text:
"We teach the way children with autism learn."
AZACS offers three distinct schools and programs for children at every level of the autism spectrum. Our programming is grounded in the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to help students overcome behavioral and communication deficits and access curriculum in the areas of language arts, math, science, social studies and life skills. Our ABA programming is data-driven, ensuring all students are continually moving forward in their skills.
THREE DISTINCT SCHOOLS TO MEET STUDENT NEEDS
Our elementary school is located at two sites, the Early Learning Center for Kindergarten and 1st grade students and grades 2-5 at the AZACS Main Campus. Both sites offer programs grounded in the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis to help students access academic learning in the areas of Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies. This school offers small class sizes, with 8-10 student per classroom and groups students based on abilities and needs. The student to staff ratio is an average of 2.5 to 1. While programming is tailored to meet students' specific needs, there are three types of classrooms tailored to serve different levels of students on the autism spectrum. The school offers an Academic Program, for students working at or near grade level, a Modified Academic Program, for students needing modifications to the general curriculum and a Functional Academic Program, for students with intensive needs. Students receive academic instruction in their regular classroom by a Program Manager and Instructional Lead Teacher. Classrooms are supported by behavior specialists, speech and occupational therapists. Our elementary program also offers specials such as Music Therapy, Art, Dance and Physical Education.
For more information about the AZACS Elementary School, contact our Elementary School Director, Myla Goyne at MGoyne@autismcharter.org or for grades K-1 contact Elementary School Assistant Director, Patrick Masson at PMasson@autismcharter.org.
Our Middle School is covers grades 6-8 and is located at the the AZACS Main Campus, at 4125 N.14th St. Phoenix, AZ 85014. The Middle School program is unique in that it offers special education students the opportunity to rotate to different teachers for each subject area. To serve students with diverse learning needs, there are three types of programs offered; the Academic Program, for students working at or near grade level, the Modified Academic Program, for students needing modifications to the general education curriculum and the Functional Academic Program for students with intensive needs. Students have a block schedule and rotate to classes including English/Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Life Skills, and Fine Arts. Specials include Music, Ballroom Dance and P.E. All programs are supported by speech therapists, occupational therapists and behavior specialists.
For more information about the AZACS Middle School, contact Upper School Director, Allan Smith at ASmith@autismcharter.org.
AZACS is proud to announce it was approved to expand to High School in the fall of 2017. The AZACS High School is also operating out of the AZACS Main Campus, where it is currently offering 9th_ 11th grades. The AZACS High School will expand by one grade level each year, until it reaches 12th grade in 2022. At the High School level, AZACS will continue to offer the Academic, Modified Academic and Functional Academic Programs, and offers courses in English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Fine Arts and Digital Media. Students will rotate to subject area teachers and receive High School credits toward a state accredited diploma in all courses. Some courses, such as Robotics, Spanish and other STEAM courses are offered in partnership with ASU Prep Digital, giving students access to advanced academics while offering the supports of small class sizes and embedded behavioral strategies. Another very important element of the AZACS High School is the Life Skills program, which will focus on students' transition plans, getting them college and career ready or prepare them for post-secondary vocational and training opportunities. AZACS offers Life Skills courses using the Learn4Independence curriculum, licensed by the First Place Transition Academy and has a Life Skills Mock Apartment onsite to help students practice independent living skills.
For more information about the AZACS High School, contact Upper School Director, Allan Smith at ASmith@autismcharter.org.


text:
Tucson volunteer receives $10k, qualifies for $50,000 grant
You can help him win by voting for his video
A Tucson volunteer is a finalist for the national Cox Conserves Heroes Award of $50,000
By KOLD News 13 Staff | October 4, 2019 at 11:44 AM MST - Updated October 14 at 3:28 PM
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Local volunteer Mike Birrer, with Serve Tucson, is often found cleaning, painting and planting in many Tucson neighborhoods.
Birrer is one of nine national finalists, who have each received $10,000, and are now are competing for a $50,000 grant from the James M. Cox Foundation.
Birrer started in 2008 with an aim to clean up the front of one school, and today has impacted more than fifty schools and countless neighborhoods. He included a program that employs local homeless residents to help with many local beautification projects that Serve Tucson takes on.
The public can help him win the national Cox Conserves Heroes Award by voting for his video. The candidate with the most votes will be awarded the grant.
Public voting is open until Oct. 15 at Cox Conserves Heroes. You can vote by clicking HERE.
In partnership with The Trust for Public Land, Cox Conserves Heroes is part of Cox Enterprises' national Cox Conserves sustainability program. The James M. Cox Foundation has contributed nearly $1 million to environmental nonprofits and honored more than 200 volunteers across the country.
For eleven years, Cox has been recognizing outstanding community volunteers that work tirelessly to create, preserve or enhance outdoor spaces.
The winner of the 2019 National Cox Conserves Hero award will be announced in late October.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


European Commission to impose countermeasures against $3.3bn worth of US goods, 10 days before US tariffs take effect.
The European Union has said that it will retaliate against a US decision to impose tariffs on its steel and aluminium imports by imposing a levy on $3.3bn worth of American products, including clothing and alcohol.
The European Commission announced on Friday that it is imposing the countermeasures 10 days earlier than the American tariffs, which take effect on June 30.
At the same time, the EU said that it will legally challenge the US decision before the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Geneva-based body that settles international trade disputes.
"We're not in a trade war but we are in a very difficult situation. It could escalate," European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom warned, adding that the US was "playing a dangerous game."
Marcus Beyrer, head of Business Europe, an industry lobby group, said the latest US move is "bad news for European business, the trans-Atlantic relationship and world trade".
"The EU needs to remain a strong leader against protectionism and unilateralism in support of rules-based trade," Beyrer said.
On Thursday, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Washington would apply a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and 10 percent tariff on imported aluminium, effective end of June.
Aside from Europe, the US tariffs also target Canada and Mexico.
In response, EU will impose sanctions on American jeans and bourbon drinks.
The timing suggests that Europe's leaders are interpreting the US move as tactical, as the two sides compete over deadlines in regional trade negotiations.
Those talks were requested by US President Donald Trump, who came to power vowing to protect American blue-collar jobs. The original deadline set by the Trump administration was May 1.
"Given the unorthodox techniques deployed by the Trump administration to date, it looks like relations with the US are subject to a perpetual negotiation," Plamen Tonchev, economist at the Institute for International Economic Relations in Athens, Greece, told Al Jazeera.
"One should remember that the imposition of sanctions on the EU has been postponed - twice so far."
A trade war, however, should the US and EU stumble into it, risks causing enormous mutual damage.
According to the WTO, US merchandise exports were $1.5 trillion last year, with the EU being the biggest customer (18.7 percent).
The US is also the EU's largest single customer. Extra-EU merchandise exports amounted to $1.9 trillion last year - an eighth of total output. Of this, 20 percent went to the US.
The EU is arguably even more heavily invested in the globalised economy than the US. It is now the leading source and destination for foreign direct investment, topping Washington - and has much to lose from protectionism.
A January report from the US Commerce Department argues that rising imports of steel threaten American national security.
The US singles out China, the world's leading steel producer, as the country it wishes to exclude through tariffs; but China accounts for only 2.4 percent of US steel imports, and both the US and the EU have already slapped punitive tariffs that raise the cost of Chinese steel imports.
"There is a provision in the World Trade Organization [that says], if something needs to be done because national security allows it, you're allowed to do it," said Peter Chase, global trade expert at the German Marshall Fund.
"We are debasing that provision which we argued over for a long time. But we got away with it because we said, 'we would never invoke this for base economic reason'. Now, we are. So we're giving everyone else cover to do exactly the same thing, and I guarantee you the Chinese definition of national security is far broader than ours used to be."
Tonchev said Trump is risking long-term havoc for short-term gain.
"Rising steel prices may help US industries fire up some furnaces in the Rust Belt that the American president presumably cares about," he says.
"In addition, some American aluminium traders reportedly have huge stockpiles, which they will be all too happy to sell at higher prices. At least, that seems to be the idea behind Trump's protectionist policy."
US steel-using industries, which absorb three-quarters of US steel production, are concerned that tariffs will raise the cost of raw materials.
Retaliation would harm US manufacturing, the coalition said. "The last time the US imposed steel tariffs in 2002, more than 200,000 American manufacturers lost their jobs," added the statement.
On that occasion, the administration of George H W Bush reversed itself and lifted tariffs.
"What Mr Trump is doing is he's taking trade, which is, in fact, a win-win proposition, and he's making it win-lose; and in this case, lose-lose," Chase, the trade expert, said.
"And the Europeans are trying to say, 'if he's not going to listen, then the people who get hurt from a silly move will write to their Congressman and say, 'why do we have to pay for this?'"


text:
Bäsksele (sydsamiska Beetske) är en by och tidigare småort i Vilhelmina kommun, belägen öster om Bäskselet i Vojmån, vid länsväg 360. Bäsksele anlades som nybygge 1771 av Jon Larsson, som senare även anlade Latikberg. Han kallas i andra sammanhang för Johan Larsson och uppges ha varit same. SCB hade 2015 ändrat definitionen för småorter, varvid Bäsksele inte längre visade sig kvalificera sig som småort.

På 1860-talet inrättade Svenska Missionssällskapet en skola för samiska barn i Bäsksele. Där fick även barn från Bäsksele by som hade svenska föräldrar undervisas. Bland de samer som genomgått missionsskolan i Bäsksele kan nämnas Andreas Wilks och Elsa Laula Renberg.

Byn är av riksintresse för kulturmiljövården.

Se även
Vilhelmina socken

Källor

Orter i Vilhelmina kommun
Riksintressen för kulturmiljövården i Västerbottens län
Tidigare småorter i Sverige

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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text:
Deputy Krista McDonald
(Kitsap County Sheriff's Office, Washington)
On January 23, 2011, the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office was given information on the location of a possibly armed suspect, accompanied by an underage female runaway who was reported as missing from Utah. Deputies John Stacy and Andrew Ejde approached the suspect and the 13-year-old female as they sat outside the entrance to a Walmart store in Port Orchard, Washington. The deputies were assisted by Deputy Krista McDonald, who had responded as an additional back up.
The suspect refused to identify himself, and attempted to run from the location. Deputy Stacy tried to grab the suspect but missed and fell. Deputy Ejde ran after the suspect as he attempted to flee across the street and into the parking lot. Halfway across the roadway, the suspect drew a semi-automatic handgun, turned, and fired multiple shots. He struck Deputy Ejde twice, in the left shoulder and right arm. Deputy Ejde fell down into a raised flowerbed. By this time, Deputy Stacy had regained his footing and was running after the suspect. The suspect then shot and wounded Deputy Stacy in the right shoulder, causing him to fall to the asphalt.
Deputy McDonald began firing at the suspect from her position at her patrol vehicle, approximately 90–100 feet away. The suspect then directed his attention toward Deputy McDonald as she started to move toward her two downed colleagues. The suspect continued to fire at the deputies.
Advancing toward the suspect without benefit of protective cover, Deputy McDonald stayed in the gunfight and returned fire. The suspect was struck in the left leg and dropped to the pavement where he continued to fire on the deputies. By this time Deputy McDonald had moved to within 60 feet of the suspect, placing herself in the line of fire to distract him.
The young girl, witnessing the gun fire, ran over to the suspect. As she approached, she was shot by the suspect and mortally wounded. Moments later, the suspect committed suicide when he turned his handgun on himself.
Award Presentation
The 2011 Congressional Badge of Bravery and Attorney General's Certificate were privately presented to Deputy Krista McDonald by Sheriff Dennis Bonneville in February 2014.


Aromatherapy is the most ancient method of alternative recovery. Aromatherapy is very closely pertaining to crucial oils. Pure vital oils are highly focused significances of plants. The usage of pure important oils helps in health and wellness and also well-being by calming the mind, relieving stress and anxiety, balance feelings as well as supply support in numerous physical conditions. Pure important oils are the right active ingredient of preserving a healthy mind, body as well as spirit.
Pure essential oils can be extracted from the different components of the aromatic plant which can be the bark, the flower, the leaves, branches, stems, origins, leaves, twigs, fruit etc. Pure important oils are removed by a selection of methods. Both old as well as highly advanced are utilized for removal of pure necessary oils. Steam distillation is just one of the earliest as well as still popular approach of removing pure important oils.
In steam purification, the plant is maintained in a container where pressurized vapor goes through the plant product.
The vapor creates the oil in the plant product to damage free and evaporates, after that the vapor and the pure important oil is made to travelled through water cooled heap where they reclaim their liquid form. Water is here divided from essential oil which drifts at its top.
The approach of cool pressing helps in the extraction of pure important oils from peels of orange, lemon, grapefruit and so on. The peels of the plants are cut as well as pushed. Journalism of the plants produce a blend of water as well as oil which is then separated. One more technique is solvent removal. Right here a hydrocarbon solvent is included in the plant product to liquify the essential oil. The solution is after that filteringed system and concentrated with purification.
All removal approaches of pure important oils remember the fact that not even a percentage of deposit is left. A little bit of residue can disrupt the body immune system and cause allergies.
Pure vital oils service our emotional states through the olfactory system. When pure vital oils are breathed in, they are immediately transferred to the emotional centre of our brain. Pure important oils are additionally used in massage. Here they are not inhaled but soaked up by the skin to directly get to the blood stream. Pure crucial oils can aid in alleviating a vast array of pains, discomforts as well as injuries. They additionally act upon the main nervous system.
Therefore pure crucial oils as an alternate treatment in anxiety, stress and anxiety, stress, loosening up and also bring back psychological and also physical well being.
Each crucial oil has a different effect and also can be made use of either alone or in combination to generate the wanted effect. Different individuals have various responses to the same scent. A big amount of plant material to create also a small amount of pure crucial oils.
Therefore, pure essential oils are costly. Yet, just a couple of declines at one time are used to offer the benefit.
The role of pure crucial oils in essential in today's society. With the anxiety degrees of individuals increasing day by day, sadness, sorrow, anxiousness as well as anxiety are important. With the rise in psychological inequalities, there are remarkable effects on the body likewise.
By selecting the ideal kind of pure essential oil you can experience an overall enhancement in health and wellness. Looking for more information about essential oils? Just read more here.
Integrate pure important oils as a component of your healthy and balanced lifestyle and also include enthusiasm to your life.
Previous post: Diabetic Foot Problems to Avoid!


text:
IAG is affected by Filomena, the 3rd wave of coronavirus and by Brexit
Wait and see. It is the dogma that investors are following in these early stages of the year with regard to IAG. After the initial scare about Brexit, now overcome after the agreement, The company has implemented changes in its Board with the arrival of Javier Ferrán to the presidency of the consortium and in its capital structure.
The value, meanwhile, has been affected in the market by the reduction of flights that will begin next week by Ryanair to combat the spread of the coronavirus, after what happened in the United Kingdom. And the slowness of vaccinations, almost general in Europe, which can delay recovery, as well as the Filomena effect and the closure of airports such as Barajas do not help the value.
As if all this were not enough, now also faces a lawsuit of no less than 800 million pounds before a cyberattack against the company dating from 2018 in a class-action lawsuit that claims there was a data breach of 0.4 million customers.
The negative has dominated its stock chart since the beginning of the year, with a global balance of 4.4% and in the last month of almost 2% with many sessions, up to 6 out of 8 in negative, but added rebounds, which offset consolidation, although with a downward trend in the value since the beginning of 2021, after closing 2020 as the second worst value on the Ibex.
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But the look at the recovery in the medium term is what the market experts envision, who are betting mainly on value. With an average target price of 2.09 euros per share and a potential of 22%, 73% of analysts bet on buying IAG compared to 26% who advise keeping their shares. The before and after, as always the psychological resistance to exceed 2 euros per share. Further, Bankinter maintains its purchase advice on the stock with a PO of 2.5 euros per share and a potential of 46%.
María Mira highlights that "in a valuation by ratios and with an estimated EPS for the end of 2021 of -0.02 € / share, after updating the number of shares of the company after the capital increase; We do not see an upward trend in the stock beyond the volatility due to specific news. The market expects a contraction in EPS in 2020 that exceeds 200% and the rebound of + 97% in EPS for 2021 will therefore be from a sunken EPS in 2020 ".
The fundamental expert on Investment Strategies highlights that " If the calculation is done in absolute figures, thus eliminating the effect of the increase in the number of shares due to the capital increase, the fall in Net Profit will be greater than 300% between 2019 and 2020. Based on our fundamental valuation we are negative with the value, the risk is currently very high ".
As our premium indicators show us, IAG barely shows, in consolidation mode, a three point drop in its total valuation, which is only 5 points out of 10 possible. Among the worst, the medium-term downward trend, rapid total moment and range of increasing amplitude in its two aspects, both medium and long term. In favor, the long-term upward trend and the volume of business, in the medium and long term, which is growing.
"IAG, the technical analyst of Ei José Antonio González tells us – maintains the short-term consolidation process that has managed to normalize readings of extreme accumulated overbought in price oscillators. In this sense, the violation of the 1.48 euros would enable sales to update targets downward towards 1.018 / 0.977 euros per share ".
IAG on daily chart with Average amplitude range in percentage, MACD oscillator and trading volume
If you want to know the most bullish values of the stock market, register for free in Investment Strategies.
What will happen in 2021 on the stock market?
The Investment Strategies analysis department analyzes the annual outlook for 2021.
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this has been his first year away from the royal family
Xiaomi Mi True 2 Basic White Bluetooth Headphones


text:
package com.mercadopago.android.px.internal.features.uicontrollers.card;

import android.content.Context;
import android.support.v4.content.ContextCompat;
import android.view.LayoutInflater;
import android.view.View;
import android.view.ViewGroup;
import com.mercadopago.android.px.R;
import com.mercadopago.android.px.internal.features.uicontrollers.identification.IdentificationView;
import com.mercadopago.android.px.internal.util.MPCardMaskUtil;

public class IdentificationCardView extends IdentificationView {

    public IdentificationCardView(Context context) {
        super(context);
    }

    @Override
    public View inflateInParent(ViewGroup parent, boolean attachToRoot) {
        mView = LayoutInflater.from(mContext).inflate(R.layout.px_card_identification, parent, attachToRoot);
        return mView;
    }

    @Override
    public void draw() {
        //TODO se puede subir
        if (mIdentificationNumber == null || mIdentificationNumber.length() == 0) {
            mIdentificationNumberTextView.setVisibility(View.INVISIBLE);
            mBaseIdNumberView.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
        } else {
            mBaseIdNumberView.setVisibility(View.INVISIBLE);
            mIdentificationNumberTextView.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);

            String number =
                MPCardMaskUtil.buildIdentificationNumberWithMask(mIdentificationNumber, mIdentificationType);
            mIdentificationNumberTextView.setTextColor(ContextCompat.getColor(mContext, NORMAL_TEXT_VIEW_COLOR));
            mIdentificationNumberTextView.setText(number);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Unable to get the frog object to jump in the Defold getting started tutorial I've completed the Defold tutorial upto Step5 and also the first 7 points of Step6. However, I when I hit space the frog object does not jump. I keep seeing the below messages in the console.
WARNING:DLIB: Failed to send announce message (-22)

Also, if I place the frog object at some height above the ground it does not 'fall' but just runs its animation.
What could be wrong?  I don't think that I can copy the entire contents here as there is so much, can anyone share a working source for the tutorial?

A: I needed to add the hero.script component to the hero game object as per this answer on the Defold forum

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Over the years, SewerTV has built up a great customer base fostered by successful, thriving business relationships in OC. How do we do this? By offering unparalleled customer service and guaranteeing and standing behind solid work. Those traits form the foundation of our business. We provide people with lasting satisfaction that has them recommending us to their friends and family.
Known as the foremost experts in Orange and Orange County for sewer rehabilitation, SewerTV has at its disposal the most advanced plumbing equipment. We stay in touch with all the latest methodological advances in our industry so we can pass along to the benefits and advantages of cutting edge video inspection, hydro jetting, pipe bursting, pipe lining, and drain repair services to our customers. Simply stated, there's no plumbing job in Orange County that we can't conquer.
SewerTV uses the full spectrum of the latest tools available to clear your pipes and drains. From drain cable machines for ordinary clogs to hydro jetters (for those stubborn obstructions like tree roots), our years of experience and constant tracking of the latest tool advancements and techniques make us the best choice for Orange drain repair and cleaning.
Pipe lining, also known as "trenchless repair technology" or "cured in place pipe (CIPP)" is the preferred method for sewer line rehabilitation for homes here in Orange and the greater Orange County area because of its convenience, versatility, cost-effectiveness, and endurance. SewerTV uses state-of-the-art lining technology to rejuvenate old and worn sewage systems.


text:
HomeCrypto NewsExchangesBinance Receives Regulatory Approval to Operate in Sweden
Binance Receives Regulatory Approval to Operate in Sweden
Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority Approves Binance
The latest license marks the exchange's seventh regulatory approval in the EU on its journey to global reach.
Binance, the world's largest exchange, has received regulatory approval from the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Swedish FSA) to provide digital asset-related services such as management and trading in digital currencies within the Scandinavian nation. The latest license procurement brings Binance a step closer to global adoption.
The development was recently announced by the exchange through its official Twitter handle. "Furthering our commitment to compliance across Europe, this registration gives residents in Sweden access to a broad range of our regulated crypto and Web3 services," Binance said in a tweet today, sharing a link to the official announcement.
Hej Sweden 🇸🇪#Binance has been granted registration by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority.
Furthering our commitment to compliance across Europe, this registration gives residents in Sweden access to a broad range of our regulated crypto and Web3 services.
— Binance (@binance) January 11, 2023
Binance disclosed that the processes involved in obtaining the regulatory approval had been on for months, as it had been in constant talks with the Swedish FSA. The license finally gives Binance the full legal regulatory backing to offer its robust crypto-focused services to residents in Sweden, including but not limited to crypto trading, staking, and fiat deposits.
Binance Chief Changpeng "CZ" Zhao also called attention to the development, pointing out that this would mark the exchange's seventh regulatory license within the European Union, as it looks to expand its reach on a global scale.
Swedish FSA grants #Binance seventh regulatory approval in EU 🇸🇪https://t.co/i43258Csry
— CZ 🔶 Binance (@cz_binance) January 11, 2023
"Binance continues to demonstrate its commitment to work closely with regulatory agencies to uphold global standards. Our registration in Sweden is the result of many months of diligent, hard work from our team," Richard Teng, Binance's Head of Europe and MENA, remarked, speaking on the achievement. Teng also expressed his gratitude to the Swedish FSA for their support during the approval process.
Binance Now Approved in 15 Jurisdictions
The recent license procurement follows six previous approvals granted to Binance by nations within the European Union, including Poland, Lithuania, Spain, France, Italy, and Cyprus. In addition, the exchange has also received approval licenses from eight other jurisdictions across several continents, making this its 15th license globally.
In December 2021, Binance announced its first in-principle regulatory license in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region from the Central Bank of Bahrain. On the same day, CZ revealed that the exchange's Canadian unit had been approved as a money services provider.


Early American Colonial House Plans Published by at August 16, 2018 at 12:39 am.There is 25 images on the post of Early American Colonial House Plans. To find Another House Plans Design Ideas for your Inspiration on Uncategorized category. See more Early American Colonial House Plans on Uncategorized Topics.
Here we have 25 beautiful design ideas of Early American Colonial House Plans. We hope you enjoyed it and if you would like to see the high images resolution, simply click on the pictures and you will be redirected to extra large page Early American Colonial House Plans. Then you still have a great day for new fresh inspiration today. don't forget to tell / spread design ideas from our website to your friends, relatives or families near you so they also feel the same with you.


Should my gutter colors match my roof, house or trim?
At JS Gutters. we help you answer this question and get the perfect gutter to match the look that you want your home to have. As a homeowner you don't want your gutter colors to clash with your homes colors.
The right gutter colors can complete the look of your new roof or home. Getting a new paint job? We'll help you select gutter colors that won't clash with those fresh coats of paint.
You can call our professionals at JS Gutters. in either Kent or Mt Vernon, WA.
Our 5" K Line gutter. This style of gutter is our most commonly used in all of our new construction projects.
It comes in a huge variety of colors and helps to add a clean, sharp look to your roofline.
6" K Line. This gutter style has a wider opening for roofing material to hang over and is easier to clean due to the larger size.
It's also great for tile, metal or shake roofs, as well as commercial properties and pole barns.


The carved and painted Pukumani poles throughout the forests of Bathurst and Melville Islands, the land of the Tiwi people, have inspired Australian collectors, curators and artists for a century. Tiwi culture, history and traditional stories are vividly expressed through lines, patterns and colours, in carvings, and in their modern paintings, prints on paper and fabric, and pottery.
Tiwi is the remarkable story of the development of artistic expression on the Tiwi Islands and of the history and culture of the Tiwi people. Courageous and determined, for centuries the Tiwi held off intruders. The British briefly established a trading fort in the 1820s, but could not survive the isolated location and the intransigence of the Tiwi, and so departed. Then in 1911 a lone priest came ashore and, with a mission established and English education beginning, the Tiwi world began to change. The art forms were so astounding that ethnographers followed immediately and were succeeded by curators and collectors in the mid twentieth century, providing some of the spectacular, idiosyncratic carvings and bark paintings published here from Australian museum collections.
This is the first complete volume to bring together the strands of Tiwi history and cultural expression and provide the context for contemporary Tiwi art. It is a major contribution to understanding the Tiwi as a unique regional Australian cultural group, the Indigenous nation of the Tiwi Islands.
Descriptions of ceremonial arts, rare historical photographs, biographies of the artists, as well as actual historical events are interwoven with more than 800 images obtained through more than five years of research in public and private collections of art and imagery. Tiwi stands as a monument to Tiwi people and their current endeavours to 'keep Tiwi culture strong'.
"Isaacs' historical text on Tiwi culture is almost encyclopaedic, but also very readable and profusely illustrated...[Tiwi] is a landmark publication in the realm of books on indigenous culture and sets a new benchmark of excellence for publishing in this contested area."
"Now, at last, comes Tiwi: Art/History/Culture, sweepingly titles, lavishly illustrated; a comprehensive guide and handbook bu long-time Aboriginal art observer Jennifer Isaacs: a volume decades in the making that does much more than merely fill a gap."
"This is a visually stunning and elegantly narrated history of the Tiwi Islands and the Tiwi Islanders. It is a thoroughly researched and beautifully written compendium of Tiwi life and lore. More than a book, Jennifer Isaacs' Tiwi is a milestone in publishing and in Northern Territory and Australian History."


Over the past few years, there has been a significant shift by government at all levels towards purchasing, implementing and managing cloud-based services. HR and payroll vendors are early adopters of cloud service provisioning. The overarching benefit of cloud services lies in its ability to charge only for what is consumed. Both the Federal and State governments of Australia have policies that support the adoption of cloud technologies, subject to stringent evaluation and accreditation.
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text:
"""

# A Better Where

WHERE2 is a near-linear time top-down clustering alogithm.

WHERE2 updated an older where with new Python tricks.

## Standard Header Stuff

"""
from __future__ import division,print_function
import  sys
sys.dont_write_bytecode = True
from lib import *
from Models import *
from numpy import var

MODEL =  nasa93.nasa93

"""

## Dimensionality Reduction with Fastmp

Project data in N dimensions down to a single dimension connecting
twp distant points. Divide that data at the median of those projects.

"""
def fastmap(m,data, what=lambda m: m.decisions):

  def centroid(lst):
    centroid = sum(lst)/len(lst)
    for i in range(len(lst)):
      if lst[i] > centroid:
        return centroid, i
    return centroid, len(lst)-1

  def sdiv(lst):
    bestVar = sys.maxint
    bestCut = len(lst)-1
    #for i in range(3,(len(lst) - 3)):
    for i in range(1,(len(lst) - 1)):
      lst_1, lst_2 = lst[:i],lst[i:]
      variance = (len(lst_1)*var(lst_1) + len(lst_2)*var(lst_2))/(len(lst_1)+len(lst_2))
      if variance < bestVar:
        bestVar, bestCut = variance, i
    return bestVar, bestCut

  "Divide data into two using distance to two distant items."
  one  = any(data)             # 1) pick anything
  west = furthest(m,one,data, what = what)  # 2) west is as far as you can go from anything
  east = furthest(m,west,data, what = what) # 3) east is as far as you can go from west
  c    = dist(m,west,east, what = what)
  # now find everyone's distance
  lst = []
  for one in data:
    a = dist(m,one,west, what = what)
    b = dist(m,one,east, what = what)
    if (c == 0):
      x = 0
    else :
      x = (a*a + c*c - b*b)/(2*c) # cosine rule
    y = max(0, a**2 - x**2)**0.5 # not used, here for a demo
    lst  += [(x,one)]
  lst   = sorted(lst)
  if m._split == "variance":
    variance, mid = sdiv(map(first, lst))
  elif m._split == "centroid":
    centroid, mid = centroid(map(first,lst))
  else: #median
    mid   = len(lst)//2
  wests = map(second,lst[:mid])
  easts = map(second,lst[mid:])
  # Projection of midpoint, used for future testing
  mid_element = lst[mid]
  west = wests[0]
  east = easts[-1]
  return wests,west, easts,east,c, mid_element

"""
We select the leaf in which the test node
belongs by comparing the projection of
test node between the extreme nodes
"""
def leaf(m,one,node):
  if node._kids and len(node._kids)==2:
    east = node.east
    west = node.west
    mid_cos = node.mid_cos
    a = dist(m,one,west)
    b = dist(m,one,east)
    c = dist(m,west,east)
    if c == 0:
      return node
    x = (a*a + c*c - b*b)/(2*c)
    if (x<mid_cos):
      return leaf(m,one,node._kids[0])
    else:
      return leaf(m,one,node._kids[1])
  return node

"""
This code needs some helper functions. _Dist_ uses
the standard Euclidean measure. Note that you tune
what it uses to define the niches (decisions or
objectives) using the _what_ parameter:

"""
def dist(m,i,j,
         what = lambda m: m.decisions):
  "Euclidean distance 0 <= d <= 1 between decisions"
  n      = len(i.cells)
  deltas = 0
  for c in what(m):
    n1 = norm(m, c, i.cells[c])
    n2 = norm(m, c, j.cells[c])
    if (hasattr(m,'weights') and len(m.weights)!=0) :
      inc = (m.weights[c] * (n1 - n2))**2
    else :
      inc = (n1-n2)**2
    deltas += inc
    n += abs(m.w[c])
  return deltas**0.5 / n**0.5

"""

The _Dist_ function normalizes all the raw values zero to one.

"""
def norm(m,c,val) :
  "Normalizes val in col c within model m 0..1"
  return (val- m.lo[c]) / (m.hi[c]- m.lo[c]+ 0.0001)
"""

Now we can define _furthest_:

"""
def furthest(m,i,all,
             init = 0,
             better = gt,
                         what = lambda m:m.decisions):
  "find which of all is furthest from 'i'"
  out,d= i,init
  for j in all:
    if i == j: continue
    tmp = dist(m,i,j,what)
    if better(tmp,d):
      out,d = j,tmp
  return out
"""

And of course, _closest_:

"""
def closest(m,i,all):
  return furthest(m,i,all,init=10**32,better=lt)

def closestN(m,n,i,all):
  tmp = []
  for j in all:
    if id(i) == id(j): continue
    d = dist(m,i,j)
    tmp += [ (d,j) ]
  return sorted(tmp)[:n]
"""

## WHERE2 = Recursive Fastmap

WHERE2 finds everyone's else's distance from the poles
  and divide the data on the mean point of those
  distances.  This all stops if:

+  Any division has _tooFew_ solutions (say,
  less than _sqrt_ of the total number of
  solutions).
+ Something has gone horribly wrong and you are
  recursing _tooDeep_

This code is controlled by the options in [_The_ settings](settingspy).  For
example, if _The.pruning_ is true, we may ignore
some sub-tree (this process is discussed, later on).
Also, if _The.verbose_ is true, the _show_
function prints out a little tree showing the
progress (and to print indents in that tree, we use
the string _The.b4_).  For example, here's WHERE2
dividing 93 examples from NASA93.

    ---| _where |-----------------
    93
    |.. 46
    |.. |.. 23
    |.. |.. |.. 11
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 5.
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 6.
    |.. |.. |.. 12
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 6.
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 6.
    |.. |.. 23
    |.. |.. |.. 11
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 5.
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 6.
    |.. |.. |.. 12
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 6.
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 6.
    |.. 47
    |.. |.. 23
    |.. |.. |.. 11
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 5.
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 6.
    |.. |.. |.. 12
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 6.
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 6.
    |.. |.. 24
    |.. |.. |.. 12
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 6.
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 6.
    |.. |.. |.. 12
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 6.
    |.. |.. |.. |.. 6.

WHERE2 returns clusters, where each cluster contains
multiple solutions.

"""
def where2(m, data, lvl=0, up=None, verbose=True):
  node = o(val=None,_up=up,_kids=[])
  def tooDeep():
        return lvl > m.settings.depthMax
  def tooFew() : return len(data) < m.settings.minSize
  def show(suffix):
    if The.what.verbose:
      print(The.what.b4*lvl,len(data),
            suffix,' ; ',id(node) % 1000,sep='')
  node.median_row = data[len(data)//2]
  node.variance = variance(m, data)
  if (not hasattr(m, "max_variance") or m.max_variance < node.variance):
    m.max_variance = node.variance
  node.val = data
  if tooDeep() or tooFew():
    if verbose:
      show(".")
  else:
    if verbose:
      show("")
    wests,west, easts,east,c, mid_element = fastmap(m,data)
    node.update(c=c,east=east,west=west,mid_cos=mid_element[0])
    goLeft, goRight = maybePrune(m,lvl,west,east)
    if goLeft:
      node._kids += [where2(m, wests, lvl+1, node, verbose=verbose)]
    if goRight:
      node._kids += [where2(m, easts,  lvl+1, node, verbose=verbose)]
  return node

"""

## An Experimental Extensions

Lately I've been experimenting with a system that
prunes as it divides the data. GALE checks for
domination between the poles and ignores data in
halves with a dominated pole. This means that for
_N_ solutions we only ever have to evaluate
_2*log(N)_ of them- which is useful if each
evaluation takes a long time.

The niches found in this way
contain non-dominated poles; i.e. they are
approximations to the Pareto frontier.
Preliminary results show that this is a useful
approach but you should treat those results with a
grain of salt.

In any case, this code supports that pruning as an
optional extra (and is enabled using the
_slots.pruning_ flag). In summary, this code says if
the scores for the poles are more different that
_slots.wriggle_ and one pole has a better score than
the other, then ignore the other pole.

"""
def maybePrune(m,lvl,west,east):
  "Usually, go left then right, unless dominated."
  goLeft, goRight = True,True # default
  if  m.settings.prune and lvl >= m.settings.depthMin:
    sw = scores(m, west)
    se = scores(m, east)
    if abs(sw - se) > m.settings.wriggle: # big enough to consider
      if se > sw: goLeft   = False   # no left
      if sw > se: goRight  = False   # no right
  return goLeft, goRight
"""

Note that I do not allow pruning until we have
descended at least _slots.depthMin_ into the tree.

### Model-specific Stuff

WHERE2 talks to models via the the following model-specific variables:

+ _m.cols_: list of indices in a list
+ _m.names_: a list of names for each column.
+ _m.decisions_: the subset of cols relating to decisions.
+ _m.obectives_: the subset of cols relating to objectives.
+ _m.eval(m,eg)_: function for computing variables from _eg_.
+ _m.lo[c]_ : the lowest value in column _c_.
+ _m.hi[c]_ : the highest value in column _c_.
+ _m.w[c]_: the weight for each column. Usually equal to one.
  If an objective and if we are minimizing  that objective, then the weight is negative.

### Model-general stuff

Using the model-specific stuff, WHERE2 defines some
useful general functions.

"""
def some(m,x) :
  "with variable x of model m, pick one value at random"
  return m.lo[x] + by(m.hi[x] - m.lo[x])

def scores(m,it):
  "Score an individual."
  if not it.scored:
    #need for this line
    m.eval(m,it)
    new, w = 0, 0
    for c in m.objectives:
      val = it.cells[c]
      w  += abs(m.w[c])
      tmp = norm(m,c,val)
      if m.w[c] < 0:
        tmp = 1 - tmp
      new += (tmp**2)
    it.score = (new**0.5) / (w**0.5)
    it.scored = True
  return it.score

def launchWhere2(m, settings=None, rows=None, verbose=False):
  if not rows:
    rows = m._rows
  global The
  The=defaults()
  The.what.update(verbose = verbose)
  if settings is None:
    m.settings = peekSettings().defaults.update(
               minSize = int(len(rows)**0.5),
               prune   = False)
  else :
    m.settings = settings
  return where2(m, rows,verbose = verbose)

"""

## Tree Code

Tools for manipulating the tree returned by _where2_.
### Primitive: Walk the nodes

"""
def nodes(tree,seen=None,steps=0):
  if seen is None: seen=[]
  if tree:
   if not id(tree) in seen:
     seen.append(id(tree))
     yield tree,steps
     for kid in tree._kids:
       for sub,steps1 in nodes(kid,seen,steps+1):
         yield sub,steps1
"""

### Return nodes that are leaves

"""
def leaves(tree,seen=None,steps=0):
  for node,steps1 in nodes(tree,seen,steps):
    if not node._kids:
      yield node,steps1
"""

### Return nodes nearest to furthest

"""
def neighbors(leaf,seen=None,steps=-1):
  """Walk the tree from 'leaf' increasingly
     distant leaves. """
  if seen is None: seen=[]
  for down,steps1 in leaves(leaf,seen,steps+1):
    yield down,steps1
  if leaf:
    for up,steps1 in neighbors(leaf._up, seen,steps+1):
      yield up,steps1
"""

### Return nodes in Groups, Closest to Furthest

"""
def around(leaf, f=lambda x: x):
  tmp,last  = [], None
  for node,dist in neighbors(leaf):
    if dist > 0:
      if dist == last:
        tmp += [f(node)]
      else:
        if tmp:
          yield last,tmp
        tmp   = [f(node)]
    last = dist
  if tmp:
    yield last,tmp

"""

Compute variance of all rows

"""

def variance(m, rows):
  efforts = []
  for row in rows:
    efforts.append(effort(m, row))
  return var(efforts)

def predictPEEKING(model, tree, test):
  eps = 0.000001
  test_leaf = leaf(model, test, tree)
  k = model.settings.neighbors
  rows = test_leaf.val
  if k > len(rows):
    k = len(rows)
  nearestN = closestN(model, k, test, rows)
  if len(nearestN) == 1 :
    return effort(model, nearestN[0][1])
  else :
    testEffort, sumWt = eps,eps
    for distance, row in nearestN[:k]:
      testEffort += effort(model, row)/(distance+eps)
      sumWt += 1/(distance + eps)
    return testEffort/sumWt

"""
## Demo Code

### Code Showing the scores

"""
#@go
def _scores():
  m = MODEL()
  out = []
  for row in m._rows:
    scores(m,row)
    out += [(row.score, [row.cells[c] for c in m.objectives])]
  for s,x in sorted(out):
    print(s,x)
"""

### Code Showing the Distances

"""
#@go
def _distances(m=MODEL):
   m=m()
   seed(The.seed)
   for i in m._rows:
     j = closest(m,i,  m._rows)
     k = furthest(m,i, m._rows)
     idec = [i.cells[c] for c in m.decisions]
     jdec = [j.cells[c] for c in m.decisions]
     kdec = [k.cells[c] for c in m.decisions]
     print("\n",
           gs(idec), g(scores(m,i)),"\n",
           gs(jdec),"closest ", g(dist(m,i,j)),"\n",
           gs(kdec),"furthest", g(dist(m,i,k)))
"""

### A Demo for  Where2.

"""
#@go
def _where(m=MODEL):
  m= m()
  seed(1)
  told=N()
  for r in m._rows:
    s =  scores(m,r)
    told += s
  global The
  The=defaults()
  The.what.update(verbose = True)
  m.settings = configs(minSize = max(len(m._rows)**0.5,8),
               prune   = False,
               wriggle = 0.3*told.sd())
  tree = where2(m, m._rows)

"""

## Start-up Actions

"""
if __name__ == '__main__':
  seed(1)
  model = MODEL()
  tree = launchWhere2(model)
  model.settings.neighbors = 2
  print(predictPEEKING(model, tree, model._rows[1]), model._rows[1].cells[23])


Air pollution directly affects human health endpoints including growth, respiratory processes, cardiovascular health, fertility, pregnancy outcomes, and cancer. Therefore, the distribution of air pollution is a topic that is relevant to all, and of direct interest to many students. Air quality varies across space and time, often disproportionally affecting minority communities and impoverished neighborhoods. Air pollution is usually higher in locations where pollution sources are concentrated, such as industrial production facilities, highways, and coal-fired power plants. The United States Environmental Protection Agency manages a national air quality-monitoring program to measure and report air-pollutant levels across the United States. These data cover multiple decades and are publicly available via a website interface. For this lesson, students learn how to mine data from this website. They work in pairs to develop their own questions about air quality or air pollution that span spatial and/or temporal scales, and then gather the data needed to answer their question. The students analyze their data and write a scientific paper describing their work. This laboratory experience requires the students to generate their own questions, gather and interpret data, and draw conclusions, allowing for creativity and instilling ownership and motivation for deeper learning gains.
Impacts of Ecosystems on Human Health and Well-being : How do humans depend on ecosystems for their health and well-being?
Students will understand the impacts of air quality as it relates to human health, public health, and environmental justice.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of how publicly available air quality data can be used to examine questions about environmental health, public health and environmental justice.
The reading for this lesson highlight the impact that race and socioeconomic factors play in people's exposures to air pollutants (9). To include students with different learning preferences, the activities include different ways of engaging with the material, including reading, interactive discussion, and independent, hands-on computer work. By working in pairs, students can work with students that have distinct strengths than their own.
Students begin this lesson by discussing an article (9) about the relationship between environmental justice and air pollution. After a short tutorial on how to use the EPA website, students work in pairs to ask their own questions and mine the EPA database to address their question.
Formative assessment occurs through performance on pre-lab questions and the in-class discussion. As the summative assessment, students individually write a scientific paper about their work. This assessment currently counts for 80 percent of the topic's laboratory grade. The student handout contains the grading rubric for the paper.
Some students are aware that race and socioeconomic factors influence individual exposures to environmental pollution. However, many are not familiar with specific examples of environmental justice issues and the extent to which exposure to hazardous air quality can be determined by racial and socioeconomic factors (1,2). Our goal in developing this lesson was to inspire students to explore spatial and temporal trends of air pollution in the context of a local example of disparities in air quality and resulting legislation.
In this lesson, run over two laboratory periods, students learn about issues of environmental justice and air pollution and then use the EPA AirData database to pose their own questions regarding special or temporal trends in air quality. This module was developed for non biology-major undergraduates in the laboratory portion of Biology 1055 (Environmental Biology: Science and Solutions). The laboratory course is 1 hour and 55 minutes once a week. Each section has 24 students who generally work in either pairs or groups of four. This laboratory activity has been run for four semesters in 10 laboratory sections. While the EPA AirData website has previously been suggested as a resource for educators wanting to provide students with an opportunity to analyze real scientific data (1,2,3,4), to the best of our knowledge, this is the first structured activity using this resource to be published.
The importance of providing education about environmental justice issues has been highlighted in several publications (1,2,3,4,5,6). The use of local examples and student empowerment has been suggested as important to creating engagement within a student population (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8).
Table 1 shows a typical timeline for this activity.
Learn to use the EPA Data Website: Begin preparation for the lab by becoming familiar with the EPA data website (10) and the datasets available there. Ensure that you understand how to navigate the interactive map on the website. For example, at the time of this writing, the interactive map requires the Google Earth plugin. We were successful in getting this plugin to work when we used the Firefox browser. We contacted the EPA site administrator with questions about problems with the plugin and he informed us that, by summer of 2015, the website should no longer require the plugin.
Ensure students can access the internet during lab. Completion of the lesson requires that each pair of students has access to a computer connected to the internet.
Update the lesson to reflect local geography. This lesson features Twin Cities Metro data, which is relevant for University of Minnesota students. This local report and data appeared to be compelling for many students, especially those who were familiar with these issues or had lived in or near the neighborhoods in question. Of course, a local example will likely be more relevant to students living elsewhere. Thus, we advise instructors to use examples from the EPA website that are relevant to your institutional location and/or to reflect student demographics. The student handout and class slides should then be modified to reflect the instructor's choice of the geographical locations of from which the students will obtain their air pollution data.
Assign students reading to complete before the lab. A week before the lab, assign the entire Environmental Health news article (9) to the entire class. If doing the optional jigsaw activity, every student should additionally read the abstract and the "Brief History" sections (pages 8-9) and the "Moving Forward" section (page 21-22) of the Stanek paper (11). Then each group will read a different, assigned portion of the Stanek paper. If students generally have assigned groups of four, we suggest assigning each person in their 'home' group to a different portion of the paper. During class, students who have been assigned the same portion of the paper will meet in their "Jigsaw Group."
Jigsaw Group 1 reads the section titled "Early Toxicology and its Impact on Public Sentiment Toward Air Pollution" (pages 9-10). Group 2 reads the sections on particulate matter (pages 11-13). Group 3 read the sections titled "Toxicology Establishes Biological Plausibility for Epidemiologic Findings," "Cardiovascular Effects," and "Potential Systemic Effects Revealed by Toxicological Research" (pages 13-15), and Group 4 reads the section on ozone (pages 15-17). Please see Table 2 for a layout of the Jigsaw assignments.
The student handout (S1) presents an introduction to the material that the students should have read prior to the start of class (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,11). The TA/Instructor can start the lab by presenting a short review lecture to refresh the students on this background material describing air pollution and its effects on human health. Potential discussion slides are included in the Air Quality Slide Deck (S5), which includes a recent report showing dramatic differences in life expectancy by neighborhood within the Twin Cities metro area (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,13).( )Other national reports of similar differences are available (14-16).
As the discussion progresses about air pollution and the air quality index, the instructor can use a think-pair-share strategy to encourage students to discuss air pollution or air-quality-index issues. The class then regroups as a whole to share proposed answers.
"For the month of July 2012, Los Angeles, California reported an average daily Air Quality Index (AQI) of 158. For this same month, Chicago, Illinois reported an average daily AQI of 142. Which city appears to have the greater amount of air pollution? What do you think might be the cause of this difference?"
"How is air quality linked to health? What effect do you think air quality has on quality of life in affected areas?"
"Do you think the legislation regarding the Phillips Neighborhood in Minneapolis is justified? Should current air quality be taken into account when choosing where to locate new sources of pollution?"
"How should researchers investigate discrepancies in air quality across racial or socioeconomic lines?"
Students should have enough background from the reading assignment and review lecture to discuss and answer these types of questions.
For 10 minutes, students in each Jigsaw Group will meet to discuss their common assigned reading and compile a document containing five to ten take-home messages from their assigned reading (their assigned portion of the Stanek paper). Students will then return to their lab or 'home' group, which will include students who have read each of the different portions of the paper. For 10 minutes, each student will share what they have learned about their section of the paper and come up with their reflections about what is known about the biological effects of air pollution. In the final 10 minutes, the instructor will lead a general class discussion about the biological effects of air pollution, including information about known health disparities that exist in communities that have higher exposure to air pollution.
At this point, the students working in pairs will go to the EPA AirData website and start the tutorial exercise outlined in their handout. This tutorial will help them to learn the basic data mining procedures on the EPA website. The interactive map and some of the visualization tools on the website provide the students with a tool that can spark their creative ideas about how they want to query the data.
While the students are working, there are reading questions in the handout that the TA/Instructor can check and note their answers in her gradebook. As the student groups work through the tutorial, the TA/Instructor can walk around the room and answer questions. The TA/Instructor can join in on conversations about places or times that groups are discussing and can help the groups focus their ideas on questions that they can ask and comparisons that they can make of the data. In our experience, some tech savvy student groups will complete the tutorial within 10 to 15 minutes and will start developing their ideas and questions. Other groups will need more time.
After the tutorial, students brainstorm questions about air quality/pollution that they can answer using the data. The laboratory handout contains links to other databases that might inform a student's question (for example U.S. Census data, 17). The students may notice that there are some data visualization tools on the AirData website. Our experience is that these tools in present form are not adequate to address the questions students have posed, but some students may find that exploring these tools may spark some ideas for questions that they want to explore further. Examples of student inquiries from our experience include: examining sulfur dioxide concentrations near a refinery close to a student's hometown before and after public attention to pollution surrounding that refinery; comparing air quality in cities with high overall health measures to the air quality in cities with lower health measures; and comparing particulate matter in areas with known coal mining activities to areas without mining activity.
By the end of the first lab, all student groups should have discussed their ideas and questions with the lab instructor. They can interact with the lab instructor over the subsequent week to finalize their question.
During the week two lab, students will have time to pull data from the AirData website that addresses their question and begin generating graphs and working on their analysis. Supporting File S3 (Graphing in Excel) includes a short overview of how to graph in Excel, should the students need help in that area. Alternatively, if two full lab periods are not available, portions of the data mining and data analysis can be done outside of class.
The goals of this module were to introduce students to the concepts of 1) spatial and temporal trends in air quality and 2) data mining as it relates to answering questions about air quality. In our class, other skills such as general scientific method, generation of hypotheses and testable questions, which are needed to perform this activity, are introduced earlier in the semester. For courses in which the timing does not work out that way, additional time should be spent on these aspects of the activity. While we developed this activity to fit into two 115-minute laboratory sessions, this activity could be done in a traditional college or high school classroom setting if small groups of students could share Internet access via laptop or other device. This module can be condensed to fit into a shorter time period or extended to achieve additional learning outcomes.
Based on student feedback and student assessment, we feel that this lab module met our goals in an engaging, active-learning environment. Furthermore, we felt that requiring the students to develop their own questions about the data deepened their learning and sense of ownership in the activity. Several students listed this lab as one of their favorites of the class, noting the association of the lab with a real-world societal problem.
In general, students seemed to understand the connections between air quality and quality of life in communities. Also, through the local example of the air quality issues in the Minneapolis Phillips Neighborhood, they were able to connect these concepts with the concept of environmental justice. Several students even volunteered their experiences and connections with environmental justice issues.
Some students noted that the lab helped them develop data analysis skills that would be valuable in other contexts; others were challenged by the data-mining component. We feel that this experience helped the students to realize that, although the process of going to a website to gather data might seem like an easy task, data mining activities can be complex and require specific skills.
The authors would like to acknowledge the Teaching Assistants Mari Abdo and Kirk Amundson who piloted this activity and provided feedback for improving it. We would like to acknowledge Vanessa Pompei for allowing us to include the materials and methods guide in an appendix that she helped develop. We also thank Jessamina Blum for reading and providing feedback on an early draft of this manuscript.
Trundle, K. 2007. Acquiring online data for scientific analysis. Technology in the Secondary Science Classroom. Ch 6. Ppg 53-61.
Yang, Xiusheng. "GIM3-A visual and interactive contaminant transport simulator for regulatory and educational applications." Environ Manage 83: 44-55.
Andrzejewski, J., Baltodano, M. P., & Symcox, L. 2009. Social justice, peace, and environmental education: Global and Indivisible. Social justice, peace, and environmental education: Transformative standards, 1-16. New York,, NY: Routledge.
Corcoran, P. B., & Wals, A. E. 2004. Higher education and the challenge of sustainability. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Theobald, E. J., Crowe, A., HilleRisLambers, J., Wenderoth, M. P., and Freeman, S. 2015. Women learn more from local than global examples of the biological impacts of climate change. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 13(3): 132-137.
Dimick, A. S. 2012. Student Empowerment in an Environmental Science Classroom: toward a framework for social justice science education. Science Education 96(6):99--1012.
Gammon, C. 2012. Pollution, Poverty and People of Color: Asthma and the Inner City. Environmental Health News. www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/pollution-poverty-people-o.... Accessed January 13, 2014.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2013. AirData Website. www.epa.gov/airquality/airdata/. Accessed December 14, 2013.
Wilder Research. 2012. Health inequities in the Twin Cities. www.wilder.org/Wilder-Research/Publications/Studies/Forms/Study/docsetho.... Accessed December 14, 2013.
MPR news. 2014. In the Twin Cities, where you call home can say a lot about how long you may live. www.mprnews.org/story/2014/02/03/news/twin-cities-life-expectancy-map. Accessed January 13, 2014.
The Atlantic Cities. 2011. Place, not race may better explain America's health disparities. www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2011/10/health-disparities/268/. Accessed January 13, 2014.
Young et al. 2012. Differential Exposure to Hazardous Air Pollution in the United States: A Multilevel Analysis of Urbanization and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Deprivation. Int J Environ Res Public Health 9(6):2204-2225.
Center for Disease Control. 2011. Fact sheet: health disparities in unhealthy air quality. www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth/CHDIR/2011/FactSheets/AirQuality.pdf. Accessed December 14, 2013.
United States Census Bureau. 2014. Census data mapper. www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/maps/datamapper.html. Accessed January 13, 2014.
Authors are not aware of any conflict of interest. Mary A. Williams was funded for her work on this project from an HHMI Grant for Undergraduate Science Education at the University of Minnesota.


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Pop star Christina Aguilera took a break from touring for quite a while. She focused on a successful career on television, and worked on coaching other singers with her amazing talent. However, she recently hit the recording studio again to release a long-awaited new album titled "Liberation". The singer hit it really big in the late 90s / early 2000s, but her reputation as an excellent musical artist has never wained. Today, she pleased millions of adoring fans with the announcement of a new album and tour. The last time the artist was on tour, it was actually about 10 years ago, and she was even pregnant while on the road! Today, she is ready to keep touring and in her own words, "going back to what I do best!"
Christina's new album is expected to be yet another groundbreaking success for the artist, but she isn't the only one who is releasing amazing music. For example, you shouldn't miss a new groundbreaking release, Atl Hip Hop Money Roll, which is one of the best recent releases in the rap genre!


Increased costs of compliance and losses due to fraud are the most pressing issues facing today's community banks.
While some consumers have found ways to avoid bank fees, those who haven't are dissatisfied with the charges being levied on their accounts.
Protecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII) has taken front stage in the fight against financial crime.
Banks are turning to social media to help meet their CIP requirements.
The next generation of ATMs is emerging as technology gives providers greater flexibility and increased control.
'Tis the season...for annual employee performance appraisals.


Globally known as tropical paradise, Srilanka is one of the most sought after tourism destinations in South-Asia. Well, if you are looking for vacations and wish to make your journey pleasurable and memorable than, visit to Srilanka, also known as �Pearl of the Indian Ocean'. One of the most visited destinations, this emerald petite island is popular for its numerous quaint beaches, dark forests, exotic-wild-life parks, cascading waterfalls, picturesque vistas and diverse ranges of flora and fauna that is worth to experience once in a lifetime.
Srilanka has lots of unfathomable attraction and destinations that one can experience during Travel to srilanka. Due to plethora's attractions and wonderments, this country enjoys the visit of tourists from every nook and corner of the world all the year round. Some of the top attractions to explore in Srilanka are.
Encircled by the golden beaches, Srilanka is popular for myriad beaches and the beaches of this country are the finest in the world. This beautiful country is an ideal place for beach lovers, and the land of numerous appealing beaches, which are a major tourist attraction. Beaches of Srilanka are categorized into two parts that is north coast beaches and south-coast beaches. If you are adventure lover then you can indulge in various beach activities including angling, parasailing, windsurfing, water-scooting, scuba-diving and many more. Hikkaduwa, Unawatuna, Mount Lavinia, Negombo, Bentota, Ambalangoda, Weligama, are some of the popular beaches of this country.
Srilanka is home to numerous dense forests and bestowed with amazing flora and fauna. Srilanka forests are home to some of the most unique and rare animals in the entire world. Among many Udawalawe National Park, Yala National Park, Bundala National Park, Horton Plains National Park are some of the most visited wildlife parks.
Srilanka has a varied range of attractions that visitors love to explore during Srilanka tours. Adam's Peak, Sigiriya Rock Fortress, the Dambulla Cave Temples, Vihara Maha Devi Park, Buddha to Polonnaruwa, Yala National Park, The Fort, Dehiwala Zoo are some of the must visit attraction of Srilanka. Apart from sightseeing this beautiful country is famous for shopping and rocking nightlife parties. Srilanka has some of the hotels with supper clubs with music and dancing. Apart from Colombo is another destination of tourist interest. Colombo is the striking, lively and cosmopolitan capital of Srilanka and shows the perfect blend between old and new.
Bustling with commerce, Colombo Tours are becoming famous among vacationers. Be it vacationers, honeymooners or adventure-enthusiast this beautiful city attracts millions of vacationers each year. Tours to Colombo takes tourists from the blare of city to the striking vistas and the relaxation of the beaches. As a holiday destination this beautiful city offers every thing to all. This beautiful city is generally popular for its romantic beaches, magnificent churches and numerous shopping malls. The Fort, Pettah in Colombo, Dehiwala Zoo, Wolvendaal church, Colombo National Museum, Mount Lavinia are some of the notable tourist attractions of this beautiful capital.


Apple is widely recognized as a pioneer in creating a community out of its retail locations. Local Apple stores are more than just places to buy or repair technology. They have become places to hang out, meet up and relax. In fact, many stores host classes, seminars and even local music artists.
Seeing as Apple is the most profitable company in the world , it's no surprise that other retailers are following suit, developing their own unique spin on creating a sense of community among their customer base.
Price wars are a race to the bottom and retailers are starting to turn to customer experience as a means of increasing sales. Grocery chain Kroger, which operates in the middle – offering prices that are neither the lowest nor the highest – has been using data to create a more personalized and pleasant shopping experience for its customers. Their Plus Card loyalty program predicts products individual shoppers may want to purchase, and sends them customized digital coupons.
They are using that same platform to create stores that are specifically designed for the needs of each community based on customer shopping data. They are stocking shelves, merchandising and reworking layouts to serve the unique demographics of each store. Creating a better experience keeps shoppers in Kroger stores longer, increases basket size, and boosts loyalty.
Australian skincare retailer Aesop is also taking a more localized approach to their brick-and-mortar business. Traditionally, chain stores opt for consistency in store design and layout, but Aesop stores are uniquely designed based on the local community. On their website, the company publishes the methodology for the materials and products they choose for each store. They also talk about the local architects and designers they work with in the creation of each store, showing that they give back to the communities they operate in.
Providing a seamless omnichannel experience has been a priority for many retailers, but Anthropologie has turned the model on its head, opting for a more local omnichannel approach to. Each store has its own Instagram account, empowering employees at the local level to boost social exposure and to better connect with their younger, female customer base. Using local accounts ensures that the content is personalized and directly connected to the experience of each store.
Customers who follow a local Anthropologie Instagram channel can shop that feed through Like2Buy. If a customer sees an item on Instagram they want to buy, they simply click and it's theirs. In comparison, if the chain utilized a national Instagram channel only, they could post a link to buy, but not relate that link to a single, localized item known to be available in store.
How Can You Create Community In Your Stores?
Building a sense of community around your stores starts with data. You have to know what your customers want from a store experience and what they are likely to respond to. It does little good to try and imitate the success of someone else. A partner like Lift361 can help you dig in and determine the ties that bind your shoppers together, so you can deliver an experience that will resonate with them.


Somebody - anybody - please explain to me how anyone is going to keep this debacle from repeating should the Museum Park (hereafter referred to as the Expand-o-MAM) come to pass. (Holy cow - the Miami Art Museum finally fixed up that dirt-sucking website! Nice job, people! Now, can we talk? Also, your navbar is drifting leftwards, at least in Safari.) Fred Tasker for the Miami Herald: "Outside help may be brought in to finish PAC: After recommending a new project manager for the PAC, the Miami-Dade manager took a beating from commissioners angered by delays and cost overruns."
Miami-Dade County Manager George Burgess introduced to county commissioners Tuesday his candidate for the hot-seat job of finishing the Performing Arts Center -- which is $67 million over budget and 20 months behind schedule. He's Ronald M. Austin, a principal with a construction firm that completed two performing arts centers in Ohio with Cesar Pelli -- the renowned architect who also designed Miami's PAC -- on time and within budget.
At the meeting, commissioners spent three hours scolding Burgess and several past county managers for letting the project get so out of hand -- then gave him grudging approval to formally submit his program for completing the center for a July 13 commission vote. Testy commissioners were clearly glancing over their shoulders at testier voters.
"We're going to be blamed, Mr. Manager," said Commissioner Javier Souto. "You people better get your house in order."
"I refuse to admit we were asleep at the switch," said Commissioner Jimmy Morales. "We relied on our professionals. Obviously, they were wrong."
Austin's salary, if commissioners go along with his hiring, will be negotiated. Burgess last week spoke of the position as $175,000 to $225,000 a year. Austin would replace the county's current PAC manager, Gail Thompson, who makes $172,000 a year and will take on administrative duties at the PAC.
Burgess and Austin briefed commissioners on a plan Burgess made public last week. It would settle up to $89 million in possible claims from the center's builder and $20 million from its architect at less than 50 cents on the dollar, bring in new management and a professional consulting firm, create a $10 million contingency fund and complete the center by May 31, 2006.
PAC Trust President Michael Hardy told the commissioners that, beyond the $67 million in overruns, the PAC will need $17.4 million in fixtures, furnishings, security systems, phones, computers and other equipment (though he said $7.9 million of it can be deferred) and $10 million in pre-opening operating costs.
It's like nobody down here has ever built a building before. What's the problem?
Rolle [editor's note: Who?], speaking of Austin's new job of getting the architect and builder to work together -- a major factor in the delays and higher costs -- [said]: "This is going to be like two porcupines making love."
Consider Museum Park; it toils, also it spins. How much is it going to cost? It's a big gosh-darned mystery!
"Unfortunately a lot of those numbers are moving targets," admits the chairwoman of the Miami Museum of Science board, Louise Valdes-Fauli. [The Museum of Science is part of the Museum Park project.] With her perky sorority bob and serious business suit, Valdes-Fauli efficiently ticks off the costs that need to be covered. She gets a little ticked off herself when pressed for more specifics. "We have over a 50-year history," she snaps. "We are not a new museum starting up a huge building. We have seen economic cycles. We've experienced them."
The PAC's overruns nearly equal (or exceed, depending on how you look at it) the total price tag on the known costs of the Expand-o-MAM.
The major cause of the overruns was that our civic leaders could not get the architect and the builder to work together.
The Expand-o-MAM is a public project of similar scope.
The unknown and unstated costs of the Expand-o-MAM could be anything.
So before I get on board and start cheering for the Expand-o-MAM, I want reasonable estimates for those "other cost considerations" instead of mystery meat, I want a realistic assessment of where that money is going to come from, and I want to know what protections are going to be put in place so that hissy fits between our service providers don't transmogrify into a giant toilet for money.
Museum projects, on the other hand, are generally much less complex undertakings and have a much, much better track record of coming in underbudget and on time. Not to say that a tremendous amount of smart planning is not desparately needed, but that, according to some, comparing the new Museum Park with the Performing Arts Center evokes the old 'apples and oranges' argument.
As an artist, one not involved in municipal matters like building projects, I find this no more interesting than the usual boondoggle/graft/official-per-week indictment (which I suppose will be next) so common in the Miami news. MAM is a latecomer art museum, hardly a museum, really, because its permanent collection is minimal and there is not much hope of making it much better when even bad and minor art goes for millions. Their exhibitions - what I have seen of them - have been uninspired and occasionally dreadful. When this thing gets done it will be yet another cultural implant, perhaps contributing to the general public good, but with almost nothing to do with what artists are thinking, arguing and worrying about every day. I am not saying it is unimportant or unworthy of attention, just not that interesting for artists, and having less to do with art altogether than it may seem.
Thank you Franklin for saying all of those things about the performing arts center and the musuem complex that the rest of us out here are dizzy trying to comprehend. There are no easy answers but saying that yes we are watching and thinking about what is being done on that PAC project in the emphatic and clear-thinking way that you did took some BALLS!
ST, those are comforting thoughts, if they're true. That said, $67 million is an awfully big boo boo, considering it's my money and maybe yours too. Also, museums are prone to the same money and management issues as these performing arts centers; if this is business as usual, then let's have business as unusual for once.
Oldpro: This gives me the opportunity to announce my new website: MunicipalBuildingsBlog.com, where we can parse these issues without disturbing the regular readership at Artblog.net. Seriously, Oldpro, as an artist, the outcome of this could easily end up affecting your life.
NS: It's probably just lack of propriety, but thank you.
Really? Affect my life? Should I be fearful or happy?
I guess either's an option, but consider a best-case scenario: bigger museum = more curators, more shows, and more space for them = more curatorial diversity = a bigger chance that you and I will get to show our work there.
Ah! That's what I like: faultless logic, logic that says that the bigger the museum the more likely that our art will be shown there. Unfortunately what gets shown has something to do with fashion and trends, and, pessimist that I've become, I have a sneaky suspicion there is enough of that waiting at the starting gate to fill a dozen new museums.
A little strong to call it logic - think of it as a possibility. Crabby flakes for breakfast, Oldpro?
More people seeing art is good, even if it's art I don't like. Those people are in on the conversation. As an arts writer, I can reach them. It's the people who aren't looking at or thinking about art who are the problem. A big-ol' museum could move a lot of folks from the latter category into the former. That's why I want it to be done well.
Yup. Crabby flakes every morning. Good for the digestion. Helps one from becoming full of you-know-what.
I don't think more people seeing art is good. More people seeing good art is more like it. Art is already too popular. The people who are not seeing the art are not the problem. How could they be? The problem is the people involved with art who have no idea what to do with it.
Art is too popular? Are you serious? You really think there is a sufficient amount of people in this town getting out and seeing art?
I highly doubt that here in Miami its identified, is it not, as one of the poorest cities in the United States? that the majority of people have frequent access to art and culture. And those that do attend art events, I'm afraid, aren't encouraged to use it to enrich their lives so much as a means of enriching their pocketbook.
Art-related events in this city relate to a very specific crowd of people, so even when they are affordable the ambience is such that it would make most people feel out of place and uncomfortable. I think thats really sad.
Growing up as I did, on a welfare program and isolated for the most part from the resources that the middle class-plus enjoys, I found the most meaningful experiences in my life to be artful ones. No, not attending gallery openings and cocktail parties or expensive art workshops, but having the opportunity to use that rare field trip to an art museum as a way to see life in a poetic way through a work of art. That vision that one develops by interacting with art allows one to see everyday experiences as something a little more meaningful. Thats not a minor thing.
I realize that I define art very broadly. I dont see this as a problem, however.
Allowing art to be something that is more expansive than its market allows more people to have the kind of poetic experiences that they can identify with on an individual basis. These experiences inform the kind of creative thinking that makes really good art-making possible.
Different art will speak to different people, and I think the problem right now is a lack of genuine diversity. I wouldnt say art is too popular I might say instead that it is too trendy but it sure isnt a part of peoples everyday lives in a way that would diffuse the materialism and consumerism that really is corrupting this town.
Oh, yes, completely serious. Art is a specialty. It is not for everyone. Art is, if you will, for an "elite". I use that word deliberately because it will create an automatic negative reaction and will be immediately misunderstood. How non-PC can I get? But if art is elitist by nature (as is any specialty, brain surgery or plumbing, for example) it is denied to no one, and should be denied to no one. Please note the difference.
By your second paragraph you are already conflating popularity with availability. There's a difference there, too. Of course art should be available, as available as possible. Your experience, as you have related it, is eloquent testimony to this. Having "the kind of poetic experiences that they can identify with on an individual basis" is exactly what art is there for. Making art available for this purpose is one of the blessings and obligations of a free society. I wish there was some way to make it more available. God knows, there is very little of any merit to be seen in this huge metropolis of ours.
Lack of diversity is a problem, but it is not the primary problem. The primary problem is that art has become seen much less as a "poetic experience" for people such as yourself (who are the "elite" I refer to, uncomfortable as that may make you) and much more a victim of the " materialism and consumerism" you deplore in your note. These are mighty forces, and art is a precious and fragile resource. That's why I think a blog like this may be the only way to get the art-loving "elite" a more powerful voice and bring some clear thinking into this enterprise.
What you say in this last post makes good sense. Art not being something that could and should be for everyone is hard thing for an idealist me to swallow, but it does give me a lot of constructive ideas to think about.
Also, you seem to say that we dont need more art, we need more good art (and who can argue against more good art!). However, people argue all the time about what qualifies as good. I get the impression that you think art should be limited to only that YOU would qualify as good, and everything that falls outside your standards has no constructive place in art dialogue. That is, at least, how you come across in posts. You would need to be an unquestionable authority on what is and is not good in order to validate that claim, and while you are a highly reputable expert on such matters, you also recognize the importance of ones personal experience with a work of art and being as valid to that person as your own experiences are for you, implying the necessity of a forum where ALL authority especially that which is often taken for granted as incontestable can be questioned.
So it's just that I simply see a lot of contradictions in what you say, and that is likely due to my own inability to grasp your perspective clearly. It would help if you could elaborate on some suggestions you have regarding how you think things should be done. If a new museum is a bad idea, then give me a good idea. Please.
Art IS for everyone. It is out there, available for everyone. As many people as want to see it should see it. These are just facts that conform to realities. I never said more or less people should be seeing it or not seeing it, nor that a new museum is a "bad idea", just that as it is conceived and operated I think it will have very little to do with the direct relationship and discourse about art such as that which we are having right now. If you have no taste for art and get nothing from it it is best not to bother. Same goes for music, poetry, spaghetti with clam sauce or sunbathing.
My problem is that all kinds of people get in on art who get nothing from it and have no intimate feeling for it but, because of the huge prestige & money art comes in company with, get involved with art and get in the way of that personal relationship with art that I think we both agree is the basic reason we have it. Yes, I wish they would all just go away. I don't want to have anything to do with them.
Sure I am opinionated, but even if I did think I was some kind of "ultimate authority" it would not matter. I care nothing for "highly reputable experts" - they are wrong more often than not. As you say, all authority can and should be open to question. And also as you said, people argue all the time about what is good, and people will continue to do so. That's fine with me. I'd like to see more of it, and I would like to see it on a higher level of discourse, much more open and free and with much more direct engagement from people like yourself. I think a blog like this may be the only place to get it and it is why decided to write for it. So what's a good idea? The blog, I hope.
My problem is that all kinds of people get in on art who get nothing from it and have no intimate feeling for it but, because of the huge prestige & money art comes in company with, get involved with art and get in the way of that personal relationship with art that I think we both agree is the basic reason we have it.
I completely agree with you on that. I also think that the people who get involved with art for reasons of prestige and money likewise discourage some people who, like you and me, would get a lot out of looking at art for other reasons. This art crowd makes art feel very inaccessible for most people. Even if they could just as easily get out of their house and into a gallery if they so chose, why would they if they are only going to experience a suffocating environment full of high-society posturing that has little to do with art?
So while I think that blogging is an EXCELLENT way to promote art discourse in this town, I would also love to see institutions out there that champion art education for people from all backgrounds. Such institutions can support venues that attract a greater variety of people with non-economical aims out to see local art.
Museums do what they can to bring art to people and "educate", but the effort has its own built-in limitations. The basic difficulty with art is that, unlike music or literatiure, it cannot be effectively reproduced. The best "education" is exposure, and museums are stuffed to the gills with art in storage which they do not have the space to show. Blogging won't help this problem much, but at least it may get us talking about it.
I respectfully suggest to "Some thoughts/More thoughts/Confused/I agree" that you get a consistent handle, so that your discourse can be better followed and engaged. Whoever you are, your voice is welcome.
I don't believe a serious art lover can be made unless s/he is also born. There has to be an innate aptitude for art, which needs to be developed by exposure, experience and learning, but it cannot be acquired if it is not there. Everyone does not have such aptitude, hence the concept of an "elite." You yourself, given your less-than-favorable socioeconomic background, are an example of what I'm talking about. If you had not been born with the requisite aptitude, you would not have gravitated toward art. Of course you had to be exposed to art for the aptitude to blossom and bear fruit, but no amount of exposure would have made you what you are if the seed had not been in place already.
I am another such example. I grew up in a tiny rural town where, for all practical purposes, art did not exist. Nobody thought about it. It was not part of people's lives. Neither my family nor schooling, let alone society, gave me any encouragement in that direction. Until I was 11, I had no such concept as "Art." And then, by a twist of fate, I wound up one day in the Prado Museum in Madrid, which to me might as well have been Mars. It was like, "What the hell IS all this stuff?" But something happened. The seed, which had lain dormant and unwatered, began to germinate. I still had no external encouragement, but I no longer needed it because I'd awakened. I encouraged myself, or art did, once I'd discovered it. I went after it, pursued it, learned about it on my own, made it MINE. That's how it works for those who really connect with art.
I expect Oldpro, as his name implies, will understand what I'm saying. You may be younger and more idealistic, which is fine, but be realistic as well. Don't buy into the notion that if a big enough museum is built, everyone will magically become a real art lover. It doesn't work that way.
Im not saying that a bigger museum is necessarily better not at all. I believe that such institutions have the potential to enact really great things, but they need to act on that potential and utilize it well. I see museums and other educational institutions like cultural centers and schools as extremely vital to the growth and nurturance of an art community.
I also believe that not everyone innately gravitates towards art, and thats completely acceptable. That doesnt mean to me, however, that everyone cant benefit from exposure to art, whether or not they have an immediate inclination toward it.
For instance, I personally feel somewhat removed from music its very hard for me to understand and talk about it, and definitely do not have an ear for it. Its completely mysterious to me. My life, however, has been enriched by exposure to it, even if I cant appreciate it or discuss it they way music aficionados can.
I dont think that the current state of affairs in the art world here provides a welcoming enough community for some people who do gravitate toward art but are not a part of the exclusive social milieu to feel as though they have a voice. I feel in many ways I was extremely lucky to have the exposure to art that I did, however limited it was. I could have very easily been born somewhere where such exposure was not at all accessible. Or I could have also been raised in a location where I had earlier and better exposure to art and thus be able to discuss art in a more sophisticated way than I am able to now.
And so I simply support ways to make the current art scene more welcoming to a broader audience, so that the people who could make valuable contributions to the art world can be better equipped with the knowledge and the space to do so. Also, if people who arent artistically inclined learn a thing or two, art can become a more relevant part of our culture, giving the rest of us more freedom to interact with art in a more substantial way. If a new museum can help these aims, then I support it. But I definitely do not see museums as the end-all of art outreach, not at all they are simply one vehicle that can help actualize it. Thats all.
Well, Last Post, whoever you are, I hope you get further internet access and get back to the blog sometime.


Here are photos, for press use, of the CSL Florey medal winner for 2011. Videos and images of the presentation will be available after Monday.
Click on the photos to view the full-size image, then right click on the image to save it.