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To submit your application online: Note the amount that is due now, so you can write a check to follow up the application. On the memo line of your check, write the name of the sponsoring organization, just as it appears on the application. Then just press the SUBMIT button, and send your check to us at the address below.
To submit your application by mail: Press the PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION button, print your application, and sign it (IMPORTANT). On the memo line of your check, write the name of the sponsoring organization, just as it appears on the application. Then send the application and the check to the address below.
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text:
InducteesMel Allen
Born: February 14, 1913 in Birmingham, Alabama
Mel Allen enrolled at the University of Alabama at age 15, where he worked as a student manager for the football team and as a public-address announcer. As a law student, he broadcast his first collegiate football game, Alabama vs. Howard College. In 1937, he was hired as a staff announcer with CBS in New York. He would become the "Voice of the Yankees," working as their lead announcer from 1946 to 1964. He later returned to the Yankees and also hosted the weekly program, "This Week in Baseball." Throughout his career he announced 20 World Series and 24 MLB All-Star Games. Allen also covered 14 Rose Bowls, 5 Orange Bowls, and 2 Sugar Bowls. He is a member of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame and an inaugural recipient of the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


ds106: Some advice from an outsider* | amidoinitrite?
So you're not from around there huh? You live half-way around the world, in a different time and a different place. You follow the twitter stream of a guy called @jimgroom. By chance you find out about some digital storytelling course called ds106. The course is ran outta the University of Mary Washington (UMW) in Virginia, USA. Apparently they're now offering this ds106 course to anyone. It's like, massive, open and online. You've heard people call this kinda course a MOOC. Sounds exciting huh?
You're curious about participating in the course, but you're not so sure. You feel like a bit of an outsider*. You don't even know what the 106 in ds106 means. You figure it doesn't matter. The ds106 course tempts you with a proposal of making art (dammit) and thinking about how to use technology to tell stories. It sounds like fun. You decide to give it a go.
Like any course, ds106 has it's fair share of assignments to be completed throughout the course. Unlike other courses, in ds106 you get the chance to create and submit your own assignments for others to complete. You know, ordinary type assignments that require you to apply your visual, design, audio, web, writing, video, mashup and fanfic skills. Don't worry, the assignments are fun and have practical outcomes. Outcomes like a new technical skill and an artifact or piece of work as a result of your labour that can demonstrated or discussed with others. The assignments also contain an innate underlying principle of the ds106 course. Learn by doing and actively participating. Oh yeah, ds106 even has an awesome web radio and web tv station for you to use as a platform for your personal broadcasts! Just be sure to follow PROTOCOL.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, a course like ds106 is just like anything else. You get out what you put in. If you're willing to participate, contribute and share a little of yourself with others, you're probably going to gain the most. What you gain will be a practical and technical skill, but also something you can't quite put your finger on. It could be analytical thought, a new way of thinking about what you create, a new outlook or new perspective on the way you interact with others (wherever they may be in the world). It's a valuable skill that you can take away with you and apply to other aspects of your life.
As an outsider, could there be times where you'll be confused by provincial dialect, time zones, cultural or geographical references? Yeah sure, but it's nothing that an inquisitive mind and a quick search on Google or Wikipedia can't fix. Don't let that stop you from participating in the course!
So, here's my advice. From one outsider* to another. Take part in the ds106 course at all costs. Take part with an open mind. Be prepared to work hard, have fun, make friends, find out about the world and share some of your own world with others.
*Note from the author. The use of the term outsider is a light-hearted way of referring to someone who is not a student of UMW, or affiliated with UMW or any other online social network. An outsider could be someone who is a foreign national that found out about ds106 by chance or circumstance. The term outsider is not used to suggest an in-group exclusive behavioural mentality or someone who is actively seeking to separate themselves from normal inclusive behaviour or practice. The term outsider does not refer to the exceptional novel by S.E. Hinton or film by Francis Ford Coppola called The Outsiders. An outsider could be you.
This entry was posted in amidoinitrite, ds106 and tagged ds106, ds106advice by rowan_peter. Bookmark the permalink.
I'm glad you wrote this post and am certain Jim will put it to good use in one of his future posts about ds106. I really enjoy reading how everyone is making sense of their experience in ds106 (the course). To that end, why didn't you mention #ds106radio?
I suppose it is just one way of many you have engaged in the ds106 experience? I am biased and passionately love ds106radio–so am most curious how it fits into your overall feelings of connectedness and learning.
Yeah, ds106radio really made the course for me. One of my favourite formal ds106radio highlights was when D'Arcy Norman Skyped in to one of Jim's face-to-face classes to talk about photography. That was great listening. Other more informal, but equally educational ds106radio highlights include: your live reads of Peter Pan and the 20 Love Letters, Friday Night Karaoke, Scott Lo's earthquake broadcast, D'Arcy Norman's bike ride broadcast, Mikhail Gershovich chat with his friend Jeff from Ohio (formerly Boston), Noise Professor drive through Bakersfield and Tod Conaway's Grand Canyon broadcasts.
In the early days of ds106radio before going live was possible for many people, I really enjoyed making station ids and recording field reports. Pity I couldn't seem to find an Android equivalent of that Papaya iPhone app that everyone was using to broadcast live field reports to ds106radio. Going live would've reduced the amount of static pre-recorded field reports for /AutoDJ to choose from.
Oh, the infamous first (and only) episode of Nobody's Listening back in January with Jim Groom, Brian Lamb and myself was a memorable ds106radio moment for me!
You're right, I think I understated (what I would call) the importance of #ds106radio to me as a tool for engaging with other #ds106 participants. The #ds106radio stream was a vital for me to find out 'what was going on' throughout the course, but also allowed me to 'tell others what I was up to'.
The #ds106radio stream did have an 'educational purpose', but it was also just plain old fun! So, if I had to nominate my favourite feature of the #ds106 course I would have to nominate #ds106radio.
I am interested in this topic, but I am still in the dark about what exactly this is all about.
I guess it's for the keen and motivated. So if you're not, then you are the REAL outsider?
As a non-participant of the ds106 course you're never an outsider, just a non-participant. I used the term outsider as a way to express a viewpoint of someone who is participating in the ds106 course via the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) option, not as a traditional face-to-face student at the University of Mary Washington.
The 'spring 2011' course has just finished, but if you're curious about the participating in the 'summer 2011' course check out the syllabus for a bit of an idea of what's covered.


text:
State v. Johnson
Court of Appeals of Kansas
State of Kansas, Appellee,
Teri Lynn Johnson, Appellant.
SYLLABUS BY THE COURT
1. Courts must presume the constitutionality of a statute and resolve all doubts in the favor of validity.
2. The term "other person in a position of authority" in K.S.A. 2015 Supp. 21-5512(a)(9) is not unconstitutionally vague.
3. The party claiming an error occurred has the burden of designating a record affirmatively showing prejudicial error. Without such a record, an appellate court presumes the action of the trial court was proper.
4. When sufficiency of the evidence is challenged in a criminal case, the standard of review is whether, after reviewing all the evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution, the appellate court is convinced a rational fact-finder could have found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Appellate courts do not reweigh evidence, resolve evidentiary conflicts, or make witness credibility determinations.
5. An appellate court must first attempt to ascertain legislative intent through the statutory language enacted, giving common words their ordinary meanings. When a statute is plain and unambiguous, an appellate court should not speculate about the legislative intent behind that clear language, and it should refrain from reading something into the statute not readily found in its words.
6. Ultimately, the courts must construe statutes to avoid unreasonable or absurd results and presume the Legislature does not intend to enact meaningless legislation.
7. K.S.A. 2015 Supp. 21-5512(a)(9) defines unlawful sexual relations as "engaging in consensual sexual intercourse, lewd fondling or touching, or sodomy with a person who is not married to the offender if . . . the offender is a teacher or other person in a position of authority and the person with whom the offender is engaging in consensual sexual intercourse, lewd fondling or touching, or sodomy is a person 16 years of age or older who is a student enrolled at the school where the offender is employed."
8. K.S.A. 2015 Supp. 21-5512(d)(9) defines a teacher to include "teachers, coaches, supervisors, principals, superintendents and any other professional employee in any public or private school offering any of grades kindergarten through 12."
9. A paraprofessional educator assigned to a school is a person in a position of authority as set out in K.S.A. 2015 Supp. 21-5512(a)(9).
10. Under K.S.A. 2015 Supp. 21-5510(a)(1), sexual exploitation of a child by enticing a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct with the intent to promote any performance is not an alternative means crime.
11. The subpoints in the definition subparagraph of K.S.A. 2015 Supp. 21-5510(d)(2)(A) and (B) describe options under the definition of "promoting" and do not create an alternative means crime requiring super-sufficiency of the evidence.
12. K.S.A. 2015 Supp. 21-6401(f)(2) defines "material" as "any tangible thing which is capable of being used or adapted to arouse interest, whether through the medium of reading, observation, sound or other manner."
13. "Material" as used in K.SA. 2015 Supp. 21-6401(f)(2) includes digital media shared by sending or transmitting it to another person.
Appeal from Douglas District Court; Peggy C. Kittel, judge.
Clayton J. Perkins, of Capital Appellate Defender Office, for appellant.
Kate Duncan Butler, assistant district attorney, Charles E. Branson, district attorney, and Derek Schmidt, attorney general, for appellee.
Before Green, P.J., Schroeder, J., and Stutzman, S.J.
Schroeder, J.
Teri Lynn Johnson appeals her jury convictions for unlawful sexual relations, sexual exploitation of a child, and promoting obscenity to a minor. She challenges the sufficiency of the evidence under each count and also claims K.S.A. 2015 Supp. 21-5512(a)(9) as applied is unconstitutionally vague as it fails to give notice of who is covered by the law and does not support her conviction for unlawful sexual relations. She also complains K.S.A. 2015 Supp. 21-5510(a)(1) requires super-sufficiency of the evidence, claiming it is an alternative means crime. The jury found Johnson guilty as charged stemming from her sexually oriented relationship with K.E., a minor. The record shows the court ordered K.E. to attend school where Johnson worked as a classroom paraprofessional. Their relationship began with flirtations in school. Johnson exchanged sexually explicit communications with K.E. on social media, resulting in Johnson ultimately going to K.E.'s home where they engaged in sexual intercourse. In a light most favorable to the State, the evidence presented supports Johnson's convictions. K.S.A. 2015 Supp. 21-5512(a)(9) is not unconstitutionally vague, and K.S.A. 2015 Supp. 21-5510(a)(1) is not an alternative means crime. We affirm.
Johnson's job and duties
Johnson worked as a paraprofessional educator for U.S.D. 497. She was assigned as a paraeducator to the Douglas County Detention Center in what is commonly referred to as the Day School at the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC). Johnson worked at the Day School under the supervision of a licensed teacher. The essential functions of Johnson's position included adapting classroom activities, administering discipline, conferring with teachers, participating in team meetings to assist in evaluating student progress, implementing academic instruction, implementing behavior plans, and monitoring classrooms and students to ensure their safety and welfare. Paraeducators had supervision responsibilities and were also responsible for leading, guiding, and coordinating with others, including the students. If needed, Johnson would also "take over" and substitute for various teachers at the Day School.
K.E.'s enrollment and status as a student
K.E. was a student enrolled in the 12th grade in the Lawrence Public School system during the 2015-2016 school year. He was court ordered to attend school at the JDC that year.
The relationship between Johnson and K.E.
K.E. testified he found Johnson attractive and would joke with his friends about who would have sex with her first. He would flirt with Johnson a couple of times a week by staring at her breasts and deliberately getting caught by her to see how she would react.
A relationship developed and Johnson began communicating with K.E. outside of school using two social media applications: Facebook Messenger and Snapchat. Johnson told K.E. in their first exchange on Facebook she could be fired if their contacts were discovered. They switched to using Snapchat to send pictures, videos, and text messages to each other. K.E. testified they favored Snapchat because it deletes messages, pictures, and videos after a user views them. However, a Snapchat user can actively save images sent to the user. If saved by the recipient, the sender is sent a notification explaining the last sent item was saved by the recipient. K.E. testified he initially saved messages exchanged with Johnson through the chat function, but he "unsaved" them because he did not want anyone to see them.
K.E. testified they started sending pictures early in their communications and that "sex was already on my mind." He also testified that they discussed the age of consent in Kansas. Johnson was concerned because K.E. was not yet 18 years old. He searched on Google for the age of consent in Kansas, determined it was 16, and told Johnson he was over the "age of statutory rape."
Johnson went to K.E.'s house on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and the two had sexual intercourse one time in his bedroom.
After having sex, K.E. and Johnson continued to communicate on Snapchat. They discussed their sexual encounter, having sex again, and mutually agreed to not tell anyone. Over the course of the relationship, Johnson sent K.E. approximately 20 pictures over Snapchat, and "all but like four or five" included pictures of her breasts. The rest included images of things such as lingerie and her vagina. K.E. also received pictures and at least two videos from Johnson over Facebook, one of her "rubbing her breasts and then playing with her vagina and [in] the other one she was in the shower playing with her vagina."
K.E. testified he requested most of the photographs and videos Johnson sent to him; however, Johnson also sent him videos and pictures he had not requested. He also testified prior to having sex, Johnson asked him for a picture of his penis and he sent it. He did not recall her asking him for a video of himself. At trial, K.E. identified a video of himself masturbating. He did not recall sending the video to Johnson. This video of K.E. masturbating, as well as other images of an erect penis-believed by police, in context, to be of K.E.-were located on Johnson's cellphone.
Johnson told K.E. throughout all of their communications to not save the content. K.E. testified "[i]f it involved naked pictures I saved it."
Report and criminal investigation
K.E. disclosed his relationship with Johnson to his father. His father told K.E.'s mother, and she contacted law enforcement. Law enforcement interviewed K.E. Then detectives went to the JDC and requested Johnson accompany them to the police department for an interview. Johnson did not testify at her trial, but the court admitted a video recording of her interview which was played for the jury. At the end of her police interview, Johnson provided a written statement, which was also admitted at her trial. Throughout the course of the investigation, the detectives reviewed Facebook and Snapchat records and phone reports downloaded from K.E.'s and Johnson's cellphones. These downloaded records included some restored information previously deleted by Johnson and K.E.
As the interview progressed, Johnson admitted she had exchanged photos with K.E., first claiming she had done so by accident. After the police told her they could retrieve even some deleted information, Johnson admitted she sent K.E. images. At first, she claimed she was not unclothed but then acknowledged she intentionally sent K.E. pictures of her breasts and vagina. She told police their contacts were exclusively messaging.
Later in the interview, she acknowledged she went to K.E.'s house but claimed they only talked. When asked if her DNA would be on K.E.'s bed, Johnson replied, "I guess you know?" Johnson then admitted she had sexual intercourse with K.E. with K.E.'s penis penetrating her vagina, and K.E. also performed oral sex on her.
Johnson also admitted she and K.E. exchanged videos involving both of them masturbating. Johnson acknowledged K.E. sent her a picture of his penis.
Trial and sentencing
The State charged Johnson with one count of unlawful sexual relations, a severity level 5 person felony; one count of sexual exploitation of a child, also a severity level 5 person felony; and one count of promoting obscenity to a minor, a class A nonperson misdemeanor. The jury convicted her on all three charges.
Johnson moved for a downward dispositional departure, or in the alternative, a downward durational departure. After hearing the evidence, a statement from K.E.'s mother, and arguments of counsel, the district court continued the sentencing to review the records and caselaw citations. In ruling on the motion, the district court stated the following:
• Johnson was in a position of authority;
• K.E. was a student at the school where Johnson was a ...


text:
// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// <copyright file="ImageRenderUnit.cs" company="OxyPlot">
//   Copyright (c) 2014 OxyPlot contributors
// </copyright>
// <summary>
//   Represents a Image IRenderUnit implementation.
// </summary>
// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
namespace OxyPlot.SharpDX
{
    using System;
    using System.Collections.Generic;
    using System.Linq;
    using System.Text;
    using System.Threading.Tasks;
    using global::SharpDX;
    using global::SharpDX.Direct2D1;

    /// <summary>
    /// Represents a Image IRenderUnit implementation.
    /// </summary>
    internal class ImageRenderUnit : IRenderUnit
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// The bitmap.
        /// </summary>
        private Bitmap bitmap;

        /// <summary>
        /// The source rectangle.
        /// </summary>
        private RectangleF src;

        /// <summary>
        /// The destination rectangle.
        /// </summary>
        private RectangleF dest;

        /// <summary>
        /// The opacity.
        /// </summary>
        private float opacity;

        /// <summary>
        /// The interpolation mode.
        /// </summary>
        private BitmapInterpolationMode mode;

        /// <summary>
        /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="ImageRenderUnit" /> class.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="bitmap">The bitmap.</param>
        /// <param name="src">The source rectangle.</param>
        /// <param name="dest">The destination rectangle.</param>
        /// <param name="opacity">The opacity.</param>
        /// <param name="mode">The interpolation mode.</param>
        public ImageRenderUnit(
            Bitmap bitmap,
            RectangleF src,
            RectangleF dest,
            float opacity,
            BitmapInterpolationMode mode)
        {
            this.bitmap = bitmap;
            this.src = src;
            this.dest = dest;
            this.opacity = opacity;
            this.mode = mode;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Performs application-defined tasks associated with freeing, releasing, or resetting
        /// unmanaged resources.
        /// </summary>
        public void Dispose()
        {
            this.bitmap = null;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Renders image represented by current instance to render target.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="renderTarget">The render target.</param>
        public void Render(RenderTarget renderTarget)
        {
            renderTarget.DrawBitmap(this.bitmap, this.dest, this.opacity, this.mode, this.src);
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Checks if current instance bounds intersects with viewport or not.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="viewport">The viewport.</param>
        /// <returns>Return <c>True</c> if bounds intersects with viewport, otherwise <c>False</c>.</returns>
        public bool CheckBounds(RectangleF viewport)
        {
            return viewport.Intersects(this.dest);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Head and Neck Cancer News |
A new view of brain tumors
Sep 05, 2013 Viewed: 769
In the battle against brain cancer, doctors now have a new weapon - a new imaging technology that will make brain surgery dramatically more accurate by allowing surgeons to distinguish - at a microscopic level - between brain tissue and tumors.
Called SRS microscopy - short for stimulated Raman scattering - a team of researchers that included Xiaoliang Sunney Xie, the Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Minbiao Ji, a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Chemistry and Chemical Biology, were able to "see" the tiniest areas of tumor cells in brain tissue, and to distinguish tumor from healthy tissue in the brains of living mice - and then showed that the same was possible in tissue removed from a patient with glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most deadly brain tumors. The research is described in a September 4 paper in Science Translational Medicine.
"Biopsy has been the gold standard for detecting and removing these types of tumors," said Xiaoliang Sunney Xie, the Mallinckrodt Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and co-lead author of the paper. "But this technique, we believe, is better because it's live. Surgeons can now skip all the steps of taking a biopsy, freezing and staining the tissue - this technique allows them to do it all in vivo."
Developed by Xie and colleagues in 2008, SRS works by shining non-invasive lasers into tissue and detecting the weak signal that emerges. By analyzing the signal's spectrum, researchers can build images of the cellular makeup of the tissue.
By amplifying those signals, they were able to transform a technique that once took hours or days into one that works in real-time, and could offer a critical insight to surgeons in the operating room.
Since brain tissue and tumors contain different chemical makeups, researchers can create images that precisely show where tumor "margin" - the boundary area where tumor cells infiltrate among normal cells - is located, helping to guide surgeons in the operating room.
"It's very nerve-wracking," Xie said, of the challenge facing surgeons. "They have an MRI image, and they know what needs to be removed, but the question is where do you stop? A very experienced surgeon may be able to discern between brain tissue and a tumor based on subtle color differences, but many surgeons, I believe, will find this technology a useful guide."
Working with a team of researchers led by Daniel Orringer, M.D., a lecturer in the U-M Department of Neurosurgery, Harvard researchers were able to show that the technique can be used to detect tumors in living mice, and in human brain tissue.
On average, Orringer said, patients diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme live only 18 months after diagnosis. Surgery is among the most effective treatments for such tumors, but less than a quarter of patients' operations achieve the best possible results, according to a study published last fall in the Journal of Neurosurgery.
"Though brain tumor surgery has advanced in many ways, survival for many patients is still poor, in part because surgeons can't be sure that they've removed all tumor tissue before the operation is over," said Orringer. "We need better tools for visualizing tumor during surgery, and SRS microscopy is highly promising. With SRS we can see something that's invisible through conventional surgical microscopy."
The authors suggest that SRS microscopy may be as accurate as Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining - the current approach used in brain tumor diagnosis.
In one test described in the paper, H&E staining was pitted directly against SRS microscopy. Three surgical pathologists, trained in studying brain tissue and spotting tumor cells, had virtually the same level of accuracy, regardless of which images they examined. The difference, Xie said, is that SRS microscopy can be done in real time, and without dyeing, removing or processing the tissue.
"For more than 100 years, Hematoxylin and eosin stain has been the gold standard for this type of imaging," Xie said. "But with this technology, we don't need to freeze the tissue, we don't need to stain tissue, and we don't need to biopsy - this acts like an optical biopsy, and allows us to identify the tumor margins at a cellular level."
"We are glad that this technology is now taking a step forward into a clinical application," he added. "With this paper, we now have the proof of principle that this can be done in human brains in situ."
Peter Reuell
Cervix Cancer
Invasion and Proteases
Breast hematoma
Surgery for Pure DCIS
Guidelines and Risk-Based Screening
Assessment of Sexual Function in Breast Cancer Survivors
Early Detection of Breast Cancer: Summary
Gene Therapy for Breast Cancer
Viral Infections and breast cancer
Cancer Risks in Individuals with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 Mutation
HRT for Management of Menopause


One of the hardest things about planning a wedding is trying to come up with a realistic budget. Le'ts face it, conversing about money with family can be quite uncomfortable. But it is one of the first things that needs to be done after you get engaged. It's vital to know who is paying for things, how much they can afford to pay and if both sides of the family and the couple are contributing.
After you hire a wedding planner, again, one of the first things that is discussed is the budget. A few things to note.
1. Your wedding planner will NOT judge you when discussing budget. We are used to working with all kinds of budgets.
2. Be honest. There is nothing worse than a wedding planner reaching out to vendors and telling them that budget is one number, only to have the couple come back later and say, they can't afford something but they just wanted to see what it would cost. Our reputations can be damaged and then other wedding vendors won't want to work with us.
3. If you aren't honest about the budget, it makes us wonder what else you are hiding.
4. We are experienced at getting you the most possible for your budget and price. But we can't make a $10,000 wedding look like a $100,000 wedding. Realistic expectations are key!
Working with a wedding planner is a true partnership. We want the absolute, very best for you and your wedding day. Communication and honesty are key on both sides of the relationship.
Have a great day and happy planning!


text:
Markets• Planning• Reliability and Resilience• Renewable Energy
While Power Plants Fail, the Grid Works
Fossil fuel plant owners hype their reliability, but when the weather turned bitterly cold in late January, coal and gas plants froze up. The polar vortex was a test for the power grid. When we needed them most, many of the very same power plants that are clamoring for a bailout failed. That's not surprising, since the truth is those plants are losing money because they are some of the oldest, most expensive to maintain and operate, and least efficient machines on the system.
The two days of bone-chilling temperatures demonstrated one crucial fact: Grid operators can manage a nimble, green and affordable electric supply system with a range of resources. The old power plants looking for a handout have nothing to do with the reliability or resilience of the electricity system.
Plants facing retirement make up less than a tenth of the total capacity in PJM, but were responsible for a third of the outages, yellow.
A lot of the failing coal plants are 50 or more years old. If they were cars, they'd have fins. And, just like cars, the oldest power plants are usually the least reliable. Meanwhile, the owners of these money-losing plants say they need help, and deserve it on the misguided argument that those plants are needed for grid reliability. This latest cold spell shows once again that this is nonsense.
Grid operator PJM reports that those same plants that need a bailout are the least reliable ones: In PJM, as many as 23 percent of plants facing retirement—nearly one in four—were out of commission during the cold snap. PJM noted, "Forced outage rates for retiring units ranged from 18 percent to 23 percent, this is approximately double the PJM RTO forced rates during the same peaks which ranged from 7.0 percent to 10.6 percent." For comparison, the average power plant in PJM is unavailable 6.6 percent of the time.
Natural gas plants suffered mechanical and fuel problems.
Gas powered plants had their own issues. A number of gas fueled plants had to stop operations because their fuel supplies were cut off. This can happen when plant owners try to save money by using "interruptible" fuel contracts—that means they can lose their fuel supply to higher priority customers. Many of those plants are paid a lot of money because they're supposedly needed for reliability, so it boggles the mind that they're allowed to make fuel arrangements that get cut off when they're needed most. If there ever was a near-emergency, those plant owners would face hefty penalties, but it looks like they've decided to take that risk.
On the 31st, one very large gas plant suddenly shut down not once, but twice in one day. If we wanted to make that dramatic, we could say grid operators had to scramble their emergency reserves to keep the lights on, but the reality is that sudden failures of fossil fuel plants are routine.
One tool for managing sudden power plant failures is industrial and commercial sites that are set up to quickly reduce their power use when needed. Often, those events come and go so quickly even the people in the affected buildings don't know anything happened. That's an important development: technology is at the point where consumption of electricity can be managed to match supply. With ubiquitous connectivity, an ever-expanding Internet of Things, and more and more plug-in electric vehicles, that's a trend that's only going to accelerate.
All these breakdowns bring us to the real point: The lights did stay on. The grid worked. That's because the people who run the power grid spend a lot of time and effort planning a system around the strengths and weaknesses of the thousands of power plants in the country. That's what a resilient and reliable grid will look like in the future: A variety of low-carbon resources and smart power users working together to keep the lights on.
The National Renewable Energy Lab has studied in detail how the power grid would work with as much as 80 percent of our power coming from renewables. The researchers found that with current technology, the grid remains reliable every single hour of the year. Dispatchable renewables like concentrating solar power and hydro combined with energy storage balance the ebb and flow of wind and solar, while demand response deals with short-term unexpected issues.
So, the next time you run into someone who thinks they're the first to realize the sun goes down at night and the wind doesn't always blow, just remember: If we can keep the power grid working with cranky old coal plants in the mix, we can keep it working with just about anything.
Featured image credit: Viktor Kern
by Tom Rutigliano
State Policies and Electricity Markets: Harmony or Conflict?
NERC's Report on Clean Power Plan Deeply Flawed, But the Lights Will Stay On
DOE's Coal and Nuclear Bailout Proposal Should Be Rejected
NYISO's Flawed Plan Threatens to Slow Energy Storage
FERC Can't Just Check the Climate Box


Totaled Your Car? We Can Help!
Should an accident total your car, you can be left with a lot on your plate. Not only have you lost your means of transportation and may be suffering from an injury, you also have to work with an insurance company to sort out the damage.
Recouping the cost of a totaled car can be a challenge, even if the accident wasn't your fault. If an insurance company says your car is a total loss, they're only required pay you fair market value for the car. A car is categorized as a total loss if the cost of repairing the car exceeds a certain threshold of its worth. Usually, if the cost of repair is more than 80% of the car's value, the car is "totaled".
In some cases, getting fair market value for a totaled car leaves you coming up short. Your insurance company might say your vehicle is only worth $10,000, even though you still owe your lender $12,000 for it. The insurance company may give you $10,000, but you still have to pay $2,000 for a car you're no longer able to drive or even repair yourself. And to that last point, note that if you accept an insurance company's payout for a totaled car (that $10,000), they have the right to take the car itself and sell for salvage. Usually, they do.
If all of this leaves you feeling low and lost, know that there are a few ways you can try to make the best out of a bad situation.
Understand the laws in your state. Every state has different laws about who is obligated to cover the cost of an accident. There are some states that require that a driver be "0%" at fault in order for the other party to provide a full payout. In other states, "fault" is assigned based on the extent to which each party contributed to the accident, and insurance companies pay respective to that percentage. Understanding the laws in your state can help level set who will be on the hook for owed money from the outset.
If you think the insurance company valued your car incorrectly, find ways to prove it. Your vehicle might be worth more than the insurance company says it is. You can seek out a qualified appraiser to evaluate your car, or you may wish to file a lawsuit (although, this should be a last resort). Perhaps the easiest course of action is to start with your own research and show how similar vehicle models are going for more money on the market. You can also double check that the cars your insurance company used to estimate the value of your car are truly comparable. Did the vehicles used for comparison have the same number of miles as your car? Did your car have other accessories that would increase its value?
Check to see if you have gap insurance. Does your auto policy include gap insurance? This can help cover the difference between the payout you received from your insurance company and what you still owe your lender. Gap insurance is something to check for when purchasing a new policy, too. Note: if you are less than halfway through the term of your loan, gap insurance is probably a good idea.
Look for other ways to get money back. If your insurance company gives you a loaner rental car after the accident, know that you're not obligated to take it. Instead, you may be able to opt out and get money for it, which you can put toward your expense. This won't be true for every insurance company, but if a rental car is on the offering table and you're able to go without it, ask about your company's policy.
Find more information about all things auto insurance by exploring the Schechner Lifson Corporation blog!


RTK | Vesper wrote: I'm not worried. I'm just making sure they see the problem is general.
The SP Campaign files are very complex to put together and run in through the NTW3 launcher. We are aware if the issue and are taking the time to consolidate and update the campaign files for smoother game play & less battle crashes.
I'm a newcomer; thanks for taking the time to improve and stabilize this fantastic mod!
RTK | Vesper wrote: Same problem reported here, installation verified multiple times.
The Campaign doesn't work for a lot of people, and Lordz are trying their best to put out a fix. Lordz aren't a company with thousands of employees, so it will take a while, but it will come, don't worry....People don't read if they don't have to, eh?
I'm not worried. I'm just making sure they see the problem is general. I'm glad of the work they are doing, and kept on that positive attitude all along. Please don't put additional comments like your ending one when you have no clue who you are talking to, and in an inappropriate context.
Retyn, I did search, saw 1 or 2 messages, realised after posting there was a thread I didn't see.
I won't even continue arguing, I'm not into that "get a fight over internet" thing. Maybe you got time to lose, I don't.
Haven't played NTW in years so I wanted to brush up with SP before going over to MP. Just wanted to report I'm having the same bug others have reported where it CTD's immediately upon selecting the Campaign of the Coalition. I understand you're working on a fix. Thanks for your great work, Lordz.
I recently downloaded v7.5 (along with the addon packs). I did a fresh install of vanilla NTW, installed the mod, and now I don't get any sound, both in the main menu and in a battle. Nothing. Please help!
Have you run the "verify integrity of game files" option that is accessed via a right click on N:TW, properties, local files...?
Check preferences script, you might have 0 values for volume?
May the drums of the Old Guard beat to "le Empereur"... forever.
Hello, thanks to the tip given in an other thread I managed to play the game. I started the Russian Campaign and everything was going fine until february 1806. The game crash when it's Prussia turn. Am I the only one experiencing this ? I'm going to start an other campaign to see if it happens again.
By the way, I took several screenshots of uniforms issues, are you interested in seing them ?
Send your pictures by PM, please, they are very welcome.
Lord Uxbridge will be working to correct them.
Hello, apologies if this issue has been addressed elsewhere, I am a newcomer to this mod and the community.
I downloaded the files for 7.5, the 7.5 add-on, the 7.5 maps, and 7.6. Everything worked well during the installation, and was able to launch and play the campaign portion of the mod no problem.
The issue is when I play the "Classic Battles" section of the mod, there is no sound in the battles or the main menu, even though the sound for the opening video works fine. The sound works fine in the "Campaign", but it does not work playing the stand alone battles portion of the mod. Perhaps this is a simple issue of messing with the files, but I am not knowledgeable enough about that stuff to find out for myself.
Again, apologies if this issue has been addressed elsewhere, but any help with this would be greatly appreciated. This is an awesome mod and I thank you for all the obvious work that has gone into it.
'Classic battles' are not implemented or supported in NTW3.
You have Historical battles or scenarios, about 100 of them.
Lord Cosak wrote: 'Classic battles' are not implemented or supported in NTW3.
Thank you, I realized that the problem was that I downloaded the files for the 7.5 addon and the 7.5 maps, but I did not properly install them.
I now see the Historical Battles option in the launcher, but now my problem is that the launcher is too long vertically for me to actually launch the historical battles. I see the list of battles, but the option to launch them is cut off below my screen, and I see no option to change the size of the launcher window. Is there a way to change or fix this?
benjaminkicks wrote: Thank you, I realized that the problem was that I downloaded the files for the 7.5 addon and the 7.5 maps, but I did not properly install them.
I'm new to the mod and appear to have everything installed correctly up through the 7.6 patch. How do I play the historical battles? From the launcher, I pick a historical battle from the drop down list (for example Waterloo) and then click "Launch HB." It then takes me to the main menu of the game. When I go to "play battle" and pick Waterloo, I cannot choose an army. The player 1 army is locked in as Prussia and the Player 2 army is locked in as UK.
Also, the game crashed every time I try to play a regimental battle. Thanks for your help.
To play HB or scenarios, you have to host a MP battle and select "Scenario".
I think other continents like Asia and South America could be cool. I know they were not directly part of the Napoleonic Wars, but they could be really cool to see implemented into Napoleon Total War. I know this doesn't make a whole lot of sense. maybe you could implement some nations from other continents besides Europe after you are done with European nations. Sorry if this post does not make a whole lot of sense, I just love to let my imagination flow thinking about strategy games and the major mods for them like NTW3.
There are already three non-European factions in NTW3: USA, Persia, Mamelukes.
Ottomans and the British/Canadian corps are also mainly non-European.
ProximMaximus wrote: I'm new to the mod and appear to have everything installed correctly up through the 7.6 patch. How do I play the Historical Battles from the launcher?
HI. I'm completely new to this mod so 7.6 is my first install. I installed 7.5 Setup, Maps and Addon followed by the 7.6 patch. It was installed over a fresh NTW install. Everything seems at first to work fine except in battle. For whatever reason I have no ability to deploy skirmishers from light infantry and also cavalry with firearms have no shooting ability in battle. When I look at the unit stats the weapon stats are gone but ammunition remains for the cavalry. I hope someone can help as the mod looks fantastic.
Are you playing the campaign or MP battles?
Campaign on the recommended settings Normal/Normal and medium size units.
I re verified then reinstalled the mods with the same effect. I have removed all previous saves also. I tried to deploy skirmishers using key command but no joy. The Musket Cavalry are just locked in melee mode with no weapon stats except ammo. When I first start the exe I select the 1805 option and start a coalition campaign. Never had this happen before on a mod so bit of a head scratcher. Played a good few turns before I noticed with no crashes to report.
I do apologise, I had not realised cavalry dismounts before firing. Been a while since I last played NTW but assume that's a feature of NTW3. Maybe the light infantry deploying as skirmishers is a tech i'm missing. I know it used to be in vanilla. I shall try again, sorry for the bother.
1st post and I would like to say thanks for all your hard work getting this beautiful Mod created, playing version 7.6 in SP Campaign 1805 as the British.
I have found a possible bug in the Naval side.
I sent my Fleet to assist the Swede's Fleet that had just been attacked by a Dutch Fleet.
When the Battle was loading the game CTD, I tried to assist them again after restarting the game with the same results.
Restarted the game and let the Dutch have at Sweden, Sweden lost but still had a few ships a float.
Next turn I sent my Fleet after the Dutch and they retreated close to the battered Swedes and I intercepted them again.
This time Sweden came to my assistance against the Dutch Fleet and when the Battle was loading it CTD again.
Seams like there is a bug when another Faction joins a Naval Battle with the player's faction.
I haven't had another Faction join any land battles so I don't know if the same would happen there, sorry for the long post.


text:
Greenburgh Students Could See Shorter Vacation Breaks
Rachel Blair, a Woodlands High School freshman, has been doing schoolwork at the Greenburgh Public Library. Many school districts closed all week after Hurricane Sandy. Photo Credit: Samantha Kramer
COVID-19: New Cases Lead To Closures At Irvington School Dist...
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Most school districts have already used up their built-in snow days for Hurricane Sandy, so many Greenburgh students may see shorter vacation breaks during the rest of the year.
New York State Education Department Commissioner John King can excuse up to five of the necessary 180 school days for "extraordinary circumstances," according to the department, but only after all possible vacation days are used up in the district.
While the state implemented a provision for last year that pushed the requirement up to 10 excusable days after Hurricane Irene, NYSED spokesperson Antonia Valentine said it's too soon to tell whether a similar provision will be enacted this year.
"We can't predict whether the Legislature will act to provide relief from the 180-day requirement again this year," Valentine wrote in an email.
The department's regulations say that not even a state of emergency — which was declared by several towns in Westchester County and by Gov. Andrew Cuomo — will excuse schools to operate for fewer than 180 days.
Elmsford School District builds three snow days into its calendar year, which were already used before students returned to school Thursday.
"Once all buildings had power, which was today, classes resumed," said Elmsford Board of Education President Matthew Evans. "We didn't waste any time."
It's too soon to tell how Elmsford will handle the situation if it sees snow days this winter, but Evans added that because the county's areas were hurt in different ways by Hurricane Sandy, the commissioner should take things on a case-by-case basis.
"It's not a one-size-fits-all scenario," Evans said.
Greenburgh Central 7 District, however, remained closed Thursday and Friday as several of its schools were still without power. Board of Education member Terry Williams said he wouldn't be surprised to see school days cut well into the summer.
"Never in my nine years on the board have I seen anything this bad," Williams said. "Cutting vacation time is the only thing that will prevent us from the school year going into July."
Rachel Blair, a Woodlands High School freshman, said it is possible she will see a longer school year. But without electricity for entertainment, she's been spending most of her time doing school work at the library anyway.
"A lot of my friends have been coming to the library. I'm working on a five-page report now," Blair said. "It's not like we haven't been working."


NEW YORK, April 26, 2014 – Washington Wizards forward-center Nene has been suspended one game without pay for head-butting and grabbing guard-forward Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls around the neck with both hands and attempting to throw him down, it was announced today by Rod Thorn, President, Basketball Operations.
The incident, in which Nene received two technical fouls and was ejected from the game, occurred with 8:28 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Wizards' 100-97 loss to the visiting Chicago Bulls last night at Verizon Center. Nene will serve his suspension tomorrow when the Wizards host Chicago.


At the Interisland Terminal / Reed Space / Staple Design pop-up bookstore at the Waikiki Parc Hotel, which was more of an event than just a bookstore—cool (or dope as NY'ers seem to say)!
Other than the show itself, I am amazed at the viral aspects of the event—I never thought New York could create a tsunami in the islands (unless of course, it swept over from Tokyo)!
Even though I hardly know these people (other than seeing some of them here and there around town), I do mention them on a first-name basis since I felt like I was among friends—the venue, the energy and the attitude was just right—young, hip and real, which I suppose defines a good party anyway you look at it.
I have always had fond memories of our family visits to the Izmir International Fair as a child. The most vivid memory that I have is of the Parachute Tower, which stood in the middle of a circular plaza, surrounded by stands of perfume vendors.
There were many other attractions within the fairgrounds, both for children and adults alike, and I also remember the pavilions of exotic foreign countries with all the the promotional items that they gave away, and the open-air, white-tablecloth restaurants under the palm trees, the balloon vendors, and the ice-cream (Sütsan!) sellers... But none impressed me as much as the the parachute tower surrounded by the perfume sellers! Obviously for a child of ten the tower itself would be impressive, not only because it was really tall, but people actually jumped from its great heights and landed safely; and the perfume memory is probably related to the purchase or sampling of some cologne (kolonya in Turkish) by my parents, maybe the smells, or maybe the visual display of rows and rows of multi-colored glass bottles in all shapes and sizes.
For the last 40 years I was dying to go back to take another look—the nostalgic longing never left me all those years even though everyone in Izmir always mentioned that the fuar (the fair, as it is commonly referred to in Izmir) was not what it used to be. Even though I visited Izmir many times over the years, it was never the fuar season.
So, finally in 2009 my wishes came true: The parachute tower was still there and was operational, however the the perfume sellers were all gone, replaced mostly by food vendors and exhibitors, of which I found the pişmaniye makers the most interesting (and got to taste some after many years).
The picture of me taking pictures of the tower, were taken by my niece, Ebru Atay.