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ISPUB.com / IJAAI/5/1/12518
The Internet Journal of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology
Maxillary Sinus Mycetoma Associated With Hypersensitivity To Mucor Racemosus
R Lin, M Aziz, H Yoo-Bowne
R Lin, M Aziz, H Yoo-Bowne. Maxillary Sinus Mycetoma Associated With Hypersensitivity To Mucor Racemosus. The Internet Journal of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology. 2005 Volume 5 Number 1.
Mold hypersensitivity may play a role in chronic sinusitis. Although mucor has been identified in allergic fungal sinusitis, to our knowledge this is the first reported case of mucor associated mycetoma in association with immediate hypersensitivity to mucor.
In the beginning of 2005, a 39 year old Chinese male presented to the St Vincents Hospital otolaryngology clinic with a 10 year history of nasal congestion with the left side of the nose being more affected. He had a nasal operation in 1996 in China, the country of his birth. His work experience included working in a bread factory in China. He immigrated to the United States in 2003. En route, he was allergy tested in Japan where he was told that he had many allergies. The patient also complained of a foul smell in his nose and occasional yellowish discharge from the left side of his nose. The patient denied other medical problems including diabetes, immunodeficiencies, and asthma. On endoscopy an enlarged left uncinate process, and polypoid tissue in the area of the left osteomeatal complex were noted. The patient was treated with mometasone nasal spray, oral loratadine, and amoxacillin/clavulinate without any improvement in symptoms. A maxillofacial CT scan showed extensive left maxillary sinus disease. Soft tissue density was noted in the left maxillary sinus with higher density areas within. There was widening of the left osteomeatal complex (Figure 1).
The other paranasal sinuses were normal. A complete blood count, basic blood chemistries, and liver panel were within normal limits. There was no increase in blood eosinophils. In March 2005, the patient underwent sinus surgery where a left antrostomy/uncinectomy and left maxillary sinus evacuation were performed. The contents in the maxillary sinus consisted of yellowish to greenish, inspissated mucoid material. Tissue specimens revealed inflammation with some eosinophil infiltration but no eosinophilic staining mucin. There was also some tissue necrosis, and presence of fungal hyphae collections(Figure 2 GMS fungal stain. Original magnification X40).
Fungal cultures however revealed no growth. Post-operatively the patient was evaluated for aero-allergies. The total IgE was 83 IU/mL. Specific IgE was present for several common pollens including orchard grass, common ragweed, birch, maple, pecan tree, white ash, and oak. All allergen specific IgE levels were greater than 1 kIU/mL as determined by the Immunocap ™ method. A lower amount of specific IgE(0.46 kIU/mL) to Dermatofagoides farinae(dust mite) was also noted. Because of the fungal elements noted on histopathology, extensive fungal aeroallergens were studied. No specific IgE was noted to Alternaria tenius, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Cladosporium herbarum, Echinococcus purpurascens, Erythronum purpurascens, Fusarium moniliforme, Helminthosporum halodes, or Penicillium notatum. However, the specific IgE to Mucor racemosus was increased at 2.14 kIU/mL. A complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and c-reactive protein were within normal limits at that time. The CD4 and CD8 T-lymphocyte counts were also within normal limits. A culture of nasal secretions showed no fungal growth. No nasal eosinophils were observed. The patient continued to have intermittent nasal symptoms during the year of follow-up treatment which included topical nasal corticosteroids and 2 further courses of oral antibiotics.
Sinus mycetomas are considered a non-invasive form of fungal sinusitis(1). They are usually not associated with immunosuppressed hosts. The most common causes are Aspergillus fumigatus and dematiaceous fungi. Unlike allergic fungal sinusitis, immediate hypersensitivity and other atopic manifestations are less common. Furthermore mycetomas are usually not bilateral. Non-invasive mucormycosis of the sinuses is uncommon(2). At least one non-invasive case has shown calcification(3). To our knowledge the presence of specific IgE to Zygomycetes in fungal mycetoma has not been reported previously. As inhalation is the usual route of infection for Zygomycetes, it is of interest that the patient previously worked in a bread factory, where fungal species may have been present in high concentrations. Despite the fact that the patient had no fungal culture growth of the sinus tissues, the histopathology and serological findings support a mycetoma due to mucor. Difficulties in culturing tissue specimens for Zygomycetes are well known(2). The patient had obvious proclivity towards aeroallergy as evidenced by the increase in multiple pollen specific IgE levels. This atopic diathesis likely resulted in elevated specific IgE to mucor due to continuous exposure from the mycetoma. It is notable that hypersensitivity to other commonly inhaled fungi such as Alternaria, Cladosporium, and Aspergillus were not present in this patient. Hypersensitivity to mucor is decidedly less common than hypersensitivity to these 3 molds, even in an atopic population(3).This suggests that the patient did not have a predilection towards fungal allergy. Mold-allergic individuals are often sensitive to several mold species(5) and there appears to be cross-hypersensitivity to some of the major molds(6). This patient did not have any mold specific IgE except to mucor.
Although mold allergy studies has not been extensively studied in China, at least one report(7) finds that prevalence of similar mold spores such as those that are prevalent in other Western countries including Alternaria, Cladosporium, and Aspergillus. A search of index medicus revealed no published reports of mucor being a prevalent mold spore in China.
Allergic mucin in response to fungi are felt to be an essential diagnostic feature in allergic fungal sinusitis(2). Allergic mucin was not observed in the herein described patient. It is conceivable that this patient had an incomplete form of allergic fungal sinusitis, despite not having allergic mucin, or sheets of eosinophils which are commonly described in allergic fungal sinusitis. The diagnostic criteria for allergic fungal sinusitis may be evolving(8).
Mold hypersensitivity may also play a role in chronic sinusitis(9). Although mucor has been identified in allergic fungal sinusitis(10), to our knowledge this is the first reported case of mucor associated mycetoma in association with immediate hypersensitivity to mucor.
1.	Ramadan HH. Fungal Sinusitis. eMedicine(accessed 4/20/06 http://www.emedicine.com/ENT/topic639.htm)
2.	Ribes JA, Vanover-Sams CL, Baker DJ. Zygomycetes in Human Disease. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 2000;13(2):236-301. http://cmr.asm.org/cgi/content/full/13/2/236 - SEC7_1_4
3.	Asero R, Bottazzi G. Nasal polyposis: a study of its association with airborne allergen hypersensitivity. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2001; 86(3):283 - 285.
4.	Goodnight, J., P. Dulguerou, and E. Abemayor. Calcified Mucor fungus ball of the maxillary sinus. Am. J. Otolaryngol. 1993;14:209-210
5.	Yman L. Mold & Yeasts. http://www.immunocapinvitrosight.com/templates/Page.asp?id=1998 (accessed 4/24/06).
6.	Lin RY, Williams KD. Hypersensitivity to molds in New York City asthmatic adults. Allergy Asthma Proc. 2003;24(1):13-18.
7.	Saravanan K, Panda NK, Chakrabarti A, Das A, Bapuraj RJ. Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis: an attempt to resolve the diagnostic dilemma. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2006 Feb;132(2):173-8.
8.	Chen K, Liao YF, Zhang JT. The major aeroallergens in Guangxi, China. Clin Allergy. 1988;18(6):589-96.
9.	Sasama J, Sherris DA, Shin SH, Kephart GM, Kern EB, Ponikau JU. New paradigm for the roles of fungi and eosinophils in chronic rhinosinusitis. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2005;13(1):2-8.
10.	Deshpande RB, Shukla A, Kirtane MV. Allergic fungal sinusitis: incidence and clinical and pathological features of seven cases. J Assoc Physicians India. 1995;43(2):98-100.
Robert Y. Lin, M.D.
Department of Medicine, St Vincents Hospital, Manhattan, Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers
Mohamed S. Aziz, M.D.
Department of Pathology, St Vincents Comprehensive Cancer Center, Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers
Helen Yoo-Bowne, M.D.
Department of Otolaryngology, St Vincents Hospital, Manhattan, Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers


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Q: puppeteer throw error when run in lambda function:- protocol error (Page.printToPDF): Printing failed I have deplyod the puppeteer function on aws lambda
and I used this function to generate pdf at multiple places but on one place i am continusly getting this error

(Page.printToPDF): Printing failed
at /var/task/node_modules/puppeteer-core/lib/cjs/puppeteer/common/Connection.js:217:63
at new Promise ()
at CDPSession.send (/var/task/node_modules/puppeteer-core/lib/cjs/puppeteer/common/Connection.js:216:16)
at Page.createPDFStream (/var/task/node_modules/puppeteer-core/lib/cjs/puppeteer/common/Page.js:1968:43)
at Page.pdf (/var/task/node_modules/puppeteer-core/lib/cjs/puppeteer/common/Page.js:1996:37)
at Runtime.exports.handler (/var/task/app.js:92:28)
at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:95:5

On other places it is wokring fine
I have used the latest version also and still getting this error
uptill the page.pdf every thing work fine and after this i got the upper error
```// render pdf
    const pdf = await page.pdf({
      scale: body.pdfCoordinator?.scale,
      margin: body.pdfCoordinator?.margin || { top: '9.5mm', bottom: '9.5mm', left: '6mm', right: '6mm' },
      format: 'A4',
      landscape: body.pdfCoordinator?.landscape || false,
      printBackground: true,
      displayHeaderFooter: body.pdfCoordinator?.displayHeaderFooter !== undefined ? body.pdfCoordinator.displayHeaderFooter : true,
      headerTemplate: getHeaderFooter(),
      footerTemplate: getHeaderFooter(),
      width: '27.3cm',
      height: '30.61cm',
    })

    // clear and close

after this if got the upper protocol error
I tried to search about it but there is no solution provided
please help to resolve this issue

A: I belive when puppeteer is used/initilized with puppeteer.connect it is not able to used its all the functionality so i change it to puppetter.launch and it fixes the issue

A: I spent ages trying to fix this so thought I'd post to help anyone else.
I got the error '(Page.printToPDF): Printing failed' for me it was Lambda memory. I doubled the ephemeral memory and it now works really well, generating large images with no issue from my Lambda
Hope this helps

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Sabanci Central Mosque, Adana
Most important Islamic historical Centers of Turkey
Mosques of Turkey
Sabanci Merkez Camii
Sabanci Merkez Camii in Adana is the largest mosque in Turkey. The exterior of the mosque is similar to the Sultan ahmed Mosque in Istanbul, while the interior decoration is similar to the Selimiye Mosque in Edrine.
Sabanci Central Mosque, which went into service in 1998, is built on a total of 52,600 square meter of land and has a closed area of 6,600 square meters.
Sabanci Central Mosque was built jointly by Turkish Religious Foundation and Sabanci Foundation.
Sabanci Central Mosque has a capacity to offer service to 28,500 people, is famous for being one of the biggest mosques in the Balkans and in the Middle East.
Located on the banks of Seyhan River, Sabanci Mosque has a majestic structure with 6 minarets. There are eight pillars carrying the main dome that has a diameter of 32 meters. The height of the main dome is 54 meters from floor level. The four minarets, which are adjacent to the main building are each 99 meters high and the other two minarets located at the semi-enclosed porch are each 75 meters high.
All of the calligraphic works in the Mosque belong to the Calligrapher Huseyin Kutlu. The tile work of the Mosque has been done by using Iznik tile work technique. All painting and tile patterns in the Mosque belong to Architect Nakkas M. Semih Irtes. The niche, pulpit, platform, entrance and other doors are all made of marble and they have been designed in the style that is seen in classical Ottoman mosques and have been built by Nihat Kartal.
The wooden doors are built in kundekari style and have been built by Ahmet Yilcay, all stained glass works have been done by Abdulkadir Aydin, and muqarnas works have been done by Ali Turan.
Back to Mosques of Turkey =>
Alaeddin Mosque, Konya
Edirne Old Mosque
Mosque of Victory, Istanbul
Cinili Mosque, Kutahya
Sehzade Mosque, Istanbul
Mehmet Akif Ersoy Mosque, Istanbul
Kocatepe Mosque, Ankara
Sakirin Mosque, Istanbul

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Susan B. Anderson: .... and found!
Yesterday my husband and I went out for a long hike through the nearby woods and then we went ice skating on a frozen lake not too far from our house. I took a very short video of our skate for you. It's one of the prettiest winters I can remember around here. White is hard to capture on camera, unlike the fall season, but I still try. For email subscribers, if you can't see the video on your email, click here to see it on youtube.
Now for some serious business, the winner of the Knit with Me book by Gudrun Johnston is knittingrandma (rav id) or Debby! Congratulations to Debby! I have already collected her mailing address and forwarded it on to Gudrun. What a great turn out for Gudrun's book giveaway. Thank you for entering and I have another fantastic giveaway for you just around the corner. Keep your eyes out for that, you won't want to miss it.
Do you remember this hat? It was lost. The hat was knit out of the most favorite yarn I ever spun. It was from Fiber Optic roving I purchased with Laura and Leslie from The Knit Girllls by my side at the Kentucky Sheep & Wool Festival. It was a vibrant gradient silk/merino blend. The hat went from fuschia to purple to red at the top. This favorite handspun yarn turned into my most favorite handknit hat ever (and that's saying a lot because I have been knitting for almost 30 years and I've knit hundreds of hats). I had the photo above on my blog banner for a long time. It was a hat that couldn't be replicated due to the memories of being with Laura and Leslie and Dianne (my host) at my first ever fiber festival and then spinning the yarn. The process of creating the hat and the memories involved could not happen again.
I even made a pattern in memory of my favorite knit hat that was lost called, The Lost Banner Hat. This has been an incredibly popular pattern in my pattern shop even though the numbers don't really show that on Ravelry. This made me happy that at least a fun, simple hat pattern came about for people to enjoy.
Now for the twist. I've told the story before but for story's sake, TC wore the hat to school one day and then I never saw it again...... until now!
This photo was taken yesterday! Look who's wearing her favorite hat again! That's right, it's back on my head once again. Here is what happened. Last week I was digging through the garage for something and I happened upon an old tattered black backpack that belonged to TC a couple of years ago. You guessed it, when I looked inside the backpack before I threw it out, my crumpled hat was on the bottom of that dark backpack!
I really could not believe my eyes.
I swear I looked in that backpack for this hat many times before. But I won't question. I gave it a wash and it has been back on my head where it belongs ever since. True hat love has been found once again. This hat feels and fits like a million bucks. It keeps my head and ears so warm. The Lost Banner Hat is everything I remembered it to be and more. I am hoping for many years of togetherness to come.
Even my Amaryllis is celebrating the Found Banner Hat. I have four of these beautiful blooms in my living room right now. I can't get over how beautiful this flower is in contrast to the white snow outside. I still have a second stalk ready to bloom soon. I look forward to that.
When we came home from our winter hike and lake skate our house smelled so good. My son had just pulled these homemade loaves of bread out of the oven. The warm bread with a little butter really hit the spot after being out in the cold for hours. He is loving his new bread book that I gave him for Christmas. It is fun to watch him go.
Well, I finished the Belfast Hoodie and it turned out great. I'll see if I can get someone to take a proper photo of me wearing it today instead of taking the photo of myself. I'll post all about it then so you can get the full view.
I hope you are all enjoying the season. I am soaking up every minute with my house full of kids and friends and cousins, and the beautiful cold temperatures and the snow and ice outside. It's the best.
I've loved your hat ever since I saw it. The colors are my favorites. I've lost and found dear things in the past and know exactly how you feel. It's a really great feeling to recover something so special. I'm so very happy for you.
Congratulations! What a wonder find to begin your new year!
Yay! So glad you found your hat! I've lost a few over the years (a Koolhas, a Starcrossed slouchy beret, and a Clapotis). The Clapotis was the worst, as I knit it to wear on my first trip overseas to Scotland AND it was 100% alpaca. Never did find it. I just tell myself that somewhere in North Carolina someone is enjoying an extra warm scarf.
So happy that you found your hat! The world works in mysterious ways! Hope this is a sign of how great your year to come is!
Enjoy your perfect hat Susan!!!
I'm so glad you found it! This has to be a good omen for 2013.
I am so thrilled to be the winner of the book, "Knit With Me". Thank you so much.
I am so glad you found your hat. I need to make me a hat. Like this one for when I go out walking. Here though, it's walking in the rain. Thank you again.
Thanks for the Skate-Along ! ! !
I've never been and now I know what it feels like gliding over a frozen lake ! ! !
Love to begin the day and year with a Happy-Ending-Story.
Thrilled to hear you've been re-united with YOUR Hat ! !
Harbinger of the year ahead?
I am SO HAPPY for you finding that hat -- and yes as another mother of four I totally understand how you can look for something and then find it in the very place you've checked a dozen times! And I imagine you felt soooo sad it was lost but at the same time it was lost accidentally and she didn't do it on purpose and didn't you feel good that she loved the hat as you did and wanted to wear it to school!!!! So this is my happy happy joy joy for the day!
Yay for you! It still bothered me that you'd lost your beautiful and treasured hat. I can only imagine how you felt. It's nice to hear of good surprises.
It's wonderful you found your beloved hat! I love that feeling when something you treasure is found.
... Just say no to vertical videos.
A fabulous post! Awesome bread. I can almost smell it all the way here and hooray on finding your hat. I am sure it is happy to be on your head.
HAPPY HAT REUNION. OH JOY, OH RAPTURE!!!
Oh that bread looks heavenly! I went out an researched the bread book after you posted about it. You are such an amazing resource or so many things:). One special lady!
So glad you found your hat, what are the chances!?!
Wow! I am overjoyed your found it and I know you will wear it with delight.
Congrats on finding your hat!
I gave that same bread book to my husband for Christmas. And I'm so glad I did - loving the home made bread. Tell your son to try the pizza dough soon - it's so good.
That book is truly the "gift that keeps on giving".
oh, jennysue, he already made the pizza dough and we ate so much pizza during the last packers game. it was ridiculously good! glad you are enjoying the book, too.
I'm so excited for Knittingrandma! She is about the most deserving person I know of to win this book. Glad to know it was one of "our own"!
I'm very happy about your hat too. What a joyous reunion that must have been.
Now, I am off to see if I can put a copy of Artisan Bread in 5 minutes on my hold list at the library. You got me hooked with the description and photos today.
Yay! So glad your hat has come back to you. I love having "souvenirs" like your hat (which is, of course, my rationale for buying yarn or fiber whenever I travel!) I have lovely memories of your visit to Kentucky and hope you know the welcome mat is always out for you here.
The Lost Banner Hat needs to go back on the blog banner in celebration of being found. Congratulations---what fun to have it back keeping you warm!
Got a question for Mr. Baker! Is he using a baking stone? If so, what brand/size does he recommend? Going to purchase the book and stone for my brother and thought I'd check with the expert!
Good luck!! What a great gift!


Home » Blog » What is a Registered Consumer Proposal?
While this shouldn't be complicated, terminology can lead to a lot of confusion. This is no truer than with the concept of a consumer proposal in Canada. Part of the problem is that non-licensed, non-registered debt consultants have created a whole series of ways to describe what is really just a consumer proposal in order to sign people up for their services. To help, we are going to define several common terms around the consumer proposal business.
All consumer proposals in Canada are 'registered'. When you sign your consumer proposal documents, they are filed with the federal government. Most Licensed Insolvency Trustees file the paperwork online the day you sign. This official filing provides your proposal start date, and specifies the beginning of your creditor protection. Any debts owing up to that date are included in your proposal.
A consumer proposal can only be filed with a Licensed Insolvency Trustee.
It is a debt proposal and repayment plan than can last up to 5 years.
You settle your debt for less than you owe.
You make one, single, monthly payment to your trustee.
A proposal provides protection from collections and creditor actions.
You can pay them off early, or even in one lump sum.
Who Is Licensed to Provide Consumer Proposal Services?
Only a Licensed Insolvency Trustee can legally provide consumer proposal services in Canada. No-one else is registered to be able to file a formal proposal to creditors through the Bankruptcy & Insolvency Act. In a consumer proposal, the trustee acts as the Consumer Proposal Administrator. They will communicate with your creditors and help you work through the process; from assessment all the way through completion until your debts are eliminated.
NEVER pay anyone else for consumer proposal advice. You do not need help collecting or filing any paperwork. Licensed Insolvency Trustees are experts in both bankruptcy and consumer proposals. They work with debtors every day, so they understand how to craft the best plan to ensure that you can afford the monthly payments and that the plan will be accepted by your creditors.
There are many unregistered debt consultants in Canada who offer to help you with your debt and will promote a consumer proposal program. They earn their money by charging you administration fees ahead of the signup and sometimes earn a commission from the trustee through some form of arrangement. Hoyes Michalos does not work with these types of agents as we do not believe you should ever pay for support in filing a consumer proposal. Our consultations, as many as you need, are always free.
Formal or Informal Debt Proposal?
There are debt management programs other than a consumer proposal. An actual Debt Management Plan, filed with a legitimate credit counselling agency is a program to repay 100% of your debts, often with interest relief. If this is a better option for you, we can refer you to an accredited agency.
An informal proposal, or debt management plan, is not for everyone. That is because not all debts can be included. Also, if you have several creditors, it is hard to get a legal binding agreement from everyone.
Informal debt proposals also do not stop wage garnishments or other legal collection activities. Creditors must volunteer to participate, and they may not. Collection agencies may still call to collect on debts not included in the program.
In contrast, a consumer proposal is a formal, legally binding debt proposal. Almost all unsecured debts, including tax debt and certain student debt, can be forgiven through a legal consumer proposal.
If you need to make a proposal to your creditors, do so through a formal, legal, registered consumer proposal. Talk to a Licensed Insolvency Trustee to see if this is the right option for you.


NDRF holds pre-monsoon Coordination Conference to enhance preference with SDRF heads .
To enhance the preparedness for ensuing Monsoon, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) held a conference with the head of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), India Meteorological Department (IMD), Central Water Commission (CWC) and all NDRF Unit Commandants here today to discuss pre-positioning of NDRF in the vulnerable locations of flood affected areas and subsequent preparedness of States. During the conference, representatives of States discussed on status of SDRF, locations, prepositioning detail, manpower, availability of flood rescue equipment and tools, good practices adopted by SDRF in flood rescue, identification of vulnerable areas, vulnerability mapping of area, crisis management plan, identification of higher building/places in the state, community capacity by SDRF and subsequent assistances required from NDRF. .
Shri R.K Pachnanda, Director General, NDRF inaugurated the conference and stressed the need to preposition SDRF contingents at important locations to respond during golden hours to minimise the losses during disasters. DG, NDRF further asserted to strengthening of SDRF by trained manpower, equipping them with latest equipment to tackle the disaster situations and he also assured to provide every possible help to SDRF. DG, NDRF asked the participants for any assistance to strengthen the Disaster Risk Reduction, some participants raised the point to extend training assistance. DG, NDRF directed to Deputy Inspector General (Training) to plan the training of more batches for SDRF at the earliest. .
NDRF remained committed to provide assistance and guidelines for raising State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) on the line of NDRF. Apart from this NDRF is role model for disaster response for States and to form State-level Disaster Response Force to tackle State-level emergencies. .


Single parent families relying on casual work and the single parent payment will be facing a tough Christmas, according to the Cost of Living in WA 2018 launched today by the Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS).
"With very little to spare after meeting their basic living expenses, many single parents are at serious risk if something goes wrong – like a car or fridge breaks down, or they fall sick and can no longer go to their casual job," said Louise Giolitto, WACOSS Chief Executive Officer.
WACOSS is calling on all parties in the lead up to the Federal election to commit to increasing the rate of Newstart to alleviate the growing inequality and poverty among people on the lowest incomes.
Modelling by WACOSS indicates that a single person on Newstart in WA will end up in the red by $13.27 – falling short of covering their basic living costs each week.
"Working on the assumption that they have to find share housing with two other people, and pay no more than $100 a week, do not drive a car, and rely solely on public transport, it is still impossible for them be able to afford basic living expenses.
"We are forcing those who find themselves unemployed into deep poverty, making it incredibly difficult for them to simply survive, let alone find and secure a job.
The report also analyses over 400 household budgets from people who sought financial counselling in WA in 2017/18. Financial counselling is a free and independent service to assist people who are experiencing financial difficulty.
This data, provided by the Financial Counselling Network, Anglicare WA and Broome Circle, reveals the true living pressures on families, individuals, and aged pensioners in financial hardship with on average 45.5 per cent of their weekly expenditure on housing alone, and nearly 20 per cent going to food.
Perth households in hardship were also spending around $144 a week making debt payments, while those in regional WA were spending $165.
Those households who saw a financial counsellor and were living below the poverty line, were spending on average nearly $96 a week more than their income, pushing them further and further into debt. Households below the poverty line also dedicating the highest percentage of their general expenditure to utilities, at 6.5 per cent.
"Rising energy prices hit those on the lowest incomes hardest. While it is positive to hear that the McGowan Government may not further increase charges as expected, that does not undo the impact of the already unaffordable increases these families were hit with in the last two state budgets.
"We need to increase concessions going to low income households and reform our state concession system to ensure it is both adequate and actually reaching those who need it most," Louise concluded.
Download a PDF of this media release here.
Download a copy of the Cost of Living 2018 report here.


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Railroad Weedkiller Lawsuits
A common cause of railroad workplace illnesses is exposure to dangerous chemicals. One of the most common types of chemicals linked to railroad workers are the herbicides used by track workers to kill weeds and vegetation. Railroad workers that come into contact with glyphosate, also a key ingredient in many weed killers, could suffer serious health issues, including cancer.
If you or a loved one have suffered a serious illness due to hazardous chemicals, a railroad injury lawyer may assist you in pursuing compensation from the responsible party. No one should suffer from life-long health complications due to the actions of a negligent and uncaring employer. Contact a diligent railroad injury attorney to learn about your legal options to seek compensation in a herbicide lawsuit.
What Types of Hazardous Chemicals Are Found in Herbicides?
Roundup is a well-known weed killer that has been commonly used in the United States since 1974. Research suggests that exposure to large amounts of Roundup could lead to devastating health complications. The glyphosate found in the herbicide could be harmful to individuals regardless of whether it is ingested or inhaled. The effects of glyphosate are especially dangerous when a large amount is absorbed.
Those who are suffering from severe health complications due to on-the-job exposure to dangerous chemicals may benefit from speaking with a skilled attorney to learn more about how the type of damages they may be eligible to recover in a weedkiller lawsuit.
What Are Possible Health Complications Due to Herbicide Exposure?
There are immediate and long-term effects of herbicide exposure. The short-term effects could include vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea, and skin irritation. In extreme doses, the chemical could be lethal.
In the long-term, exposure to glyphosates is tied to severe birth defects and life-long health issues such as kidney disease, reproductive issues, and heart disease. The substance is also believed to be a carcinogen and has been linked to various forms of cancer.
It is best to speak to a dangerous chemicals attorney to learn about the dangerous effects of glyphosate weed killers and how the severity of the harm could affect the damage award.
The Federal Employers Liability Act
Collecting damages from exposure to weed killers works differently for railroad employees than it does under any other profession. That is because railroad workers are covered by the Federal Employers' Liability Act or FELA. Under FELA, railway employees are entitled to a monetary award if they can prove the railroad was negligent in allowing the exposure to herbicides.
The FELA was first enacted in 1908 and has remained substantially unchanged ever since. Under the Act, on-the-job injuries of railroad workers are treated similarly to worker's compensation claims. If a railroad was negligent in exposing an employee to herbicides or other harmful chemicals, the employee might have a valid FELA claim for any damages brought on by the exposure.
FELA claims can be complicated, but with an experienced railroad injury attorney, injured claimants may be able to gain compensation for their injuries.
Let a Railroad Injury Attorney Help
Railroad workers go to work every day, knowing that they will face certain risks at the workplace. However, it is incumbent on the railroad to take reasonable steps to ensure their employees are safe. Although railroads could have taken precautions to limit exposure to their workers, in most cases, they did not. When railroad companies carelessly allow their employees to face exposure to harmful chemicals, they violate the duty they owe to those employees.
Even if the railroad worker smoked cigarettes or had other risk factors for cancer, a railroad cancer attorney may be able to obtain compensation for cancer related to chemical week killers. If you suffered an injury due to exposure to herbicides, discuss your claim with an experienced railroad cancer injury lawyer. Schedule a consultation today to learn more about railroad weedkiller lawsuits and how you may be eligible for compensation.
Premature Death Claims
Brakeman and Conductor Injuries
Carmen Injuries
Employee Heart Attack
Foremen Injuries
Lymphoma Lawsuits
Machine Operator Injuries
Machinist Injuries
Physical Injury
Signal Maintainer
Stroke Injury
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Marches Energy Agency, working in partnership with Age UK Hereford and Localities, are offering elderly residents across Herefordshire a free Home Energy Check between now and the end of March. During the checks, residents can receive free and impartial advice on all sorts of energy matters, ranging from bills and tariffs to how to better control heating systems. Our energy advisor / handyperson will also be able to install energy saving measures in the home, such as energy saving lightbulbs, radiator panels and cylinder jackets. Checks are available to residents over the age of 55, who rent or own their homes. Those who are particularly vulnerable due to age, income or health conditions are likely to be prioritised.
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"You make your mark by being true to who you are and letting that be your staple."
Swiss-born American actress, model, singer and dancer, Kat Graham
Mischewski Award for Excellence in Dance
Recipients of the Mischewski Award receive a dance scholarship offering 20 hours of private dance tuition, free of charge! Classes will cover the fundamentals across multiple styles, with a focus on a style of the recipient's choosing.
And, in addition to honing their craft, recipients will also develop their English and communication skills, along with the confidence needed to elevate themselves from hardship.
With further funding raised via our sponsorship program, we hope to double the hours of training provided by 2021.
Dr Anton Mischewski (aka Dr Mischief)
Born January 24, 1963 – Died August 22, 2015
Anton Mischewski remains highly respected for his outstanding contribution to the field of social impact. The scope of his work covered applied research, evaluation and social policy. This included areas such as microfinance, financial inclusion, housing, ageing, intellectual disability and community health. Anton's legacy lives on through the Centre for Social Impact's Anton Mischewski Design for Social Innovation Prize—created shortly after his death in 2015.
In addition to his passion for social justice, innovation and enterprise, Anton was a poet, a yoga teacher, and spent 20 years training in both classical ballet and contemporary dance. This award has been created in celebration of his love for art, his remarkable work, and his lifelong dedication to social change.
"It is with the fullest of hearts and greatest of pride that I announce the Mischewski Award for Excellence in Dance. This award will given out annually, in recognition of the passion and commitment shown by an aspiring young dancer.
I had the honour of working closely with Anton during the final months of his life – an experience that played an astronomical role in shaping the person I am today.
Anton cared about people and believed in their potential. He showed me what it means to walk alongside someone. That is to say that he captured—so very beautifully—the essence of VAPA's core values: trust, integrity, creativity, equality, diversity, inclusivity, emotional intelligence, social justice, wellbeing and community.
For that reason, not only does this award acknowledge the recipient's skill and passion for developing their craft; it also honours their ability to ensure VAPA remains a safe, inclusive space. One in which everyone feels heard, encouraged, supported and empowered."
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Ribbon Hero turns learning Office into a game
All / game applications / interaction design / layers of mastery / new product development
This post has two goals. One, I want to share with you something amazing; a thing that according to most views of the tech universe should not exist. Two, I want to talk about a coming revolution in application design.
The amazing thing
Imagine Microsoft Office turned into a video game. One where learning a productivity app is a delight. One where the core loop of gameplay involves using and gaining skills in Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
It sounds a bit unlikely doesn't it?
Well, I'm happy to announce the availability of Ribbon Hero, a new download from Microsoft that turns using Office into a game. I've been helping the fine folks over in Office Labs with the design and we are all immensely proud that this is getting released to the public. Huge kudos to Jen, Jonas and the rest of the team. CNET calls it "Brilliant".
Go download it now. You can challenge me on Facebook with your elite formatting skills.
The coming revolution
Ribbon Hero, in part, was born from a speech I gave back in October 2007 on applying the design lessons of Super Mario Bros. to application design. I made the following bet:
If an activity can be learned…
If the player's performance can be measured…
If the player can be rewarded or punished in a timely fashion…
Then any activity that meets these criteria can be turned into a game.
Not only can you make a game out of the activity, but you can turn tasks traditionally seen as a rote or frustrating into compelling experiences that users find delightful.
The foundations of user experience design are incomplete
Games offer a very different value proposition than what you get from traditional usability design. The essence of modern UI design is summed up by usability guru Steven Krug's proclamation "Don't make me think!" We are taught, as UI designers, as website developers and as software creators that our target user is a shallow dullard. The prototypical user is presented as incapable of reading, barely cognizant of what they desire and are best served by products that offer a least common denominator feature set.
This user model is well supported by empirical data. Sit in on any usability test and your subjects will flail about, click on the wrong things and ignore most obvious visual cues. We assume that users are idiots because we see them behave like idiots whenever we test them.
The results of our current design philosophy are wonderfully simple apps that allow new users to perform one or two universal tasks in as streamlined a manner as possible. These are the Googles, the Twitters and the Diggs of the world. They focus on ease of acquisition and limit their functionality to the 20% of features that serve 80% of the population.
Yet, as applications grow, the "Don't make me think" philosophy stumbles.
Users grow. Given the opportunity, new users rapidly become intermediate and expert users.
Different users, especially skilled users, want to master different tasks. Finding one or two universal tasks that matches all users is nearly impossible.
New opportunities emerge. As both the developers and the users gain experience with the software, they discover new use cases and tasks that create immense user value. Many developers are faced with the task of either bolting on new use cases or creating entirely new software, fragmenting their brand and user base.
Google Documents is slowly becoming just as much of a usability monstrosity any major text editor (Notepad excluded). Even apps that offer a more limited creative palette such as Mint.com, Ebay and Amazon try desperately to maintain their simplicity. We attempt to leverage pre-existing skills. We carefully layer beginner, intermediate and expert functionality. We use the democracy of split testing to eliminate minority use cases.
Yet, despite the fact that Web 2.0 started with a fresh new philosophy of minimalism and a clean slate, it is rapidly converging on the same frustrating and complex usability solutions found in desktop applications. The current state of the art is missing something fundamental.
Game design focuses on improving user skills
Game design, as applied to application design, brings several powerful ideas to the discussion that are either missing or underrepresented in existing descriptions of UX design.
Users are learning machines: All users have immense inherent potential to learn and master new skills.
Exploratory learning is fun: Given the proper environment, users will, of their own free will, explore an unknown task. They will try, fail and then finally gain enough insight that they grok the core problem at an intuitive level. When this moment of mastery occurs, users smile.
Exploratory learning can be engineered into repeatable systems: Moments of delight and skill acquisition are highly reproducible. All you need is a well designed and balanced system of interconnected feedback loops that helps guide and encourage the formation of new skills.
Learning in games is both modular and user directed: Once you have techniques for reliably teaching users new skills, you can modularize your application and let users decide what they want, when they want it and how much that matters to them.
If you start with the idea that users are learning machines, all our observations about usability tests snap into place. Of course, people stumble when they use an application for the first time. They don't understand the interface because it is new to them. And users will stay at that inexperienced level if we do not make an attempt to teach them how to improve. We've diagnosed a burbling baby as a hopeless invalid, blind to the fact that babies grow, learn and flourish.
When users play a game, they spend hours first slowly building up basic skills. Then they assemble these building blocks into complex stratagems. Ultimately, they expertly wield the systems of the game like a finely honed tool. By the time the game ends, the player is no longer the same beginner that started. The design of the game directly helped improve their mental model of the world in a profound and measurable manner. The whole time, the player is having fun.
To me, the rich lessons of past 30 years of modern game design are lessons about human potential. Let's start with the assumption that people are amazing. We have built pyramids. We have created clockwork contraptions that move mountains and measure the universe. Every day, we navigate a crazy quilt work world of technology, geography, language and culture. Surely we are capable of more complex interactions than typing a word in a plain vanilla search box.
Instead of only treating our users like idiots, how can we follow a design philosophy that actively empowers our users to fulfill their vast potential? The techniques gleaned from game design are one very meaningful path worth exploring.
Practice matters more than theory
Now, it is one thing to talk about how game design can improve application design. It is a completely different task to grab a hold of Microsoft Office, the epitome of traditional application design, and turn it into a playable game.
Ribbon Hero is not the best game in the world. Not yet. However, even in its basic state, it does all the wonderful things that games do in the context of one of the world's most used, most serious applications. People learn. They improve. And they enjoy the process. Such a highly valuable class of user experience has eluded traditional design for decades.
If these miracles can be done with Microsoft Office, how might game design change the applications you want to build in the future?
Download Ribbon Hero: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=26531
Description of iterative development process:http://channel9.msdn.com/blogs/larrylarsen/behind-ribbon-hero
Initial impressions of Ribbon Hero: https://www.zdnet.com/blog
Mixing games and applications: https://lostgarden.home.blog/2008/10/27/the-princess-rescuing-application-slides/
What activities can be turned into games: https://lostgarden.home.blog/2008/06/14/what-actitivies-can-be-turned-into-games/
Building fun into your software designs: https://lostgarden.home.blog/2006/12/11/building-fun-into-your-software-designs/
Don't make me think: http://www.sensible.com/chapter.html
Layering: https://lostgarden.home.blog/2007/02/04/one-billion-buttons-please-should-we-build-features-for-experts-or-newbies/
Alvaro Victor Cavalcanti says
My head exploded. Thank you so much. 🙂
Jens Alfke says
\"We are taught … that our target user is a shallow dullard. The prototypical users is presented as incapable of reading, barely cognizant of what they desire and are best served by products that offer a least common denominator feature set.\"This is a total straw-man position. Real UI designers (or UI-savvy programmers) don't think that way, and it's kind of insulting to state that they do. That attitude is the one of the stereotypical elitist Unix geek who sneers at concepts like \"usability\" — the sort who calls users \"lusers\". I've definitely known people like that, but none of them were involved with user interfaces, thank god.I support your basic idea, of applying lessons from computer games to applications; but I do think it's ironic that you're starting with an app suite that's long been the poster-child for UI bloat and consequent desperate attempts to fix its usability by means of things like talking paper clips.
@JensTo be clear, I have spent many years in the trenches fighting the battle to get modern usability practices adopted within software teams. I love what how usability design radically improves software and think we should be doing more of it. It is okay for someone who completely buys into usability design techniques to critique it from a position of knowledge. And yes, good designers love users with all their fascinating quirks. So 'idiot' feels wrong. Look at it this way: Idiot/child/new user are all roughly descriptive of the same behavior. Regardless of the terminology, we still treat them like less than they are, much of the time. We've latched onto the fact that the human mind is limited and processes information in very specific ways, especially when looking at an application for the first time. As far as this goes, it is a great start! But it is only a start. What I'm arguing is that there are other stages that the human mind goes through as they experience the app. There are reproducible ways that people acquire new knowledge and explore systems. Just as usability design has a set of tools that work for inexperienced users, there is another set of tools that we should add to our arsenal that helps us train users. As for Microsoft Office: There's nothing ironic about taking one of the hardest design problems around (legacy, massively dense feature set), applying a theoretical solution and then seeing it work. That is called throwing away the crutches and excuses and putting your money where your mouth is. :-)take careDanc.
Great to see you putting your mouth where the money is :)Downloading it now…I can completely see the reason for including game play in serious applications to improve the overall computing experience. I have a hunch though only the largest and most complex applications will be able to afford diverting resource towards this. Microsoft Office being of course the canonical example.
Anal Elf Kid says
Well done Danny boy, this will be HUGE.And for me it's not so much about the GUI and usability of the program rather than encouraging people to find new ways of doing things that they perhaps didn't even knew existed. Office is a HUGE set of applications, I've been using Word since the middle ages but I tend to always use the same things and never really bother with the new stuff or advanced formatting etc. This little game will probably show me lots of things that I've totally missed out and quite certainly improve my workflow.Tutorials are highly integrated in video games, so why not applications? Learning through challenges and achievements = teh win.
Rroc says
I guess there will never be an OpenOffice version?
coquetuille says
Thanks for the update, this looks both innovative and interesting. I remember your earlier writings on this very clearly, and was wondering when somebody were actually going to do some commercially directed attempts at the idea. Great to see how it might apply to such a feature-rich application as Office.For the record, as far as I am concerned, the \"Ribbon\" Office redesign is a fantastic piece of UI work. It is true that Office has previously been something of a black sheep, but I don't think they have anything to be ashamed of anymore.
Travis says
Gave it a go. It was interesting, although frustrating at times. I found myself pressing the 'hint' button a lot. The challenges I played felt like the tutorial mode many games include. Very helpful, and I think it is a great introduction to any piece of software.Does it get more competitive or difficult with further play? If not, it feels less like a game and more like a robust tutorial.
Very cool idea. I won't be trying it because, well, it's Word. But I like the concept.
Jethro Larson says
Now if they'd only make something like this for maya, photoshop or one of the harder applications.I'm reminded of Kathy Sierra. She's made a few posts talking about how the goal shouldn't necessarily be ease of use, but appropriate difficulty.
grey says
Can we has OSX version pls?Prty pls?
tieTYT says
How about another post that explains how you play the game? I want to know how Ribbon Hero works.
Immutablyme says
Hoooo-boy! I too strongly disagree with your comment about treating users as 'shallow dullards'. Put simply, people don't need to think or talk about flipping a light switch. It just needs to function. That's not treating the user like a dummy. That is designing something that just works well.As an aside, the rest of your post is quite interesting. Thank you for your efforts!
Saying that 'people don't need to think or talk about flipping a light switch' is a cop out. A lot of modern designers say \"Easy is easy!\" which is an incredibly lazy way of looking at design. What you need to do is ask *why* flipping a light switch is easy. Flipping a light switch is a preexisting skill that has been learned over years and years of repetition. Just because a lot of people have learned something previously doesn't mean we can ignore the process of learning in our designs. A new user is actually often quite confused by things we consider 'easy'. We assume they have certain skills when they do not. You see this a lot in usability tests. One reaction, which I see a lot, is to focus only on lowest common denominator pre-existing skills. This is what I mean by treating users like dullards. We assume they know only simple things and can never learn more. An alternative philosophy is to start with those LCD skills, but then building learning into your application. How does your design create a scaffolding of more complex skills upon those basic skills to create a masterful user?take careDanc.
Stephane says
I'll echo CNET here: Brilliant!The feature that does it for me is the ability to see which application features are used by people I know or by the population at large. That's basically telling me if I'm missing something useful that most people know about – a big problem in the software learning experience.Because players compete to complete the RH tasks, it would be nice if future versions logged the frequencies with which each user uses a given feature, so I can get a better understanding of why Fred's slides look so much better than mine.I can see so much potential for this! Congrats!Stéphane
dproyer says
Great article! A buddy of mine at a big consulting firm told me that he and his colleagues love the game.I agree with the first poster that the UI design position in this article was a bit of a straw man. Most good application designers realize that users grow/learn and design accordingly. IMO Krug's seminal book is more useful when designing web sites or other applications that are used infrequently.With that said, I love the lens you provided and I sent this around to all of my design & customer assistance colleagues.Best
Eric says
Here are also some games disguised as office applications.http://cantyouseeimbusy.com
Resuna says
How about instead of writing a game to teach people how to use a user interface element that is the poster-child for failed innovation… instead, just getting rid of the abominable thing and spending the time to clean up the menu layout and content so you don't need to play \"ribbon hero\" to learn how to use the program?
Matt Sinderson says
now all we need are some type of achievement system for applications. then people will really get motivated to play the games
Stephen says
I think it's a good idea. I don't know if anyone's realised this but Microsoft Office does a helluva lot.This is like how you get someone to teach you how to drive a car because you aren't born knowing what every button does. You may not be an idiot but you still aren't going to know everything about every function of Office. This is what RibbonHero is for.It really comes down this – stop complaining and let someone teach you something useful for free.
LogicalDash says
Resuna: They already did that, in Word 2007, with the Ribbon. It helped a little. It's easier for most people to browse through the ribbons than the old text-only menus, anyhow. But every user wants Word to do something slightly different, and in order to be The Word Processor, it has to provide for everyone. There's only so usable you can make that.I suppose Microsoft could release a bunch of different editions of Word with user interfaces specialized to particular tasks? Then you'd have to buy a new one every time you need a new type of document.Just make it easy to switch between various, individually simple user interfaces? The Ribbon pretty much does this. And it still has a learning curve, because the user's expectations rarely match just exactly with the designer's. It doesn't matter how good the designer is, they're not precognitive.
Hi Danc,You don't strictly need \"if an activity can be learned\", since this is implied by any activity in which performance can be measured. Any situation with measurable performance implies the possibility of learning by definition.\"…you can turn tasks traditionally seen as a rote or frustrating into compelling experiences that users find delightful.\"Also, the word \"some\" is missing from this claim – \"that some users will find delightful\". You will not reach every player with a reward schedule.All the best!
sky and focus says
Ultimately, what this also says is that the benefits go both ways.Games are (by their nature) learning systems. It is clear we can use games to improve learning systems. Conversely, entertainment games can also be better designed through application of our understanding of learning strategies.I'd suggest that indie designers would gain much from getting into authors such as Bruner, Vygotsky, Piaget and Papert, and ideas like constructionist pedagogies and spiral curricula.The models of learning these authors describe can help with building the kinds of rhythmic, balanced skills learning experiences that most games are. I use them in my own curricula to alert game designers to methods for better analysing game design problems.Cheers for the efforts Danc! (As a former usability designer, now game lecturing…)
j says
Any UI that requires a game to acquire a skill set, is a UI designed for folks who never had the skill set in the first place.On the other hand, modifications to a UI that don't require a learning curve, for those already owning a skill set, and who are functionally advanced, are useful modifications. This is particularly true if the learning costs time/money, or if the functionality of the new UI, for those skilled users, is equal to or worse than the old UI [i.e., why bother with a new UI if it is no better than the old one, in terms of functionality….]
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Austrian banks may be sitting on a €2.6 Trillion off balance sheet derivatives time bomb and the central bank does not know how much risk is involved in these trades.
Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB) governor Ewald Nowotny said in a live chat of Austrian daily "Der Standard", he could not provide a material ad hoc figure for the actual net risk of these trades.
According to a (German language only) press release from last Thursday off balance sheet derivatives volume grew a stunning 13% to a record volume of €2.586 Trillion at the end of H2 2010 in Austria. This is roughly 2.5 times as much as the nationwide balance sum of all banks which stood barely unchanged at €1.037 Trillion in the same period.
It also has to be noted that this growth comes at a time of global de-leveraging and may indicate that Austrian banks try to make up for loan losses in Central Eastern Europe with bets on interest rates and currencies.
80% of derivatives are hedges/bets on interest rates and 20% are currency and gold derivatives.
As a side note: It is interesting to see that the OeNB considers gold a currency, after German authorities had said otherwise earlier in a rather idiotic move.
According to industry insiders the actual risk after netting out short and long contracts may lie somewhere between 5% and 10% or €125 billion to €250 billion. In comparison Austria's GDP came in at €274 billion in 2009.
Nowotny said he hoped that the EU would realize a central clearing institution for derivatives as soon as possible.
This may take a few years, though. Although the EU has been talking about stricter derivative regulation, not a single step of action has been taken since the onset of the crisis more than 3 years ago.
This may originate in the common fear - one of the last things uniting Europe these days - that all European banks would suffer heavily if they were to bring OTC derivatives on their balance sheets. This is a safe speculation.


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Civilians flee Kherson after Russian strikes on the liberated city
Hundreds of civilians fled Kherson today, fleeing constant Russian shelling just weeks after the Ukrainian army took over the city.
The line of trucks, vans and cars with trailers starting to leave the city was a kilometer or more long.
Although happy that their city has been returned, the residents have to leave it because the shelling by Russian forces continues for days.
The emergency project coordinator for the humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières in Ukraine, Emily Forey, said the evacuation of 400 patients from a psychiatric hospital in Kherson began on Thursday and is expected to continue.
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Charlize Ruiz- November
Art Form- Music
Grade- 11th
Written by: Angelica Reyes
The Echo: What inspired you to make music?
Charlize R.: I loved the feeling I got when I listened to music. It gives me this warm feeling of comfort whenever I'm feeling a strong emotion. For example, if I'm feeling jubilant I'll listen to a happy album and if I'm upset I'll listen to slower more emotional songs and it gives me a sense of comfort and escape. I wanted people to feel that same way. I want people to hear the music I make and feel something spectacular. I was also surrounded by music, my dad used to be a DJ and my mom went to music school at LaGuardia. Plus, we're Puerto Rican so we LOVE music.
TE: How would you describe your music?
CR: I usually touch on more personal themes like friendships, love, loss, etc. I definitely have more of a pop/indie ballad vibe. I would also say my sound is a mixture of old Demi Lovato and old Panic! at the Disco.
TE: Do you write and produce your music yourself?
CR: Yeah! Nothing that's performance ready but I've come up with a few verses and even a few musical arrangments on my own that I keep written down for when I am ready to make full original songs.
TE: Do you play any instruments?
CR: Yes, I play clarinet in band, and I'm getting better at the ukulele and the piano.
TE: How long have you been making music?
CR: About 3 years, I've had my keyboard for as long I can remember but I am recently getting around using it much more.
TE: How would you describe your creative process?
CR: It usually starts with me just messing around with my ukulele or keyboard and I just start writing it down. I usually figure out the lyrics later. Once I get the tune on my ukulele the strumming pattern comes naturally. Since I'm still a little rusty on my keyboard, I use a website called Jamstudio to help out with instrumentals.
TE: Lastly, do you have any future plans to pursue music?
CE: Yeah! I plan to go to FSU and major in music production and then continue school in New York to pursue a career, possibly even become a choir director.
Charlize also performed at the Steinbrenner Talent Show, where she sang a cover of "Jar of Hearts". Getting to know her has been a pleasure with her infectious personality and a strong passion for music that seems to shine through her. I hope to get to see more of her at upcoming performance events.
All photos taken by Lexi Velte


Abstract: This paper sets out to ascertain the performance of alternative monetary policy instruments in setting monetary policy reaction function in Nigeria and, in the process identify whether setting monetary policy reaction function using the interest rate as the policy instrument is superior to setting monetary policy reaction function using the money growth rate as the policy instrument in Nigeria. To achieve this objective, the performance of the alternative specifications in setting monetary policy reaction function is considered following three types of shocks the economy is historically susceptible to for comparative purpose. This is done using a calibrated small open-economy New Keynesian Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) model of the Nigerian Economy. Within this framework, the alternative specifications are ranked based on the results of social welfare loss. The study shows that 1.3279 is the minimum welfare loss result of setting monetary policy reaction function using the interest rate as the policy instrument, compared with 1.02 minimum welfare loss result of setting monetary policy reaction function using the money growth rate as the policy instrument. The paper concludes that using the money growth rate option is welfare superior to using the interest rate option in Nigeria. Therefore, the result suggests that Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should consider using money growth rate in setting monetary policy reaction function, which is consistent with anti-inflationary policies.
For over a decade the central bank of Nigeria transited to indirect instruments in the conduct of monetary policy (2). The principal instrument used by the CBN in setting monetary policy reaction function is the Monetary Policy Rate (interest rate)(1, 3) The Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) serves as the nominal anchor that aimed at influencing the short-term overnight interest rates in the money market.
When assessing the ability of monetary policy framework to hit the announced targeted inflation rate consistently and in the process aid in reducing the output gap, then it becomes important to identify the right policy instrument to be used in setting the monetary policy reaction function (2).


Software development requires the input of development and operation teams in equal measure. While the development teams write code, the operation teams place their focus on risk mitigation while deploying the software in a production environment. Often, these two work independently of each other resulting in a painstakingly slow software development process coupled with the lack of ownership of the end-product by either. It is this link of realization of the silo (a management system that is closed off from other networks in the same organization making it incapable to work effectively with others) emergence within software development companies that the need to have DevOps has arisen.
DevOps involve a cultural shift in which a movement resulting from the collaboration of Development and Operation teams works throughout the entire software delivery process to achieve customer satisfaction. The con of lack of ownership of the end-product's success and failures by either is mitigated as the development team is able to take ownership of the code from production while the operations team develops automation to build and test the system much faster. This has, in turn, created a happier and more productive team resulting in better and more products.
The success of DevOps depends on the availability of a shared and automated toolchain to run across the software delivery process to achieve cohesion between the parties involved. As a manager of such seeking to get the most out of, common goals have to be set so that the two groups can have similar priorities while focusing on delivery of particular software. The differences in priorities for each team are what primarily caused the dysfunction in the first place. The development of common goals drives the focus of the team and aids in dropping silos that tend to encourage individuality in the delivery process. Organization support is also required of the manager of a DevOps team to ensure that code distribution is running efficiently and fast while still shielding the members of the team from burnouts and also ensuring they are provided with the tools necessary to succeed.
Communication needs to be handled very delicately as it is a make or breaks pointer in the achievement of the success of DevOps. Therefore, it is necessary to have open lines of communication between all levels of the delivery process so that everyone has all the relevant and latest information. Moreover, the process allows them to make informed decisions when it comes to initiating their part of the process. Most important, post-mortem analysis also falls under the wing of proper communication as the teams will be able to learn equally from mistakes and wins encountered in the delivery process.
DevOps are definitely the way to go for a more efficient software delivery system. In addition to allowing more frequent releases of software, it also provides for the provision of quick fixes to bugs bothering clients. Above all, however, a change in mindset ought to be primarily sought to have an effective establishment of the DevOps system.


With breaking hearts we tell you that our brother, friend, drummer and founding member, Pat, passed away Wednesday, February 7 from complications of Parkinson's disease. Family, band and management request privacy at this very difficult time. Services are pending.


Rosemary Jones interviews Pacific Northwest Ballet corps member Joshua Grant about his participation in Seattle Dance Project's Program 7, May 2-4, 2014 at the Broadway Performance Hall in Seattle.
Rosemary Jones reports on the departure of artistic director Tim Lynch for a position as director of the school of BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio.
In the Seattle Times, Moira Macdonald reviews the Friday, May 2, 2014 performance at Broadway Auditorium.
Ciara McCormack reviews the Friday, May 2, 2014 performance for Seattle Dances.
I remember when crowds were jamming to get into Seattle Dance Project's early shows downtown at ACT and now, at the apparent conclusion of its life's run, a little sad that not more seats were filled for opening night at what's become the venerable Broadway Performance Hall, on the cusp of Seattle's funky yet quickly becoming up-scale Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Led for the past couple of seasons by co-founding director Timothy Lynch, Seattle Dance Project has, for the most part, seen a relatively high level of choreography, concepts, and a wonderful level of execution by some of the area's best dance artists.
While the dancing was still at the level we've come to want and expect, the three dances presented were not, being weak on the development side of their ideas – in addition to being textured on the gloomy side. Strongest was Wade Madsen's group work, "Want" which utilized not only dancers currently active on the performance scene but, in a very neat turn, culled a dozen of many of the areas most recent generation of dancers from those who had well known careers in the ballet to someone whose mark has been in tap dance. About two-thirds of the way through the pieces, these came out and were given essentially "gestural" movement motifs. It was great to see these cultural icons integrated into a contemporary work. Too often with dancers it's all or nothing and I wish we had the Seattle equivalent of NDT III whose membership was made up of those aged 50 and up – and who looked great in the repertoire they were given.
The program opened with "Dessa Suites" by Amy O'Neal which featured Lynch and Chris Montoya with interesting use of lighting by Meg Fox – where the instruments themselves were lowered to various heights to create a set under which the dancers worked. In suits, the men reached and extended themselves, occasionally interacting/partnering each other.
"The Leaves Have Fallen" featured another male duet, this time with Ezra Dickinson and choreographer Iyun Ashani Harrison that was interesting while it happened but ultimately proved to be not memorable.


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First Years Experience Life After FYOP
Behind the Scenes of Post-FYOP
Article by 26613 OCdt (I) Kyra Smith
Photos by 25366 Mike Shewfelt
The wind is brisk, the lake is chilly and midterms have arrived. It's about that time the First Years are finally settling in, and trying desperately to catch up in their classes now that FYOP, the First Year Orientation Period, is over. With the sudden freedom and change in the school's atmosphere, what is life like now for the First Years? No one yelling at them and walking them around like a herd of sheep, just them on their own. Many might think the excitement has gone. It left with FYOP… but did it? I've talked to a few first years, and gotten the inside scoop from different vantage points.
"Even though FYOP is over, we still see our staff regularly, and they are very supportive and friendly yet continue to maintain professionalism. I've joined Highland dancing, but unfortunately I'm stuck in SPT, so I don't always get to go. I'm a little behind in my classes, but it shouldn't be too hard to catch up. I'm passing most of them. Even with FYOP being over, there is still a ton of opportunities for us to have fun and get involved. I like RMC, I'm just having anxiety about school, but it's nice to finally be able to organize my own time." – 26621 OCdt (I) Sarah Kelly, Warrior Flight
The FYOP staff are students as well as section leaders, so they have double responsibilities, but somehow they manage to fit in time for their First Years. Even with FYOP being over, you still hear and see the staff taking out their First Years for PT, or running their own tutorials for those who are struggling.
"One really nice thing that I found was that after First Year Fun Night my staff came around to all of our rooms to make sure everyone was okay. I thought that was awesome, they even took care of people that were not feeling the best. They are also really helpful with lending a hand with school stuff and any questions we have. It is super funny to hear their perspective of FYOP, now that it's over. Also, they made us call them on Reunion Weekend at 11 to let them know we were okay, which is kind of funny but it shows that they are still trying to look out for us." – 26616 OCdt (I) Savannah LeBlanc, Papa Flight
"Our staff's role has changed after FYOP. Now we're responsible for making our own timings, paperwork etc., but they're still around. My flight has been held to some pretty high inspection standards, so it's pretty clear the staff don't disappear after FYOP, even though things are a lot more relaxed." – 26586 OCdt (I) Kiernan Broda-Milian, Whiskey Flight
"The staff are actually a lot of fun. We only saw a few glimpses of the real people underneath that FYOP staff mask over the course of FYOP, but now they are like that all the time. They still talk to us and hang out with us. We are constantly asking them questions, and they are still doing their job." – 26684 OCdt (I) Marisa Warner, Savage Flight
"We definitely have more freedom compared to FYOP, but our staff are still expecting a healthy standard of performance from us. Our relationship with the staff is more relaxed which allows us to interact with them more freely, but we still maintain a level of respect and courtesy which is beneficial for the command structure." – 26685 OCdt (I) Graham Mater, Whiskey Flight
With all the freedom now at our doorsteps, there are so many clubs available to join. Some First Years have gone all out and joined as many as they could, while others have been focusing on their studies.
"RMC just opened up for me after FYOP; suddenly we have time to see what this school has to offer. During FYOP there were a few presentations for clubs and the like, and that's when I was presented with the Sandhurst team. It looked like the hardest activity at the college and that's what drew me to it, now I'm training with 27 people all hoping to get one of the team's 9 openings in January."- 26586 OCdt (I) Kiernan Broda-Milian, Whiskey Flight
"I am on the varsity fencing team, brass and reed band, scuba diving club, skydiving club, drama, and choir. Varsity is what I like the most about RMC. Now that I am not on FYOP I get to bond with the team better because we get to have dinner with them now. FYOP taught me to be more efficient but I definitely have more time for myself now that it is over since my studying time is never interrupted by FYOP related activities. I do agree that this training has taught me that I can be more efficient." – 26629 OCdt (I) Rafaella Leitao, Romeo Flight
"At the moment I am competing on the RMC competitive running team and training with one of the Sandhurst intramural teams. Both of these activities are extremely motivating and I look forward to practices every week. These clubs are great way to relax and socialize with like-minded Cadets while doing something I enjoy and building my fitness and skill set." – 26685 OCdt (I) Graham Mater, Whiskey Flight
The first few weeks of RMC are lightning fast; everyone is moving at 300 km/hr. There never seems to be enough time in a day to get everything done. So naturally, many first years, as well as FYOP staff, are suffering in their academics. Going from the speed of sound to walking pace overnight can really hit hard, and it shows through midterms.
"Honestly, I am pretty behind in school because of FYOP which is really stressful for midterms. It's different now in the sense that I can manage my own studying time and get the rest I need without having people yell at me for napping in my room." – 26629 OCdt (I) Rafaella Leitao, Romeo Flight
"Completing FYOP was a huge relief. It feels so good to officially be a member of the Cadet Wing. At the moment, school is the biggest challenge. Now that FYOP is over, there is a pressure to do more than just "get by" and trying to get back on track is proving pretty tough. Midterms seemed to come up pretty quickly, but once they finish it will give me an opportunity to relax, regroup, and come back stronger for the second term." – 26685 OCdt (I) Graham Mater, Whiskey Flight
All throughout FYOP, First Years were stuck in barracks with the same dozen or so people. They were forced to work as a team and participate in events with these same people. After 5 weeks of living so close to the same flight-mates, you eventually become a family. Now that it's no longer forced, are the First Year flights still close?
"Even though we aren't forced to, we still hang out with members of our flight and our squadron is incredibly supportive. We get lots of help from everyone around here. Sometimes, the people in our squadron go out and when they come back they bring us food. Like I said, everyone is overall pretty supportive and helpful. You never feel like you are alone." – 26629 OCdt (I) Rafaella Leitao, Romeo Flight
"Life after FYOP is actually more different then I thought it would be. We definitely have a lot more freedom. The Flight is still really close. We are constantly doing homework and studying together or just hanging out in the hall." – 26684 OCdt (I) Marisa Warner, Savage Flight
"One thing FYOP did well was bond my flight together. We've become a little more fragmented since FYOP ended, but there are a lot of close friendships in the group. FYOP forced us to work together and it's stuck with everyone." – 26586 OCdt (I) Kiernan Broda-Milian, Whiskey Flight
"The dynamics within my flight are extremely positive. Everyone is still social and supportive, and we are all still working together for the benefit of the flight as opposed to adopting an individualistic mentality which is really great." – 26685 OCdt (I) Graham Mater, Whiskey Flight
Five weeks of FYOP was meant to bring us together, to make us a team. We know each other inside and out, and each flight is its own family. Weeks after FYOP ended, and even though there are no more 3 minutes timings, or rush down the stairs to make it to the next FYOP event, there still seems to be enough to keep the first years busy. Life after FYOP is free, but with this freedom we've been given, we must now take initiative to complete tasks on our own time, and continue to maintain the standards we set in FYOP. So does that really mean life after FYOP is easier? No, it's just different, a whole new challenge for the first years to overcome.
"FYOP was definitely exciting, but now that I have the freedom to explore opportunities within the College I am very excited for the future. There are so many ways to spend your time and improve yourself. The only challenge will be finding a balance between work, play, and everything in between." – 26685 OCdt (I) Graham Mater, Whiskey Flight
"To be honest, I really do love being here at the school. I can't imagine going to school anywhere else. No regrets." – 26684 OCdt (I) Marisa Warner, Savage Flight
The Week That Was...
Expedition Club Leadership Series: OCdt Stacey Cusan


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The Rosewood Holiday Market features suppliers from the Columbia region
By Sammy Edwards Last updated Nov 28, 2021
After Small Business Saturday, Columbia vendors continued the momentum of local Christmas shopping at a small market outside The Well Co. and Café.
COLUMBIA, SC – Small Business Saturday this weekend was a great opportunity to support the local community, but business owners are reminding people to shop small over the holidays.
Small business support continued on Sunday at a Rosewood holiday market hosted by The Well Co. and Cafe.
Local vendors, local music, local food and coffee all came together on Sunday to highlight small businesses and continue the momentum of local Christmas shopping.
"Before COVID-19, we would do this every month," said co-owner Hannah Gorman. "We would have different markets, but obviously we weren't able to do this because of COVID."
The local market returned for the first time in 6 months and included 14 vendors.
"I think Rosewood is growing and is often overlooked," said Gorman, "but we are thriving, we have new developments across the street."
Speaking of new, Ella Kline from Colombia started her jewelry business in October. On Sunday she presented her colorful jewelry on a table.
"I knew it was something I'd always wanted to do, I really love making jewelry, so we moved here a few months ago and started doing it," Kline told News19.
RELATED: Small Business Saturday Welcomes on Devine Street
With a new company and community, she saw the vacation market as the perfect way to introduce herself.
"It was great," said Kline. "I started out on Instagram and just tried to do a few things like this to get my name out there."
Gorman added that the Christmas market not only brought the community together, but also helped boost the local economy.
"Whenever we support small businesses, we support our local economy as opposed to a large company where the money goes where it is headquartered," said Gorman.
No matter what time of year or holiday, local shops will remind you to do some small shopping.
RELATED: South Carolina Sheriff Warns of New Scams affecting residents
Rand Paul blasts Fauci: 'Astounding and alarming' to declare 'I represent science'
British impact tech startups will raise $ 2 billion in 2021, totaling $ 50 billion


These are the New RXO VAPES for oils and concentrates. RXO VAPES are sleek and compact in design. Each RXO VAPE comes with 2 oil tight mouth pieces and a hands-free magnetic charger. RXO VAPES have 4 temperature settings from 270°, 320°, 370°, 420° and produces plenty of vapor.
This device contains No Nicotine, No Tobacco and is only for aromatherapy use! Must ben18 years or older to purchase.
Due to the nature of this product, returns will only be accepted if the product has not been used and is in it's original packaging.


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Q: Converting Byte to SByte I'm reading bytes from a serial port, but I need to convert them to signed, 8-bit integers (SByte). Unfortunately, the overflow checking in Visual Basic prevents a Byte value of 255 from becoming -1 in an SByte. So, essentially, I want to do the following:
uint8_t a = 255;
int8_t b = (int8_t)a;    // b == -1

How can I do this in Visual Basic?

A: I can do this manually in Visual Basic using IIf as follows:
Dim a as Byte = 255
Dim b as SByte = IIf(a < 128, a, a - 256)

A: VB doesn't seem like the best option for wrangling bits. Maybe you could have a separate assembly in C# for this, where you could just do :
byte b = 255;
sbyte sb = (sbyte) b;

(runtime operations are unchecked by default in C#)
Or, you could turn off overflow checking at the VB project level.
Project properties-> Compile-> Advanced Compiler Option-> [X] Remove integer overflow checks
And now, you just need to cast! No arithmetic!
Dim b As Byte = 255
Dim sb As SByte = CSByte(b)


Reading, PA –Reading Public Library will join NASA and other organizations in celebrating the "Celestial Event of the Century," the August 21, 2017 Solar Eclipse. The library will host a solar eclipse party on August 21 from 1 to 3 pm on the DoubleTree parking garage rooftop, 701 Penn Street, Reading. Complimentary solar eclipse glasses will be available for safe viewing for all participants as well as other activities. This event is open to the public with a $1 donation. Library card holders enter for free. Bring your lunch or buy it from one of the food vendors set up at the flat lot in the 600 block of Penn Street.
RPL has joined more than 1,000 libraries across the country to participate in this rare celestial event. During this national event, the shadow of the moon will sweep across the United States in a narrow band from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean in a spectacle that hasn't occurred in decades. In fact, the last total solar eclipse for the United States was nearly 40 years ago. The rest of the U.S. and North America, including Reading, PA will see a partial eclipse, with the Moon covering up only part of the Sun. It is aptly named the Great American Eclipse.
Reading Public Library has partnered with the City of Reading, Reading Parking Authority, the Downtown Improvement District, and other organizations in the community to help prepare for this amazing astronomy event. People of all ages and backgrounds will find the solar eclipse to be an experience they will remember the rest of their lives.
The STAR Library Education Network (STAR_Net) and its [email protected] My Library initiative are providing resources and STEM activities to libraries across the nation related to the eclipse. Partners include NASA, the American Library Association, and many other organizations. This project was made possible through support from the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Google, and the National Science Foundation.


There are around 7 billion people on the planet, 2.31 Billion people use Social Media and 1.86 Billion people use Facebook alone. Every business from a sole trader to a multi national conglomerate needs to be active on social media in this day and age, this allows businesses who struggle for time or are not great users of social technology a chance to compete with their rivals on social platforms.
Interested in getting a stronger presence on Social Media?
Steve from Paper Voice has been a member of our chapter since 2011 and has always been active in promotion of BNI Cookson on multiple platforms of Social Media, he now runs the social media for the entire region.
We have no doubt that our chapter would be half as successful without Paper Voice's input.


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Dozens of Somali Extremists Kill 48 in Terror Attack on Kenya Town
In this Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011 file photo, hundreds of newly trained al-Shabab fighters perform military exercises in the Lafofe area some 18 kilometers (11 miles) south of Mogadishu, in Somalia. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh, File)
Dozens of Somali extremists wielding automatic weapons attacked a small Kenyan coastal town for hours, assaulting the police station, setting two hotels on fire, and spraying bullets into the street. At least 48 people were killed, officials said Monday.
The assault began around 8 p.m. local time on Sunday night as town residents were watching World Cup matches on TV. The attack met little resistance from the country's security apparatus, and lasted until early Monday morning.
Authorities blamed al-Shabab, Somalia's al-Qaida-linked terror group.
Kenya's top police commander, David Kimaiyo, said the death toll was 48. Another police commander said that as residents were watching the World Cup at the Breeze View Hotel, the gunmen pulled the men aside and ordered the women to watch as they killed them. The attackers told the women that that's what Kenyan troops are doing to Somalia men inside Somalia. The police commander insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to share that detail of the attack.
A police spokeswoman said authorities believe that several dozen attackers took part.
The assault occurred in the town of Mpeketoni, which is about 30 miles (20 kilometers) southwest of the tourist center of Lamu. Any tourism in Mpeketoni is mostly local, with few foreigners visiting the region. The town is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the Somali border. Mpeketoni is about 360 miles (600 kilometers) from the capital, Nairobi.
Kenya has experienced a wave of gunfire and explosive attacks in recent months. The U.S., U.K., France, Australia, and Canada have all recently upgraded their terror threat warnings for the country. U.S. Marines behind sandbag bunkers are now stationed on the roof of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.
The Interior Ministry said that at about 8 p.m. Sunday two minivans entered the town. Militants disembarked and began shooting. Kenya's National Disaster Operations Center said military surveillance planes were launched shortly afterward.
The nearby town of Lamu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the country's oldest continually inhabited town. The region saw a spate of kidnappings of foreign tourists in 2011 that Kenya said was part of its motivation for attacking Somalia. Since those attacks and subsequent terror warnings tourism has dropped off sharply around Lamu.
Al-Shabab has vowed to carry out terror attacks to avenge the Kenyan military presence in Somali. At least 67 people were killed in September when four al-Shabab gunmen attacked an upscale mall in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Kenya sent it troops to Somalia in October 2011.
SOURCE: TOM ODULA
Eye on Africa
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