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Estrata Productions - New Zealand
Estrata Productions - New Zealand Estrata Productions - New Zealand Estrata Productions - New Zealand
Psychology Research - Video Games
I have recently contributed to a chapter alongside two very skilled and knowledgeable researchers; Dr. Aaron Drummond & Dr. James Sauer. The work looks at video game violence and what we can/can't say about how it relates to real world societal violence.
The work has now been published in the psychology text: Video Game Influences on Aggression, Cognition, and Attention. Our work is Chapter 2 titled (and I hope you like puns): The Infamous Relationship Between Violent Video Game Use and Aggression: Uncharted Moderators and Small Effects Make It a Far Cry from Certain.
You can purchase the book HERE in either ebook or hardcover format, it will be available for anyone with ebscohost or other academic search engine access also.
We recently published a meta-analysis looking at loot box use, you can view that HERE. Or read the press release HERE.
More research on the way!
ReWind and The Pav columns!
ReWind is a semi-regular column posted on The Weekly Spoon a pop culture review and news site. ReWind, written by Shaun Garea, looks back at some of the greats in comic history picking up and reviewing older works mostly and reexamining their place in today's landscape. View the segment HERE
The Pav is a slice of kiwiana published in Funtime Comics (NZ's longest running comics anthology) and features a look at a classic New Zealand comic work. You can purchase Funtime Comic issues HERE
Novel in the works!
A short novel 'The Cult of the Giant Teapot' has been on the burner here on and off for some time, with work being dedicated to it between Estrata and academic commitments.
The Cult of the Giant Teapot is the story of tribal peoples warring over, yes, a giant teapot. As ridiculous as this may seem to the protagonist - a stranger in a strange land - are these odd beliefs any different from ones he may hold himself?
Going forward there will be some PDF's available for anyone interested in Comicbook screenwriting and also some screenplays of our film projects completed in the past.
Comic work
There is a WHOLE website dedicated to this project - with characters created by Shaun Garea and Alex McMahon - so please get more info HERE. So far, a bunch of stories have been printed in Funtime Comics (Funtime is NZ's longest running comics anthology) and also in the Warlock Returns magazine where Gareus also hosts an 'agony aunt' section. Hopefully a dedicated Gareus issue is on the way in the not-too-distant-future as the content continues to build and stockpile. Oh and Gareus may just be appearing in a video game too. Just sayin. Check out the website for more info as all stories are published for free 'webcomic style' there.
Ah the bittersweet look at projects past.
Arcadia will never die but it is in a coma. The work is a direct continuation of the story of Hell's Gate (Estrata's first independent short film) and widens the scope of evil nasty monsters from a small rural house to a town on the outskirts of nowhere.
A six issue run has been planned with story and script work done for the most part so really its just up to a matter of time, patience, and just a little bit of inspiration.
If you hop over HERE you will find the video we did for Jordan Reyne's track 'The Arsonist'. Estrata also did two separate single page comics to expand on the story and give a little more depth to the characters (who are played by two of our favorite people!). You can see the comic pages HERE.
Ghost bus
UPDATE: These images have become finalists in the 2021 Sir Julius Vogel awards!!!!!!!!!!! Find out more HERE
Talented New Zealand writer Anna Kirtlan has recently created a fantastic little ghost story compilation set in Wellington. The stories are all pithy, quirky, and a little scary! Each one has a central conceit that is really inventive and fun. I decided to draw some images of the stories so
You can checkout Ghost Bus: Tales from Wellingtons Dark Side here:
http://seamunchkin.com/
and here: https://www.facebook.com/AnnaKirtlanWrites
(Image 1 from 'The Ministry of Public Art' featuring Jacinda Ardern and Katherine Mansfield, Image 2 from 'The Oriental Bay Piranhas' )
Copyright © 2018 Shaun Garea & Estrata Productions - All Rights Reserved.


Dec 10 2016 - Jan 3 2017, Wed - Sat, 12-5.
On December 13th, 2016 8-11 Gallery hosted an intimate concert with musician/composer Anne Bourne, as part of the exhibition "Every sound is a small action and broke world". Anne's performance occurred within and simultaneously to the sound installation "satellite", which utilizes sub-bass and infra-sonic sounds via a large subwoofer installed directly within the gallery wall itself. "satellite" works with the real-time phases of the moon's orbit (a cycle of 29.5305882 days) as its form. Throughout the entire exhibition, a software program generates in real-time a series of bass tone pieces using divisions of the moon's orbit time as inputs (frequencies below 29.5305882 hz, as well as time divisions of the moons phases); a process which takes the entire duration of the exhibition to play out. These tones, which are often so low as to be felt more than heard, provide a slow, almost imperceptible, clock to the exhibition.
The moon is a natural satellite. It circles the earth in cycles that phase with the position of the sun/earth. A new moon occurs when the moon is exactly positioned between the earth and sun. This "synodic period", as it's called, is exactly 29.5305882 days long. There are several major events in the phases of the moon: the new moon, the full moon, the first quarter, the third quarter, and the phases in between them. On December 13th the concert marked a moment in that cycle: the last supermoon (at 7:05pm Toronto time) of 2016.
Among many other notable activities, Anne has been a dear friend and frequent collaborator of the late American composer Pauline Oliveros, an artist whom the works in the exhibition are greatly informed by and indebted to.
We acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts in developing this project.
Anne Bourne is a composer/sound artist who improvises parallel streams of extended cello and voice. She has arranged, recorded and toured internationally with awarded songwriters, noteably Jane Siberry. Anne has created works with Eve Egoyan, Fred Frith and John Oswald, Andrea Nann and Michael Ondaatje, Peter Chin, Duane Linklater, Peter Mettler and renowned composer Pauline Oliveros. She played on the premier recording of Pauline Oliveros' composition 'Primordial/Lift' in New York, 1998, and has appeared on all subsequent performances and recordings of this piece, a listening experience based in the resonant frequencies of the earth. Her work 'Silo: there is beauty in decay, Agnes Varda,' a site specific sound piece installed in 9.1 surround in a silo, was presented at In/Future, 2016. She recently performed with Pauline Oliveros, Ione, and Doug van Nort at XAvantXI Music Gallery 2016; and in a solo electroacoustic concert at Tone Deaf, 2016. In 2013, Anne performed with Christopher Willes at the many faceted Weybourne Project, Luff art & dialogue. Anne's creative meetings with Christopher Willes inhabit the futureworld of possibility.
Christopher Willes is a Canadian artist and composer. He makes performances, music, exhibitions, and writes about contemporary art. Select projects have been presented at The Art Gallery of Ontario, The Music Gallery, Intersite Visual Art Festival, The Rhubarb Festival, and Open Ears Festival. He works often within experimental dance and theatre as a sound maker and dramaturge, include works with Public Recordings, Urbanvessel, Small Wooden Shoe, Dancemakers, Ellen Furey, Ame Henderson, Evan Webber, and Adam Kinner. He studied music at the University of Toronto, and received an MFA from Bard College. In 2016 he was awarded a Chalmers Art Fellowship, and was a MacDowell Colony Fellow.


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China Mobile Commissions BBC Studios TV Series: 'One Cup, A Thousand Stories'
HomeChina Mobile Commissions BBC Studios TV Series: 'One Cup, A Thousand Stories'
August 2, 2019 No Comments News ctma
Tea garden in Hangzhou, West Lake, Longjing, China. (Getty Images/4045)
In a first for BBC Studios, China Mobile recently commissioned a six-part TV documentary on tea.
The fact-based documentary One Cup, A Thousand Stories is funded by Migu, the digital content subsidiary of China Mobile. It is the BBC's first fully-funded production in China. It will be produced in Scotland and distributed internationally by BBC Studios.
In a BBC release, One Cup is said to "tell the story of tea and its impact on China and other civilizations around the world. It will look at tea on a scale never attempted before, journeying across the beautiful and varied landscapes of China to explore its many teas, the people who have built a life around it and the culture it has created. It will reveal how tea has influenced Chinese lifestyles and rituals, including food and concepts of medicine and health and how tea sits at the heart of Chinese traditions, attitudes, friendships and family ties, bringing different generations together and even the nation. The series will also seek to tell the story of tea's influence on other countries and China's role in the global tea culture."
The BBC writes that it has long partnered with Chinese broadcasters on natural history series such as Blue Planet, Planet Earth and Dynasties, "but this is the first to emerge from the BBC Studios Factual production team, which has increased it presence in China, working closely with Kelvin Yau, SVP and GM, Greater China, BBC Studios, to explore opportunities."
Lisa Opie, managing director for BBC Studios Productions said, "I am delighted that we… will be making this fascinating and ambitious factual series for Migu. It's incredibly exciting to be sharing our story-telling and production craft with new audiences and with content that has been specifically developed for this market."
Bin Wang, CEO of Migu Video added, "BBC Studios Productions makes some of the best factual programs in the world and we are thrilled that they are producing this landmark series for us. It is a great opportunity to draw on their production skills and knowledge, covering a subject that is so important to us."
The program will air in 2020.
"Given growing content restrictions in China, and the prospect of a year of patriotic feature films in Chinese movie theaters, it is notable that factual programming remains an avenue open to international co-operation," writes Variety.
The commissions come as the company has merged its production division, BBC Studios, and its international distribution unit BBC Worldwide, offering services for non-BBC channels. BBC, which is licensed by the British government, earned 15 commissions from third-party broadcasters since the rules were relaxed. The network produces 2,500 hours of content annually and reported earnings of $1.7 billion last year.
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The Alexander Gorchakov
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Partners of the Gorchakov Fund have organized a trip around Russia for American political scientists, businessmen and public activists
On September 13-21, a delegation of representatives of the New York State Senate and non-governmental organizations of the United States will visit Russia at the invitation of Chairman of the National Council of the Republic of Tatarstan Farid Mykhametshin.
President of Russian-American Cultural Heritage Center (RAKSI) Olga Zatsepina informed press service of the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund about that event.
According to her, the delegation will visit Moscow, Kazan and St. Petersburg. Representatives of the state of New York have set the goal of establishing and continuing cooperation on the regional levels in the field of culture, business and public diplomacy.
Co-organizer of the event is Russian-American Cultural Heritage Center (RAKSI). It is not a coincidence as RAKSI became an initiator and organizer of launching and holding the Month of Russia-American History in the state of New York, which has been successfully held for already six years with the support of the Senate, stressed Olga Zatsepina.
Activities of RAKSI, which unite both compatriots and Americans, are an example of what compatriots can do to preserve Russian history and heritage as well as promote the image of Russia in the country of their residence, added the interviewee of the press service.
Under the conditions of tense relations between Moscow and Washington, DC space for public and parliamentary diplomacy is opening, she believes.
Russian-American Cultural Heritage Center (RAKSI) is a partner of the Gorchakov Fund.
Gorchakov Fund USA public diplomacy RAKSI Zatsepina image of Russia
Call for applications to participate in the contest "Victory through the Language of New Media"
"A Strategic Pause? Prospects of the U.S.-Iranian Confrontation in 2020". A lecture by Americanist Maxim Suchkov at the Gorchakov Fund
A quiz in Russian history was organized in Uganda with the support of the Gorchakov Fund
A bilateral youth forum of Russian and Afghan youth ended at the Gorchakov Fund
Fax: +7(495) 276-16-63
gorchakovfund@yandex.ru
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© 2017 The Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund


Octavo, 32 pp. including the half-title, with a folding plate; with the half-title in "Mackaness" morocco, with the Mackaness bookplate.
One of remarkably few works published by Banks, but an apt demonstration of his wide range of scientific interest. The problems of blight in wheat and corn were a considerable problem for farmers both in England and abroad, including Australia: 'The climate of the British Isles is not the only one that is liable to the Blight in Corn… Specimens received from the Colony of New South Wales shew that considerable mischief was done to the wheat crop there in the year 1803 by a parasitic plant, very similar to the English one' (p.19).
Banks wrote this as a supplement for the fourth edition of Curtis's Practical Observations on the British Grasses, 1805, where it appeared with a separate title-page; however that printing, which has a different imprint, ran to only 14 pp. Carter (Sir Joseph Banks… guide to biographical and bibliographical sources, p. 172) identifies a separate printing like ours, but it has a different publisher (Bulmer). Ferguson notes the Curtis edition (399a) but does not record any separate publication.
The folding plate comprises eight figures, all based on original drawings by Francis Bauer, Ferdinand Bauer's elder brother.
Some waterstaining in lower part of most pages, mostly marginal, otherwise a good copy.


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evolvingthoughts
No, it's not an ancestor either (probably)
By evolvingthoughts on May 19, 2009.
In addition to the "missing link" trope that is being dished out about the new primate fossil, is another one, more subtle and insidious: it's the ancestor of all primates. How do they know that? Consider a biologically realistic scenario: at the time there were probably hundreds of species of small bodied mammals with tails and feet like that. One of these species may be the ancestor of all primates, but what are the odds that a specimen from that species is the one that was preserved? Just as all primates now look remarkably similar overall, but one may be the common ancestor of a group in 50 million years or so without being the one that is fossilised, the characters of this species may in fact be shared primitive (in the sense of "came first") traits of its group. So-called plesiomorphic traits, or underived traits, are no indicator that the specimen is a member of an ancestral species, only that it is a member of a group of species, one of which was the ancestor. We don't even know what extant species is the ancestor of Darwin's finches, and we have access to their biogeography, molecular properties, development, behaviour and mating systems. How can we be sure this was "the" concestor (Dawkins' term for common ancestor) of all primates?
We've been bitten by this mistake many times before. Archaeopteryx was supposed to be the ancestor of birds. Neanderthals (now spelled without the "h") were supposed to be "primitive" (i.e., came first) humans. Both are regarded as side branches of the lineage leading to birds and humans, but they show many traits that would have been shared with other species of their group at the time. And we rarely have reason to think we have a sufficient record of all species, as the Hobbit shows (it is regarded as not even a descendent of the H erectus hominids we know were in Asia around the right time).
History loses information. To make claims about history one needs positive evidence, ruling out, or at the least making extremely unlikely, alternative hsitories. Phylogenetics does not rule out all alternative histories, just some subsets. Phylogeny can rule out that a species is an ancestor, but it cannot rule it in. "Ida" may be our greatn parent, but equally it may just be a long lost cousin.
Species and systematics
Basic concepts: Ancestors
Some ideas one might think are pretty clear. The notion of an ancestor is one of them. But I am astounded how few people understand this simple idea in the context of evolution. Ergo... The basis for evolutionary thinking is the notion of an evolutionary tree, or a historical genealogy of…
Ganlea megacania and more "missing link" mania
A somewhat tamarin-like restoration of Ganlea megacania. By Mark A. Klingler of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. It seems that almost every time a new fossil primate is announced the first question everyone asks is "Is it one of our ancestors?" Nevermind that it is all but impossible to…
If These Lice Could Talk
Contempt is never wise in biology. The creature that you look down on as lowly, degenerate, or disgusting may actually turn out to be sophisticated, successful, and--in some cases--waiting to tell you a lot about yourself. That's certainly the case for lice. The human body louse, Pediculus humanus…
Poor, poor Ida, Or: "Overselling an Adapid"
A restoration of the extinct adapid Darwinius, known popularly as "Ida." From PLoS One. . So the big day is finally here. "Ida", a 47-million-year-old primate skeleton from Messel, Germany has finally been unveiled on PLoS One and in a flurry of press releases, book announcements, and general media…
Good post John. It's a shame to see so many organizations that should know better, as well as news outlets who can be expected to over sell, jumping on "ancestor of all primates" bandwagon. It's not just a case that the framing is wrong or that they are taking the wrong angle on the story, but that the story itself is probably incorrect.
This episode will probably come back to haunt the paleontologists and evolutionary biologists for years to come as creationists use it as an example of "Darwinists" misleading the public.
This is a shame since it is a beautiful fossil, eminently newsworthy in its own right (though perhaps not with so many headlines), and could be a great example for explaining evolution by natural selection to the general public. Instead of this they've gone for a big splash, whuich will no doubt shortly be followed by the story sinking like a stone.
I just hopoe that the documentary discusses the find and the various claims made about it in an more balanced and less excitable way.
By Paul Browne (not verified) on 20 May 2009 #permalink
All that ancestor-of-humans and missing-link talk is from the media, which misrepresents everything complex. The "reporters" frame everything in the most dramatic light possible. The news practically calls every fossil discovery a "missing link". And don't think the news organizations don't know they're stirring up the creationism debate with their mischaracterizations; they know.
By marcusa (not verified) on 21 May 2009 #permalink
This was precisely why I thought they made the (sensational) claims they did - this latest find further bolstered (as if it needed it, I know, I know) modern evolutionary theory. The Flat Earthers are always talking about how bananas and peanut butter and what not prove Darwin is a tool of Marxism and Satan, etc; I assumed the over-the-top reporting (IANABiologist, but even I thought the claims a little too pat) was to drive the point home that this find simply reaffirms what we know - evolution happens, happened, will keep happening.
I don't want to give these guys too big a pass, but I think their hearts were in the right place.
By torrentprime (not verified) on 21 May 2009 #permalink
Actually, the claim in the published paper is that this
could be the ancestor of all Anthropoids. That is a group
including apes (hominoids), Old World monkeys
(cercopithecoids such as macaque, mandrill) and New World
monkeys (ceboidae). In short of all primates, except the
lemur/loris/galagos and the tarsiers.
This is not a new claim. The fossil is an adapiform, and
whether adapiforms are the ancestors of anthropoids has
been under debate. Experts such as Richard Klein (see
"The Human Career" 3rd edition out just this month) do not
believe, just as you do, the claim can be settled with
fossils. Because shared features might be due to convergent
evolution.
As for the missing link, I think most people consider that
to be the last common ancestor of hominins and the
panini (chimps). From around 7ma - no fossils yet.
By Ajoy (not verified) on 21 May 2009 #permalink
So it would be better to say that the ancestor of all primates was probably similar to this and occurring about the same time.
No, if it isn't short, snappy, and definite, a reporter will simplify 'til it is; accuracy comes last.
By Monado (not verified) on 21 May 2009 #permalink
It is my opinion, and I state as much in my own post on this fossil, that the hype was overdone to the extent that the counter-hype is also overdone. Now, here, I can imagine that a gorilla would take this all personally, and a philosopher could be mainly interested in the hype and framing and stuff, but even on paleo blogs the fossil is getting too little attention.
In other words, we have more blogging about Ida than for the average newly reported cool fossil, by far, but the least said (relatively anyway) about the fossil itself.
Which is why, when I got to writing my version of this, I wrote mainly about the fossil and related issues of primate evolution.
By gregladen on 21 May 2009 #permalink
"Ida" may be our greatn parent, but equally it may just be a long lost cousin.
Equally? I would have thought it more likely, and that the specific likelihood would relate to the number of coexisting Adapid species (or perhaps populations).
Actually, the claim in the published paper is that this could be the ancestor of all Anthropoids..
Doesn't the paper claim that the fossil is an Adapid and that, if it is, that is evidence that the ancestor of all Anthropoids was an Adapid - any Adapid, maybe Ida, maybe not.
I think their hearts were in the right place.
Perhaps, but they're paid to have their brains in the right place.
By Karen James (not verified) on 21 May 2009 #permalink
New Parkinson's disease therapeutics discovered by Ben-Gurion U researchers
For those who come here from old links, my new blog address is evolvingthoughts.net This blog is no longer active.
Evolving Thoughts moves
So it is farewell... I have enjoyed blogging here at Seed, who have been generally very good to me given the constraints of herding cats with string they are working under, but it is time to move on. The neighborhood became a little hostile to old fashioned fogies like me, and that's all we need to…
We will resume transmission as soon as we can
There's some reorganising of my life and blogging going on. I'll announce all the changes to links and stuff in a fortnight or less. Please excuse the dust and noise of the construction behind the plastic sheets.
In addition to the "missing link" trope that is being dished out about the new primate fossil, is another one, more subtle and insidious: it's the ancestor of all primates. How do they know that? Consider a biologically realistic scenario: at the time there were probably hundreds of species of…
Alpha Fail
Weekend Diversion: Work Out To The Maxx (Synopsis)
"In order to change an existing paradigm you do not struggle to try and change the problematic model. You create a new model and make the old one obsolete." -R. Buckminster Fuller If you want to improve yourself in any area of life, it's going to take hard work to get you there. Have a listen to The Avett Brothers as they sing about it in their song, Hard Worker. But in some arenas, pushing…
The Last 100 Years: The 2000s and WMAP
The last 100 years have brought us from a Universe no bigger than the Milky Way ruled by Newton's gravity to a vast, expanding one with hundreds of billions of galaxies, covered in dark matter, beginning with the big bang, which was likely caused by inflation, and which will end in a freezing cold death as the galaxies accelerate away from one another, off into infinity. We gained and confirmed a…
Snow Day! Powdery, sticky, icy or slushy?
Oh the weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful, And since we've no place to go, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! -Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne Yesterday in the late afternoon (and yes, it's dark by late afternoon here in Portland, OR), I looked out the window and saw a rare sight for this part of the world. That's right, it snowed here! So, what did we do? We went out and…


1. Use carpenter measuring tape and measure the inside of your mold from the center line of the tail to the center line of the neck block. Allow 1/2" extra for length.
2. Jointer top of the sides making a straight edge.
3. Mark each side to denote which will be the top inside tail joint.
4. Stack the two side pieces together on the chop saw and make sure the TOP edge of the side pieces are flush to the chop saw's fence. This will make a square 90 degree end for the tail joint where the grain lines match up.
If you have one long piece for the 'ukulele side skip step 4.
5. Layout height of front and tail according to the dimensions on the template. Draw a straight line for the bottom/back edge of the side or sides.
6. Cut out bottom edge of side leaving your lines.
7. Using the edge sander, sand bottom edge of side only leaving the line.
8. Soak sides and linings (all 4) in water for approximately one hour.
9. After soaking sides and linings for one hour, use the bending iron to bend sides and linings to shape of the mold. Make sure the tail end of the sides line up with the center line of the mold.
10. After sides are bent and in mold, leave approximately 5/8" out of the mold so you can place bent linings in mold to keep their shape. Clamp and leave in mold until the neck and the front of the 'ukulele body are installed.


A long afternoon lunch might find the table covered in a variety of snacks ranging from wood-fired flat bread with taramasalata or brown butter and chilli-spiked hummus to snapper croquettes served with tangy lemon mayonnaise or a selection of house-made cheeses and smallgoods from the in-house butcher, such as wagyu beef pastrami, truffled mortadella and Catalan-style chorizo. Dinner, meanwhile, might see more substantial starters like spiced calamari with romesco and radicchio or fried cauliflower paired with pine nuts and pomegranate followed by mains along the lines of wood-fired fillets of barramundi spiced with cardamom and smoked tomato, or slow-cooked lamb shoulder slathered in a classic salsa verde. Simple sides like a salad of chopped broccoli with mint and almonds, or beer-battered onion rings complete the picture, and seasonal tarts and sorbets make for a light, fitting finish.
The handcrafted aesthetic applies as much to the mood of the 100-seat restaurant as it does to the menu. Designer Kelvin Ho has created a minimal, elegant space using concrete, stone, steel and wood—elements that convey relaxed sophistication and allow the open kitchen to be the centre of attention. A hand-chiseled concrete bar makes a handsome addition, as does the terracotta strip that leads the eye across the dining room floor and into an open-air, string-lit courtyard, the perfect spot for a cold beer, glass of wine or cocktail from the concise list of no-nonsense takes on classics like sours, Martinis and Negronis.
It's a fundamental respect for the art of craft and a hands-on attitude that defines the Mason experience, from the informed and attentive service down to the custom-made glassware and ceramics that grace the tables. Open seven days for both lunch and dinner, it's a refreshing change of pace in Bali—one that looks to time-honoured techniques of the past for feel and flavour, but rewards the curious and discriminating palates of the here and now.


Calculators we have developed to help you understand the tax consequences of certain decisions.
On the left hand side in the menu you will see a list of calculators we have developed to help you understand the tax consequences of certain decisions.
The first calculator is our Dividend Calculator which shows you how much personal income tax you can expect to pay in the tax year based on all your income – it will help you to decide if you want to take that extra dividend or not as you will know how much tax you will have to pay on it.
The second calculator is our Take Home Calculator, this shows you how much you should expect to take home running your business through a limited company or as a sole trader.
We will be adding more calculators as the year goes on so do check back. If there is a particular calculator you would like to see then please do give us a call on 0845 834 0264 or drop us an email at info@cmjaccountancy.co.uk and we will happily build it for you.


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Norcross Votes to Lower the Price of Prescription Drugs, Improve Access to Affordable Care
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) issued the below statement on his vote in favor of H.R. 987, the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act:
"Americans want and deserve access to quality health care and affordable prescription drugs, and Congress must deliver.
"I recently met with South Jersey patients, pharmacists and doctors who detailed the unthinkable choices families are being forced to make. When Americans have to choose between food or medicine, the system is broken. Our families are crying out for relief from out-of-control prices and unaccountable drug companies.
"There is broad, bipartisan support for efforts to increase the availability of generic drugs by increasing competition – and I'm relieved we voted to advance these commonsense proposals. Plus, we're proactively making fixes to help keep premiums low and the number of uninsured Americans down.
"I strongly urge the Senate to put partisan politics aside and vote for these measures that help save lives."
H.R. 987 is a legislative package that contains seven House bills – three that address drug pricing and four that help ensure access to affordable care.
Three of the original bills included in today's House-passed package lower prescription drugs costs by promoting generic competition:
H.R. 965, The CREATES (Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples) Act
This bill would establish a process by which generic manufacturers could obtain sufficient quantities of brand drug samples for testing, thereby deterring the gaming of safety protocols that brand name drug companies use to delay or impede generic entry. CBO estimates that the bill's provisions would allow generic drugs (including biosimilar versions of biologics) to enter the market earlier, on average, than they would under current law. Because of the earlier entry of lower-priced generic drugs, CBO estimates that enacting the bill would reduce the deficit by $3.9 billion over ten years.
H.R. 938, The BLOCKING (Bringing Low-Cost Options and Competition While Keeping Incentives for New Generics) Act
CBO estimates that the bill's provisions would allow generic drugs to enter the market earlier, on average, than they would under current law. Because of the earlier entry of lower-priced generic drugs, CBO estimates that enacting the bill would reduce federal spending on prescription drugs, reducing the deficit by $442 million over ten years.
H.R. 1499, Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs of 2019
CBO estimates that the bill's provisions would accelerate the availability of lower-priced generic or biosimilar drugs and reduce the average price of drugs paid by federal health programs that purchase drugs or provide health insurance that covers drugs. As a result, CBO estimates that enacting the bill would reduce the deficit by $613 million over ten years.
Access to Affordable Care
Four of the original bills included in today's House-passed package improve access to care by reversing the Trump Administrations sabotage and cracking down on junk insurance plans.
H.R. 1385, The SAVE (State Allowance for A Variety of Exchanges) Act
This bill appropriates $200 million to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide grants to interested states to be used to create their own state-based marketplace. This will empower states to implement new approaches to expand coverage and lower costs. This spending bill is paid for by the savings from other bills in this combined legislative package.
H.R. 1386, The ENROLL (Expand Navigators' Resources for Outreach, Learning, and Longevity) Act
This bill reverses the of slashing funding for the Navigator program by 84% over two years – down to $10 million a year and, additionally, goes farther by strengthening the Navigator program by giving Navigators new duties of enrolling individuals in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. It also clarifies that Navigators can provide year-round assistance. This spending bill is paid for by the savings from other bills in this combined legislative package.
H.R. 987, MORE (Marketing and Outreach Restoration to Empower) Health Education Act
This bill reverses the slashing the funding for consumer outreach and enrollment education activities by 90%– to $10 million. This spending bill is paid for by the savings from other bills in this combined legislative package.
H.R. 1010, Rescinding Trump Administration's Final Rule Promoting Junk Insurance Plans
Short-Term, Limited Duration Insurance (STLDI) plans were designed in the Affordable Care Act to be temporary, three-month band-aids to help people bridge a gap in health coverage, like when, for example, they are between jobs. The Trump Administration is trying to wrongfully expand the time-frame, which makes health insurance less affordable for consumers with pre-existing conditions by undermining the market for comprehensive coverage. H.R. 1010 keeps the three-month mark for STLDIs.
Norcross voted for the Protecting Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions Act on May 9, 2019.
Norcross voted to condemn the Administration's attacks on our health care system on April 3, 2019.
Norcross and Senator Menendez visited CAMcare's Gateway Health Center where they vowed to continue fighting against the Trump Administration's continued efforts to undermine women's access to health care on July 9, 2018.
Norcross announced that two federally qualified health centers in South Jersey will receive $3.3 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Norcross' statement when the Senate Republicans released their 'healthcare' plan on June 22, 2017.
Norcross' statement when TrumpCare passed the House on May 4, 2017.
Norcross' statement when the CBO score came out for TrumpCare on May 24, 2017.
Norcross' statement after the Republican-led Congress failed to pass health care legislation on March 24, 2017.
Norcross' health care day of action in January 2017 and his May 2017 press conference with women at a local Planned Parenthood center.


The following article is a reproduction of an article by Wayne Purdin (see footnote).
[Unfortunately the pictures referred to cannot be included at this time].
From 1209-1249 one of the worst genocides in history was conducted against the Cathars, a heretical sect in southern France. Pope Innocent III, promising gold and indulgences (the remission of punishment due for sins) in exchange for the blood of the Cathars, sent 30,000 crusaders into France to massacre the Cathars and their supporters. The Cathars were hunted, tortured, burned at the stake and savagely murdered by the Church's hired killers. Estimates place the total number of Cathars and sympathizers murdered between 300,000 and 1,000,000 men, women and children. Throughout this bloodbath, an amazing phenomenon was witnessed. The Cathars did not express fear, anger or pain, but only bliss, despite the most horrendous atrocities committed against them.
What were they on? According to William Henry in Mary Magdalene: The Illuminator, it was a psychoactive substance produced by the brain—the Cathars had learned the techniques necessary to produce it from the secret teachings of Jesus. It was called Christos (anointing oil) by the Essenes, who passed on their secrets to Jesus from Moses, who had obtained them in Egypt from descendants of the banished Atonite priests of Akhenaton. These teachings involve the power of the sun and the power of the spoken word and constitute what I call "the mysteries of the sun." They were part of the Egyptian, Babylonian and Greek mysteries, and the Gnostic teachings of the early Christians and secret societies. They have been given to every culture by great adepts as means of enlightening the minds of the people and freeing them from the darkness of ignorance and superstition. In this article, I will briefly examine the life and teachings of the founders of various mystery schools in the Middle East and Mediterranean area from the Pharaoh Thutmoses III to Omraam Mikhail Aivanhov. There were other mystery schools in India, China, Peru and elsewhere, but the ones I have chosen represent a continuity that spanned millennia and formed the spiritual roots of the Judeo-Christian heritage.
Between pre-dynastic Egypt and the eighteenth dynasty, the "pure and simple" solar religion of Egypt became very corrupt and complicated. There were several sun gods and a whole host of minor gods. The priesthood was rich and powerful and the people depended on them for magic amulets, praying to the gods on their behalf and giving them a proper elaborate sendoff into the afterlife. Fruits and flowers were no longer fitting sacrifices; animals took their place.
Enter Pharaoh Thutmose III. A younger son of Amenhotep I, he owed his rule to the intervention of the priesthood of Amen-Ra who, in a religious ritual invoking the will of Amen-Ra, appointed him pharaoh, even though he was not in line for the succession. Thutmose realized that the priesthood was becoming too powerful and sought to curb their power by outwardly paying obeisance to Amen-Ra, but secretly worshipping Aton and supporting a separate priesthood of Aton at Heliopolis who were loyal to the throne.
Under his rule, Thutmose III permitted the common people to indulge in all their fanciful beliefs and superstition such as magical amulets. He believed that a gradual change in the existing religious beliefs could be more easily and permanently accomplished by establishing a secret mystery school, the students of which would put into practice higher standards. He wanted to gradually infuse into Egyptian religion from the top down those mysteries, myths and rites that would raise the people to a higher understanding and morality.
Thus, in 1489 BC he founded a secret mystery school, the Order of the Rose Cross, which the Rosicrucians claim descent from and which still exists today. Members of this mystery school were called the Therapeutae, meaning "physicians of the soul." The sungazing Essene sect of Alexandria later adopted this name and the rosy-cross symbol.
William Henry, in The Healing Sun Code, linked the rosy-cross and the Rosicrucian secrets with the "rising of the Healing Sun, the source of life and wisdom." I recently talked to a woman who studied Egyptology for 25 years and knew about Thutmose III and the Rosicrucians. She told me that she once knew a Rosicrucian lady, who every time she felt ill would face the sun and do a special breathing exercise in which she would breath in the fire of the sun to burn impurities in her body. She lived to be very old. This technique was part of the secret teachings of the Rosicrucians, which they were very careful not to reveal to the uninitiated. Another technique used by Thutmose III and members of his order was the use of healing rods while sungazing. Figure 2 shows Thutmose III holding these rods. These were copper and zinc tubes that contained hardened coal and magnetite respectively. They were reintroduced to the world by the Russian mystic Count Stefan Colonn Walewski, who was a member of a sungazing mystery school in the Caucasian Mountains. They amplify the current that passes through the body between the sun and earth while sungazing, enhancing meditation and quickening healing and the development of psychic powers.
Thutmose III's son and grandson continued with the mystery school and the cult of Aton, but it wasn't until his great grandson, Akhenaton, took the throne that things came to a head.
In 1369 BC, Amenhotep IV took over the reigns of Egypt from his ailing father Amenhotep III. During his upbringing, he was educated at the Temple of the Sun at On or Heliopolis where the priests instilled in him a devotion to Aton. When he became pharaoh, he was given the secret mysteries of the sun handed down from his great grandfather. He learned that Aton was the one true, self- created, unmanifest God and that most of the other gods, including Amen-Ra, were man-made. Early in his reign, he changed his name to Akhenaton, meaning "the servant of Aton." Unlike his great grandfather, he had no tolerance for spiritual ignorance.
This symbolism shows that Akhenaton understood the relationship between sunlight, prana and breath. He knew that sunlight is the source of all life upon earth. This was not worship of the physical sun but worship of one God, a supreme deity, whose spirit was in heaven and whose physical manifestation was the sun—the symbol of life. It changed the worship of the sun as a god to the worship of God symbolized by the sun. Paintings and carvings of Aton were always accompanied with a sort of hieroglyphic footnote, stating that it was just a representation of the All-encompassing Creator.
Thus, Akhenaton established the first monotheistic religion by elevating Aton over Amen-Ra and other gods. His mother, Tiya, did much to mediate and stem the tide of controversy caused by his bold opposition to the powerful priesthood of Amen-Ra. However, after she died, he took the offensive and ordered his army to disband the priesthood and deface their false gods.
Akhenaton loved to officiate at ceremonies as the high priest of Aton. The following quote from a decree made by Akhenaton upon the founding of his capital city, Akhetaton, shows that morning sungazing was a daily ritual of Atonism: "Every eye beholds him without hindrance while he fills the land with his rays and makes everyone to live. With seeing whom my eyes are satisfied daily when he rises in this temple and fills it with his own self by means of his rays, beauteous with love, and embraces me with them in life and power forever and ever." During these ceremonies, Akhenaton and his congregation would sing his Hymn to Aton.
Although the vast majority of Egyptians did not give much credence to Atonism, and Akhenaton's court followed the rituals of the outer religion out of a sense of duty, there existed an inner circle of about 300 initiates who learned from Akhenaton the mysteries of the sun. Among these were Joseph the son of Jacob, who Robert Feather, in The Mystery of the Copper Scroll of Qumran, claims was Akhenaton's vizier Nakhte. The bible records that Joseph married Asenath the daughter of Potiphera, a priest of Aton in Heliopolis, and archeologists discovered a private chapel to Aton in the ruins of Nakhte's home in Akhetaton. Robert Feather thinks that after Akhenaton's death, some of these initiates went to the sun temple of Heliopolis and others, including Joseph and his family, went to Elephantine Island in the land of Cush (Ethiopia), where they built another sun temple and established a branch of Judaism that exists to this day.
After the death of Akhenaton, the teachings of Atonism, its rituals and precepts, were almost completely destroyed by fanatics of the established religion. This has been the fate of every mystery teaching involving the sun in the past. Most historians and religious writers think that Akhenaton's monotheism was a brief aberration in a long tradition of Egyptian polytheism and that it died with him. But, buried in the pages of historical and scriptural texts are hints that his ideas survived in the Jewish faith. For example, Psalm 104 is almost identical to the Hymn to Aton. They also survived in the secret teachings of the Essene and Therapeutae Brotherhoods, which were associated with early Christianity.
After returning from Heliopolis, Moses became an annoyance to the priests of Amen-Ra and the court of Ramses II because of his Atonistic ideas. The historian Josephus records that Moses was sent on a military expedition to Cush in an effort by Pharaoh's courtiers to get rid of the "dissident." There he not only found a wife but another outpost of Atonism on Elephantine Island. Robert Feather thinks that it was in the wilderness of Cush that Moses saw the burning bush and received his mission.
Flavia Anderson, in The Ancient Secret: Fire from the Sun claimed that the burning bush was actually a small golden tree with a crystal that reflected sunlight so brightly that it appeared to be on fire. A similar talisman, called a punchao (Fig. 6), was used by the Incas to put worshippers in a trance so that they could see and communicate with beings of light.
Anderson also relates this golden tree to the Urim and Thummin (perfect light) of the Jews, which was a crystal set in a golden stand, and by which the high priest communicated with God. Anderson thinks that Moses encountered this golden tree during an initiation in the sun temple of Heliopolis. But it's more likely that he saw it in the sun temple of Elephantine Island right before he returned to Egypt. It's also likely that some of the Atonite priests who were descendants of Joseph and his family joined Moses in his mission. The Bible records that there were two rival factions of priests during the Exodus. One faction had Egyptian names such as Korah, Dathan, Abiram and On.
In The Secret Initiation of Jesus at Qumran, Robert Feather shows how the descendants of these Egyptian priests, originally appointed at the time of Akhenaton, could have maintained their cohesion down to the beginning of the Qumran Essenes (610 BC). When they entered Canaan, they settled around Shiloh and so became known as Shilonite priests. They became prominent around the time of Ezekial (589 BC), Onias IV (160 BC) and Jesus (4 BC). These were also times when the Essenes were active. The Qumran Essenes, based on the Shilonite priests, came to have a much purer Judaism that rejected animal sacrifice, idols, amulets andburial with wordly goods which crept into the Judaism of the rest of Israel. During the Exodus, these priests were pro-Moses and against the priests of Aaron. It is likely that the priests of Aaron, who backslid into idolatry of the golden calf (the Egyptian goddess Hathor) while Moses was on the mountain, may have been responsible for reintroducing another Egyptian practice of holocaust sacrifice, prohibited by Atonism. On Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the first set of tablets to present to the Hebrews. Figure 7 is a detail from a painting by Beccafumi. It shows Moses receiving the tablets from the sun, which is depicted as an opening in the sky.
However, when he came down the mountain and saw how the people had lapsed into idolatry, he realized they weren't ready for what was on the tablets. So he smashed the tablets and went back up the mountain where God engraved ten simple commandments on a second set of tablets.
What could have been on the first set? Perhaps the solar mysteries! In any case, the mysteries were handed down by word of mouth from Moses to the Shilonite priests to the Essenes. Archaeologists found in the catacombs of Rome a drawing of Jesus holding a rod of power when raising Lazarus from the dead, showing that early Christians understood that the source of Jesus' power came from the sun. The Bible records that just before Jesus raised Lazarus, he "lifted up his eyes" to the sun and prayed. The rod is a symbol of the life force, which every Egyptian sun god and sun gods from Babylonia, India and Peru are shown wielding in paintings and wall carvings, such as in Figure 9.
Many scholars are now coming around to the realization that Jesus was a member of the Qumran Essene movement and that many of his teachings are similar to the Essene teachings. The Essenes and Therapeutae considered themselves to be the children of light and so did the early Christians.
According to Gene Savoy in his book The Essaei Document: Secret Teachings of an Eternal Race, Jesus received the Essenes' secret teachings, which he calls the paradosis, meaning a divinization process by which one became immortal. Savoy hints at sungazing being a key factor in this secret teaching. He writes "That the Essaei [Essenes] faced the sun at these times [sunrise and sunset] suggests that the sun was used as an intermediary by which men of the earth were linked by 'cords of light' with heaven... and were nurtured on a divine food upon which the angels fed..." The Therapeutae believed that pure souls returned to the sun and that sunlight indeed is the heavenly, incorruptible food of the soul.
Perhaps that's how God channeled the mysteries of the sun and then the Ten Commandments to Moses on the terrestrial temple of Mt. Sinai, as depicted in Figure 7. It's significant that key events in Jesus' ministry occurred on the peaks of mountains and in streams (his baptism, his last temptation, the sermon on the mount, his transfiguration, his death, and his ascension).
Jesus passed on the Essene secret teachings on the mysteries of the sun to his disciples, including Mary Magdalene. The early Christians, who were not privy to these teachings, at first worshipped the spirit of Christ in the sun, but around the third century they lapsed into a personality cult of Jesus worship, which has continued to this day.
plexus, which, by the way, is associated with the sun and with fire. One can find wall carvings, paintings, statues, woodcuts and photographs of sun worshippers from all over the world—Hindus, Moslems, American Indians, ancient Egyptians, Medieval monks, Russians, Incas, and even aborigines in prehistoric petroglyphs—all with upraised arms. William Henry wrote in Mary Magdalene: The Illuminator that when Jesus taught his disciples the Lord's Prayer, he also taught them this prayer position, which he learned from the Egyptians, who called it the Ka position. Moses also learned it from the Egyptians and used it to invoke the Light of God during the Israelites' battle with the Amalekites. Significantly, the battle was won at sunset.
This leads us to consider another part the mysteries revealed by the Pistis Sophia, which is a certain power of the spoken word. The soul, in order to be cut free from the counterfeit spirit, must utter "the mystery of the undoing of the seals and of all the bonds." This is the science of the spoken word, the uttering of sacred mantras, prayers and songs that remove or restrain the evil self, the "karmic records" of the individual.
These spiritual sciences and techniques were not revealed to all the faithful. According to the Pistis Sophia, the mysteries were to be given only to those initiates who proved themselves worthy through years of testing. They were also kept secret because of the threat of persecution.
to suppress their teachings, which threatened the Churches' established authority.
One of the most inspired Gnostics was Saul of Tarsus. Saul experienced a sudden conversion and gnosis on the way to Damascus. Paintings of this experience usually show Saul being blinded by the noonday sun shining through a break in the clouds directly upon him.
Gene Savoy, in The Essaei Document, claimed that Saul had learned that the Essenes sungazed in order to communicate with God. When Saul tried it, he received a powerful, life-transforming message, which left him blind and temporarily insane so that he could not eat or drink for three days. In 1840, Dr. Gustav Fechner, the father of psychophysics, experimentedwith gazing at the sun through colored filters and liquids. He did it at noon and, as a result, became blind and insane. However, after much prayer and meditation in a dark room, he recovered his sight and sanity and more. He began seeing auras and angels, whom he called "beings from the sun." Socrates taught in his academy that personal transformation was only possible through understanding the word of God, the Light, and that it was attained only through inner illumination absorbed from the sun. Apparently, Saul the persecutor was transformed by the sun into Paul the proselytizer.
The Paulicians were persecuted and diminished in the ninth century, although until relatively recently there existed an Armenian sun cult whose adherents were known as Arevorti, "children of the sun." In the tenth century, a new Gnostic movement, the Bogomils, arose in Bulgaria, which carried many of the same beliefs and practices of the Paulicians, including sun worship. However, their teachings were based on the Gospel of John.
At the beginning of the 12th century, Byzantium started to persecute the Bogomils. Many were killed, but some fled to Italy, southern France and elsewhere. By the middle of the 12th century, Gnostic schools like the Knights Templars and Cathars had sprung up and spread throughout Western Europe. These were the Western European counterparts of the Eastern European Bogomils.
The Cathars "pure ones" and the Knights Templars were concentrated in the Languedoc and Midi regions of Southern France. The Cathars claimed to possess the Book of Love (AMOR) the original initiatory version of the Book of John (the only gospel the Cathars, Knights Templars and Bogomils read) which likely contained the solar mysteries. It taught that aspark or tiny sun of the Christ Light dwelt in man's heart and it revealed how to nurture it like a seed of divinity so that it blossomed into the rose of the original rosy-cross mystery school. This teaching, which reputedly could transform a human into a divine being, once belongedto Thutmose III,Akhenaton, Moses, Solomon, Jesus, and John the Beloved. It was reputed to be able to dissolve all hatred, anger and jealousy from the hearts of men.
The Cathars believed that the key to this divine transformation was the correct understanding of the symbolism of the Eucharist, that is, the bread and wine and the Holy Grail. The light of the sun is the bread; its warmth is the wine. The Holy Grail is the brain's third ventricle or cavity containing the pineal and pituitary glands.
William Henry, in Mary Magdalene: The Illuminator, wrote, "All the occultmysteries speak of a key that is required to unlock mystical secrets of enlightenment. Specifically, the lost secret of the Templars... is about building a better human through the release of secretions from the astounding manufacturing plant of spiritual oils, the human brain. This oil or essence was the key secret of Mary Magdalene and the Essenes, recovered by the Templars from between the temples. The skull [specifically the third ventricle] is... the Cup of Life, the Grail, that catches these secretions from the brain... The Templars' ultimate objective was to restore true Gnostic monotheism to the world, uniting Christianity, Judaism and Islam in a New Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. The 'new' humans that inhabited this New Jerusalem (or New Atlantis) would know and embody the secret of the Kingdom of Heaven within the brain and its capability of producing... the elixir of life, the Sacred Soma, the tonic of immortality, for these terms all refer to the cosmic esse or brain substance." It was also called Christos (anointing oil) by the Essenes.
The bliss that is experienced during sungazing and chanting is not just a natural high. According to William Henry, bliss is created by Christos and is a state of extreme happiness and freedom from attachment, conditioned responses and fear. It is the key required to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov said that only those who are happy and carefree like children can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
The teachings of the Cathars posed quite a threat to the fledgling Catholic Church. Unlike the Cathars, the Church of Rome clearly did not produce a substance that gave people an experience of divine bliss. And if it did, it would keep it from the people. That's why the Church had to exterminate them.
Fortunately, today we live in an age of spiritual freedom and anyone can teach and learn the science of the spoken word and techniques of sungazing presented by sun yogi Hira Ratan Manek and others. Although the light of the Cathars was snuffed out in the 13th century, at the beginning of the 20th century, the teachings of the Bogomils were revived by the master Peter Deunov and his chief disciple, Omraam Mikhail Aivanhov.
On January 31, 1900, Mikhael Aivanhov was born into a poor family in Serbtzi, a small village of Macedonia. Throughout his childhood and adolescence, he was inspired by reading the Gospel of John, lives of the saints and books on yoga, which led him, at the age of fifteen, to an experience of illumination or samadhi.
On the basis of his own spiritual experiences and of his reading of what he called the "Book of Nature," he discovered the mysteries of the sun before being taught them by Peter Deunov. Mikhael and his master would go together to meditate in the pre-dawn stillness and watch the sun rise. Deunov also gave him the basic methods and exercises in mantra, prayer and sacred song: the mysteries of the spoken word.
In 1959, he traveled to India, where he visited numerous ashrams and met several spiritual leaders. He was welcomed by several renowned Hindu sages as an accomplished master in his own right. One adept hailed him as a "solar rishi." Another gave him his spiritual name, Omraam. One of the masters he met was the immortal bodhisattva Babaji, who in 1992 and1998 gave his blessings to another teacher of sungazing, sun yogi Hira Ratan Manek.
Omraam loved to talk about the Spirit of the sun. In this respect his philosophy coincided with the age-old mysteries of the sun, which taught that the true sun is not the star that is visible in the sky, but the invisible spiritual sun, the source of all life, light and love.
Omraam died in 1986, but his teachings on the mysteries of the sun live on in numerous books. Over 90 books have been published in English, and there are enough notes from his hundreds of lecture to fill another 400 books. Of these books, the ones that are primarily concerned with the mysteries of the sun are The Splendour of Tiphareth: the Yoga of the Sun, Toward a Solar Civilization and Light is a Living Spirit. Today, his teachings and sungazing rituals are practiced by the I.D.E.A.L. Society, The Hearts Center and other spiritualcommunities around the world.
The electromagnetic system of our bodies, the entire biosphere and the earth grid are part of a much larger solar system grid and it's all connected.
Wayne H. Purdin is past president of the International Sun Imbiber's Society (ISIS), editor of The Sun Gazette, and director of the Phoenix Hearts Center. He has recently written The SOLution: Laying the Foundation for a Solar Civilization.
LIST OF ARTICLES - PLEASE CLICK ON BUTTONS AT TOP MARKED "ARTICLES"


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Properties of a Temperature-sensitive Mutant of Staphylococcus aureus Defective in DNA Replication and Cell Division and Replication of Plasmids in the Mutant
Christopher M. Thomas and Keith G. H. Dyke
First Published: 01 June 1978 https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-106-2-361
Summary: The properties of a temperature-sensitive mutant (ts39) of Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 8235 are described. After transfer to the restrictive temperature (42 °C), absorbance increased 10-to 20-fold but DNA content did not increase beyond 150 to 200% and cell division continued at a greatly reduced rate. On transfer back to the permissive temperature, both cell division and DNA synthesis resumed if the transfer occurred after less than 120 min at 42 °C. Resumption of DNA replication was blocked by chloramphenicol (100 μg ml−1). The results are discussed with reference to possible defects in DNA replication.
Replication of the plasmids pI258 and pT10501 and the chromosome were affected to a similar extent in ts39. Growth at 42 °C resulted in the appearance of an increased amount of pI258 DNA in a form that sedimented slowly in a sucrose gradient.
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-106-2-361
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-106-2-361
10.1099/00221287-106-2-361


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text:
CommentEurope
Analysis: Europe's abusive approach to freedom of expression justifying desecration of Islamic sanctities
Islamophobia in Europe has been escalating considerably in recent years and lack of laws deterring desecration of the Islamic sanctities in the Western countries causes occasional cultural terrorism against the sanctities, especially the Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). These moves hurt sentiments of about 2 billion Muslims around the world and render them infuriated.
AhlulBayt News Agency: Islamophobia in Europe has been escalating considerably in recent years and lack of laws deterring desecration of the Islamic sanctities in the Western countries causes occasional cultural terrorism against the sanctities, especially the Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). These moves hurt sentiments of about 2 billion Muslims around the world and render them infuriated.
This time in Sweden, which is leading anti-Islamic policies, once again the Holy Quran was desecrated in the name of the freedom of expression. On Saturday, a far-right hardliner named Rasmus Paludan burned a copy of the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
In an anti-Islamic move, the spokesperson of Sweden police said that they allowed the leader of the far-right Danish party Stram Kurs to burn the Holy Quran in the march in front of the Turkish embassy. This criminal action is taking place as in April, a Danish hardliner, under the pretext of freedom of expression and under the protection of the police, set fire to the Muslim's holy book in the city of Linköping, Sweden. The Danish-Swedish Paludan, who is considered a hard-line politician in Sweden, has repeatedly insulted the Holy Quran in the past years, and even earlier in Denmark, he demanded expulsion of Muslims from the country.
Muslim world backlash
The desecration of the Holy Quran has triggered massive outrage across the Muslim world. Criticizing Swedish police for permission to Paludan for Quran burning, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu said that racism and hatred cannot be recognized as freedom of expression.
"They do not allow the burning of another holy book, but when it comes to the Quran and hostility to Islam, they immediately call this issue freedom of expression and freedom of opinion," said Cavusoglu.
Condemning this action, the leader of Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party Devlet Bahçeli said that Sweden's membership in NATO will not be ratified by the Turkish parliament under these conditions.
"Betrayal and disrespect to our religion, language, values, and Turkey will definitely have consequences," he said.
Even the Turkish government canceled a scheduled visit to Ankara of the Swedish defense minister.
Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanani has strongly condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran, saying: "Unfortunately, some European countries like in the past leave the hands of hardliners and extremist elements open to spread hate against the Islamic sanctities under the false pretense of supporting freedom of expression. They entrench Islamophobia and anti-Islamism in their societies despite their beautiful pro-human rights rhetoric."
Releasing a statement in condemnation of this Swedish move, Pakistan's foreign ministry said that this Islamophobic action is hurting sentiments of 2 billions of Muslims around the world.
Kuwait's foreign minister in a statement said that Quran burning in Sweden hurts the Muslim sentiments and represents a serious provocation. He called on the international community to stop these "unacceptable actions", condemn all forms of hate crimes and extremism, and make accountable all those behind these actions.
Also, a Saudi foreign ministry statement said that the country is in favor of the expansion of values of dialogue, tolerance, and coexistence and rejects hate and extremism.
The UAE, publishing a statement, said that Abu Dhabi opposes any measures taken to harm security and stability in opposition to ethical and human principles.
Qatar was another Muslim country that condemned the move, and called on the international community to take the responsibility for countering hatemongering and violence around the world.
Moreover, Jordan condemned the burning of the Holy Quran and emphasized that such actions incite hatred. The statement issued by the Jordanian government emphasized the necessity of spreading the culture of peace and accepting each other.
"Condemning extremism is a collective responsibility," said the statement.
The Egyptian government issued a condemnation of the hate crime that "hurt feelings of hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world." Cairo warned of the dangers of spreading such actions that cause insults to religions and fuel hate speech and violence, and called for the preservation of the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence and prevention of insults to all religions and their sanctities.
Also reacting to the Swedish action, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said that the desecration of the Holy Quran targets the Muslims in Sweden, insults their values, and is just another sign of the alarming levels the Islamophobia has reached in Europe. The organization called on the Swedish government to punish those behind this hate crime.
Cultural terrorism in the name of freedom of expression
Despite wide-ranging global warnings in recent years against Swedish and European desecration of the Holy Quran and other Islamic sanctities, these actions continue under the cover of largely abused and ill-defined freedom of expression. Western leaders argue that under the freedom of expression, everyone should express whatever they want in the form of words and images, and nothing and no one should prevent them. But this freedom, which has more of a political and social sense, has spread to all matters in Western countries, and this is giving an encouraging excuse to hardliners to insult the beliefs and values of hundreds of millions of Muslims.
In Islam, freedom of expression is accepted and the Prophet and the imams cherished it, but Islam at the same time recognizes insult to others especially divine religions as a red line that should be abounded in the society. Therefore, insults to beliefs and sanctities of 2 billion Muslims by some notorious figures should not categorized as freedom of expression.
Though Swedish and other European countries' officials claim that they do not advocate sacrilege to other religions, they practically propagate Islamophobia and anti-Islamism by leaving hands of such hardliners open to burn the holy book of Islam, and this encourages others to do the same crimes without the fear of being punished.
The European leaders who are mainly themselves to blame for creation of terrorist groups in West Asia and elsewhere paint the crimes of terrorists in Syria and Iraq as a general feature of Muslims to imply that Islam is the religion of war and bloodshed and alien to peace. This European policy explains why in recent years Islamophobia has increased across Europe in the form of assaults on mosques, Quran burning, and blasphemy against the Prophet.
The West claims advocacy for freedom of expression while in this specific case it applies double standards. When it comes anti-Islamic sacrilege, Europeans justify it under freedom of expression, but if somebody questions the credibility of the Holocaust, they would be severely dealt with and criminalized, and in this area, freedom of expression makes no sense to Europe.


Playing small is insidious. It's everywhere... in literally everything we do and in every relationship. We're not usually aware of it; it's a master at sneaking up on us. And for some of us, Playing Small seems to come more naturally than for others, if you know what I mean.
I was afraid it wouldn't work... Afraid of what they'd think... Afraid of being real... What if I'm not enough?
I'm 6 feet tall but I've played small and hidden out most my life in one area or another, and not to get into your business or anything, but everyone I have met has played small in some way. That's because we're all of the human race – shrinking back is totally part of our wiring… but I didn't know that until I learned it. I didn't want or mean to play small; we all want more for ourselves. Honestly, deep down, I had a inkling I was holding myself back, but something made me reluctant to play bigger. Small had become so habitual... I'd like to speak-up but I didn't want bring too much attention to myself... I'd like to give my opinion but maybe I'm wrong... I'd like to just be me but what if that's not enough?
One day I was talking to a friend and she said, "you've GOT to hear this woman!" as she picked up a book and shoved it in my face. Do you have one of those friends... The wonderful kind that tell it like it is? You love them, even when you hate what they're saying.
Well, my friend was talking about Deb Erickson and that day changed my life forever! Deb was the best mentor I never had, she taught me everything I never knew about me and my brain. That was over 5 years ago and today I have freedom. That's the best way to describe it.
Freedom to do, be, say, feel, and live...and with so much ease and joy.
The concepts are simple, in fact, I'd heard them before…I just didn't hear them. I didn't logically understand the concepts. That is until I was taught in a way that I could learn. Learning to Play Tall is a process, and once I started living it, I have been able to easily share.
So... that lead me to create Play Tall Not Small. What I do today is share the information in a way that others (meaning you) can easily understand…. so they (meaning you) can live an unstoppable life, every single day!
Here are a few concepts I apply in my own life. I call it Release, Retrain, Repeat. Look around this site and you'll find some resources that will help you learn them too.
RELEASE - Releasing is a process of discovery, uncovering, and detective work about habitual negative thoughts you've been thinking, where it came from, how that way of thinking was born….and letting it go. It's learning the exquisite power of your brain!
RETRAIN - Our subconscious mind rules everything! That's why every thought counts. Thoughts, good or bad, create action and inaction. That also means every action or inaction you take now….has come from a thought you've been processing. (I know, that's really flippin' scary!) So, retraining is the process of learning how to have control of your subconscious brain and replace thoughts that aren't working for you anymore with thoughts that lead you to action.
REPEAT - Now that you're becoming the boss of your brain, let's keep it that way and set up a system of governing the world of you. Having awareness, having a plan of attack, keeping the brain running at it's peak…. so YOU can be at your best and live a life of ease and grace and flow!
So that's it! That's what I have to give and share. I pray that I can be of impact to you in some way, big or small. Look around the site, I'm so glad you're here. I can't wait to know more about you.
Why is it important to become the Boss of Your Brain?
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Russian Laundering
"Money mules" are people lured on the Internet and forced to launder money for hacker gangs and organized crime. Apparently serious jobs offers which become a nightmare. The documentary follows the money flow from Switzerland to Russia.
Inside the storm - Season 2 - Nintendo
From Super Mario to Donkey Kong, Nintendo was a gamechanger. But with the industry's dramatic advancements, this iconic juggernaut was hit with a series of flops. Inside The Storm: Back from the Brink interviews ex-employees and game experts, revealing the secret to Nintendo's survival.
The Altruism Revolution
For generations, we have believed that man is driven by ruthless self-interest. But over the past decade, this idea has been increasingly challenged. New research from fields as diverse as political science, psychology, sociology and experimental economics is forcing us to rethink human actions and motivation.
Inside the Storm | Season 1 | Kodak
It was a household brand with profits in the millions, but in 2005 Kodak filed for bankruptcy. So what went so horribly wrong ? Inside The Storm: Lessons from the Boardroom interviews the people directly involved, uncovering the decisions and the mistakes that led to the collapse of the iconic company.
The Bitcoin Experiment
Following the global economic crisis, more and more people are questioning the way global markets function. Some are turning to decentralised payment systems like bitcoin in an attempt to regain control of the economy. But what is bitcoin? How will it impact the way we do business and can bitcoin really challenge the banks' monopoly and democratise society?


We're blogging live from the Intel Data-Centric Innovation Day April 2, 2019 in San Francisco!
Brian Gleason is coming to Tech Field Day Exclusive, so let's get to know them!
Keith Townsend is coming to Intel Data Centric , so let's get to know them!
Denny Cherry is coming to Tech Field Day Exclusive at Intel Data-Centric Innovation Day, so let's get to know them!
This week in Gestalt News, Stephen Foskett and Ken Nalbone led a great Gestalt IT Rundown, the On-Premise IT Roundtable discussed the role of sensors in analytics, and we debate if open source projects should fight strip mining. Subscribe to get it in your inbox each week!
Intel hasn't been able to quit their 14nm process since it was originally introduced in 2014. But Anandtech reports that Coffee Lake-based NUCs are now available in major retail channels, signaling a significant change for the company.


Paul Lehr was active/lived in United States. Paul Lehr is known for illustrations, pyramids.
Paul Lehr was an artist and illustrator well known for the cover art he produced for science fiction novels in the 60's and 70's.


Exercise is a relatively new phenomenon. It was brought on mainly by our modern lifestyles along with the advent of job specialization. This in particular led to an almost complete decline regular bodily exercise and the onset of the sedentary lifestyle. In prior ages, especially in America, it wasn't necessary to exercise because most of your free time was spent in hunting or farming for food. Of course all that has changed in our modern society, but the fact that we all need to exercise hasn't. Current research has also shown that morning exercise provides you with added health benefits other than just keeping you fit. For one thing, working out in the mornings gives you a more consistent exercise program and daily routine. With morning exercising, there are also generally less scheduling conflicts to deal with. Starting your day off with an exercise routine will also increase your productivity and release your body's endorphins. It will also help boost your metabolism and will also help you sleep better, which is something we all need . All of these benefits will absolutely make you feel like a new person. Let's go over some simple exercises that you can use to build a custom routine with. These are also exercises that you do not need a gym to do. But for your own safety, please check with your doctor before you embark on this routine.
Stretching exercises are very helpful and beneficial for toning muscles and also in helping to prevent arthritis and other joint problems. Stretching exercises can either be dynamic or static. Dynamic stretches, such as the cat, camel stretch are helpful when exercising in the mornings and can be used as an excellent warm up exercise. It also helps in your spinal flexibility.
Get on the floor on your hands and knees. Stretch and round you back like a camel then lower and lift your head so your lower back is arched like a cat. Do these movements slowly 4 or 5 times.
There is nothing more soothing or complete than going for a long walk or a run outside. If you have a treadmill that is, of course, fine but it doesn't come close to being outside and walking or running in the fresh air. This simple exercise will not only help your mental attitude but it will also help you build strong bones, lose weight and help lower your blood pressure. It's nothing short of magic.
We all remember these. Stand with your feet together. Jump up while spreading your arms and legs. Jumping Jacks are great for your cardiovascular health and muscle toning.
This exercise actually involves not only your legs but also your hips and knees. Stand with your feet apart further from your hips. Now, lower yourself towards the floor. When you are close to the floor return to your starting position. Repeat this 5 to 15 times when you are a beginner. This exercise is great for the leg muscles and for knee stability.
There are two different ways to do push-ups. #1 is to lay face down with your body straight. Your hands should be in line with your shoulders. In the starting position, your body should be up at arms length up resting on your hands. When going up exhale, when going down inhale. # 2 is similar but you start out using your knees as support for your body. This exercise strengthens the chest, shoulders, and triceps. It is an excellent exercise to strengthen many muscle groups.


From algebraic cobordism to motivic cohomology - Download this document for free, or read online. Document in PDF available to download.
.) -> HZ induced by the additive orientation of motivic cohomology becomes an equivalence after inverting c. As an application, we prove the convergence of the Atiyah-Hirzebruch spectral sequence for all Z1-c-local Landweber exact motivic spectra.


Naaman was not an Israelite!
Again must all people be Israelites? Yes, in his own case, he would soon discover that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel (v.15) Apart from that, sometimes your Nationality can be a source of problem to you. Some of us who travelled outside this country can testify to that. Most of us here are not Israelites but God still saves non-Israelites.
His most embarrassing problem was his disease. A disease that would, if in Israel, condemn him to a life of perpetual solitude and isolation, but in Syria, it appears they did not regard it as such, hence he could rise to become a Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian army. This disease is nearly incurable and Naaman would give anything to get himself cured of this disease. This is why when he heard of a prophet in Israel who would cure him; he carried with him the sum of $20,000 in Silver, $60,000 in Gold and 10 suits of clothing. His disease was also a problem to his king; who would willingly give him a letter to the King of Israel. You know, we all here have our various embarrassing diseases some worse than leprosy. One of these is the most deadly one - SIN.
Naaman was a proud man.
This made him prejudge people and try to estimate their action. He assessed himself to be a great man and every other person in Israel should recognize his greatness and give him due honour. That was why he got angry when Elisha showed him an apparent disregard and indignity. He was also furious when he was told to go to River Jordan and bath seven times. He was a Very Important Person (VIP) and expected a royal treatment. In a way we all here are like him. We have our own estimate of our positions and the one of others. We do not like to be treated the way Elisha treated him.
This is man's greatest problem. We all, like Naaman think and give expression to our thoughts. We think "... if we had done our best ... God would have ..." But God levels all men when He said "My ways are not your ways and My thoughts are not your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8) Like Naaman we want that things should go the way we think makes more sense. Take the issue of salvation for instance; we think that there should be something tangible to do in order to be saved. The current plan of just believing seems a bit too simplistic.
Naaman had very good loving servants.
The servants cared very much about his welfare and pried rather too much into his private life. The servant in verse 13 – "wash and be clean" urged him to be sensible. The servant gave the greatest theology of the Old Testament and a fitting summary of the whole plan of salvation. It is like the summary when Moses urged his people in the wilderness to "Look and live" at the raised serpent molded on the pole. The servant urged Naaman to give the word of God a chance. That again is the problem of most people including some of us here. Most of us want the word of God to fit into our way of life and not we into it. Hear Naaman's servant summarize what I am saying here: "If the man of God had asked you to do something great" – Yes it would have been more reasonable.
The story is told of a young man who asked Dr. Mordecai Han, the evangelist who led Billy Graham to Christ); "what shall I do to be saved?" Dr. Mordecai replied him: "You are 2,000 years late!" Many of us are like that young man. We are too late to do something about our salvation. All that needs to be done is already done!
Same for any of us here today who wants to be healed. Simply give the Word of God a chance in your life.
Naaman realized how great God is.
Have you come to the same realization? Until you give God a chance in your life, you will never know how great He is.
Without giving God's word a chance you will never realize how great God is, you will never rejoice in Him, you will never be made as fresh as a child, you will not enter the Kingdom of God. Naaman the leper did and rejoiced. You, whatever is your illness or problem, can be cured today. Do as Naaman did.


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Wordskii Account
Healthcare Charities
Why Word360
Wordskii
Women's Aid Case Study
Who is Women's Aid?
Founded in 1974 out of the iconic women's movements of the time, Women's Aid, or the National Women's Aid Foundation as it was then, brought together almost 40 independent refugee services across the UK for the first time.
Now, with 180 organisations providing nearly 300 services, Women's Aid provides shelter for women and children escaping abusive environments. It has successfully campaigned on important issues for the advancement of women and indeed society as a whole, such as making coercive and controlling behaviour an offence and making Relationships and Sex Education mandatory in schools from 2020.
Our work with Women's Aid presented a number of novel challenges, unique to them as a client:
The need for complete data security, confidentiality, and trust to protect individuals and their families
Creation of anonymous interpreter bookings with anonymised locations
The need for specialist training and upskilling for linguists for sensitive subject matters such as domestic violence
A requirement for an entirely female linguist base
Arguably one of the major challenges in our work with Women's Aid was the need for a significant degree of understanding and trust as well as becoming responsible in part for the protection of vulnerable women and children escaping abuse.
24/7 access to linguist, 365 days a year
Clear departmental audit trails
Reliable language services partner for more than a decade
Input in the training of client linguistic team
Dedicated linguist taskforce
Secure, bespoke service
Siloed Wordskii accounts for all relevant Women's Aid staff
How Word360 helped
In response to Women's Aid's need for security and sensitivity, we composed a bespoke language service to support them.
We devised an anonymised booking system for Women's Aid, allowing them to access our linguists without revealing any information about the identities or whereabouts of the people they help.
In addition, all necessary data held by us with regards to Women's Aid is protected under our ISO 27001 data security accreditation as well as our commitment to complete data security for all of our clients. All staff at Word360 also undergo rigorous data protection training every 6 months.
Word360 linguists are subject to advanced DBS checks and NDAs as standard, and are therefore vetted and individually bound to the security of our clients' information.
Staff at Women's Aid have access to siloed user accounts in our Wordskii booking system, meaning that only they as individuals can see information regarding their bookings. This prevents sensitive information from one member of their team transferring to another without intention.
We have a dedicated task force of linguists who work with Women's Aid, and twice a year, all of them undergo specialist training for the account, to ensure that standards are maintained consistently.
In Word360, Women's Aid has found a reliable, secure language services partner, on whom they have been able to depend for more than a decade. They have their own dedicated, and specifically trained task force of linguists who are available whenever, and wherever they need.
These interpreters also receive training input from Women's Aid themselves, who thereby are able to directly ensure that the linguists they use are equipped for the relevant tasks.
In that time, there have been zero security breaches of sensitive information of any kind, and we continue to take a collaborative and considerate approach to our work with Women's Aid.
Download this case study
We are passionate about providing outstanding, reliable language services.
We want to arm everyone with the right tools to communicate quickly and clearly, whenever, wherever.
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Fortunately for those of us in eLearning, a secondary government website has been created to focus on the IT aspect of the overall ADA – Section508.gov. Among the large bits of information available are a 'Summary of Section 508 Standards' and a few 'Technical Guidance' documents. Other government sites provide even more detailed information, such as the Department of Veteran's Affairs….which is especially welcome since each federal government agency seems to have its own subset of what it considers required and optional 508 compliance.
So that's the first consideration; regardless of the customer – whether federal or state agency, or an association or non-profit, or a company from another country – they may well have their own version of the Accessibility requirements. For example, the DOD, EPA, and Department of Health and Human Services, or Canada's Standards on Web Accessibility versus Ontario's specific AODA. You definitely want to be sure to target the agency's specific 508 requirements so you can deliver to their specific requirements.
Most authoring tools offer some form of Accessibility features in the published output, though the tools are generally not 'Accessible' themselves.
Adobe Flash, while falling out of favor quickly due to lack of wide mobile support, had made significant improvements to its Accessibility features over the years. In the earlier days of 508 requirements, conventional wisdom was to avoid Flash. However, over the past couple years and currently, you can make very friendly/accessible web applications and courses with Flash.
Articulate Storyline has decent Accessibility features as well, though some are quirky and it lacks (of this writing) an included Closed-Captioning feature. While a custom CC function can be created using creative layers and triggers, it is far from ideal. Storyline, while a great overall product, also has an issue where a screen reader will state the actual name of an embedded variable, not the variable's value…which we're sure will be fixed shortly.
Review your project frequently with the screen reader to ensure your narration or text-to-speech is not overlapping the screen-reader. You may want to prevent automatic playback of narration and have the user click (or touch or tab-to) a 'Play Narration' button so they can start it up when they're ready.
Test the screen text on each slide. Screen-readers are still imperfect and complex words or obscure terminology will likely not be read clearly. Keep your content more simple as opposed to more technical, as appropriate for the audience and subject matter.
Watch for relying on color for navigational hints, and for color-blind conflicts. For navigation, use font styles in addition to colors; for color schemes, this Penn State site is a great primer and reference.
Provide 'alt' text for images – be sure all images have a name (properties) that makes sense when the screen-reader encounters it.
For all navigational and other interactive functions – things that can be clicked or touched to activate them – most every 508 specification will require a keyboard equivalent (i.e. Tabs, Return, etc.).and be sure to test those keyboard alternatives while running the published project with a screen-reader, as sometimes those readers like to intercept keypresses.
Select the check boxes in the closed captions column and corresponds to the notes you want to convert to closed captions (the check boxes are greyed out if the slide does not contain any audio.
Click "CC Project Settings" to change the overall CC text styles.
Go to Project > Skin Editor and click Closed Captioning to enable display in the published project. When published, click the 'CC' button on the playback bar to view the closed captions.
Despite all those features and options available in most all authoring tools, one issue which still needs resolution is how to allow for optimal Accessibility on mobile devices.
Can touch screen keyboards adequately substitute for 'real' keyboards?
Do the various mobile devices come with quality screen-readers and do they work to the same level as the deeply-tested tools like JAWS?
Is a simple reverse-pinch or responsive design enough to compensate for challenges inherent with small screens and devices?
Our ADA, Section 508 guidelines are due for a significant review and update with the quick advancement in mobile technology.
As you can see, Accessibility concerns can cover a wide range of concerns; this article lightly touches on a few. If you have any questions or concerns on how to best develop a '508-compliant' eLearning piece, just drop us a line.


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Pahrump Valley High School to have Veterans Day musical tribute
Pahrump Valley High School wants to share its patriotism with the public on Thursday, Nov. 9.
November 8, 2017 - 7:00 am
Horace Langford Jr./ Pahrump Valley Times Michael Wineski conducts the Trojans marching band. He is the Trojans newest band director and is in his second year as the music director a the high school. This years tribute to Veterans will feature American composers from Stephen Foster and Samuel Barber to Alan Silvestri.
The town, and of course all the veterans, will be treated to a free music concert at 6:30 p.m. in the high school gym.
The concert will feature the high school's concert choir, concert band and chamber orchestra.
The high school music director, Michael Wineski, said all the music will be patriotic.
"They will hear themes from the armed forces, concert marches and spirituals," the director said. "The concert will also feature American composers from Stephen Foster to Samuel Barber to Alan Silvestri. And we will have selected soloists too."
Wineski said his students started working on the concert at the beginning of the school year.
"The music department is coming together," Wineski said. "Two of the pieces feature band, orchestra, and choir working together. Those ensembles aren't always used to performing together."
Posted on: Community, News
By Robin Hebrock Pahrump Valley Times
January 17, 2020 - 7:00 am January 17, 2020 - 10:42 am
For more than a decade and a half, the town of Pahrump has been working toward development of a huge patch of land with the ultimate goal of turning 427 acres of property into a major recreation facility, the Pahrump Fairgrounds.
Pahrump parcel fee hike overturned by Nye commissioners
Many Pahrump area property owners have been angry these past few weeks about a future hike in the per parcel fee assessed on their property taxes. And owners haven't been shy about expressing their frustrations either.
Nevada 2020 Democratic caucus includes early voting option
The Nevada 2020 Democratic Caucus, the "First in the West" as it is proudly being hailed, is just over a month away, and the Nevada Democratic Party is preparing for the major undertaking that will help decide the Democratic presidential nomination.
Tourism Commission recommends candidates to lead agency
By Richard N. Velotta Special to the Pahrump Valley Times
The Nevada Commission on Tourism has recommended two candidates from Northern Nevada to direct the agency that has been without a leader for more than two years.
Army veteran receives Silver Star medal – 50 years later
By Steve Ranson Nevada News Group
The forbidding jungle, hot and steamy on an early March day, shrouded the movement for the North Vietnamese Army as they infiltrated the border from Cambodia to South Vietnam's Central Highlands.
Nye County employee faces theft, embezzlement charges
By Selwyn Harris Pahrump Valley Times
A longtime employee in the Nye County Juvenile Probation Department is facing at least three theft-related felonies for allegedly stealing more than $100,000 from the department.
Former Pahrump Arts Council official arrested
The former president of the Pahrump Arts Council was arrested in early January on suspicion of embezzlement. Kristin Swan also was arrested on suspicion of obtaining money under false pretenses and theft, between $640 and $3,500, according to information from the the Nye County Sheriff's Office.
Nevada redistricting group files amended petition
By Bill Dentzer Special to the Pahrump Valley Times
A group seeking to turn the once-a-decade process of redistricting political lines in Nevada over to a commission rather than the Legislature has refiled a petition with the secretary of state, after a judge ruled the original was misleading.
After roughly a century, bighorn sheep return to Pyramid Lake
By Colton Lochhead Special to the Pahrump Valley Times
Nevada state officials and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe worked to reintroduce desert bighorn sheep to the hills above the lake Monday, the first time since the early 1900s that they've been seen in the area 50 miles north of Reno.
Robotics team raising funds for state championship trip
By Jeffrey Meehan Pahrump Valley Times
A Pahrump youth robotics team is working to raise funds for its journey to Northern Nevada for an annual state championship.