favorite high-performance HT overboard would not be a pleasant experience.
I should have brought one of my Baofengs to see how well it performed. My guess is it would have had no trouble hitting the two repeaters.
Test your radios as you walk from the parking lot to the morning meetings to ensure you have programmed in the correct frequencies and settings.
BRING YOUR RADIO MANUALS or download a digital copies into your smart phone.
If you're on a safety launch, attach a flotation pillow or put some bubble wrap inside your backpack. You want it to float in case your backpack ends up in the Charles River. Be sure there's a name tag on your back pack.
Store your secondary radio in a sealed zip-lock freezer bag so it's waterproof. Put some air in the bag to help your backpack float.
Speaker microphones come in handy.
Check your radio to ensure it's not sending out the 1750 Hz burst tone.
You need to know the names of the bridges if you're on a safety launch. You need to know where you are if you're on a walking team.
You need to communicate which side of the river you are on. If unsure, say "upstream" or "downstream" side of the bridge you're at.
You need to know distances. How many feet or yards are you away from a bridge? Always be aware if you are up or down river from a certain bridge.
You need to know what side of the Charles River you're on, or the nearest shoreline. It will either be the Boston or Cambridge side. Boston is on the south side of the river. Cambridge is on the north side of the river.
If you provide the wrong location for where the emergency is, precious moments could be lost that could make the difference between life and death for a crew member.
Bring a great attitude with you and soak up the excitement, youth and vitality of the crews and the many sculls on the water at once.
Remember always that the crews and event organizers are quite aware of your presence even if they don't say a word to you. They appreciate your efforts to keep them SAFE.
They realize you're there to HELP them in the event something goes wrong. Don't expect anyone to thank you, but if it happens it's icing on the cake.
Respect the operators at net control and keep the frequencies open at all times as you never know when a full-blown emergency can happen.
If you have questions or if you're a seasoned operator who's worked this event, please ask questions in the comments below or provide MISSING INFORMATION or TIPS there.
Thanks and enjoy yourself when you work this event in the future.


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Advice & Support / Library / Articles & Case Studies / Being sued – a painful journey
Articles and Case Studies
Being sued – a painful journey
As medical practitioners, we really want to do our best for our patients. And despite the massive weight of expectations we work with and under, we do care. I could not conceive of willingly doing any harm to anyone.
You have been served
Imagine a day like any other day in a medical practice. You get called to reception and a man walks up to you. He thrusts an envelope into your hands, tells you that you have been served, and walks away. Just like that. The nightmare has begun and it doesn't go away.
In the envelope you find formal solicitor's papers informing you of an intention to sue – that a patient has found your treatment unacceptable and harmful; that you have caused them wilful and unnecessary harm; that you have been negligent and not shown reasonable skill and duty of care. And they are claiming a huge amount of money as compensation.
Your day has irrevocably changed. Somehow, getting to the end of the day, I checked the relevant patient records. Fortunately, my notes had sufficient information to confirm that what they had claimed did not happen. So settling down, I wrote and sent a letter to MDA National.
Grappling with reality
As the gravity of the situation sank in, all my responses rose to the surface. How could this person possibly think I was so incompetent? After all my years in practice, and the countless times I've done this… and so on. And the fear starts. Fear of being destroyed. Fear of being humiliated. Fear of the unknown.
After more correspondence and meetings with MDA and their external specialist team, the upshot was that this case would be defended. Information gathering began. What was alleged? What actually happened in the consulting room? What evidence supported their claim or my counterclaim?
They later told me that my clear input and instructions from the start, acknowledging what was right and what was not, were instrumental in helping them build my defence.
I liked the team and the work they did. They fully explored the topic, found strong experts, and sent the plaintiff to some of them for their opinion. Some wider areas (seemingly irrelevant to me) were investigated, and I was told that success depended on covering all bases and all aspects of the area of medicine in question. This truly served us well later.
Despite reassurances that the case was unlikely to proceed further, we kept getting closer and closer to an appointed court hearing date. As time dragged on, the endless waiting chipped away at my endurance. I felt completely stuck.
After two years, things gained momentum. I was impressed with the amount of trouble the legal team went to. Researching and finding appropriate expert witnesses, presenting the case to them and assessing their reports. I tried to carry on as if nothing had happened.
I tried to stay detached, but it wasn't easy.
My time in court
My barrister, who was pleasant and competent, introduced me to the world of legal manoeuvring. Finally, the court proceedings began. Most of day one was spent in the logistics of the case. Seated at the back of the room, I understood nothing. I listened through a kind of fog, even though the legal team did explain things to me.
The plaintiff gave their story, and then witnesses on their behalf. Questions and cross-examination. I started getting incensed again. What were they saying? Look at all the discrepancies! My barrister seemed calm. Some lines of enquiry he pursued; others he didn't. Apparently, it was to do with not ruffling feathers at this stage.
That evening, I was briefed again and told not to get upset or angry; to just answer the questions put to me. I wanted to know what I should do if I was asked a stupid question. The advice was to state that it was a hypothetical question and explain why – this saved my skin at least once.
The days went by in a blur. It was my turn on the stand, with my barrister in the morning; the cross-examination after lunch. The opposing barrister's questions twisted and turned, trying to find a weakness to explore. I followed instructions, kept calm, and answered questions without adding anything.
A legal dance in action
The case went on for three more days. Expert witnesses were present either in person or electronically. First the general practitioners, then the other specialists. These were extremely stressful days.
When it became apparent to the plaintiff's lawyers that the initial claim did not have legs, they looked for other ways to pursue me, changing tactics to deal with the vagaries of each turn! Several amendments to the claim were made; most accepted, others not.
Hence, my team's wisdom of getting a wide view of the subject from the outset. The initial claim causing physical harm morphed into a charge of assault – I had not written "consent obtained" in the notes. It was dealt with by referring to my "normal practice" and many years of experience. Other parts of the notes indicated a clear timeline, and that was crucial.
So, my time in court. Very unpleasant. But I did learn something of my own resilience – of staying connected to the passion I feel for the profession, and staying connected to the healer I am.
Whilst giving evidence, I looked directly at the plaintiff on several occasions. At that stage, I felt no anger or resentment; only a deep sadness at the life circumstances that had prompted them to go down this path.
The judgment came through in less than a month. The judge found in my favour, with costs. I was told only around five per cent of cases ever get to court, with most settled beforehand – because you never know which way a judge will go. It is the great unknown.
So, if you find yourself in a similar situation, take heart. Things can work out.
You will feel fear, panic, indignation, frustration and rage – but speak to people, and get support or counselling. Trust your team implicitly and get out of their way so they can do their job.
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