Pursuant to state law, the University is required to adopt in cooperation with the Office of State Ethics, an ethics statement as it relates to the mission of the University. The Code of Ethics for Public Officials (Connecticut General Statutes Section 1-79 et seq.) sets forth principles of ethical conduct that all state employees, including employees of the University, must observe. All employees of the University are expected to become familiar with the Code and are expected to comply with all of its provisions. This statement is intended to be a general guide to assist you in determining what conduct is prohibited so that it may be avoided. It is not intended to supersede the Code of Ethics for Public Officials. Please note that under state statute, compliance with the Code is the responsibility of the employee, not the University.
The Office of State Ethics has jurisdiction to interpret and enforce the Code. Violations may result in a formal complaint proceeding filed against the employee and sanctions of up to $10,000 per violation. The entire Code and regulations, as well as a summary of these rules, may be found at the web site for the Office of State Ethics, www.ethics.state.ct.us. For formal and informal interpretations of the Code of Ethics, employees should contact the Office of State Ethics. In addition, the University must designate an Ethics Liaison Officer as an information resource regarding compliance. An employee who has a question or is unsure about the provisions of this policy, or who would like assistance in contacting the Office of State Ethics, should contact the University's Ethics Liaison Officer.
Please note: Violations of the Code of Ethics may subject an employee to sanctions from agencies or systems external to the University. Whether this occurs or not, the University retains the right to independently review and respond administratively to violations. The conduct of the review and response will be in accordance with contractual and regulatory guidelines.
GIFTS: In general, employees are prohibited from accepting gifts, discounts or gratuities of any kind from donors: (1) doing business with or seeking to do business with the University; (2) directly regulated by the University; (3) known to be a registered lobbyist or a lobbyist's representative, or; (4) pre-qualified under Conn. Gen. Stat. §4a-100. A list of registered lobbyists can be found on the web site of the Office of State Ethics. Certain items are excluded from the definition of "gift," including: items offered to the public at large (for example, trinkets provided at an open house), items valued at under $10, food and beverage up to $50 in a calendar year from each donor and training for a product purchased by the University provided such training is offered to all customers of that vendor. "Gifts to the state" are also permitted long as the gifts facilitate University actions of functions. If an employee is offered a benefit from someone other than the prohibited donors listed above, and the benefit is offered because of the employee's position at the University, the total value of benefits received from one source in a year must not exceed $100. Additionally, supervisors may only accept gifts valued at no more than $100 from a subordinate; a subordinate may only accept gifts valued at no more than $100 from his/her supervisor. Questions regarding specific facts and circumstances surrounding various gift-giving scenarios should be directed to the University's Ethics Liaison or the Office of State Ethics.
OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT: No employee may accept outside employment that will impair his or her independence of judgment with regard to his/her state duties or would encourage the disclosure of confidential information gained in state service. Additionally, although an employee may use his/her expertise, he/she may not use his/her state position to obtain outside employment. An employee is not allowed to use his/her business address, telephone number, title or status in any way to promote, advertise or solicit personal business. Employees interested in pursuing outside employment may seek and receive written approval from their Department Head and, if uncertain about the application of the Code, the Office of State Ethics. For faculty and professional staff, the University of Connecticut Laws and By-Laws specifically address consulting, private professional practice, teaching, and other outside employment situations. Members of the AAUP bargaining unit must adhere to the University's Faculty Consulting Policy as well as the policy on assigning textbooks which they have authored. Union members are referred to contract articles, if such exist, relating to outside employment in their respective collective bargaining agreements. If you are thinking about an opportunity for outside employment, you may also consult with the University's ethics liaison for guidance.
FINANCIAL BENEFIT: Employees may not use their official position or confidential information gained in their service for personal financial benefit, or the financial benefit of a family member or a business with which they, or a family member, are associated. Employees are prohibited from using state time, personnel or materials, including telephones, computers, e-mail systems, fax machines, copy machines, state vehicles and any other supplies, for personal, non-state related purposes. It is understood, however, that incidental use of state property for personal use is permissible so long as you reimburse the state for any identifiable charges.
CONTRACTS WITH THE STATE: Employees, their immediate family members, and/or a business with which an employee or his/her family member is associated may not enter into a contract with the state valued at $100 or more, unless the contract has been awarded through an open and public process. The Office of State Ethics has ruled that immediate family members may not be hired as an independent contractor unless there has been an open and public process.
APPEARANCE FEES: No employee may personally accept any fee or honorarium given in return for a speech or appearance made or article written in the employee's official capacity. You may, however, direct that the fee or honorarium be deposited in a University account to be used for future University-related business activities. Necessary expenses to participate in a particular event may be acceptable under certain circumstances and, if received from a non-governmental entity, may also require the filing of a disclosure form with the Office of State Ethics. "Necessary expenses" are limited to: necessary travel expenses, lodging for the nights before, of and after the appearance, speech, or event; meals and any related conference or seminar registration fees.
The paramount issue to be considered is whether the activity in question is performed in an employee's "official capacity." As a general rule, if a university employee is asked to participate in an event, speak, appear, or write an article and the employee's official position or authority was a significant factor in the decision to extend the invitation, then it will be deemed to be in his/her official capacity. If, however, a state employee has developed an expertise in a particular field and he/she is asked to participate in an event, speak, appear, or write an article as a result of his/her knowledge and expertise, then the employee is not prohibited from accepting a fee or honorarium. Note that these situations are very fact specific and employees are encouraged to contact the University's Ethics Liaison for guidance.
Employees are not prohibited from seeking political office as long as it is not done on State time or with State equipment. However, any State employee who is elected to state political office may not be employed by two branches of state government simultaneously. Therefore, any employee who accepts an elective state office must resign or take a leave of absence from his/her position with the University. Consult the University Laws and By-Laws and inform your supervisor prior to participating in a political campaign.
No employee of the University will engage in partisan political activities while on state time. Additionally, no employee will use state materials or equipment for the purpose of influencing a political election of any sort.
Many employees of the University have access to confidential information. Information may be deemed confidential pursuant to various state and federal statutes and/or University policy. Unauthorized release of confidential information is prohibited. If an employee is unsure whether certain information is deemed confidential, he/she should seek advice from his/her supervisor, prior to releasing such information.
The State Code of Ethics contains several provisions regarding post-state employment. Prior to leaving employment with the University, all employees should review the applicable rules and, if necessary, seek guidance from The Office of State Ethics.
Section 1-84a: You may never use confidential information for financial gain for yourself or any other person. This is a lifetime prohibition. "Confidential Information" is any information not generally available to the public. The information may be in any form (written, photographic, recorded, computerized, etc.) including orally transmitted information, e.g., conversations, negotiations, etc.
Section 1-84b(a): You may not represent anyone concerning any particular matter in which you personally and substantially participated while in state service in which the state has a substantial interest.
Section 1-84b(f): If you participated substantially in the negotiation or award of a state contract valued at $50,000 or more, you may not accept employment with a party to the contract for one year after leaving state service, if you resign within one year after the contract was signed.
No official or employee shall counsel, authorize or otherwise sanction action that violates any provision of the Code of Ethics.
The provisions of this document shall apply to all employees of the University of Connecticut. All current and future employees of the University shall be supplied with a copy of this document, and it shall be the responsibility of each employee to be familiar with these provisions and to comply with them. It is strongly suggested that employees avoid those situations which may give the appearance of being a conflict of interest. When in doubt or unsure about these provisions, an employee should contact either his or her supervisor, department head, or the University's Ethics Liaison. Ultimately, The Office of State Ethics is the authority that determines what conduct constitutes an ethics violation under the law. Therefore, you are strongly encouraged to discuss any situation which may pose a conflict of interest or other ethics problem with the Office's staff attorneys.
The University will notify vendors/contractors doing business with it of these provisions through its procurement officers. A summary of the State Code of Ethics as it applies to vendors will also be provided. Copies of this policy will be provided upon request.
This entry was posted in Employment, Faculty, Office of University Compliance, Staff and tagged Active.


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Gas & Oil News
Middle & South America
FSU/Russia
East & Southeast Asia
US: Domestic crude oil drives a cautious refining revival
Since its construction in 1980, the small hard-luck refinery on the outskirts of this little cattle town has been locked shut for more years than it has been open.
Situated a hundred miles inland and with domestic crude oil production declining year after year, the refinery could not compete with the large refineries on the Gulf Coast that imported vast supplies of high-quality oil from Nigeria, Angola and North Africa. Rust built up around the refinery's pipes and storage tanks over the decades, just as it did on dozens of other refineries that closed.
But suddenly a technological drilling revolution has unlocked a gusher of superior-grade sweet crude from the Eagle Ford shale field just east and south of Nixon. Two years after a small Houston company named Blue Dolphin Energy reopened the mothballed plant, trucks now line up to take fuels for shipment across the state.
Local residents complain a bit about the traffic. But otherwise Nixon, a town of 2,500 people outside San Antonio where the roads are lined with cactus and many storefronts downtown are still empty, is buoyant with newfound optimism.
The refinery has employed more than 50 local residents who were mostly out of work. The local barbecue joints and Mexican restaurants are full with workers and truck drivers, sales taxes have doubled and property values have quadrupled since the refinery reopened.
Along with the local oil boom, the reopening of the refinery has allowed the town to add a policeman to its five-man department, repave streets and add a well to its water system. Investors are even talking about building a hotel in town.
"We were a dead town before the oil industry came in," said George Blanch, Nixon's city manager. "Now we're on the edge of a boom."
The rebirth in Nixon could be a symbol for what is happening in the refinery business around the country.
Long plagued by boom and bust cycles, refiners are now enjoying a rare golden age fueled by cheap and plentiful domestic oil and natural gas. Major refiners like Tesoro, Valero, HollyFrontier and Marathon Petroleum are expanding existing refineries in Utah, Texas, Kansas and Illinois to process the light grades of oil that come out of the new shale fields like Eagle Ford. Smaller companies are investing in "teapot" refineries like Nixon's to take advantage of the new market conditions.
"The flash of expansion over the next two years of refining capacity is the biggest that I've seen in 30 years," said Greg A. Haas, director of research at Hart Energy, a research and consulting company.
The expansions come at a time when plentiful American energy supplies give the refiners a competitive advantage with foreign refiners as they expand their markets in Latin America and Africa for diesel fuel and other products.
But they also represent an effort by the refiners to nimbly navigate an uncertain market. Domestic consumption of gasoline has lagged in recent years because of the weak economy and increasingly efficient automobiles.
Refiners are taking a cautious approach to expansion, analysts say, because the refiners worry that a reversal in the current government policy of banning most exports of domestic oil would raise the benchmark prices for American oil and strip them of their competitive edge with foreign refiners. Otherwise the investments would be even greater, analysts say.
Nevertheless an estimated 864,000 barrels a day of new fuel processing capacity is being planned, according to company statements. And many analysts think the announcements do not approach the real number. "There are a lot of refiners who like to keep things close to the vest for competition reasons," said Leo Mariani, a senior oil analyst at RBC Capital Markets.
A few entirely new refineries are being built or planned in North Dakota, Texas and Utah. They are small but remarkable nonetheless, since a major new refinery has not been built in the United States in over three decades. All told, the planned refineries, expansions and new distillation towers that will be built over the next few years represent roughly $5 billion in investments.
Kinder Morgan, Martin Midstream and several other companies are planning to build simple stand-alone distillation towers to partly refine another growing product — condensates, the hydrocarbon liquids used for petrochemical production that bubble out of the ground with sweet crude. As many as a dozen of these projects are being planned for Ohio, Texas and Kentucky.
All the projects represent a sharp pivot for the refiners. Long geared to process heavy crudes imported from Venezuela, Mexico and Canada, the refiners in the nation's midsection are suddenly faced with excesses of light domestic crudes and natural gas liquids from the shale fields. Few analysts saw the domestic oil flood coming a mere decade ago; now, refiners need to refit their plants for light sweet crudes.
"All these refiners have a bad taste in their mouth from spending all this capital building out to process all of this heavy crude and suddenly we have this light crude boom," said Anthony Starkey, an analyst at Bentek Energy, a consulting firm.
A reversal of the export ban could force yet another shift, analysts warn.
Most analysts think it is unlikely that the Obama administration or Congress will do more than tinker with the export ban over the next two years, but some predict it will eventually become a pressing political issue if domestic oil production continues to expand.
Refinery executives express concern that an end to the ban would narrow the price spread between domestic grades and international grades of crude, diminishing one big advantage they have over refiners abroad that have cheaper labor and less onerous environmental regulations.
Michael C. Jennings, chief executive of HollyFrontier, said that authorization of unlimited exports of domestic crude "would take away what has effectively reversed a trend of refinery closures in the United States that had been pretty steady from about 1975 to 2009," unless the government also modified other policies costly to refiners, including biofuel mandates and a variety of fuel and emissions standards.
Leading the way in the expansions is Valero, which is making $800 million of investments to expand and upgrade three Texas refineries to process increased volumes of light-grade crude from the Eagle Ford in South Texas and the Permian Basin in West Texas by early 2016. Much of the new processing capacity will enable Valero to replace partly refined foreign oil with Texas crude, saving shipping costs.
Included in the expansions is the building of docks at Valero's refinery in Corpus Christi, Tex., to ship Eagle Ford crude to other domestic refineries and to Canada, which is permitted under current regulations. Theoretically, Valero executives say, the docks could eventually be used to export sweet crude abroad, though the company opposes a reversal of current export policies.
"We can get a really good return on our investment from expanding these units to process the ample supplies of new domestic crude," said Bill Day, a Valero vice president. But he added that if the ban on exports were lifted, "We would have to take another look at the economics of these projects."
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. (Radio.com) Tori Kelly has released the schedule for her spring tour, in support of her debut album Unbreakable Smile, which is being reissued by Capitol Records on January 29th.
Tickets will be made available to Tori's FAHLO fan club prior to going on sale to the public. Tickets for American Express® Card Members can be purchase starting Tuesday, January 12, at 10 AM local time. Tickets for everyone else will go on sale beginning Friday, January 15. See the dates here.


Babies learn to talk by imitation. We do not need to teach them word by word, all we have to do is talk constantly to them. By naming the objects and people they see, they will begin to associate the word with the object or person. Then, when they develop the adequate skills for speech, they will begin to repeat those sounds to form their first words.
Babies' brains are like sponges –they are constantly absorbing, forming new ideas from stimuli in their environment. That's how they learn. According to a recent study from NYU, there are a few things you can do to create a strong learning environment at home.
The study followed a group of children from birth through 5th grade, tracking the influence of early home learning environments on later cognitive skills. Researchers found that the learning environment at home plays a powerful role in shaping kids' cognitive and linguistic abilities. They found that a strong learning environment has three main features: quality parent-child interactions, the availability of learning materials, and children's participation in learning activities. Let's break them down.
Is your child overactive? You might want to read this!
Children are often told to sit still. This happens everywhere and sometimes it's necessary, like at school, during mealtime, and at home; and when they don't, we often believe that they are misbehaving or that we, as parents, may be doing something wrong. When children become overstimulated, their high energy levels can often go through the roof. What can you do to help your little one calm down and focus?
Your child can simply be bored and may feel the need to stand up and move around. A small amount of physical movement can help a child focus more. Loren Shlaes, a pediatric occupational therapist in New York City, suggests allowing a child to hold a fidget toy such as a stress ball.
Exactly how big a deal is drawing?
With the sudden boom on computers, tablets, and phones as convenient playtime devices, it seems we've lost a little touch of one of the most basic activities that can further develop your little one's fine motor skills.
Between the age of 12 and 18 months, it's possible your baby will want to write and draw anywhere he finds, be sure to encourage him to give it a try, directing his attention to an appropriate canvas! There is endless research that suggests drawing, doodling and scribbling play a larger role in child development than we first thought.
What are some of the benefits of drawing?
Further develop your little one's motor skills such as holding and hand-eye coordination, both of which will ultimately help him dominate writing and drawing on a higher level.
Even though they're still young, children need outlets where they can express themselves, drawing is a perfect way to do so.
They can learn in a visual and easy way differences and similarities in shapes, colors, and sizes.
Understanding that when pen hits paper a mark is made, your little one gets to experience cause and effect first hand.
Drawing can serve as a great distraction and has been shown to improve mood.
Encouraging your child's creativity has benefits in their ability to solve problems later on.
When kids feel good while creating something totally new it helps boost their self-confidence and later on, will feel the freedom to experiment and create new ways of thinking or doing something.


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Personal reading habits, and book review: The Remains of the Day
Posted on April 26, 2014 by redheadedwolf	Leave a comment
A friend of mine recommended this to me, and from the brief synopsis he gave (a top-of-the-line English butler in the mid-20th century, reflecting on the changing times and what they mean for his profession), I immediately knew I would love this book — or at least that its subject material was right up my alley, though I hadn't read or even heard of the author, Kazuo Ishiguro, before. But I put it on my Amazon wish list, and another friend of mine sent it to me this past month for a belated Christmas present.
I let it sit on my coffee table for a few weeks — waiting for the right moment, I suppose, though I knew I had to be careful about that. For the past few years, my primary reading has been through audiobooks in the car, since I figured out that my commute time was not being efficiently spent. I've been a compulsive reader since I was about 8, but my reading time has dwindled since I left college. When you work 40 hours per week, have the usual extracurriculars (though at least not a family to attend to), and most important of all, are pursuing a major writing project, it's very difficult to find time to just sit and read, even though I believe that is absolutely crucial to developing as a writer, and there's no point at which you stop benefiting from regular reading.
Back to The Remains of the Day — I could see it wasn't a long book, which was encouraging. So I picked it up Friday evening, at the start of Easter weekend, and I finished it mid-afternoon on Sunday. It was enormously satisfying to finish an entire book in such a short time.
And this book was everything I expected, and more. I did not expect it to have quite that degree of sadness, especially right from the start — in the first few pages, when Stevens is describing his total inability to banter with his American employer. It's funny, of course, but also carries an underlying sadness that rises to the surface through the rest of the novel.
I was so impressed by the construction of the book — the pacing, the framing of it in the context of a six-day road trip (I have gotten absurdly sentimental about road trips, after shows like Supernatural), while he reflects on memories spanning thirty years. The road trip is all the more significant because it's his first time out of his neighborhood, which strikes the modern audience (or me, anyway) as awfully sad — much like one of the first lines in Flight Behavior, which made a deep impression on me: "The sheep in the field below, the Turnbow family land, the white frame house she had not slept outside in ten-plus years of marriage: that was pretty much it. The wide-screen version of her life since age seventeen. Not including the brief hospital excursions, childbirth-related."
What Ishiguro does so wonderfully is that he delivers us a character who takes enormous pride in what he does and his profession as a whole, who would never say he is sad, but the tragic isolation of his life bleeds through so clearly to the readers, that it comes as no surprise when he's sobbing on that bench by the pier in the last pages.
I love how the layers of Stevens' story unfolds. The honesty and intimacy of his narration are remarkable, given how the central theme of the book is how he never appears "off duty" except when he is absolutely alone, and his insistence on that code over his life led to such a tragic outcome for himself and Miss Kenton. So I interpreted his narrative frankness as achieved by how he clearly believes he's confiding in another butler, someone in the same position as himself, to whom he can let down all the walls.
So we learn first about the nostalgia and pride he takes in his years serving Lord Darlington for so many years — and yet he flatly denies to any outsiders that he was ever employed by Lord Darlington. His explanation to Mr. Farraday isn't convincing, and by the end, we learn his reasons for feeling ashamed of that connection, even though he wouldn't say it outright, not even in the narration. He admits that Lord Darlington made mistakes, and that he himself made mistakes in following such a strict code — which, incidentally, is a huge sign of personal growth and development, because so many people who spend their entire lives in a rigid, closed environment can never consider the possibility that something in it was fundamentally wrong.
But Stevens, despite his devotion and love for his work, is still able to reflect on his entire career, the code by which he served (which was to trust implicitly that his employer is a great man who knows better about all issues, so Stevens didn't raise any objections even when Lord Darlington directed him to fire any Jewish employees they had), but it culminates in this crisis, on the last page:
"Lord Darlington wasn't a bad man. He wasn't a bad man at all. And at least he had the privilege of being able to say at the end of his life that he made his own mistakes. His lordship was a courageous man. He chose a certain path in life, it proved to be a misguided one, but there, he chose it, he can say that at least. As for myself, I cannot even claim that. You see, I trusted. I trusted in his lordship's wisdom. All those years I served him, I trusted I was doing something worthwhile. I can't even say I made my own mistakes. Really — one has to ask oneself — what dignity is there in that?"
And, of course, that quest to capture the meaning of dignity to the English butler was what Stevens had been pursuing the entire book.
The series of anecdotes about Miss Kenton, leading up to Stevens' reunion with her, was also powerfully effective. Every story Stevens tells is colored by his restraint, yet you begin to get a good picture of other characters, and especially how Miss Kenton must have seen him and struggled to deal with him. Frankly, I can't see what ever attracted her to him — his whole soul was devoted to being the perfect butler (which is what made the scene where she caught him reading a "sentimental romance," and forcefully drew the book out of his hand, so charged), and I couldn't even picture what their married life would be like. How could he be a full-blooded husband with her, let alone a father?
One possible answer to that question lies in another awfully sad section of the book: the sequence of stories about Stevens' father, and his interactions with him, leading up to his death. First, one of the most memorable lines of the book happens when Stevens goes to see his father in his small, spartan room at the top of the house, that even strikes Stevens as resembling a prison cell:
My father reached forward to the only chair in the room, a small wooden one, and placing both hands on its back, brought himself to his feet. When I saw him stood upright before me, I could not be sure to what extent he was hunched over due to infirmity and what extent due to the habit of accommodating the steeply sloped ceilings of the room.
How awful it is that they can't even talk to each other without dropping their role as butlers and coworkers (though I know that it's an old English tradition, but nevertheless one that still seems incredibly chilly and distant, to address your parent in the third person: "I hope Father is feeling better today"), though I did detect some crustiness in Stevens Sr. that I imagine many fathers have ("Relate [your point] briefly and concisely. I haven't all morning to listen to you chatter").
But that changes when Stevens Sr. is on his deathbed and clearly knows it. In their final conversation — the night of an extremely important and secret international conference held at the estate — Stevens is summoned by Miss Kenton (who, up until that moment, had been refusing to speak directly to him after reaching her breaking point of being micromanaged) to his father's room, where after inquiring about whether everything was "in hand downstairs," they have this exchange:
"I'm glad Father is feeling so much better," I said again eventually. "Now really, I'd best be getting back. As I say, the situation is rather volatile."
He went on looking at his hands for a moment. Then he said slowly: "I hope I've been a good father to you."
I laughed a little and said: "I'm so glad you're feeling better now."
"I'm proud of you. A good son. I hope I've been a good father to you. I suppose I haven't."
"I'm afraid we're extremely busy now, but we can talk again in the morning."
My father was still looking at his hands as though he were faintly irritated by them.
"I'm so glad you're feeling better now," I said again and took my leave.
And that is the last conversation they have.
Man, what a way to break your heart. This is clearly the first time in decades that Stevens Sr. has spoken to his son so frankly, acknowledging that they are father and son, and — of course — Stevens cannot process it. It does not compute to him. And yes, I am writing about him like he's a robot, even though his narration through the entire book proves the exact opposite: he is a real man with a heart and desires, but he's been trained to value emotional restraint, in the name of "professionalism," above all else.
So that exchange is heartbreaking, but it's clear there was no other way for it to go. Stevens isn't being cruel; it's easy to hear the nervous, awkward tone of the laughter. He has no idea what his father means or how to respond to him. And even if he could give some reply, what would it be? "Oh yes, you've been an excellent father, I dare say Lord Darlington values me as an indispensable butler"? That would be even worse than laughing nervously and backing out of the room.
The other significant occasion when Stevens is asked point-blank about his feelings and desires as a person, is also a tragic moment. In one of their private nightly conferences (to allow the butler and housekeeper to catch up), Miss Kenton pointedly wonders aloud what else he might wish for in life. Stevens considers this, finally answering: "As far as I am concerned, Miss Kenton, my vocation will not be fulfilled until I have done all I can to see his lordship through the great tasks he has set himself." Miss Kenton, as you can imagine, was disheartened.
But despite all the signs of stunted (or nonexistent) emotional development and zero capacity for a personal life, Stevens tells us directly that he has a heart — when it breaks. At the much-anticipated reunion with Miss Kenton takes place, Stevens' hope that she will return to Darlington Hall to become housekeeper again (the extent of his fantasy is professional, as ever) is dashed. Miss Kenton (who is actually Mrs. Benn, but in his reminiscing he always refers to her by the name by which he knew her) has returned to her husband, whom she has left on a few occasions before.
As they wait at the bus stop for her to leave, Stevens dares to ask, out of concern, if her husband mistreats her. She says no — and as was ever her matter-of-fact, assertive style, she tells him that she didn't love her husband when she first married him, though she's grown to love him now.
"But that doesn't mean to say, of course, there aren't occasions when you think to yourself: 'What a terrible mistake I've made with my life.' And you get to thinking about a different life, a better life you might have had. For instance, I get to thinking about a life I may have had with you, Mr. Stevens. And I suppose that's when I get angry over some trivial little thing and leave. But each time I do so, I realize before long — my rightful place is with my husband. After all, there's no turning back the clock now. One can't be forever dwelling on what might have been. One should realize one has as good as most, perhaps better, and be grateful."
I do not think I responded immediately, for it took me a moment or two to fully digest these words of Miss Kenton. Moreover, as you might appreciate, their implications were such as to provoke a certain degree of sorrow within me. Indeed — why should I not admit it? — at that moment, my heart was breaking.
But despite this, he says nothing to acknowledge what she had just suggested. Instead — and perhaps this was the kindest response, after all — he tells her she is quite right in that one can't turn back the clock, and one is best off being grateful for what one has, and enjoying retirement. He asks her to do all she can to be happy. (Though the line about how she mustn't let "foolish ideas" disrupt her happiness, must have been a blow.)
All in all, the book is an awfully sad one. But the final paragraphs offer a little comfort, a bit of hope, as Stevens is listening to a group of strangers laughing and engaging in that ever-elusive banter:
Perhaps it is indeed time I began to look at this whole matter of bantering more enthusiastically. After all, when one thinks about it , it is not such a foolish thing to indulge in — particularly if it is the case that in bantering lies the key to human warmth.
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Schofield hit with five-week riding ban
Posted by: AAP+ at 7:08pm on 20/1/2016
Posted in: Horse Racing News
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Leading jockey Glyn Schofield has been banned from riding for five weeks after his mount was beaten in a photo finish at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
Schofield was hit with hefty suspension after Springbok Flyer was beaten by a short head by Evason in the McGrath Handicap.
Springbok Flyer started second favourite and made the running until the final strides before Evason flew down the outside.
It was in those final moments of the race that sparked a stewards' inquiry that led to Schofield being charged with failing to ride his mount out to the winning post.
"Your riding style shows no intent to continue riding your horse out to the finish," steward Marc Van Gestel said.
"We're not saying it cost you a win but we were satisfied it prejudiced your chances of winning."
"The rule is there for the protection of the punter and for the perception of the industry."
Schofield pleaded not guilty, claiming he used his right arm to push Springbok Flyer out to the line.
"I was still pushing with my pushing (right) arm and you can see it fully extended," Schofield said.
"I feel without doubt that I have fulfilled my obligation to win the race."
Schofield had been been found guilty of two similar offences during the past 15 months but escaped with a fine both times.
His ban will start after he rides at Randwick on Saturday and he will be out of the saddle until February 28.
Schofield said he would most likely appeal the ban which will rule him out of riding Boban in the Group One star's return to racing in the CF Orr Stakes at Caulfield next month.
Tags: McGrath Handicap
Free Horse Racing Bonus Betting Offers – Friday's Races 22/1/2021


This is because when procA was called, it created temp_table, and then called sharedProc. When sharedProc was called, the SELECT statement inside of it was parsed and validated, and then a parsed representation of the statement was cached in case the SELECT statement is executed again. The cached version reflects the column ordering from the table definition in procA.


Yang Shufeng, male, freelance artist, Chinese drum king, head of Chinese art village, initiator of art return home. In 1982, he graduated from the Department of Fine Arts of Northwest Normal University, majoring in oil painting. Contemporary painters created more than 500 paintings, more than 1000 pottery works and more than 50 wood carvings. In 1988, he held Lanzhou New Art Individual Exhibition in Jincheng Bonsai Garden, Lanzhou.
In the 1990s, he lived in the United States and continued to study, explore and create modern works of art, set up a company, set up galleries and promote Chinese art. After returning to China in 2008, he devoted himself to the popularization of the universal culture of popular art. In 2015, he launched the "Art Return to China Travel", which is known as the "Chief of Chinese Art Village". In 2018, his first film, Luxury Life, written, directed and directed by himself, was nominated for the New Unit of the Cannes Film Festival, China Film Honorary Award.
1989 – 2009, he created a large number of new works and wrote a large number of articles of great explore and study value on art creation, reflection of 85 thought and the current social and artistic issues, which will be rolled out to the society later.
As for Contemporary Chinese Art, the 85 Modernization Art Movement was a fiery and unforgettable memory. Although the 1989 "Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition" made it end in hurry and in quarrels, it still bore deep imprint tothe entire art world and produced a far-reaching impact to the Chinese contemporary art.
After a lapse of 20 years, we have been able to give a more sober and objective assessment to this movement: the beginning of 85 Modernization Art Movement is a beginning of art backwash, for art had been alienated to be a political discourse tool during "Cultural Revolution", and 85 Modernization Art Movement was a trend of returning to the art ontology. But under the influence of the cultural environment of the whole society in the mid-to-late 1980s, it quickly deviated from the original track and involved in the movement of national spirit liberation and cultural reform, becoming thevanguard of the movement. The issues it thought, concerned and criticized had gone far beyond the so-called art range, covering all social and cultural issues.
The life impression art of Yang Shufeng, one of the 85 alternative artists, was formed at the same time and space, however, he was a lucky fish escaped net in the so-called mainstream art circles. The big environment of social development, as well as his personal life experience, pushed him to the road of exploring the elite art of that time, while, his unique personality traits, as well as his living conditions in the northwest frontier, brought him to deviate from the understanding of "explore" and from the mainstream ideas of the so-called modern elite art circles of that time. He did not look for art destination in the Western philosophical ideas and cultural values, just like what his colleagues done at that time, but found the true art destination from his inner self and own life for the issue of art ontology. He used to go to enjoy the game of life with heartily art freehand for three decades, without intermittent. This kind of inward exploration made him more and more isolated in society, but become increasingly rich in spirit.
His creation during this period all began with the establishment of the meaning of life, the value of art, the pure art language and the artistic spirit, creating a large number of works with different materials and different means. His works are just like his life diary, and himself, after the run-in of life and many artistic languages, including realism, performance, abstraction, concepts, behavior and public, in just five or six years, left 500 pieces of life freehand works. Without internal vitality, how could he complete so many works in exploring state! Only one explanation, that is he is already forgot create itself, but to painting with life.
Of course,in the ranks of 85 modernization art of China, the absence of Yang Shufeng had instead enabled him to get a piece of wild land to create an special system. His works are the games of life and the bold freehand, seems irregular, but reveals the true order.
The value of works of Yang Shufeng lies in their consistent exploration of art ontology without deviation and also lies in their successful conquest of the viewer in levels of human nature, spirit and life. His art reflects life, runs throughout life and can exchange with people across time, space and culture. At this time, Holding the Art Exhibition for the 333 pieces 85 life-freehand art works (1979-1989)of Yang Shufeng, can make viewer not only share his artistic achievements and life experience, but also correct the spirit and conscious deviation of people to 85 modernization art movement, enabling people find spiritual artistic value from the 85 elite culture and pushing the rational thinking of art and culture to the whole society, as well as calling for the respect of the society to pure humanized arts spirit. The exhibition works are part of the works that the author created at 1980s (1979-1989), including painting, literature, pictures, etc. The audience will feel the Evolution and establishment of the art style of the artist in a more three-dimensional and more realistic way. The author used a variety of materials, including oil paintings, inkwash painting, cardboard painting, carving, pottery (picture) and so on.
For a very long period of time in the past, some so-called artists established untrue artistic language for a dialogue with the West, and led to the failure of artistic vitality at the same time that they sought for approval, although they obtained a temporary success, they brought great harm to the art creation, causing serious arts and culture lag. Going into the twenty-first century, China has begun to win focus attention of the world, and Chinese contemporary art has also been concerned by the world, bring a opportunity for the development of pure art works of strong vitality, which requires joint work of all artists who love art and respect art.
Fortunately, Yang Shufeng has become the pioneer in pursuit of artistic truth and conducting of art practice three decades ago. Let us share these life freehand arts created by the collision of vitality and society, as well as this visional and spiritual gluttonous feast, appreciating a life art trip of all mankind.


Shure is offering a rebate program of up to $1000 for the trade-in of Shure 700MHz frequency band (698MHz to 806MHz) wireless systems and other related components purchased before Feb. 1, 2007, and for any other manufacturers' qualifying 700MHz frequency band wireless systems and their related components.
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For more information, visit www.shure.com/rebate.
The company has announced a mail-in rebate on its evolution wireless G3 and 2000 series wireless systems and components.
The trade-in rebate program covers all brands through Sept. 30.
Users of wireless mics and other devices operating in the 700MHz band have until June 12 to retune or replace their equipment.


WASHINGTON POST: On paper, he's a devoted U.S. citizen. His official American birth certificate shows he was delivered by a midwife in Brownsville, at the southern tip of Texas. He spent his life wearing American uniforms: three years as a private in the Army, then as a cadet in the Border Patrol and now as a state prison guard.
As he would later learn, Juan is one of a growing number of people whose official birth records show they were born in the United States but who are now being denied passports — their citizenship suddenly thrown into question.
Click here to read the full story in The Washington Post.


Home Page > News > 1/22 JC Wings Pre-Order!!!
It's another busy day here at the shop. We've been tying up lots of loose ends. In the mean time the following JC Wings have just been announced and are now avaialble for pre-order!!! Photos/drawings will be up later!!
We've got the next batch of JC Wings arriving tomorrow with Gemini Jets to follow either tomorrow or Thursday so tons of great models arriving this week!!! eBay ends tonight, Wednesday and Thursday for tons of great discounted models!!!


Professional sculptor and multi-disciplined artist Paige Harris struggles with mental health issues, but instead of doubting herself, she decided to channel her energy towards creating art and pursuing online streaming.
For Calgarian Danielle Travers, dogs have always been a huge part of her life. But with three canine additions to her house and three litters of puppies, she became more than the average enthusiast.
When Travers' family first picked up a fluffy companion, a Keeshond, she quickly realized the breed would be a significant aspect of her life going forward.
Freddy Ansara is the chief design officer at FA Design, a growing outerwear company based in Calgary. He certainly means business, and a distinct air of intelligence shines through in his expressive and alert gaze. Though perhaps he has the look of the typical snowboarder, with curly hair and a relaxed energy, he is far from conventional.
Ansara, a former pro-rider, is gaining worldwide recognition for doing things a little differently and creating high-tech outerwear that he says will change the future of winter clothing.
Jack of all artistic trades, Bruce Horak, has made a career for himself in both the performing arts and music. His newest endeavor is painting, focusing on portraits and dabbling in landscapes.
He tours Canada and the United States for his art shows all while being one of Canada's only legally blind visual artists.


text:
81-717/714 is a metro car designed in the Soviet Union in the mid-1970s. The cars were made from 1976 to 2010 by Metrovagonmash and the I. E. Yegorov Vagonmash factories of Mytishchi and Saint Petersburg, respectively. Production is still ongoing for specific models and/or modernizations.

The name 81-717 and 81-714 come from the Soviet electric rail vehicle numbering system, where the 81-717 cars are the control cars and the 81-714 are the trailer cars. Unlike the previous metro sets made in the Soviet Union, they never received a lettered classification, thus, they have been known as the 81-series or the "Number Trains" (Номерной Поезд). The "number trains", as they are known colloquially among railfans and some commuters, feature restyled front ends, stronger electric traction motors, complex and wider usage of various electronic devices, and are more advanced than their predecessors, the E-series, with the biggest difference being lack of control desks at every end of each car (despite all cars being motorized, though).

They were first deployed in Moscow and Prague in 1978, and have since then seen widespread usage in the former USSR and in Warsaw, Prague, Budapest and Sofia in European Union.

History

Background
By the 1970s, most metro lines in the Soviet Union were using the E-series trainsets, which started mass production in 1963 (although the prototype was built in 1959). They were a further development of the G and D-series sets from the late 1940s and 1950s, but with upgraded electric equipment (contactor-based, built by the Dinamo Electric Machines Factory of Moscow). Although there was improvement in the construction of the carbodies (based on the Riga-built ER1 EMUs of the Soviet Railways), the traction motors were quite weak, and the contactor system had limits. This, in relation to the weight of the cars and the oversimplified electric system, which was built in order to emphasize on energy conservation, led to a poor acceleration performance, which reduced the headway on metro lines on various networks at the time. To counter this, engineers came up with 3 different solutions:
Increase the power of the traction motors
Apply pulse voltage regulation, with excitation of traction motors
Reduce the weight of the carbodies

The pulse voltage regulation system was already attempted. The Ečs subseries of the E-series, which was delivered to Prague from 1972 to 1976, was very different from the Ev subseries delivered to Budapest from 1969 to 1979: it featured thyristor pulse converters to regulate the excitation of traction motors during acceleration and deceleration, increasing their performance, whilst retaining the same carbody. Another upgrade was the Ež3/Em508T subseries, delivered to multiple Soviet cities from 1973 to 1979. Using experiences learnt from the Ei subseries (delivered from 1968 to 1973), it applied pulse voltage regulation on traction motors too, and eliminated the ripple-effects within the ALS-ARS safety systems, greatly improving the general performance of these sets and at the same time, keeping electric consumption to the strictly necessary. In regards to weight reduction, it was still decided to reduce some weight, so the carbodies would be built from aluminium. A more powerful traction engine was developed, too.

Thus, in 1973, at the Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant, a team of engineers under the leadership of the plant's chief designer A. G. Akimov, designed three different prototypes of the new trains, which later became known as the I-series (in the numbered classification, 81-715 was the control car, and 81-716 was the trailer car). The first prototype of the I-series was manufactured in 1974, and it was a drastic change from the other Moscow Metro sets that were using the network at the time: compared to the original E-series, which produced 72 kWh, the new sets produced 90 (later 100) kWh. The aluminium alloy carbodies reduced the tare mass of the cars by 2 tonnes, and featured thyristorized voltage regulation and excitation, which greatly increased the speed and acceleration of the trains. In addition to this, the new train implemented forced ventilation (removing the humps of the roof that were for ventilation of the passenger area), new lightning in the passenger area, and removal of cabs on the trailer cars, leaving only 1 cab at the each end of the train.

This greatly increased the passenger capacity and performance. But despite its advantages, it posed disadvantages to its manufacturers: it was too complex to be mass-produced, in such a short time. The factories that were to produce the cars could not set up aluminium manufacturing facilities in such a short time, and additionally, the voltage regulation system and thyristors required refinement. The type 1 prototype of the I-series was eventually made, but the production of the Ež3/Em508T subseries continued, also due to lower costs of manufacture.

The base model
By the early 1970s, the Metrovagonmash factory already designed a trailer car type, based on the never-built Ež2 subseries. The control cars were also based on the Ež2, but the front end was modified, along with the drivers controls. These two types of cars later became 81-714 and 81-717, respectively. With more lessons learnt from the electrical propulsion system of the I-series, in the first half of 1976, the Mytishchi factories made the first cars of the 81-series. These were 5846, 5854, 5855 (control cars) and 5837, 5867, 5868 (trailer cars).

The design of the new cars was similar, but at the same time, different from the newest E-series cars. The carbodies were roughly similar to them, having same dimensions. Certain equipment (doors, motor-compressors, batteries, other pneumatic equipment) were also carried over from the Ež3 subseries. However the most noticeable external change was in the front ends of the train: the driver car was moved in the middle of the train, no longer being placed on the right side of the train. Additionally, the emergency exit doors were removed, because of this. Traction motors from the I-series, the DK-117B, now producing 110 kWh, were installed. Compared to the older trains an Auxiliary Power Supply Unit (Блок Питания Собственных Нужд) was installed to power the batteries. Lightning in the passenger area was now made with fluorescent lamps. This led to an increase in the tare weight of the cars, so it was decided to use a springs-based suspension.

The 81-series cars never got a lettered classification, because these were an experimental alternative to the complex I-series cars. But the complexity of the I-series cars, which meant endless adjustments regarding aluminium production, pulse regulation, at the time when newly opened Soviet metro networks (such as in Tashkent, Kharkiv, etc.) were in dire need of new cars, led to the selection of the 81-series to become the new standard metro trainset of the Soviet Union. The production of prototypes of the I-series continued in the 1980s, but they were the last to receive a lettered classification, which meant that metro sets produced from the 81-717/714 onwards never received a lettered classification. With the appearance of newer sets (such as the Yauza, Rusich, Oka, Neva, Moskva), the 81-series then became known as the "Numbered Train" (Номерной Поезд; Nomernoy Poezd). It should also be noted that "nomernoy" also stands for vehicle registration plates, so this can be a widely interpreted name in the English language.

The demand for the cars was very high at the beginning, so high, that production at the I. E. Yegorov factory in Leningrad (now known as Vagonmash Saint Petersburg) began in January 1980, later on, the Tver (then known as Kalinin) Railcar Factory began production of these cars in mid-1980 of 81-717 cars, and in 1985 of 81-714 cars.

Operation
Since its start of production, the sets were delivered to all metro networks in the Soviet Union, and also to most of the Warsaw Pact countries.

Within the USSR
In the former USSR, all trains use the .

Moscow
Moscow was the first customer of the 81-717/714 train in the Soviet Union, where it initially tested the prototypes between 1976 and 1977. By late 1977 it had placed its order for the new train, and the first trains arrived in 1978 on the Koltsevaya line, replacing the G-series metro trains that had operating since the opening of the line in 1950. This was followed with the newly opened Kalininskaya line and the Zamoskvoretskaya line in 1979. Since then they have become representative of the network, being used on almost all lines (except the ones that kept using E-series trainsets and that were replaced with Rusich, Oka and Moskva trainsets).

Beginning with 1993, the Moscow Metro began purchasing 81-717.5M/714.5M sets, after in 1988 the production of the base model ended, leaving a five-year break in purchases of new cars (during this time, the ill-fated Yauza trains were in planning stage). Deliveries further continued between 1997 and 2010.

Over the years, the 81-717/714 sets received improvements, especially from the late 1990s onwards, replacing the traditional leather bench-type seats with vandal-proof plastic ones. Externally, the difference between the base model and newer sets is the presence of four headlights in the centre instead of two headlights above the drivers' cab.

Some of the 81-717/714 sets have special liveries, most notably the "Red Arrow" train, which is painted in a red/gold livery instead of the traditional blue/white scheme. More recently, refurbished sets feature the new Moscow Metro livery, with blue corrugated sides and grey window bands. Another special example is the 81-717.5A/714.5A set, used exclusively on the Sokolnicheskaya line. It was based on the A-series sets of the Moscow metro, following an old-school theme: the exterior is similar to the A-series sets in a cream/chocolate livery, whilst the interior is based on 1950s carriages.

Their current allocation is:
TMD-1 Severnoye (Sokolnicheskaya line)
TMD-2 Sokol (Zamoskvoretskaya line)
TMD-5 Kaluzhskoye (Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya line)
TMD-15 Pechatniki (Lyublinsko-Dimitrovskaya line)
TMD-17 Brateyevo (Zamoskvoretskaya line)
TMD-19 Likhobory (Lyublinsko-Dimitrovskaya line)

It is expected that at some point, the trains will be withdrawn due to the incoming "Moskva" trainsets, which have been introduced gradually since 2017 on multiple lines where the 81-717/714s are operating.

Saint Petersburg (formerly Leningrad)
In service on Line 2 (Moskovsko-Petrogradskaya Line), Line 4 (Pravoberezhnaya Line)
and Line 5 (Frunzensko-Primorskaya Line) since the 1980s.

Tashkent
The trains were delivered to Tashkent from 1980 to 1993 in order to replace the Ezh3/Em-508T cars on Chilonzor line and enter service on the Uzbekiston line. There are 168 carriages operational today on the metro.

Tbilisi
81-717/714 trains are serving both the Akhmeteli-Varketili Line (On this line there are some Ež3 and Em-508T modernized cars) and the Saburtalo Line in Tbilisi metro. All trains were refurbished and are now running as 81-717M/714M. 81-717M trains were modernized using Czech blueprints, hence the similar cab and livery designs. These run at 825V.

Outside the USSR
Outside the USSR, the trainsets were delivered initially to Prague and Budapest, and later on to Warsaw and Sofia. As such, they are all .

Budapest
Cars of type 81-717.2/714.2 were delivered to Hungary between 1979 and 1990, where they have been in service on lines M2 and M3. In 2015 a contract was signed on the modernization of the existing older subway cars on the metro. In 2016 the first subway train left Budapest and was delivered back to Metrovagonmash in Russia to be overhauled into type 81-717.2K/714.2K. The first train reentered service in March 2017, with the original DC motors replaced by Japanese Hitachi VVVF traction systems and motors. The remaining trains were delivered by August 2018. The units on line 2 were replaced by modern Alstom Metropolis vehicles.

Prague
507 carriages (204 motor cars and 303 trailers) of type 81-717.1/714.1 were delivered to Prague between 1978 and 1990, the aim being to run 101 five-car sets with two motors kept as spares. Three cars were lost: one was scrapped after a derailment at  (now Dejvická) station in 1986, while two were lost in a fire at  (now Háje) station in 1987. Full overhauls had been scheduled for the oldest cars in the early 1990s, but it was eventually decided that a more complete rebuild was required, and between 1994 and 2010 most but not all of the 81-71 cars were rebuilt as 81-71M stock by Škoda and ČKD.

Sofia
Metro cars of type 81-717.4/714.4 were delivered to Bulgaria in 1990 some eight years prior to the opening of the capital's metro. The trains are all formed of four carriages, but in 2005 and 2013 the Bulgarian metro system has been receiving trains of type 81-740.2/741.2 or 81-740.2B/741.2B, and currently there are only 12 four-car trainsets of type 81-717.4/714.4 and 40 three-car trainsets of type 81-740.2/741.2. A contract was signed in 2018 for modernization of the existing 81-717.4/714.4 cars; the first refurbished trains were delivered in 2020. The refurbished trains look very similar to type 81-717.2k/714.2k on Budapest metro line M3.

Warsaw
Subway cars of type 81-717.3/714.3 were delivered to Poland between 1989 and 1995. The train sets are formed of six cars. By 1994, the metro had received metro cars of type 81-572/573. Additional Russian-built cars of type 81-572.2/573.2 were also delivered between 2007 and 2009. In 2020 a contract was signed on replacing these trains with newer ones built by Skoda in Czech Republic. The first Skoda train arrived to Warsaw in April 2022 and after quality testing these trains will enter service and will gradually replace the older trains.

Technical
The 81-717/714 cars in the former Soviet Union operate on metro networks with 1520+4 mm track gauges. The Sofia, Budapest, Warsaw and Prague metro networks use standard gauge (1435 mm) and receive power from the 3rd rail via a bottom-contact shoe, except in Budapest, which uses top-contact shoes. The trains usually have a flexible formation, of 2 control cars at each end, and a variable number of trailer cars in the middle. Thus, a train can have only 1 car in the middle, or up to 6, making 3 to 8 car formations. However, a notable exception is on the Yerevan metro, where trains there can operate even with no trailer cars. In addition to this, the 81-717M type has 2 cabs at both ends, as opposed to 1 cab at opposing ends, also used in Yerevan.

Interior fittings

Like all metro trains of the former Soviet Union, the 81-717/714 trains feature longitudinal bench seating, which is placed to the walls of the cars between the doors and an empty central aisle. The passenger area is ventilated with the help of air vents on the roof of the car, along with small sliding windows.

Originally, bench seats with hard leather trim were fitted on these cars, but they were subject to vandalism in the 1990s and 2000s. Due to this, refurbished and later models feature vandal-proof seating with a plastic base and leatherette linings, separate for each passenger. Sometimes, metal partitions can be added too. Overall, the bench seats can accommodate as many as 6 people (or 3 at the end sections), which means that seating space in all cars varies from 40 to 48, while seated.

While there are access doors between each car, passing from one car to the other while the train is moving is very dangerous, and due to this only staff permits such tasks usually. The doors can be used in an emergency, but they are sometimes used by zatsepers (Russian trainsurfers) to climb on the roof of the train on over-ground sections.

Replacement
As the wear and aging of these trains began to be replaced with newer ones, but in different subways this happened differently , in the Moscow metro as a replacement first were the trains Rusich, later Oka and Moscow . In Saint Petersburg, 81-556 Neva trains are used as replacements, while in Novosibirsk, several of these trains are replaced with 81-540 trains, which are a further development of the 81-717 . In Minsk, the 81-717 train started to run on new Stadler cars manufactured in the Fanipol suburb of Minsk. In Baku, as well as in Moscow, 81-765 trains will be used to replace the 81-740 cars, but these trains will be called Baku.

References

External links

Electric multiple units of Russia
Electric multiple units of Ukraine
Electric multiple units of Belarus
Rolling stock of Bulgaria
Rolling stock of Hungary
Electric multiple units of Poland
Electric multiple units of the Czech Republic

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I am an ecologist, ornithologist, and naturalist currently living in the Raleigh-Durham region of North Carolina. I received my Ph.D. in Biology from Texas Tech University in August 2017.
For my dissertation, I examined the intersection of animal behavior and selection and use of wildlife habitat, using the Veery as my study species.
In recent years, it has become obvious that segments of the public are disconnected from science and scientists, and indeed, quite suspicious of us as a group. Part of the problem is lack of clear communication.
Clear communication is key, and bridging the gap between stakeholders - whether it is scientists and the public, or scientists and industry, government, or other institutions - is crucial. I greatly enjoy facilitating such communication from scientists to others, particularly one-on-one and with smaller groups.
In Summer 2018, I was the Raleigh Coordinator, Bird Bander, and Educator for the Smithsonian Neighborhood Nestwatch program. I visited participants' homes, communicating scientific results and ecological information while capturing and banding birds in their yards, to meet the research and educational program goals. For many, this is their only meaningful, face-to-face contact with scientists and these citizens contribute directly by entering resighted bird and nesting data. Participants are excited for this once-a-year visit and the opportunity to see "their" backyard birds up close!
Recently, I assisted two professors at North Carolina State University that are part of the Leadership in Public Science cluster that engage citizens to become part of the scientific process.
I assisted Dr. Madhusudan Katti with launching the Triangle Bird Count, to determine what habitat features influence diversity and abundance of urban birds. Survey points are distributed evenly throughout the included cities, not just parks where birds are known to occur. The target for launching this project throughout the major cities of the Research Triangle in Spring 2019.
I also aided Dr. Caren Cooper with her Sound Around Town project. This project seeks to map soundscapes in urban neighborhoods and identify disparities among neighborhoods and cities, by having residents check out recording equipment from their local library. This project will pilot in Raleigh sometime in 2018.


text:
Fang Style Reliquary Figure
Figure, Reliquary, Fang
Figure, Reliquary
Fang, Gabon, Africa
The ensemble of Fang peoples practice a cult devoted to ancestor lineages, the bieri, whose aim is to both protect themselves from the deceased and to recruit their aid in matters of daily life. This familial cult does not monopolize the Fang�s religious universe, for it coexists with other beliefs and rituals of a more collective character. It is the bieri, or ancestor sculpture, which has most obviously given rise to the making of remarkable wooden sculpture. The statuary of the Fang can be classified into three main groups: heads on long necks, half—figures and full figures, standing or seated. Carved with great simplicity, at the same time they exhibit a high degree of sophistication in the coordination of bulbous forms. The neck is often a massive cylindrical form. The arms have various positions: hands clasped in front of the body (sometimes holding an object); held in front of the chest or attached to it; hands resting on the knees in the seated figures. The navel is often exaggerated into a cylindrical form. Legs are short, stunted. Usually there is a domed, wide forehead and the eyebrows often form arcs with the nose. The eyes are often made of metal roundlets. The bieri would be consulted when the village was to change location, when a new crop was planted, during a palaver, or before going hunting, fishing, or to war. But once separated from the reliquary would lose its sacred value and could be destroyed. The ritual consisted of prayers, libations, and sacrifices offered to the ancestor, whose scull would be rubbed with powder and paint each time. With its large head, long body, and short extremities, the Fang bieri had the proportion of a newborn, thus emphasizing the group�s continuity with its ancestor and with the three classes of the society: the �not—yet—born,� the living, and the dead. The relics were essentially skull fragments, or sometimes complete skulls, jawbones, teeth and small bones. The bieri also served for therapeutic rituals and, above all, for the initiation of young males during the great So festival.
Wooden reliquary figure, carved with thin slightly open lips, small triangular nose, leading into eyebrows. Small circular eyes set under crescent—shaped eyebrows, in a concave facial area. Left eye has what appears to be a nail in it. Concave curvatures on sides of head, coming to a point about where ears would be, connecting to hairline, extending over top center of head. Possibly representing a helmet. Connected arms carved to the side and folded in front of stomach area, with fingers interlaced, over large circular navel. Entire figure area covered with dark brown patina or libations. Starting around lower abdoman, a woven wicker or raffia basket, sporadically surrounded by woven grass rope and other vegetal substances, encircle entire bottom portin of figure.
Wood W/Patina, Raffia, Cloth, Metal and Vegetal Fibers
Carving / Weaving / Painting
Right Side View - 2
Left Side View - 2


The Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has constituted a three-member committee to revive and streamline the service of city buses. The committee headed by Municipal Commissioner, Manoj Kumar will conduct a meeting with city bus operator and proprietor of KM Travel Limited, Kishore Mantri, on November 17.
AMC stated that the upcoming meeting will be presided by the Municipal Commissioner including other senior officers.
"All facts, agreement clauses including the demands of city bus operators will be studied before finalising any decision," Shankar further added.
"Despite repeated attempts to improve the service of city buses, RMC did not provide any assistance during these years.
Mantri who is at present handling the operation of 25 city buses further said, "From increment in bus fare in the wake of rising petrol and diesel prices to fulfilling different clauses as per the agreement, nothing has been done by the RMC. My company has given over three month's ultimatum to the Civic Body to look into the matter.
Notably, regardless of repeated attempts to rationalise the service of city buses, the Municipal Corporation had failed miserably to rope in competent bidders for operation and maintenance of city buses.
Civic Body's proposal as a result the operation of city buses has come almost to a standstill. RMC had invited tender for over eight times.


text:
D T
Donna Tartt is the author of the novels The Secret History, The Little Friend, and The Goldfinch. Her work has been published in forty languages and her third novel, The Goldfinch, was awarded the Carnegie Medal and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
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