text:
Q: How can I run TestNG Selenium tests remotely? I have Java project with TestNG tests and Selenium WebDriver. At the moment, I can run them locally from my IDE only.
How can I implement a system that allows me to run a test with a post/get request on server?
For example, a page with button: on button click, a test should start executing on server, with all WebDriver manipulations, and when it's finished, I would receive an answer.
At first, I tried to call my testng.xml from command line. It worked, but it looks like command line is not, what I can use remotely with simple FirefoxDriver, so I started researching the "RemoteWebDriver" feature.
Then I downloaded "selenium-server-standalone-3.4.0" and started the server and the node, but each time the script ends with an exception:
org.openqa.selenium.WebDriverException: The path to the driver executable must be set by the webdriver.gecko.driver system property

I added a required property, but it still doesn't work(the same problem). Here's a piece of code, which causes the exception:
@Test
public static void main() throws Exception {
    URL server = new URL("http://127.0.0.1:4444/wd/hub");
    DesiredCapabilities capabilities = DesiredCapabilities.firefox();
    System.out.println("Connecting to " + server);
    WebDriver driver = new RemoteWebDriver(server, capabilities);
    System.setProperty("webdriver.gecko.driver", "geckodriver.exe");
    driver.get("http://www.google.com");
    driver.quit();
}

As you see, the system property is set (geckodriver.exe exists in directory and works fine with FirefoxDriver, but doesn't work with RemoteWebDriver).
I don't understand, what I'm doing wrong, and not even sure, that I'm working in right direction. Can you help me,please?
Tried adding parameter, proposed by @ekostadinov. Here's how I start hub and node:
java -Dwebdriver.gecko.driver="geckodriver.exe" -jar lib\selenium-server-standalone-3.4.0.jar -role hub

java -jar lib\selenium-server-standalone-3.4.0.jar -role node  -hub http://localhost:4444/grid/register

Still doesn't work, but exception is different:
org.openqa.selenium.SessionNotCreatedException: Unable to find a matching set of capabilities

Update
Changed this
DesiredCapabilities capabilities = DesiredCapabilities.firefox();

To this
DesiredCapabilities capabilities = new DesiredCapabilities();
capabilities.setBrowserName("firefox");

And it worked. Thanks everyone, who helped!

A: There is no need to

implement a system that allows me to run a test with a post/get request on server

except in the case, you really want to. Continuous_integration servers do all this and much more for you, out of the box. For example Jenkins (very suitable for JAVA based solutions) provides very convenient Selenium plugin, which helps you to manage the Grid.
One thing to note here - you should pass additional parameters when starting the Hub on your server, like so:
 java -Dwebdriver.chrome.driver="/full/path/to/chromedriver" -Dwebdriver.gecko.driver="/full/path/to/geckodriver" -jar selenium-server-standalone-3.4.0.jar -role hub

A: Try moving this line of code above where you instantiate the driver:
System.setProperty("webdriver.gecko.driver", "geckodriver.exe");

Like this
@Test
    public static void main() throws Exception {
    URL server = new URL("http://127.0.0.1:4444/wd/hub");
    DesiredCapabilities capabilities = DesiredCapabilities.firefox();
    System.out.println("Connecting to " + server);
    System.setProperty("webdriver.gecko.driver", "geckodriver.exe");
    WebDriver driver = new RemoteWebDriver(server, capabilities);
    driver.get("http://www.google.com");
    driver.quit();
}

Also make sure the geckodriver is in the same directory where you are starting the hub/node.


text:
What can make children happier, excel academically, and have fewer behavioral problems? Taking naps?
Oh, those little school naps as a kid. Heads on the table, the soothing voice of my preschool teacher,… Ok, time to wake up, there is some research news on school naps: "Children who nap 30 to 60 minutes midday at least three times a week are happier, have more self-control and grit, and showcase fewer behavioral problems, according to new research. These children also have higher IQs and excel academically." Wait this sounds too good to be true? Yeah, a bit. It's another correlation rather than a causal relationship.
From the press release (italics by me):
A study of nearly 3,000 fourth, fifth, and sixth graders ages 10-12 revealed a connection between midday napping and greater happiness, self-control, and grit; fewer behavioral problems; and higher IQ, the latter particularly for the sixth graders. The most robust findings were associated with academic achievement, says Penn neurocriminologist Adrian Raine, a co-author on the paper.
"Children who napped three or more times per week benefit from a 7.6% increase in academic performance in Grade 6," he says. "How many kids at school would not want their scores to go up by 7.6 points out of 100?"
Sleep deficiency and daytime drowsiness are surprisingly widespread, with drowsiness affecting up to 20% of all children, says lead author on the study Jianghong Liu, a Penn associate professor of nursing and public health. What's more, the negative cognitive, emotional, and physical effects of poor sleep habits are well-established, and yet most previous research has focused on preschool age and younger.
That's partially because in places like the United States, napping stops altogether as children get older. In China, however, the practice is embedded into daily life, continuing through elementary and middle school, even into adulthood. So, Liu and Raine, with Penn biostatistician Rui Feng, UC Irvine sleep researcher Sara Mednick and others, turned to the China Jintan Cohort Study, established in 2004 to follow participants from toddlerhood through adolescence.
From each of 2,928 children, the researchers collected data about napping frequency and duration once the children hit Grades 4 through 6, as well as outcome data when they reached Grade 6, including psychological measures like grit and happiness and physical measures such as body mass index and glucose levels. They also asked teachers to provide behavioral and academic information about each student. They then analyzed associations between each outcome and napping, adjusting for sex, grade, school location, parental education, and nightly time in bed.
It was the first comprehensive study of its kind, Mednick says. "Many lab studies across all ages have demonstrated that naps can show the same magnitude of improvement as a full night of sleep on discrete cognitive tasks. Here, we had the chance to ask real-world, adolescent schoolchildren questions across a wide range of behavioral, academic, social, and physiological measures."
Predictably, she adds, "the more students sleep during the day, the greater the benefit of naps on many of these measures."
Though the findings are correlational, the researchers say they may offer an alternative to the outcry from pediatricians and public health officials for later school start times. "The midday nap is easily implemented, and it costs nothing," says Liu, particularly if accompanied by a slightly later end to the day, to avoid cutting into educational time. "Not only will this help the kids, but it also takes away time for screen use, which is related to a lot of mixed outcomes."
Future directions could look at why, for example, children with better-educated parents nap more than children with less educated parents, or whether, by investigating the influence of culture and personality, nap interventions could be advanced on a global scale. Ideally, a randomized control trial would get at causation questions like whether napping leads to better academic achievement or whether they're linked in some other way. However, none of this is yet in the works.
For now, the researchers say they hope the results of this current study can inform future interventional work that targets adolescent sleepiness.
Study Objectives
Poor sleep and daytime sleepiness in children and adolescents have short and long-term consequences on various aspects of health. Midday napping may be a useful strategy to reduce such negative impacts. The effect of habitual napping on a wide spectrum of cognitive, behavioral, psychological, and metabolic outcomes has not been systematically investigated.
This study characterized midday napping habits in 3819 elementary school children from the China Jintan Cohort Study. In 2011, weekly nap frequency and average duration were collected once from students at grades 4-6. Prior to their completion of elementary school at grade 6 (in 2011-2013 respective to each grade), the following outcomes were collected once: behavioral and academic achievement evaluated by teachers, and self-reported positive psychology measures including grit, self-control, and happiness. IQ tests were conducted on a subgroup. Metabolic indices including body mass index and fasting glucose concentration were measured through physical exams. For the whole sample, we assessed associations between napping and each outcome, adjusted for sex, grade, school location, parental education, and time in bed at night. We also conducted stratified analyses on grade 6 (cross-sectional), grade 4 (2-year gap), and grade 5 (1-year gap) data.
Overall, napping was significantly associated with higher happiness, grit, and self-control, reduced internalizing behavior problem, higher verbal IQs, and better academic achievement, although specific patterns varied across frequency and duration for different outcomes. More limited significant associations were found for decreased externalizing behavior problems, compared to non-nappers, while no significant associations were found for performance IQ and metabolic outcomes.
Results indicate benefits of regular napping across a wide range of adolescent outcomes, including better cognition, better psychological wellness, and reduced emotional/behavioral problems. The current study underscores the need for further large-scale intervention studies to establish causal effects.
June 4, 2019 PedroEducation, Research
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


My name is Garland R. Lively and I am a member of the Bosque County Historical Commission and for the past several years I have been working with members of the Hill County and Bell County Historical Commissions researching the early settlement of the Brazos River between the Falls of the Brazos and Fort Graham.
We have recently focused our efforts on the settlement of the the Falls of the Brazos. We are extremely interested in soliciting the support of both the Falls County, Milam County, and McLennan County Historical Commissions.
If there is any interest in actively participating in this intensive research effort, please contact me.
Standard reply to Mr Lively. Email forwarded to MCHC members, MCGS and other interested persons.


Nothing says "summer" like raspberries.
In a month or so, raspberries will be ripening. If anyone is looking for me, I'll be the woman in the garden, pail in hand, swatting at bees and eating warm, succulent berries. I might even put some in the pail!
Washington State is the leading producer of raspberries in the United States. Oregon is top of the list for producing black raspberries. According to the Washington Red Raspberry Commission, "Washington accounts for nearly 95 percent of the U.S. production of processed red raspberries, at about 70,000,000 pounds per year."
What's even more impressive, I'm pretty sure they aren't even counting all of mine!
They should, though, because by the time the first frost hits I'll have gallons of berries in my freezer, and dozens of jars of jam in the fruit room. There will also be containers of frozen seedless puree that will fill cakes and pastries all year, and bottles of syrup glowing like jewels on a pantry shelf. I'm doing my part, Washington!
I haven't counted, but we probably have about 150 raspberry plants (it feels more like 1,000 when I have to prune them), and each one is capable of producing hundreds of berries. They're a mixed bag of varieties; some were here when we moved in six years ago, and a few were given to us. They seem to explode in July, and I encourage everyone I know to come over and pick them.
Picking raspberries isn't for the faint of heart. They have serious prickles. Raspberries are relatives of the rose, so these are sometimes called thorns, but I think they are even more evil, since they are tiny and can be hard to locate and remove. You can feel them . . . you just can't see them to pull out. I haven't mastered the art of picking ripe berries with garden gloves on, so I am encouraging the few thornless vines we have to reproduce. You know . . . privacy, soft mood lighting, warm summer nights. Hopefully they'll figure it out, because I draw the line at feeding them white wine and playing "Unchained Melody."
Yellow jackets are a constant trial, too. They love overripe berries and are not afraid of defending their territory. I have no pride or self-control when it comes to these nasty creatures—the neighbors have all seen me do the "bee dance" in the garden. The trick is to keep them picked! The dogs help with this (they both adore berries of all kinds), as do friends and relatives, but sadly many still get wasted.
The hardest part of writing this column was limiting myself to just a few raspberry recipes, but I'm saving my energy for the garden. Here is a very simple recipe for Raspberry Lemonade—sweet, tangy, and refreshing. A little club soda or sparkling water makes it even more delightful!
For a fresh, refreshing summer salad, a raspberry vinaigrette really hits the spot. Try a little on a piece of lettuce and adjust to taste—more salt, less sugar, more basil . . . anything goes!
My husband is a little spoiled, and takes my culinary efforts for granted sometimes. That's why it surprised me when he went absolutely wild over the Raspberry Chipotle Chutney I served over pork tenderloin slices. I'm a sissy when it comes to hot, spicy foods, so I was sparing when I served myself. He, however, went back for more and absolutely dumped it on the meat. He was still raving hours later. I'm going to say that the chutney was a huge success. Hope you like it, too.
What better way to wind up a meal than with a decadent piece of pie? This Raspberry Lemon Meringue Pie is a little bit on the tart side, with just enough sweetness in the meringue to balance it out. I used a very deep pie dish, but I think there would be enough filling to make two modest pies if you prefer. For pretty slices, make sure it cools completely. It is even easier to serve if you have time to refrigerate it.
Haunt the farmers markets until the berries arrive, and then buy as many as you can afford. If you don't have time to use them all, just put them in a freezer container and save them for later. Drop the frozen berries into smoothies, muffin batter, breads, and cakes. And seriously . . . if you're in Eastern Washington this summer, alert me with an e-mail and I'll send you home with a gallon or two!
Lorinda resides in Eastern Washington, where she joyously combines her love of cooking and gardening. Baking is her passion, and licking the batter off the spoon after making a cake is her reward. When she's not in the kitchen, she's out in the garden pulling weeds and snacking on young peas. Also enjoy Lorinda's blog, The Rowdy Baker.
Food for Thought copyright 2019.


text:
Q: How to use an AssetManager for loading additional localized resources? I found an idea here:
Using an AssetManager for resource loading at run time
How can I implement it? Kindly could somebody help me with more information?
Thanks in advance.

A: Ex: Place your text file in the /Assets ... /Assets/example.txt
public class ReadAsset : Activity
{
protected override void OnCreate (Bundle bundle)
{
    base.OnCreate (bundle);

    InputStream input = Assets.Open ("my_asset.txt");
}
}

Or you can also put the file in the /Resources/raw... /Resources/raw/example
InputStream is = getResources().openRawResource(R.raw.example);

Or you can load html from asset and load in webview:
 webview.loadUrl("file:///asset/aboutcertified.html");

Additionally, some Android functions will automatically load asset files:
/Assets/fonts/samplefont.ttf
Typeface tf = Typeface.CreateFromAsset (Context.Assets, "fonts/samplefont.ttf");

For more information: https://developer.android.com/reference/android/content/res/AssetManager.html

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Open Journal of Social Sciences > Vol.4 No.8, August 2016
School Leadership Role in a Conflict and Post-Conflict Environment School Reconstruction as a Professional Learning Community ()
David Nkengbeza
University of Namibia, Katima Mulilo Campus, Namibia.
Understanding the role school leadership plays in rebuilding schools as professional learning communities is a crucial step forward in tackling the numerous challenges of conflict and post-conflict school reconstruction. The purpose of this article is to find out the role school leadership plays in a conflict and post-conflict environment school reconstruction as a professional learning community. Qualitative research method was used and the data were collected using interviews. The major findings included a shared supportive leadership that worked collaboratively with other stakeholders to overcome its challenges, provided the needed supportive conditions and reforms and overcame its psychological challenges. This article challenges schools and all those involved in education in conflict and post-conflict societies to rethink their school improvement strategies.
School Leadership, Conflict, Post-Conflict Environment, School Reconstruction, Teacher Leadership, Student Leadership, Professional Learning Communities, Community of Learners, School Effectiveness, School Improvement
Nkengbeza, D. (2016) School Leadership Role in a Conflict and Post-Conflict Environment School Reconstruction as a Professional Learning Community. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 4, 70-79. doi: 10.4236/jss.2016.48009.
Received 19 May 2016; accepted 19 August 2016; published 22 August 2016
Education is crucial in rebuilding shattered societies in both conflict and post-conflict environments. Schools in conflict and post-conflict environments face many challenges including trauma, loss of life, lack of qualified teachers, hate, destruction of schools and other infrastructures, lack of finance, absence of state running systems, increase in corruption and poor management, youths with no profession or skills, high unemployment rate, a dangerous environment not conducive for learning, available guns in the wrong hands, and a society that is impregnated by fear and loss of hope [1] [2] .
Professional learning communities (PLCs) bring general satisfaction, higher moral and low dropout and absenteeism for both students and teachers. Also important is the view that PLCs build lasting school system level improvement for the benefit of the whole school. With PLCs there is a great improvement in teachers' network, professional collaboration and expanded professional role among all the stakeholders, and even more important is the fact that PLCs improve teachers' efficacy and enhance teachers' effectiveness for the benefit of the students [3] .
The school leadership is at the centre of every school improvement. For the school leadership to be successful it must involve all the stakeholders in its improvement plan, lead the design of the plan, monitor its implementation, enhance policies and as Leith wood and Riehl [4] have put it: effective school leadership develops their schools guided by a vision that symbolises and embodies their collective thinking about teaching and learning. Very little is known about the role of school leadership in rebuilding schools as PLCs in conflict and post-con- flict societies. This article is taken from a major project that I did in 2014 and it seeks to cover this gap.
Problem Statement and Research Question
As shown in Figure 1.
School leadership: The principal is at the centre of school leadership but he/she is not alone. In PLCs, power is shared or distributed among the other stakeholders in a school. These members, depending on the context, include the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), school governing board, vice principal, student leaders, head of department and other team leaders. All these leaders are responsible for the implementation of school improvement and the change process in the school. Professional learning community: While Harris [3] defines professional learning community as a "group of connected and engaged professionals who are responsible for driving change and improvement within, between and across schools that will directly benefit learners", Nkengbeza [5] believes that a professional learning community is an inclusive education institution that shares responsibility and decision-making, and continuously and collectively questions the status quo, seeks for better school improvement strategies or tools and is guided by shared values and vision. Conflict and post-conflict environment: While a conflict environment is the actual environment where conflict takes place, a post-conflict environment is the immediate period that proceeds the conflict period. This era continues until the age of normalcy is restored. It should be noted that there is no clear cut between these two periods [5] .
Very little is known about the role of school leadership in building professional learning communities in conflict and post-conflict environments. Goddard [6] has only written on "The role of the school leaders in establishing democratic principles in post-conflict societies" using the case of Kosovo arguing that education is the vehicle of change in trauma healing in post-conflict communities. According to him, education should be the agent of transformation and also that the school leadership should be given the role to build a collegial culture of trust. In his article, he recommended that PLCs should be established in schools in Kosovo to handle the numerous challenges in education in post-conflict Kosovo. This article aims to further this discussion on the role of school leadership in rebuilding one school in conflict and post-conflict Liberia.
Figure 1. Problem statement of the study.
The research question: The main research question is: What is the role of school leadership in building a school as a professional learning community in a conflict and post-conflict environment?
2. The Framework for the Study
Due to the complex nature of school organizations today, the principal alone can no longer perform the leadership role. In conflict and post-conflict societies, rebuilding schools is even more daunting because of the many challenges it faces. Therefore, as a consequence, the principal and the school leadership team ought to practice distributed leadership, share responsibilities and support all the staff. The school leadership teams should work collectively towards school improvement and they should be guided by shared values and vision. The school leadership needs to provide supportive conditions for the establishment and sustaining of PLCs and also establishes an environment where peers share their personal practice [7] .
2.1. The Principal Practices Distributed Leadership, Shares Responsibility and Supports All Its Staff Members
Distributed leadership is built on the notion that power is shared across the whole school or organisation [3] . As the search on school improvement tools continues and coupled with the tremendous advantages brought along with it when a school develops as a professional learning community, distributed leadership becomes central in the school development. The old system that looked at the principal as all powerful has been shifted as schools have become increasingly complex organisations. The terms shared, distributed and collaborative leadership have become very familiar in many schools that have developed the culture of learning organization. School leadership today is no longer the property of an individual, and it is an interaction across the school and among all the stakeholders [8] .
2.2. Work Collectively for the School Improvement
Collaborative working in teams is also at the centre of PLCs development. Hord [7] defines collaborative leadership as a situation where "power, authority, and decision making are distributed across the community". Collaboration has been facilitated in the twenty-first century with the advent of different technologies. Collaborative learning today has expanded from within the school teams to a network with other schools and teams, both national and international. This has led to the exchange of good practices, depending on the context of the school. Collaborative leadership in PLCs, as explained by Webb, Vulliamy, Sarja, Hamalainen and Poikonen [9] , helps in promoting teacher motivation and welfare-key factors that help inspire students. Collaborative working by all the stakeholders in the school helps with developing a culture of trust which is crucial for the success of PLCs.
2.3. Guided by Shared Values and Vision
If we define values as the binding norms of an organization, we would also agree with Stoll, Bolam, McMahon, Wallace, and Thomas [10] that a good shared vision in PLCs gives a sense of purpose and direction. With such a vision in place teachers are not isolated, they do not only count on each other for support, they believe in collective ethical decision-making [10] . Claus on, Aquino and Wide man [11] have explained that these norms should be defined by group collective views. Organizational values and vision help in developing interpersonal skills, such as trust, communication and collaboration and equally develop the content knowledge in the case of schools [12] . All the stakeholders should be involved in the development of a school vision and these stakeholders include teachers, administrators, school board members, parents and even students. Hord [7] believes that PLCs should be guided by shared beliefs, values and a vision of what the school should be like. With shared values and vision, all the stakeholders in the school share their thinking and the best ideas are taken [11] .
2.4. Provide Supportive Conditions
Available supportive conditions are vital for sustaining PLCs in schools in conflict and post-conflict environments and also in ordinary environments. Supportive conditions are either relational or structural. As agreed by Hord [7] and Nkengbeza [5] , while relational conditions include respect, caring and the building of trust among the stake holders, structural conditions include time and place to meet and plan and the resources needed to establish and sustain a PLC. Effective school leadership offers intellectual stimulation to all its stakeholders. They encourage reflection and challenge the staff to rethink how to improve student learning. The school leadership also provides the needed support to all the staff and is a role model and consistent with the school goals and values. [4]
2.5. Provide an Environment Where Peers Share Their Personal Practice
PLCs provide an environment where peers share their personal practice, gain feedback and this leads to the ove- rall improvement of the individuals and the school [5] [7] . PLCs have been credited for creating an environment where everyone shares his/her practices and supports each other [13] .
3. Research Methodology
3.1. Qualitative Research Method
A qualitative research method was used in this paper. Hanson, Balmer and Giardino [14] have explained that "qualitative researchers employ rigorous methods of sampling, data collection, analysis, and interpretation with in a framework of scientific inquiry". According to Hanson [14] and colleagues, qualitative researchers use different sets of assumptions to interpret issues through different lenses, within different contexts. The different strategies in qualitative research according to Creswell [15] include narrative, phenomenology, case study, ethnography and Grounded theory. In this study a qualitative research method (a case study) was used because the researcher wanted to understand the role of school leadership in building a school as a professional learning community in a conflict and post-conflict environment. An interaction with those who took part in the change process was the best way to understand what they went through (see data collection method).
3.2. School Selection Method
The case school was selected using expert testimony. An expert in education was asked to select a school using certain criteria for good schools (developed by the University of California), which are a reflection of professional learning communities. These criteria, among others, included professional administrators and teachers who were knowledgeable with the curriculum, a supportive leadership led by the school principal, a good curriculum that helped students to achieve their potentials, and a safe and conducive environment in which students could learn. With these criteria, a case school that succeeded to implement change and turnaround in Liberia (a country that went through 14 years of civil wars) was selected. I cannot say how many of these schools were available in the country at the time, but it should be noted that in many post-conflict environments, turn-around successful schools are difficult to find. The school had about 500 students and pupils (Grades 1 - 12). Unlike the immediate part of the post-conflict era, students in grade 12 were not more than 18 years old.
3.3. Data Collection Methods
This article is part of a major project I did in 2014. The data for the major project was collected using three main methods: interviews, document review and observations. For this article the major data collection method was through interviews (focus groups and individual face to face). The interviews were conducted in three phases. In faze one there were interviews at the case school (a total of 14 interviews including the principal, priest, vice- principal, administrative staff and teachers). In phases two interviews were conducted about the student leadership and the student palaver management team (SPMT) at the case school (both were interviewed in focus groups separately) and phases three was about the PTA (the PTA chairperson and secretary were also interviewed separately). A voice recorder was used to record interviewees' responses and individual and focus group interviews were used. It should be noted that there is only one principal and a vice principal and both were interviewed at different levels/phases to collect different data.
There are a series of documents that I have reviewed and they have helped in understanding the role of school leadership in rebuilding schools in conflict and post-conflict situations like: the student handbook, the student palaver management handbook for interveners and palaver managers―2nd edition, the parent teacher association development and operational manual and The national curriculum revised June 2011: Grades 1 - 12. I also used observation in a limited way to increase reliability as it helped to provide a better view of the context and phenomenon that I was studying [16] .
3.4. Data Analysis
The analysis for this article was done using the conceptual framework and thematic analysis. The conceptual framework for building PLCs were investigated in the case school and also used in the analysis of the data and the extent to which these components were present in the school are explained. Content analysis was also used. Major themes were also generated from the content of the study, mainly from the data collection methods (mainly interviews and a bit of document review and observation). Marshall and Ross man [17] have rightly explained that data analysis deals with generating categories and themes and that "is the most difficult, complex, ambiguous, creative, and fun" experience [5] [17] .
4. Findings
The major findings for the role of school leadership are as follows: The school leadership shares responsibilities and supports its staff, works collectively for school improvement, tackled the challenges faced by the school, provides supportive conditions, provides an environment where peers share their personal practice and the school leadership are guided by shared values and vision. The school leadership brought reforms that were sustained by the establishment of a PLC in their school.
4.1. The School Leadership Shares Responsibility and Supports Each Other
At the centre of the school leadership is the principal who was a student of the case school, and now teaches there. During the civil wars he escaped to Ghana, studied and returned after the war and was appointed as the new principal to lead the school. His leadership is highly distributed and/or shared. At the top is the local school board that consists of nine members, followed by the principal and vice-principal. While the junior church warden is the chairperson of the local school board, the principal is the secretary. Other board members include the PTA chairman and secretary, a representative from the Alumni Association, a businesswoman from the community, a lawyer, a medical practitioner and the priest. The LSB develops funding strategies and advices the principal. This board meets twice a year and also on request of the principal, when the need for extra meetings arises.
Under the vice-principal, for administration, are the registrar, cashier and the secretary. The principal is responsible for the functioning of the whole, and he gives support to all the staff members. Directly under the vice-principal, there are three departments: the academic, disciplinary, and sports department-headed by a department head and each teacher in the school belongs to one of these departments. At the bottom of this leadership chain are the student leaders and student palaver management team.
4.2. The School Leadership Works Collectively for School Improvement
As explained earlier teachers are placed under three different departments: an academic, discipline and sports department. The teachers in the academic department work as a team and assist the teachers when they experience problems with academic work. They address all academic problems like students' performances in different subjects, introduction and dropping of subjects depending on the strategic evaluation of the society's future needs. The disciplinary committee on the other hand is responsible for handling students' problems. In the post- period immediately after the war, the school counsellor worked for both students and teachers and sometimes with the principal (in a situation where he was part of the solution).
There is a general agreement that there has been a marked improvement in the sports department and because of that many students have been attracted to this school. Players are well taken care of during sporting activities like inter-college games. Various scholarships, ranging from whole tuition free to partial tuition free have attracted many students and this explains why the school has become very popular. Teachers are very cooperative and support each other―"students are never left alone in their classrooms".
Professional development is taken seriously in the school. There are two workshops every year and trainers come from the Teacher's College and the Ministry of Education. While the student leadership provides its skills in leading students, be it in sports, social activities or student-student dialogue/counselling, the SPM concentrates on solving or settling student disputes. All the various stakeholders in the school work together, searching for better ways of teaching and solving problems collaboratively for the general progress of all the students and teachers in the school.
4.3. How the School Leadership Tackled Its Challenges
Insecurity and hate: Countering this challenge was done through collaboration with the Christian Health Association of Liberia (CHAL). The "CHAL came up with an idea to establish the Student Palaver Management Teams (SPMT) in various schools to take care of problems between students, thus giving teachers the opportunity to concentrate more on teaching" [5] . The success of the student palaver management in schools is due to the collaboration between the Christian Health Association of Liberia and The United Nations International Children Emergency Funds (UNICEF). The establishment of SPMT in the case school helped to solve problems between students. The church also provides an environment where both teachers and students open up on the problems they are going through. It was through this process that both student and teachers came to understand that they had all suffered during the war and that there was no need to continue to hate each other.
Drug use and student misbehaviour: Drug use was another major problem brought by the Liberian civil wars. It is even said that "students were not able to buy study materials" but spent much money on buying drugs. Some of the students became government employees, like policemen, after the war and it is said that some of them were not very cooperative. After the war, people of various backgrounds returned to school (including the rich and poor, and those with questionable behaviour), and some of them did not respect the teachers. Cooperation with the police and the society succeeded to eradicate the source of the drugs. Students' counselling, discipline and the help from other stakeholders greatly reduced students' misbehaviour.
Lack of funding and qualified teachers: A common phenomenon in the conflict and post-conflict societies is the lack of funding. In the case school funding was not available immediately after the war, and thus, teachers were poorly paid. Qualified teachers were not available, especially during the conflict and the immediate part of the post-conflict period. At a later stage of the post-conflict period, teachers were given the opportunity to be trained. The school succeeded in bringing in more qualified and good teachers. With the coming of qualified and dedicated teachers, the school became more outstanding, especially in its community and later-on nationally.
Bringing students and teachers back to school, low salaries and crimes: Bringing students and teachers back into classrooms was a school leadership problem after the war. Trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience, in the case school both students and teachers had been traumatized by the war. Immediately after the war, students and teachers distrusted each other, and this further added to students' disciplinary difficulties. The change of principal brought high hopes for the school as he was loved by many in his community and this led to many students' return. Another major reason that brought students back was because the new principal was quite respectful. Teachers decided to return to school because the new principal promised to look into their problems. The problem of low salary was solved when the new principal came. There was a general increase in salaries and teachers were paid for extra classes to increase their salaries. Disciplinary problems were handled through the cooperation with other stakeholders like the Parent Teacher Association, the school disciplinary committee, the student leadership and with the help of the student Rules and Regulation Handbook.
4.4. The School Leadership Is Guided by Shared Values and Vision
"The school values/symbols included the school ode, the scorpion, the school flag, the church and prayers" [5] . While the scorpion symbolizes "hope, perseverance and strength", the school flag reminds students of the symbol of the school name, ink, books and a bible. These symbols are on the school flag. The school's name reminds all the stakeholders (students, staff, parents, community and other) what the school stands for. The ink stands for the writing materials. The book symbolises the knowledge which students are to receive and finally the bible is a symbol of guidance representing Christian principles. There are also symbols of the church and prayers. The school's vision is "strive to achieve" ―created in 1959 when the school was established.
4.5. The School Leadership Provides Supportive Conditions
The school leadership provides supportive conditions for general school improvement to take place. The school is divided into three departments (sports, academic and discipline) with various functions. The free food programme after the wars provided food for all children, but after the school improved, the food was distributed only among needy children in community schools. The construction of the school fence helps to control and regulate entry to the school campus, when students enter the school and when they leave. It is said that the construction of the school fence brought a marked improvement in student discipline. Together with available supportive learning and staff development, there are rewards for students' and teachers' high achievement. The student leaders and the student palaver management team provide disciplinary and other support, and time and space are provided for staff meetings to take place.
4.6. The School Leadership Provides an Environment Where Peers Share Their Personal Practice
Interviewees explained that peers share their personal practices. An example was the introduction of the "student pass system" by a teacher who was looking for ways to curb students standing out of the class during lectures. Apparently students used to stand outside of their classrooms, especially in the morning, until the student "pass" system was introduced. When the "pass" was first introduced, the teacher was glad with its effectiveness. He then shared it with his colleagues and it was later implemented in the whole school.
5. Discussions and Conclusions
The school leadership accepts shared responsibilities and leads the learning process. They are change leaders who practice distributed leadership, teachers' leadership and student leadership. The leadership does not only provide the needed support for change to take place, and they bring along school reforms and collaborate with other stakeholders. They are guided by a compelling vision and values.
5.1. The School Leaderships Are Change Leaders and They Practice Distributed Leadership Including Teachers' Leadership and Students' Leadership
The principal is at the centre of school leadership. He is committed to the use of distributed leadership across the school. While the school local board helps the principal as a consultative body before major changes are implemented in the school, the PTA collaborates with the school administration to improve student development. There are also other administrative staff members like the registrar, secretary and the cashier who play key roles in the school's success.
The school leadership practices and promotes teachers' leadership in the school. Teachers do not only teach, but they are also placed under three different departments (academic, disciplinary and sports) according to their other expertise. The sports committee on the other hand is responsible for all sporting and social activities in the school. Scholarships are given to students who perform well in sports. These findings are in accordance with those of other researchers like Leith wood and Riehl [4] that leadership's effect on school success is both direct and indirect. School leadership works through team work and these leaders establish effective conditions that make the change system effective.
There are student leaders who provide much needed help in coordinating the different school activities. While the class prefects make sure that their respective classrooms are in order for learning to take place, the school prefects are in charge of school activities. The student palaver management team helps the settlement of conflict between students. This group is made up of interveners and managers. While the interveners have been trained to search for conflicts between students and bring those involved to the managers, the managers have been trained and are actually responsible for the settlement of the conflicts. This group is accredited for reducing the conflicts which have existed between students after the war.
5.2. The Leadership Provides the Needed Support for Change to Take Place
There is a time scheduled for general staff meetings and for other committee meetings, where issues are debated on and resolved. There are funding for different projects, and teachers' expertise is promoted through professional development to support and cement the change in their school. The school leadership ensures ample opportunities for staff development. The teachers have two major workshops for professional development each year and the trainers are usually from the Ministry of Education and the Teachers' College-including a teacher from their school. Members in each of the three department set expectations that are in alignment with the school goals. The strength of these leaders is in their collective learning. They rely on each department to work effectively and solve problems. The school leadership monitors the system for the implementation of reforms. The school leaders act as mentors and coaches to support the development of all the staff.
5.3. The School Leadership Brought School Reforms and Collaborated with Other Stakeholders
Credit for the school reforms was given to their principal who had escaped to Ghana during the war and returned during the post-conflict period. His role was instrumental in bringing lasting reforms to the school. The school fence helped considerably in improving the school. With the new fence, students could no longer leave the school grounds as they wish. Parents were glad because they knew their children were safe on the school grounds and they knew when to expect them to get home. The accelerated learning program also helped to solve the problem of older students who were in the same class with the younger ones. The night school was introduced to older students and this lead to fast promotion for the older children.
It is said that the school uniform helped in bringing students back to school. The school uniform not only instils discipline in the students, it also brings a sense of self-worth and equality among them. The cost of clothing is with no doubt drastically reduced and it also reduces competition and social conflict among the students. The uniform promotes students' loyalty as they are easily distinguished wherever they go and this improves their morale. It is said that students from the case school take up the responsibility of counselling other students from different schools in the municipality on the effects of the civil war. They also improve student behaviour beyond their school, and this has brought them credit. The teachers' salaries were increased and more professional teachers were brought to the school. Another important reform was the establishment of a support system where both students and teachers are given the opportunity to overcome their psychological challenges. The feeding program, sponsored by the United Nations, has brought many students back to school. Outsiders were contracted to sell food to students on the campus, when food distribution ended.
The school leadership collaborates with other stakeholders like the international community. The school fence was constructed thanks to the funding from ECOWAS. The United Nations provided funding to the school immediately after the war. Everyone was poor and students had no money to pay fees. The United Nations office in Monrovia contributed a certain amount to the school for each student who was enrolled in the school. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) was named as one of the organisations that assisted in roofing the school after the war.
5.4. They Are Guided by a Compelling Vision and Values
Their school vision (strive to achieve) was developed in 1959 when the school was established and it is still very relevant to them. Their values/symbols include the bible and the scorpion. While the bile symbolises their guided principles, the scorpion symbolises their strength to survive in all types of environments. They went through 14 years of civil wars where the school was almost completely destroyed. They developed and streng- thened their school performance foundation, including the vision and values/beliefs which were aligned with their school goals. These school goals are focused on student achievement. The school leadership creates a peaceful and inclusive environment where every student learns. It is this peaceful and conducive environment that enables teachers to share their good practices for the benefit of the entire school. Students from various religious denominations are enrolled in the school. Leith wood and Riehl [4] have concluded that "effective school leadership help their schools to develop visions that embody the best thinking about teaching and learning".
Background: Education in conflict and post-conflict environments has continued to suffer because it is not a major priority for most of the major actors in these eras. Smith [18] has advocated the view that in post-conflict societies more focus should be given to the youths in addressing their needs and that education should address the past. In the case of civil wars, the new leadership must be courageous to accept and address what they have done wrong and end the blame game. Education is a tool which should be used to address war conflicts in all its forms. Nkengbeza [5] has advocated the introduction of peace education in schools in ordinary societies and in conflict and post-conflict societies to prevent the emergence of conflict. "Education does not cause wars, nor end them; every education system has the potential either to exacerbate or to mitigate the conditions that contribute to violent conflict" [1] .
Research question: This paper has answered the main research question (What is the role of school leadership in building a school as a professional learning community in a conflict and post-conflict environment?). The school reforms are encouraging and the school leadership practiced shares supportive leadership, works collectively for school improvement, and tackles the challenges faced by the school, provides supportive conditions, provides the needed reforms and also provides a conducive environment where peers share their personal practice. This paper has provided schools, educational leaders and other nation builders in conflict and post-conflict societies an example on how schools can be turned around in hostile environments. With the current pressure on various educational actors at all levels to perform (students, teachers, principals and educational directors as in South Africa), looking at the role of school leadership in rebuilding schools in conflict and post-conflict environments offers a new perspective for school improvement in hostile societies [4] .
Practical implications for schools and nation builders: This paper has provided an insight on the role of school leadership in rebuilding schools in conflict and post-conflict environments. I believe that schools in fragile environments will learn from this case and educational leaders and nation builders will start using the lenses of PLCs in reconstructing schools and education in general. PLCs should be implemented in conflict and post- conflict environments because they provide a "system-wide change, system collaboration and networking, … non-negotiable focus on pedagogical improvement and improving learner outcomes … [and] the model uses action enquiry approaches as a driver for change" [3] . The school leadership in conflict and post-conflict environments therefore should be visionaries, collaborators, leaders/managers, mediators, supporters, teachers and researchers.
Limitation and suggestion for further studies: There are many actors in conflict and post-conflict school reconstruction. The school leadership is only one component and the others include the international community and government (education) policies. It should also be noted that the major project that this data is part of was not about the role of school leadership. It was only after the data collection that the role of the school leadership emerged and as such some of the findings have not been described concisely and in-depth. It will be a good idea to explore the role of these other stakeholders in rebuilding schools in conflict and post-conflict societies.
This article was funded by North-West University, Potchefstroom campus during my tenure there as a Research Fellow.
[1] Buckland, P. (2006) Post-Conflict Education: Time for a Reality Check. Forced Migration Review, 7-8.
http://www.fmreview.org/sites/fmr/files/FMRdownloads/en/FMRpdfs/EducationSupplement/full.pdf
[2] Hunter, J. (2013) Professional Learning Communities. p. 6.
[3] Harris, A.J.S. (2008) Distributed Leadership through the Looking Glass. British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society, 22, 31-34.
[4] Leith Wood, K.A. and Riehl, C. (2003) What We Know about Successful School Leadership. National College for School Leadership, Nottingham.
[5] Nkengbeza, D. (2014) Building a Professional Learning Community in a Conflict and Post-Conflict Environment: A Case-Study of a High School in Liberia. University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla.
[6] Tim Goddard, J. (2004) The Role of School Leaders in Establishing Democratic Principles in a Post-Conflict Society. Journal of Educational Administration, 42, 685-696.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09578230410563674
[7] Hord, S.M. (2009) Professional Learning Communities: Educators Work Together towards a Shared Purpose. Journal of Staff Development, 30, 40-43.
[8] Mayrowetz, D. (2008) Making Sense of Distributed Leadership: Exploring the Multiple Usages of the Concept in the Field. Educational Administration Quarterly, 44, 424-435.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0013161X07309480
[9] Webb, R., Vulliamy, G., Sarja, A., H&aumlm&aumll&aumlinen, S. and Poikonen, P.L. (2009) Professional Learning Communities and Teacher Well-Being? A Comparative Analysis of Primary Schools in England and Finland. Oxford Review of Education, 35, 405-422. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03054980902935008
[10] Stoll, L., Bolam, R., Mcmahon, A., Wallace, M. and Thomas, S. (2006) Professional Learning Communities: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Educational Change, 7, 221-258.
[11] Clausen, K.W., Aquino, A.-M. and Wideman, R. (2009) Bridging the Real and Ideal: A Comparison between Learning Community Characteristics and a School-Based Case Study. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25, 444-452. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.09.010
[12] Huffman, J. (2003) The Role of Shared Values and Vision in Creating Professional Learning Communities. NASSP Bulletin, 87, 21-34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/019263650308763703
[13] Morrow, J.R. (2010) Teachers' Perceptions of Professional Learning Communities as Opportunities for Promoting Professional Growth. Doctoral Dissertation, Appalachian State University, Boone.
[14] Hanson, J.L., Balmer, D.F. and Giardino, A.P. (2011) Qualitative Research Methods for Medical Educators. Academic Pediatrics, 11, 375-386.
[15] Creswell, J.W. (2013) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Sage Publications, London, 26.
[16] Kawulich, B.B. (2005) Participant Observation as a Data Collection Method. Qualitative Social Research, 6, 43.
[17] Marshall, C. and Rossman, G.B. (1999) Designing Qualitative Research. 3rd Edition, International Educational and Professional Publisher, California, 35.
[18] Smith, A. (2009) The Influence of Education on Conflict and Peace Building, Background Paper Prepared for the Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2011 the Hidden Crisis: Armed Conflict and Education. UNESCO, Paris, 19.


Can the country do without nuclear power and natural gas? Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, thinks so. But his position would set back the fight against global warming.
While campaigning in New York, Mr. Sanders has played up his opposition to nuclear power, and in particular the Indian Point power station 25 miles north of Manhattan, which provides a quarter of the city's electricity. The plant is a "catastrophe waiting to happen," he declared. His criticism came as little surprise; he had already promised to phase out nuclear power nationwide by steadily retiring existing reactors.
In fact, if we are serious about global warming, we will ignore Sanders's sloganeering.
When burned, natural gas produces about half the carbon dioxide emissions of coal. The recent fracking boom contributed to a reduction in national carbon dioxide emissions over the past several years, as utilities switched from cheap coal to now-cheaper gas. It is true that some concerns remain. Methane leaks from natural gas wells and pipelines. Many worry about drinking water near fracking operations. But the government can require drillers to address these issues without shutting the industry. It is also true that natural gas is a waystation; though it is cleaner than coal, natural gas still produces carbon dioxide emissions. Yet gas's price and emissions profile is still attractive enough that the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan, the most aggressive global warming policy the country has ever had, relies on gas displacing coal to meet medium-term emissions goals.
Sanders's rhetoric on nuclear power is even more concerning. Nuclear accounts for about a fifth of the country's electricity, and it is practically emissions-free. Shutting down that much clean electricity generation would put the country into a deep emissions hole. Sanders argues that he will invest heavily in renewables. Yet every dollar spent to replace one carbon-free source with another is a dollar that could have been spent replacing dangerous and dirty coal plants. Under Sanders's vision, either the country would fail to maximize emissions cuts, or it would waste huge amounts of money unnecessarily replacing nuclear plants. Unsurprisingly, the Clean Power Plan relies on nuclear, too, assuming that the country will get about the same amout of electricity from nuclear in 2030.
Sanders is right that climate change demands an aggressive response, and he is right to favor a carbon tax. He should leave it at that: put a price on carbon, insist on adequate regulation and let the market find the fastest and most efficient road to slowing the warming of the planet.


I have been to Bangkok many times but surprisingly, I have never heard of the Erawan Museum until my last visit in January this year.
When my friend and I got out of the taxi, we were certainly not prepared to see a huge, gigantic three-headed elephant in front of us!
The spot where we alighted from the taxi was however not the entrance into the museum. It was a shrine for people to pray in front of the Elephant without entering the museum. We had to walk a little bit further round the corner to reach the front gate.
The Erawan Museum, located in the Samut Prakan district, does not seem to be in the mainstream list of tourist attractions in Bangkok. I wonder why, as it was to me, one of the most fascinating museums I have ever visited!
I said fascinating because this is not just any normal museum, but rather a combination of an elaborately created museum and temple. After exploring the whole place, I realized the museum is an all-in-one showcase of history, culture, religion, spirituality, architecture and art!
The word Erawan is a Thai name for the three-headed elephant, which is actually a depiction of Airavata, the white elephant that carries the Hindu God Indra according to Indian mythology.
The museum was the brainchild of the late, eccentric Thai business tycoon Lek Viriyabhun, who originally built it to show his vast collection of Asian antiquities, but soon ended up as something much bigger.
As we walked along the pathway from the front gate, I could not take my eyes off the giant elephant statue. I could not wait to see it up close!
We first proceeded to the ticket booth. The entrance ticket costs 300 baht (USD9.90 / RM30.60) per adult. A little pricey perhaps, but I think it's still worth it.
The museum building was divided into 3 levels - the Basement or Suvarnabhumi (which represents the Underworld), the Hall (which represents Earth or the human realm) and inside the Elephant's belly (which represents Heaven).
Yes, you read that right. You can enter the Elephant's belly! And I thought it was just a giant statue on top of the museum!
Surrounding the museum is a beautiful tropical flower garden complete with mythical Thai sculptures and running water. More about this garden later.
This is how the colossal three-headed copper elephant looks like against the cloudy blue sky.
It was such an incredible sight I do not think my poor quality photo can do it justice. You just need to be there to see it for yourself!
Weighing about 250 tons, this gigantic elephant took almost 10 years to construct!
There's a stream surrounding the circumference of the base of the museum. I was immediately distracted by a couple kneeling at one end of the stream.
What were the couple doing?
I soon learnt that they were floating lotus flowers on the stream. There were in fact, many lotus flowers traveling on the stream. Can you see them?
Now here's something interesting. The price of admission actually gets you a lotus bud, which you can then send it floating into the stream after you have made a wish. According to the locals, if the lotus flower floats all the way to the end of the stream surrounding the museum, your wish will come true!
But if your lotus flower gets snagged and stops before making it around the museum, then your wish will not materialize. Perhaps you will need to buy more lotus flowers and try to make a more realistic wish! LOL!
Besides floating lotus flowers, you can also throw coins like what these two ladies were doing.
Can you see where all those coins landed? They should not land inside the water or your wish will not be granted, or so it seems.
Another lady seen here releasing her lotus bud on the water.
I did not really believe in the wish-granting lotus flower theory but that did not stop me and my friend from trying it out! LOL!
After making our wishes, both my friend and I released the lotus flowers into the stream. We followed the flowers as they moved along the stream, hoping they would not stop halfway.
Midway, I was distracted by one of the elephant's head and tusks hovering above us. It sure looked incredible from here!
We reached the end of the stream, but where were our lotus flowers? No where to be seen. Our wishes had just gone down the drain! Oh well, at least it was fun. LOL!
It was time to enter the museum proper. But first let's take a look at the rules and regulations.
We entered the Basement first. It represents the Underworld, according to the Buddhist conception of the Universe. Photography was not allowed here so sorry, no photos. It mainly houses a collection of antique ceramics and art, probably most of them belonging to the founder Lek Viriyabhun. The Basement felt like a real museum to me.
After that, we moved on to the Hall or the large central area above the Basement.
The intricate design on the exterior part of the building was interesting.
A close-up shot of the carvings.
The view from outside the Hall with part of the Elephant's tusks in the photo.
As I entered the Hall which was said to represent both the human realm of the Buddhist universe and Mount Meru, the centre of the Hindu universe, I was stunned by what I saw.
What? Stained glass windows? Christianity?!


text:
Ambition to Become a Statesman
Wilson's Academic Career
Entrance into Politics (1910)
First Southerner to Assume the Presidency since the Civil War
The "New Freedom" Agenda
America's Global Mission during Wilson's Administration
Pursuing Impartial Neutrality during World War I
The 1916 Presidential Election
Declaration of War (1917)
Wilson's Fourteen Points
Formation of the League of Nations
The Rejection of the Versailles Treaty by Congress
The Politics of Wilsonianism: A Lasting Legacy for the Twentieth Century
Related articles in Companion to United States History on Oxford Reference
Wilson, Woodrow
(28/29 Dec. 1856–03 February 1924)
Lloyd E. Ambrosius
Wilson, Woodrow (28/29 Dec. 1856–03 February 1924), the twenty-eighth president of the United States, was born Thomas Woodrow Wilson in Staunton, Virginia, the son of Dr. Joseph Ruggles Wilson, Presbyterian minister and director of the Augusta Female Seminary, and Janet Woodrow. Young Wilson was educated at home and developed close attachments to both parents, who instilled in him their Scotch-Irish and English heritage, Calvinist faith, and southern values. He later attended private schools....


Yesterday marked the beginning of our Advent celebration. But just one problem – no Advent calendar. Since we have this fantastic ebook Truth in the Tinsel this year, I wanted to make sure we had a calendar to use with it.
I had dreams of sewing one, I had even pinned a couple ideas to my Pinterest board. (and p.s. I'd love it if you follow me ;) But I really should have started that in, like, July…. because let's be honest, as the Queen of Procrastination, I've got enough on my plate with all the Christmas gift sewing I plan to do still.
So instead of sewing, I put together a super simple Advent Calendar, made with materials I had on hand.
1. Glue scrapbook paper to the cardboard. I had three sheets of paper that display the words of the Christmas story from the Bible. I cut these to fit my cardboard.
2. Punch 25 circles out of scrapbook paper. Apply number stickers 1-25 on each circle. I didn't have enough numbers from the same type of sticker, but I like the eclectic look of having different number styles.
4. Using hot glue [or the glue of your choice] attach your 25 clothespins to the cardboard in the arrangement you choose.
5. Apply one circle to each clothespin [I just used glue stick for this]. I found it easier to apply these circles after the clothespins had already been glued.
6. Using hot glue, attach ribbon to the back of the cardboard to use to hang your Advent calendar.
That's it! In each clothespin is a "clue" [from the Truth in the Tinsel e-book] that tells what ornament we will be making together on that day. You could also clip an activity that you'd like to do that day, if that's how you and your family celebrates Advent. We decided to leave the clues clipped on the calendar, so that we could look back and remember which ornaments we already made.
The boys are having a lot of fun and [hopefully] learning a bit in the process. I'm especially enjoying all the family time, since even the hubs is joining in!
Do you celebrate Advent in your house? What kind of calendar do you use? Share the link, I'd love to see it!
Owen helped me put it together and he's really excited about it.
oooh i like this a lot!
Pingback: 21 Christmas Advent Calendars | events to CELEBRATE!


Sofia Richie is one of the famous American fashion model. She has featured in campaigns of the major brands. Some of brands are as Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger and Chanel.
Sofia Richie was born on 24 August, 1998 at Los Angeles, California, U.S. her father name is Lionel Richie who is the famous songwriter and singer. Her mother name is Diane Alexander. Her sisters' names are Nicole Richie who was adopted is famous fashion designer and television personality and Miles Richie who is her biological sister. Her godfather was Michael Jackson. Her close friend is Paris who is the daughter of Michael Jackson. She learned to sing at age of 5 and play piano at age of 7. At age of 14, she made occasional appearance at her father's show. She also worked in studio with her brother in law. She attended Oaks Christian School. She also played soccer until the age of 16 but she left it after her hip broke in a Segway accident.
Richie's height is 1.68 m and weight is 58 kg. Her eye color is hazel and hair color is brown. She has the balanced and healthy body.
At the age of 14, she began her modelling career in which she featured in 'Teen Vogue'.
At the age of 15, with Los Angeles based swimwear company Mary Grace Swim, she got her first fashion contract.
She signed with Select Model Management which is London-based modeling agency.
She has featured in the campaigns of brands including DL1961, Madonna, Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana, Adidas, Michael Kors, and Tommy Hilfiger.
For Elle and Vanity Fair, she has done photoshoots.
She has appeared in Billboards magazine's style issue and on the cover of Complex.
Richie status is currently single. But she has dated many celebrities named as Jaden Smith (2012-2013), Jake Andrew (2016), Samir Nasri (2016), Justin Bieber (2016), Anwar Hadid (2016), Brooklyn Beckham (2016-2017) and Scoot Disick (2017-2018).
Richie's net worth is estimated to be $3 million.


We demonstrate a new means to fabricate three-dimensional liquid lenses which may be tuned in focal length and astigmatism. Using actuation by electrowetting-on-dielectrics, astigmatism in arbitrary directions may be tuned independently, with almost no cross talk between orthogonal orientations. The lens is based on electrodes structured on planar polyimide foils and subsequently rolled, enabling high-resolution patterning of complex electrodes along the azimuthal and radial directions of the lens. Based on a design established through fluidic and optical simulations, the astigmatism tuning is experimentally verified by a change of the corresponding Zernike coefficients measured using a Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor. It was seen that the back focal length can be tuned by 5 mm and 0° and 45° astigmatism by 3 μm through application of voltages in the range of 50 Vrms. It was observed that the cross talk with other aberrations is very low, suggesting a novel means for astigmatism control in imaging systems.


Mexico slapped tariffs on 90 American agricultural and manufactured exports on Monday in retaliation for Washington's move to block Mexican trucks from using U.S. highways.
So, first try to suspend in the same sector, but if "it is not practicable or effective" to do so, you may suspend in other sectors. What are the standards for when suspension "is not practicable or effective"? There is no NAFTA case law on thie issue. One obvious place to look for guidance would be the WTO's DSU Article 22 jurisprudence. I would not be surprised at all if a NAFTA panel addressing this issue did just that. What I'm curious about is the reasons the panel would give for doing so. Would they just do it with no explanation? Or would they have some interesting things to say about the relationship of different international trade agreements?
We may never get to that point, of course, but if we do this is one of the things I'll be watching for.


text:
Who will Challenge Tesla in the Future?
Tesla has proven to be one of the most innovative forces in the electric vehicle (EV) market to date. The company went public in 2010, the first car company to do so since Ford Motor Company in 1956. Since then, Tesla has focused on taking a pioneering approach to electric car development. The business was established in July 2003 by entrepreneurs Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. After they took the start-up enterprise into Series A financing in 2004, Elon Musk officially joined the business and became Chairman of Tesla's board. There is no doubt that Musk has injected significant finance into the company but he was not actually a founding member, as many believe.
Where is Tesla today?
Tesla is a big name in electric vehicles, although it faces far more competition today. Despite the company's significance and continuous impact on EV technology, figures obtained by Forbes show that in the first quarter of 2017, they only sold 25,000 cars. In comparison, the less prominent Renault-Nissan Alliance sold 37,000 electric vehicles. The same figures show that Tesla also appears to be falling behind in historic models, with the "old" Nissan Leaf currently outselling the "old" Tesla Model S.
Where is the competition coming from?
Based on sales figures, Tesla is losing out to the Renault-Nissan Alliance. However, the EV sector is growing at speed, and increasing numbers of manufacturers are looking to capture a chunk of a potentially lucrative market. Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson surprised the car world last year when it announced that from 2019, all of its cars will be electrified. This means that the whole line-up will employ an electric motor – incorporated in a gasoline-hybrid (PHEV) or a battery-powered electric vehicle (BEV).
Another manufacturer taking strides is Chinese car startup Byton, who recently presented a futuristic electric SUV to rival Tesla's vehicles. The electric car, unveiled in January 2018, features high-speed 5G connectivity for streaming, seat sensors able to detect the driver's weight and heart rate. This is just one example of the expanding Chinese market for EVs, which is growing in part due to strict emission standards, driving both manufacturers and consumers towards more environmentally friendly vehicles.
EV collaborations also seem to be making an impact, with Porsche and Audi planning a shared electric car platform. This platform will be separate from their existing EV development projects. Instead, it will be a standalone way to launch electric cars that have been developed independently. The joint effort will have a combined workforce of 800 and will provide the foundation for multiple EV models beginning in 2021.
More broadly, the Volkswagen Group is currently making huge investments in EV development. By 2030, the automotive giant is planning to have all-electric or hybrid versions of every model across every one of their brands.
There are a number of other competitor launches approaching, including the Jaguar iPace (July 2018), the Nissan Leaf (Oct 2018) and the Hyundai Nexo (Dec 2018).
How is Tesla responding?
In a bold PR move, the company recently sent one of its cars into space, despite a 50/50 chance of executing the idea successfully. The Tesla Roadster launched on top of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy in February of 2018. Tesla also unveiled a "ridiculously fast" roadster last year, with the longest range in EV history. Vehicle development is where Tesla stays ahead of their competition – their models continue to go further and faster than any other EV manufacturer. In 2017, Tesla added a new battery option in The Tesla Model S 100D. It has an EPA-rated range of 335 miles on a full charge, making it the longest-range consumer electric vehicle in the world.
In November 2017, Tesla also showcased their first electric semi-truck, with Elon Musk declaring diesel trucks are now "economic suicide." He may have compared the sleek, high-tech looking vehicle to a character from the Transformers series, but the impressive features are very real. In comparison to diesel trucks, the ownership costs will be 20% less per mile, the acceleration will be faster, and the uphill performance will be better. In typical Musk theatrics, the truck's windshield also boasts "thermonuclear explosion-proof glass".
So, Tesla is still the one to watch in terms of brand image. It remains to be seen how they will compare with the wave of competition on the horizon, but for now, they continue to be one of the leading names in the EV industry.


'Villa Blanca', the Amory Sibley Carhart estate designed by Trowbridge & Livingston c. 1900 in Tuxedo Park, New York. Carhart, a financier, was commander of the Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States. Following Amory's death in 1912 his widow hired Horace Trumbauer to design 3 East 95th Street in New York City. The lot next door (No. 5) would sell to Goodhue Livingston in 1914, architect of the Carhart estate in Tuxedo, though he would never build a house on the site. 'Villa Blanca' was demolished in the 1940s.
While the Carhart mansion in Tuxedo Park was razed the "ballroom" survived and became an exceedingly fascinating piece of reworked architecture. The NYT's visited it back in 2007 with pictures.


text:
package com.azure.resourcemanager.storage.implementation;

import com.azure.resourcemanager.resources.fluentcore.model.implementation.CreatableUpdatableImpl;
import com.azure.resourcemanager.resources.fluentcore.utils.ETagState;
import com.azure.resourcemanager.storage.StorageManager;
import com.azure.resourcemanager.storage.fluent.BlobContainersClient;
import com.azure.resourcemanager.storage.models.ImmutabilityPolicy;
import com.azure.resourcemanager.storage.models.ImmutabilityPolicyState;
import com.azure.resourcemanager.storage.fluent.models.ImmutabilityPolicyInner;
import reactor.core.publisher.Mono;

class ImmutabilityPolicyImpl
    extends CreatableUpdatableImpl<ImmutabilityPolicy, ImmutabilityPolicyInner, ImmutabilityPolicyImpl>
    implements ImmutabilityPolicy, ImmutabilityPolicy.Definition, ImmutabilityPolicy.Update {
    private final StorageManager manager;
    private String resourceGroupName;
    private String accountName;
    private String containerName;
    private int cImmutabilityPeriodSinceCreationInDays;
    private int uImmutabilityPeriodSinceCreationInDays;
    private final ETagState eTagState = new ETagState();

    ImmutabilityPolicyImpl(String name, StorageManager manager) {
        super(name, new ImmutabilityPolicyInner());
        this.manager = manager;
        // Set resource name
        this.containerName = name;
        //
    }

    ImmutabilityPolicyImpl(ImmutabilityPolicyInner inner, StorageManager manager) {
        super(inner.name(), inner);
        this.manager = manager;
        // Set resource name
        this.containerName = inner.name();
        // set resource ancestor and positional variables
        this.resourceGroupName = IdParsingUtils.getValueFromIdByName(inner.id(), "resourceGroups");
        this.accountName = IdParsingUtils.getValueFromIdByName(inner.id(), "storageAccounts");
        this.containerName = IdParsingUtils.getValueFromIdByName(inner.id(), "containers");
        //
    }

    @Override
    public StorageManager manager() {
        return this.manager;
    }

    @Override
    public Mono<ImmutabilityPolicy> createResourceAsync() {
        BlobContainersClient client = this.manager().serviceClient().getBlobContainers();
        return client
            .createOrUpdateImmutabilityPolicyAsync(
                this.resourceGroupName,
                this.accountName,
                this.containerName,
                null,
                this.cImmutabilityPeriodSinceCreationInDays,
                null)
            .map(innerToFluentMap(this));
    }

    @Override
    public Mono<ImmutabilityPolicy> updateResourceAsync() {
        BlobContainersClient client = this.manager().serviceClient().getBlobContainers();
        return client
            .createOrUpdateImmutabilityPolicyAsync(
                this.resourceGroupName,
                this.accountName,
                this.containerName,
                this.eTagState.ifMatchValueOnUpdate(this.innerModel().etag()),
                this.uImmutabilityPeriodSinceCreationInDays,
                null)
            .map(innerToFluentMap(this))
            .map(
                self -> {
                    eTagState.clear();
                    return self;
                });
    }

    @Override
    protected Mono<ImmutabilityPolicyInner> getInnerAsync() {
        BlobContainersClient client = this.manager().serviceClient().getBlobContainers();
        return client.getImmutabilityPolicyAsync(this.resourceGroupName, this.accountName, this.containerName, null);
    }

    @Override
    public boolean isInCreateMode() {
        return this.innerModel().id() == null;
    }

    @Override
    public String etag() {
        return this.innerModel().etag();
    }

    @Override
    public String id() {
        return this.innerModel().id();
    }

    @Override
    public int immutabilityPeriodSinceCreationInDays() {
        return this.innerModel().immutabilityPeriodSinceCreationInDays();
    }

    @Override
    public String name() {
        return this.innerModel().name();
    }

    @Override
    public ImmutabilityPolicyState state() {
        return this.innerModel().state();
    }

    @Override
    public String type() {
        return this.innerModel().type();
    }

    @Override
    public ImmutabilityPolicyImpl withExistingContainer(
        String resourceGroupName, String accountName, String containerName) {
        this.resourceGroupName = resourceGroupName;
        this.accountName = accountName;
        this.containerName = containerName;
        return this;
    }

    @Override
    public ImmutabilityPolicyImpl withETagCheck() {
        this.eTagState.withImplicitETagCheckOnCreateOrUpdate(this.isInCreateMode());
        return this;
    }

    @Override
    public ImmutabilityPolicyImpl withETagCheck(String eTagValue) {
        this.eTagState.withExplicitETagCheckOnUpdate(eTagValue);
        return this;
    }

    @Override
    public ImmutabilityPolicyImpl withImmutabilityPeriodSinceCreationInDays(int immutabilityPeriodSinceCreationInDays) {
        if (isInCreateMode()) {
            this.cImmutabilityPeriodSinceCreationInDays = immutabilityPeriodSinceCreationInDays;
        } else {
            this.uImmutabilityPeriodSinceCreationInDays = immutabilityPeriodSinceCreationInDays;
        }
        return this;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
See the Most Searched Words of 2019...
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Everything After Z by Dictionary.com
Literature & Arts
How does language influence how we think?
Language shapes how we think about the world. Benjamin Whorf, a linguist in the early 1900s, called this phenomenon linguistic relativity. It is often said that the Eskimos have fifty words for snow, but it turns out that's not true. Eskimo-Aleut languages have about as many words for snow as the English language. But the Sami languages spoken by indigenous people near the Arctic Circle in northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway have hundreds of words for snow. For example, in Lule Sami the word vahtsa means "one or two inches of new snow on top of old snow." Bulltje means "snow that is stuck to a house" and åppås refers to "virgin snow that has not been walked on." It's important to keep in mind that just because the Sami have more words for snow, it does not mean that non-Sami speakers do not understand what "one or two inches of new snow on top of snow" means.
But how do broader concepts that are denoted by language affect our experience? Every language has different distinctions for color, for example, and linguists have surmised that what colors you can say are related to what colors you can see. In some languages green and blue are not different colors, but different shades of the same color. In Vietnamese, the word xanh is the color of both tree leaves and the sky.
An even more extreme example is the language Guugu Yimithirr (spoken by an indigenous group in Queensland, Australia) which does not use "left," "right," "behind," or "in front of" to describe positions. Instead, Guugu Yimithirr speakers use cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west) to describe the relationships between things. Where an English speaker may say, "To get to the bathroom, go to the end of the hallway and turn left. It's the second door on the right," a Guugu Yimithirr speaker would say, "Go to the end of the hallway and turn north. It's the second door on the west side." As Guy Deutscher explainsin his book Through the Language Glass, the small change in vocabulary may have an immense influence in your attitude towards the world.
How To Get A Word Into The Dictionary
Word Trends & Stories
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Words Bookworms Mispronounce Because We Read Them First
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text:
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 27 Critics
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 15 Ratings
Log in to finish your rating Stonewall
Your score has been saved for Stonewall
Roadside Attractions | Release Date: September 25, 2015
Starring: Caleb Landry Jones, David Cubitt, Jeremy Irvine, Joey King, Jonny Beauchamp, Matt Craven, Ron Perlman, Vladimir Alexis
Summary: In 1969, Danny Winters (Jeremy Irvine) is forced to leave behind friends and loved ones when he is kicked out of his parent's home and flees to New York. Alone in Greenwich Village, homeless and destitute, he befriends a group of street kids who soon introduce him to the local watering hole The Stonewall Inn; however, this shady, mafia-runIn 1969, Danny Winters (Jeremy Irvine) is forced to leave behind friends and loved ones when he is kicked out of his parent's home and flees to New York. Alone in Greenwich Village, homeless and destitute, he befriends a group of street kids who soon introduce him to the local watering hole The Stonewall Inn; however, this shady, mafia-run club is far from a safe-haven. As Danny and his friends experience discrimination, endure atrocities and are repeatedly harassed by the police, we see a rage begin to build. This emotion runs through Danny and the entire community of young gays, lesbians and drag queens who populate the Stonewall Inn and erupts in a storm of anger. With the toss of a single brick, a riot ensues and a crusade for equality is born. [Roadside Attractions]… Expand
Genre(s): Drama, History, Romance
Bill Zwecker
This is an OK movie about a serious subject and an important milestone in the road to gay freedom and equality. It's just a shame it didn't accomplish the kind of cinematic punch as did the Oscar-winning "Milk." Read full review
Arizona Republic Bill Goodykoontz
The resulting film winds up like a compelling story about an iconic civil-rights event buried beneath an avalanche of stereotypes and bad writing. Read full review
New York Daily News Stephen Whitty
Stonewall may be about coming out of the closet, but it wants to play it straight. Read full review
Slant Magazine Richard Scott Larson
At its worst, the film dangerously repackages the queer experience using language invented by those originally deployed to break it apart. Read full review
Philadelphia Inquirer Tirdad Derakhshani
Overall, the effect is closer to a Monty Python skit or a Village People music vid than a serious film about civil rights. Read full review
Peter Keough
Roland Emmerich's Stonewall reduces these events to a backdrop for caricatures that were already passé in William Friedkin's "The Boys in the Band" (1970). Read full review
New York Magazine (Vulture) Bilge Ebiri
Unfortunately, Roland Emmerich is a terrible filmmaker, and his efforts to make his protagonist "relatable" backfire spectacularly. Read full review
GreatMartin
While "Stonewall" is not an 'award winning' film it is certainly a MUST SEE film for an audience of young LGBT people and people who have heard of Stonewall, don't know what it is, and knows very little, if anything, about what was a major point of reference in the fight for equal rights andWhile "Stonewall" is not an 'award winning' film it is certainly a MUST SEE film for an audience of young LGBT people and people who have heard of Stonewall, don't know what it is, and knows very little, if anything, about what was a major point of reference in the fight for equal rights and for older LGBT folks who might need a refresher course in their history and who helped them to accept themselves.
If half of the millions of people who claim to have been at the Stonewall bar on that Saturday evening of June 28, 1969, came to see this movie it would be a smash hit but neither will happen because of many prejudices of the nongay people and, now as then, gay people would rather go to a bar than support a film they should be seeing.
Yes "Stonewall" is 'Hollywoodized' by framing the story around a good and virginal looking, young man who is disowned by his family when caught 'servicing' a jock and he leaves to go to New York, somehow winds up in the Village among a group of very diversified Latin, Black, transgender, drag queens and lesbian people who make a living by selling themselves. They 'lived' on Christopher street and went to the mob owned Stonewall bar which paid off the police who staged once a month raids. The fact that they arrested kids for not having identification or not wearing the right clothing and they would harass the clientele and, in some cases, beat them with nightsticks left them with no alternative as they couldn't complain to the police, and so they would come back that night or the next.
As silly as it may sound these disenfranchised kids, who would sleep 10-12 in a hotel room when one was available if they made enough money hustling, as were many gay people, felt an overwhelming sadness at the death of Judy Garland, who was seen as one of them, 6 days before the riot and many added this as a trigger to what happened that night.
Though Jeremy Irvine is the center of the film as Danny, the boy from Indiana, it is Jonny Beauchamp as Ray/Ramona, a Puerto Rican who had been on the streets since he was 12 and falls in love with Danny which shows us the many sides of this occasional drag queen who does tricks to survive. Among Ray's friends are Vladimir Alexis as Queen Kong, Caleb Landry Jones as Little Orphan Annie, Alex C. Nachi as Lee the hustler, Joanne Vannicola as a lesbian, whose back story would have made a more interesting film than the Danny story line, and Otoja Abit as Marshe P. Johnson, as a drag queen, who would become very influential in gay activism after the riots, with other possibly true to life characters who participated in the riot.
Karl Glusman and Andrea Frankie as Danny's parents, Joey King as his younger sister, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Patrick Garrow representing an early gay rights group called The Mattachine Society, that believed wearing suits and ties with women in dresses was what needed to push the fight forward, Vice Squad Deputy Seymour Pine played by Matt Craven, Ron Perlman playing Ed Murphy, who ran the bar for the Mafia and pimped out some of the patrons, are just some of the actors who give excellent support to the film.
The direction by Roland Emmerich does a serviceable job though he includes a few unnecessary scenes in the screenplay written by Jon Robin Baitz along with too many clichés that have the film running a bit over 2 hours though it does hold your interest and the riot scenes elicit many emotions.
This is a much more important and more meaningful film than "Brokeback Mountain" was and I hope it crosses over to the crowd that went to see that movie!… Expand
Smick
Solid coming of age story. The somewhat heavy handed dialogue is saved by a number of surprisingly good performances, most notably Jonny Beauchamp as Ray. While the movie could've been handled better as a docudrama, it's entertaining in its own right.
MattBrady99
A movie that tries so hard to be respectful to it's history that it's based on, but somehow comes off disrespectful to those people who fought for their own gay rights in The Stonewall Riots, just by removing them. But instead we get are generic, bland, by the books white guy called "Danny",A movie that tries so hard to be respectful to it's history that it's based on, but somehow comes off disrespectful to those people who fought for their own gay rights in The Stonewall Riots, just by removing them. But instead we get are generic, bland, by the books white guy called "Danny", that was thrown in there so the audience can somehow relate to him. Danny is a fictional character and the movie focuses on him a lot. The movie dose leave out a lot of important things that happened surrounding riots that this movie brushes a side.… Expand
DVD/Blu-ray Release Calendar: January 2016
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text:
Q: python ftp retrieve only the last file base on filematch Im using python script with FTP connection
Below are the files in my FTP server
testing_01.xml
testing_02.xml
testing_03.xml(this is the latest file)
from ftplib import FTP
ftp = FTP('FTP IP')  # open FTP connection to MSM
ftp.login(user = 'username',passwd = 'password')
ftp.dir()
directory ="/temp/" #directory where file should downloaded
filematch = 'testing_*.xml' # a file match to be downloaded
ftp.cwd(directory)
for filename in ftp.nlst(filematch): # Loop - looking for matching files
    fhandle = open(filename, 'wb')
    ftp.retrbinary('RETR ' + filename, fhandle.write)
    fhandle.close()

script above will get all files from ftp
My aim is just to get the latest file "testing_03.xml"

A: ftp.nlst() will return a list of file names. So it would give ['testing_01.xml', 'testing_02.xml', 'testing_03.xml'].
The last item on any list has index -1. So to always get the last file, do:
file_list = ftp.nlst(filematch)
file_i_want = file_list[-1]

or just
filename = ftp.nlst(filematch)[-1]
fhandle = ... # the rest of what you have in your for loop, but not as a loop


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A Soul Realignment®reading is a wonderful spiritual healing modality through the Akashic Records. As a Soul Realignment® Practitioner, I access your Akashic Records with the intention of finding issues that affect you today, find the root causes and have them cleared. When something extremely traumatic happens in the course of a lifetime, it can leave an imprint on your soul. This imprint will stay attached to your soul throughout all the following lifetimes and will affect you in each and every one of them, unless it gets cleared.