Dell on Thursday announced that it has teamed up with its subsidiary Secureworks and CrowdStrike for a new endpoint security offering that includes threat prevention, detection and response services.
The new Dell SafeGuard and Response offering coimbines unified endpoint protection, managed security, incident response expertise, and threat behavioral analytics.
Specifically, SafeGuard and Response includes the CrowdStrike Falcon Prevent next-generation antivirus (NGAV), which relies on AI and machine learning to neutralize malware and other attacks.
Customers can add the Device Control and Falcon Insight service from CrowdStrike, which provides endpoint detection and response (EDR), including deep visibility into threat activity and real-time remediation capabilities.
Dell SafeGuard and Response customers are also offered 24x7 managed services from Secureworks for monitoring their endpoints for unauthorized activity. Secureworks's Security Operations Center and Counter Threat Unit will determine the severity, accuracy and context of each incident to recommend actions for remediation.
Finally, organizations can opt for the SecureWorks Incident Management Retainer, which involves the deployment of an on-demand incident response team in the event of a serious incident. This service can also be useful for creating a proactive response plan for future incidents, Dell said.
Dell SafeGuard and Response is expected to become generally available worldwide in March 2019 and it can be acquired from Dell and its channel partners.
"Together [with Dell], we are equipping customers with a unique and compelling solution to deliver an end-to-end approach to endpoint security that effectively stops threats, while reducing enterprise complexity and modernizing threat detection and management," commented Matthew Polly, vice president of Worldwide Business Development and Channels at CrowdStrike.


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Oussama Romdhani
Lack of English language proficiency deprives the Arab region of a crucial bridge to the rest of the world.
Listen, look and say. Iraqi schoolgirls attend an English class at a school in western Mosul. (AFP)
The latest EF English Proficiency Index, released by the EF Education First in Zurich, affirms the unfortunate status of the Arab region as the least skilled in English among all regions of the world.
The survey, which collected the views of 1.3 million non-native speakers of English in 88 countries or regions, did not list any Arab country among the top 30. The closest an Arab country gets to a nearly acceptable rank is Lebanon, which ranks 33rd, with a "moderate" level of proficiency.
The ranks of other Arab nations vary between "low" and "very low." A sorry state that both explains and predestines the Arab world to lag in terms of interconnectedness with the rest of the world, engagement in the globalised economy, technological innovation and even social progress.
Among the ten lowest-ranking countries, five are from the Arab world, including the two countries that rank at the bottom of the EF scale. Those are oil-rich Libya and Iraq, a stark illustration of how decades of strife, instability and inadequate policies pre-empted serious educational progress and language training.
In Libya, many generations suffer from the consequences of former strongman Muammar Qaddafi's paranoid suspicion of foreign languages. Seven years of conflict and displacement since the toppling of the Libyan regime have prevented the rebuilding of the country's socio-economic and educational systems.
In Iraq, methods of foreign language teaching, often the same as used in the 1950s, have been an abysmal failure. Decades of war and strife did the rest.
In many other places as well — such as Syria and Yemen — the schooling of Arab teenagers is disrupted by war and displacement and soaring dropout rates.
English language teaching deficiencies are part of the wider problem of educational systems that need desperate repairs in most of the Arab world. Recent studies show that even illiteracy is alarmingly making a comeback.
Not surprisingly, the lack of English language proficiency is obvious in one particular age bracket of Arab young men: "All age groups fall well below global averages but the cohort that is farthest behind is unfortunately also the largest: adults aged 18 to 20," notes the Education First report.
This gap is an unavoidable reflection of the inadequacy of English language training at primary and secondary school levels.
This kind of insufficient training ill prepares secondary school graduates for the requirements of predominantly English-language teaching at most Middle Eastern universities. For those studying abroad, the challenge is even greater because Arab students are not prepared for the communication and research uses of English.
The insufficiencies of university training can only compound the chronic mismatch between educational systems and the job market where a foreign language such as English is a highly demanded skill. The problem hinders the employment of young Arab graduates in search of jobs at home and abroad in today's highly globalised marketplace. It also deprives economic systems seeking to attract foreign investors, businessmen or tourists of a huge potential.
In the Maghreb, English language proficiency is hampered by the third-language status of English.
Families in the region are increasingly aware of the adverse effects on their children of foreign language deficiencies. They are accordingly tempted to send their children to private schools but such schools are costly and therefore inaccessible to the vast majority of students. Even public education graduates often end up taking remedial courses, especially if they are considering emigration.
Only correctly designed and implemented policies in the Arab world's public education systems can ensure the adequate training of the masses of young men and women graduating each year.
It is also unacceptable that the Middle East remains the only region of the world where men show better rates of English proficiency than women. Despite their high graduation rates at the university, young women do not show sufficient motivation to engage the outside world through foreign languages.
Improving English standards for both sexes, especially young women, would require better social awareness and support for improved proficiency rates, as most young Arabs do not grow up in social environments where high value is placed on fluency in English. They may even face culturally conservative environments where English or any foreign language for that matter is seen as an alien influence if not a threat to identity.
Dispelling such inhibitive notions must be part of any economic modernisation process in the region. Speaking English and speaking it well are prerequisites in such a process.
Lack of English proficiency deprives the Arab region of a crucial bridge to the rest of the world. There is no hope for a better understanding of the region's realities if its messages are continuously lost in translation.
Written By Oussama Romdhani
Oussama Romdhani is the chief editor of the Arab Weekly.
Lebanon's next government is doomed to fail
Lack of humanitarian aid to Idlib made worse by diplomatic wrangling
Soleimani is no Arafat and Haniyeh should know that

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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You are here: Home / Politics / Leap Day Walk-out in Iowa House!
Leap Day Walk-out in Iowa House!
February 29, 2012 by O.Kay Henderson
Shortly before 10 o'clock this morning House Democratic Leader Kevin McCarthy appeared in front of the west press bench on the floor of the Iowa House to declare he and the other 39 Democrats in the Iowa House had been "double-crossed."
McCarthy indicated that yesterday he had been handed by the House GOP one of the internal "blue calendars" which list bills that are eligible for debate and certain bills had been circled, indicating those were the bills that would be debated today. Two of the bills that were not circled on his sheet (which McCarthy held in his hand and showed the two reporters present) deal with gun-related issues. (Technically one is a resolution, proposing an amendment to the state constitution, but legislators still have to vote on it, just like a bill.)
McCarthy said he had indicated to House Republican Leader Linda Upmeyer that "you have a couple of controversial bills on there" but he told reporters he had been assured they would not be debated today. "We were called into her office a little bit ago (this morning) and were told plans have changed and they were debating the constitutional amendment today, whether we like it or not, and they are debating the stand your ground bill today, whether we like it or not."
McCarthy said that would not happen. "We've been betrayed," he told us. The 40 House Democrats then walked out of the building. McCarthy's staff has just issued a written statement, via email:
"Yesterday, the Republican Majority Leader gave me a list of the scope of possible bills that might be debated today. Under House Rules, the amendment filing deadline is the day before bills are debated… in other words… yesterday.
House Republicans have betrayed our trust and have told us today, contrary to what we were led to believe yesterday, that not only are they debating bills they said would not come up, they are going to attempt to alter the Iowa Constitution with extreme gun language that, if enacted, would turn Iowa into the Wild, Wild West.
House Democrats believe too strongly in our Constitution and have too much respect for the legislative process to allow this misuse of power to occur unchecked. We, therefore, in unity, have left the State Capitol in protest."
I'll be back in a moment with House GOP reaction. Here's a summary of the situation, including statements from the House GOP leaders.


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Billie Jean King didn't just score wins on the tennis court
September 27, 2021 by Barbara Bry
By Barbara Bry
Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, September 27, 2021
Billie Jean King is my "shero."
Watching the U.S. Open women's and men's tennis champions Emma Raducanu and Daniil Medvedev receive the same winner's share of prize money — $2.5 million — I reflected on how much women's tennis and all women's professional sports owe to King's entrepreneurial, relentless spirit. It was special that I was reading her recently published autobiography "All In," (written with Johnette Howard and Maryanne Vollers) during this year's U.S. Open, played of course at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Born in 1943, King grew up at a time when a woman couldn't get a credit card in her own name (until 1974) or an athletic scholarship. She writes that she loved to compete in many sports but quickly realized "no matter how good I was, my life would be limited because I was female." But she was determined to change the status quo, where male players received higher per diems and male tournament purses were greater.
King was a fierce competitor both on and off the courts, leading player efforts to start the first professional women's tennis tour in the 1970s, becoming the first president of the Women's Tennis Association, starting the Women's Sports Foundation, and co-founding World Team Tennis and Women Sports magazine.
Her autobiography contains important lessons for entrepreneurs and exemplifies many of the rules about which Neil and I have written.
Rule No. 330: Follow your own star. At least that way, you know where you're going.
Throughout her life, King was determined to make life better for the next generation of women athletes. She led efforts to improve their professional prospects and advocated for the passage of Title IX, which eliminated sex-based discrimination in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. It opened the door to athletic scholarships for women — a development that was game-changing in developing professional women's sports. In addition, she was an active mentor to the next generation of players, including Chris Evert, Lindsay Davenport and Martina Navratilova.
Rule No. 218: Grand passion and relentless pursuit will take you further than good grades.
In 1973, King played Bobby Riggs, a former No. 1 ranked player, in the famous "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match. Earlier, Riggs had beaten Margaret Court, then the world's No. 2 women's player in a match dubbed the "Mother's Day Massacre." Preparing for the match, King knew that she had to win to preserve the gains in women's tennis and not undermine Title IX. The match was a best of five sets in comparison with best of three in women's tennis so her daily practice regime was relentless and included 200 situps and 400 leg extensions using homemade ankle weights. She beat Riggs easily in three sets.
Rule No. 47: You cannot let the fear paralyze you.
In 1967, King was the No. 1 ranked player in the world, and she kept pushing for change.
She did not shut up and threatened to boycott tournaments if the women players weren't treated better, even though she risked being suspended. That year, she won the singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at Forest Hills, then the venue for the U.S. Tennis Championships.
Rule No. 682: A good leader is authentic.
King writes about the inner torment she suffered in acknowledging that she was a lesbian and in dealing with an eating disorder. "Who turns being outed into a way to burrow deeper into the closet? But that's what I did." When she did fully come out and acknowledge Ilana Kloss, now her partner for more than 40 years, a burden was lifted off her, she felt freer to expand her activism, and her personal life blossomed.
Off the court, having seen a problem, she was determined to address and solve it. On the court, she was simply determined to go for it.
She concludes, "When you look at yourself in the mirror, when you're older and wrinkled like I am, how will you want to remember yourself? How will you want others to remember you? What will you want to say that you stood for, and did with your life?"
I will remember Billie Jean King as a leader who had the courage to fight for equality.
Rule No. 683
"Pressure is a privilege."
— Billie Jean King
Filed Under: Entrepreneurship


We've jumped into the summer blockbuster movie season, and that means a whole lot of sequels to be seen.
In an era when it seems every idea in Hollywood has been made into a franchise or rebooted for one, several famous titles missed the boat.
In some cases, the filmmaker moved on to other projects (including franchises). But rumors about potential sequels for a number of these titles are spreading.
Here we rank the 18 movies that we think deserve a sequel.
Following the huge success of "The Sixth Sense," director M. Night Shyamalan combined comic books with the supernatural with this story in which Bruce Willis plays a man who after an accident slowly realizes that he has superhuman powers.
Though the movie had a poor box-office performance, over the years there have been rumors of a sequel, but they seem to be just that. However, it would be great to see Samuel L. Jackson's character from the movie, Elijah Price (aka "Mr. Glass") fleshed out in a sequel as a villain.
Likelihood of a sequel: Probably not going to happen. Now with the superhero craze studios are looking for ways to bring existing comic book characters to the screen, not ones from an underperforming movie.
Alright, give this one a second to sink in. A sequel to the movie that made Matt Damon and Ben Affleck stars (and Oscar winners) could work.
Have Damon's Will Hunting character return to South Boston and be the one who is the mentor of a troubled teen, while reconnecting with his buddy Chuckie (Affleck). Or we can always go with the idea Kevin Smith teased in "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back."
Likelihood of a sequel: Never. Damon and Affleck are on bigger projects and heading franchises like Jason Bourne and Batman to worry about what Will and Chuckie are up to.
Arnold Schwarzenegger playing a suave secret agent searching for a terrorist while also dealing with the idea that his wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) might be cheating on him had all the makings of a franchise.
But as the years went on, director James Cameron found less interest, and then the idea finally deflated after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Likelihood of a sequel: You can never say never when it comes to Schwarzenegger and Cameron. But with Cameron focused on his "Avatar" franchise, it's unlikely.
Many Pixar movies could work as a sequel, but we think "Up" would be the most fascinating.
Having Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner), Russell (Jordan Nagai), and their dog Dug on a new adventure would be a fun story. Carl's floating house is still at Paradise Falls, but I'm sure they can come up with something else Carl is attached to.
Likelihood of a sequel: Co-director Pete Doctor has become a bigger name since making "Up," having done the Oscar-winning, "Inside Out" as well. This idea might not be at the top of the pile.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito playing long-lost twin brothers became an instant classic in the late 1980s. It showed Schwarzenegger could do comedy, and the connection the two actors had on screen was fun to watch.
Likelihood of a sequel: There's been talk for years that a sequel titled "Triplets" is in the works, starring Schwarzenegger, DeVito, and (wait for it) Eddie Murphy getting into the mix. We'll see if that ever materializes.
The visionary work of Neill Blomkamp became mainstream in his debut film, which starred his good friend Sharlto Copley. And one of the main draws to it was the vast universe that was created.
Because of that, the interest for a sequel is high. But where do you go from here? Do you stay with Wikus, now a fully transformed alien? Or do you go to new characters? Is it a prequel? This is certainly one reason why we haven't seen a sequel yet.
Likelihood of a sequel: We'd be shocked if we don't get one.
Leonardo DiCaprio playing a thief who steals secrets from inside people's minds was a thrilling journey, topped by the direction of Christopher Nolan, but can the story be repeated?
Likelihood of a sequel: With the level of stardom that all the actors from the movie are at now — and Nolan too — it would be quite hard to get all of them together at the same time. It's not impossible but not likely.
Though it performed less well than expected box office, "The Iron Giant" found new life on the home video market and since had built a huge cult following. With director Brad Bird now a major director as well as Vin Diesel, who voiced the giant, they have the muscle to make a sequel.
Likelihood of a sequel: Sounds like a no. Bird has tweeted in the past that he's moved on.
Another movie that found its audience long after the theatrical fun is this John Carpenter action comedy starring Kurt Russell.
A critical and box office disaster that led to Carpenter to stop making movies for Hollywood, its wacky premise and incredible use of CGI and practical effects (for 1980s standards) made the film a fan favorite for decades to come.
Likelihood of a sequel: If anything, there will be a reboot as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has announced that he's working on one.
Robin Williams playing a divorced father who decides to dress up as the housekeeper to spend more time with his kids is a comedy classic. And like many of them, a hard sell for a sequel.
Likelihood of a sequel: For years, there were talks and a script was written, but there was never one that was satisfactory. Then after Williams' death in 2014, plans for a sequel were scrapped permanently.
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly playing man children has grown a loyal following. Not the level of "Anchorman" but strong enough that since its release, many have asked the actors and director Adam McKay if they could ever see themselves doing another one.
The great thing about doing a "Step Brothers" sequel is the longer they wait the funnier it will be. Imagine Ferrell and Reilly in their 70s doing this kind of movie!
Likelihood of a sequel: We think this one is strong. McKay has said in the past that they have an outline for one. I think sooner or later, they do it.
Fans of the hilarious comedy that showed girls can party as hard as boys (and made Melissa McCarthy a breakout star) have been wanting for a sequel since the movie came out. But like many of the comedies on this list, the story has to be as good or better than the original.
Likelihood of a sequel: Not anytime soon. Co-writer and star Kristen Wiig has said she's not currently writing a sequel and many of the cast, including director Paul Feig, are busy on other projects.
Honestly, pretty much everyone is shocked there isn't a sequel yet to "Wanted." James McAvoy has always said he's ready to come back to play the assassin.
Likelihood of a sequel: Seeing it's been eight years since the original came out, it's anyone's guess. But it would be crazy for Universal to never to do another.
Will Smith playing a date-doctor who has girl issues of his own has become one of the go-to movies to watch when it comes on TV.
The fun love story and great buddy-chemistry between Smith and Kevin James worked perfectly. And it would be good for Smith to return to comedy once in awhile.
Likelihood of a sequel: Probably not. Sony is developing it for a TV series.
That's right, we're going there.
One of the most beloved movies of all time is ripe for multiple stories, and if anyone can do it, it's Steven Spielberg. Whether it's Elliott (Henry Thomas) searching the galaxy for his alien friend or E.T. on a new journey, it would be an interesting movie.
Likelihood of a sequel: Not happening. Spielberg did toy with the idea in the late 1980s but set it aside.
Well, there is a title: "Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money," as Mel Brooks' character in the movie, Yogurt, teased. But over the decades there's only been rumors of Brooks continuing his spoof of the "Star Wars" franchise.
But he would have a lot of material to work with as the "Star Wars" saga has become even more popular since "Spaceballs" came out.
Livelihood of a sequel: Hard to say. Brooks has said he's always been up for the idea, but with many of the cast members now dead, if it were to happen it wouldn't have the feel of a sequel.
It's been over 31 years since a group of teenage boys went searching for One-Eyed Willy's gold, and fans have been wanting them to go on another adventure ever since.
The story and characters are perfect for a a sequel but now the question becomes: Will another movie work with a new cast or the original actors as adults?
Likelihood of a sequel: Yes, we guess. Though we've been teased for decades, director Richard Donner has said a sequel is in the works with most of the original cast returning.
The fandom for "Mean Girls" has only become stronger after its surprise success at the box office. Written by Tina Fey and starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Amanda Seyfried, they all went on to become big stars. That's a reason we haven't seen a sequel (and we won't count the straight-to-DVD one that came out in 2011).
Recently, with the fan anticipation at its peak for more of The Plastics, many of the main cast have recently come back to Fey to develop a sequel. It would be fun to see the group now (likely) as mothers.
Likelihood of a sequel: Hard to say. Fey has been mum about it. In fact, she's pushing a musical version of the movie. The cast might have to do some mean girl tactics to get what they want.


Flappy Unicorn is a 2D endless runner that's both adorable and challenging. The goal is to help the magical unicorn reach the end of her journey by flying through the rainbow-filled sky without hitting a crystal pillar.
The challenge here is that the gaps between the pillars are too narrow. You need to be precise with your taps if you want to clear the obstacles and earn the gems for buying powerups.
Start your magical quest by clicking here.


Lately I have been dreaming a lot about driving and travelling. Always going somewhere with some friends or family, and the setting is always somewhere away from home; a small village, narrow mountain roads, a glacier, or an open field at high altitude - sometimes with snow.
A few days ago I had a particular beautiful memory from my dreams. I was (with friends/family?) in a sort of tram in the shadow of the mountain, and when I looked around I saw the most marvelous mountainscape of yellow-green mountainsides, bathed in the last rays of the setting sun, against a clear (autumn?) sky.
I googled mountainscape and found this photo that reminds me of my dreamview.


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Flu Spreading in Hudson Valley, New York State at Alarming Rates
Bobby Welber
Doctors are warning the flu is spreading at alarming rates in the local area and across the Empire State.
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For the four straight week influenza activity level has been categorized as geographically widespread in New York State, according to the New York State Department of Health. There were 5,301 laboratory-confirmed influenza reports, a 62 percent increase over last week. The previous week saw a 77 percent increase in confirmed cases of the flu in New York.
There were no influenza-associated pediatric deaths reported this week. There has been one influenza-associated pediatric death reported this season.
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Every Hudson Valley county besides Columbia County has had at least one confirmed case of the flu this season. In the past week, 108 Orange County residents were diagnosed with the flu.
Doctors across the state say it's not too late to get a flu shot
Categories: Articles, Hudson Valley News


A prominent Romanian politician gave EU officials the middle finger right in the middle of a packed assembly.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Florin Iordache was captured on video storming out the speaker's podium before thrusting both middle fingers at officials.
The outburst was a response to growing pressure from the European Commission on the Balkan state concerning accusations of corruption.
But Mr. Iordache asserted that the government would continue a questionable drive to modernize the judiciary and to eliminate prosecutors who are cracking down on graft.
The reviled politician said: "We'll go on despite all the opposition from the European Commission.
According to the Express: This is not the first time Mr. Iordache has come under fire. Last year, he backed a decree that catalyzed Romania's greatest protests since the Ceausescu era.
The repudiation follows a string of similarly polemical speeches given in Hungary and Poland - two other ex-Communist states that are proving resistant to the EU's directives.
The lash-out follows growing concerns that the future of the EU is looking turbulent.
Radio host Nick Ferrari said that he did not expect the bloc to "exist" in two decades.
The UK's own departure from the European Union is hitting major stumbling blocks after seven ministers resigned over Theresa May's withdrawal agreement.
Former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab departed yesterday morning, citing issues with the backstop and the break-up of the Union as being instrumental in his decision to leave office.


The overall aim of the REEP policy dialogue is to support legislators and investors eliminate market barriers to energy efficiency and accelerate the take-up of energy services.
A requirement to establish a measurement, control and verification system to ensure the targets are met by eligible energy saving measures and to certify the achievement of the energy savings.
Obligations to ensure supply adequacy and therefore a need to plan for and accommodate energy and peak demand growth.
The utility-related REEP policy dialogue component aims to assist selected countries to reform their energy tariffs and develop a subset of the secondary legislation, regulations and guidelines necessary for the transposition of Article 7 of the Energy Efficiency Directives.


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Orientation, sensitization and training sessions
Varta Trust offers orientation, sensitization and training sessions – one-off and series of workshops – on gender, sexuality and related issues to NGOs, educational institutions, government agencies, corporate bodies and other groups / agencies.
This service may be offered in lieu of donations to Varta Trust, on the basis of individual consultancy arrangements (on behalf of Varta Trust), or in relation to a grant of funds. Please write to us at vartablog@gmail.com to discuss your requirements and other details.
Visit this page for details of our online training workshops for queer community members in eastern and north-eastern India (as part of the activities of Queer Friendly Lawyers Network – West Bengal and Varta Economic Inclusion Mentoring Forum).
Varta Community Reporters Training and Citizen Journalism Programme
Programme objective: This six-month programme aims to build communication, documentation and journalistic skills among youth and other groups marginalized around gender, sexuality or other social markers. The focus is mainly on individuals from beyond metropolitan centres and those who have had limited educational or other socioeconomic opportunities. In the process the idea is also to enhance the employability of the participants.
Programme content and activities: Training workshops (including online ones), fieldwork, mentoring and writers workshops on issues around gender, sexuality, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, disability, social security, human rights, communication, documentation, storytelling and citizen journalism are part of the programme. Initial training activities may be spread over a month.
Activists, social workers, academics and practitioners with several years of experience from relevant spheres conduct the training activities. While English is the primary language for the training curriculum and activities, other Indian languages that the participants are more comfortable in are also used.
A four to five-month mentored content generation phase follows the initial training phase. The participants – Varta Community Reporters or VCRs – are encouraged to contribute articles, audio-visual material, photographs and graphics to the Varta webzine (or other online publications), usually on a monthly basis. The VCRs are paid a small monthly stipend to help them meet expenses involved in fieldwork and reporting activities, and as an incentive in addition to seeing their contributions published.
In the final month of the programme, an evaluation is conducted which includes both individual qualitative assessments and larger group assessment. Participants are provided certificates of participation on request as well as inputs on further skills building and exposure to other training programmes. The evaluation also involves assessing the advocacy impact of the stories published in Varta, including amplification of the stories when they are republished or cited in other publications.
Programme specifics: Training programme announcements are made usually once a year (at the start of the calendar year). Training is usually free, though participants may need to pay a nominal registration fee and use some of their own equipment (like computers, smart phones or cameras). Only a small number of participants are selected for each edition of the programme, with the primary requirement being a high level of commitment to complete the programme!
Selection: Applicants are usually asked to submit a short written, audio or video document explaining their motivation for participation in the programme. They may also need to demonstrate an aptitude for the issues and skills covered by the programme through submission of past or new works (in text, photographs, graphic art or audio-visual material).
There are no requirements for a minimum educational or professional qualification. However, some degree of fluency in English and / or at least one other Indian language is required. In terms of age, participants must be at least 18 years old. In each edition of the programme, in keeping with the position statement of Varta Trust, an effort is made to ensure as much diversity as possible in the selection of participants. There is no bar on repeat participation.
First edition – Manipur Pilot (March to August 2018)
The first edition of the VCR Programme was part of a larger 20-month training, research and advocacy project to support economic inclusion of queer people in Manipur. The project was called Sexual and Gender Diversity, Welfare and Precarity in India: Impact, Advocacy and Process, and it ran from August 2016 to March 2018. It was led by All Manipur Nupi Maanbi Association (AMaNA), a transgender women's collective in Manipur, and Empowering Trans Ability (ETA), a support forum for transgender men, lesbians and bisexual women in Manipur.
Implementation was supported by ally NGOs SAATHII, Imphal; CORE Manipur, Imphal; and Varta Trust, Kolkata. The project was supported financially and technically by the Sussex Social Science Impact Fund, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
The Manipur pilot of the VCR Programme aimed to provide continuity to outreach and advocacy efforts started under the economic inclusion advocacy project. Stories, photographs and audio-visual material produced by the VCRs covered cultural, legal, health and sanitation issues around economic exclusion of queer people, and were published in Varta webzine under a column called Manipur Diary (see sample stories here and here – editorial notes at the end provide information about the advocacy impact of the stories).
Six individuals associated with AMaNA and ETA started the programme and three completed it. The first edition team can be seen in the photograph below. From left to right in the front row are: Moirangmayum Asha (participant), Shampa Sengupta (resource person), Thingnam Anjulika Samom (resource person), Oinam Yambung (participant) and Randhoni Lairikyengbam (resource person). In the second row are: Santa Khurai, Moirganthem Ton, Bonita Pebam and Lily Khumbongmayum (all participants). Behind the camera: Pawan Dhall (resource person and VCR Programme Coordinator).
The training sessions for the Manipur pilot of the VCR Programme were held at the SAATHII office and Imphal Hotel over three days. The photograph was taken at Imphal Hotel on the final day of the training sessions (on March 29, 2018).
Second edition – Multi-state Pilot (February to July 2019)
The second edition of the VCR Programme was part of a project focussed on the creation of an online searchable database (or locator) on queer friendly sexual health, mental health and legal aid service providers in India. The project (ongoing) is a three-way collaboration between Varta Trust, Kolkata; SAATHII, Chennai; and Grindr For Equality, Los Angeles.
This second pilot programme aimed to facilitate community monitoring of sexual health, mental health, legal aid and social welfare services in India, especially with regard to how queer-friendly these services were in their functioning. The training phase of the programme was completed through a series of online workshops during February-April 2019. The content generation phase lasted from April to July 2019, and the stories written by the VCRs were published in Varta under a column named VCR Diary (see sample stories here, here and here – editorial notes at the end provide information about the advocacy impact of the stories). More stories under the second pilot may be published beyond July 2019.
The full team of the second edition of the programme (four participants from three states Assam, Manipur and West Bengal, and five resource persons) can be seen in the graphic below (graphic credit Prosenjit Pal). The participants included Bonita Pebam from Imphal, Rith Das from Kolkata, Sadam Hanjabam from Imphal and Shivalal Gautam from Guwahati. The resource persons included Debjyoti Ghosh from Chittagong (in Bangladesh) and Kolkata, Pawan Dhall from Kolkata, Shampa Sengupta from Kolkata, Thingnam Anjulika Samom from Imphal and Rafiquel Haque Dowjah from Mumbai.
Third edition – Queer community responses to coronavirus pandemic (May to September 2020 – extended till June 2021)
The third edition of the VCR Programme was focussed on documenting and reporting how queer people, other vulnerable groups, and their allies responded to the hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic and associated lockdown in India. It also involved strategic dissemination of the published reports for community morale building, experience sharing and advocacy to ensure that affected people gained access to resources for immediate survival and long-term self-sustenance. This edition of the programme was supported by CREA, Delhi.
The training and content-generation phases of the third pilot programme took place concurrently from May to September 2020. All training activities in this period were conducted online. The third pilot was extended till the end of October 2020. Subsequently, the third pilot was extended again till March 2021 with further training and content-generation activities. But the coronavirus pandemic caused long delays and the pilot was completed in June 2021.
Read Coronavirus Outreach News from 'Varta', a pre-story published in Varta that inspired the third pilot. Stories contributed by the VCRs were published under a column named Coronavirus Diary. See sample stories here, here and here – editorial notes at the end of the stories provide information about the advocacy impact of the stories, including the successes in raising financial and other resources for relief work.
Read article No Lockdown on Domestic and Community Violence against Queer People during Coronavirus Pandemic written for The Gendered Contagion: Perspectives on Domestic Violence during COVID-19, special edition of the Gender, Human Rights and Law journal, published by the Centre for Women and the Law, National Law School of India University, Bangalore and partner agencies (2020 edition). This article is based on the stories documented through the third pilot of the VCR Programme.
The full team of the third edition of the programme (seven participants from Assam, Odisha and West Bengal and three resource persons) can be seen in the graphic below (graphic credit Pradosh Dash). The participants included Bana from Bhubaneswar, Chandan Kumar Nayak from Bhubaneswar, Joyita Mondal from Islampur, Pradosh Dash from Bhubaneswar, Shivalal Gautam from Guwahati, Sudipa Chakraborty from Kolkata and Sukanta Banerjee from Bally. The resource persons included Pawan Dhall and Suchandra Das from Kolkata and Rafiquel Haque Dowjah from Mumbai.
Pawan Dhall, VCR Programme Coordinator, Varta Trust
vartablog@gmail.com


NAI BEVERLY-HANKS LISTING. Avoid the south Buncombe traffic. 17;000+/- square feet of manufacturing/warehouse space with 2;600+/- square fe3et of office including break room and multi-occupant bathrooms. 20-foot+ ceilings (lights can be raised); single loading dock; 3-phase power; fully conditioned; ample parking. Less than 1/4 mile from I-26; minutes to Asheville; I-40; I-81. Building is on the campus of Mills Manufacturing Corp. and previously was home to their braiding division Miltex Industries. Other half of building is used by Mills for warehouse/storage. Town of Woodfin zoned Light Industrial. Perfect for manufacturing; warehouse; distribution.
DIRECTIONS: From Asheville take I-26 west to exit 23. Turn left and go under Interstate; take first left onto Mills Place. Building is through the gate and down the hill.


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News WhatsApp Download for Nokia Symbian and Nokia Asha Phones Latest Version Available...
WhatsApp Download for Nokia Symbian and Nokia Asha Phones Latest Version Available for Free
WhatsApp is the most popular and everybody's favourite messaging app for smartphones as well as feature phones. It has been with us for years and even though there was a small fee initially, it has now been waived and the app is free. WhatsApp free download works on iOS, Windows Phone, Android, and Nokia Symbian devices. It is used by millions of people around the world to stay in touch with family and friends for free with just an internet connection.
WhatsApp download for Nokia is available for all kinds of devices, even the old Nokia phones running Symbian Anna, Belle, S60, S40, or Nokia Asha operating system. But why should you update to the latest version of the app? That's because WhatsApp developers recently announced that they are going to stop support for Nokia phones by the end of this year. So you should keep WhatsApp for Nokia updated to get the latest features and improvements.
If you have got a Nokia Symbian smartphone and want to download WhatsApp for Nokia, you need a 2G, 3G, 4G, or Wi-Fi connection. It depends on your phone what type of connection you will be using. You can send free messages, images, videos, emojis, etc. via the app to others who have WhatsApp installed on their phone. You can download WhatsApp for Nokia Asha phones, Nokia S40 and Symbian S60 phones.
Before WhatsApp officially drops support for Nokia phones by the end of 2016, the app is being updated quite often to make it as stable and smooth as possible. You need to download the latest version of WhatsApp for your Nokia phone to make sure that you are on the best version with all the latest bug fixes and performance improvements.
WhatsApp Download for Nokia Symbian S60 Phones
The WhatsApp website has got a separate page for WhatsApp download on Nokia Symbian S60 devices. Just follow the below-given steps to install the latest version of the app on your S60 phone.
Go to www.whatsapp.com/nokia from your S60 phone and tap/click on the big green "Download Now" button. To find the WhatsApp-compatible Nokia devices, scroll down on that page.
After you tap the download button, a file named like "WhatsApp_2_16_3x.sis" will start downloading. Once the download is complete, open that file and follow the instructions on the screen to install the app.
You can also download the file on your computer and then transfer it to your mobile where you can open and install it.
WhatsApp Download for Nokia Asha (S40) Phones
You will get the latest version of WhatsApp free download for all compatible Nokia Asha and Nokia S40 phones from the official WhatsApp page.
Go to whatsapp.com/nokia from your Nokia phone's internet browser and then tap the download button.
Once the WhatsApp installation file for Nokia has downloaded, tap to open and install the app.
After the installation has completed successfully, you can start using the app.
Note that you cannot download WhatsApp for S40 or Asha phones from PC browser.
Download Whatsapp on Nokia
whatsapp for Nokia
WhatsApp for Nokia Asha
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Mysuru: Deputy Commissioner D. Randeep inspected the Rs.2 crore works taken up by the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) to stop the flow of sewage water into Kukkarahalli Lake.
The work on laying the 3,000 metre, 800 mm diameter pipe around the lake began in 2014 and it is nearing completion. The DC after inspecting the lake said that the work is almost complete.
"The lake is getting polluted because of the flow of sewage water from the nearby localities into the lake. Now, that the work is almost over this problem will be solved and the birds and animals will not be affected," he said.
Asked about the death of Pelicans in the lake, he said that it is due to viral infection and samples have been sent to Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals (IAH&VB), Bengaluru.
"We are awaiting the report. There is no reason to panic, as many have not died. A few of the deaths are due to contamination in the water," said Randeep.
MCC Superintending Engineer M.K. Bhaskar, Zone-4 Development Officer D.R. Nalina and other officials were present during the inspection.


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Alison Rowlands
Search for other papers by Alison Rowlands in
in Witchcraft narratives in Germany
This chapter focuses on the trials involving allegations and confessions of maleficent or demonic witchcraft that took place in the German city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber between c.1561 and c.1652. Rothenburg had a restrained pattern of witch-hunting during this period, with relatively few trials (even fewer of which ended in guilty verdicts against alleged witches); no mass-panics involving large numbers of accused witches; and the execution of only one alleged witch. The reasons for this phenomenon are analyzed. Detailed readings of the exceptionally rich records from the Rothenburg witch trials are provided to explore the social and psychic tensions that lay behind the making of witchcraft accusations and confessions, the popular and elite reactions to these accusations and confessions, and the ways in which participants in witch-trials pursued strategies, expressed emotions and negotiated conflicts through what they said about witchcraft. The witch-trials are contextualized, using a range of other sources in order to establish the life histories of trial-participants, the immediate circumstances of particular trials, and the broader social and cultural context of the beliefs and conflicts expressed and negotiated within them. The different ways—desperate, measured, artful, enthusiastic, unwilling—in which accusers and witnesses shaped their stories of witchcraft and participated in trial-processes to the advantage or disadvantage of the accused witch tell a great deal about their reasons for so doing and about their pre-trial relationship with the accused witch, as well as about the narrative-telling strategies available to them and their awareness of the risks that they ran in speaking openly about witchcraft.
Witchcraft narratives in Germany
Rothenburg, 1561–1652
witchcraft; witch-trials; witch-crazes; early modern Europe; legal records; execution; Rothenburg; alleged witches; accusations; confessions
Series: Studies in Early Modern European History
Chapter 1: 'An honourable man should not talk about that which he cannot prove'
Chapter 2: The devil's power to delude
Chapter 3: 'One cannot … hope to obtain the slightest certainty from him'
Chapter 4: 'When will the burning start here?'
Chapter 5: Seduction, poison and magical theft
Chapter 6: 'God will punish both poor and rich'


Moisture Probes and Sensors for Construction Aggregates – MESA Systems Co.
MESA Systems Co. offers three moisture measurement sensors for on-line aggregate. Designed for installation below a clam-gate, on a conveyor or a weigh belt, these probes and sensors are both user-friendly and intelligent. Each device comes with 15 standard linear calibration based on material type and installation.
The SONO-VARIO sensor is tailored for your intended application in concrete production and asphalt production. Furthermore, 15 standard linear calibrations are pre-programmed in the sensor to meet you material needs. The SONO-VARIO is capable of measuring aggregates ranging from fine sand to stone and crushed rock up to 1 ¼". Algorithms and filters allow for accurate measured values and adjustable settings. Measurement values, taken at intervals of 4 per second, are transmitted to your desired batching system or local notebook computer. Interfacing to common batching control system is simple using the flexible analog output.
Unlike other moisture measurement probes, the SONO-VARIO sensors' measurement field adapts to the material being measured. This is particularly useful for sand and similar fine materials, where the material tends to contain the measurement field. Larger diameter gravel or stones allow the measurement field to expand and penetrate further into the material volume. Measure aggregates from fine sand to 1-1/4" stone by selecting a material specific calibration. In addition to the adaptive measurement field feature, SONO-VARIO sensor electronics are not influence by material temperature or color. Furthermore, even in the event of abrasion at the probe head, the automatic measurement compensation feature enables significantly longer operating periods without the necessity of re-calibration or adjustment. Achieve reliable quality control and higher cost-effectiveness by preventing recipe errors with precise measurements.
All SONO-VARIO sensors use TRIME® TDR-method for moisture measurement, more commonly known as Guided Wave Radar or Cable Radar. Cable Radar uses a high frequency low voltage pulse that travels along a radar track, embedded in the surface of a SONO-VARIO sensor. The pulses travel close to the speed of light generating a measurement field that propagates in slices out from the sensor's surface, similar to computer tomographic (CT-scan) but for moisture measurement.
Please contact MESA Systems Co. for guidance on which moisture measurement device is the best fit for your application and installation.


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Issue 279 - Oceans: Lives and livelihoods
What does the next decade hold for our oceans?
By Karen EvansMay 31st, 2021
Oceans are the planet's largest life-support system. The launch of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development is an important opportunity for Australia as a nation girt by sea.
This year marks the start of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the delivery of the second World Ocean Assessment by the United Nations.
The two initiatives are intricately linked as it was the findings of the first World Ocean Assessment that provided the impetus for the United Nations, through the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, to propose that a decade of ocean science was needed.
Australia has an active role in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development
Why a decade of ocean science?
Our oceans stabilise climate, store carbon, produce oxygen, nurture biodiversity, directly support human well-being through food, mineral, and energy resources, and provide cultural and recreational services. However, humans are causing rapid change that is negatively impacting all of the services our oceans provide.
Unsustainable resource extraction, pollution, climate change and habitat destruction have impacted many parts of the ocean and are on the rise in many regions. While improved management and conservation have helped to reduce threats and restore some key ecosystems, ocean health overall is in decline. If left unchecked, a growing and resource hungry human population will add additional pressures on the ocean. The second World Ocean Assessment reiterates this message. It identifies almost all components of the ocean impacted by climate change and human use, highlighting the need for integrated management of human activities both on land and in the ocean.
Pollution is one significant threat to ocean health.
Connection to our oceans
Roughly 40 per cent of the world's population lives within 100 kilometres of the coast. More than 600 million people currently live in coastal regions that are less than 10 metres above sea level, a number that is expected to grow to more than a billion by 2050. This puts them at increased risk from sea level rise. In Australia, 85 per cent of our population lives in coastal regions, with almost all of our capital cities located on the coast.
Many people rely on the ocean for their incomes. The global economy derived from the ocean is expected to reach $3 trillion USD by 2030. As of 2018, ocean related sectors such as freight, ship building and repair, infrastructure, domestic and international tourism, recreational and commercial fisheries, and oil and gas contributed approximately $60 billion to the Australian economy. The total employment associated with the ocean and coastal sectors is estimated at around 393,000 full time equivalent jobs.
Our coastal seas are hotspots of human-ocean interactions and are also regions where humans are predominantly impacted by ocean dangers. Storm surges, tsunamis, and changes in the ocean, such as sea level rise and associated erosion, are all risks to those in coastal regions.
In Australia, 85 per cent of our population lives in coastal regions
Setting goals to sustain ocean health
To ensure the ongoing sustainability of our oceans, we need to measure and monitor ocean health and function and effectively manage human activity in an integrated manner. The scope of research needed includes forecasting and predicting ocean-related impacts on coastal communities, measuring the effectiveness of policy interventions and better planning the use of our oceans and its resources.
The international community, including Australia, has set 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for achieving sustainability by 2030. The science we need to meet the challenges of reversing ocean ecological decline while meeting these SDGs will require more than just scaling up our current approaches to business as usual. The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) calls on those in science, business, industry, government, and the public to come together to collaboratively harness advances from all fields to better understand our ocean, how humans interact with it, the responses of the ocean to that use and develop solutions for achieving a sustainable future.
What is being proposed?
The Ocean Decade aims to drive the generation of interdisciplinary science, data, and information needed by multiple stakeholders to meet the SDGs. It will break down barriers and find new ways of better integrating data and analytical tools to aid decision-making for sustainable development.
This 'whole earth' approach to ocean observation, analysis, modelling and delivery of information will allow society to better account and plan for the complex and often non-linear processes that drive ocean systems and the many pressures impacting them. It will build on existing partnerships and technologies and create new ones to enhance and expand the global scientific capacity required to quickly collect issue-specific information to meet the constantly-evolving needs of sustainable management in a rapidly developing global blue economy.
Identifying successful marine restoration efforts could support sustainable ocean health. Image: The Nature Conservancy
The Ocean Decade is organised around seven outcomes for societal benefit, with each requiring that action be taken to:
identify and routinely measure essential variables related to the climate, ocean processes and socio ecological systems that can serve as sentinels of ocean health
in association, develop new technologies, including new sensors and new methodological approaches, to measure and monitor these ocean variables
establish new public-private partnerships in ocean observing, data distribution, and information product delivery between science, engineering and information technology communities
develop new tracking and prediction capacities to support integrated, multi-hazard, early warning systems, and in association, improved community preparedness and awareness,
establish innovative ways to share data, information and knowledge amongst all stakeholders in an open, transparent and equitable manner
build capacity by training, resource mobilization, sharing of infrastructure and exchange of experts across, nations, institutions and disciplines
increase efforts in knowledge sharing beyond experts to build up ocean literacy around the world, from school programs to citizen engaged science to societal decision makers
translate knowledge into individual actions that generate the societal behaviour changes required for sustainability.
What is happening so far?
The first call for actions under the Ocean Decade has seen the global science community come together to put forward ambitious programmes of work across:
ocean discovery
ocean and coastal modelling and prediction
developing and improving management and decision support tools
improving best practices and access to ocean knowledge
facilitating connections between ocean stakeholders.
Deploying an ocean acidification buoy off Maria Island, Tasmania for ongoing ocean monitoring and data collection Image: Carlie Devine
Many include input from the Australian research community and Australian ocean stakeholders. In addition, Australians are involved in specific actions that have been recognised under the Ocean Decade including conferences, workshops, exhibitions and events.
The official launch of the Ocean Decade will occur on 2 June in Australia. This will be followed by a series of 'Ocean Decade Laboratories' scheduled to occur across 2021 and 2022. These laboratories are aimed at catalysing partnerships and co-designing actions to be carried out under the Ocean Decade.
The launch event will coincide with the first virtual Early Career Ocean Professionals Day which is to be hosted by and for early career ocean professionals from around the world to showcase their work, activities, and contributions to the Ocean Decade. Australian early career ocean professionals will be contributing to this global event with a program of activities being hosted by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania.
The future of Australia's ocean resources
As we progress the Ocean Decade, the efforts of the Australian ocean community and outputs generated under the Ocean Decade will assist in progressing the Australian government's commitments to the ocean made via the High Level Panel on a Sustainable Ocean Economy, and to the SDGs, in particular SDG 14 – Life Below Water.
Managing ocean resources responsibly and sustainably is critical for human health
Through reporting mechanisms such as Australia's State of the Environment report and the ocean indicators contained therein and similar reports delivered through state and territory processes, we will be able to track outcomes for ocean health. This includes associated changes to the way we plan and manage our use of the ocean resulting from efforts carried out as part of the Ocean Decade.
These reporting mechanisms will be essential for determining whether the transformational change needed for ensuring the future sustainability and health of the ocean has truly been achieved.
What nature is worth: The rise of natural capital accounting
Maritime archaeology delves deep into our heritage
Last updated: May 31st, 2021
Celebrating women in conservation science
A special issue of Pacific Conservation Biology celebrates women working in conservation science in Australia.
Diving for treasure to help protect the world's great reefs
Amid growing demand for seafood, gas and other resources drawn from the world's oceans, and growing stresses from climate change, we examine some of the challenges and solutions for developing "the blue economy" in smarter, more sustainable ways. For example, could the diving industry, long criticised as contributing to declines in coral reef health around the world, better contribute to reef conservation?
How do we uncouple global development from resource use?
The world's use of finite resources continues to rise as global development continues. Can we help poorer nations raise their standard of living without exhausting all of our raw materials?


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Kyrie Irving scored 30 points and Jaylen Brown added 23, with two key baskets in a fourth-quarter stretch that allowed the Boston Celtics to defeat the visiting Atlanta Hawks 129-120 on Saturday. The Hawks trailed 105-94 entering the fourth quarter but battled back and tied the game 112-112 on a pair of Kent Bazemore free throws with 5:53 left. But Brown, who grew up in suburban Atlanta, answered with a 3-pointer and finished a 9-0 run with a jumper to help the Celtics preserve the win.


This is your last chance for this year, the eleventh hour and then some. Great America's Read to Succeed program is about to wrap up for another season.
Now, if your child has not been reading they will have a difficult time meeting the requirements for this today, unless they REALLY like to read a lot at once.
The basic program: read for 6 hours and earn a free Great America ticket.
Read books, magazines, newspapers, comics, anything, just read! After they log a total of 360 minutes they earn the ticket.
They have revamped this program and made it really easy to sign up for, which is great for procrastinators like me who just got around to signing up yesterday. We've been reading all along. We read tons as a matter of habit, but we had not actually filled out the information on their site.
My early readers are always hungry for books at their level. Books that they can enjoy and not stumble through. Books a fitting length so they don't get bored half way through. Books made for their little hands and big imaginations.
We had the wonderful opportunity to review a set of books made just for kids getting started on the reading trail and my kids devoured them.
Brooke and Nathan are in first grade and kindergarten and both are enjoying learning to read. Their progress has continued to soar this school year and I was excited to bring them some more books appropriate for their levels. In the few months we have had this, they actually both read through the entire four levels that we received, some with me and some independently. They both agreed that these were fun books to read.
Details: We received the little reader books for sets 1-4 (91 books total), flashcards to go along with the sets, a placement and assessment manual, an instructor guide, and some charts and certificates for tracking and rewarding progress.
Price: $160 for the four sets of books. They also sell for $30 each set. The flashcards are $15 for the set.
Starts from the beginning. The first book of the first level starts with introducing four sounds and creating a story from there. After 26 little readers the child should have reached roughly the beginning of a first grade reading level. This is definitely designed to use with kids first starting to learn to read. As my kids have mastered this early level, we flew through the first set.
Clear teacher guidance without being scripted. With an instructors' guide book and lots of tips throughout the readers, parents can easily teach these books without a lot of prep work and without the dryness of a scripted reading program.
Praise based. Throughout the program there are adorable little smiley faces to remind you to praise your child. I know, we all want to praise them and brag on them, but sometimes we are rushing through a lesson or trying to get things done and we forget. I love that these little reminders were there to keep me showering my kids with the praise they deserved for the excellent job they did as we read through the books.
Steady progression. The books and stories within each book have a logical progression of sounds, and students easily flow from one to the other as their knowledge of reading grows with each turn of the page. Set one has one story per book with 20-100 words. In sets two and three the stories get a bit longer until in set four the students have two stories in each book and they are 200-400 words. But, by that point the kids are ready for it and reading roughly 60 words per minute. This is where the fluency criteria first appears. In the first sets they do not require speed, just mastery of the words.
Reasonable expectations of mastery. For a child to progress they must have mastery. The program gives clear criteria for mastery of each level and help you know when a child is really ready for the next step. They give accuracy and fluency standards. This was great because even though my kindergartner could read without errors, he was a little slower than their standard at one point. So, we took a little break, and reread a few books while his fluency caught up with his phonemic awareness. Before long he was back on track, and as I mentioned he did finish all the books through level four landing him at roughly a late first or early second grade reading level.
Lots of pieces. Of course, since the books are so appropriately sized, there are lots of them. This program does have a lot of pieces to keep together. I would definitely recommend a basket or bin to keep the items together. This is the kind of product I love to use, but will not be able to find all the books a year from now unless they have a handy home.
Might need supplementation for the kinesthetic learner. Both my early readers are pretty easy to teach, but I have had others that were not that way. If you have a child that needs to wiggle more you might need to add some activities that keep them up and moving now and then to focus when they need to.
As my kids are both enjoying reading it did not require any leg pulling to get them to pick these books up and read. This program is well thought out and formulated for reading success. With pre-reading, post-reading, and periodic assessments, I see this being a great fit for most kids learning to read. It teaches various reading tips in a natural way within the context of stories, not meaningless exercises. Keeping kids reading, it definitely did that in our house.
Disclaimer: This product was provided to me free of charge through Academic Success for All Learners as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.
We have read to our children since before they were born. We have books in pretty much every room of the house, with the exception of the laundry room (although with as much time as I spend in there, maybe I should change that). I love to read for fun and learning. So, it would follow naturally that my kids would all be voracious readers and share my love for books. Right?
One of my kids just recently latched on to the Narnia series and has not stopped reading since. Aside from that, my first grader and kindergartner put the older kids to shame. The young ones do love to read. They are what I thought was supposed to happen in terms of reading success. When a product came along pledging to transform my reluctant readers I figured it was definitely worth a look.
Details: A downloadable product with 365 pages. Each page contains activities and ideas for encouraging reluctant readers.
Price: $97 for the downnloadable product and 12 month access to their online newspaper that comes with even more ideas and activities each month.
Diversity of materials, activities, and topics. There is no true one size fits all product when it comes to reading, so they packed an incredibly diverse group of topics into this product. Everything from animals and the environment to baseball and optical illusions, bugs and budgeting to mini golf and just about every holiday on the calendar.
Shows us that reading is everywhere. Building off of the daily newspaper, Kid Scoop has created loads of activities to get kids reading, skimming, searching, researching, and in general digging in to reading material. I think the hook for us was that this wasn't just reading to enjoy a story (which for some reason my oldest does not enjoy), it was reading for fun, for a game, for some friendly competition.
Free daily emails for a month. Anyone can sign up for their activity of the day email on their website and receive an activity email. We had lots of fun with these daily tasks. They will also give you a sample of some of the simpler ideas you will find in the Reluctant Reader Solution.
Free online sample. On the page with their activity packs you will find a free sample that you can download. You will probably have some fun with this, so be prepared to set aside some time to get distracted with learning.
Use it again, and again, and again. Since this is a download, after you get it, it's yours. Print and reprint as much as you want. Print a copy for each of your kids. Print more copies of pages they want to do again. Print a page for you and your child and race to see who finishes first. When you aren't just restricted to one copy of each page, the possibilities expand.
Time tested. Kid Scoop has been around for a number of years. Sections of it appear in newspapers world wide. Kids love it, parents love it, educators love it. It has been well received in a variety of homes and cultures.
Gets kids into the newspaper. Because many of the activities build off of the real newspaper, kids get into reading it. Some of my kids already have an interest in the paper, but this was a fun way to get them searching through it even more. I want them to be comfortable with this print medium that has been around for a long time and doesn't look to be going away soon. One of the goals of Kid Scoop is that kids will get to know their daily paper, the terms used and the parts of it. They definitely work to intentionally reach that goal.
I actually felt like it was light on the reading. While their focus is the reluctant reader so it makes sense that they keep reading unintimidating, I felt like kids could get through many of the activities without really reading much. Some of my kids are experts in figuring out how to complete a task without actually doing any reading. I had to keep on top of that.
Helpful if you subscribe to a print newspaper, but not essential. Many of the activities can best work with a printed newspaper in hand. They also include a wide variety of activities to use the newspaper before recycling it, so it will be put to good use. For many of these activities you could merely read a paper online, but a print one would be easier in some cases.
Some will flop. While the diversity of materials is quite a plus, some of it will not appeal to some kids. They will more than likely all find something they enjoy, but they will also more than likely find something you have to drag them through, which kind of defeats the purpose.
Secular. Just be aware that their holiday sections focus on the holidays, not any spiritual meaning behind them. So, Easter is all about bunnies and eggs. This is another reason that I would be more likely to pick and choose and buy activity packs rather than purchasing the whole set.
A bit pricey. Yeah, I could buy a lot of workbooks for $100. And, since there were topics in here that I know we would not likely use, I might be more inclined to buy their separate little ebooks or activity packs that they offer on their site for just a few bucks each.
This product did definitely fill a lull in our days and prompt reading where none existed before. When I needed a little something fun that would not require an hour of planning on my part, we could pull out a little unit and find multiple activities with something that appealed to almost everyone. In the process we learned. Not just playing around and having fun together, although that was part of it, but really learning something new. Learning how our eyes work, new vocabulary words, craft ideas, trivia and history, and other facts and data to keep stimulating my kids minds. And, whether they noticed or not, a lot of reading got snuck in in the process.
Disclaimer: This product was provided to me free of charge through Kid Scoop as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.
For more information about the program please mail, fax or e-mail your request to the address, fax number or e-mail address below.
She warns against twaddle, a word I just love. So, I have started a vigilant hunt for books that breathe.
We read living books because we love them, they bring us together. They prompt incredible conversations. Even my little ones surprise me with the observations that they make about a book and its connections with real life. They bring something to our home school that no unit study, hands-on project, or even a field trip can. They spark the imagination and make creativity soar.
Some look alive, but hold nothing of value beyond the front cover. Others look old and dry and yet have carried us on amazing adventures. How do I know? Where do I find a good book?
Ambleside Online — This website builds directly off of the Charlotte Mason philsophy. It assigns a time period for each year and can and is used by many as the core of their homeschool. We used them loosely for a couple years. Now, I still refer to that site because the book lists are excellent. We have loved probably 90% of the books we found through that site.
Curriculum reading lists — I started looking through other curriculums (like Sonlight — which we also used for a year) to see what books they recommend at various grade levels. Lots of great recommendations made it into our reading list this way as well.
Five in a Row — For books and accompanying activities, these books can give you plenty to choose from. Books that have stood the test of time, and you will love reading and rereading with your kids.
The Book Guardians — This is a brand new site for which I will be a contributor. Be sure to check it out over time as more books get added to its ranks. It will list books and share in 10 key areas if they have content that might need consideration. I talked more about it on my blog post about book reviews.
Common Sense Media — This site offers a number of reviews, but does not seem to have a strong moral slant. I did not find the reviews as helpful because I tend to have a stricter standard on what I deem appropriate reading for my kids. Still, definitely some value in the sheer quantity of books they have reviewed.
Christian Children's book reviews –A good site, but seems to review only Christian books.
Focus on the Family has a book review section — Some good reviews, but they seemed to be lacking a depth in their recommendations and information provided. Does come from a conservative preference morally.
Facts on Fiction — Lots of reviews and clearly targeting key areas of concern. Alphabetized and easy to find what you are looking for.
1000 Good books — compiled by 25 homeschool moms, you can find 1000 of their recommendations. That should keep you busy for a while!
With six kids, five of them now school age, the trick is finding time in a day to read books. We have employed a variety of means to do so. We read a bit each day. Sometimes at bedtime, sometimes in the afternoon. We have a silent reading time each day as well. Books on CD also help. We listen to these in our rooms, at bedtime, and definitely in the car. We "read" an extra book or two each month by listening in the car. And, it keeps the kiddos quiet while we travel!
And, every year we discover a few more favorites. Stay tuned to hear what we unearth this year.
Please add some more resources or book favorites of your own in the comments. We are always looking for well loved books.
It's Time Again to Reserve Your 2010-11 BOOK IT! Materials. This year you must enroll your individual family, they are not accepting submissions from groups. It's a very simple process though, so jump online and get signed up. You should receive the materials around the beginning of September and you can begin setting and rewarding reading goals with your child(ren) in October.
Easy to use and a simple motivator for kids that need an extra nudge to get their nose in a book, or a great reward for those that are already reading up a storm.
The enrollment period is from March 1 through June 30, 2010. Orders beyond these dates will be filled as supplies allow on a first-come first-served basis.
Looking for Phonics tutoring for your child?
Betty Davis, published author of How Jill Learned to Read Using Phonics and educator for more than ten years is offering resources and classes to children aged four through twelve in reading and writing. You may check out her website at Funn with Phonics Tutoring.
She has designed this program that walk children through three main levels of reading mastery.
Students will clap , march, and sing as they learn the sounds of the alphabet. Art and other forms of media is used to support the phonics concept that is being taught that week. Each week students' are taught a new word family that is associated with a particular short vowel.
For students who are familiar with the word families associated with level one, level 2 focus on learning blends, while level three focuses on long vowels, digraphs, and diphthongs.
Based in McHenry County, Betty is available to meet at public libraries throughout the Northwest Suburbs.
A couple years ago I heard about a history text that caught my attention. It focused on not just the important events and people of history, but God's working through it all, and from a biblical perspective. I kept an eye out for it at used book sales (my main avenue for accumulating new curriculum), but it never reared its cover.
No wonder. I have no desire to let go of this book either, and will move Volumes I and II closer to the top of my "Buy for homeschool" list.
It brings us all together to study one history, from the kindergartener to the middle schooler. I love things we do all together, and the kids learn even more from each other, even their younger siblings.
Details: This full color history text offers 84 lessons beginning in the Renaissance and ending in early American history.
Scriptural basis. The book clearly looks at history and historical figures from a Christian viewpoint. The title tells it all, history is His story.
Adaptable for a variety of ages. Although a bit above me four year old, my five year old will listen along and grasp the basics of what we have read and discussed. Activities are varied for the different ages as well.
Related activity ideas. Some projects get a little involved, but lots of creativity and greater in depth study comes out of these extra tasks.
The book is very high quality. Beautiful pictures, sturdy cover and pages, well written, interesting to read, and just overall impressive just to look at.
Pretest quizzes to see what we already know (which was generally nothing . . . ) While these asked questions that were a bit specific (e.g. True/False: Columbus returned to the New World with 17 ships on his second voyage), it showed us how much we had to learn, and got us excited about the chapter ahead.
Challenges we faced . . .
Some of the daily readings ran a little long. I probably could have split them up into a couple days, but they are well written and engaging, so it was hard to just stop in the middle and pick up another time.
As great as the book is with its wonderful pictures, there were times they talked about a person or place and I thought, "Where's the picture?" Thanks to the internet, we could of course find our own, but I did feel there were some gaps in that regard in the printed material.
I have no hesitation in recommending this product to anyone looking for a Christian based history curriculum that can work for a variety of ages. I definitely plan on purchasing more Mystery of History books after our experience with this one. Whether used exclusively or to supplement other secular sources, this book deserves a place on your home book shelf.
Disclaimer: This curriculum was provided to me free of charge from Bright Ideas Press as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.
Here is information on a great reading incentive program that is open to homeschoolers as well. Students Kindergarten through eighth grade may participate and earn a free ticket to the Cougar's game in the spring.
Ozzie's Reading Club is an eight-week reading incentive program sponsored by the Kane County Cougars along with Provena Mercy Medical Center. The program is open to children in grades K-8; however, to participate, a student's school must be a member of the Ozzie's Reading Club program.
Ozzie's Reading Club tracks the progress of a student's reading around the bases of a baseball diamond with the three bases and home plate representing two weeks worth of reading. Each teacher may determine his or her own reading requirements for each base. Students completing the program's requirements "hit a home run" and earn a free ticket to an April or May Cougars game designated by their school. Other rewards may include a bookmark, a voucher for a hot dog and soda as well as an official Ozzie Reading Club t-shirt.


In a modern world ruled by data, un-provable faith seems to have lost its legitimacy as a foundation to build one's life upon. And yet, all around us we find men and women who cherish faith and allow their beliefs to influence and direct their daily lives. These beliefs vary as much as the diverse populations who adhere to them, but this common thread of faith links us all together.
Gathering Faith is a website focused on that common thread of faith. Too much of the world's history has been dominated by the destruction that comes from focusing on our differences.
Now is the time to gather fair, accurate information about believers around us. Now is the time to gather together and stand united in our belief based lives. And most of all, now is the time to gather that which enlightens, empowers, and sustains all those who look to a higher power than their own. Now is the time to Gather Faith.


The Scottish stopper has been sensational for Sunderland this season.
In the summer Sunderland needed to address their goalkeeper situation. The likes of Lee Camp, Jason Steele and Robin Ruiter all failed to impress in the club's relegation season.
Sunderland fans, however, might have raised an eyebrow when Jack Ross secured the signature of Jon McLaughlin.
The Scottish stopper arrived from Hearts after his contract in Edinburgh had come to an end.
He was not, perhaps, the big name that Sunderland fans might have expected. But speaking to the Sunderland website, Ross made it clear they had snapped up a gem.
"I think there was some issues in that position last year, and obviously Jason's departure meant it became even more of a priority for us to get someone in.
"Although he was in Scotland last season, Jon's spent the rest of his career playing in England for successful teams in this league.
It would be hard to find a Sunderland fan who disagrees with that assessment now.
McLaughlin has been in sensational form for the Black Cats this season. He has saved countless points for the Wearsiders. At the weekend, against Oxford United, that was again the case.
Without the 31-year-old Sunderland might not be sitting in fourth place in League One right now. If Sunderland manage to win promotion back to the Championship, this bargain arrival would have played a major role.


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text:
Q: jQuery not working on my site? I tried using jQuery on my website, but it did not seem to work. I figured I was doing something wrong, so I tried copying a codecademy lesson that I completed onto a test site. Here is the code:
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
    <head>
        <title>Test Codecademy Lesson</title>
        <link rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' href='stylesheet.css'/>
        <script src="//ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.9.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
        <script type='text/javascript' src='script.js'></script>
    </head>
    <body>
        <img src="http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t480/ericqweinstein/elevator.png"/>
    </body>
</html>

CSS
body {
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
}
img {
position: absolute;
}

Javascript/jQuery
$(document).ready(function() {
    $('img').animate({top:'+=100px'},1000)
});

Is someone able to tell me why this code is not working?
My browser is Chrome and I have the latest version.

A: You need to Download the jquery Library and save your local files You can download it from
http://jqueryui.com/
or
you have to use this link
<script src="http://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.9.1.js"></script>

or for the minified version
<script src="http://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.9.1.min.js"></script>

http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.9.1/jquery.min.js - Version 1.9.1 family, Google hosted
You can refer this also
Is there a link to the "latest" jQuery library on Google APIs?

A: The image won't be loaded by the time document.ready is fired, better use window.load so you can see your effect in action, so replace your following code:
$(document).ready(function() {

for this one:
$(window).load(function() {

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The Merino Rough Riders took home to trophy at the end of the Dairyland Donkey Basketball Show Friday. The Buffalo School District RE-4J Foundation event was a fundraiser for the all-weather track project. The night started with two 16-minute elimination rounds before the 8-minute championship game between the Rough Riders and the Donkey Kongs from Northeastern Junior College.


text:
Matrice Ellis-Kirk wins 93rd Linz Award for decades of service to Dallas
Longtime civic leader is credited with saving the AT&T Performing Arts Center and helping DFW Airport weather COVID.
Matrice Ellis-Kirk is the recipient of the 93rd Linz Award, one of the oldest and most prestigious civic honors. Ellis-Kirk said she was "shocked and stunned" to be honored. Pictured at her home in Dallas on Friday, June 10, 2022.(Ben Torres / Special Contributor)
By Aria Jones
5:00 AM on Jun 11, 2022 CDT
About 40 years ago, a 21-year-old woman moved to Dallas and started volunteering. She hasn't stopped. And those who know her say Dallas is better for her work transforming the city with a strong commitment to diversity and equity.
Now, she's received one of Dallas' oldest civic honors, the 93rd Linz Award, which recognizes community involvement with significant impact on Dallas in the last decade. It is presented by The Dallas Morning News, the Communities Foundation of Texas and The Dallas Foundation.
Matrice Ellis-Kirk said she was "shocked and stunned" to be honored. In endorsements, she's described as someone committed to the advancement of girls and women, especially those of color, who goes beyond simply attending meetings and takes action.
"In a time when so many people are questioning our valued and critical institutions, it is reassuring to find people like Matrice who have a long legacy of stepping up to volunteer and invest so much of themselves to make our city a better and more equitable place," prior award recipients Tom Dunning and Pete Shenkel wrote in an endorsement. Dunning nominated her for the award.
"Matrice is one of Dallas' finest civic leaders," said DallasNews Corp. CEO Grant Moise. "She has a magnetic personality that makes people want to work closely with her and is a big part of what makes her such a worthy Linz Award recipient."
Those who endorsed Ellis-Kirk, who is the spouse of former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk, detailed how her work kept the AT&T Performing Arts Center from succumbing to a debt crisis, helped DFW International Airport remain stable during the pandemic and championed Fair Park.
"If this institution had failed, it would have been devastating for Dallas," Dunning and Shenkel wrote about the arts center.
At Ellis-Kirk's core is her commitment to helping girls and women, particularly those of color, and she has spent years "corralling" resources and support, wrote former City Council member and civic leader Veletta Forsythe-Lill and former Dallas City Manager Mary K. Suhm in their endorsement letter.
"Through her decades of work on education, Matrice has ensured that girls and women see the possibilities in front of them, and widened our community's understanding of what they can accomplish," Forsythe-Lill and Suhm wrote. "And because Matrice continually works to add women, especially women of color to nonprofit and corporate boards, she ensures they have a voice at the table."
Matrice Ellis-Kirk is the recipient of the 93rd Linz Award, one of the oldest and most prestigious civic honors. Ellis-Kirk said she has focused on education, art and community in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Pictured at her home in Dallas, on Friday, June 10, 2022. (Ben Torres / Special Contributor)
Ellis-Kirk grew up in Ohio with her grandmother and great-grandmother, who she says greatly influenced her to "do something." They often donated clothes or cooked for the community.
"If you're sitting on the sidelines — I mean, we grew up in civil rights — We had no choice. We had to speak up," Ellis-Kirk said.
Ellis-Kirk led her first advocacy campaign in grade school, when she protested a rule against girls wearing pants. She won.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she said she grew up poor and got a scholarship. "When I went away to school, it unlocked a whole new world that I didn't even know existed," Ellis-Kirk said.
Ellis-Kirk focuses her volunteer work on a variety of arts, education and community boards because, she said, one cannot thrive without the others. Education is about more than "repeating an arithmetic," she said, but also life, self-expression and communication.
"[Art] creates understanding so that perhaps we can find a more symbiotic way for us to thrive together if we're leveraging those three," she said.
Ellis-Kirk said at 61, she's still got more to give.
"You have a choice," she said her grandmother would say. "You can either be an active member of life or you can have life happen to you."
Aria Jones, Breaking news reporter. Aria writes about breaking news. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and Dallas College. Aria has interned at the Austin American-Statesman, the Texas Tribune and the El Paso Times.
aria.jones@dallasnews.com @byariajones
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With Dan Quinn staying, what are the Cowboys' offseason priorities on defense?