American Idol alum Phillip Phillips is making this holiday season extra special. He announced on his Facebook page the day after Christmas that he and his long-term girlfriend, Hannah Blackwell, are engaged.
For her part, Blackwell spread the news on her Instagram page, gushing about her new fiancé. The photo showed her hand, dressed up with a large diamond ring, next to a Christmas tree ornament with a childhood picture dated 1995.
Phillips won American Idol Season 11 in 2012. Phillips and Blackwell met long before his Idol success. When Phillips, now 24, was 18, he met his future bride while both were volunteering at a women and children's center. Blackwell is a nursing student.
Phillips is due to start touring Canada and South Africa on January 30. That will be just a few short weeks after the January 7 debut of the new American Idol season. Idol is doing things a bit differently this year, including a new face in the mentor chair and an unprecedented preview of the top 24 before the season has even begun.
American Idol released a YouTube video of the top 24 singing an ensemble version of "Feeling Good," with their faces in shadow to mask their identities — but not their voices. Long-time host Ryan Seacrest introduces the clip, which you can watch below.
While the judges panel will remain the same for Season 14 as it was for Season 13 — Harry Connick, Jr., Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban are all returning — this year will be the first ever without Randy Jackson. Jackson served as judge through the panel's many incarnations, and last season was mentor to the contestants. Scott Borchetta will be fulfilling that role for Season 14.
The show will also go from two nights down to one, combining its performances and results.
Urban revealed that the audition process was slightly different this year. Once the top 48 were chosen, they were tasked with a live performance at the House of Blues. Taste of Country quoted Urban's assessment of how important this new element was to find the best performers for the show.
American Idol airs on Fox. The two-night premiere begins on Wednesday, January 8.


First there are challenges to test your commitment.
Then you need a camera, so we'll begin with considerations in selecting a camera. Other equipment might help, so that appears next.
Once you have a camera, you need to find birds.
And then, once you find birds — finally — you can take photos. To help, you'll find both basic and advanced tips.
Taking photos of birds is challenging. Here are three big obstacles that you have to overcome.
Birds spend most of their time inside trees or under shrubs. They do this because it's safer.
Fact: No bird wakes up planning to sit on an exposed branch posing for photos.
The bird is a Wilson's Warbler, Male.
Since it's bright yellow, it's easier to find than brown birds that hide in shadows.
Birds are living creatures who spend their time working on bird chores, such as finding food, preening feathers, and finding food.
As a result, birds move. Constantly. When they move, they go out of focus or they leave the frame.
Then the photo is ruined, unless you know people who enjoy seeing blurry pictures of birds.
The bird is a female House Finch, leaving a Fig Tree.
Contrary to popular cartoons, birds avoid people.
They do this because anything that's large and moves could be a predator – yes, this includes you.
The bird is a Spotted Sandpiper. We know that obstacles exist to test our commitment.
So if you're still interested in taking photos of birds, let's continue.
And if you just want to see photos of birds, welcome.
Any camera will do. The difference is: Some cameras do a better job than others.
There are three features that matter in bird photography. Here's what to consider.
Telephoto Lens: Larger focal lengths put you closer to the subject.
Selecting a focal length depends upon two things: 1) The size of the bird that you want to photograph, and 2) How much you want to spend.
If you want to take photos of large birds, such as geese in parks, you can use any camera with any lens. If, however, you want to take photos of small birds, you will need a telephoto lens.
The Canada Goose was about 6 feet (2-m) away when I took its photo with a Canon SX-30 (a point and shoot camera) with a 136 mm lens. The Bushtit, which is about 4.5-in long (11-cm), was about 35 feet (10-m) away when I took its photo with a Canon 7D and a Canon 500 mm f/4 lens plus a 1.4X Extender.
I recommend buying as large a telephoto lens as possible because this will enable you to take photos of birds from farther away.
Frame Rate: Some cameras will take bursts of photos. A higher frame rate is better because it allows more photos in a sequence.
This is useful because you can blanket the bird with a sequence of photos, hoping to take one worth keeping. Since most birds are constantly moving (as you'll see in the video below), it's almost impossible to press the shutter fast enough to catch the best pose.
Camera Response: This is a measure of how quickly the camera focuses and makes adjustments when taking a photo.
Faster is better because sometimes a bird stays in place for only seconds. So a camera with a slow response will miss taking some photos. The bird will be gone before the camera can focus on it.
This happens even with my professional system. I've seen birds fly away during the seconds that it took my lens to focus on them.
Here are four cameras that offer an excellent combination of key features – large telephoto lenses, reasonable frame rates, and acceptable response – at reasonable prices.
If you want better performance than offered by these cameras, you'll need to consider DSLRs.
Note: I used a Canon SX30 for some of the photos in this article because I wanted to show what can be done with a point-and-shoot camera. Otherwise, I used a Canon 7D.
A high frame rate will also help you take better photos of other fast moving critters, such as athletes, pets, and children. Although a challenge, these creatures are easier to photograph than birds because they seldom fly away.
This is the system that I used to take most of the photos in this article.
And some were taken with the Canon SX-30, mentioned above.
– Canon 100-400 mm lens, often set at 400 mm.
– Canon 500 mm f/4 lens (Most of the photos).
If you plan to spend a significant amount of time outside, you might consider the following outdoor clothes. Most likely you already own these things.
Sun Hat: A sun hat will shade your eyes so that you can see more effectively.
I recommend a hat with a wide brim to protect your face, neck, and ears from sun exposure.
Bird Friendly Shirt: Some birds are frightened by white (i.e., they fly away). So it's a good idea to wear other colors, especially greens, browns, and blues.
I wear a green plaid shirt because then I look like a bird watcher / bird photographer.
Here are two more things that help with bird photography.
Tripod: A tripod will keep your camera steady, which leads to sharper photos.
If you're buying a tripod for a point-and-shoot camera, I recommend considering one that is small and lightweight.
If you have a DSLR and a large lens, you will need a sturdy tripod to support the weight.
Binoculars: Binoculars help you find and identify birds that are far away. They're also useful because you can look through a tangle of branches, one visual slice at a time, by changing the focus.
I've found that these help significantly when taking photos of birds.
Nature follows its own schedule. So it's best to let nature do what it wants.
Certainly there are things that we can do to increase our chances of finding birds, which appear below. And yet, in order to enjoy bird photography, we need to be patient.
Sometimes I've waited hours for a bird to appear or do something interesting.
Other times, a bird appeared as soon as I arrived and then perched on a perfect spot in a perfect pose.
Notice, for example, that the Great Blue Heron is standing on a turtle.
By this I mean, letting yourself become part of nature.
If you stay quiet and still, nature will come to you.
I can report that I've had Red-winged Blackbirds walk under my tripod while I waited. I've had birds fly past so close they had to change course to avoid hitting me. I've had birds land on branches less than an arm's reach away.
And then there are other benefits. You'll collect priceless memories of having seen or heard something incredible.
I've seen two Common Ravens rub their bills together. I've seen a Green Heron take its first (maybe second) flight. I've heard a bird fly.
Movement: The easiest way to find birds is to see them in flight, paying attention to where they land. Also watch for activity in trees and shrubs.
Color: Look for uncommon colors, such as yellow or red inside a tree.
Shape: Look for bird silhouettes among branches and leaves.
Songs: Listen for bird calls and songs. If possible, learn to recognize the sounds made by common birds in your area. Some Audubon chapters offer classes on birds sounds.
Sounds: Listen for rustling leaves (Sparrows and Towhees forage in leaf litter), hammering (Woodpeckers excavate holes for nests or seek bugs), and uncommon silence (Hawks scare everybody).
Patterns: Some birds have routines. For example, a Black Phoebe (shown in the photo) will favor a few branches. It will perch on one, swoop down to catch a bug, and then fly (generally) back to the first branch or one of its other favorites. A brief observation will reveal its pattern. Then you can wait near one these branches for it to return. Or if you visit the same place many times, you can begin by looking for this bird on its favorite branches.
Another way to find birds is to learn their habits. Since birds need to eat, look for birds near the food that they like.
Birds also need water to drink and bathe. Wait by a shallow stream or puddle for birds to arrive. Learn about the habits of birds by consulting bird field guides for the birds in your area.
The photo shows a Black-throated Gray Warbler, about to enter a stream.
These basic tips will help avoid a surprise (i.e., disappointment) when you return home.
Bring a fully Charged (or fresh) Battery: It's also a good idea to bring an extra battery.
Bring an empty memory card: Ideally, download the photos from your last outing. Then format the card. And, if possible, bring an extra card or two or three.
Clean the lens: Pros check and clean the lens on their camera every time before they take photos.
Thus, check your camera before you leave.
Set your camera: Most likely your camera will have the settings that you used the last time that you took photos. It might also have other settings because someone else used your camera. Or it's possible that the settings changed during transit – such as, when you put it inside a camera bag.
Make sure these settings are appropriate for the type of photos that you plan to take. This is described in the next paragraph.
I recommend the following settings.
High ISO: Use as high an ISO as reasonable for your camera.
Take a few photos to test different ISO settings, looking for the onset of noise.
I use ISO = 500 for most bright light bird photography. And I use ISO as high as 1,000 for photographing flying birds.
Aperture Priority: First set the camera for Aperture Priority and then choose the largest aperture (most open) setting for the lens.
This will give you the fasted shutter speed possible for your lens, which helps capture moving birds at large focal lengths.
I use f/5.6 for most bird photography. Sometimes when the light is bright and the bird is sitting still, I'll use f/6.3.
Maximum Frame Rate: If your camera has this feature, use the highest rate available.
I use 8 frames/ sec.
If possible, apply the following techniques when taking photos of birds.
Birds appear more colorful when photographed in full, direct light. So stand with the sun behind you.
As soon as you find a bird, stop and take a photo.
Then advance slowly, taking more photos with every step (or two).
Birds have outstanding vision and they react (as in fly away) when they notice movement. So that first photo may be the only one you'll be able to take.
Ideally, you want to advance so slowly that the bird does not perceive your movement. Imagine that you want to lose a race with a glacier.
Here's an example of these two points in the sequence below.
This was my first photo using a Canon SX30 (point-and-shoot) camera.
Now it's possible to tell that this is an American Kestrel.
The bird flew away when I took another step.
Here's a possible cropping for this photo.
The point is: You can do this.
All of these photos were taken with a point-and-shoot camera while walking through the Fullerton Arboretum.
No tripod. No expensive equipment. Just an ordinary camera.
These photos were taken at a local park, while walking with a Canon SX30.
Two things help here. The Ring-billed Gull is a larger bird and it's somewhat accustomed to people.
First take a photo. Because any photo is better than no photo!
Take a few steps. Then crouch down to be at the bird's level.
Notice how easy this is? And notice how much better the photo looks when you are at the bird's level.
You know it's over when the bird leaves.
The Eye Must Be in Focus! Birds blink. They doze. Thus it's useful to blanket the bird with a sequence of photos.
Always put your camera's focus on the bird's eye. We make eye contact with other living things. So the eye is the most important part of the photo.
Consider this: You're not taking photos of birds. You're taking photos of eyes.
Compose to leave space in front of the bird. This creates a sense of freedom or movement. The bird is a Mallard chick.
Adjust where you stand so that the bird appears on a clear background. Notice the difference in the two photos. I simply took a few steps to the side to avoid having a branch appear behind the bird's head.
If you're unable to move close enough to take a photo of one bird, take a photo of a group. Here's a group of American Avocets taking a nap.
Large birds generally take off into the wind. So stand with the wind AND the sun at your back. Then wait for a bird to take off. Since it's flying into the wind, it will move slower, giving you more time to focus.
If possible, take a test photo of the place where you expect to find a bird. Then check this photo in the LCD screen on your camera. Does it look like what you want?
Next check the histogram for the photo. See the examples below for a guide on making adjustments. Then adjust the exposure compensation as needed for optimum exposure.
Note: The control for exposure compensation will have a +/- symbol on your camera.
If the edges of the histogram appear inside the range, the exposure is okay. Ideally, the histogram should pinch out at each side as shown in the top photo.
If the historgram is pushed to one side, adjust the exposure compensation to move it into the center of the range.
If this is impossible, then set the right end (with the light tones) so that it touches the right edge. While this may lose some data for the dark tones (on the left side), the light tones contain more data and are visually more important.
It can be difficult to focus on a small bird.
Instead, focus on something large, such as the tree where the bird has perched. Then move the camera to compose, putting the final focus on the bird.
Sometimes you can give yourself an assignment.
For example, this juvenile Green Heron was appearing on the same branch in the Fullerton Arboretum over about a week. So, I came on four days to take photos of this bird and its two siblings.
1) Go out to photography a bird that appears predictably in a known place.
2) Record the progress of birds raising young, finding mates, and gathering food.
3) Explore for birds in a new area.
In total, you'll capture a story, such as the one I showed in my article about these Green Herons.
Depth of field measures the distance over which a subject is in focus.
If you are using a telephoto lens with a large focal length (e.g., more than 400 mm), the depth of field may be a fraction of an inch.
Notice that the bird's face and toes are in focus, while the rest of the bird is not.
The next photo shows how to fix this.
The bird is a California Towhee after taking a bath.
Place the main elements of a subject in the zone that's in focus. Notice how a side view puts most of the bird's body in focus.
Watch for repeated activity. Here, American Crows were flying to a mound in the river. So, taking this photo was a matter of waiting for a crow to arrive.
Add size to a bird by including its reflection.
In addition, this will cause you to leave a enough space below the bird to include its legs. The White-faced Ibis in this photo has long legs and thus would appear unnatural if the bottom of the frame were placed much closer to the bird.
When you go out to take photos, you are going into someone else's home. Please take only photos because then you can return to take more photos. Similarly, leave only gentle footprints so that others can enjoy the same beauty that you saw.
1. Stand with the sun at your back.
2. Focus on the eye.
3. Use as fast a shutter speed as possible.
4. Take many (as in lots) of photos.
5. Become part of nature.
Thanks everyone! Please send the link to anyone who might enjoy this article. Also your comments are more than welcome. Chat with you soon!


Whether planning a small trip or the vacation of a lifetime, family travel can be expensive. Give your savings a boost and get on the road faster with these tips!
Know what to save: Calculate the full cost of your trip. Consider all associated costs, from flights and car rentals to taxis, tips and travel insurance.
Be realistic: Compare this figure to your budget. If the two are drastically different, consider a similar vacation experience that works with your own numbers.
Create a vacation savings plan: Small savings add up! Plan to save a specific amount each week and set up automatic transfers into a tax-free savings account.


At TruckingTruth we get a lot of questions asking whether or not carrying a weapon, especially a gun, is legal or not in a commercial vehicle. Unfortunately the answer is almost always "maybe" and will depend upon many layers of laws which govern the location you're in, the permits you're carrying, and more.
We've contacted The Rosenblum Law Firm and asked them if they could help clarify the situation for us and they kindly responded with the information below.
We very much appreciate their time and efforts!
Many CDL drivers find themselves venturing through or delivering loads in neighborhoods where a bit of personal protection sounds reasonable. But it can be difficult to know when it is and is not legal to carry a firearm on your person or in your cab. Unfortunately, there are many legal layers to be parsed – federal, state, and local – and there is no one, single, universal answer. That said, here is are some broad guidelines that should help truckers in most scenarios.
The Firearms Owners' Protection Act (FOPA) allows the transportation of legally acquired guns across state lines under certain conditions. You must lock up the weapon, unloaded, and place it in a location that makes it not immediately available (i.e. not the glove compartment or under the seat). The ammunition must be stored separately.
While nothing matches a gun for level of protection, you may also want to consider having a non-firearm weapon more readily available when traveling through states that don't recognize your permit. Of course, you need to be aware of when and where those weapons are valid too. For example, brass knuckles, ballistic knives and similar weapons are illegal in New Jersey. A stun gun/taser can be purchased and carried without a permit in California and Texas, but is prohibited in New York and Rhode Island.
If there's one thing that is certain it's that carrying a firearm in your truck can lead to unexpected problems. A state that allows concealed carry might have a city or district that does not. For example, even a New York State-issued permit is not valid in New York City. Plus, your employer may have rules regarding this, so make sure you ask before accepting the job and be sure to check out their handbook, if they have one. No matter what happens, if you find yourself in legal hot water because of your firearm, make sure you hire an attorney to help sort it out.
Adam H. Rosenblum, Esq. is the principal of The Rosenblum Law Firm. An experienced and skilled criminal defense and traffic violations attorney, Mr. Rosenblum has a reputation for aggressive representation for anyone facing criminal charges and traffic violations that may result in jail time, heavy fines, points and license suspension or revocation. Mr. Rosenblum is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in both New York and New Jersey and takes cases statewide in both states.


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Crime Fiction LoveriBook Kindle Print ReviewsA Darker Shade
A Darker Shade
Written by Andre
Published in	iBook, Kindle, Print, Reviews
Edited and translated by John-Henri Holmberg — When you open A Darker Shade in the expectation of some suspenseful, Nordic noir short stories, don't make the mistake that I almost did and skip the 20-page introduction to this anthology. What I wrongly assumed to be an act of indulgence by John-Henri Holmberg turned out to be a masterful survey of Swedish crime fiction from the 1890s to the present day. It's essential reading and will have you scurrying online for available translations of novels by the authors he mentions.
We've become used to English language critics opining on Scandinavian crime, so it's refreshing to read a Swede offering his authoritative verdict on current authors and their antecedents. We learn, for instance, that SA Duse employed a literary contrivance for which Agatha Christie is still celebrated today, even though her novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd did not appear until almost a decade after Duse's The Diary of Dr Smirnos (1917).
After World War II, pulp fiction was popular in Sweden where hundreds of titles, including translations from Peter Cheyney, Mickey Spillane and James Hadley Chase, were sold from newsstands and known disparagingly as 'dirt literature'. When the hardboiled tradition was combined with social criticism by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, Swedish crime fiction was transformed and became a respected literary form at home and abroad.
Sjöwall and Wahlöö wrote hardly any short stories but their entry in this anthology is a riveting, perceptive account of a conman encountered by the narrators on board the Queen Elizabeth ocean liner. The Multi-Millionaire, first published in Sweden in 1970, is a psychological study that reflects the crime couple's political concerns – and it shows they were as skillful at short fiction as novels.
There's another double-act for An Unlikely Meeting, written by Henning Mankell and Håkan Nesser. However, this doesn't quite live up to its billing as the story is a sly piece of meta-fiction in which the two detectives, Wallander and Van Veeteren, enjoy a chance meeting in a snowbound restaurant at Christmas before being joined by the authors themselves.
It's actually one of several tales set during Christmas that feature in A Darker Shade, whose authors seem to relish the opportunity to shatter the peace and goodwill of the festive season. Inger Frimansson's In Our Darkened House is a nasty, highly effective story; knowing someone's going to die, you keep reading this grim tale to find out who and how. An Alibi for Señor Banegas by Magnus Montelius is even better: a perfect balance of character and story. When a visiting Honduran politician demands a Swedish construction company manager provide him with marital alibis in exchange for a big contract, it seems to open up the Swedish host's natural hostility to Christmas with dreadful consequences.
There's a strong Nordic noir tone to several of these stories and it's refreshing to see women portrayed as criminals (Anna Jansson's The Ring) or modern femme fatales turning the tables on weak, abusive men (Never in Real Life by Åke Edwardson). Perhaps the strongest story is also the strangest: He Liked His Hair by Rolf and Cilla Börjlind is a beautifully written description of the inner turmoil of a psychopath, which features an unexpected everyday item as a murder weapon.
A Darker Shade has hardly any weak entries, though its weakest by far is its star name: Stieg Larsson. Holmberg was a friend and biographer of Larsson, so it's understandable that the editor sought to include the late author in this collection. However, Brain Power is a piece of juvenilia that Larsson wrote aged 17 and it is not worth reading even out of curiosity.
If you focus on the rest of A Darker Shade, Holmberg's selection is as sure-footed as that expert introduction. This anthology is a testament to the enduring quality of Swedish crime fiction and it will almost certainly introduce you to some favourite new authors.
Head of Zeus
Print/Kindle/iBook
CFL Rating: 4 Stars
A Darker Shade Agatha Christie Ake Edwardson Anna Jansson anthology hakan nesser Henning Mankell Inger Frimansson inspector van veeteren John-Henri Holmberg Magnus Montelius Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo Mickey Spillane Rolf and Cilla Borjlind Scandinavian crime fiction short stories Stieg Larsson Sweden The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Wallander
Latest from Andre
The Poison Artist
A Siege of Bitterns
Jonathan Dark or The Evidence of Ghosts
The Quiet Ones
Andre: Top five books of 2015

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Iowa State's interim president is tempering expectations when it comes to fall enrollment at the school. Ben Allen says fewer international students will likely contribute to fewer overall students this fall. ISU had more than 8,700 minority and international students last fall, giving it a bigger percentage of those students than the University of Iowa. Iowa State's overall enrollment last fall was more than 36,000 students.


The Cereal Price Index fell by 2.8 percent from August. Maize prices saw the most significant month-to-month reduction, falling by around 4 percent due to ample global supplies and prospects for a large U.S. crop. Wheat prices also declined in September due to strong exports from Russia. Rice prices experienced the smallest decline (1 percent) due in part to an appreciation of the Thai Baht.
The Vegetable Oil Price Index declined by 2.3 percent in September, driven mainly by movements in palm and soy oil prices. Global import demand for soy oil slowed in September, while large inventories of palm oil drove prices for that commodities 25 percent below September 2017 levels. Overall, vegetable oil prices reached a three-year low in September.
The Dairy and Meat Price Indices also fell in September. Sugar prices, on the other hand, experienced a 2.6 percent increase based on concerns over crop prospects in Brazil and South and South-East Asia.
The latest edition of the AMIS Market Monitor also cites falling commodity prices, but finds that fertilizer prices rose globally in September. Ammonia prices increased for the fourth month in a row, driven by strong global demand and supply shortages in Indonesia. Urea prices increased significantly as a result of anticipated winter wheat plantings in the U.S., while DAP prices rose due to higher input costs. Strong global demand drove up both potash and natural gas prices.
The Market Monitor also features a piece on the current situation in global soybean markets. According to the report, U.S. soybean exports to China reached around 36 million tonnes in 2016-2017, but these exports have all but ceased as a result of the ongoing trade war between the two countries.
The conflict is anticipated to have negative impacts for producers in both countries. The U.S. saw a bumper soybean crop this year, which has driven soybean futures prices to a ten-year low; with reduced sales to China, many producers may be forced to make distressed soybean sales during the autumn selling period. Similarly, Chinese livestock producers, particularly hog producers, are facing both falling domestic meat prices and increased import prices from Brazilian soybean producers.
The situation is also changing the players involved in the global soybean trade. With U.S. soybeans no longer a viable option, China is turning its sights to other producers – namely, India, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and Argentina.


BANGKOK (22 July 2014) – The United Nations Human Rights Office for South East Asia (OHCHR) today expressed deep concerns over the resumption of executions in Singapore after 3 years of suspension, despite the overwhelming global trend towards abolishing the death penalty. Last Friday, the Central Narcotics Bureau of Singapore announced the execution of two individuals convicted for drug offences. Reportedly, 23 detainees remain on death row in Singapore, many of them being convicted for drug-related offences.
The death penalty is an extreme form of punishment and, if used at all, should only be imposed for the most serious crimes, after a fair trial that respects the most stringent due process guarantees as stipulated in international human rights law. In accordance with international human rights jurisprudence, drug-related offences do not meet the threshold of "most serious crimes" for which the death penalty may be applied. In March 2014, the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board urged States that still impose the death penalty for drug-related offences to abolish that punishment.


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Proposed Property Tax Would Raise $500M Annually For LAUSD Schools
Filed Under:LAUSD
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – This summer, Los Angeles County voters will likely decide whether to pass a new property tax that would provide hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for the L.A. Unified School District.
In the wake of facing its first teachers' strike in thirty years, the LAUSD Board of Education Thursday unanimously approved a resolution to place a parcel tax measure before voters in June.
A parcel tax is not based on the assessed value of a property, but is generally a flat fee based on square footage. It requires a two-thirds margin for approval.
If passed by voters, it would impose a levy of 16 cents per square foot of building improvements on properties within the district. The parcel tax, which would remain in effect for 10 years, would raise an estimated $500 million a year.
Exemptions would be provided for parcels owned by people aged 65 or older and used as their primary residence.
It will likely go on the June 4 ballot, but could be delayed to the Nov. 5 ballot.
In a statement Tuesday, LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner expressed his support for the measure.
"It is time for Los Angeles Unified to pursue a local measure to increase funding for schools," Beutner said. "A revenue measure, if approved by voters in June could provide additional funding for schools during the upcoming school year. This will allow for the accelerated improvement in student learning, further reduction in class size and providing more support to students and educators in schools. It is time to build on the commitment the community has expressed and move forward together."
After 21 months of unsuccessful contract talks between the district and the teachers union, about 34,000 LAUSD teachers went on a nine-day strike in January, the first such strike since 1989. The two sides finally reached a deal on Jan. 22.
The deal included a 6 percent pay raise for teachers, a phased-in reduction of class sizes over the next three school years and provisions for more support staff such as nurses, librarians and counselors.
333sturm (@333sturm) says:
The LA Unified schools are full of kids who are not citizens, or whose parents are here illegally. Another example of the huge cost born by U.S. taxpayers for illegal immigration.
Skip Godinez says:
Only an idiot would vote for this Tax Increase…
See, when LA officials caved into the Union demands it was only a matter of time before the Taxpayers were going to get stuck with the bill. These LA officials are patsys for the Unions because it is these LA officials that are owned by the Unions….
Vote NO !!!! We Taxpayers are Taxed ENOUGH ALREADY !!!!!


Broke my stock MR03 chassis and bought this as a replacement. Doing the swap was easy, took maybe 45 minutes. Requires simple soldering. Chassis material is lightweight and strong, and does not melt easily when soldering. Clever battery placement. Minor concern that PCB is exposed right where all steering connections attach, though I guess it's nice to be able to visually inspect connection easily.


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Benz Truck (Gelik) () è un singolo del rapper statunitense Lil Peep, pubblicato il 9 giugno 2017 come primo estratto del primo album in studio Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 1.

Antefatti
Introdotto da un riff di chitarra elettrica che si ripete per quasi tutta la sua durata, il brano unisce sonorità trap, emo e hip hop ed è il singolo estratto per anticipare Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 1.

Video musicale
Per la canzone è stato diretto un videoclip, che ha in seguito ottenuto un successo virale. Nel video viene mostrato Lil Peep eseguire il brano in una località in Russia. Sono presenti sottotitoli in lingua russa e scene in cui il cantante si trova vicino a un monastero circondato da pecore, o canta mentre è a bordo di un camion della Mercedes-Benz (da cui il nome del pezzo) mentre il suo corpo è attraversato da scariche di corrente elettrica.

Formazione
Musicisti
 Lil Peep – voce, testi
 Rob Cavallo – chitarra elettrica
 Juan Alderete – basso

Produzione
 Smokeasac – produzione
 The Invisible Men – co-produzione

Note

Collegamenti esterni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Updated April 6, 2020
Spanish soccer players criticize league for seeking government furloughs
Teams and players in Spain's top league have been negotiating salary reductions, but most haven't reached agreements.
MADRID — Soccer players in Spain on Sunday criticized the Spanish league's decision to ask clubs to put players on government furloughs during the coronavirus crisis.
The league on Friday said the furloughs were needed because there was no agreement on the size of the salary cuts that players must take to reduce the financial impact of the pandemic.
"It is strange that the Liga supports (the furloughs)," Spain's players' association said in a statement.
It said the league should have created a financial cushion for this period considering it had always boasted about its "economic control measures" and the "well-balanced economy" of the Spanish clubs. The association said it also should be taken into account that the league has been temporarily suspended rather than canceled.
The league and the players' association have been in talks to try to find ways to mitigate losses that could reach nearly 1 billion euros ($1.08 billion) if the season cannot be restarted because of the pandemic.
The players said they agree with a salary reduction to help the clubs during the crisis, but not to the extent the league wants, which could amount to nearly half of the total losses if the competition is not resumed.
Players said they want to keep negotiating directly with the clubs instead of being forced into furloughs.
"The clubs and the players have been reaching agreements regarding the salaries," the players' association said. "What footballers are not going to do is relinquish labor rights."
Barcelona and Atlético Madrid are among the Spanish clubs requesting furloughs, but both directly negotiated the amount of the salary reduction with players – 70% in both cases. Both clubs and their players are contributing to guarantee the wages of nonplaying employees being furloughed.
Spanish media said Espanyol on Sunday that became one of the first teams to have the furlough request approved.
The Spanish league said it expects such agreements – furloughs or individual deals between clubs and players – to cover the vast majority of professional soccer in Spain. It said they "will ensure that the industry suffers a minor blow in this health crisis that also brings an economic crisis."
The league said Friday the furlough was "an exceptional mechanism to avoid and mitigate the negative impact that COVID-19 is having on the sector, and thus guarantee its subsequent recovery." It said it is responsible for preserving a sector that represents 1.37% of Spain's gross domestic product and employs about 185,000 people.
The league had said clubs and players were far apart on the proposed salary cuts. The reductions being discussed reportedly varied depending on the clubs, and also on whether they were playing in the Champions League or the Europa League.
The government furloughs help reduce the clubs' labor costs while also guaranteeing players their jobs once the crisis is over.
Spain has more than 130,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with nearly 12,500 deaths. The nation is expected to remain in lockdown until at least April 26.
There is no timetable for the resumption of the league.
Players maintained their position to only resume competing when health authorities deem it safe for everyone's heath, a view also shared by the Spanish league.
"We've met with all the captains of the teams in the first and second divisions and the message is clear: Health is more important than anything else," said David Aganzo, president of Spain's players' association. "They demand maximum security for themselves, for their families and for everyone else in the world of sports."
The league has reportedly suggested it will recommend teams resume training while the lockdown is still in place, if it's possible to do so within the restrictions imposed by authorities.
Barcelona has a two-point lead over Real Madrid after 27 of the 38 rounds.
Record-setting NFL kicker Tom Dempsey dies at 73
Will there be any more sports in 2020?


text:
Q: Visual Studio 2010 console window closes immediately using opencv I'm developing a project with visual studio 2010 and opencv. Here is my problem: i  acquire a video from webcam, analize it, do some operation on it and then i show the result in another window (Object Tracking). The code is ok, no compiling errors but as soon as i start the program the console windows it closes immediately and i cannot see both the original and the modified video. If i debug the code i can see the webcam works and acquire images but obviously i ned to do this in real time. Any suggestion?

A: Can you give any code?
Are you write and compile any video player program like this?
#include "opencv2/opencv.hpp"
using namespace cv;
int main(int, char**)
{
VideoCapture cap(0); // open the default camera
//Video Capture cap(path_to_video); // open the video file
if(!cap.isOpened())  // check if we succeeded
return -1;

namedWindow("Video",1);
for(;;)
{
 Mat frame;
 cap >> frame; // get a new frame from camera
 imshow("Video", frame);
 if(waitKey(30) >= 0) break;
}
// the camera will be deinitialized automatically in VideoCapture destructor
return 0;
}

A: Try this:
#include <iostream>
#include "opencv2/highgui/highgui.hpp"
#include "opencv2/imgproc/imgproc.hpp"
using namespace cv;
using namespace std;
int main() {
VideoCapture cap(0);
while (true)
{
Mat imgOriginal;
Mat imgHSV;
bool bSuccess = cap.read(imgOriginal);
cvtColor(imgOriginal, imgHSV, COLOR_BGR2HSV); //Convert the captured frame from BGR to HSV
imshow("Thresholded Image", imgHSV);
imshow("Original", imgOriginal);
waitKey(33);
}
return 0;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
On Tax Day, Still 'No Evidence' Trump Tax Cuts Are Trickling Down to Workers
"If you're curious where the promised $4,000 raise from the GOP tax cut went, look no further than the bank accounts of the wealthiest Americans."
Jake Johnson, staff writer
"The GOP tax scam showered tax breaks on the rich, corporations, and CEOs, leaving working families with the bill," tweeted Americans for Tax Fairness. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Wall Street banks, pharmaceutical companies, and corporate CEOs have a lot to celebrate on Tax Day thanks to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
The vast majority of workers, not so much.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, most U.S. workers have seen little to no benefit from the GOP's $1.5 trillion Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).
"Trump promised that corporations would use their tax cuts to give working families a $4,000 pay raise. It's Tax Day 2019… Did you get that $4,000?"
"It's Tax Day again, and there's still no reason to believe the Republicans' corporate tax cuts are doing anything for working people," Hunter Blair, a budget researcher with EPI, wrote in an analysis Monday. "With a year's worth of data in, the story remains the same—there's no evidence the corporate tax cuts in the TCJA have trickled down to workers."
"The TCJA is set to exacerbate decades of rising economic inequality," said Blair. "The bill blew apart the individual and corporate tax codes with egregious new loopholes tailor made for the rich and big corporations."
"And the data offers no reason to think any of this will start trickling down to typical workers," Blair added.
Lawrence Mishel, a distinguished fellow at EPI, added in a blog post Monday that the average worker bonus in 2018 "was just $0.01 higher than in 2017."
"This is not what the tax cutters promised, or bragged about soon after the tax bill passed," wrote Mishel. "They claimed that their bill would raise the wages of rank-and-file workers, with congressional Republicans and members of the Trump administration promising raises of many thousands of dollars within 10 years."
"The White House contention that corporate tax cut-inspired widespread provision of bonuses that led to greater paychecks through bonuses or wage increases for workers is not supported by the BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation data," Mishel concluded.
The boost to workers' bonuses from the Trump/GOP tax cut? Barely one penny, writes @LarryMishel. https://t.co/JSBgizCoqw #TaxDay pic.twitter.com/69qIQ3Wua5
— Economic Policy Institute (@EconomicPolicy) April 15, 2019
EPI's assessment of the tax law comes as Trump is set to embark on a week-long tour to tout his signature legislative achievement, which polls show is still extremely unpopular.
"As Americans rush Monday to finish up their own taxes, their judgment on Trump's beloved tax cut bill is pretty clear: Most really don't like it," Politico reported Monday. "A Pew Research Center survey conducted last month found that 36 percent of Americans approve of the tax cut law while 49 percent disapprove. Even the number of Republicans who strongly approve of the law dipped in the latest Pew survey."
"One reason many Americans don't feel the tax cut: The most dramatic benefit was aimed at slashing the corporate tax rate," Politico added.
As Common Dreams reported last Thursday, the number of big companies that paid nothing in federal taxes doubled in 2018 thanks to the tax law, which slashed the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent.
On Twitter, progressive advocacy groups used Tax Day to highlight the extent to which the Republican law has rewarded the ultra-rich and massive corporations, while leaving most workers with crumbs.
According to a Hill-HarrisX poll released Monday, just 18 percent of Americans say they are paying less in taxes under Trump's law.
This #TaxDay2019 remember even if you paid just a dollar in income tax in 2019, you paid MORE in taxes than Amazon who made a record profit of $11 BILLION this year. #TaxTheRichhttps://t.co/2qf1bKGczA
— Tax March (@taxmarch) April 15, 2019
Trump promised that corporations would use their tax cuts to give working families a $4,000 pay raise. It's #TaxDay2019… Did you get that $4,000? The #GOPTaxScam showered tax breaks on the rich, corporations and CEOs, leaving working families with the bill. #WhatsInYourReturn pic.twitter.com/E68cDJOXM9
— For Tax Fairness (@4TaxFairness) April 15, 2019
Big Pharma tax breaks under the GOP tax law:
-Pfizer: $2.8B
-Johnson & Johnson: $2.5B
-Merck: $1.2B
-Abbott: $473M
The tax breaks for these 4 companies could pay for health insurance for more than two-thirds of the 3.8 million children in the U.S. still left uninsured.
— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) April 14, 2019
Patriotic Millionaires—a group of rich Americans that launched a campaign last week calling for higher taxes on the wealthy—added, "If you're curious where the promised $4,000 raise from the GOP tax cut went, look no further than the bank accounts of the wealthiest Americans."
"It wasn't a middle class tax cut," the group concluded, "it was a scam."
Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel free to republish and share widely.
'Hobnobbing With Billionaires in Davos,' Trump Admits—If Reelected—He Will Seek to Cut Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare
Economy, U.S.
Donald Trump, Inequality, Taxation, Corporate Power, Republican Party, Patriotic Millionaires, Big Pharma, Economic Policy Institute
(Click to see more comments or to join the conversation)
#TelltheTruthJoe Trends as Sanders Video Detailing Biden History on Social Security Viewed Nearly 2 Million Times
After GOP Rejects Measures to Subpoena Witnesses and Evidence, Democrats Decry Impeachment Trial 'Designed to Protect Trump'
Mandy Smithberger
How The Military-Industrial Complex Gets Away With Murder in Contract After Contract


text:
REGULATION 18. DISCIPLINARY AND JUDICIAL MATTERS
18.1 Breach of the Bye-Laws or Regulations
18.1.1 A Union or Association shall be subject to sanction by a Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee if it is found to have breached the Bye-Laws or Regulations or to have:
(a) brought World Rugby or the Game or any Person into disrepute;
(b) engaged in conduct, behaviour or practice(s) which may be prejudicial to the interests of World Rugby or of the Game;
(c) disclosed any confidential information obtained through connection with the Game;
(d) breached the Code of Conduct; or
(e) breached the Wagering Regulations (Regulation 6).
18.1.2 A Rugby Body, Club or Person that contravenes these Regulations, brings World Rugby or the Game into disrepute, engages in conduct, behaviour or practices which may be prejudicial to the interests of World Rugby or the Game, discloses any confidential information obtained through connection with the Game, or which breaches the Code of Conduct shall be subject to sanction by the Union or Association having jurisdiction in respect thereof in accordance with the bye-laws regulations, code of conduct or other undertakings or agreements of that Union or Association.
18.1.3 A Person shall be subject to sanction by a Judicial Committee or Judicial Officer appointed by World Rugby if he breaches the World Rugby Code of Conduct and/or brings World Rugby or the Game into disrepute, and/or engages in conduct, behaviour or practices which may be prejudicial to the interests or image of World Rugby or the Game, and/or discloses any confidential information obtained through his connection with the Game, in accordance with these Regulations.
18.1.4 A Player shall be subject to sanction by a Judicial Committee or Judicial Officer appointed by World Rugby if he breaches Regulation 8.
18.2 The Appointment and Functions of Judicial Officers and Judicial Committees
18.2.1 The Council shall appoint a panel of individuals ("the Judicial Panel") of such number as the Council shall think fit, each of whom shall be eligible to sit as Judicial Officers and/or as Members of Judicial Committees. The Council shall appoint a chairman of the Judicial Panel. The Chairman of the Judicial Panel (or his designee) shall, in consultation with the Chairman of the Council, or his nominee, appoint individual Judicial Officers or Judicial Committees from members of the Judicial Panel to resolve, hear and adjudicate on the following:
(a) an alleged breach(es) of the Bye-Laws and/or the Regulations and/or alleged offences under Regulation 18.1.1 and/or 18.1.3;
(b) disputes arising under Regulation 4;
(c) disciplinary matters arising out of Foul Play and/or Misconduct (Regulation 17 and Regulation 20); and
(d) such other matters as the Council, Chairman of the Judicial Panel or CEO may from time to time refer to a Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee for adjudication.
18.2.2 Members of the Judicial Panel shall be appointed for a period of up to two years, following which they shall, unless re-appointed by the Council, automatically cease to be a member of the Judicial Panel. The Council may, at its discretion, remove any member of the Judicial Panel, at any time. The decision of the Council shall be final and binding.
18.2.3 Council members appointed as members of the Judicial Panel shall not cease to be members of the Judicial Panel if, during the period of appointment as a Judicial Panel member, they cease to be a member of the Council.
18.2.4 When a Judicial Committee is appointed to adjudicate on a case it shall, ordinarily, be made up of three members of the Judicial Panel, one of whom shall be nominated to act as Chairman of the Committee. The Chairman of the Judicial Panel shall, however, in any case, be entitled, at his discretion, to appoint a Judicial Committee of such number as he considers appropriate, up to a maximum of 5 and a minimum of 2.
18.2.5 Judicial Officers or Judicial Committee members shall not have had any personal involvement with any case referred to them for adjudication or any connection with any of the parties involved in such matter.
18.2.6 If a Judicial Officer or member of a Judicial Committee having been appointed to deal with a case is unable or unwilling to adjudicate then the Judicial Panel Chairman may; (1) appoint another member of the Judicial Panel as a replacement; or (2) appoint a new Judicial Committee; or (3) allow the remaining Judicial Committee members to proceed and adjudicate on the case.
18.2.7 The Chairman of the Judicial Panel shall have the power, exercisable in his discretion, to co-opt from time to time additional persons with specialist skills and experience to sit as Judicial Officers and/or as members of a Judicial Committee to deal with cases that require such specialist skills and experience whether such persons are members of the Judicial Panel or not.
18.3 The Appointment and Functions of Appeal Committees
18.3.1 The Council shall appoint a panel of individuals of such number as the Council thinks fit ("the Appeal Panel"), each of whom shall be eligible to sit as members of Appeal Committees. The Council shall appoint a Chairman of the Appeal Panel. Members of the Appeal Panel shall not be current members of the Council or any other World Rugby standing committee.
18.3.2 Members of the Panel shall include the following:
(a) Senior legal practitioners with previous experience of judicial proceedings in rugby. Such legal practitioners shall be appointed to sit as Chairmen of Appeal Committees.
(b) Eminent rugby administrators, rugby players, coaches and officials with previous experience of judicial proceedings in rugby.
(c) Such other individuals as the Council may consider appropriate.
18.3.3 The functions of Appeal Committees shall be to hear and decide appeals from decisions made by Judicial Officers or Judicial Committees. The Chairman of the Appeal Panel shall appoint Appeal Committees from Appeal Panel members to hear such appeals.
18.3.4 Members of the Appeal Panel shall be appointed for a period of up to two years, following which they shall, unless re-appointed by the Council, automatically cease to be a member of the Appeal Panel. The Council may, at its discretion, remove any member of the Appeal Panel, at any time. The decision of the Council shall be final and binding.
18.3.5 When an Appeal Committee is appointed to adjudicate on a case it shall, ordinarily, be made up of three members of the Appeal Panel, one of whom shall be nominated to act as Chairman of the Appeal Committee. The Chairman of the Appeal Panel shall be entitled, however, at his discretion to appoint Appeal Committees of such number as he considers appropriate, up to a maximum of 5 and a minimum of 2.
18.3.6 If a member of an Appeal Committee having been appointed to deal with a case, is unable or unwilling to adjudicate then the Appeal Panel Chairman may: (1) appoint another member of the Appeal Panel as a replacement; or (2) appoint a new Appeal Committee; or (3) allow the remaining Appeal Committee members to proceed and adjudicate on the appeal.
18.3.7 The Chairman of the Appeal Panel shall have the power, exercisable in his discretion, to co-opt from time to time additional persons with specialist skills and experience to sit as Appeal Committee Members to deal with cases that require such specialist skills and experience whether such persons are members of the Appeals Panel or not.
18.4 Procedures Relating to a Breach of the Regulations or Bye-Laws, or Offences under Regulation 18.1.1(a) to (e)
18.4.1 A Union or Association must, as soon as is reasonably practicable, investigate each and every alleged breach of the Regulations occurring or committed within or relating to its jurisdiction and of which it has knowledge. Following such investigation, it shall take such action as is appropriate and thereafter report its decision and the procedures adopted to the CEO in writing within 28 days of its decision. The CEO shall submit the report to the Council.
18.4.2 In the event of the Council and/or CEO not being satisfied with the procedures adopted and/or decision reached by a Union or Association pursuant to Regulation 18.4.1 or in the event of a failure to investigate by that Union or Association, then the Council and/or CEO may refer the matter, via the Judicial Panel Chairman, or his designee to a Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee or take such other action as it deems appropriate.
18.4.3 A Union or Association which considers another Union or Association to have so conducted itself as to be in breach of these Regulations or the Bye-Laws or to have committed an offence under Regulation 18.1.1(a) to (e), may make complaint of such conduct to the CEO. To be valid, such complaint must be made in writing, set out full details of the complaint and should be received by the CEO not later than 28 days following the complainant Union or Association having knowledge of the said conduct. Upon receipt of any such complaint, the CEO shall initiate an enquiry into the matter and/or refer the complaint via the Judicial Panel Chairman, or his designee to a Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee for adjudication.
18.4.4 The Council or CEO may, whether at the request of a Union, Association, or of its own motion, initiate an enquiry into any alleged, or apparent breach of the Bye-Laws and/or Regulations or alleged offences under Regulation 18.1.1(a) to (e). Such enquiry shall be carried out by the CEO or his designee(s). The procedure for such enquiry shall be determined by the CEO. At the conclusion of any such enquiry, the CEO shall either submit a report to Council or refer the matter, via the Judicial Panel Chairman, or his designee, to a Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee for adjudication. The Council on receipt of the report may refer the matter via the Judicial Panel Chairman, or his designee, to a Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee or take such other action (if any) as is deemed appropriate.
18.5 Referral to Judicial Officers or Judicial Committees
18.5.1 Where a matter is referred to a Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee, the Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee shall, subject to Appendix 1, be entitled to deal with the matter procedurally as it considers appropriate provided that the parties concerned are aware of the case against them and are afforded a reasonable opportunity to make representations and present their case. For the avoidance of doubt, World Rugby shall have the right to be represented and shall be entitled through its nominated representative to make submissions during any proceedings conducted by Judicial Officers or Judicial Committees.
18.5.2 The decisions of Judicial Committees shall be made by majority. In the event of an even vote, the Chairman of the Judicial Committee shall have a casting vote.
18.5.3 All Judicial Committee members must take part in the deliberations of the committee and no member of a Judicial Committee may abstain.
18.5.4 The decision of the Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee shall, subject to the right of appeal under Regulation 18.7, be final and binding. Any punishment or penalty imposed by a Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee shall not, ordinarily, take effect until the period allowed for an appeal in Regulation 18.7.2 has elapsed or the appeal has been determined. The decision of the Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee may be published by World Rugby.
18.6 Penalties
18.6.1 Upon finding a breach of the Bye-Laws and/or Regulations, or that an offence pursuant to Regulation 18.1.1(a) to (e) inclusive has been committed, Judicial Officers and Judicial Committees shall be entitled to impose such penalties as they think fit. Such penalties may include, but shall not be limited to:
(a) a caution, warning as to future conduct, reprimand and/or a fine;
(b) a suspension for a specified number of Matches and/or a specified period; a requirement that a Match or Matches be played with the exclusion of the public; the cancellation of a Match result and, where appropriate, the replaying of a Match; the forfeiture of a Match or matches and/or tie(s); the deduction or cancellation of points; the immediate or future expulsion or suspension from a tournament(s) or competition(s); or any such similar sanctions;
(c) cancellation or refusal of the registration of any Person registered in contravention of the Regulations;
(d) a recommendation to the Council that a Union or Association be expelled or suspended from Membership of World Rugby. Subject to the provisions of Bye-Law 6(d), only the Council shall be competent to expel or suspend a Union or Association and any such expulsion or suspension shall only have effect if approved by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast at a properly convened and quorate Council meeting;
(e) an order that any Union, Association, Rugby Body, Club or Person pay compensation and/or restitution;
(f) the withdrawal of other benefits or membership of World Rugby, including, but not limited to, the right to apply to host International Tournaments; and
(g) any combination of the penalties set out in 18.6.1(a) to (f) above.
18.6.2 Judicial Officers and Judicial Committees shall be entitled to make such order in relation to cost as is deemed appropriate;
18.6.3 In determining the appropriate penalty under these Regulations, a Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee shall be entitled to take account of mitigating and/or aggravating circumstances. Aggravating circumstances shall include, but shall not be limited to, the repetition of a breach of a particular Bye-Law or Regulation.
18.7 Appeals
18.7.1 A Union or Association, or World Rugby (through the Executive Committee or CEO), may appeal against the decision of a Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee, against the penalty imposed and/or any costs order. To be valid, any such appeal, together with the written grounds of appeal, must be lodged with the Appeal Panel Chairman, or his designee, within 14 days of the date of the written decision of the Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee.
18.7.2 On receipt of a notice of appeal and the grounds for appeal within the time limit set out in Regulation 18.7.1, an Appeal Committee shall be appointed by the Appeal Panel Chairman or his designee. The Appeal Committee shall, ordinarily, be made up of three members of the Appeal Panel, under the Chairmanship of a senior legal practitioner who shall, subject to Regulation 18.7.3 and Appendix 2, have the discretion to regulate the procedure prior to and at any Appeal Committee hearing.
18.7.3 The Appeal Committee shall determine the basis on which an appeal will proceed, including the standard of review and may, in its discretion rehear the whole or any part of the evidence given before the Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee (as the case may be) as it considers appropriate. For the avoidance of doubt World Rugby shall have the right to be represented and shall be entitled through its nominated representative to make submissions in any proceedings conducted by Appeal Committees.
18.7.4 The Appeal Committee shall have full discretionary power to hear and receive such further evidence as it thinks fit, provided it is established by the appellant that such evidence was not, on reasonable enquiry, available at the time of the original hearing.
18.7.5 For appeal hearings procedural matters shall be determined by the Appeals Committee Chairman. Decisions of the Appeals Committee shall be made by majority. In the event of an even vote, the Chairman of the Appeal Committee shall have a casting vote. No member of an Appeal Committee may abstain and all members of the Committee must take part in its deliberations.
18.7.6 Where an appeal relates to a recommendation by a Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee that a Union or Association be expelled or suspended from membership of World Rugby, the appeal will be heard by the Council. In the event of such an appeal, a meeting of the Council shall be convened by the CEO as soon as reasonably practicable. The procedures on any such appeal, including, but not limited to, the standard of review shall be determined by the Council. The Council may confirm the suspension or expulsion and/or impose such other punishment or penalties as it considers fit. The decision of the Council shall be made by a two-third majority of members present and shall be final and binding. The decision of the Council shall be effective immediately on written notification to the Union or Association concerned.
18.8 Powers of Appeal Committees
18.8.1 An Appeal Committee shall have the power to:
(a) allow or re-affirm, or dismiss the appeal;
(b) vary the decision in such manner as it shall think fit (including power to reduce, uphold, decrease or cancel any penalty);
(c) make such further order (in relation to costs or otherwise) as it thinks fit; and
(d) take any other step which in the exercise of its discretion the Appeals Committee considers it would be appropriate to take in order to deal justly with the case in question.
18.9 Notification of Appeal Committee Decision
18.9.1 The parties to the appeal shall be notified in writing as soon as reasonably practicable following the conclusion of the hearing. On notification to the Union or Association the decision shall be final and binding. The decision of the Appeal Committee may be published.
18.10 Procedures Relating to Disputes over Player Status, Player Contracts and Player Movement[1]
18.10.1 Disputes arising out of those matters referred to in Regulation 4 may be referred, by Unions or Associations only, to the CEO who shall, via the Judicial Panel Chairman or his designee, refer such disputes to a Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee for adjudication. The Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee appointed shall, subject to Appendix 1, have the discretion to determine the procedures to be adopted prior to and at any hearing in connection with such a dispute. The decision of the Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee shall be binding on the Union, Association, Person, Club or other Rugby bodies who are parties to the dispute upon receipt of notification of the Judicial Officer's or Judicial Committee's decision.
18.10.2 An appeal against the decision of a Judicial Officer or Judicial Committee in relation to the issues referred to in 18.10.1 above may be lodged with the Appeal Panel Chairman in accordance with Regulation 18.7. The Appeal Panel Chairman shall refer the matter to an Appeal Committee for final and binding adjudication.
18.11 General Procedures relating to proceedings of Commissioners, Judicial Officers, Judicial Committees, Disciplinary Committees, Appeal Committees and Appeal Tribunals
18.11.1 The general procedures to be applied by Commissioners, Judicial Officer(s), Judicial Committees, Disciplinary Committees and Appeal Committees and Appeal Tribunals are set out in Appendix 1.
18.11.2 The Council may prescribe additional regulations for the conduct of Commissioners, Judicial Officer(s), Judicial Committees, Disciplinary Committees, Appeal Committees, Appeal Tribunals and may from time to time vary, revoke or replace any such regulations.
18.11.3 In respect of any matter not provided for in this Regulation 18 the appropriate body shall take a decision according to general principles of justice and fairness.
[1] Disputes arising out of Regulation 4 will, preferably, be adjudicated on by members of the Judicial Panel who are experienced in player issues including, but not limited to, training and development, and may include eminent ex-players.


text:
Beach Rats 'Wasted Time' B9R256
Select... $6.00 — 7" (Brown Marble/700) B9R256 - 1st Press (Sold Out) $6.00 — 7" (Blue Marble/500) B9R256 - 2nd Press) (Sold Out) $6.00 — 7" (Black/500) B9R256 - 2nd Press) $3.99 — Digital EP
Beach Rats are a brand new band featuring an all-star cast of scene veterans including Brian Baker (Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, Bad Religion), Ari Katz (Lifetime), Bryan Kienlen and Pete Steinkopf (The Bouncing Souls) and more. Beach Rats play a brand of hardcore/punk that stays true to their members' roots while creating something completely fresh and urgent. Their debut EP 'Wasted Time' features 5 songs of fast, melodic hardcore punk that will leave the listener begging for more.
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Lonely For The Night
Stay All Night
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Skins, Brains and Dubs
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This combo of culinary favorites complements fresh and cooked dishes, at the stove and at the table. Zesty lemon and lively pepper perk up every savory dish. Here they are– along with onion and garlic– in one convenient blend. Suggested Uses: Seasons meat, fish, beans, grains, vegetables and sauces.
Product Notes: A zesty combination of lemon and pepper for perking up seafood, pasta and vegetables.
Ingredients: Lemon Peel, Black Pepper, Garlic, Onion, Citric Acid.


Who: The Health & Wellness Coalition Food Policy Committee and ICT Food Circle, local food producers, local farmer's markets, and anyone interested increasing the demand for locally produced and healthy foods in the greater ICT area can participate.
What: #ICTYourPlate – join the movement on Instagram, Facebook, or anywhere else you might use a hashtag!
When: Use #ICTYourPlate all year long to promote your local food products, purchases, or events!
Where: Anywhere around the ICT area.
Why: Help us generate a movement that encourages and reminds consumers to eat and shop locally produced foods while also creating a recognizable image/logo that shouts to the community #ICTyourPlate: add locally grown, raised or produced foods to your plate.
How to get involved: Join the movement, share the excitement, use the hashtag on social media, have a selfie booth and encourage the use of the hashtag, the possibilities are endless!
Share your shopping finds, meals, or recipes on social media, using the hashtag #ICTYourPlate. Be sure to call out the local farms and producers featured on your plate!
To learn more about local food and what is available locally, follow ICT Food Circle on Facebook, Instagram and join the Facebook Group.
Are you a local food producer or business? Join the promotion!
Promote your produce, meats, baked goods, canned goods, and more by adding the hashtag #ICTYourPlate to your social media marketing.
Add or update your listing to the ICT Food Circle Local Food Directory to help potential customers find you!
Contact Rebecca McMahon if you would like a full kit of ICT Your Plate materials and templates.


text:
Texas State College of Liberal Arts Department of English Student Resources Diverse Teaching, Diverse Learning Series
The Diverse Teaching, Diverse Learning Series seeks to showcase contemporary interpretations of canonical literary works. From Borderlands Theory to Disability Studies to Monster Theory, the series celebrates diverse frameworks and perspectives that represent those on the cutting edge of critical literary scholarship today.
Produced by Lea Colchado, Amanda Scott, and Dr. Nancy Wilson
Shaun Ford
Medieval Made Modern: Chrétien deTroyes' Perceval Through the Lens of Disability Studies
Lea Colchado
Slumber of Sins & the Shadow-Beast: Teresa de Cartagena's Writings Through an Anzaldúan Lens
Identify One with Nature: Lao Tzu's Way of Life and its Influence on Western Culture
Serena Villa
The Importance of Discovering and Using Voice through an Afro-Latina Perspective
Monsters, the Other, and Aglæca in the Epic of Beowulf
More About the Presentations & Presenters
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Medieval Made Modern: Chrétien deTroyes' Perceval Through the Lens of Disability and Autistic Studies
Although Chrétien de Troyes wrote Perceval or The Story of the Grail nearly a millennium ago, the characters he created have influenced tales of heroism ever since. Interestingly, Perceval's markedly "odd" behavior—his obsessive interest in the parts of knighthood, his lack of reciprocation in conversation and interaction, his lack of decorum and disregard of social mores, and his overly literal interpretations of his mother's instruction regarding the code of chivalry—correspond to commonly reported Autistic characteristics. Because Perceval is also a capable, heroic, and good knight who feels empathy, viewing Perceval as an Autistic character might enable a contemporary audience to overturn stereotypes of Autistic people and treat them with greater humanity.
Shaun Bryan graduated summa cum laude with B.A. in Sociology in 2013. He went on to receive two M.A.s in Rhetoric and Composition and in Philosophy and Ethics in 2015 and 2017, respectively. He has written several journalistic articles regarding disability rights and employment issues within the disability community that have gone viral garnered support from well-known disability rights activists and disability studies scholars. Shaun is presently working on a book prospectus for a book project in which he proposed to present readers with his and other disabled peoples' experiences in searching for meaningful employment and tackling the disability unemployment crisis. His written work encompasses the intersections of disability studies, Autistic cultural studies, disability rights, and conceptual models of social paradigms. His work on the character of Perceval was his first foray into critical disability studies.
See Shaun's latest research here.
Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X explores what it's like to come of age as an Afro-Latina. Language and music blend together in order to create a heartfelt picture of the Afro-Latina experience, all while dealing with the same events that many other teenagers learn to navigate. Spoken word ends up being 15 year old Xiomara's outlet as she handles these events, and while that plays a huge role in the book, it begins an internal conversation for the reader that asks them to figure out what their outlet will be.
Serena Villa is currently a junior at Texas State majoring in Psychology and minoring in English. Her passions include people and politics. She hopes to eventually make a difference in the lives of others through either counseling, writing, or activism. She currently plans to start another spoken word group on campus.
Slumber of Sins and the Shadow-Beast: Looking at Teresa de Cartagena's Writings Through an Anzaldúan Lens
Teresa de Cartagena was one of the most powerful and influential Spanish writers and mystics of the fifteenth-century. De Cartagena challenges the patriarchal hegemony within the Church when she writes her two treatises, Arboleda de los Enfermos, and Admiraçion operum Dey. Gloria Anzaldúa's theory about Borderlands can be applied to Teresa de Cartagena in the sense that de Cartagena also talks about borders: borders on her spiritual and material family, on her spiritual and physical body, and borders on her theological prepositions. Teresa de Cartagena holds much in common with Gloria Anzaldúa, both are women who have crossed multiple borders, learning how to manipulate tongues in order to survive and make sense of a harsh and unforgiving world around them. Anzaldúa introduces the Shadow-Beast; a suppressed nature that compels the individual to rebel and indulge in their forbidden desires. All the while, Teresa de Cartagena keeps her own wants and desires, her rebellious Shadow-Beast, at bay. Gloria Anzaldúa's experience as a marginalized voice and in her new mestiza consciousness theory provides brilliant insight into the world of Teresa de Cartagena. By peering into de Cartagena's life through an Anzaldúan lens, one is able to see de Cartagena's humanity, rebellion, and her passionate steel resolve.
Lea Colchado was born in Harlingen, Texas and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas where she attended Del Mar College. She received her BA in English at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. She is currently a graduate student at Texas State University where she works as an Instructional Assistant, Research Assistant, and Coordinator of the Texas State English Diversity Video Series. Colchado has commissioned two poems, Every Child Flies, and Her Unheard Symphony, as well as receiving the 2016-2017 Undergraduate Research Fellowship to continue her research on Sandra Cisneros, Gloria Anzaldúa, Cherríe Moraga, and Ester Hernández at Stanford University and the University of Texas – Austin. She is planning on presenting, "Slumber of Sins and The Shadow-Beast" at the Texas Medieval Association conference this October at Texas State.
Beowulf's Grendel is never fully described, leading to some representations that are quite human (the 2007 Beowulf film) and others quite monstrous (the DC Comics interpretation). In the text itself, Grendel is called "heond on helle" (hell hound), "grimma gæst" (grim demon), and "Caines cynne" (Cain's kin). The fact that the term "aglæca" is used to reference the villainous Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon, but also the heroic Sigemund and Beowulf adds to the ambiguity of who/what Grendel is. Grendel may be "the Other," but perhaps one lesson of Beowulf is that the self/Other binary is not so clear-cut—maybe we are supposed to find the self in the Other and see the human in the monstrous.
Andrew Barton has a B.A. in English and Psychology from Texas A&M University and an M.A. in Literature from Texas State University. He is currently a Lecturer in the Department of English at Texas State University. His scholarly presentations include "The Border Between Things: Grave Liminality in The Graveyard Book"; "The Difference between a Potion and a Drug: Exploring the Borders of Magic and Medicine in Dr. Strange: The Oath"; and "That Was One Good King: Liminality, Old English, and Beowulf."
In this presentation, Rui Ma presents some of the basic ideas of Taoism and its interconnectedness with American popular culture. Taoism as an ancient Chinese philosophy is difficult even for Chinese people to understand and practice. This difficulty lies primarily in its elusiveness and tendency toward self-contradiction. Practicing Taoism strictly as a religion is also impossible because "The tao that can be described is not the eternal Tao" (Daode Jing, Chapter 1). In fact, the more we try to understand it, the more we will find its resonance with our universal human nature—our love for peacefulness and our innate bond with nature. In short, in understanding Taoism, we are more likely to find that we are part of nature rather than against it, a concept that is vital more than ever in an era of growing ecological crisis.
Rui Ma is a second year MFA student in fiction at Texas State University. Before deciding to pursue creative writing, she earned a master's degree in Public Economics from CEMA (Chinese Economics and Management Academy) at Central University of Economics and Finance in China and a BA in International Economics from Nankai University. Previously, she taught creative writing and critical reading in China for more than ten years. Currently, Rui is at work on a short story collection and her first novel, both focusing on one's inner journey towards personal truth. While studying economics, she found herself contemplating transcendental issues beyond the realm of human economic and social behaviors such as the relationship of men and nature as well as one's inner journey towards self-perfection. For Rui, Taoism provides an opportunity to see human knowledge as interconnected rather than divided into western and eastern ideologies.


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Střeň (in tedesco Schrein) è un comune della Repubblica Ceca facente parte del distretto di Olomouc, nella regione di Olomouc.

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Střeň


Intranets have been around since as early as 1989 and have fast become an integrated part of almost every organisation's information infrastructure, with studies showing that 85% of companies have an intranet or employee portal of some kind.
But just how many of these intranets are keeping up with the high demands of today's workplace?
Watch this webinar, as we discuss the changing role of the intranet within businesses today. We'll explore the latest tech innovations in the digital workplace, the role that the intranet plays, as well as address the challenges around adoption and maintaining purposeful collaboration.


Modbus Serial (ACII/RTU) OPC Server 320 was developed by OPCTechs Technology Corporation in June 2005. According to the standard OPC 3.0 Specification, we developed the packaged software for our extended customers especially in the automation fields. It is suitable in the integration fields in every walk of life. Modbus protocol is one of the most popular communication protocols in the world today. As the new devices create, the device makers should embed the modbus protocol. Modbus protocol let the engineers fast and easily to integrate devices to the automation software. The devices such as power meter, water leakage machine, generator, and UPS. They all inborn provide the Modbus communication protocol. This version is the first release on CNET Download.com.


Superb riding boots, ready to ride...!
The shiny and the spurs give them a great allure.
Do your gf has a crop to order you?
Thanks dior99! I'm sure that your pleasure has been very strong when you came on these beautys. Lucky man!!!
Mm lovely! I just adore riding boots and how they make me submit only at their sight if someone wears them... Is she really wearing them for horse riding, or more as a fashion statement? Hope she makes you suffer a lot with them! Could you PLEASE also post some pictures of the soles?


I found this amazing article that is challenging my earthly thinking.
It truly hits home to someone thinking of entering the mission field full time. Home or abroad, our mission field is right where we are.
My heart is asking how many live like this [no material possessions] right here in the USA by Gods prompting?
I bet it is freeing. Maybe like cutting cable, or quitting a bad habit.
As this next part of life is being birthed for Ken and I together (still in awe and wonder at this!), we imagine all he and I can do together to impact eternity.
So, guess we are going to have a yard sale in the near future, or something of that sort!


Jan D. Hobbs, MD, is a specialist in ear, nose, throat & allergy who will help to diagnose and treat conditions involving the upper respiratory system. Our office is located at 601 W. Country Club Rd. Suite 202, Roswell, NM.
Call us at Roswell Office Phone Number 575-622-2911.
Serving patients of ALL AGES, pediatrics to geriatrics.
Accepting most insurances – Including Medicare and Medicaid.


In case you missed it, Channel 13 ran a story by Ted Oberg that exposes what a fraud the Rebuild Houston has become. Oberg obtained documents from the City that showed spending on streets and drainage is down by 7% and 4%, respectively. How in the world can the City be collecting an additional $100 million a year in drainage fees and be spending less money on the very improvements that were promised by this program?
PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW BEFORE HOUSTONIANS ARE ONCE AGAIN HOODWINKED INTO SUPPORTING THIS SHAM.


I believe this is one of those plugins that you have to have.
Use Limit Logins not this plugin.
attention: locked out of my admin panel!!
it's very important plug in for all bloggers.
Has prevented many login attempts!


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People With Type 'O' Blood Are Protected From Most Severe Forms Of Malaria Infection
Mar 9, 2015 11:00 AM By Susan Scutti
Blood type O conveys protection against malaria because RIFIN, a protein secreted by parasites, bonds weakly with type O blood cells while strongly linking to type A. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.
In a list of the world's most deadly infectious diseases, malaria is ranked third, behind tuberculosis and HIV, when it comes to annual casualties around the world. While scientists have known for some time that people with blood type O are protected from the most severe (and deadly) forms of malaria, they have never understood the reasons why. Now, Scandinavian researchers explain how a protein secreted by malarial parasites makes its way to the surface of blood cells, where it acts like glue, and blocks blood flow (and ultimately leads to death). However, this protein only weakly bonds with type O blood cells, the researchers say, while it strongly bonds to type A.
"The new knowledge is important in order to develop new treatments for severe malaria," Dr. Mats Wahlgren, a professor in microbiology and cell biology at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet, told Medical Daily in an email, clarifying that to treat or cure patients it is necessary "to understand the mechanisms that bring about severe disease." Importantly, having demonstrated the ways type O blood protects against severe malaria, this explains why the blood type is so common in areas where malaria is common. "In Nigeria, for instance, more than half of the population belongs to blood group O, which protects against malaria," Wahlgren stated in a press release.
A Special Protein
Ninety percent of all malaria deaths occur in Africa. Nearly 600,000 deaths occurred in 2013, according to the World Health Organization, the result of about 198 million cases of malaria. The disease is caused by different kinds of parasites, which are spread to people through infected mosquitoes, which bite between dusk and dawn. Pretty much all cases of severe, sometimes fatal, malaria result from the Plasmodium falciparum species of parasite. What happens in the worst cases of malaria is infected red blood cells stick to capillaries and other small vessels in an infected person's circulatory system, blocking blood flow and causing oxygen deficiency and tissue damage. This leads to coma, brain damage, and in some cases death.
So what's going on there? The team of Karolinska Institutet scientists who have been studying the RIFIN protein say this parasitic secretion is key to why only some blood types are vulnerable to the most severe forms of malaria. Using data from various experiments on cell cultures and animals, they demonstrate how the Plasmodium falciparum parasite secretes RIFIN. This special protein makes its way to the surface of an infected person's blood cells, where it becomes sticky and begins its damage. However, while RIFIN bonds strongly with type A blood cells, it only weakly links to type O. While simple, this explanation only became possible after the researchers had isolated the correct one of many existing variants of the protein.
"The RIFINs have not be known to have a role in development of severe malaria previously," Wahlgren told Medical Daily. Now, though, he believes these proteins can be used as "targets when screening for new drugs."
Generally, the news of malaria is all good, even if a new issue of mosquitoes becoming resistant to insecticide-treated nets has emerged. However, in Africa, the prevalence of this disease has been sloping downward since 2000. Though the population in high transmission areas has increased by 43 percent, WHO estimates infections fell from 173 million in 2000 to 128 million in 2013 — a reduction of 26 percent.
"I started to work with malaria of the simple reason that is a disease of the poor and there was a lack of knowledge, there was a lot to be done," Wahlgren told Medical Daily. Apparently, the work of Wahlgren and other scientists in the field has been beneficial.
Source: Goel S, Palmkvist M, Moll K, et al. RIFINs are Adhesins Implicated in Severe Plasmodium falciparum Malaria. Nature Medicine. 2015.


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Q: Loop driver.get URL (webdriver python) How can i loop a URL infinitely in Python Selenium WebDriver? I have tried time.sleep driver.refresh() but it is not very efficient.
    from selenium import webdriver
    from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
    from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC
    from selenium.common.exceptions import TimeoutException
    import os
    import time

    chromedriver = "chromedriver.exe"

    driver = webdriver.Chrome()
    driver.get("http://www.example.com/load")

A: from selenium import webdriver

driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.maximize_window()
print "To quit the program, please kill the program or close browser"
while True:
    driver.get("http://www.bbc.com/")

This will help to solve your problem


APPLICATION: For competition engines where maximum power release is the preferred criteria, especially for qualifying or shorter duration events where the engine has been designed for this type of crankcase lubricant. Intended for racing and track use. Can be used for road cars where a fully synthetic 0w30 is recommended by the original manufacturer.
If in doubt, consult with Performance Racing Oils. For Technical assistance call Performance Racing Oils at 865-200-4264.
Been using this exclusively for my turbo BRZ and has been performing flawlessly on and off the track all season.
Click the button below to add the Clearance - Millers CFS 0W30 NT to your wish list.


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Have you ever had your email account hacked?
Yes, but only once.
Yes, several times.
No, never.
Not that I know of.
Sexting and cyberbullying targetted by government
Culture Secretary Karen Bradly has announced a new Internet Safety Strategy designed to make Britain the safest place in the world for children to access and use the internet.
Announcing the initiative, Ms Bradley said: "The internet has provided young people with amazing opportunities but has also introduced a host of new dangers which children and parents have never faced before.
"It is increasingly clear that some behaviours which are unacceptable offline are being tolerated or even encouraged online - sometimes with devastating consequences. We are determined to make Britain the safest place in the world to be online."
She added that parents must "face up to the dangers" of the internet and be prepared to have uncomfortable conversations with their children about sexting.
For more information and the full article, head on over to the Get Safe Online website.
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This is a portfolio of selected custom websites. Each project displayed shows the final designs along with the details of what was completed for that particular project. Please click the thumbnail images to view larger versions of the designs and some details of what the project included.
Project stalled. They have not moved forward with the project to our knowledge.
Project stalled. They moved to a different design several years later.


I am an Assistant Professor of Statistics and Methodology at the Department of Sociology of the University of Mannheim and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Joint Program in Survey Methodology (JPSM) at the University of Maryland. At the University of Mannheim, I am also affiliated with the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES) and the Collaborative Research Center SFB884 "Political Economy of Reforms".
I received my PhD in Social and Economic Sciences (Dr.rer.soc.oec.) from WU, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria, in 2011. Before joining the University of Mannheim and JPSM, I was a Senior Researcher at the International Program in Survey and Data Science and a Post-doc Research Fellow at the Program in Survey Methodology at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research.
My research focuses on nonresponse and measurement error in Web and mobile Web surveys, passive mobile data collection, and visual design effects in questionnaires. Feel free to browse through my publications and contact me if you are interested in collaborating or if you do have any questions.
Next week, I will be teaching a two-day short course on Web Survey Design for the Joint Program in Survey Methodology at the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington DC.
I am excited to announce that I was reelected to the board of the German Society for Online Research.
The first paper from our IAB-SMART app project was just published online first in Social Science Computer Review: Collecting Survey and Smartphone Sensor Data With an App: Opportunities and Challenges Around Privacy and Informed Consent. Many more hopefully to follow soon.
Our paper "Is Satisficing Responsible for Response Order Effects in Rating Scale Questions?" was recently published in Survey Research Methods.
marktforschung.de interviewed me and my fellow DGOF board member, Alexandra Wachenfeld, about the "representativeness" of online samples.
Next week I will be at BigSurv18 in Barcelona. There I will chair a session on smartphone sensor measurement and present a study on users' concerns when using smartphones for data collection tasks.
Two new book chapters on Cross-cultural comparability of response patterns of expectation questions and Response styles in cross-cultural surveys co-authored with former colleagues at the University of Michigan just got published.
Chris Antoun (University of Maryland) and I were awarded a grant from the University of Maryland 2018 Global Classroom Initiative. The grant will allow us to develop a graduate-level course on "Big Data in Immigration Research" which we will teach together at the University of Maryland and the University of Mannheim in Spring/Summer 2019.
I am Programme Chair of the upcoming General Online Research Conference (GOR19). Please submit your work to one of our three tracks: Internet Surveys, Mobile Web, and Online Research Methodology (Track A), Big Data and Data Science (Track B), Politics and Communication (Track C). See the full call for papers here.
Call for Papers for DAGStat 2019 in Munich is out. Please consider submitting your work to our session on "Official Statistics and Survey Statistics".
Wanna learn about different Data Collection Methods? Take my two-day short course in the Michigan Summer Institute in Survey Research Techniques.
A new paper titled A Typology of Web Survey Paradata for Assessing Total Survey Error written with former colleagues at the University of Michigan was just published in Social Science Computer Review.
Only three more weeks untill GOR18 in Cologne. Check out this article in Planung & Analyse.
In two weeks, I will be chairing a session on "Survey Data Collection: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives" at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Advancement in Science in Austin, Texas.
Check out the great program for GOR18 in Cologne that my colleagues and I have put together. See also this interview on marktforschung.de with Bella Struminskaya (Conference Program Chair) and me (Conference Program Vice Chair).
I was recently interviewed by the Austrian magazine emedia about the role of online data collection in polling for the Austrian national election.
I have the honor to vice-chair the next General Online Research (GOR) conference in Cologne from February 28 to March 2, 2018. If you do research on online data collection, please see the Call for Papers and consider submitting your work.
Together with Silvia Schacht and other colleagues from KIT, we have a new research-in-progress paper published on Web survey gamification. Increasing data quality in web surveys by using game design elements.
Next week, I will be attending the 7th Conference of the European Survey Research Association (ESRA) in Lisbon, Portugal. I will be giving a presentation titled "In your opinion, in which direction should the answer categories go?" and host a session on "Passive Mobile Data Collection."
Together with my colleagues Zhenya Samoilova and Tobias Wolbring, we recently published a paper on "Learning Analytics and Survey Data Integration in Workload Research" in the Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung.
I am proud to announce that last week, I was elected to the board of the German Society for Online Research (DGOF).
Mingnan Liu and I just got our paper on "Effects of Scale Direction on Response Style of Ordinal Rating Scales" published in the Journal of Official Statistics.
On Thursday, December 1, I will speak at the Unipark Community Meeting in Munich about straightlining in web surveys.
The paper "Web Versus Mobile Web. An Experimental Study of Device Effects and Self-Selection Effects" - co-authored with Ting Yan - has been published online before print in Social Science Computer Review.
I am excited to announce that I have accepted an offer to join the University of Mannheim as an Assistant Professor in Statistics and Methodology in the Department of Sociology.
Want to learn more about Data Collection Methods? I will be teaching a course in the Michigan Summer Institute in Survey Research Techniques together with Frederick Conrad.
On March 4, 2016, I'll present the paper "Web vs. Mobile Web – An Experimental Study of Mode Effects" (co-authored with Ting Yan) at the General Online Research (GOR 16) in Dresden.
On January 12, I am invited to speak about "The influence of the direction of response scales on survey responses" at the Center of Methods in Social Sciences at the University of Göttingen.
Together with Aigul Mavletova, from the National University Higher School of Economics, Russia, I am organizing a session on Gamification of Surveys at the 9th International Conference on Social Science Methodology (RC33), September 11-16, 2016, Leicester, UK. Abstracts can be submitted here.
I am proud to announce that the paper "A review of issues in gamified surveys" - co-authored with Chan Zhang - has been published online before print in Social Science Computer Review.
On December 18, 2015, I'll be talking about "Challenges in the modern data collection context – An experimental study of mode effects between Web and mobile Web" at the Unipark Anwendertag 2015, at Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg, Germany.
Energy Policy just published our paper "U.S. consumer attitudes and expectations about energy." This study is based on findings from the first year of the quarterly University of Michigan Energy Survey, a survey that I helped develop together with colleagues from the University of Michigan Energy Institute and the University of Michigan Institute for Social Science.
On July 14, Ting Yan (Westat) and I are presenting two papers entitled "Does Satisficing Drive Scale Direction Effects?" and "Impact of Response Scale Direction on Survey Responses in Web and Mobile Web Surveys" at the 6th Conference of the European Survey Research Association (ESRA) in Reykjavik, Iceland. Here are our abstracts.
I am proud to announce that the paper "The impact of weather on mobility and participation in older US adults," based on a survey that I have been working on with former colleagues from the University of Michigan, has been published in the American Journal of Public Health.
This summer, I am going to teach two courses at international summer schools. In June and July, I will be teaching an 8 week-course on Data Collection Methods with Fred Conrad at the 68th Summer Institute in Survey Research Techniques at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. On August 24 and 25, I will be teaching a short course on Mobile Web Surveys as part of the 4th GESIS Summer School in Survey Methodology at Cologne, Germany.
I am very happy to announce that the paper "The effects of the direction of rating scales on survey responses in a telephone survey" - co-authored with Ting Yan - was published in Public Opinion Quarterly.
I am proud to announce that my paper "Why do people participate in Web surveys? Applying survey participation theory to Internet survey data collection" was published in Management Review Quarterly.
On December 3, 2014, I am presenting the paper "Applying survey participation theory to Web surveys" at the Internet Survey Methodology Workshop 2014 in Bolzano, Italy. Here is the abstract.
On November 22, I am presenting the paper "A Review of Issues in Gamified Survey Design" (in collaboration with Chan Zhang from Fudan University, China) at the 39th Annual Conference of the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research (MAPOR) in Chicago. Here is our abstract.


Question: What should we do to reduce our impact on the environment?
Richard Cizik: Well the environment has never had "political salience". It's never risen above single digits in terms of its political saliency, but it is already. Climate change is considered by some polls to be one of the top tier domestic issues in the '08 election. And so for those candidates who are – let's put it this way – climate deniers, I think they face political extinction. And for those that do reach out across aisles, across religious beliefs, across, you see, the cultural divides that exist in America to say that this is something together we can do; that green is the new red, white and blue; and that this generation, my generation, can only be the greatest generation if we are the greenest generation … Now that, I say … That's a vision that we can live up to. We can live up to it. So I'm an optimist, absolutely. We don't have any choice.
Climate change is considered by some polls to be one of the top tier domestic issues in the 2008 election.