text:
\section{Introduction}
The discovery of large masses of dust in high-redshift quasars and Damped-Lyman-Alpha Systems two decades ago (\cite{pei91}, \cite{bert03}) rekindled the study of cosmic dust formation in evolved circumstellar environments (ECEs). While evolved objects on the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) are by far the dominant dust makers in local galaxies and the Milky Way, other candidates contributing to the dust budget in the early universe include massive stars and their ultimate stage of evolution, their explosion as supernovae (SNe). The most abundant dust-forming SNe are of Type II-P and have Red Supergiant stars (hereafter RSGs) as progenitors. The interaction of the SN explosion blast wave with the circumstellar wind of the RSG progenitor indirectly probes the nature of the RSG wind in term of chemical composition, dust content, and mass loss rate. Understanding the way massive stars form dust thus becomes a crucial issue to the assessment of the galactic dust budget in the local and far Universe.

RSGs correspond to the late stage of evolution of moderately massive stars ($10 \leq$ M$_{\star} < 30$ M$_{\odot}$). Theses stars show a wide spread in their mass loss rates, with values ranging from $\sim 1 \times 10^{-6}$ M$_{\odot}$~yr$^{-1}$~for $\alpha$ Ori~(\cite{mau11}) to  $\sim 3 \times 10^{-4}$ M$_{\odot}$~yr$^{-1}$~for VY CMa (\cite{hum05}). The mechanisms triggering mass loss are not well understood, and unlike the case of AGB stars, dust certainly plays a minor role to the overall mass loss process. RSG winds are probably accelerated in the stellar outer atmosphere by the combined effect of convection, rotation, and chromospheric activity (\cite{uit98}; \cite{joss07}; \cite{ohn11}), resulting in an extremely heterogeneous nebula where small to large convective cells, shocks, plumes and knots are observed (Kervella {\em et al.\/} 2009, 2011; \cite{chia10}). Understanding the synthesis of solid grains in RSGs thus represents an interesting challenge because of the dynamics and harsh conditions encountered in the stellar outer atmosphere and wind.

\section{Molecules and dust in red supergiants}
A wealth of observational data exists on RSG winds in the (near-) infrared (IR). Molecules have been detected in the wind of several objects, including VY CMa,  $\mu$ Cep, and $\alpha$ Ori.  The water molecule, H$_2$O, was first detected in $\mu$ Cep and $\alpha$ Ori~by \cite{dan65}. However, Tsuji (2000, 2006) first recognised that the observed near-IR absorption bands originated from a molecular layer called the MOLsphere, consisting of water, and to a minor extent, the cyano radical, CN. The MOLsphere is found to be located above but close to the stellar photosphere, at $\sim$ 2 R$_{\odot}$. For the specific case of $\alpha$ Ori, a thin MOLsphere located at 1.3 R$_{\odot}$~made of silicon monoxide, SiO, water, and alumina (Al$_2$O$_3$) grains is necessary to reproduce the optical depth excess  in the mid-IR (\cite{per07}).

Major advances on the composition of RSG winds have been achieved with the submm Herschel space telescope. In VY CMa, \cite{roy10} showed that the wind harboured a very rich, oxygen chemistry dominated by H$_2$O, where O-bearing species coexisted with carbon-bearing species such as HCN and CS. The presence of both oxygen- and carbon-bearing molecules may trace the breaking of CO molecules by shocks, as in the case of AGB stars (Cherchneff 2006, 2012), and/or the existence of a strong UV field. The great molecular richness of VY CMa was already emphasised by Ziurys {\it et al.} (2007) with the detection of many molecular rotational transitions tracing various components of the wind. Small metal oxide species including AlO, TiO, and TiO$_2$ have also been detected in the gas-phase close to the star (\cite{ten09}; Kami{\'n}ski {\em et al.\/} 2012, 2013), revealing a pool of gas-phase species involved in the formation of dust such as alumina and titanates. A similarly rich molecular outflow is found for the RSG NML Cygni, but the MOLsphere of $\alpha$ Ori~shows a more limited molecular sample, including CO, H$_2$O and OH (\cite{tes12}). No SiO lines were detected in the Herschel spectra of $\alpha$ Ori~reported by Teyssier {\em et al.\/} (2012), in contrast with the modelling of spectro-interferometric data by Perrin {\em et al.\/} (2007), for which a large SiO column density in the MOLsphere is required. SiO being a key species in the formation pathway to silicates, some transitions of this species will probably be detected in the wind of $\alpha$ Ori\ as more Herschel data become available. The molecular species so far observed in a few RSGs are summarised in Table 1.

\begin{table}
\caption{Observed molecules in the inner and intermediate wind of the RSG stars $\alpha$ Ori, VY CMa, and NML Cyg. Data are taken from Ziurys et al. (2007), Tenenbaum \& Ziurys (2009), Teyssier et al. (2012), and Kami{\'n}ski et al. (2013).  }
\label{tab4}
\centering
\begin{tabular}{lccc }
\\
\hline\hline

 Species & $\alpha$ Ori& NML Cyg  &VY CMa \\
 \hline
CO  &  X&X&X \\
H$_2$O  &  X&X&X \\
OH  &  X&X&X \\
SiO &  &X&X \\
HCN &  & X&X \\
H$_2$S & & X & X \\
CS & &  & X\\
SiS & & & X\\
CN &  &  &X \\
PN & &  & X\\
AlO & & &X \\
TiO & & &X \\
TiO$_2$ & & &X \\
NaCl & &  & X\\
HCO$^+$ & & &X\\

\hline
\end{tabular}

\end{table}

This plethora of detected molecules indicates that RSG winds must be conducive to dust formation. However, the dust formation radius derived from data modelling in RSGs spans a wide value range. \cite{dan94} derived a large inner radius ($\sim 40$ R$_{\odot}$) for the dust shell in $\alpha$ Ori~from interferometric data, while the dust shell for VY CMa was found close to the star ($\sim 5$ R$_{\odot}$). Such a location is encountered in AGB stars, where dust forms in the shocked gas layers above the stellar photosphere (\cite{cher06}). The dust composition in RSGs is still a matter of debate. ISO-SWS mid-IR spectra show bands at 9 $\mu$m and 18 $\mu$m, indicative of the presence of amorphous silicates, namely olivine. In the case of $\alpha$ Ori, an extra source of mid-IR opacity is required to explain the observed mid-IR excess, and the best fit to the data is achieved when alumina (Al$_2$O$_3$)~dust is added to the composition of the MOLsphere (\cite{ver06}; \cite{per07}). For a large RSG sample, \cite{spe00} and Verhoelst {\em et al.\/} (2006) show that the mid-IR excess can be fitted with a combination of O-rich dust, including olivine, Mg$_{0.8}$Fe$_{1.2}$SiO$_4$, melilite, Ca$_2$Al$_2$O$_7$, and Al$_2$O$_3$. However, this choice of condensates is guided by condensation sequences derived from thermodynamic equilibrium (TE) and may then be questionable, as discussed in \S \ref{note}.

\section{Dust formation as a non-equilibrium process in stellar outflows}
\label{note}
There exists to date no satisfactory model of dust formation in ECEs. The great difficulty resides in the characterisation of the different steps involved in the formation of solid grains out of the gas phase. In this regard, modelling the production of cosmic carbon dust took advantage of the numerous information provided by the field of combustion chemistry on the formation of soot (\cite{frek89}; \cite{cher92}). As to silicate dust, notwithstanding the studies purveyed by the field of material science on ceramic and silicon film growth, the steps leading to the synthesis of silica and silicates are still partly unknown.

In this context and for decades, studies on the synthesis of cosmic dust in various types of ECEs (e.g., AGB stars, RSGs, supernovae) have been based on the assumption of TE to predict "condensation sequences" (\cite{gros74}; \cite{tie90}; \cite{tie98}; \cite{lod06}), and the use of Classical Nucleation Theory (CNT) to derive grain size distributions for specific dust chemical compositions (\cite{koz89}; \cite{gail99}; \cite{tod01}; \cite{bian07}). For O-rich environments, the condensation sequence derived by Tielens (1990) and Tielens {\em et al.\/} (1998) is based on a description of the wind assuming TE from the photosphere to large radii, an assumption that does not hold in general in ECEs, owing to the complex dynamics of the outflows that include shocks, chromospheric activity, UV fields, etc. For example, alumina small clusters form after forsterite clusters in the O-rich zones of supernovae ejecta because of the radioactivity-induced chemistry specific to these environments (\cite{sar13}). This result is in direct contrast with the condensation sequences derived for O-rich environments (e.g., \cite{tie90}), and shows that the use of TE predictions can be misleading in the interpretation of complex media such as RSG winds. As to CNT, the description of the dust nucleation phase assumes steady state, optical properties and concepts (i.e., sticking coefficient, surface tension) appropriate for the bulk material. These assumptions are clearly not satisfactory to describe the formation of small molecular clusters entering the nucleation phase of dust synthesis for the conditions pertaining to ECEs. \cite{don85} were the first to question the use of CNT for the description of dust formation in space decades ago.

More generally, dust grains form out of the gas phase following a two-step process that involves a nucleation and condensation phase (\cite{cher10}; \cite{cher11}; \cite{sar13}). The nucleation phase consists of the formation of molecules and molecular clusters out of the gas phase and is controlled by chemical kinetics and the ability of gas-phase species (i.e, atoms, molecules, ions) to react with one another to form larger chemical entities. Chemical reactions, their rate and occurrence, therefore control the growth of clusters from the gas phase. The condensation phase produces dust grains through the coalescence, surface growth, and coagulation of large molecular clusters. This phase is usually described by various formalisms (moments, bin, or Monte-Carlo methods) based on collision theory. Both phases are observed and studied in the laboratory with many experimental devices and techniques producing dust such as flame aerosol technologies and vaporisation experiments.

\section{Nucleation of oxygen-rich dust}
The formation of cosmic dust from a gaseous medium requires high gas densities and temperatures and sufficient time for the nucleation of small clusters to proceed, followed by their coalescence, coagulation, and growth to form dust grains. Therefore, the dense, hot zones above the photosphere of evolved stars such as AGBs or RSGs are conducive to the production of dust grains. Because the photosphere of RSGs is rich in oxygen, silicon, magnesium, and aluminium owing to the nucleosynthesis in massive stellar cores, the condensates should include calcium-magnesium-iron silicates (members of both the olivine and pyroxene family) and metal oxides (e.g., alumina Al$_2$O$_3$~ and/or spinel Mg$_2$Al$_2$O$_4$). Despite the wealth of studies dedicated to the formation of silicates and ceramics in the laboratory, the identification of molecular precursors to dust formation is still a difficult task. For silicates, alumina, or spinel, no gas-phase monomers exist from which solids grow by direct coalescence or coagulation. Flame aerosol or shock-induced combustion experiments have indeed highlighted the important role of heterogeneous seed clusters in the formation of these solid compounds (\cite{mcmil96}; \cite{prat98}; \cite{cat03}).

\subsection{Silicates}
\begin{figure}
\label{fig1}
\includegraphics[scale=0.38]{fig1}
\caption{The structures of a few clusters involved in the synthesis of forsterite dimers taken from \cite{gou12} (red: oxygen, yellow: silicon, blue: magnesium, grey: hydrogen). Cluster 7 corresponds to the entastite dimer (MgSiO$_3$)$_2$. }
\end{figure}

In an astrophysical context, silicate formation has been investigated in the laboratory by several groups, including Rietmeijer {\em et al.\/} (1999, 2002), \cite{kai03}, \cite{kam05}, and \cite{kim08}. In all experiments, the vaporisation of solid magnesium and silicon oxides led to the formation of crystalline Mg-bearing silicate like forsterite, Mg$_2$SiO$_4$, Mg-bearing amorphous silicates, MgO grains (periclase and amorphous), SiO$_2$ grains and pure Si grains. Several studies emphasise a two-step process in which periclase and silica form in the first place, and further coalesce to give forsterite or amorphous silicates, e.g., \cite{kim08}. Under circumstellar conditions, \cite{kol97} showed that MgO grains were not the preferred intermediates in the dust nucleation process, a point corroborated by recent chemical models of supernova ejecta (\cite{sar13}). In the specific context of H-rich ECEs (e.g., AGB and RSG winds), the large H$_2$ content ensures that reaction of H$_2$ with MgO, a highly exothermic process, will destroy the newly formed small oxide, hampering its formation in the gas (\cite{pla13}).

Recently, \cite{gou12} proposed a new nucleation scheme leading to small silicate clusters with the stochiometric composition of enstatite and forsterite. The scheme is based on the more energetically favourable paths to silicate growth. The growth mechanism consists of the initial formation of the SiO dimer, Si$_2$O$_2$, from a SiO-rich gas, followed by a two-step sequence involving 1) the addition of one oxygen atom to SiO dimers and subsequent silicate intermediates through reactions with O-bearing species available in the gas phase; and 2) the addition of one magnesium atom to the silicate cluster lattice. All chemical reactions characterising these addition steps are down-hill processes (exothermic), unlike the formation of the SiO dimer. Therefore, the closure of the Si$_2$O$_2$ ring represents the bottleneck to the synthesis of small silicate clusters. Some intermediate clusters involved in the formation of enstatite and forsterite dimers are illustrated in Figure 1.

\subsection{Alumina}
\begin{figure}
\label{fig2}
\includegraphics[scale=0.35]{fig2}
\caption{Examples of the most stable structures of small Al$_2$O$_3$~clusters adapted from Li \& Cheng (2012) (red: oxygen, grey: aluminium). }
\end{figure}

The structure of small alumina clusters has been extensively studied theoretically (e.g., \cite{archi99}; \cite{li12}), and some structures of small Al$_2$O$_3$~polymer clusters are illustrated in Figure 2. Although there exists no well-identified chemical pathways to their formation, a possible route can be conjectured based on cluster structures. Because of the structural similarities between (SiO)$_2$ and (AlO)$_2$, the formation of small alumina clusters may first involve the closure of the (AlO)$_2$ ring, and the later addition of oxygen to lead to Al$_2$O$_3$. Further growth to Al$_2$O$_3$~ dimers and trimers may occur with further addition of Al via reaction with Al, AlO, and AlOH, while oxygen addition may proceed from reaction with H$_2$O, OH, and/or O$_2$. Such a scheme awaits confirmation by a thourough assessment of the chemical pathways and rates involved in each growth step.

\section{Silicate clusters in O-rich AGB winds}

\begin{figure}
\label{fig3}
\includegraphics[scale=0.42]{fig3}
\caption{Abundances of silicate clusters with respect to H$_2$ as a function of pulsation phase in the shocked inner wind of the Mira star IK Tau (Gobrecht \& Cherchneff, in preparation).   }
\end{figure}

The formation of silicate dust in RSGs chemically resembles that occurring in O-rich AGB stars. Both environments are H-rich and comprise silicon monoxide, SiO, atomic magnesium and iron, and water. To test the silicate chemical growth proposed by \cite{gou12}, the inner wind of the Mira star IK Tau is modelled following \cite{dua99} and Cherchneff (2006). The model includes a chemical kinetic description of the various gas-phase processes coupled to the nucleation routes to forsterite dimers, and considers the impact of shocks on the outer atmosphere of IK Tau. This approach was successful in reproducing the chemical composition of the inner wind of carbon- and O-rich AGBs (\cite{cher06, cher12}). The abundances of small silicate clusters with respect to H$_2$ as a function of pulsation phase in the post-shock gas above the photosphere are illustrated in Figure 3. One striking aspect is the rapid conversion of SiO to SiO dimers and the growth of clusters leading to the formation of forsterite and enstatite dimers when the post-shock gas temperature drops below $\sim$ 2500 K. This formation does not equally deplete all clusters, and small clusters such as SiO dimers and Mg$_3$Si$_2$O$_7$ may survive the nucleation step. These clusters may either be expelled as free-flying species in the wind or eventually coalesce at lower temperatures to form amorphous silicates. This preliminary study indicates that silicate dust clusters seem to easily form in the inner wind of Mira stars, pointing to the efficient formation of silicate dust in these environments.

\section{Conclusions}
The gas conditions in RSG winds above the photosphere are hasher than those found in AGB outflows. As revealed by optical and UV observations of $\alpha$ Ori, the chromospheric activity generates a hot plasma that coexists with a more abundant, cooler gas lifted above the photosphere by convective cells (\cite{lim98}). It is then likely that the formation of dust in RSGs occurs in the dense, cool, clumpy component of the wind. A puzzling case is that of $\alpha$ Ori, where Al$_2$O$_3$~dust is required in the MOLsphere close to the star to account for the mid-IR opacity excess, whilst silicate grains are observed at large radii above the stellar surface. Two scenarios have been proposed. The first scenario considers a two-shell configuration where dust destruction by chrosmospheric activity is effective after the formation of Al$_2$O$_3$~until large radii and cooler temperatures are reached where anew silicate dust forms (\cite{ver09}). A second scenario considers the steady formation of Al$_2$O$_3$~close to the photosphere. Al$_2$O$_3$~being transparent, it would become detectable at radii where silicates form and coat the Al$_2$O$_3$~grains, resulting in a silicate dust shell at large radii (\cite{ona89}). Both scenarios overlook the problem of the low gas density encountered at large radii which will hamper efficient silicate cluster coalescence and coagulation at these large distances.

In some RSGs like VY CMa, the dust formation process may resemble that operating in AGB winds, where molecules and dust clusters are efficiently produced close to the star. For these objects, dust may contribute to the triggering of the mass loss close to the stellar surface. In the case of $\alpha$ Ori, the low molecular content and poor chemical complexity observed close to the stellar photosphere (see Table~1) may indicate a less efficient dust production process. Dust there may not be a key player in the wind acceleration mechanism. More generally, dust formation is not an equilibrium process and is highly dependent of the physics and chemistry of the locus where grains form. Because the dust formation zone in RSGs is clumpy and has a complex dynamics, it is difficult to derive plausible scenarios for the formation of dust in such environments without a proper physico-chemical model of RSG winds.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
Seagrove is in the geographic center of the state, but for many people, it's the center of the pottery universe. Here, artists like Sid Luck — a fifth-generation potter —
NC Icons: Pottery
In a state naturally rich in red clay, potters like the legendary Sid Luck carry on a long-held North Carolina tradition.
photograph by Jeremiah McLamb/JerFilm Productions
Seagrove is in the geographic center of the state, but for many people, it's the center of the pottery universe. Here, artists like Sid Luck — a fifth-generation potter — built a community of studios and shops from the ground up, and continue to pass down a tradition that began here hundreds of years ago.
This story was published on Jan 18, 2023
Our State Staff
Since 1933, Our State has shared stories about North Carolina with readers both in state and around the world. We celebrate the people and places that make this state great. From the mountains to the coast, we feature North Carolina travel, history, food, and beautiful scenic photography.
1 Made in NC: Bright Black
2 Made in NC: Our Most Honorable Mentions of 2022
3 Three Days in Yancey County
4 Joy Full at Mud Dabbers Pottery

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Council Unveils Transformation Programme to Generate £10.7m and Modernise Services
Newport City Council has embarked upon their 3 year transformation programme to reform social services and generate £10.7m of savings, with £1.9m cashable in year 1. The programme, undertaken by the Newton Consortium, which includes operational improvement specialists Newton and Local Government outcomes specialists Coactiva, has been set up so that fees are 100% contingent, guaranteed against results.
The reform of Social Services dates back to 2009 where Newport City Council - the 8th largest unitary authority in Wales - set out to make front line services fit for the future whilst responding to national financial pressures.
The Consortium - which has extensive experience in delivering successful transformation programmes and performance-led efficiency solutions - will be working with the council to further their efforts in improving and modernising Social Services, while delivering financial savings.
As with all Newton's programmes, the work will be carried out on a unique risk reward model where all fees are 100% contingent on the realisation of financial savings. This approach, new to Local Government, puts 100% of the fees at risk enabling the Council to have confidence that financial results will be delivered within committed timescales.
Coactiva is working with Newton to apply the risk reward model to Local Government, ensuring that savings are sustainable and that key outcomes and services are protected. A multi-disciplinary team of experts, including experienced Local Government practitioners, will be working in close collaboration with council staff to implement productivity and technology enhancements that will improve outcomes and service quality.
The 3 year programme will identify and achieve efficiencies in Adults' Services, Children's Services and Business Support, delivering the additional and necessary capacity to modernise services. This work also includes a focus on making the best use of the technology that is currently available to the Council.
Steve Phillips, Business Manager at Newton said: "At the forefront of this efficiency programme is improving the services the council delivers and commissions. We will be observing the entire customer journey and ensuring committed savings are realised while delivering safe, coherent and efficient processes for service provision.
Ray Fielding, CEO of Coactiva Group added: "We are excited to be working with Newport on this programme, delivering significant and sustainable financial savings whilst protecting and improving the key outcomes. The skills used throughout the programme will be transferred to Newport's staff so they can continue to sustain and drive further improvement."
Stewart Greenwell, Corporate Director, Care and Customers at Newport said: "There is a need for service change and we are all committed to making this happen. We are positive that this close partnership will deliver more streamlined processes for service delivery, significantly improving the experience of users and carers and delivering our own internal financial objectives."
"The staff at Newport have been forging a collaborative relationship with the Consortium so that a legacy is left to ensure that we work towards continuous improvement year on year."


text:
from math import pi
from utils import wrap_radians

class HeadingController:
    def __init__(self, state, controls):
        self.vstate = state
        self.controls = controls
        self.enabled = False
        self.target_heading = 0
        self.last_heading = 0
        self.Kp = 1.0
        self.last_heading_error = 0
        self.last_steer = 0

#    def set_steer(self, steering):
#        self.enabled = False
#        self.controls.set_steer(steering)
#        self.last_steer = steering

    def set_heading(self, heading):
        self.enabled = True
        self.target_heading = heading

    def update(self):
        if not self.enabled:
            return

        self.last_heading_error = wrap_radians(self.target_heading - self.vstate.heading)
        steer = self.Kp*self.last_heading_error
        self.controls.set_steer(steer)
        self.last_steer = steer

    def status(self):
        d = {}
        d['enabled'] = self.enabled
        d['target_heading'] = self.target_heading
        d['heading_error'] = self.last_heading_error
        return d

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Tessab.net
Information Matters
Which film has broadened your horizons and inspired you to think?
by adminPosted on November 6, 2019 September 4, 2019
Here are the 8 films (including trailers) that made me think the most and broadened my horizons.
Pretty best friends
One of the funniest movies I've ever seen.
Friendship overcomes all boundaries and prejudices.
One of the saddest movies I've watched.
At the same time one of the most beautiful and sometimes funniest movies.
A father wants to protect his son from the dark everyday life of the concentration camp and turns it into a game…
The Club of dead poets
I watched the movie with my dad and my brother in mine.
Robin Williams is playing incredibly well.The film is a plea for self-development and fights against rigid systems.
The final scene is legendary.
At first glance, it's a romantic comedy.
On the second an appeal to realize his dreams.
The main character – played by Owen Wilson – is an American writer who loves Paris.
There are some people who love a place so much to give up everything for this place.Owen Wilson plays just such a person.
The film encouraged me in my decision to emigrate to Barcelona.
Anything is possible.
Even if this does not always seem so.
Very poignant and inspiring.
By far my favorite movie by and with Will Smith.
My favorite movie with Robin Williams.
Funny and heartbreaking, at the same time the film offers a little history lesson about the Vietnam War.
The principle of happiness
'That's me.And that's three people. And I'm going to help him.
And then they do something for other people.That's 9.
But it has to be something very difficult.Something that they can't do on their own…"
A little boy has an idea, it creates a movement that changes the world.
The Boy in Striped Pajamas
An equally sad and at the same time beautiful film about the friendship between two 8-year-old boys.
One of the boys is Jewish and lives in a concentration camp.
The other is the son of a German soldier who works in the concentration camp.
A poignant film.
The Beatles have inspired and influenced many…
Which animated film Do you like the most beautiful?
Which film has had the greatest impact on you?
What was the Scest film you had seen in your…
What lessons can we learn from science fiction…
What is your favorite work (book, film, series,…
Hi, I'm admin.	View all posts by admin
Prev How do you deal with an existential crisis?
Next What are some of the most enchanting things you've seen in a couple?
Is the Bible a plagiarism?
What has humanity still not done right?
Why was a German parachute firmly in its position during World War II, so that the soldiers could not determine their own way? The Western Allies had parachutes that could be controlled.
Why is peace on earth an illusion?
SEO: What will my website bring forward in 2019?
How can I leave my comfort zone by motivating myself?
What is an unconventional way to stop climate change?
Why is the Church losing more and more members?
What is most important to you as a programmer with a keyboard?
What is the carbon footprint of a nuclear power plant? Where can you read something like this?
Were you a clever kid? How did you know that?
Why we choose in the Netherlands for a high school consisting of different levels, while in other countries there is no question (e.g. High School)? Is it not surprising that we do not offer all students the same training and opportunities?
What insights did you gain through silence?
Who was the best general Hitler had among himself and why?
Why do we often expect a partner to possess similar characteristics? The reason I ask this is because I often know in my area that in relational matters the desire is often in adaptation.
How did the railways affect cities?
How has life evolved? How does it still develop?
In Dutch advertising you often see English-language sales crits. Is it not more effective to get people as direct as possible with a good slogan in Dutch?
Are there any disadvantages to being rich?
If paedophilia is a psychological disorder, why is it treated as a crime and not a disease that needs treatment?
© Copyright 2021 – Tessab.net


B&W artist's rendering with facsimile autograph on front with a long several paragraph writeup on back. Card measures 2-1/2 x 1-3/4.
B&W rendering w/facsimile autograph front with long writeup back. Card measures 2-1/2 x 1-3/4. Error card, spelled 'Cochran' on front.
Cards came inside packages of Drake's Cookies and are usually found with product stains.
Cards came inside Drake's Cookies packages and usually found with product stains. No stains on this one but has a crease at bottom.
Nice unseperated pair !!! Both from the World Champions New York Yankees !!!
Became Heavyweight Champ in 1949 !!! Defended his title against Joe Louis in 1950.
Similar in size to 1950 Bowman, part of an intertesting multi-sport set.
Great card of Owens shooting out of the starting blocks! Similar in size to 1950 Bowman, part of an intertesting multi-sport set.
Topps made baseball cards BEFORE their famous 1952 Topps set. Book prices are from a Beckett Annual Price Guide.
There's some nice ones on eBay between $1,195 and $4,950.
A neat (low grade) vintage card of Honus Wagner. Nice ones can run you $1,500 to $3,500.
The 'Grey Eagle' was selected as one of the All-Time Outfielders.
GREAT & ATTRACTIVE CARD !!! Like most of this scarce issue it has light creases near ankles and pop-up area gone, otherwise quite nice.
Similar in size to 1950 Bowman, made in Canada for Frostade, a competitor of Kool Aid. Played 10 years in the majors (1956-1965) !!!
Similar in size to 1950 Bowman, made in Canada for Frostade, a competitor of Kool Aid. Lutz, Kirk & Alexander.
Complete and unopened !!! Asking prices on eBay range from $125 to $249.
Booklet w/player info/stats. Also Red Schoendienst,Bob Lemon,Bobby Shantz,Sid Gordon & Ferris Fain.
Chance to add this unusual piece to your Braves or Spahn or Type Collection at a bargain price.
Sold via vending machines back in 1954.
Card is from a fairly realistic early 1950's baseball game. A nice addition to your 'type' collection.
Very scarce regional issue - plus a Hall-of-Famer !
Conley was also playing in the NBA with Celtics during these years.
By Ralpat Co. NM/MINT Plastic Key Charm (made to look metal) is still on it's special backing card !!! Part of 5 player set.
In decent condition considering that these cards were issued in a pack of hotdogs.
Back has a nice story about Lawrence's Greatest Thrill in Baseball !
Back has a nice story about Crowe's Greatest Thrill in Baseball !
Back has a nice story about Bell's Greatest Thrill in Baseball !
Lists $300 in Beckett annual EX/MINT condition. This is in Fair condition with creases. Back is fairly clean with no paper loss.
Tough to find card of popular Dodgers Hall-of-Famer !
Card has a facsimilr autograph across O'Toole's leg.


What to pair it with: Any Two Buck Chuck wine from Trader Joe's.
What to pair it with: Any cheap, well brand of tequila.
Patton is simply brilliant, and his well-crafted and reference-heavy jokes are fascinating and hilarious to hear. You really need (and should want) to listen to every word he says to get the biggest belly laughs. You may think this would pair nicely with some hipster, artisanal-mint-infused concoction; something where the bartender says, "and you'll taste notes of pepper long after," or something weird. But the truth is that with this special, you don't want to waste the time on a complex drink that takes 20 minutes to make: you'll be spitting it up when Patton hits you with his punch lines. Take the well tequila because you'll need to drink fast between all the laughs and most of it will end up on your clothes anyway.
What to pair it with: Any crazy concoction your bartender makes.
We know we just said not to have any crazy concoctions for Patton Oswalt's special, but for Maria it just makes sense. It's hard to pin down what makes Maria's comedy so fun to watch, so why pin down one kind of drink? Ask your bartender to make whatever drink best exemplifies their neuroses and fears, then sit back and enjoy the ride. You won't know what's in it. You won't know what it tastes like. And you won't know why you like it. All you'll know is you'll want more, just like Maria's comedy.
What to pair it with: Whiskey. Straight.
Bill Burr is an angry guy. If you take just a quick whiff, you may flinch and be horrified at what's going on. If you take the time to let him and the whiskey sit with you, though, you'll realize what a great time you're actually having. You'll realize you had more patience than you thought you had, and that you'll actually want a second round. Give your full attention to the Boston-bred comedian — and the whiskey — for an hour and you'll understand how absolutely perfect both are. You'll probably end up watching and re-watching all of his specials. That's a lot of whiskey. Buckle in.
Ali Wong is super pregnant in her special. Like, 7.5 months pregnant; the kind of pregnant when you don't have to worry about asking a girl if she's pregnant, cause she's…so….obviously…pregnant. We'd say don't drink a virgin daiquiri in solidarity with the pregnant gal, but doctors claim a glass of red wine is okay. So a glass of red wine it is — and a toast to the hilarious pregnant comedian who trapped a rich guy and can finally lie down!
What to pair it with: Whatever you want, girl.
We are Miracles isn't just hilarious, it's socially responsible, political and feminist. So the perfect pairing for Silverman's statement of our time is…any f—king thing you want. Yup, any cocktail, beer, wine or scotch you please. Sarah's message to girls is they can be anything they want to be. So why limit ourselves in what we drink? Vape, pop, snort, drink, juice or dive into a huge piece of chocolate cake. Who cares? The point is not to judge ourselves! Silverman's special is masterful so just master whatever it is you're drinking, kween!
What to pair it with: That $800 bottle of wine you passed on for the Louis C.K. special.
Gregg is pretty resigned to his fate as a middle-aged and middle-class white guy. His opening joke is all about how debt becomes meaningless as it haunts us all. Trust us, it's great, and it's a line we tell each other often when we see our bills come due. So you might as well treat yourself and indulge in something amazing, like an expensive wine — and this great hour of comedy because that debt will just be a higher number the next month. Live it up, just like Gregg does!
Max Cohen is a stand-up comic living in New York City. You can find him at thisismaxcohen.com, and follow him on facebook and twitter @thisismaxcohen. He and Vicky will be recording comedy albums on November 20th. You can purchase tickets here.
Vicky Kuperman is a stand-up comedian and author living in New York City. Her comedic dating book, The Russian Drop, is available on Amazon. Her album When I Could Feel is on iTunes.


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"The Flying Housewife"
Posted on July 29, 2020 July 29, 2020 by Bob Hammitt
Nicknamed "The Flying Housewife", she was Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands. Arguably the greatest female athlete of the 20th century, one of the greatest olympians of all time, and a pioneer in the fight for equal rights and opportunity for women.
72 years ago today, the 1948 summer Olympics began in London. Because of World War Two, the Olympics had not been held since 1936. Europe was still ravaged. London was chosen because it had the facilities from hosting the Olympics previously. There was no Olympic village. Germany and Japan were not invited, the Soviet Union chose not to attend.
The world needed something to feel good about. They need a star to cheer for. Fanny Blankers- Koen would be that star.
She had participated in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Soon after she got married and had two kids. At the time, married women did not compete in athletics, and certainly not mothers.
When she returned to competition, some said she was too old. Many critics said she should be at home raising her children.
She felt she could be both a world class athlete and great mother. She didn't say much, other than "I'll show you."
She was 30 years old during the 1948 Olympics, at which she won four gold medals. The world fell in love with her, cheering for "The Flying Housewife."
In total, she would set or tie 12 world records, the last at age 33.
Most importantly, she would show the world that being a wife and a mother did not mean you could not be an athlete.
Thank you to all of the inspiring women who whether it be athletics or another endeavor, continue to amaze us all by being great at motherhood but not limited by it.
Thank you to Fanny and the others who blazed the trail.
Follow the Unfinished Pyramid at Unfinishedpyr
The Games: A Global History of the Olympics
Tags: equal rights, Olympics, women's history, women's rights
PreviousTerry Fox: A Heart That Never Quit
NextThe "Teddy Bear Lady"


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package org.n52.ar.layar;

import java.util.List;

import org.n52.ar.SirPOI;

/**
 *
 * @author Daniel
 *
 *         http://layar.com/documentation/browser/api/getpois-response/hotspots/
 *
 */
public class Hotspot extends SirPOI {

	public List<LayarAction> actions;

	public String attribution;

	public double distance;

}


Code. Anywhere. Tired of remembering & writing all of the tags/attribute options when coding? Just click or Talk-to-Tags, and they will be generated for you instantly.
HTML Designer makes coding simple with an automated workflow style intended to make life easier when writing code on any device. By self-generating all the code you need instantly, the app saves a ton of time building web pages, creating HTML email newsletters, making snippets for your projects and more. Add tags even easier with Speech Recognition tagging. Simply say the tag you want and the app inserts it.
* Select & move text, undo & redo with ease.
Simply and quickly choose the tags and attributes you need in your project from the slide out side menu. Then add the attributes to the newly added tag. Fill it in with your information and you are ready to preview it. Export to PDF, source code or email it. All files are saved on your device or AirDrop them to other devices. Use your mic to add tags too!
Use the color codes generator to find RGB, HEX or HSL colors and add the code right to your project with one click.
Talk-to-Tags uses Apple's speech recognition software to add tags so you can build your website without typing! A list of tags and what to say is available in the app to view on demand or you may AirPrint a hard copy for keyword reference.
It's a straightforward and easy-to-use mobile HTML code editor. This app can also be used as an HTML & CSS cheatsheet in order to learn to code or learn HTML tag structures.
The app uses the latest HTML5 recommendation tags. Obsolete or experimental tags and attributes are excluded.
The app is fully customizable to your favorite colors. You can change the color of the background and text of the editor area. Different text size options are also available.
Star Boar s. r. o.


Are you new to Dressage and would like information on getting started????
YOUR HORSE WEARS ID TAGS WITH OWNER NAME & CONTACT PHONE AT COMPETITIONS.
Everyone is welcome. Come along and join our committee, we have two members standing down this year and would appreciate some new faces to help run our club.
Warkworth Dressage Group was established in 1999, we are a sub-branch of Dressage Waitemata and are based at the Warkworth Showgrounds where we share the equestrian area with the Warkworth Branch Pony Club, Warkworth A & P Society, Warkworth Rodeo, Warkworth Ranch Horse and Warkworth Western Group.
We will run three Summer and two Autumn Competition Days over the 2017/18 season. The grounds are fabulous to ride on, flat areas for the pipe arenas, plenty of room to warm up and easy parking. The venue is quiet, with the native bush making a lovely backdrop. This is the ideal venue for both rider and horse, especially suitable to bring your youngster for their first outing. There are safe yards available for hire.


Bayern Munich return to Bundesliga action on Saturday following the international break as they travel to SC Freiburg, hoping to keep their slender lead at the top of the table.
Niko Kovac's side are currently level on points with nearest challengers Borussia Dortmund, yet their superior goal difference means they head into their clash against the 11th place side as leaders.
Die Roten have won their last seven league matches heading into the weekend's fixture against a Freiburg side who have managed only seven wins all season.
Here's 90min's preview of the game below.
Kovac welcomes back attacking midfielder Meritan Shabani, who returns from a muscular problem after missing Bayern's win over Mainz.
Arguably the best bit of news for Die Roten is the imminent return of Corentin Tolisso, who has been out with a cruciate ligament rupture since September and could potentially make a cameo on Saturday. The league leaders could also see the return of Arjen Robben from a calf strain, who is set to leave the Bavarian side in the summer.
For Freiburg, long-term absentees Roland Sallai and Lukas Kubler are still unavailable and will not feature this season, while Philipp Leinhart is still recovering from a concussion.
Bayern Munich Neuer; Kimmich, Hummels, Sule, Alaba; Goretzka, Thiago, Gnabry, James, Coman; Lewandowksi.
Freiburg have only beaten Bayern twice in the Bundesliga in the last 23 years, both of those results coming at home, as Kovac's side hold a strong advantage heading into the clash.
The reverse fixture back in November provided a shock result though, as Lucas Holer's strike one minute from time cancelled out Serge Gnabry's opener to earn the visitors a surprise draw.
Further good news for the hosts is that Kovac has never beaten them as a manager in five attempts, however, Robert Lewandowski has 13 goals in his last 13 meetings against Saturday's opponents.
After failing to get going at the beginning of the season, Bayern find themselves in imperious league form ahead of Saturday's match, winning their last seven in the Bundesliga without conceding in the last two.
Furthermore, their last two matches have seen them score a total of 12 goals against Mainz and Wolfsburg respectively. They did crash out of the Champions League to Liverpool, however, with Die Roten's 3-1 home defeat ending their European run.
Frieburg find themselves in something of a resurgence after losing just once in their last five matches, with two draws and two wins easing their relegation fears.
After coming under heavy criticism for their early season stutter, in which many called for the sacking of Kovac, Bayern have been excellent of late in the league and have capitalised on Dortmund's recent slip-ups.
They have one of Europe's in form players in Gnabry, who is simply unplayable at present, and is likely to add to his scoring record on Saturday's win. Ahead of what will be a crucial game next week against Dortmund, it is vital the leaders continue their dominance, with Freiburg likely to fall victim to their scintillating form.
Goals for sure, but not for both teams.


One of the salient features of the 2008 presidential campaign was the obscured background of the Democratic candidate, Senator Barack Obama. While the basic facts were known (Born in Hawaii, lived in Indonesia, graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, community organizer and state senator in Illinois), certain areas were kept hidden from the public: his school records at Columbia and Harvard, and his state senatorial papers, for example. Thanks to a compliant press more interested in Sarah Palin's tanning bed than the character and beliefs of a man who might (and did) become president, by Election Day in 2008 we knew little about what Barack Obama believed and what experiences shaped him. While a few researchers raised troubling questions, we instead were left with the image his campaign and media allies projected and protected: a post-partisan liberal pragmatist.
According to journalist Stanley Kurtz in his new book, Radical in Chief: Barack Obama and the untold story of American Socialism, it was all a deception, a lie to conceal the truth: that President Obama is and has always been a committed Socialist.
To tell this story, Kurtz also has to take us through recent history of the American Socialist movement itself, from the crack-up of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in the late 1960s through the ideological struggles between the radical Weathermen and NAM factions, on the one hand, and the Democratic-Socialist groups that sought incremental change. The former advocated direct action and confrontations leading to revolution based on an alliance of radicalized Blacks supported by Socialist activists and an "awakened" middle class. The latter felt the United States was not in a pre-revolutionary state (the failure of the government to collapse after Nixon's resignation stunned many SDSers), and that the best way to advance Socialism was to work through organized community groups (sound familiar?) and sympathetic politicians to pressure corporations from below and above. Changes would be gradual and would involve both creating entitlements that would be hard to take away, and "non-reforming reforms," that would purport to fix a problem while actually making it worse and, eventually, precipitating a crisis that would make the American people open to Socialist solutions. The infamous Cloward-Piven strategy is one example.
It is this latter faction that became dominant and in which, according to Kurtz, Barack Obama found a home.
Kurtz traces two threads that converge in Chicago: the rise of Socialist-dominated community organizations and Barack Obama's intellectual awakening as a community organizer that lead him from New York to Chicago. The former covers community organizing's origins as a largely Socialist profession and takes us through both well-known groups, such as ACORN, and more obscure (outside of the Socialist community) ones, such as the Midwest Academy and UNO of Chicago. We encounter Socialist activists who are nearly household words these days -Bill Ayers, for example- and others who are influential behind the scenes, such as Greg Galluzzo, Harry Boyte, and Heather Booth. All of these and more became part of Obama's network as a community organizer and a rising politician. He benefited from their connections, and they later benefited from the money and influence he could funnel their way as a board member on several foundations and as a state senator.
The other thread traces Obama's intellectual development. Kurtz touches on his teenage association with Communist Party member Frank Davis in Hawaii and his open Marxism-Leninism at Occidental College, but focuses on his introduction to the combination of Socialism and community organizing at the two or three Socialist Scholars Conferences he attended while a student at Columbia University, and on his exposure tothe Black Liberation Theology developed by James Cone, which lead him to… Chicago and Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
As Kurtz shows us this complicated and tightly-woven tapestry, he wants us to bear two things in mind: first, that the strategy of the modern incrementalist Socialists has been to disguise their Socialism (except among themselves), knowing that most Americans would reject doctrinaire Socialism if offered openly. Instead, it is clothed in terms of pragmatism and community and American values to make the program palatable to more people, only revealing the Socialist goals behind the community organization's plans to a dedicated few. Second, that Barack Obama himself adopted this deceptive strategy to disguise his own Socialist leanings as he presented himself to the targets of his organizing efforts and then the voters.
Along the way, Kurtz examines the controversies that arose during Obama's campaign -the associations with Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright, his service on the boards of the Woods Fund and the Chicago Annenberg Project, and his membership in the ACORN-controlled New Party- to see what the truth was. In each case, Kurtz concludes, either by direct documentation or strong deduction, that Barack Obama and his allies have at best been misleading or have flatly lied about these and other issues. He also shows that, had the mainstream media even done a modicum of genuine investigative work, much of this could have been uncovered, likely derailing Obama's presidential aspirations.
In the end, Kurtz seeks to answer two questions: Is President Barack Obama a Socialist, and, now that he is in office, does his past matter? He answers both in the affirmative. Kurtz argues, and I agree, that the weight of the evidence shows that Barack Obama was not only a committed Democratic-Socialist in his early life, but that there is no evidence he ever changed his beliefs, either as a state senator or as president. Indeed, Kurtz uses the example of the supposed craziness of pushing ObamaCare in the face of terrific opposition and at great cost to the Democratic Party to show Obama following the strategies of an Alinskyite community organizer, willing to take a short-term setback to get a long-term, irreversible change. Instead of crazy, Kurtz says, Obama may be crazy like a fox.
Regarding his second question, Obama's past matters now because, as the President and his allies have gone to such lengths to hide these Socialist values, it is only through studying his days in New York and Chicago that we form a clear idea of the path on which he wants to take America as its president. Should he run for reelection, they will again try to present him as a pragmatic problem-solver seeking to bring people together for common solutions. (This time, one expects, they'll be greeted with guffaws.) It is up to us, since the major media will hardly help, to bear in mind the truth of Obama's past to see through the moderate-liberal haze and focus clearly on the Democratic-Socialist reality.
Radical in Chief: Barack Obama and the untold story of American Socialism is an excellent book that should be on the short list for all those interested in modern American politics and the direction of the nation. Stanley Kurtz takes the complex stories of man and movement and, through extensive research and with meticulous footnoting, presents them in a clear, compelling fashion that makes a strong case.
This entry was posted on Sunday, November 28th, 2010 at 10:00 and is filed under Barack Obama, Books, History, Politics.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.


Paignton Steam Railway - A wonderful trip by an old steam train from Paignton to Kingswear. It is just a quick passenger ferry trip across to Dartmouth. This trip can also be made into a brilliant day out by booking the Round Robin. Some of the most amazing scenery along the coast can be seen on this 20 minute journey.
Paignton Zoo - Paignton Zoo is on 80 acres of natural habitat and amazing day out for all ages. It is home to thousands of wonderful animals & plants. There's a miniature train ride, a wobbly jungle bridge, indoor and outdoor play areas, keeper talks and feeding times, places to eat and places to sit. The Zoo is a short distance from the Cherry Tree and easily accessible by bus or car.
Wonderful family run B&B with stunning breakfasts & magnificent sea-views ideally located on the sandy Paignton beach front.
Need to get away from the daily grind? Blue Waters Lodge is the ideal place to get personal, friendly attention in pleasant surroundings.
Friendly family run 100 yds. from lovely Preston Beach. Parking, Pets welcome with well behaved owners. Tea, Coffee and TV in all rooms. en-suite available.
PANORAMIC VIEWS, FAMILY RUN. MANY ROOMS HAVE BALCONYS.ALL EN-SUITE FLAT SCREEN TV PARKING FOR EVERY ROOM.BAR, SITUATED ON PRESTON SEA FRONT.
Ideally located, spectacular sea view rooms. Free parking on site. Near all stations. Picturesqe view of Torbay. Family run, with family rooms for upto 4 persons. Brilliant breakfast included in the price.
We are 300 yards from Paignton sea front and a 2 minute walk in to town. Bed and breakfast is available in a friendly home from home atmosphere.
The highly recommended Wentworth Guesthouse is situated in a quiet Park side location with a short level stroll to the long sandy beach.
Self-catering accommodation for couples and families.
Villa bonair is situated on the seafront in paignton with all rooms with patios or balconies 3 of which is on the ground floor which is ideal for disabled. I am in walking distance to shops, bars and restaurants.
A homely five bedroomed Guest House on a quiet cul-de-sac within a 5 minute walk to the seafront at Paignton.


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Speed limit cuts around every school in NZ
28 Nov, 2019 8:45am 3 minutes to read
Bread shortage: Fresh strike action could see shelves empty again
From heavy smoker to Ironman regular
28 Nov, 2019 8:57am
Jan-Maree Brown competing at the Taupō Ironman in March.
By: Rosalie Willis
Rosalie is a reporter for Kāpiti News
Beginning in 1983 with the aim of encouraging women and girls to get out and have a go, focusing on fun, fitness and health, the Kāpiti Women's Triathlon has inspired many people into exercise.
For Jan-Maree Brown, now 62, the event did just that.
Wanting to change her lifestyle but having never done much exercise, Jan-Maree was also a heavy smoker and struggled to breathe when exercising.
At the age of 36, Brown decided to give up smoking and at 37 she signed up for her first Kāpiti Women's Triathlon.
"I had never exercised in my life.
"I had smoked for 21 years and when I gave up I was like 'what am I going to do to get fit?'
"So I signed up for the Kāpiti Women's Triathlon and it was the first one I did."
The first step was learning to swim, something she found especially challenging because of the breathing.
Starting out on her back doing backstroke and alternating between running and walking to each lamppost, signing up proved a complete lifestyle transformation for Brown.
"I had never owned a bike so I went to The Warehouse and brought a cheap, heavy old thing and started out on that.
Are you ready for a summer challenge?
Inside Kāpiti Island's 'Ring of Steel'
4 Nov, 2019 11:00am
A Christmas Fantastical is coming to Kāpiti
How abused dog's life was changed forever
"While I knew how to swim I couldn't swim properly because I couldn't breathe from all the smoking.
"So I started out with backstroke in the pool until I could freestyle."
Brown slowly built up her training despite not knowing how much she needed to do in preparation for the triathlon.
"I built it up until I did the Kāpiti Women's Triathlon, which was the most nervous day of my life."
And the rest is history.
Brown then started looking into other events, despite being ill-equipped with gear.
In one such cycle race she recalls wearing her father's oilskin jacket on her heavy bike in pouring rain while everyone else was in the lycra and on "fancy" bikes.
Now, years later, she has completed around 50 half marathons, done the Coast to Coast, 17 half ironmans, 11 full ironmans and represented New Zealand in triathlon at age group level.
"I loved doing the Kāpiti Women's Triathlon as it's all about having a go and no one judges you.
"It gave me so much confidence and now I love being fit.
"Since the first one I now love the training itself.
"I love being fit, I love pushing myself.
"Just doing that first Kāpiti Women's Triathlon gave me so much confidence.
"It's really great because it is just for women and no one judges you, there are no men around which is really great when it's your first one.
"It's just given me confidence and I just love the feeling of being fit and having a goal.
"You meet a lot of really neat people along the way. It's a really good way of living."
The Kāpiti Women's Triathlon is being held on February 23, with group training sessions available.
Check out www.kwt.org.nz/ for more information.


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In November 2018 MMWD will install a new pipeline in the Town of San Anselmo on San Francisco Boulevard. We will replace pipeline installed as early as 1951 ahead of the Town's repaving project. The new pipes will be better able to withstand an earthquake and also improve fire flow capacity.
MMWD and the contractor, D&D Pipelines, Inc., will take all measures possible to minimize inconveniences associated with this project, including noise and traffic delays.
For questions about this project, contact the MMWD Construction Management group at (415) 945-1560.
MMWD is Marin County's largest provider of drinking water, serving a population of 190,300 in a 147-square-mile area of south and central Marin County. The district owns and manages 21,600 acres of watershed land on Mt. Tamalpais and in west Marin. The primary source of water supply is rainfall captured in seven reservoirs, providing 75 percent of the water consumed each year. The remaining 25 percent is imported annually from the Russian River through an agreement with the Sonoma County Water Agency. MMWD also operates its own recycled water system. District operations are financed primarily by revenue from the sale of water.
Media Contact: Emma Detwiler
Email: edetwiler@marinwater.org
⇐Previous Scholarship Applications Due February 8, 2019 for MMWD Water Scholars ProgramNext⇒ Marin Municipal Water District Selects Ben Horenstein as General Manager


The docu has some graphic content that facebook has to regulate its trailer viewing. Well thats how graphic europeans came and brutalised the african continent.
Award winning Johannesburg production house Puo Pha Productions documetary will be on you public broadcaster from sunday 27th January on sabc2. Vincent Moloi did again in delivering a powerfull film and story about the Tribal leaders in Namibia fight the German government for the return of hundreds of skulls taken for racial experiments.
Skulls Of My People is also nominated for two awards categories; Best Feature Documentary, and Best Humanitarian Documentary. After a successful world premier at the renowned (IDFA) International Documentary Film Amsterdam in November last year, the festival is excited that people in Johannesburg will have an opportunity to also see the film.
Skulls of My People is an account of the first genocide of the 20th century perpetrated by Germany in Namibia that took place between 1904 and 1908. Over 100 000 people were killed and hundreds of skulls of Herero & Nama people were taken to Germany for racial scientific studies. This film is a testimonial account of the descendants of the Herero victims of that genocide and their fight for the returning of those skulls, for justice and for reparations from the current German government.
The protagonists of Skulls Of My People, Ms. Utiua Esther Muinjangue and the Paramount Chief Adv. Rukoro will be attending the African Premier. The filmmakers as well as the individuals featured in the film are looking forward to meeting with the press and will be available to give interviews on the film, discussing issues of genocide, reparation and the on the going lawsuit against the current German government.


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Includes six new songs by Jessica Simpson, available exclusively in the Open Book audiobook.
Performed by the author featuring her music throughout.
Jessica reveals for the first time her inner monologue and most intimate struggles. Guided by the journals she's kept since age fifteen, and brimming with her unique humor and down-to-earth humanity, Open Book is as inspiring as it is entertaining.
This was supposed to be a very different book. Five years ago, Jessica Simpson was approached to write a motivational guide to living your best life. She walked away from the offer, and nobody understood why. The truth is that she didn't want to lie.
Jessica couldn't be authentic with her readers if she wasn't fully honest with herself first.
Now America's Sweetheart, preacher's daughter, pop phenomenon, reality tv pioneer, and the billion-dollar fashion mogul invites readers on a remarkable journey, examining a life that blessed her with the compassion to help others, but also burdened her with an almost crippling need to please. Open Book is Jessica Simpson using her voice, heart, soul, and humor to share things she's never shared before.
First celebrated for her voice, she became one of the most talked-about women in the world, whether for music and fashion, her relationship struggles, or as a walking blonde joke. But now, instead of being talked about, Jessica is doing the talking. Her book shares the wisdom and inspirations she's learned and shows the real woman behind all the pop-culture cliché's — "chicken or fish," "Daisy Duke," "football jinx," "mom jeans," "sexual napalm…" and more. Open Book is an opportunity to laugh and cry with a close friend, one that will inspire you to live your best, most authentic life, now that she is finally living hers.
Includes the songs "Heartbeat," "Practice What You Preach," "Sweet Temptation," "Your Fool"(featuring Willie Nelson), "Party of One," and "Free Will" by Jessica Simpson.
As she readily admits in the early chapters of her startlingly honest memoir, Jessica Simpson boosted her fame by making herself the sexy butt of the joke. But even though she deliberately cultivated her image as the early 2000s' hottest "dumb blonde," the pop singer's book—which was written without a ghostwriter—proves that she's anything but stupid. Simpson drew on decades of her own journals to give an unfiltered account of a childhood spent trying to please adults, both at home and in the entertainment industry, and an adulthood defined by codependent relationships, addiction, and depression. At turns heartbreaking and hilarious, Open Book paints a compelling portrait of the celebrity's complicated inner life (which she kept secret for a long, long time) and of how she got through the darkest times with the help of her family, friends, and faith. We were riveted by Simpson's reading—and her courage in shattering the fairy-tale portrayal of celebrity we're so often presented. Best of all, her audiobook includes six new songs: some of the catchiest, most heartfelt music she's ever made.
JustMartelle , 2020-07-02
I never knew... a beautiful soul
I was looking for a light summer read and I absolutely feel in love with the audiobook of Open Book, I could not stop listening to it! To have Jessica read her book to you, her voice breaking at times, you felt you were a part of her life - the good, the vulnerable. I highly recommend purchasing the audiobook over the written one.
I love love one of her new songs "heartbeat" which is included with the book. I wish she would release it on Spotify.
Paige2392 , 2020-02-13
Obsessed!!
Read within 2 days and listen to the audiobook every night before bed. Such a great read. Being a Jessica Simpson fan in the early 2000's she dives deep within her life and each chapter is as exciting as the one before.
Next Level Basic (Unabridged)
Life Will Be the Death of Me: . . . and you too! (Unabridged)


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Christine Beresniova Ph.D.
REVIEW: Holocaust Education in Lithuania: Community, Conflict, and the Making of Civil Society. By Christine Beresniova. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2017, xxvii, 189 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. $90.00, hard bound.
Beresniova / By admin
During the Second World War, almost the entire Jewish community in Lithuania was killed. Yet, throughout the whole Soviet period, the Holocaust never really existed as a topic in the official discourse. Soviet historians could only write about "the murder of peaceful Soviet citizens." These prohibitions no longer remain in post-Soviet countries; however, this does not mean that the memory of the Holocaust has easily found its place in Lithuanian society or in other post-socialist countries. This book by Christine Beresniova is dedicated to one aspect of this phenomenon: Holocaust education in Lithuania. It is based on her dissertation in education policy, and applies ethnographic methods of participant observation and interviews in a critical ethnographic framework.
The book analyzes not only the motivation of teachers working with Holocaust programs, but also many other contexts which influence the success or failure of these programs: the historical narratives that dominate in Lithuanian society; the activities of the International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes that was founded by the Lithuanian president; various organizations that engage in Holocaust education; the role of foreign actors involved in this field; and the strengthening of right-wing radicalism. The author relates the support of Lithuanian government institutions for Holocaust education programs to the fact that one of the requirements for joining the European Union and NATO was that Lithuania, like other central and east European countries, make an effort to demonstrate that the topic of the Holocaust was being integrated into Lithuanian society (xv, 11–12, 31).
Beresniova pays most attention to teachers who worked with the Commission's programs. She shows that there are quite a few teachers in Lithuania who have shown great initiative in this field, despite the fact that government support for Holocaust education following Lithuania's accession to the European Union and NATO decreased (68). In many cases, teachers were motivated by various factors (the desire to change Lithuanian society in a positive way, Christian values, and family history) or other pragmatic motives (for example, the desire to "pay back a debt" on returning from seminars abroad, 81–87). In addition, Beresniova sees this group of teachers as a community with its own identity, a community of practice, which serves as a very important stimuli for many teachers not to abandon working with Holocaust programs despite the unfriendly atmosphere they frequently encounter (137–57).
Beresniova tries to make a critical assessment of the effectiveness of Holocaust education programs prepared in the west in post-socialist countries, even though she acknowledges that they are necessary. The main point of the book is that programs prepared in different cultural contexts need to take specific local circumstances into consideration. In Lithuania, as in many other central and east European countries, a nation-as-victim or nation-as-hero narrative became established after 1990, which incorporated a comparison of the Nazi and Soviet regimes. Incidentally, this is the dominant narrative among ethnic Lithuanians, whereas Lithuania's ethnic minorities (Poles and Russians) did not receive attention in this research. In the author's view, this kind of narrative can and must be criticized. However, the creators of educational programs cannot ignore the following context: "… as distasteful as they may be to the methods of rigorous scientific exploration of historical fact, simply condemning them has not resulted in their disappearance" (20). That is why the author believes that "excavating the roots of the significance of the Soviet Occupation should be explored for its possible pedagogical usefulness rather than taken as an obvious misunderstanding of civilized culture …" (163). Beresniova also states that the aims of Holocaust programs are often unclear: are they promoting human rights, transmitting empathy, or inspiring social action? Is providing this kind of education in countries where such events took place worthwhile in itself? Chapter 2 is specifically devoted to the US Embassy's activities in this field. Beresniova's research shows that the embassy's engagement in the field of Holocaust education was thanks more to the initiative of specific diplomats rather than the result of any consistent program. Another shortfall of such educational programs according to Beresniova is that they usually focus all their attention on the Holocaust, rather than trying to introduce the culture and history of the group in question, in this case, the Jews. Beresniova's research shows that unless Jews are incorporated into the master narrative, like other minorities, they will remain "the Other," making it more difficult to arouse feelings of empathy. Another problem that this research has revealed is that the authors and executors of educational programs prepared in the west are constructing a kind of hierarchy of historical narratives, based upon which they represent a "modern," "civilized" approach, whereas others are identified as "tribal, [or] primitive," which also interferes with the success of these kinds of educational programs.
Beresniova's book can serve the interests of other researchers who analyze similar problems in other countries. The book will be truly useful to everyone working in the field of education who is able to critically reflect on their activities.
Tweets by @@CBeresniova
Christine Beresniova Ph.D. Copyright © 2021 All Rights Reserved


-PRE ORDER- Nendoroid Loki: DX Ver.
Shipping will be quoted once the item has arrived.
He comes with four face plates that all capture his personality perfectly including a standard glaring expression, a condescending expression, the listless expression from his famous "surprise" line as well as a determined laughing expression!
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Also available: Nendoroid Thor: DX Ver.
Painted ABS&PVC non-scale articulated figure with stand included. Approximately 100mm in height.
This product does not balance on its own. Please use the included stand.


Emma was quite a bit fussier during her third week than she has been up to this point. I think part of the problem is that I have an oversupply of milk, or it lets down really fast, so she has to gulp the milk down to keep up. Sometimes she ends up choking and coughing, which leads to her spitting quite a bit of it up. And she frequently acts frustrated and angry when nursing – something I read in The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding can be caused by an oversupply/fast letdown. On a slightly related note, she also hates a dirty diaper at the end of a feeding. She cries like her world is ending.
Besides Emma being hard to console at times, and peeing on the changing table when her diaper's off more times than I can count, perhaps the most challenging thing this week has been all the grunting Emma does at night. After she's eaten, I get her to sleep and put her in her swing (where she sleeps for the time being). She sleeps peacefully for anywhere from 30-60 minutes, and then starts grunting/moaning. She's not actually awake though. She'll make a little noise, then be quiet for 5 minutes. A little more noise, then quiet.
I have been just letting her stay in her swing while she does it, because usually I have only gone to bed about 30-45 minutes beforehand. But it disrupts my sleep because every time she makes noise, I hold my breath, waiting for it to turn into crying. It seems like she starts making the noise when she's ready to eat again, but not quite alert. Even though I do get up and feed her before she starts crying (which ends up being about 2-3 hours between feedings), I think it might just be best if I got up and fed her right when she started grunting, instead of waiting the 15-45 minutes that I do (but that's easier said than done at 4 am).
Travis' family has been out here visiting since last Friday, so we've been able to get a little bit of break which has been really nice. Emma's big outing this week was a short hike at Lair O' the Bear on Saturday. The trail was a little bumpy but Emma slept through the whole thing. She woke up while we were eating lunch though, so I had to go nurse her in the car.
All things considered, I feel like I'm getting into more of a groove with the whole motherhood and breastfeeding thing. I can recognize better when Emma is sending cues that she wants to eat soon, and getting up in the middle of the night has been slightly easier.
Oh and the weather here has been BEAUTIFUL lately so we've been spending more time outside and that definitely helps my mood.
Well, we're off to Colorado Springs for the day! Happy Monday!
Ah she looks so cute!! And I love that you have already taken her out to the trails!!
Emma is adorable! I have that breastfeeding book and still need to read it! I had no clue breastfeeding would be so hard, but every day it's getting a little bit easier.


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New Case Before Court: Is This an Allegation of Malpractice?
The Maryland Court of Appeals granted cert in five cases yesterday. One of the cases, Davis v. Frostburg Facility Operations, is of interest to Maryland medical malpractice lawyers because it addresses the question of what constitutes an allegation of medical malpractice that invokes the Maryland Health Claims Act.
Davis is a nursing home type case. According to the Complaint, the Plaintiff was admitted to Frostburg Village, a nursing rehabilitation center in Allegany County, following back surgery. Two days later, Plaintiff's mattress came loose from her bed and "slid off the bed frame, causing Ms. Davis to fall to the floor." The facility used a mechanical lift to put the woman back in bed because Frostburg is a no lift facility. The nurse allegedly used the lift improperly — releasing the net holding the patient too soon — and dropped her on the floor.
These are just the allegations in the Complaint. But for lawyers handling nursing home cases — on either side of the aisle — the allegations ring true. Plaintiff's claim that the nurse had never used the lift before rings true to my biased ears.
Plaintiff's lawyer bypassed the Maryland Health Claims Arbitration process and filed suit directly in Allegany Circuit Court.
Why? Great question. The lawyer's reasoning was that the victim was not receiving medical treatment or services when the nurse dropped her to the floor. Instead, the thinking goes, the nurse was merely attempting to return the woman to her bed after the fall.
In principle, this is not an unreasonable position. The average layperson probably would not view this lifting of the patient as medical care. The problem is that the case was filed a day before the statute of limitations. So you are making a big bet by skipping Health Claims. Because there is no path if the case is dismissed after the statute of limitations has passed. If the case gets dismissed, you can always refile the claim if you are within the three-year period.
In practical terms, you can lose if you win. Even if Plaintiff prevails in the Maryland Court of Appeals, was it worth the time, hassle, and stress to fight this fight? We have an intentional tort case where a since suspended doctor was accused of sexual battery of a patient that led to significant emotional injuries. We are still filing this claim in Health Claims. Because we could lose if an issue is made of it (even though we would ultimately win).
The Trial Court and Court of Special Appeals Opinions
Plaintiff filed suit in Allegany County Circuit Court. Frostburg's defense lawyers, Franklin & Prokopik, filed a motion to dismiss. Judge W. Timothy Finan heard the argument and dismissed the case. In an unreported opinion, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals affirmed.
Was the Plaintiff Receiving Medical Treatment?
Plaintiff's best argument is that lifting someone off the floor is not medical treatment. You need not be a health care provider to perform this function. Plaintiff argued there is a precedent for in Maryland for not categorizing this negligence as healthcare. The plaintiff cited three key Maryland case to make this point: Nichols v. Wilson, 296 Md. 154 (1983); Afamefune v. Suburban Hospital, Inc., 385 Md. 677 (2005); Swam v. Upper Chesapeake, Md. 528 (2007).
The appellate court quickly distinguished these cases. Nichols and Afamefune were intentional tort claims. Swan involved an injury to someone who was not receiving medical treatment.
Is the Defendant a Health Care Provider?
Section 3-2A-01(f) defines "health care provider" as
A hospital, a related institution as defined in § 19-301 of the Health-General Article, a medical day care center, a hospice care program, an assisted living program, a freestanding ambulatory care facility as defined in § 19-3B-01 of the Health-General Article, a physician, an osteopath, an optometrist, a chiropractor, a registered or licensed practical nurse, a dentist, a podiatrist, a psychologist, a licensed certified social worker- clinical, and a physical therapist, licensed or authorized to provide one or more health care services in Maryland.
See § 3-2A-01(f)(1), p. 20.
Section 19-301(o) of the Health-General Article defines a "related institution" as:
An organized institution, environment, or home that:
(i) Maintains conditions or facilities and equipment to provide domiciliary, personal, or nursing care for 2 or more unrelated individuals who are dependent on the administrator, operator, or proprietor for nursing care or the subsistence of daily living in a safe, sanitary, and healthful environment; and
(ii) Admits or retains the individuals for overnight care.
This argument is actually the first step in the process before the question of whether the plaintiff received medical treatment. But it is the weakest argument to suggest that Frostburg Village is not a health care provider. Plaintiff received medical services and monitoring in her rehabilitation exercise sessions. As an overnight resident, her stay is with a health care provider. It is hard to argue otherwise.
What about the non-malpractice counts?
Plaintiff also argued that her breach of contract, consumer protection, and loss of consortium counts should be considered even if the malpractice claim fails. We addressed breach of contract in malpractice cases on Monday that came after this opinion. The court agreed with the defendant that the Plaintiff did not state a cause of action for the breach of contract and the consumer protection count. (Loss of consortium is a claim that is derivative of a tort claim.) But the court made a larger point that was not touched on in the briefs. Citing Nichols, the court held that even if a cause of action was stated in those counts, all counts would be arbitrable if the malpractice claim was arbitrable. "We believe this result consonant with the efficient administration of justice and, of course, it avoids the piecemeal resolution of controversies." It is hard to argue with the logic of this although, in the real world, the cases would eventually be merged, anyway.
Maryland Law Is on the Wrong Side of This
I was listening to a Tim Ferris podcast today where he was interviewing a track coach. The coach said the goal is to take the mystery out of what makes a person fast so that speed is only a litmus test of talent and how hard the athlete works.
This is how the law should be, right? The best facts win. Why should this victim be left without a remedy? It is the triumph of form over substance. But this is how our legislatures have set up Maryland medical malpractice law. We spend so much time in the weeds worrying about this granular nonsense that we lose focus on who should win. Truth, justice, and all of that. The Maryland Court of Appeals should take a stand and say we cannot let these details derail an otherwise good claim. The Maryland legislature should also work to make our malpractice laws a search for what really happened and who, if anyone, is culpable. But that is all pie in the sky stuff. Plaintiff has an uphill battle in this fight.
More on Maryland nursing home cases
Updated: March 2, 2022 9:01 am


(Bishkek) – Tajik border guards on the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border on May 14, 2017, prevented a prominent human rights lawyer from leaving the country, Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee said today. Tajik authorities should immediately rescind the ban on Fayzinisso Vohidova and immediately and unconditionally release three other human rights lawyers imprisoned or detained on politically motivated charges.
Border guards with the State Committee on State Security at the Auchi-Kalyacha border post stopped Vohidova as she sought to travel to Kyrgyzstan. They detained her for eight hours, stating there was a "defect" in her passport and that she "had no right to leave Tajikistan." In the weeks preceding her stop, Tajik security services interrogated Vohidova several times. She had made critical remarks about the government's imprisonment of Buzurgmehr Yorov, a human rights lawyer who was sentenced to 25 years following a prosecution and trial that appeared politically motivated.
Vohidova, a Khujand-based lawyer known for her human rights and criminal defense work, has long been the target of government harassment and intimidation for taking on politically sensitive cases. When she was stopped at the border, the guards initially asserted that there was a problem with the stamp on her passport before conceding that Vohidova had been put on a list of people banned from leaving the country. There is no avenue for citizens to appeal a travel ban.
Arbitrary bans on travel, including to leave one's own country, violate article 12(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees everyone the right to leave any country. Tajikistan became a party to the ICCPR in 1999.
In April, Vohidova made a public appeal to President Emomali Rahmon on Facebook, criticizing the government's imprisonment of Yorov and of Nuriddin Makhkamov, another independent lawyer. The two were first arrested in September 2015, days after saying they would provide legal representation to members of the opposition Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT).
Tajikistan's Prosecutor General's office brought new charges against Yorov in March 2017 for "insulting the president." The charges refer to an interview Yorov gave to an independent news website Payom.net, in which he stated that the laws under which he worked as an attorney were signed by Rahmon. Therefore, the president would be the appropriate party to whom any accusations of corruption should be made. Yorov faces up to five additional years if convicted on these charges. He had no legal representation during most of the trial on the new charges.
Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee have repeatedly labeled Yorov and Makhkamov's prison terms arbitrary and said that Tajik authorities should immediately and unconditionally release them. A third lawyer, Shukhrat Kudratov, has been in prison since January 2015 after he acted as the legal representative of an imprisoned opposition figure, Zayd Saidov. Authorities had publicly announced that Kudratov would be released in an amnesty in late 2016, but he remains behind bars.
Human Rights Watch and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee believe there is a pattern of Tajik security services placing travel bans on perceived government critics and the relatives of dissidents abroad, including by confiscating their passports. On March 8, 2017, border guards in the Kulob airport removed Hafizamo Gadoeva, sister of an exiled opposition figure, Sharofiddin Gadoev, from her Moscow-bound flight. Authorities told her that she and her children had been banned from leaving the country because of her brother's opposition activity.


text:
human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination
מידע מעניין המגיע מארה״ב לגבי המלצות חיסון HPV
חיסון נערות נגד נגיף ה-HPV (צילום: אילוסטרציה)
As NAMS Medical Director, I look forward to sharing with members news and updates on information that will hopefully enhance your clinical practice, support your research endeavors, and ultimately improve the lives of the women we serve.
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices expanded the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination recommendations to include
1. Routine and catch-up immunization for males through age 26 years who are inadequately vaccinated
2. Shared decision making between healthcare providers and adult patients aged 27 to 45 years who have not been adequately vaccinated
3. No recommendation for immunization in adults aged older than 45 years who have not received adequate vaccination, given that the vaccines are not approved for that age group.
The current CDC recommendation is for routine vaccination at 11 to 12 years of age (can be given as early as 9 years of age) and extending through age 26 in females and age 21 in males who did not receive adequate vaccination previously. This new guidance emphasizes the safety and efficacy in adults through age 45 years and aligns the recommendations for males and females.
In Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends HPV vaccination for females aged 9 to 45 years and in males aged 9 to 26 years.
It is important to note that it is still most beneficial to complete the HPV vaccine series at age 11 to 12 years, given the more robust immune response for those aged younger than 15 years. Further, the goal is for persons to receive vaccination before exposure to HPV infection. Thus, this new recommendation should not be taken as a reason to delay immunization beyond the preteen years. Also, insurance coverage for the vaccine is likely to lag behind the new CDC recommendation for persons aged 27 to 45 years.
נושאים קשורים: הודעות, HPV
מאמרים נוספים שיעניינו אותך
סרטן צווואר הרחם
בשר מעובד וצ'יפס מגבירים את הסיכון לסרטן צוואר הרחם
Nutrients 1


Getting your child into a good primary school remains a preoccupation for most parents, but mother of three June Yong reveals why it doesn't mean that parents are slaving away for a few places in a few high-ranking schools.
SINGAPORE: I read with interest the finding that most parents (77 per cent) do not do anything actively to secure a good primary school for their child, according to a survey of 1,500 parents of school-going kids.
To me and to many readers, this finding seems to suggest that Singaporean parents are less kiasu today when it comes to getting their child into a preferred school.
Yet, the survey results strike me as somewhat contradictory, as it also states that "70 per cent said their children went to a school of their choice that is considered a good school by most people".
So if more than three quarters of parents did nothing actively to secure a good primary school place for their kids, then how did so many of them land a place in a school of their choice?
Rather than dive into the technicalities of the study, I think the truth is closer to this: That Singaporean parents remain highly selective and proactive when it comes to their kids' primary school, but what qualifies as a good school is more about fit than it is about how a school ranks on traditional metrics like academic achievements and sporting excellence.
Before our eldest daughter was due to enter primary school, we heard of a school near us that was highly sought after, offered higher Chinese, and seemed to have high standards for achieving academic excellence, with a penchant for lots of homework and extra classes. School A was ranked among the top schools in Singapore, based on unofficial rankings.
Choosing School A also meant that we wouldn't have to worry about primary school placement for our two younger boys, since it's a co-ed school and they will likely gain easier entry into the school as siblings under a priority scheme under the primary school registration phase 1.
Then there was School B, an all-girls school that was also close by. School B was an established mission school with Christian values. We felt that this could help our child in her spiritual growth and build her character.
To be safe, we thought we'd include both in our basket of options, so my husband volunteered at the Residents' Committee in our district. This allowed us to apply to the schools within our constituency under registration phase 2B, for children whose parent is an active community leader (among other qualifying criteria).
After months of debating, we eventually went for School B.
School B seemed to have a more holistic approach to education, offering a balance between the social-emotional development of a child and academic growth. Their school website emphasised the building of virtues like humility, kindness and integrity, and also organised community events for their girls to exercise these values.
We also spoke to parents whose kids attend the school, and a friend who is an alumnus. We heard that School B gave their students ample speaking practice in class and at school events. Someone even mentioned that the girls there tend to have pretty polished social and public relations skills.
Sending my daughter to a school that taught such valuable life-long skills resonated with me, as a professional in the media and communications industry.
We also heard that the homework load and overall stress level that kids in School B experienced seemed more manageable, compared to School A.
What also swayed the decision was that School B had an affiliated secondary school, meaning that the cut-off PSLE score for affiliated pupils would be lower. So sending my daughter to School B could alleviate some of the stress from PSLE examinations, and free her to explore other areas of interest.
My daughter has an artist's streak: She likes to draw, sing and create stories. Her interests and personality tell me that she'd thrive in a school that offers room for creativity and self-expression, more than in a school that drives her to perform academically. So School B offered a better fit.
School A is a good school, but it simply doesn't match the profile of my child. Putting her there would be squeezing a square peg into a round hole – frustrating for the school, the child and possibly her parents.
As parents, I think we struggle with the choice of whether to put our child in a school that does well on academic rankings – the natural question is why wouldn't we do all we can to encourage our kids to achieve academic excellence?
Yet, as a family, we have made a conscious choice to tip the scales towards character growth and social-emotional development.
We may have been proactive in volunteering to carve out more options for our children, but we also had to make the unconventional decision of choosing the path of "more character, less performance".
Taking extra precautions to ensure that your kid gets into a school of choice is commonplace. We know many parents who gain entry into schools through church affiliation or parent volunteer work. We also have friends who are alumni of reputable schools, and who paid the required fees to join as alumni members.
But it doesn't necessarily translate into greater competition for top-ranking "brand name" schools.
We also hear more stories of parents who have relinquished their alumni links with top schools in favour of less popular neighbourhood schools.
The decision-making process is highly complex and takes into consideration factors such as distance, logistics, tradition, capability, quality, values and focus. But the final choice is highly personal – and less about what we do as parents, than it is about understanding who our child is, and selecting the best environment that will allow him or her to thrive.
We all desire for our children to do well in life. For my husband and I, this goes beyond PSLE scores and secondary school choice.
There is a growing number of parents like us who value social-emotional skills above grades.
We don't want to raise children who view one another as competitors for a limited resource; we want our children to be self-aware, to collaborate with others, to innovate to solve problems, and be unafraid of challenge and failure.
Today, my daughter has the time to read, draw, swim, practise violin, and carry out simple household chores. She loves school and enjoys playing with her friends. She is a curious and confident learner, and she was absolutely over the moon the day she came home with a character badge with the word "Graciousness" imprinted.
As far as possible, I let her take charge of her own learning; if she forgets to learn her Chinese spelling, I let it be. Through little mistakes like these, I hope she hones a sense of responsibility and motivation.
My husband and I still have a long way to go in supporting our children's educational journey, but so far this "more character, less performance" approach is working out for us. We hope it will be key to raising happy, healthy and motivated children, who will be in a better position to adapt to an uncertain and changing world.
So it turns out that every school can indeed be a good school, but it depends on what a child needs, and what a parent wants.
This is the fourth commentary in Channel NewsAsia's series on learning and education.


An elegant formal beaded silk chiffon dress with floral beadwork on the neck & side slit of the dress. Spaghetti strapped dress comes with a matching sheer jacket which is fully beaded. Back zipper closure. Imported.


This construction contract is complete. White Oak Construction Corporation performed the work under this contract.
The project involved the furnishing of all materials, labor, equipment, tools, etc. unless otherwise specified, for the complete installation of repairs, rehabilitation, and improvements of stormwater drainage systems at various site locations throughout the City of Durham. Status of the projects at these locations is shown below.
Maplewood Cemetery 5 Drainage Imp.
Otis Street at Formosa Street at Concord Street Intersection Imp.


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Video Industry Detailed Overview of Blip.tv Video Sharing Site
Detailed Overview of Blip.tv Video Sharing Site
Mark R Robertson - December 24, 2007
"We've got a great service for great shows. The world is fundamentally changing as it becomes easier for people to create their own video." – From Blip.tv site.
Blip.tv was founded in the year 2005 by Mike Hudack along with Dina Kaplan, Justin Day, Jared Klett and Charles Hope in the city of New York, America, keeping in mind primarily the videobloggers, podcasters, Internet TV producers and the people who are producing a steady stream of episodes. These people were trying to create knowledge management software when they realized the need for videoblogging and created a suitable platform named www.blip.tv. This is essentially a video sharing service.
The Blip.tv provides almost everything to the content creators, which they may ever think of like free hosting, support for several video formats, distribution to the blogs and other destinations using the technologies like RSS with sharing of the advertising revenues @ 50%. Blip.tv tries to concentrate on the shows based contents instead of viral videos. The Blip.tv also offers private label technology way outs for traditional media companies who want to incorporate user-generated content into their existing platforms.
To upload the video contents you may opt for a Web interface, or FTP, or from a mobile phone or through a client-side batch uploader and through a version of the Internet Archive advance contribution interface. The Blip.tv offers uploads of the video files in formats like Quicktime, MPEG, 3gp, DivX, Real Media, WMV, mp3 or Ogg. The upload facility available through the Web interface allows multiple versions of the same video. The Blip.tv recommends maximum file size of 150mb, though in practice Blip.tv accepts up to 1 gigabyte file sizes. Unlike the google.com and youtube.com are made available on Blip.tv immediately, and a transcoded flash version is made available to the viewers after five to fifteen minutes. Users can opt to display the transcoded flash version by default, or their original version of the video.
Blip.tv offers copy and paste HTML for placing videos on other Web sites, along with a feature it calls cross-posting to syndicate automatically videos to other Web sites, RSS feeds are also available to the viewers for the syndication of user videos. Videos files uploaded by the user to Blip.tv can be automatically syndicated to the sites like AOL Video, MSN Video and Live.com, Dabble, Mefeedia, FireANT, iTunes etc. The Blip.tv allows you to retain all rights to your video content. Beside that Blip.tv has provided clear guidelines about the nature of the video content to be uploaded, they have specified that demonstration of cruelty to animals, drug use, nudity or any information about a minor other than the first name, excessive vulgarity, defamation, insult, etc. are not to be uploaded by the user. There is no cost involved to join the site and upload your video.
Blip.tv now lets all users to incorporate advertising into their video files. All you need is a PayPal account to receive the payments. You are allowed to choose from several different advertising setups available, or you may opt out altogether. Blip.tv pays you for your video content, you might just want to go ahead and post your movies out there. Video formats include pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll, overlay, adjacent, and others.
The Blip.tv was established by Mike Hudack, he also holds the post of CEO in Blip.tv. Before associating with the Blip.tv, Hudack was a software developer and systems administrator at National Hockey League and he was also working as a consultant to Time Warner. Hudack has designed and developed a number of politically-oriented blogging platforms immediately after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Blip.tv is by far my favorite video sharing website as it is easy to use, robust, and features almost everything that you would need for video sharing.
Mark R Robertson
Mark Robertson is the Founder of ReelSEO (now Tubular Insights). He is a Social video marketing expert, popular speaker, and a passionate thought-leader within the online video and search marketing industries.