Your training will lead to the award of a PGCE by the University of Reading as well as a recommendation for the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) by the Department for Education (DfE). The PGCE includes 60 credits at Masters level, the equivalent of one third of an MA that you can add to subsequently. Or you can decide to go for QTS only.
The programme is the result of long-standing close collaboration between the University of Reading and local Partnership Schools. Through this Partnership, we are able to make strong and effective links between the theoretical perspective, drawing on current and recent research, and the practical skills of teaching. The programme is designed to support you in developing the knowledge, understanding and skills that schools look for when appointing Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs), as well as providing you with the skills and aptitude to develop your teaching career.
At University, time is spent studying both the theory and the practice of whole school issues. Lectures and seminars are led by University tutors, with contributions from expert teachers from local Partnership schools.
If your application is shortlisted, you will be invited for an interview and assessment day at the school where the placement is.
If you are successful at interview, a conditional offer of a place will be made. The conditions will include providing proof that you have met the eligibility conditions for Initial Teacher Training, including a criminal record check and an occupational health assessment. Further conditions may be discussed with you at interview.
If you accept the offer of a place, you will be required to attend an Induction and Needs Assessment Afternoon at the University of Reading. This will be an opportunity to meet the University tutor, who will help you identify pre-course targets to prepare you for your training.
This placement is at All Saints Junior School. All Saints is a special place to grow, with the widest opportunities on offer for every child and staff members. It is a happy place to learn. We strive for excellence in all we do in music, sport, the arts and in academic standards. We are proud of our academic success and strive for further excellence however we firmly believe in educating the whole child. Our curriculum is broad and organised through 'Learning Adventures' which engage the children in a Driving Question with a 'real world' outcome. We have a fifty strong orchestra, a chamber choir, many sporting activities and a wide range of clubs and extra-curricular activities for children to take part in.
We believe in children taking responsibility and encourage them to 'step up to serve' alongside of us. We live out our values and encourage our children to do the same. Our spiritual life, as a church school, is also important, and we offer many opportunities for children and families to grow together.
We enjoy a close relationship with our community, and hope you will want to be part of it.
The PGCE Primary programme runs from September to the beginning of July. The programme is organised, with a balance of school and university based training which will support you on your learning journey.
Whilst on the programme you will work in two different schools. In each placement you will work alongside experienced teachers and gradually assume more responsibility for planning and teaching as your training progresses. Throughout this process, you will be supported by school based mentors and a University tutor. Assessment is on-going and against the Teachers Standards.
The University based aspect of the programme comprises curriculum subjects and the wider professional role. We aim to develop the pedagogical and practical skills necessary to be an Outstanding teacher, as well enhancing subject knowledge.
Candidates should normally have a 1st, 2:1 or 2:2 honours degree. All candidates must have at least a C grade (or equivalent) for GCSE Maths, English and Science.
if offered a place, obtain an enhanced DBS disclosure.
if offered a place, meet the requirements for 'physical and mental fitness to teach'.
Undertake a placement, minimum two weeks, in a state-maintained, mainstream primary school prior to the start of the programme.
A good range of 'A' Levels or equivalent which demonstrate some relevance to National Curriculum subjects will also be of significance in the selection process.
In addition to an excellent academic background, we are looking for people who have a strong yet considered desire to work with young people, a positive, informed, open outlook, good communication skills, confidence and determination, an ability to relate well to others in a range of circumstances, interests, hobbies, a sense of humour, a lively enquiring mind and a willingness to become fully involved in all aspects of the Primary curriculum.
Before applying for a place on the course you must spend some time in a Local Education Authority primary school, familiarising yourself with current practice. An awareness of the Primary Curriculum approaches will help you considerably. Speak to teachers and consider the issues affecting the role of teachers and school. Compare and contrast children's needs, desires and attitudes across more than two Key stages to help you gain an awareness of children's perceptions and to help you make or ratify your choice of age range.
The Calthorpe Park consortium is an exciting place to work and learn. We have a long and successful history of training and developing future teachers and are proud to offer a number of training places for 2019/2020.
The consortium comprises nine very varied schools which present dynamic and exciting training possibilities for those wishing to pursue a career in teaching. We have five secondary schools in the consortium, one of which also has a sixth form. We also have one infant school, one junior school, one primary school and one special needs primary school which provides a unique opportunity for trainees to experience a very different educational setting.
Calthorpe Park School and partners work collaboratively as part of the University of Reading ITT Partnership to ensure that its trainees receive the best of what School-based and University-based training has to offer. These two aspects of the course are closely integrated and supported by University subject tutors as well by members of staff in school who receive specialist training at the University.
The University of Reading welcomes all students and has a dedicated Disability Advisory Service which offers advice and guidance to students with any disability, mental health condition, or specific learning difficulty (SpLD).


text:
NYC – 2014 Design Awards
April 24 – June 13, 2014
The Center for Architecture
536 LaGuardia Place – NY, NY 10012
aiany.org
2014 Design Awards features winning projects in Architecture, Interiors, Projects, and Urban Design. The winners will be announced on March 3, 2014.
AIA New York's annual Design Awards Program recognizes outstanding architectural design by New York City architects and work in New York City by registered architects practicing anywhere in the world. The purpose of the awards program is to honor the architects, clients, and consultants who have achieved design excellence. Awards are given in four categories: Architecture, Interiors, Projects, and Urban Design. Each category is reviewed by an internationally-prominent three-person jury. Jurors establish criteria, evaluate excellence, and determine the awards given for Honor and Merit.
Exhibition design by PS New York
Exhibition and related programs are organized by the AIA New York Chapter.
Sharon Johnston, AIA
Regine Leibinger
Dorothée Boissier
Joeb Moore, AIA
Patrick Tighe, FAIA
Kunlé Adeyemi
Lisa Iwamoto
Reed Kroloff, Assoc. AIA
Robert Campbell, FAIA
Susie Kim, AIA
Giancarlo Mazzanti, Intl. Assoc.
Honors and Awards Luncheon
Celebrate design excellence at the AIA New York Chapter's Honors and Awards Luncheon, to be held April 23, 2014 at Cipriani Wall Street. The Luncheon will fete the recipients of the 2014 AIANY Design Awards, Medal of Honor, Award of Merit, and the Stephen A. Kliment Oculus Award. In addition to honoring the award winners, the Luncheon will serve as an important fundraiser for the AIA New York Chapter and our ongoing mission to show that design matters.
[via: cfa.aiany.org]
2014 Design AwardsAIA New York ChapterAIA New York's annual Design AwardsArchitectureInteriorsPROJECTSPS New YorkThe Center for ArchitectureUrban Design.
Loïc Bard, a cabinet master
MASSIVart Space launch

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Azerbaijan - 2015/06/22 - Taekwondo world champion Bianca Walkden has said that she is "devastated" following her quarter-final exit at the inaugural European Games in Baku.
The Brit, who won gold at last month's World Championships, was the last member of Team GB's taekwondo squad to perform at the Games, but her 14-13 defeat to Ukraine's Maryna Konieva in the quarter-finals saw her crash out early in Azerbaijan.
Konieva's loss in the semi-finals meant that Walkden would not have a second chance via the repechage, leaving her unable to replicate the form of teammates Charlie Maddock, Jade Jones and Lutalo Muhammad, all of whom made the podium earlier this week.
After her exit was confirmed, a disappointed Walkden spoke to Sports Mole about her performances throughout a day that saw her twice come from behind to force golden points.
How are you feeling after that defeat?
What do you put your loss in the quarter-final down to?
You found yourself five points behind in the preliminary bout and seven behind at one stage of the quarters – did those slow starts cost you?
After the high of winning the World Championships last month, does this come as a bit of a shock?
Are there any particular things you feel you need to work on after today's experience?
Before the tournament began you said that you felt no different since winning the world title, but did you notice your opponents putting a little extra into their performances in order to knock off the world champion?
You've had problems with your knee in the past – how did that hold up today?
After the success of Charlie and Jade earlier in the week, was there a bit more pressure on you to go far today?
I noticed you sat with boyfriend Aaron Cook during that semi-final. How helpful is it to have someone who has been through it all in the sport when trying to get over a disappointment like this?
"Yeah, obviously Aaron's always there for me and I'm always there for Aaron. We didn't do a very good competition here, we both lost at the same [stage].


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Effects of the Dual AFO on gait parameters in stroke patients.
Hwang YI1, An DH, Yoo WG.
Department of Physical Therapy, The Graduate School, Inje University, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea.
This study investigated how to improve the walking patterns in stroke patients by using the Dual AFO, which was devised as an alternative AFO consisting of two thin pierced plastic pieces for the lower leg and foot. Fifteen individuals with hemiplegia were recruited. Participants were seven males and eight females. Gait parameters were measured with the GAITRite system to analyze the spatial and temporal parameters of walking by stroke patients.The Dual AFO significantly improved the step time of the non-affected foot compared with barefoot walking. There was no significance difference in the affected swing time between the two conditions, and participants with the Dual AFO had a significantly shorter non-affected swing time. There was a significant difference in the affected single support time between walking with and without the Dual AFO. Additionally, the velocity was increased significantly in subjects with the Dual AFO compared with barefoot. Consequently, the Dual AFO might enhance stability during the stance phase on the affected side and mobility during the swing phase on the non-affected side to promote better walking in stroke patients.


text:
SEE IT: NYC food deliveryman attacked by mob while trying to take photo of car that hit him
Massachusetts bans vape products for four months amid illness and death concerns
By David Matthews
Andy Ramkumar, who works at Gotham Vape in Queens, vapes at the store on Sept. 17, 2019 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The state of Massachusetts announced a four-month ban on all vaping products as reports of deaths and illnesses believed to be caused by the e-cigarettes pour in from around the U.S.
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker declared a public health emergency and said the ban would take effect immediately. It is scheduled to end Jan. 25, 2020.
"The use of e-cigarettes and marijuana vaping products is exploding and we are seeing reports of serious lung illnesses, particularly in our young people," Baker said. "The purpose of this public health emergency is to temporarily pause all sales of vaping products so that we can work with our medical experts to identify what is making people sick and how to better regulate these products to protect the health of our residents."
The Centers for Disease control stated that most of the sick patients had "reported a history of using e-cigarette products containing THC" in a recent update.
The ban is more thorough than those in New York and Michigan which targeted all flavored vaping products.
Baker also announced a partnership with his administration, the state legislature and public health officials to determine if the industry needs to be better regulated in the Bay State.
As of Sept. 19, the CDC has found seven deaths related to vaping and 530 cases of lung illness or injury.


text:
namespace Anycmd.Ac.ViewModels.FunctionViewModels
{
    using Engine.Ac;
    using System;

    /// <summary>
    ///
    /// </summary>
    public class FunctionTr
    {
        private readonly IAcDomain _acDomain;

        private FunctionTr(IAcDomain acDomain)
        {
            this._acDomain = acDomain;
        }

        public static FunctionTr Create(FunctionState function)
        {
            if (function == null)
            {
                return null;
            }
            return new FunctionTr(function.AcDomain)
            {
                AppSystemId = function.AppSystem.Id,
                AppSystemCode = function.AppSystem.Code,
                AppSystemName = function.AppSystem.Name,
                Code = function.Code,
                CreateOn = function.CreateOn,
                Description = function.Description,
                DeveloperId = function.DeveloperId,
                Id = function.Id,
                IsManaged = function.IsManaged,
                IsEnabled = function.IsEnabled,
                ResourceCode = function.Resource.Code,
                ResourceTypeId = function.Resource.Id,
                ResourceName = function.Resource.Name,
                SortCode = function.SortCode
            };
        }

        /// <summary>
        ///
        /// </summary>
        public Guid Id { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        ///
        /// </summary>
        public bool IsManaged { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        ///
        /// </summary>
        public bool IsUiView
        {
            get
            {
                UiViewState view;
                return _acDomain.UiViewSet.TryGetUiView(this.Id, out view);
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        ///
        /// </summary>
        public string Code { get; set; }

        public int IsEnabled { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        ///
        /// </summary>
        public string Description { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        ///
        /// </summary>
        public Guid ResourceTypeId { get; set; }

        public Guid AppSystemId { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        ///
        /// </summary>
        public string AppSystemCode { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        ///
        /// </summary>
        public string AppSystemName { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        ///
        /// </summary>
        public string ResourceCode { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        ///
        /// </summary>
        public string ResourceName { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        ///
        /// </summary>
        public Guid DeveloperId { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        ///
        /// </summary>
        public int SortCode { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        ///
        /// </summary>
        public DateTime? CreateOn { get; set; }

        public string DeveloperCode
        {
            get
            {
                AccountState developer;
                if (!_acDomain.SysUserSet.TryGetDevAccount(this.DeveloperId, out developer))
                {
                    return "无效的值";
                }
                return developer.LoginName;
            }
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
import Statement from '../Statement';

export default class SwitchStatement extends Statement {
    constructor(childNodes) {
        super('SwitchStatement', childNodes);
    }

    _acceptChildren(children) {
        children.passToken('Keyword', 'switch');
        children.skipNonCode();

        children.passToken('Punctuator', '(');
        children.skipNonCode();

        let discriminant = children.passExpression();
        children.skipNonCode();

        children.passToken('Punctuator', ')');
        children.skipNonCode();

        children.passToken('Punctuator', '{');
        children.skipNonCode();

        let cases = [];
        while (!children.isToken('Punctuator', '}')) {
            cases.push(children.passNode('SwitchCase'));
            children.skipNonCode();
        }

        children.passToken('Punctuator', '}');
        children.assertEnd();

        this.discriminant = discriminant;
        this.cases = cases;
    }
}


This lovely card is for The Paper Players Sketch Challenge 88 and Color Throwdown 185.
I colored the image with markers using Regal Rose, Lucky Limeade and a touch of Basic Gray. These colors are so fresh and spring-y! I'm pleased with the way the whole thing came together! The backround paper is Lucky Limeade DP and I think the pattern feels vintage and compliments the flower image so nice. I added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter here and there on the flower image to make it sparkle....very girly and fun!
Todays card is for The Friday Mashup #51. This weeks challenge was to create a quilted card and use scraps that have been forgotten. I just love this herringbone technique. It is really fun to create and always gives stunning results. I've had this patterned paper in my stash for a couple of years now and just havn't used it much. I believe it's from K & Company. I remember picking out in the store and thinking at the time that I could do so many things with it. I guess that was not to be, because once I got it home it just sat. The Friday Mashup Challenge was the perfect place to put this paper to use and I'm thrilled with the results! For the finishing touch, I cut two little flowers from the Blossom Party die and misted them both with Champagne Shimmer mist. This adds so much to any card. I made my own shimmer mist by mixing 1 part shimmer paint to 2 parts rubbing alcohol. I mixed them up in a little mister bottle and voila! Champagne Shimmer mist!
I just had to enter this card for Create with Connie and Mary Sketch Challenge 194 also! These flowers were yet again a project that had been sitting on my desk for ages just waiting to get used. I made them using the watercolor bleed technique. It is soooo much fun! If you havn't tried it, you simply must. The results are always fabulous! The technique calls for reinkers and my stash is limited, but I used what I had and I'm in love with the final product. For these particular flowers I used Bashful Blue and Pretty in Pink. The link to the technique should lead you over to Splitcoaststampers and you can follow the step-by-step instructions there! Fun, fun, fun! I used white shimmer paper for the flowers because it seems to be a little sturdier than regular white cardstock and the technique calls for you to mist the paper with water. I also sprayed the backround Bashful Blue piece with Champagne Shimmer Paint mist to give even more sparkle, although you can't tell from the photos. I wish it would photograph better because the extra shimmer is so darn pretty!
This card is for Create with Connie and Mary Sketch Challenge 194. I created the flower panel many weeks ago for another CCMC using Night of Navy, Lucky Limeade, and River Rock, but never used it on the card I made for that challenge. It's been sitting on my desk just waiting to be used in a project. I bet this cute little flower is glad to finally get put to use.
Today's card is for Retro Sketches #3 and Colour Q 129. The color aren't my go to picks, so it was fun to work with. I'm feeling that this could be a girly graduation type card.....that's the direction I was trying to go, anyway!
This pretty card is for Just Us Girls Challenge 128 using soft pink, moss green and cream. I also used the Saturday Sketch Challenge 247 sketch from Stamping 411.
I used the Floral Fusion die and sprayed all three flowers with sparkle mist, then added a half pearl in the center of each. I also layed each flower out on my soft mat pack mat and used a stylus, rolling it around in circles, to break down the fibers in the paper giving the flowers a little shape. I also wanted to incorporate some of the newest ribbon I bought, this neat braided pearl ribbon from Wal-Mart. It looks antique-ish and I thought it would go nice with this color scheme, plus it was perfect for the little band for the bottom of the main panel on the sketch.
Here's my try for Color Throwdown 183 using Really Rust, Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, and Certainly Celery.
I thought this stamp from the Country Morning set would be the perfect fit for this challenge. In fact, the inspiration picture kind of reminds me of this stamp a little. I watercolored the image. When it comes to watercoloring, my go to is my watercolor pencils. I find it much easier to blend the colors with the pencils, rather than using ink from my ink pads.
Accessories: Antique brad, twine, soft suede ribbon, stripes EF, Blender Pen, Watercolor pencils.
Kites have always been associated with spring for me. I remember getting them for easter as a kid and I've done the same for my boys in the past too. These kites are from a Close To My Heart set called Life Is Good. I love the sentiment on this card too. It isn't neccesarily a birthday card, but it could be. I had seen lots of cards that used the kite and hot air balloon stamps from SU and some of them had this fun grassy knoll made from the new edgelits die and EF, available in the Stampin' Up seasonal mini catalog. I wanted to incorporate the Concord Crush color and I did so by stamping the kites directly over the clouds and then stamping them in individual colors on scrap CS and fussy cutting them out. The kite image is a solid stamp, so again I incorporated the purple by "kissing" a polka-dot stamp inked in Concord Crush onto the kite stamp after it was inked with the main color. I like the effect this gives.....much better than just the plain old solid color.
Now the clouds.....I sponged the clouds onto the cardstock by using a template I made myself. I punched out a large oval, positioned it so it was verticle (like an egg standing up on end), then punched two more circles in different sizes. I attached those on either side of the oval and voila! There is my cloud template!
I tried to upload a picture of it, but my computer is giving me trouble....darn it anyway!
Here's a list of supplies I used on this card.
I wanted to make a card for The Paper Players color challenge 86 because the pallette was so soft and pretty. I used the Retro Sketches #2 sketch again. I thought the layout lent itself nicely to this bird stamp.
The birds are a solid stamp and I wanted to give them some interest, so I used the kissing technique. I inked the birds in Sahara Sand and then inked up the fancy-scrolly-medalion looking stamp from the Bliss set in Chocolate Chip, kissed them together, then stamped it on a piece of Very Vanilla. Voila! Fancy birds! I really like the way it turned out. You can barely see it in the pic, but I stamped FOR YOU underneath the birds in Celery ink.


School Sport South Coast Region is one of twelve 'sport regions' in Queensland. The region was established to provide and manage quality representative school sport programs to primary and secondary students and students with disabilities. Enrolled students aged 10 – 19 years, from any affiliated school within the region, are eligible to trial for selection in a regional team of their choice and eligibility. Affiliation may be through state or non-state schools / colleges, Schools of Distance Education and registered home schoolers. The School Sport South Coast Region welcomes your interest. We hope you enjoy our site and please feel free to contact us with any queries or for more information.


(Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected GoogleInc's bid to dismiss a lawsuit accusing it of violating federal wiretap law when it accidentally collected emails and other personal data while building its popular Street View program.
The justices left intact a September 2013 ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which refused to exempt Google from liability under the federal Wiretap Act for having inadvertently intercepted emails, user names, passwords and other data from private Wi-Fi networks to create Street View, which provides panoramic views of city streets.
The lawsuit arose soon after the Mountain View, California-based company publicly apologized in May 2010 for having collected fragments of "payload data" from unsecured wireless networks in more than 30 countries.
Google was accused of having collected the data while driving its vehicles through neighborhoods from 2008 to 2010 to collect photos for Street View.
In June 2011, U.S. District Judge James Ware in San Francisco allowed plaintiffs in several consolidated private lawsuits to pursue federal Wiretap Act claims against Google, while dismissing California state law claims.
Google already has agreed to pay $7 million to settle a probe into the matter involving 38 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. As part of that settlement, Google agreed to destroy data collected in the United States.
The case is Google Inc v. Joffe et al, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 13-1181.


This product is a special designer product made up of hand made paper of cotton waste (Khadi). It saves trees. Also saves CO2 and water as it does not require to go through conventional paper making process.
This is useful in office. Always feel proud of enviornmental saving.
You can gift it up to someone also.


The Object Management Group (OMG) likes to consider classes in a 4-level model, in which there is data, metadata (models), metametadata (metamodels), etc. This is way too confusing, so it is fortunate that W3C's standard only take up roughly 3-levels (much like Lisp). The Resource Description Framework (RDF) defines 3 metaclasses that do not fit nicely into OMG's architecture, so they span several modeling levels. This can be seen in the image below, where containment indicates a rdf:subClassOf relationship, and the arrows indicate a rdf:type relationship.
Although there was no indication in the standards that owl:Class is an instance of rdfs:Class, it is a logical consequence, because owl:Class is a subclass of rdfs:Class, and rdfs:Class is an instance of itself. However, the same could be said of rdfs:Datatype, for which there is an explicit mention that rdfs:Datatype is both a subclass and an instance of rdfs:Class. There was also an issue about this, which decided the reason for owl:Class was to be distinct from rdfs:Datatype, not because of some cyclic dependancy stuff. So to keep the model simple, and to minimize cycles, we can ignore the fact that rdfs:Datatype is an instance of rdfs:Class, because this is implied by the fact that rdfs:Class is an instance of itself.
Notably, we have ignored the rdf:Property class, which is part of the model level, not the metamodel level. So the image above is an accurate depiction of the Web metamodel, which consists of only four metaclasses: rdfs:Resource, rdfs:Datatype, rdfs:Class, and owl:Class. Aside from owl:DataRange, this is a fairly complete picture of the Web metamodel. For beginners, the distinctions between these five metaclasses are essential before more indepth discussions take place. If one has any confusion about these distinctions, then nothing else about OWL will make any sense.


The elegance of brass combined with the beauty of wood creates an award that says how much their efforts are appreciated. We offer beautiful wood plaques custom made to your specifications. Our plaques are affordably priced so you can recognize all those on your list.
Create a trophy that is customized for the occasion! Columbus Trophy & Screen Printing offers over 100 different components to help you customize your trophy to reflect your pride & enthusiasm. From a three tiered, four column trophy, to a Resin Statue, or even a simple base with a single figure, Columbus Trophy & Screen Printing does it all.
Are you looking for team trophies or corporate awards?
Columbus Trophy & Screen Printing carries a vast selection of trophies, and plaques, as well as great alternatives like medals, resins, acrylics and ribbons. Whether you need one piece or several hundred, Columbus Trophy & Screen Printing will provide the care and quality service that keeps our customers coming back year after year.


Caprese has been one of my favourite brands for bag. This is my fourth one. And I am absolutely loving it. In sale, I got it for 700 which is value for money.
Spacious, charming, great hold and makes feel luxurious.
4.0 out of 5 starsHappy!
Just got what I was searching from long time...amazing purchase in 720!
I got it in discount for just rupees 700...and it's just awesome. The brand is ofcourse no doubt great and the quality and colour is exactly the way shown in the pics. Go for it without second thoughts !!!
I am using it daily and its a nice product. Material color is pretty good. Comfortable to keep notes, cards and coins.
Just go for it....it's amazing.
The colour is exactly the same as shown in the image.
One of the best things I've purchased.
Looksmore elegant and beautiful in real as compare to the picture.


A credit card should be hassle-free. That is why the First Bank & Trust Visa® Gold Rewards Credit Card has low fees and a consistent interest rate. Plus, you'll earn rewards when you use your card.
When you sign up for a First Bank & Trust Visa Gold Rewards Credit Card, you're automatically enrolled in Dream Points Rewards. You'll earn one (1) point for every $1 you spend. No caps or limits on the points you can earn, plus you have three years to redeem points for rewards such as money back, merchandise, travel and gift cards. See terms and conditions.
There is no annual, balance-transfer or over limit fee for a First Bank & Trust Visa Gold Rewards Credit Card, and you won't be penalized if your card remains inactive or is paid in full each month. Have a different credit card with a high interest rate? You can save over $1,500 in 2 years of interest by transferring a $5,000 balance from a 24% APR credit card to a First Bank & Trust card without penalty.
You don't want to keep track of a changing interest rate. We keep things easy, and offer a fixed interest rate of 13.9% APR1. As of September 5, 2018, the national average APR for credit cards is 16.92%2, costing the average cardholder more and more.
Enjoy chip-enhanced acceptance and security plus a variety of important features, including zero fraud liability3, travel accident insurance, and auto rental collision damage waiver. See Visa Card Guide to Benefits for a complete listing of all card benefits.
*Actual time to receive alert dependent on wireless service and coverage within area. Alerts service may not be available in all areas. Gasoline alerts may not include purchase amount. Account activity qualifying for alert service may vary by issuer. Additional restrictions apply.
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1Annual Percentage Rate. Terms are subject to credit approval. Cash advance fee is 3% of cash advance amount (minimum $5.00) and the minimum interest charge is $.50.
3First Bank & Trust provides zero fraud liability for unauthorized transactions. Cardholder must notify First Bank & Trust promptly of any unauthorized use. Certain conditions and limitations may apply.


text:
Q: OCMock forward to original class method OCMock offers a nice syntax to mock class methods, but can class method calls be forwarded to the real class object?
self.connectionMock = [OCMockObject mockForClass:NSURLConnection.class];

[[[[self.connectionMock stub] andDo:^(NSInvocation *invocation) {
    NSURL *url = [invocation getArgumentAtIndexAsObject:2];
    NSLog(@"Passing through mock: %@", url);
} ] andForwardToRealObject] connectionWithRequest:OCMOCK_ANY delegate:OCMOCK_ANY];

The problem is andForwardToRealObject only works for partials. I could do the method swizzling myself, but is there an easy way for me to call the original class method using OCMock?

A: Subclass OCMock and override forwardingTargetForSelector:(SEL)selector:
+(id)forwardingTargetForSelector:(SEL)selector
{
    Class yourClass = [classObject class];
    return yourClass;
}

(Credit: "How can I forward class methods in Objective-C?"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Image of the feature "Tower/Transept arches: N transept, E wall, N chapel arch" at Buildwas Abbey Church.
The N arch of the N transept follows this pattern. The arch orders are generally worn with some vegetal growth, and the outer order of the W face has a loss to the outer N impost.


If you're an Ofsted inspector ('The warmest of welcomes to you!') or if you're just someone who likes to get either the bigger picture or finer detail of how the school is performing then this will be your 'go-to' page. Here, we aim to tell you more about how we operate and how we compare to the standards set for primary schools.
After a challenging initial adjustment to the new assessment regime in 2016, Blue Coat has performed better than the average national school in most subject areas since. With further focus on improving learning for all of our pupils, we are seeking to build further on recent foundations in coming years.
Blue Coat School adopts a 'whole school approach' to special educational needs with all staff adhering to a model of good practice. The Governing Body, Headteacher, SEND Co-ordinator and all staff are all committed to achieving excellent outcomes for all our pupils with SEND.
We strive to identify any additional needs that children have as early as possible, tailoring provision to overcome individual's barriers to learning, in order that they achieve to their potential. Integration and inclusion of all children with special educational needs, whenever possible, and in all aspects of school life, is at the very heart of our policy (see below). When necessary, the withdrawal of individual children and/or small groups for targeted support is also part of our normal practice. Parents will always be consulted with, and informed of, their child's special educational needs, and we pride ourselves on building positive and productive relationships with parents, as well as a range of other professionals, working in partnership to maximise children's learning, but also their personal, social and emotional development.
The effectiveness of our provision is continually monitored and evaluated, allowing us to build on successful approaches but also modify and adapt, where appropriate.
Over time, our SEND pupils make at least good progress from both their starting points and compared to their SEND peers nationally.
If you have any questions, or concerns please contact Elaine O'Shaughnessy - our SEND Co-ordinator.
Every state primary school is allocated this funding so as to make additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of PE and Sport they offer.
Funding is awarded based on the number of pupils taught in the school.
At Blue Coat, we have primarily invested this money in enhancing the quality of PE teaching, its leadership, and promoting sport through regular inter-school competitions and a wide offer of after-school clubs.
Our school has a number of policies which form the basis of many of the decisions and processes we undertake. All policies have been ratified, reviewed and revised by the school's leadership and governors to ensure that they remain accurate and effective. If a policy has lapsed then it is likely yet to be published here. Please contact the school for the revised, updated version.


text:
now browsing by category
Happy Holidays to you and your family. Wishing you a healthy, happy and prosperous 2018!
Holiday Times
Date Comments
24th December Closed at 12:00pm
25th December Closed
26th December Open from 1:00pm
31st December Closed 5:00pm. Table Tennis & Pickleball Party from 8:00pm through 12.30am. Cost $20.00 per person.
1st January Open at 12:00pm
Pro Shop and Online Shop
With Holidays just around the corner we are now fully stocked with both the T2 and T5 XIOM Tables, Apparel, Blades, Rubbers and other equipment! Check out our shop at Cassel's Sports Complex or online at www.ttshop.us. We can get you a great deal on a robot too. Apparel can be customized with your name and our logo. Going forward we will offering everyone the lowest prices to be found anywhere for XIOM equipment whether you are a member of the club or not!
What's on at club
In addition to private coaching we are currently offering the following programs at the club:
Tuesday and Friday League ¹
Junior Group Coaching and League ²
Sunday Super League and Under 1400 League ²
¹ Typically Runs from 8:00pm through to 10:30pm/11:00pm
² Check out our events page to see what is happening in a week and at what times, given times may vary. Under 1400 super league subject to demand. Additional fees apply.
On 31st December 2017 join us for light refreshments and some tournament fun from 8:00pm through 12.30am. We will run a handicap and a doubles event with gift certificates for those who reach the finals. Cost for the evening is $20.00 paid to reception in advance. Please sign up early so we can cater accordingly!
Sanctioned Tournament
Please save the 17th and 18th February 2018 for our 2018 XIOM Winter 2 Star Open tournament. An entry form is attached.
Finally, if you have children aged 8-16 interested in participating in camps over winter break then please email me and let me know. If there is sufficient demand, we will run a series of 1-day camps.
See you at the club.
Youngers rule the roost. Spicy Chipotle is USATT approved.
The 2017 Virginia State Table Tennis Championships wrapped up on Sunday 4th June after 2 days of fierce competition with youngsters giving their older counterparts a tough time.
In the Men's competition at the semi-final stage Louis Levene landed virtually all of his shots without any unforced errors to overcome his father by a margin of 4 games to 1. Despite Rajul putting forth a strong effort Allen Lin was too strong, serving, flipping and power looping his way into the final. The Men's final would be a repeat of pool play where Allen defeated Louis by a margin of 3-games-to-1. With exciting away from the table rallies Allen showed better consistency to take the first 2 games. For the next 2 games Louis was able to land many extraordinary huge shots to level the match at 2-2. In games 5 and 6 Louis's consistency faltered under increasing pressure from Allen's non-stop ferocious attacks. No doubt these were powered by a spicy Chipotle lunch. The youngest tournament referee in the country Tyler Hess, declared lunch to be fully USATT legal and Allen ran out a 4-2 winner to retain his title as Virginia State Men's Champion.
In the 3-4 playoff, Michael's hit his stride and form, looping from both wings with extreme spin and consistency. Rajul put up a good fight but was unable to contain Michael's shots and trailed from the start of each game through to the end. Michael secured bronze & now has the dubious honor of finishing 3rd at the State Men's Championships for the 3rd year running in 3 straight games.
In the Women's event 3 talented youngers, Jie Lu, Michelle Kang, Nicole Deng and a more experienced Jeeranan (Lana) Sangsinchai reached the semi-final stage. Jie with a powerful short pimples time pressure game was too fast for Lana winning comfortably 3-0. Similarly Nicole overcame Michelle without dropping a game. Onto the final and Jie was too strong for Nicole despite some good rallies, hitting numerous winners to rattle off 3 straight games and become the 2017 Virginia State Women's champion. Experience outplayed youth in the 3-4 playoff with Lana winning 3-0 against Michelle for the Bronze. Ladies you are allowed to extend matches by a game-or-two for crowd entertainment and go to 4 or 5 games!
Probably the best match of the tournament was in open doubles where father and son Louis and Michael took on Allen and Jie. Despite entertaining rallies the first 2 games were owned by Allen and Jie. Father and son stepped up their attack landing multiple winners to level at 2-2 and then went on fire in game 5 barely missing to take a 3-2 lead. Allen and Jie responded with big winners to level the match at 3-3. Trading shots and points and the match boiled down to 9-9 in 7th game, at which point Allen took his chance and flipped killed 2 points to take the open doubles crown. Flip-to-victory outdid spin-to-win on this occasion. Jie aged 14 lifted a total of 3 titles. Juniors Under 18, Open Doubles and Women's Doubles. She is going to be a force to recon with for many years to come.
Roll of honor
Our 2017 State Champions for Open and Aged events are Allen Lin, Jie Lu, Michael Levene, Henry Wung and John Olsen
2017 Rated Events State Champions are Rajul Kansara, Amol Kothari, Mahmoud Youssef, Nikhil Arora and the second chance Under 1000 winner was Mitchell Zhou.
Full results of tournament
More photo are online at www.facebook.com/smashtt
Rajul Kansara, Allen Lin, Louis Levene and Michael Levene
Louis Levene, Michael Levene, Jie Lu, Allen Lin, Rajul Kansara and Amol Kothari
Class A Semi-Finalist and Winners from left to right Meshal Alduaig, Bo Wen Chen, Tiffany Ke and Lidney Castro
A field of 32 players gathered at Smash TT on Saturday 12th March 2017 to compete in our Winter Challenge 2 star open, a giant round robin event. The standard of play ranged from a rating of 750 all the way up to 2600.
A preliminary 8 groups of 4 players were used to split players into two, 8 player A groups and two 8 player B groups. The top 2 players from each group advancing to semi-finals. In the B groups, the top 2 under 1000 also got an opportunity to continue their tournament, advancing to the C semi-finals.
In the initial group, one single upset was recorded with Joey Levene who has not played in over 1 year beating Varun Dontula by a margin of 3 to 1. Joey and Varun finished 3rd and 4rd to advance to the B groups.
In the first A group Bo Wen Chen (2592) dominated the group only dropping 1 game to Allen Shuran Lin (2287). A 3-way tie for 2nd place occurred when William Huang upset the form book beating out Allen Lin 3-2 in a fast-paced looping encounter. Tiffany Ke (2190) beat William to force the 3-way tie and joined Bo Wen Chen in the semis courtesy of a superior games difference between the tied players. The only other upset was Max Label (1547) beating hall of famer Barbara Kaminsky (1638).
No big surprises occurred at the business end of the second A group. There were many crowd pleasing exciting rallies however Lidney Castro (2492) and the very underrated Meshal Alduaig (2214) back after a six-year break from the game toped the group ahead of Smash TT club owner Michael Levene and his son Louis. Frank Cristofaro, Graham Copp and Mikhail Merkulov all recorded upset wins over higher rated players.
Down to the semi's. Good entertaining table tennis and rallies however Bo Wen and Lidney were simply too strong for Meshal and Tiffany. In the final both players exhibited stunning back hand and forehand loops from distance with a large crowd cheering them both on. Bo Wen proved to be too fast and too consistent landing a higher percentage of his attacks to run out a 4-1 winner and take home the $300 check, a $50 gift card from Pongmobile.com the winner's trophy and a pongmobile.com T-shirt! Lidney received $150, a trophy and a T-shirt too.
In the B final 9 year old youth overcame experience with simply more energy left in the tank after a long day's play. Kay O'Hare a talented promising defensive player from Maryland, overcame a very tired Mahmoud Youssef by 3 sets to zero having lost in pool play to Mahmoud by the same margin.
In the C final youth did not overcome experience with Ken Kraft showing true grit and determination to overcome Jeremiah Jeffrey by a margin of 3 games to 1.
Final Match Video
https://www.facebook.com/MichaelJLevene/videos/10155158809269886/
Gallery from event
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1841030736149815.1073741837.1502096813376544&type=1&l=2d3c8f2860
2016 Sizzling Summer Open
25 players gathered at Cassel's Sport Complex in Herndon on Saturday 6th August 2016, home of Smash Table Tennis for the 2016 Sizzling Summer Open. The event was sponsored by Pong Mobile.
The competition was organized as a giant round robin event. 134 matches were played. With the exception of the seeds, participants played 11 or 12 matches in the 6 hour event. The top 4 seeds Khaleel Asgarali (2383), Sutanit Tangyingyong (2307), Bojun Zhangliang (2252) and Michael Levene (2154) were seeded straight into the Open Championship division. They were joined by preliminary group winners William Waltrip (1959), Gaurav Sharma (1838), Thomas Olausson (1815) and Daniel Gong (1802). Daniel and Thomas overcoming higher rated players in their initial groups to claim a spot in the top group.
Despite the best efforts of the qualifiers fighting hard, the seeds dominated the group, dropping only 2 games against them.
Khaleel who plays professionally in Prague, was in total control of the group overcoming all challengers 3-0 with the exception of a single stolen game by Michael. Against Bojun lightning fast forehand-to-forehand looping rallies were fitting of a great final. However, his 2-winged attack proved to be too consistent and too strong for the rest of the field. A solid performance, he was a worthy winner, collecting the $300.00 check and trophy for first place.
The other seeds all managed to beat each other for a 3-way tie which Bojun won as a result of having the best games difference. Michael overcame Bojun 19-17 in the 5th game. Having previously been wiped out by Bojun in the last tournament he was able to find his form, saving multiple match points prior to landing a big spin laced forehand winner to upset the form book. Sutanit edged out Michael 3-2 with clever deceptive defensive play mixed in with some strong forehands. Bojun was too quick for Sutanit winning 3-0 and securing second place and the check for $150.00
In the final match in the 8 player Class B group, the 2 undefeated players who were also the top seeds in the group played off for the title. Louis Levene overcame Rajul Kansara 3-1 by the finest of margins. Youth versus experience; can go either way but on this occasion youth won out. At critical points Louis's ultra-fast reactions made the difference. In Class C Mossa Barandao our sponsor from Pong Mobile claimed the trophy over Mikhail Merkulov. Both players on their day are great players who were not able to advance to Class B on this day, but were duly compensated with trophies to take home.
A final note Appaiah Kuppanda (1389) had 5 great wins over players rated significantly higher at 1545, 1598, 1637, 1758 and 1807. Well done! On a good day anything is possible.
New Champions Crowned in ALL events
The 2016 Virginia State Table Tennis Championships wrapped up on Sunday 5th June after 2 days of fierce competition with new champions being crowned in every category.
In the Men's competition, there were no surprises at the group stage with the top six seeds advancing to a single elimination. In the quarters Gaurav Sharma overcame Louis Levene and Vivek Velavutham Kand overcame Rajul Kansara; both matches being closely fought encounters. Semi-final #1, Gaurav put up a great fight with Allen Lin but Allen's fast backhand and forehand spin attacks got the better of Gaurav. Vivek, a 24-year-old former top 50 men's player from India and current Virginia Tech student, grew stronger as the day progressed. In the semi-final #2, he overcome Michael Levene 4-2 with the last 3 games all being at deuce. Vivek saved a game point at 2-2 and several more at 3-2 to close out the match.
In the 3-4 playoff, Michael's heavy topspin loops allowed him to run out a 3-0 winner with several entertaining loop & smash rallies. On to a great final worthy of a State Championship Gold Medal match. Several of the games were decided by a single point by full out winning shots at either 10-9 or deuce. Contrasting styles, Vivek with soft wrists, blocking and waiting for openings and then dispatching lightning fast winning shots; Allen swinging at full speed, looked to finish points quickly. In the end at the most critical moments Allen made shots that counted, and by a fine margin became the 2016 Virginia State Men's Champion.
Other events were just as keenly fought. Sunila Dutt lifted the Women's crown, William Waltrip and John Olsen paired and played well together to lift the doubles crown from the father and son team of Louis and Michael Levene. Michael won the 40 and 50 with John Olson winning the 60's. Louis Levene won the Juniors and Greg Hess, Tamim Rajendraw and William Waltrip won the 1200's, 1600's and 2000's respectively. Something in the water, or perhaps the sight of shinny circular discs to wear around their necks; all players elevated themselves beyond their official ratings.
Believe and anything is possible; even the improbable. Several big upsets occurred. Tyler Hess beat Max Labell in the junior event, Max being the Under 1600 bronze medalist. Tyler is over 600 rating points below Max. Ian Dominguez also pulled off several amazing victories, and will be compensated having finished 4th in 2 events by a guaranteed rating adjustment. He beat one player 550 points above his rating and another 481 above his rating.
Medalist Photo's
Results of Smash Table Tennis Cassel's 2016 Giant Round Robin tournament
Held on Saturday 4/23/2016
37 players competed in the 2016 Cassel's Giant Round Robin Tournament held in Herndon, Virginia the home of the new Smash TT. The tournament consisted of a preliminary phase, group phase and single elimination for Open, Class B and Class C. 219 matches were played in total; an average of 12 matches per participant.
In the group phase there was only 1 significant upset which resulted in an Open and Class B player swapping places: Sameer Shaikh (1528) beat Vincent Adebayo (1613) in a closely fought encounter 12-14, 11-8, 11-9, 12-10. More on Sameer later, he was on fire!
2 open groups of 10 players were played on 6 tables. Group 1 was dominated by Bojun Zhangliang winning all his games, second was determined by a 3-way-tie between Madhu Diwakar (2005), William Waltrip (1922) and Kevin Zhou (1840) with William Waltrip advancing to the semi-finals on count back.
Allen Lin (2245) and Michael Levene (2216) advanced out of the second open group. Allen remained unscathed. Michael somewhat off form, was defeated by both Allen and his son Louis Levene (1868). Sameer Shaikh played exceptional table tennis, securing 4 victories against players with much higher ratings. He is likely to receive a big adjustment to his rating once the results are processed.
In the first semi-final Bojun was simply too quick for Michael and ran out an easy winner 3-0. Similarly Allen was able to power through William 3-0. Youth versus experience and on this occasion after playing a total of 11 previous matches youth won out with the old guard failing to put up any significant resistance. In the final Allen got off to a tremendously confident 3-0 lead, spinning the ball fiercely from both wings. Bojun responded with a combination of deadly servers and power attacks to level at 3-3. Starting strongly Bojun took 5 of the first 6 points which is where we pick up the action in the video below:
Men's semi-finalists from left to right Bojun Zhangliang, Allen Shuran Lin, Michael Levene and William Waltrip. $495 in prizes was paid to this group.
Class B medalists from left to right Marvin Thomas, Michael Levene (presenting medals), Vincent Adebayo and Imtiaz Ahmad
Class C medalists from left to right Brian Conover, Michael Levene (presenting medals) Tyler Hess and Lilas Samirad
Beginner's Table Tennis Course. $199 sign up on reception (14000 Park Center Road, Herndon, VA 20171). Group coaching for up to 12 participants:
8 week/10 hour course for beginners
75 minutes per week group coaching
International Table Tennis Federation Certified Coaches
Former US Open Finalist
Each Sunday starting 6th March from 5.15pm-6.30pm
Email michael@smashtt.com for more information.


In two districts once believed to be Hillary Clinton strongholds, the state senators from Harlem and Queens — Bill Perkins and James Sanders Jr. — will endorse Bernie Sanders instead, the Daily News has learned exclusively.
The endorsements of local politicians, who often have the best ground operations and better connections with actual voters, are highly coveted in a race like this.
Harlem, maybe above anywhere else, has been considered not only as a Hillary Clinton stronghold, but as a Clinton family stronghold. After his presidency, Harlem is where Bill Clinton opened up his first office and called his home base for years. Whether you see what happened next as revitalization or gentrification, his presence had a significant impact on Harlem.
Hillary Clinton's greatest firewall in her bid to win the democratic nomination for President is her overwhelming brand recognition and support in the African-American community, but many progressive black and Latino leaders are beginning to lean toward Bernie as we inch closer to the first primaries in 2016.
While Clinton has a veritable who's-who among black politicians behind her, having two of the most popular local politicians, both African-American, in her home state go the other way may underscore growing concerns in her base that an establishment politician is not the best solution for many of the ills facing black and brown communities.
Perkins, a lifelong Democrat from Harlem, echoed this in his endorsement of Sanders Tuesday.
"We live in the richest country on earth, but a quarter of our children live in poverty," Perkins told me on Tuesday evening. "We're proud of our freedoms, but we lock away more people than any other nation on earth.
"The truth is that if you aren't wealthy, in our current political system your problems just don't matter," he added. "Bernie Sanders is calling for a political revolution and that's what it will take to transform our nation into one where we all matter."
What's also very intriguing is that Perkins was actually the very first New York elected official to ever endorse Barack Obama for President, and he did it in a climate in which virtually every other leader around him already endorsed Clinton.
State Sen. James Sanders, Jr., meanwhile, developed a strong reputation as a fierce advocate for the working class in Queens and beyond.
Born and raised in Queens, Sanders, Jr. (D-Far Rockaway) served in the Marines before earning his degree in history at Brooklyn College and eventually becoming a councilman. For him, endorsing Sanders just made sense.
"In the Great Recession, families in Southeast Queens lost their homes and their jobs," Sanders Jr. said. "Across the nation, the savings of families was decimated, especially Black families. Our families still haven't recovered, but the banks got away scot-free and today, those bankers are richer than ever. I am inspired to join Bernie Sanders' political revolution, and it's not just because we share a name. It's because he wants to end the stranglehold Wall Street has on our economy and our democracy. He wants to break up the big banks and help make working families back on track."
As I speak to progressive leaders across the country, I see a consistent conflict. Most of them seem to prefer Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton and feel that his values better match their own, but they aren't sure if an endorsement of Bernie for president is a waste since it will be such an uphill battle for him to actually win the nomination. When local New York politicians like Perkins and James Sanders make the plunge, it may loosen the lid on the jar for others who are a bit nervous about making the plunge.
In Chicago, Chuy Garcia, who forced a runoff in the recent mayoral election against Rahm Emanuel, has already started campaigning for Bernie Sanders. With Rahm deeply embroiled in his mishandling of police brutality cases, it's hard not to see him as one of the most loyal Clinton allies in the country.
Sanders is still a longshot, but in a complicated political climate, it seems like his odds may just be getting a little better.


text:
class TestCasesController < ApplicationController
  def index
    @test_cases = TestCase.all
  end

  def show
    @test_case = TestCase.find params[:id]
  end
end


Have you ever met someone who immediately felt the need to tell you their life story? Yeah, me too. I don't know about you, but my first reaction, once my eyes quit glazing over, is to run far and fast. Well, too much backstory in the beginning of your novel can and probably will have the same effect on your reader.
Jessica Page Morrell, in Between the Lines, warns that "backstory, if used incorrectly, can stall a story," because a novel should always be moving forward. Backstory "must be cleverly inserted so that it's unobtrusive and allows the front story to press ahead." She adds, "Perhaps the biggest problem with weaving in backstory revolves around this simple fact: The reader doesn't need to know as much as the writer does." As writers, we often go to great lengths to create detailed biographies of our characters and a story world that is three-dimensional. We can often see our characters in our heads, as well as the places they inhabit. But not everything that goes into the creation of our creation needs to be shared with the reader. We need to give them just enough to fill in the blanks, and then let their own imaginations take over.
Who or what were his or her childhood influences and major events?
Who was the most significant person in his or her young life?
What past relationships have shaped your character?
What event from the past will affect the plot?
What regrets does your character have?
What is his or her worst fear? Darkest secret?
The answers to these questions will be important for you to know as the writer, and they'll be important to your novel but, if handled correctly, the forward-moving story can reveal many of those answers to your reader without you having to spell them out through too much backstory.
One of my personal favorite examples of bonding character with reader comes from The Hunger Games, the first book in the wildly popular triolgy. (BTW, I can't wait for Catching Fire to be released November 22!) Chapter 1 gripped me from the beginning, but when, in Chapter 2, Katniss says, "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" in place of her young sister, Prim, I knew I wasn't leaving Katniss' side till the story was over. And, oh, what a story.
So give just enough backstory to make your reader sympathetic to your protagonist, and then, weave it in throughout the rest of the story. Veronica Heley, author of more than 70 novels (!) says: "Drip feeding the backstory is best for all concerned." Drip feeding. What a visual. I love it.
Through small bits of exposition.
Through character reflection — (but be careful to keep it truly introspective, rather than it sounding like the character is sending information telepathically to the reader).
Through dialogue (But, again, be careful. Noah Lukeman, in The First Five Pages, says, "Dialogue should not be used to state things both characters already know" for the sake of the reader (pg. 94). Example: "Hi, Janet. This is Sharon, your older sister, who lives an hour south of you. Your niece Mindy, who is my older daughter, has moved to Washington, and man am I bummed about it." Janet, being my sister, already knows all that, so it's a ridiculous use of dialogue.
This is not a comprehensive list of how to work in backstory, but gives you an idea of how it can be integrated into the novel.
What is the POV character's goal or problem?
What does the POV character learn that he/she didn't know before?
How are the stakes raised?
If I don't put this in the story, will the reader miss something essential?
Will they misunderstand my character?
Will they be confused by a plot point?
If not, leave it out.
If backstory is something to be treated with kid gloves, incorporated in bits and dribbles, is it really important for you to create backstory for your characters and story world? Well, let me ask you this: Do you find it easy relating events of someone's life if you don't know them well? I don't. Likewise, the better I know my characters, the better I'll be able to tell their story. That doesn't mean the reader will learn everything I know about my protagonist. They may, in fact, learn only a fraction of what I know. But that fraction better be really pertinent to the story. It better help bond the reader to the character, and answer just enough at any one time to keep the reader wanting to know more.
What is your position regarding backstory? Do you have/stick by a hard and fast rule? How/when do you choose to incorporate it? Have you ever found backstory to distract you from a novel you were reading?
It's (gasp!) 47 days to Christmas. Leave a comment and I'll enter your name in a drawing for my whimsical A Heavenly Christmas in Hometown.
"The reader doesn't need to know as much as the writer does." This is so true, Sharon! I think I'll paint this on my wall. In fact, I'll be printing this post. You packed it with great information. Writers do a lot of planning of their characters' lives before the story. Most of it needs to stay there. This was great.
THANK YOU, Sharon! You know, if I get whiffs of too much backstory in a novel I'm reading, I usually put it to the side.
With my WIP, I am marking all occurrences of backstory to consider for chopping in the editing process. This was a timely post for sure!
Susie, I love your idea about marking the backstory for evaluation. I'm going to borrow that from you! Thanks for your input.
I like to raise questions in the reader's mind before answering them. I have the character do something surprising and a little further on the reason comes out. Pacing is important. Readers learn to trust the author when their questions are answered in a timely way. The further they get in the story the longer they are willing to wait for the answers.
The bigger the question the more times it can be asked before answering. Or the answer might be bled a little at a time bringing a huge AHA! at the end. All the answers have to do with backstory. Like pulling a marshmallow through a crack in the wall.
Holy smokes. I needed to hear this NOW. Recently read James Scott Bell's The Art of War for Writers, keep referring to it, want to be buried with it. Thanks, Sharon. Great stuff.
Henrietta, I like what you say about readers trusting the author when their questions are answered in a timely way. Very good point.
Tracy, Jim is such a good teacher. Glad this post was useful to you.


What's Poppin' Tonight! STORY Miami & Headliner Market Group presents #LaborDayWeekend Kickoff w/ Future + More at STORY Nightclub #STORYThursday ~ Phresh Hott New!
Tonight! STORY & Headliner Market Group present "...hiSTORY in the Making" Labor Day Weekend Kickoff Hosted by Future + More at STORY Miami…. Sounds by DJ Stevie J, A Fly Guy and Don P.


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Śpiewające z Berg lub Górska piejąca – najstarsza niemiecka rasa kur z księstwa Bergu, należąca do grupy kur śpiewających.

Historia
Pochodzenie tej rasy kur jest nieznane. Legenda głosi, że pierwsze kury tej rasy pojawiły się w średniowieczu. Dowodem na pochodzenie z rejonu bałkanów lub Turcji jest istnienie w tym rejonie kur należących do grupy kur śpiewających.

Wygląd
Jest typową kurą wiejską. Tułów wydłużony, linia grzbietu nachylona ku ogonowi, grzbiet wybrzuszony. Zausznice mają białą barwę. Grzebień jest pojedynczy, u kur zwykle opada na jedną stronę. Nogi są ciemno szaroniebieskie. Barwa kur tej rasy jest złoto-czarna. Pióra na piersi mają czarną dokładnie zarysowaną obwódkę. Ten charakterystyczny wzór zwany jest z niemieckiego "Dobbelung".

Pianie i zawody w pianiu
Charakterystyczną cechą tej rasy kur jest wydłużone pianie. Pianie może trwać do 15 sekund. Każdego roku od 1923 odbywają się zawody w pianiu w Niemczech.

Bibliografia
 Esther Verhoef, Aad Rijs: "Encyklopedia kur ozdobnych", Bellona, Warszawa 2006

Linki zewnętrzne
 http://kwartalnik.golebnik.pl (Uglorz Manfred: Śpiewający z Berg) (pdf)

Rasy drobiu

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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On our December 2020 cover we are proud to have Rodney Foster. He's the founder and CEO of Edelheiss Wine and he also stars on the hit show "Marrying Millions". Instead of hosting a cover release party, because of Covid-19, we decided to have our cover release event virtually via Zoom. The virtual event consisted of myriad of professionals sp[...]
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Twenty vintage B-25 bombers line up for take off at Grimes Field in Urbana Tuesday morning as they depart for Wright Patterson Air Force Base for the Doolittle Raiders Reunion. The planes have been staging in Urbana throughout the weekend so they could all fly into the reunion together. It is the largest gathering of the planes since WWII.


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Q: Installing lxml from python index I am trying to install lxml from they python package index as suggested in the question below, as I run into the same problem as the original author.
original question: Install libxml2 and associated python bindings - Windows
Package index: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/lxml/3.4.1
I have python 3.4.1 installed and am on a Windows 7 machine.
I have tried downloading a couple of the Windows installers, as I'm not sure which one is right for me. They all give the error that I don't have Python ## installed. For example, when I try the "lxml-3.4.1.win32-py3.2.exe (md5)" download it says "Python version 3.2 required, which was not found on the registry."
Is there a link on there that I should be using that I just can't see right now? Or am I missing a pre-req?
Thanks!

A: http://www.lfd.uci.edu/~gohlke/pythonlibs/#lxml had the correct link for me, which is lxml‑3.4.1.win‑amd64‑py3.4.exe
I used that installer and then, because I'm using PyCharm, also added it as an interpreter.

A: Make sure you are installing LXML for the same architecture as the version of python you have installed. E.g. Python for amd64 requires lxml for amd64.


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Home Biology AGRICULTURE AND THE ECOSYSTEMS (Soil Erosion )
AGRICULTURE AND THE ECOSYSTEMS (Soil Erosion )
AGRICULTURE AND THE ECOSYSTEMS
Most ecosystems must have taken hundreds or thousands of years to establish a dynamic balance between the plant and animal communities and their environment. The balance is very easily destroyed sometimes intentionally as in agriculture and sometimes unwittingly as with excessive hunting or fishing.
Described below are just a few of the ways man has interrupted he natural cycles and disturbed the balance of the ecosystems he exploits for food.
Trees may be cut down to make way for agriculture or to use the timber. If carried out in the right areas to the correct extent and with provision for reafforestation a balanced community can be maintained. The soil on sloping ground, however, is often thin and once the tree cover is removed, it is no longer protected by the leaf canopy from the forces of wind and rain.
The top-Soil is washed away, silting up rivers and lakes and causing floods.
In temperate forests the decomposition of organic matter in the soil is slow. This is due probably to the low average temperatures and also perhaps to the absence of termites. In tropical forests, the higher temperatures and the activities of termites in removing and eating dead vegetation results in a low level of organic matter in the soil. Although the two ecosystems contain about the same amount of organic carbon compounds, in tropical forest abou of the trees and only 20 per cent in the soil. In the temperate forest, 50 per cent of the organic carbon is in the soil as decaying organic matter. When a temperate forest is cut down and the trees removed there is thus a fair amount of nutrient matter left 75 per cent of the carbon is in the wood in the soil. When a tropical forest is cut down and the trees removed, the remaining soil is poor in nutrients and those which are present are soon dissolved out by the increased rain now reaching the exposed soil.
Ecosystems, Energy flow in an ecosystem.
Monoculture
A natural environment usually has a wide variety of vegetation at different levels, flowering and fruiting at different times. This vegetation is exploited in different ways by the animals living there, e.g. giraffe browse on the leafy branches, antelope crop the turf, birds take berries and nuts from the trees, and worms consume the leaves which fall from them.
Agricultural practice involves removal of the natural plant and animal community and its replacement with large populations of a single species of plant or animal: arable fields given over to cereal, pastures supporting cattle exclusively. This practice obviously makes the environment unsuitable for the majority of its original inhabitants, indeed it is meant to; a mixed population of cereal and "weeds" is commercially undesirable. The practice of monoculture, however, has its disadvantages.
Parasites and pests, which in a mixed community find their hosts well spaced, in a monoculture can spread rapidly since Suitable hosts are growing closely together. ln many parts of be Africa there is evidence to suggest that moe dned by harvesting the mixed populations of wild ani ga natural environment than is derived trom the herds of sicky cattle which replace them and destroy their habitat.
To protcct the plants in a monoculture trom the depredahons Of insects the crops are of ten sprayed with insecticides such a5 the chlorinated hydrocarbon DDT. This prevents the loss ol hundreds of tonnes of f00d but in some cases it upsets the dynamic balance ol lile in unexpected ways. For example, thee hemicals affect harmful and beneficial insects alike, so that after spraying fruit trees to eliminate a moth whose larvae burrow into apples, enormous numbers of red mites apPpearea because the spray had also killed the spiders which normally preyed upon them.
For a few years after it had been discovered and developed, DDT seemed to be the perfect insecticide. Used to kill body lice and mosquitoes it must have saved thousands of lives by eradicatng typhus and malaria, spread respectively by these insects in certain areas and conditions. The concentratons used seemed harmless to man and other animals though, in higner concentration, it was known to be poisonous, particulariy to nsh. Unfortunately, however, when DDT is taken in with food and water, it is not all eliminated from the body. a proporuon being retained and accumulated in the fat dcposits ot the body When, in some animals, the fat is mobilzed for respiratio, harmful quantities of DDT may be released into the biood.
The animals at the end of food chains are particularly vulnerable when DDI is used to kill insect pests on a large scale.
In America, DDT was used to kill the beetle which transmits dutch elm disease. The spray and the sprayed leaves reached the soil where the DDT was taken up by worms. When birds, notably the American robin, ate the worms, they accumulated lethal doses ot DDI and whole populations ot birds were wiped Out.
A Similar event occurred when an insecticide was used to kill gnat larvae in Clear Lake, Calilornia. At a concentration of 0-015 part per million of insecticide in the lake water the fish were unharmed. After hve years, however, the western grebes on the lake were dying in large numbers. Although the water contained only U-0115 ppm, the plankton living in the waters had accumulated the compound to a level of 5 ppm. The small fish which fed on the plankton contained 100 ppm and the predatory tish even higher concentrations. The grebes which fed on the larger hsh had as much as Ib00 ppm in their body lat.
DDT is a stable compound and its elects last for a long time; good property for an insecticide but potentially disastrous for the balance of nature. When applied to the crops, it reaches the soil and destroys the insect life there. Eventually it reaches the rivers, lakes and oceans where, if suincIent accumulated, it could begin to poison the fish and other marine life.
Hazards of using chemical fertilizers
Long-ternm experiments show that by applying to the soil a programme ot crop rotation and using larmyard manure, the yield ot crops can be increased over a fhlty-year period. The long-lerm effects ot using chemical tertilizers, in particular soluble salts of nitrogen, are tar less satislactory. Whereas organic nmanure contributes to the bumus content of the soil, helping to mainlain its crumb structure and hence its porosity and permeability to air, the continued exclusive use of chemicals leads to a loss of the organic humus, a deterioration of crumb structure and a decrease in porosity. As a consequence the plant roots are deprived of oxygen in the poorly aerated soils and cannot absorb the salts effectively. The unabsorbed nitrates are washed by rain from the soil and eventually drain into rivers and lakes where they cause eutrophication (see below).
In the short term, heavy application of nitrates to crops has raised the level of free nitrates in the food plants to a point where it may constitute a hazard to health.
Another harmful long-term effect of exclusive use of chemical fertilizers, particularly on light soils, is that in destroying the crumb structure, the soil is much more likely to become dry and powdery and be blown away by the wind, when it is not protected by a plant cover. This leads to loss of valuable top-soil or in extreme cases to dust-bowls and deserts.
Two possi ble solutions to these problems are (a) the development of chemical fertilizers which are less soluble and release their nitrogen slowly into the soil at a rate to suit the demands of the plants and (b) more efficient use of organic manure to help to conserve the humus and maintain the soil structure.
Eutrophication. This is the overgrowth of aquatic plants resulting from an excess of salts reaching rivers. The salts may come from farmland where heavy application of soluble nitrogenous fertilizers is taking place or from the sewage effluents of cities, intensive animal rearing units and the phosphates present in certain detergents. When the nitrates and phosphates reach lakes and rivers they provide abundant nutrients for microscopic green plants whose populations are usually limited by a shortage of these nutrients. As a result, the algae grow and reproduce at a tremendous rate, much faster than they can be eaten by the first order consumers. The algae eventually die and decompose but the vast numbers of aerobic bacteria which are responsible for their decay take so much oxygen from the water that the oxygen supply is depleted and fish and other aquatic animals suffocate and die. The semi- decomposed organic remains of the algae form an oxygen- deficient mud.
Lake Erie in America receives water draining from 30,000 square miles of farmland and the effiuents of large cities such as
Detroit and Cleveland. In its waters eutrophication has produced an organic mud with a large oxygen deficit. A layer of iron oxide separates the organic mud from the water above but some scientists think that further removal of oxygen could dissolve this layer, allowing the organic matter to mix with the water and so produce anaerobic conditions which could not support life.
Soil erosion means the removal of top-soil, usually by the action of wind and rain.
(a) Deforestation. The soil cover on steep slopes is usually fairly thin but can support the growth of trees. If the forests are cut down to make way for agriculture, the soil is no longer protected by a leafy canopy from the driving rain. Con- sequently, some of the soil is washed away into the rivers which become choked with silt and are liable to overftlow their banks.
(b) Poor farming methods. Ploughing loosens the soil and destroys its natural structure. Failure to replace humus after successive crops, excessive use of artificial fertulizer and burning the stubble or weeds, reduces the water-holding properties so that the soil dries easily and may be blown away as dust. On sloping ground, such soil may be eroded by water.
i) Sheet erosion is the imperceptible removal of thin layers of soil but usually leads to:
(ii) Rill erosion, in which the water cuts channels. The channels deepen as the volume of run-off increases and so become gulleys.
(iii) Gulley erosion. The gulleys so formed reach enormous proportions (Plate 10) so that thousands of hectares of top- soil are carried off. Gulley Erosion is often accentuated by careless ploughing and may follow the tracks made by vehicles, goats, cattle and other farm animals
(c) Over-grazing. Too large a population of animals on a given area will not make economic use of the food they eat, since its scarcity will make their growth rate too slow. In addition, sheep and goats graze the vegetation very closely, leaving little plant cover on the soil, while their hooves trample and compact the soil into a hard layer. Consequently there is less absorption of rain; the soil dries out quickly and may eventually be blown away.
Methods of reducing erosion
(a) Terracing. This is cultivation along the line of the contours, in horizontal strips supported by walls, so breaking up the steep downward rush of the surface run-off. Terracing is a useful temporary measure against water erosion, but is a rather costly and difficult method of farming.
(B) Contour ploughing. Ploughing at right angles to the slope, i.e. along the contours instead of up and down the hill, allowss the furrows to trap water rather than channel it away and start gulley erosion.
(C) Strip cropping. This consists of alternate bands of tilled and untilled soil following the contours. Grass and cover crop strips, between strips of ploughed land carrying grain, prevent the soil being washed away from the tilled portions. By alternating the grass and grain each year, the soil is allowed to rebuild its structure while under grass. Strip cropping is also effective against wind erosion if the strips are planted at right angles to the direction of the prevailing wind.
(d) Correct crops for the soil. Steep slopes which should not or cannot be ploughed are covered with pasture crops. The foliage reduces the run-off, and the roots hold the soil in place and preserve its structure. The following Table illustrates this point. and controlling floods. Controlled thinning of forests is also desirable, since thickly afforested areas may prevent too large a proportion of water from ever reaching the ground.


From the earliest days of aviation where the pilot would dropsimple bombs by hand, to the highly agile, stealthy aircraft oftoday that can deliver smart ordnance with extreme accuracy,engineers have striven to develop the capability to deliver weaponsagainst targets reliably, safely and with precision.
Aircraft Systems Integration of Air-Launched Weaponsintroduces the various aspects of weapons integration, primarilyfrom the aircraft systems integration viewpoint, but also considerskey parts of the weapon and the desired interactions with theaircraft required for successful target engagement.
The systems integration of air-launched weapons with aircraftrequires a multi-disciplinary set of engineeringcapabilities. As a typical weapons integration life-cyclespans several years, new engineers have to learn the skillsrequired by on-the-job training and working with experiencedweapons integrators. Aircraft Systems Integration ofAir-Launched Weapons augments hands-on experience, therebyenabling the development of subject matter expertise more quicklyand in a broader context than would be achieved by working throughthe life-cycle on one specific project. This book also servesas a useful revision source for experienced engineers in thefield.
Keith Rigby is Chief Weapons Engineer – Autonomous Systems,BAE Systems Military Air Solutions. He has spent his entire careerwith BAE Systems, starting as a graduate in 1984 within ArmamentControl Systems & progressing to a senior management positionon the Tornado GR4 engineering team. He then becoming Head ofWeapons Control & Integration within the Air Systems businessbefore assuming his current position in November 2008. During thelast 25 years he has been involved in all aspects of the design,development and certification of armament systems and has been akey player in a number of weapon integration programmes includingthe weaponisation of unmanned systems. He is the author of theWeapons Integration chapter in the Encyclopaedia of AerospaceEngineering.


President Trump will meet with the secretary general of NATO this afternoon. The President and former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg are expected to talk about North Korea's threat to pull out of the upcoming summit between the President and Kim Jong-un. In a photo-op yesterday, Trump said -- "We'll see what happens." The topic of Trump's controversial decision to pull the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear accord is also likely to be discussed.