A project to develop guidelines that the mining industry and regulatory agencies could use in the design and implementation of proximity detection technology for mobile equipment in underground coal mines.
Various methods exist for mining coal mining depending on the physical nature of the coal seams. IEEE Xplore - Design application on ERP system of coal mine safety Safety management of coal mine is an important part of enterprise management, it is also the important guarantee to achieve work safety.
Coal Mining: Fleet Management Systems Address Three Big Challenges. Managing people and equipment efficiently through every shift change. Tracking and continuously improving cycle time and payload. Ensuring the right material is moved to the right place the first time.
Coal and Mining Service Business, specifically in: /enter your specific activity/ It is acceptable if your company has more than one activity listed, for example commonly companies in this industry also list trading and investment activities in the Articles Of Association.
• improve the existing coal mining injury data collection and analysis process to better understand Ukrainian coal miner injuries, and • based on the analysis of injuries, recommend safety equipment for coal miners to reduce the incidence and/or severity of injuries.
This conference paper was originally published as Emery, JC, Improving coal mining production performance through the application of Total Production Management, in Aziz, N (ed), Coal 1998: Coal Operators' Conference, University of Wollongong & the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 1998, 71-80.
should be assigned for the implementation and monitoring of environmental measures. Before mining begins, a mining plan and a mine ... covering equipment, and wetting storage piles. ... 345 Coal Mining and Production operated and well-maintained pollution control systems.
Typically, anthracite coal mines operate face equipment using air driven motors for coal drills, air driven fans to supplement face ventilation, and air driven saws and hoists for the cutting and placement of timber. Mining conditions in underground anthracite coal mines are generally wet and removal of water from the face areas is a major problem.
emission in surface coal mining 177 Changing the bucket fill factor and analysing th e specific energy consumption, the 'best' fill factor for given conditions was determined.
» emplimentation of equipment in coal mining » china national coal mining equipment co., ltd. » mining equipment,mining process,zheng zhou The Future for Coal - Mining Technology CSIRO's Matthew Brace sums up the most recent vision for the future. ... expensive underground mines.
implementation of equipment in coal mining. We produce parts and components for the shearer and boring machine manufacturers, and provide technical services, and provide shearer picks, import shearer picks, import boring machine picks, German import picks, rotary pick cut Teeth, Pittec picks and other coal mining equipment machinery.
Lean Manufacturing and Productivity Improvement in Coal Mining Industry 36 1) Muri – Muri focuses on the preparation and planning of the process or what can be avoided proactively by design. 2) Mura- Mura focuses on implementation and the elimination of fluctuation at the scheduling or operations level such as quality and volume.


Size: 11 * 7cm / 4.33 * 2.76in.
The Christmas socks are carefully tailored and provide a strong three-dimensional sense.
Exquisite and fashionable appearance, full of festive atmosphere, light up your Christmas.
It will arrive from 2-4 weeks from our warehouse to your doorstep.


text:
Q: Tag links not working with acts as taggable on and Rails 3.1 I'm currently using the following gems in my application to provide pagination, search, linkable tags, and a tag cloud.
gem 'will_paginate', '~> 3.0.2'
gem 'acts-as-taggable-on', '~>2.1.0'
I have everything implemented so far in Rails 3.1 except the tag links. I have them displayed below every post and in the tag cloud and both link to different views and neither works.
A link in the tag cloud (Test1) links me to: /posts/tag?id=Test1 which gives me an error "Couldn't find Post with id=tag"
And a link in the post redirects me to /posts?tag=Test2&view=tag which doesn't change anything. All my posts are still displayed.
Here's what I've changed so far to try and implement this:
The edited part of my routes.rb:
resources :posts do
collection do
  get :tag
end

end
My post.rb:
acts_as_taggable_on :tags
def self.tag_post_list(page, tag)

  Post.tagged_with(tag).by_date.paginate(:page => params[page], :per_page => 20)

end

Post_Controller.rb:
def index
  @posts = Post.search(params[:search], params[:page])
  @tags = Post.tag_counts_on(:tags)
  if request.xhr?
    render :partial => @posts
  end
end
def tag
  @posts = Post.tagged_with(params[:id])
  @tags = Post.tag_counts_on(:tags)
  render :action => 'index'
end
def show
  @post = Post.find(params[:id])
  @tags = Post.tag_counts_on(:tags)

  respond_to do |format|
    format.html # show.html.erb
    format.json { render json: @post }
  end
end

Posts_helper.rb:
include ActsAsTaggableOn::TagsHelper

Tag cloud in application.html.erb
<% tag_cloud(@tags, %w(css1 css2 css3 css4)) do |tag, css_class| %>
<%= link_to tag.name, { :action => :tag, :id => tag.name }, :class => css_class %>
<% end %>

Tag cloud definition in application_controller.rb
def tag_cloud
  @tags = Post.tag_counts_on(:tags)
end

Links in my posts:
<% for tag in post.tags %>
<%= link_to tag.name, posts_path(:view =>'tag', :tag => tag.name) %>
<% end %>

The error in my console:
Started GET "/posts/tag?id=Test1" for 127.0.0.1 at 2011-11-05 00:35:00 -0700
Processing by PostsController#show as HTML
Parameters: {"id"=>"tag"}
Post Load (0.0ms)  SELECT "posts".* FROM "posts" WHERE "posts"."id" = $1 LIMIT 1  [["id", "tag"]]
Completed 404 Not Found in 3ms

ActiveRecord::RecordNotFound (Couldn't find Post with id=tag): app/controllers/posts_controller.rb:33:in `show'

I've searched the internet for the past 5 hours trying to figure this out, but nothing is up to date or entirely relevant.
I get that it is passing "tag" to the show action, but how do I get it to pass the relevant ID and anything else I need to show the correct posts with that tag?

A: Stupid mistake:
I wasn't passing paginate to the @posts array in the tag definition.
@posts = Post.tagged_with(params[:id]).paginate(:page => params[:page], :per_page => 10)

Work's perfectly. Thanks for the help, you were part of the solution.

A: Looking at your rake routes output, here's your problem:
     post GET    /posts/:id(.:format)         {:action=>"show", :controller=>"posts"}
    ...
tag_posts GET    /posts/tag(.:format)         {:action=>"tag", :controller=>"posts"}

the URL /posts/tag?id=Test1 is matched by both these routes, so the first one is used, leading to the posts#show action being called instead of the posts#tag action as intended.
Now I'm not quite sure why that is - you seem to have too many routes defined for the posts controller. Do you have any other entries for posts somewhere in your routes file in addition to the one you have in your question?
With just this:
resources :posts do
  collection do
    get :tag
  end
end

your rake route output should look like this:
tag_posts GET    /posts/tag(.:format)       {:action=>"tag", :controller=>"posts"}
    posts GET    /posts(.:format)           {:action=>"index", :controller=>"posts"}
          POST   /posts(.:format)           {:action=>"create", :controller=>"posts"}
 new_post GET    /posts/new(.:format)       {:action=>"new", :controller=>"posts"}
edit_post GET    /posts/:id/edit(.:format)  {:action=>"edit", :controller=>"posts"}
     post GET    /posts/:id(.:format)       {:action=>"show", :controller=>"posts"}
          PUT    /posts/:id(.:format)       {:action=>"update", :controller=>"posts"}
          DELETE /posts/:id(.:format)       {:action=>"destroy", :controller=>"posts"}

Here the tag_post route is defined prior to the default post route, which would fix your issue.
EDIT:
Based on your comment, change the route you added slightly to this:
match "/posts/tag/:id" => "posts#tag", :as => :tag_posts

and then use the named route in your link:
link_to tag.name, tag_posts_path(tag.name)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


It's quite easy to find a place where to sleep in Cagliari.
The tourist visiting Cagliari has at his disposal several types of accommodation capable of meeting all sort of prices and requirements: hotels, residences, bed & breakfasts, apartments to rent, situated everywhere in the whole city territory, and along the town and the Lungomare Poetto.
From hostels to resorts, Cagliari for any budget.
Cagliari offers accommodations of any price and type. Bed and breakfasts, from the Most Essential to the Most Economic and super comfortable, are concentrated in the areas of the town center, the seafront and the Castello area, as well as apartments for rent.
In the City Centre and on the Coast you can find a 4 or 5 star hotel or a resort. For ones who prefer to spend less, cheap accomodations are available at some selected B&B or at the Youth Hostel.
Search Accommodations by the section Points of Interest on the Interactive Map.


text:
Uthanahalli is a small village on Ooty Road near Mysore, Karnataka, India.

Location
Uthanahalli is about five kilometres from Mysore on the highway to Nanjangud.

Transportation
City bus number 203 comes directly from City Bus Station, Mysore to Uthanahalli. The route to the village passes through Chamundi Hill footroad, Hosahundi and the APMC Yard.

APMC yard
The Agricultural produce marketing centre of Mysore district is located near Uthanahalli.  Farmers sell their produce here, which is then procured by wholesale dealers.  This facility is provided by the provincial government of Karnataka.

Landmarks
The village has a fairly large square where the city buses make the return journey.  There is one primary school, and the steps to the Jwalamuki temple start from the square. The village is populated by farmers.  The village square has one grocery, one bakery, one teashop and ten other small shops.

Jwalamukhi temple
The Jwalamuki Tripurasundhari temple is situated on a hillock in the middle of the village square. Durga is worshipped here and the temple is visited every day by devotees.
The temple and the village is located on the base of the Chamundi Hill in Mysore.

Osho Sannidhi
The Osho Meditation Center in Uthanahalli is about six km from Mysore.  The ashram is situated in the middle of a large expanse of paddy fields.  The center is about one km from the village square. The Osho center conducts three day yoga camps and there is a lot of cottages for visitors.

References

Villages in Mysore district

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


"If You Don't Achieve Your Fitness Goals, I'll Give You Your Money Back!"
My One-On-One Coaching Program is Custom-Designed for You.
It includes a Diet Guide & Exercise Plan that lasts for a minimum of 12 weeks.
"I like the training but I loved how the diet took into account my social life" Sophie F.
"Not Only did I get lean but my flexibility improved greatly with the Natural Movement Exercises…Love it!" Tim P.


Here's a piece of advice for Christian bloggers. Please stop trying to be the theological version of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, et al. Regardless of the merits of their arguments, the attitude of such political pundits kills any real ability to communicate with people who may think differently. Persuasion generally does not result. I understand it in the political world. It's the world for crying out loud. Pride and arrogance are values. But in the church, I find the approach nauseating, and all together unlike our Savior. It is not limited to one theological persuasion either. Calvinists, Arminians and people in-between often like the approach. And please stop using "zeal," "passion" and "love for truth" as excuses to be careless with words. Show some charity. Disagree, point out error, and make sound, reasonable, biblical arguments. Yes, there is even a time for strong words. But we could all do without the arrogance and vitriol.
Look, I have no problem reading people I disagree with. I read everyone from Adam Cleavland to Challies, and with that kind of breadth I wind up reading people who I think are completely wrong in areas. Most of those guys do not display the attitude I am describing here. But there are some who seem to delight in bombastic blogging.
At this point I usually avoid such places, because it only elicits in me a similar attitude. It is a better practice for me, and I believe everyone, to read those who write with both truth and grace. For my part, I am working at watching my words carefully, and tonight I am deleting the unnecessary drama from my Bloglines.


text:
package net.smalinuxer.rebot;

import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileInputStream;
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.ObjectInputStream;
import java.io.ObjectOutputStream;
import java.util.Collection;
import java.util.Date;
import java.util.HashSet;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.Set;

public class RAMQuickSet<K> implements Set<K> {

	private Set<K> mSet;

	private static final String DEAULT_SET_STORE_PATH = File.separator + "data";

	private static final String DEAULT_SET_BAK_NAME = File.separator  + "file.bak";

	private static final String DEAULT_CFG_NAME = File.separator + "cfg.bak";

	public RAMQuickSet() {
		mSet = new HashSet<K>();
		File cfgfile = getFile(DEAULT_CFG_NAME);
		File file = getFile(DEAULT_SET_BAK_NAME);
		if (cfgfile != null && file != null && file.exists() && Searchor.USE_QUICK_SET) {
			ObjectInputStream in = null;
			ObjectInputStream cfgIn = null;
			try {
				cfgIn = new ObjectInputStream(new FileInputStream(cfgfile));
				Date date = (Date) cfgIn.readObject();
				if(new Date().getTime() - date.getTime() < Searchor.UPDATE_STORE_DUP_MILLSECORD){
					in = new ObjectInputStream(new FileInputStream(file));
					mSet = (Set<K>) in.readObject();
				}
			} catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
				e.printStackTrace();
			} catch (IOException e) {
				e.printStackTrace();
			} catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
				e.printStackTrace();
			} finally {
				try {
					if (in != null) {
						in.close();
						in = null;
					}
				} catch (IOException e) {
					e.printStackTrace();
				}
				try {
					if (cfgIn != null) {
						cfgIn.close();
						cfgIn = null;
					}
				} catch (IOException e) {
					e.printStackTrace();
				}
			}

		}
	}

	public void store() throws IOException {
		File file = null;
		try {
			file = createFile(DEAULT_SET_BAK_NAME);
		} catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
			throw e;
		}
		ObjectWrite(file, mSet);
		if(mSet.size() != 0){
			File cgfFile = null;
			try {
				cgfFile = createFile(DEAULT_CFG_NAME);
			} catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
				throw e;
			}
			ObjectWrite(cgfFile, new Date());
		}
	}

	public void ObjectWrite(File file, Object obj) throws IOException {
		ObjectOutputStream output = null;
		try {
			if (file != null && file.exists()) {
				output = new ObjectOutputStream(new FileOutputStream(file,
						false));
				output.writeObject(obj);
				output.flush();
			}
		} finally {
			if (output != null) {
				output.flush();
				output.close();
				output = null;
			}
		}
	}

	protected File getFile(String fileName) {
		String path = System.getProperty("user.dir") + DEAULT_SET_STORE_PATH
				+ fileName;
		File file = new File(path);
		return file;
	}

	protected File createFile(String fileName) throws FileNotFoundException {
		String relativelyPath = System.getProperty("user.dir");
		File file = new File(relativelyPath + DEAULT_SET_STORE_PATH);
		if (file.exists() || file.mkdirs()) {
			file = new File(file.getAbsolutePath() + fileName);
			if (!file.exists()) {
				try {
					file.createNewFile();
				} catch (IOException e) {
					e.printStackTrace();
				}
			}
		} else {
			if (!file.exists()) {
				throw new FileNotFoundException("create bak fail!!!");
			}
		}
		return file;
	}

	@Override
	public int size() {
		return mSet.size();
	}

	@Override
	public boolean isEmpty() {
		return mSet.isEmpty();
	}

	@Override
	public boolean contains(Object o) {
		return mSet.contains(o);
	}

	@Override
	public Iterator<K> iterator() {
		return mSet.iterator();
	}

	@Override
	public Object[] toArray() {
		return mSet.toArray();
	}

	@Override
	public <T> T[] toArray(T[] a) {
		return mSet.toArray(a);
	}

	@Override
	public boolean add(K e) {
		return mSet.add(e);
	}

	@Override
	public boolean remove(Object o) {
		return mSet.remove(o);
	}

	@Override
	public boolean containsAll(Collection<?> c) {
		return mSet.containsAll(c);
	}

	@Override
	public boolean addAll(Collection<? extends K> c) {
		return mSet.addAll(c);
	}

	@Override
	public boolean retainAll(Collection<?> c) {
		return mSet.retainAll(c);
	}

	@Override
	public boolean removeAll(Collection<?> c) {
		return mSet.removeAll(c);
	}

	@Override
	public void clear() {
		mSet.clear();
	}

	/**
	 * test
	 *
	 * @param args
	 * @throws IOException
	 */
	public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
		/*RAMQuickSet<String> set = new RAMQuickSet<String>();
		set.add("abc");
		set.add("cbd");
		set.add("bde");
		set.store(); // 一定需要store
		*/
		RAMQuickSet<String> set = new RAMQuickSet<String>();
		for(String str : set){
			System.out.println(str);
		}
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Chocolate – not quite medicinal just yet….
Few who love its taste associate it with good health, but recent reports that a confectionary company was seriously examining the pharmaceutical potential of chocolate achieved widespread international media coverage.
In fact the health-related properties of chocolate have long been debated and it appears that certain people in the industry believe compounds in chocolate could yield new pharmaceutical approaches to major disorders. In an industry which is seeking new sources of innovative products, this could be one of the most unusual avenues to be explored in a long time.
Surely not?
The main driver appears to be Mars Inc., which recently held a conference in Switzerland where researchers discussed how pharmaceutical products could be derived from cocoa sources (1). The current interest focuses on flavanoids, which are found in cocoa and which may have beneficial cardiovascular effects. However, critics have pointed out that research in this area is limited and that the nature of the source of flavanoids has driven the publicity rather than any positive clinical results. Furthermore, chocolate is not the only source of these compounds.
Up until now, reports that flavanoids could reduce the risk of dementia, diabetes, heart attacks and stroke have been anecdotal, with few details on how this approach could be extended into mainstream medicine (2, 3).
Using chocolate as a medical product itself would be unlikely, due to the variation in flavanoid levels with respect to cocoa content. Furthermore, most of the research promoting flavanoids has been sponsored by food companies and observers have suggested that transforming chocolate into a health-related product is not a new concept, but has resulted in little progress over the years (1). During 1995, Japan held an International Symposium on Chocolate and Cocoa Nutrition, which led to a series of popular television broadcasts called "the surprising effects of cocoa" (4). This stimulated considerable medical research into the potential health benefits of chocolate - as well as huge sales of cocoa products (4).
However, Mars is publicly upbeat about its latest developments and believes it possesses intellectual property of interest to pharmaceutical companies (1). It claims to be discussing licensing deals and joint venture agreements based on developing products from cocoa-derived flavanoids (1). As the second-largest chocolate manufacturer in the USA and one of the world's largest food-processing companies, and with a reported value of over US$30 billion, its move towards the pharmaceutical sector cannot be ignored.
However, whether it gives rise to extra sales of chocolate and gives the media more to think about than amusing headlines remains to be seen. For the moment, though, pharmaceutical researchers can stick to eating chocolate.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Local time on June 24, 2015, in Washington, President barack Obama and Joe biden, the White House reception for gay pride month. Mr Obama in 2010, every June would be a "gay, bisexual people and transgender (LGBT) pride month", barack Obama became the first publicly support gay marriage, the current President of the United States. The picture shows President barack Obama and Joe biden at the reception.
Media reported Thursday, White House spokesman Ernest has confirmed, vice President Joe biden was considering running for President, believe him a month or so in the future will have a final decision. U.S. media quoted the democratic sources refers to that whether Joe biden will be announced on October 1.
Refers to news, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Party outshine others, many Democrats worry too easy, she won at the party primaries will therefore expect biden challenge for Hillary Clinton. Biden had run for the President twice failed, served as vice President is also a frequent gaffes, image points is at a discount.
But Clinton's recent involvement in the "email" events, a drag on popularity fell, so thought biden is not loaded. U.S. President barack Obama have not publicly support any a candidate, but Ernest mentioned Obama has described was appointed vice President biden is the most wise decision.


Watch what you say. Scratch that, watch what you do in front of your little one. Recent research suggests that babies can recognize non-verbal communication along with verbal cues. Research presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting shows that babies may react to visual gestures more than previously thought.
So what does this mean exactly? Well the researchers, from the University of California, San Diego, looked at the eye movements of 6-month-olds and 1-year-olds. Both groups of kiddos watched a video of a woman engaging in self-grooming gestures and signing.
The younger children, the 6-month-olds, watched the signing 20% more than the older group. This may mean that babies (younger babies, that is) have the ability to tell what is and what isn't language — and all through non-verbal communication.
If you're wondering why the 1-year-olds weren't as on top of the whole visual tracking thing, researchers believe that as babies age they gradually lose their sensitivity to language. This means that as the infant moves into the toddler-time, they won't pick up on both verbal and non-verbal language cues.
What does this research mean for you, your family and your baby? Along with providing plenty of spoken words, keep the gestures going. Heck, if you want to learn some simple signs, go ahead and do that. It may help your baby when it comes to language development.
What do you think about this new research? Share your thoughts in the comments below.


text:
COPE FoundationOnline Privacy Policy
Effective Date : November 4, 2021
The COPE Foundation ("COPE" or "we") takes your privacy seriously. Protecting your privacy is a key part of our mission, enabling us to provide more meaningful help and support to grieving individuals in need. We are dedicated to handling your personal information with care and respect.
We have prepared this COPE Privacy Statement and Cookie Policy (the "Privacy Policy") to help you understand how we collect, use, share, and protect personal information obtained through the COPE website, www.copefoundation.org (the "Site"), other COPE websites that we operate, and through the support programs and other services we provide (collectively, the "Services"). This Privacy Policy does not apply to websites or applications that do not include a link to this policy. This Privacy Policy is incorporated into our Terms and Conditions of Use. Please note that while COPE volunteers commit to complying with this Privacy Policy with regard to the data shared through our Services, volunteers are not employees, and COPE is not responsible for the acts or omissions of any volunteer. Please read these documents carefully and if you do not agree to our policies, please do not use our Services.
I. What Personal Information Do We Collect?
A. From Our Volunteers
When you apply to volunteer with us, we require that you provide us with the following types of personal information: name, email address, telephone number, mailing address, the preferred method of contact, information about your volunteer interests, information about your background and skills, and additional information about your interests or which you may choose to provide.
B. From Our Support Group and Hotline Participants
When you request Support Group help from us through our online intake form, Memory Wall, the COPE Hotline, or otherwise, we require that you provide us with the following types of personal information: name, email address, telephone number, mailing address, state of residency, biographical information and emergency contact information. We require that you provide information about your Loved One, including your loved one's name, relationship to you, date of birth, date of passing, and a brief description of how Loved One passed). Finally, in the course of providing our Services to you, we may collect other information you may choose to provide.
C. From Our Donors
When you donate to COPE through our donation page either as an individual or on behalf of an institution, we require or request that you provide us with the following types of personal information: name, email address, telephone number, mailing address, city, state, postal code, and country, donation amount, gift frequency, and credit card or bank account information. We may also collect tribute information, comments, and other information if you choose to provide it.
D. From Our Newsletter Subscribers
When you subscribe to our newsletter on our newsletter signup page or otherwise, we require that you provide us with the following types of personal information: name, email address, telephone number, mailing address, city, state, postal code, and country. We will also collect your mobile phone number if you choose to provide it to us. We will use this information to provide you with updates concerning COPE or our programs, service events, volunteer opportunities, and partners.
E. Tracking Data & Cookie Policy
We use cookies and other technologies to help compile browser statistics, such as log file information (i.e., Internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, browser language, pages viewed, and the date and time of a site visit). We may combine this data with the aforementioned collected information, which may identify you. We make limited use of cookies and other online tracking technologies to understand visitor activity on our Services, and to hold certain information about your visits to help improve your experience while using our Services. A cookie is a text file sent by a web server and placed on your computer by your web browser. Cookies can be divided into two different types: session and persistent. Session cookies differ from persistent cookies primarily in that session cookies are temporary and expire and are normally typically deleted when you close your browser. Persistent cookies, in contrast, remain stored on your computer after you close your browser until they are deleted either because they expire or you delete them. COPE uses session cookies and persistent cookies in connection with providing our Services and may provide these in an anonymized form to our service provider, Automatic, whose privacy policy is here. Cookies are often used in conjunction with other Internet technologies to understand behavior on the Internet.
None of the above technologies are strictly necessary to access our Services. You may reset your browser to refuse all cookies or to allow your browser to alert you when a cookie is set, however, certain parts of the Services may function differently and not as well and you may not be able to use some portions of our Services. For more information about how to manage your cookies preferences, you should use the "help" menu of your web browser or explore the customer support sections of your web browser. Please note that you need to configure each browser on each device that you use if you wish to opt-out or block some or all cookies. If you do not wish to receive advertising cookies, you may wish to visit the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) website by clicking here and the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) website here.
II. How Do We Use Personal Information?
We use personal information to process requests made through our Services, such as requests to register as a volunteer, requests for help and support, and questions or comments submitted through our Services.
For our Volunteers: We use this information to contact you and as part of our efforts to help match you with projects that may align with your skills, interests, and background.
For our Support Group and Hotline Participants: We use this information to provide the Services to you and tailor our help and support to your needs.
For our Donors: We use this information to process or contact you regarding your donation.
For our Newsletter Subscribers: We use this information to provide you with our newsletters and updates.
You may opt-out of receiving email communications from us at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" or "manage my email preferences" links located at the bottom of these communications.
In addition to the above, we use the personal information we collect for:
Providing Our Services. We may use personal information about you to help meet the needs of grieving individuals who come to us for help and support.
Fulfillment of Requests. We may use personal information about you to fulfill the purpose for which such information was provided (e.g., to match you to a project for our volunteers or to respond to your requests or inquiries)
Additional Communications. We may use the personal information submitted with your applications to contact you with important information about ongoing projects or about content, features, opportunities, or services that may be of interest to you.
Internal Operations and Analysis. We may also use personal information about you for our internal operational purposes, such as data analysis, audits, enhancing or modifying our Services, and so forth.
Fulfilling Our Legal Obligations or to Protect our Rights or Property. Where required, we may use personal information about you to comply with our legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations, or to protect our rights or property.
We may combine information that you provide to us or information that we collect automatically through our Services with other information we obtain.
III. How Do We Share Personal Information?
We may share your information in the event that it is necessary to fulfill these purposes:
With members of our volunteer network for operational and analytical purposes, to fulfill requests, and to provide the Services;
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Combinatorial mathematics has been pursued since time immemorial, and at a reasonable scientific level at least since Leonhard Euler (1707-1783). It rendered many services to both pure and applied mathematics. Then along came the prince of computer science with its many mathematical problems and needs - and it was combinatorics that best fitted the glass slipper held out. Moreover, it has been gradually more and more realized that combinatorics has all sorts of deep connections with ``mainstream areas'' of mathematics, such as algebra, geometry and probability. This is why combinatorics is now a part of the standard mathematics and computer science curriculum.
This book is as an introduction to extremal combinatorics - a field of combinatorial mathematics which has undergone a period of spectacular growth in recent decades. The word ``extremal'' comes from the nature of problems this field deals with: if a collection of finite objects (numbers, graphs, vectors, sets, etc.) satisfies certain restrictions, how large or how small can it be?
For example, how many people can we invite to a party where among each three people there are two who know each other and two who don't know each other? An easy Ramsey-type argument shows that at most five persons can attend such a party. Or, suppose we are given a finite set of nonzero integers, and are asked to mark an as large as possible subset of them under the restriction that the sum of any two marked integers cannot be marked. It appears that (independent of what the given integers actually are!) we can always mark at least one-third of them.
Besides classical tools, like the pigeonhole principle, the inclusion-exclusion principle, the double counting argument, induction, Ramsey argument, etc., some recent weapons -- the probabilistic method and the linear algebra method -- have shown their surprising power in solving such problems. With a mere knowledge of the concepts of linear independence and discrete probability, completely unexpected connections can be made between algebra, probability, and combinatorics. These techniques have also found striking applications in other areas of discrete mathematics and, in particular, in the theory of computing.
be accessible for graduate and motivated undergraduate students in mathematics and computer science.
Even if not all of these goals were achieved, I hope that the book will at least give a first impression about the power of extremal combinatorics, the type of problems this field deals with, and what its methods could be good for. This should help students in computer science to become more familiar with combinatorial reasoning and so be encouraged to open one of these monographs for more advanced study.
Intended for use as an introductory course, the text is, therefore, far from being all-inclusive. Emphasis has been given to theorems with elegant and beautiful proofs: those which may be called the gems of the theory and may be relatively easy to grasp by non-specialists. Some of the selected arguments are possible candidates for The Book, in which, according to Paul Erdös, God collects the perfect mathematical proofs.
I hope that the reader will enjoy them despite the imperfections of the presentation.
Extremal combinatorics itself is much broader. To keep the introductory character of the text and to minimize the overlap with existing books, some important and subtle ideas (like the shifting method in extremal set theory, applications of Janson's and Talagrand's inequalities in probabilistic existence proofs, use of tensor product methods, etc.) are not even mentioned here. In particular, only a few results from extremal graph theory are discussed and the presentation of the whole Ramsey theory is reduced to the proof of one of its core results --the Hales-Jewett theorem and some of its consequences. Fortunately, most of these advanced techniques have an excellent treatment in existing monographs by Bollobás (1978) on extremal graph theory, by Babai and Frankl (1992) on the linear algebra method, by Alon and Spencer (1992) on the probabilistic method, and by Graham, Rothschild, and Spencer (1990) on Ramsey theory. We can therefore pay more attention to the recent applications of combinatorial techniques in the theory of computing.
a probabilistic construction of surprisingly small boolean formulas, etc.
are discussed in detail. To some extent, this feature may also be interesting for students and researchers in combinatorics.
The text is self-contained. It assumes a certain mathematical maturity but no special knowledge in combinatorics, linear algebra, probability theory, or in the theory of computing --a standard mathematical background at undergraduate level should be enough to enjoy the proofs. All necessary concepts are introduced and, with very few exceptions, all results are proved before they are used, even if they are indeed ``well-known.'' Fortunately, the problems and results of combinatorics are usually quite easy to state and explain, even for the layman. Its accessibility is one of its many appealing aspects.
The book contains much more material than is necessary for getting acquainted with the field. I have split it into 29 relatively short chapters, each devoted to a particular proof technique. I have tried to make the chapters almost independent, so that the reader can choose his/her own order to follow the book. The (linear) order, in which the chapters appear, is just an extension of a (partial) order, ``core facts first, applications and recent developments later.'' Combinatorics is broad rather than deep, it appears in different (often unrelated) corners of mathematics and computer science, and it is about techniques rather than results -- this is where the independence of chapters comes from.
Each chapter starts with results demonstrating the particular technique in the simplest (or most illustrative) way. The relative importance of the topics discussed in separate chapters is not reflected in their length -- only the topics which appear for the first time in the book are dealt with in greater detail. To facilitate the understanding of the material, over 300 exercises of varying difficulty, together with hints to their solution, are included. This is a vital part of the book -- many of the examples were chosen to complement the main narrative of the text. I have made an attempt to grade them: problems marked by ``-'' are particularly easy, while the ones marked by ``+'' are more difficult than unmarked problems. The mark ``(!)'' indicates that the exercise may be particularly valuable, instructive, or entertaining. Needless to say, this grading is subjective. Some of the hints are quite detailed so that they actually sketch the entire solution; in these cases the reader should try to fill out all missing details.
I would like to thank everybody who was directly or indirectly involved in the process of writing this book. First of all, I am grateful to Alessandra Capretti, Anna Gál, Thomas Hofmeister, Daniel Kral, G. Murali Krishnan, Martin Mundhenk, Gurumurthi V. Ramanan, Martin Sauerhoff and P.R. Subramania for comments and corrections.
Although not always directly reflected in the text, numerous earlier discussions with Anna Gál, Pavel Pudlák, and Sasha Razborov on various combinatorial problems in computational complexity, as well as short communications with Noga Alon, Aart Blokhuis, Armin Haken, Johan Håstad, Zoltan Füredi, Hanno Lefmann, Ran Raz, Mike Sipser, Mario Szegedy, and Avi Wigderson, have broadened my understanding of things. I especially benefited from the comments of Aleksandar Pekec and Jaikumar Radhakrishnan after they tested parts of the draft version in their courses in the BRICS International Ph.D. school (University of Aarhus, Denmark) and Tata Institute (Bombay, India), and from valuable comments of László Babai on the part devoted to the linear algebra method.
I would like to thank the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) for supporting my research in Germany since 1992. Last but not least, I would like to acknowledge the hospitality of the University of Dortmund, the University of Trier and the University of Frankfurt; many thanks, in particular, to Ingo Wegener, Christoph Meinel and Georg Schnitger, respectively, for their help during my stay in Germany. This was the time when the idea of this book was born and realized. I am indebted to Hans Wössner and Ingeborg Mayer of Springer-Verlag for their editorial help, comments and suggestions which essentially contributed to the quality of the presentation in the book.
My deepest thanks to my wife, Daiva, and my daughter, Indrê, for being there.


Life is busy, and it is easy to get overwhelmed at times. How can we stay uplifted and balanced with the change of season? Check out the tips below to help you feel refreshed this spring. Then, repeat as needed!
Get Physical – Stress is a big part of our lives, but how do we combat it? It all starts with taking care of ourselves. My best stress relievers are exercise and regular massages to release tension. You may think that massages are out of your price range, but I visit Valpak.com to scroll through the latest personal care deals in my area that I can afford within my budget. Massages are a wonderful way to refresh and restore your body and mind, and the great news is that it does not have to break the bank.
Turn Your Bedroom into a Sanctuary – We spend more time in our bedroom than any other room in the home–about a third of every day! Enjoy a bit of "update shopping" and opt for a new bedspread, comfy pillows and accent décor to help you revamp one of your favorite spaces. Even the slightest bit of updating will brighten your spirits and make you feel accomplished.
Seasonal Changes – This season, consider a new hair style or color that will give you a cheerful boost and a fresh look to surprise family and friends with. Browse the latest spring nail colors and, instead of the red shade or French manicure that you normally choose, book a manicure and pedicure appointment with the goal to wear a fun new color. This year's "hot" colors are orange and pastel green, so go for it! Trying something new and stepping outside of your comfort zone is an exhilarating way to feel renewed, and a lot of fun in the process.


It's once in a lifetime. Don't take a chance: choose the wedding cake expert….
Make your wedding day even more special with a delectable, custom wedding cake expertly designed just for you. This hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind edible masterpiece is sure to be remembered by you and your guests for years to come. No idea is out of the question… MN works together with every bride and groom to choose a cake that reflects their tastes, beliefs, and desires. Whether your style is simple and elegant, whimsical, or romantic and glamorous, we will work with you to make this experience unique for you, your guests, and your taste buds! See our gallery, above, for examples of our custom wedding cake designs. At MN Cake Boutique we recognize the importance of your big day. We know the wedding cake takes centre stage and are dedicated to ensuring that your wedding cake experience exceeds your expectations in every way. With many flavours to choose from and made from the finest ingredients, your cake will be a feast for all the senses. The weather may be out of your hands, but with MN Cake Boutique your cake experience will be guaranteed. A little bit of history... The wedding cake is a symbolic centerpiece of your wedding day, the tradition dating as far back as the Roman Empire has over the years changed in its form; it all started with a loaf of barley and its breaking over the bride's head, continued with sweet buns in Medieval England and then in the 17th century a bride's pie, whose "main" ingredient was a glass ring. Today, this once very simple dessert has evolved into a multi-tiered, lavish, edible work of art. Let our cakes be part of your history. Contact us to arrange a free consultation today!
Crafting wedding cakes for clients in Hamilton and area for over 25 years, Gordana taught Cake Decorating Classes for 10 years at Mohawk College and now offers classes of her own.


text:
Skout — Meet New People
Skout, Inc.
The Skout app serves as a local matchmaker, friend finder and chat messenger, for users that are new to an area or traveling abroad. Free to download and use, it is available for iOS and Android devices. Skout is rated for users 17 years and older and does offer in-app purchases. This app can be safe for older, mature teens.
About Skout — Meet New People
What is Skout — Meet New People?
The Skout app serves as a local matchmaker, friend finder and chat messenger, for users that are new to an area, traveling abroad, or simply looking to meet people nearby.
Free to download and use, the Skout app is available for iOS and Android devices. It is rated for users 17 years and older and does offer in-app purchases.
Skout feels familiar to users because of its format is similar to Facebook's feed, on which users can scroll to check out the latest posts.
"At Skout, we're all about preserving the magic of unexpected meetings that lead to discovering new people."
Skout is a social network for matching and meeting strangers. The app was created with a community-building mindset but is mostly used as a dating app instead of as a place to meet new friends.
There are several ways for Skout users to search other users within the app. They can scroll through the news feed called "Buzz", which features local updates. Skout users can also scroll through a grid-like collection of member photos, select those of interest and direct chat with whoever posted the picture.
One feature unique to Skout is the "Shake" feature, where users shake their phone to receive a randomly selected match to begin a chat.
Is Skout — Meet New People safe for my kids?
Parents should be aware that the Skout app is rated for ages 17+, but many parents many not feel comfortable with their child using an app that for connecting users with virtual strangers.
Skout is committed to safety, and has made the platform as safe as possible for minors to use. The app uses location services to provide local matches, but teen accounts show only an approximate location.
To avoid minors mingling with adults, Skout filters users into age ranges, so that children 17 and under are only matched with other minors' profiles and users 18+ are matched with other adults.
Parents may take issue with the fact that they cannot monitor their child's activity and kids could create an adult profile and be placed in the adult group.
In terms of content, parents should know that Skout monitors posts for inappropriate or suggestive comments, and takes action to delete any posts that violate terms. There are always ways around this, so children may run into some more mature content.
In an effort to eliminate sexting, Skout does not allow teens to post photos in private chats.
Parents should know that Skout is free to use, and does display ads, although the premium version is available for purchase, which removes ads from those users' displays.
Other premium features in the app require users to cash in points, which can be earned or purchased.For example, users are unable to see who's liked or viewed their profiles, unless they cash in points.
Points can be earned by building their profile and actively participating in the Skout community, such as posting photos, logging in daily and downloading apps from advertisers.
Users can also opt to purchase points, instead of completing activities. Additional in-app purchases come in the form of stickers, emojis and emoticons for use in posting and messaging within the app.
The Skout app is only safe for mature and trusted teens.
Joe R. on 06-04-2018 19:31
Absolutey not allowed in my house


Truth be told, I blame Kerouac. Later on, Dana Snyman had a hand in it too, but mostly, originally, it was Kerouac's fault.
Like most middle class South African folk, I grew up with two truisms about travel. That it was expensive, and that – outside of carefully managed pockets of saccharine luxury – it was generally dangerous. This was true of all travel in South Africa, and – by extension – the rest of the world.
Africa north of the Limpopo did not count as the rest of the world in this reasoning. It was another planet altogether.
Until Kerouac came along, travel meant meticulously planned and budgeted, multi-day family expeditions in chromed-up luxury tanks that housed every possible outdoor tool and toy that the Joneses didn't have yet. The sort of survivalist technology that, had the Voortrekkers had it, would have resulted in Johannesburg being founded somewhere in the Congo.
This travel would often be to incredulously well-maintained bush or seaside resorts with exotic and occasionally offensive African names forged from a mix of too much money and too little history, seasoned with a tiny pinch of coke from the glass table of an expensive ad agency. "If we add more z's to the name, and thatch the roof, we can pull in an extra grand a day". Or so I imagine the refrain went.
But I digress. Travel was when the organised and the equipped went to the safe and luxurious.
The sort of survivalist technology that, had the Voortrekkers had it, would have resulted in Johannesburg being founded somewhere in the Congo.
Which was why Keroac made such an impression. Just the idea that travel could be cheap, open and undirected was heretical. Like the child who finds out Santa isn't real, the teenager who discovers that the school guidance counsellor lied to them about the fun of drinking, and the adult who comes to realise that a nine-to-five and golf on Sundays isn't a life. The battered copy of On the Road that found me whispered naughty secrets about just getting up and going. That the world wasn't a thing that the traveller needed to fortify themselves away from behind the literal walls of golf estates and the metaphorical ones of timeshare and catalogues of toys.
It was just there, to be explored. Quite literally, all you needed was to leave your front door.
That was the philosophy that informed what we would call 48-hour road trips. Though we'd only come to actually call it anything much later when we needed a concept to explain ourselves. Using the car of whoever volunteered it and a pool of petrol money from the brave or bored who had decided to join up for it, you'd leave on a Friday night and come back late on Sunday. What happened in the space between would be as unplanned as possible. You'd all agree, mostly, to point to car in some broad direction – North, South, Swaziland, the Kalahari, whatever – but the rest had to be worked out on the way.
It broke with my truisms of South African travel in a spectacular way. It wasn't perticularly expensive, nor – as we'd come to learn – was it particularly dangerous. It was the sincere, vehicle-borne equivalent of those inane teambuilding exercises where you fall over backwards and hope like hell your friends will catch you. Off you would go on a Friday afternoon, pushing beyond Joburg's ring of rush hour steel and into the sunset (if you had elected to head west that weekend).
It was the sincere, vehicle-borne equivalent of those inane teambuilding exercises where you fall over backwards and hope like hell your friends will catch you.
We'd learn that Lesotho was actually not all that far away, and that finding acceptable late-night accommodation on a wing and a prayer is a great deal easier than we'd ever thought. We found a town filled with mercenaries, empty monuments in maize fields and my brother once went swimming in the pool from which the Groot Marico River flows. We'd meet bartenders in the kind of small pubs that still have boer republic flags and bronzed animal sculptures. They'd tell us crazy stories of nearby places and we'd try and find them.
We weren't the rail stowaways of Kerouac's memory, just the next best thing we knew enough to try and become. Traveling on the cheap, unguided, through landscapes and histories of a country that we would learn we barely knew.
Just forty eight hours, a car, and a commitment to open ends. It was enough to find that South Africa's roads remembered all the places we've all long forgotten.


Join Mothers Out Front for our monthly community meeting open to all. We are joining together as mothers, grandmothers, caregivers and supports who are concerened about the effects of climate change and want to convince decision makers to work aggressively for a swift, complete and just transition away from fossil fuels to clean and renewable energy.
Click here to RSVP to the local team!


This two part update to the Hazard Communication course covers the changes that OSHA put in place in 2012. We will review information based on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations as they relate to the hazard awareness and communication, hazard classification, Safety Data Sheets and labeling requirements of hazardous materials within the workplace. The updated Hazard Communication Standard is the core of this training and can be found in 29 CFR 1910.1200. This course will review the alignment with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, commonly referred to as the GHS, and the changes that brings to the Hazard Communication Standard.
This training course is an overview of how the system of chemical hazard information and communication works. We will review the updated Hazard Communication Standard and its alignment with the GHS. This presentation will increase your knowledge of chemical hazards, hazard classification and the basic personal protection methods to ensure safe handling and usage of chemicals. However, it is your responsibility to apply this knowledge to the chemical hazards present in your workplace. You must always take the time to properly understand the hazards and appropriate precautions when using, handling or working around the chemicals in your facility.
This training course is a continuation to Hazard Communication Part 1. This presentation will review the updated Safety Data Sheets that are required as part of the Hazard Communication Standard. Remember, it is your responsibility to apply this knowledge to the chemical hazards present in your workplace. You must always take the time to properly understand the hazards and appropriate precautions when using, handling or working around the chemicals in your facility.
What Determines the Fire Hazard of a Liquid?


While yoga is something you should take seriously, it should not stop you from looking fashion-forward! If you love showing your fashion sense even on the mat, you'll love this camo leggings with mesh panels. You'll surely stand out while executing those challenging yoga moves!


Hi, I'm Krissy Clark, an award-winning journalist, public radio reporter and editor, documentary-maker (and a fifth generation San Franciscan). Storieseverywhere.org is the place where now and then I showcase my experiments in location-based story telling.
There's this audio tour I did of the Lower East Side in collaboration with StoryCorps for the New Museum.
And there's this project where I mined one of San Francisco's most boring-looking city blocks for hidden stories, which I marked with red balloons.
I'm interested in the way people shape places, and places shape people. Other phrases that might describe this interest include: narrative landscapes, narrative archeology, super-hyper-local journalism, embedded radio.
If you're confused, this short article I wrote for Harvard's Nieman Reports might help.
I think the more we understand about the places we move through day to day, the more care we take in the world.
When I'm not thinking about location, location, location, I am the Correspondent for the Wealth and Poverty Desk at Marketplace. You can find out more about that part of my brain and hear the stories I make for Marketplace here. A lot of the work showcased here was developed during or inspired by my time at the amazing Knight Journalism Fellowship at Stanford, where I got to work with the Stanford d.school, the Bill Lane Center for the American West and some very smart folks in the Computer Science Department to explore location-aware storytelling.


text:
Announcing the iSpong
It was with great excitement that Apple announced the impending launch of its new iSpong. We caught up with Arthur Probably who spared us a few moments of his valuable time to answer some of the burning questions that technophiles the world over are dying to ask.
So, tell us, what exactly can the iSpong do?
Well, everything that a regular spong can do, of course, but with internet connectivity and full data backup. We're really excited about the whole project.
What advantages will it have over traditional spongs?
Oh this is really exciting. It can be linked to your phone or to your computer at home and give real-time feedback. This is something that has never been done before and we think that it has real potential for totally changing the way that people spong in the future.
This isn't the first time someone has tried to improve on traditional manual spongs. How will this device be different?
Previous electronic spongs were cumbersome, unwieldy and prone to go off unexpectedly. The iSpong has solved many of these problems. It's smaller, it's sleeker and it has a little blue flashing light at the end.
Who is your target audience? Is it aimed at hardcore spongophiles?
We're thinking, initially, of traditional early adopters - those same people who were quick to get on board with the iTwunt and the iFlob. But we hope to create a groundswell of interest and reach people who may never previously have considered owning a spong of any sort.
Do you expect to meet with any resistance from the sponging community?
We hope they will see that the iSpong compliments their regular sponging activities rather than competing. But while we can see the iSpong being used as a training or demonstration aid in professional sponging, I can't imagine it replacing the traditional competition spongs made from walnut, granite or lard.
It was recently rumoured that Microsoft are in the process of developing a Windows Spong. Do you see this as being a serious competitor for your product?
Well, I can't really comment on what they may or may not be doing. Ultimately, of course, any kind of competition is good for the market. But I can't really comment. Anyway, I gather they've had some trouble with the operating system. But, as I say, I can't really comment.
So you see the iSpong being an important brand for you going forward?
We think it has that potential, yes. In fact, we're in the early stages of planning iSpong2, which will have advanced GPS capabilities and an extra cup holder.
That's great. So finally - probably the most important question - will it be available in any other colours?
Yes. Yes it will.
Grateful thanks to Arthur Probably for answering our questions, and for the loan of the trousers.
Is the strawberry a fruit of an animal?
DIY Olympics
Medals for UK wallpapering squad.
Carter-Pierrepoint
Particulate mapping of key delivery nodes, ramped attainment actualisation, meta-directional outflow priorities and correctional forecasting (Tuesdays only).
Nobby Wentworth's Pet Surgery
Modified pets for all occasions
Earwax
New earwax deposits found.


The Graduate School Presidential Dissertation award is intended to assist Ph.D. candidates in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and social professions in the final stages of writing and completing their dissertations. The 2017-18 Dissertation Fellowship is a one-quarter award established with support of the University President. The purpose of these awards is to relieve graduate students of their teaching duties or other employment not directly related to the dissertation in order to devote their full time to writing the dissertation.
This is a one-quarter award. The award provides a stipend equivalent that of a standard Predoc TA II (currently $2,572 per month), GAIP insurance, and UW state tuition and fees (excluding U-PASS and International Student Fee) up to 18 credits. The award must be used during the 2017-18 academic year (summer 2017 through spring 2018). The choice of the quarter will be left to the discretion of the graduate student in consultation with his or her supervisory committee chair.
The student must have demonstrated progress on the dissertation which indicates completion by the end of Summer Quarter 2018 or sooner.
The student must be in a tuition-based program; students in fee-based programs are not eligible.
Interested students must be nominated by their department, and departments can nominate no more than two students. For complete information about this opportunity, including details of the nomination process and a list of eligible departments, click here.
The Gatzert Child Welfare fellowship was established in the 1930s by the Bailey and Babette Gatzert foundation for Child Welfare. In accordance with the donor's wishes, the funds are to be used to promote education for "the better care and treatment of children suffering from defects, either physically or mentally." The one-quarter fellowship will be awarded to support the writing of a doctoral dissertation in the field of child development with special reference to children with disabilities.
Candidate must have demonstrated progress on the dissertation which indicates completion by the end of Summer Quarter 2018 or sooner.
Students in fee-based programs are not eligible.
The awards provide a stipend equivalent to the stipend of a standard Predoc TA II (currently $2,572 month), GAIP insurance, and UW state tuition and fees (excluding U-PASS and International Student Fee) up to 18 credits.
The student must have demonstrated progress on the dissertation which indicates completion by the end of Summer Quarter 2017 or sooner.
The awards provide a stipend equivalent to the stipend of a standard Predoc TA II (currently $2,378r month), GAIP insurance, and UW state tuition and fees (excluding U-PASS and International Student Fee) up to 18 credits.
The Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research (GIAR) program has provided undergraduate and graduate students with valuable educational experiences since 1922. By encouraging close working relationships between students and mentors, the program promotes scientific excellence and achievement through hands-on learning.
An additional funding round will be held in Fall 2016, with an application deadline of October 15, 2016.
Google Travel and Conference Grants for selected conferences in Computer Science and related fields are available in North America for all traditionally underrepresented groups in technology (including, but not limited to, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, persons with disabilities, women and veterans) and in Europe for women in technology.
Grant eligibility varies by region. Grants will be awarded to the most qualified persons based on application review.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is the nation's leading voice promoting equity and education for women and girls. Since it founding in 1881, AAUW members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political.
The organization awards a range of fellowships and grants for graduate study each year.
Selected Professions Fellowships are awarded to women who intend to pursue a full-time course of study at accredited U.S. institutions during the fellowship year in one of the designated degree programs where women's participation traditionally has been low (see list below). Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
Awards amounts range from $5,000–$18,000.
A Ph.D. research assistantship is available at the University of Washington to study critical infrastructure disaster resilience using natural language processing, expert elicitation, machine learning, and simulation modeling. Stipend (11mo/yr) and tuition waiver is available for a minimum of three years. The RAship will be funded by a multi-investigator, multi-institution National Science Foundation grant.
A strong preference is for the RA to be enrolled in the Ph.D. program in UW's Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering (HCDE). However, students enrolled in a different UW department will be considered (e.g., Computer Science and Engineering, iSchool, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Geography, or Urban Design and Planning).
Minimum responsibilities will include 1) expert workshop design and facilitation, 2) qualitative and quantitative data compilation, 3) qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and 4) programming of a simulation of model of how various critical infrastructure are restored and recovered after minor and major disturbance events. Knowledge of Python is required (or evidence that the language can be learned quickly).
Some knowledge or past coursework related to some or all of the following topics is preferred but not required: disasters, infrastructure, urban planning, machine learning, simulation modeling, facilitation.
Evaluation of applications will emphasize technical ability, as well as demonstrating some background or potential related to social science or qualitative methods.
Since HCDE is a relatively new discipline, applicants can be expected to represent a wide range of backgrounds. For this project, some relevant degrees are computer science, geographic information science, civil engineering, applied math, and urban planning.
An additional funding round will be held in Spring 2016, with an application deadline of March 15, 2016.
The College Art Association's Professional-Development Fellowship Program in Art History supports graduate students and scholars in art, architecture, and/or design historian, curator, or critic who recently received their PhD and are preparing the PhD for publication or who are conducting research in their final year to complete their PhD. Each fellow is given a one-time award to help with various aspects of his/her work, whether for job-search expenses, image license fees, or other publishing costs.
Fellows also receive a free one-year CAA membership and complimentary registration to the 2016 Annual Conference.
Honorable Mentions, given at the discretion of the jury, earn a free one-year CAA membership and complimentary registration for the 2016 Annual Conference.
One fellowship will be awarded in the amount of $10,000. Completed applications must be uploaded to Slide Room no later than 5 pm, Friday, October 2, 2015. All submission fees will be paid by College Art Association.
The College Art Association's Professional-Development Fellowship in visual arts support graduate students who are completing the MFA degree or other terminal degree programs. Fellows are honored with a one-time, unrestricted grant to help them with various aspects of their work, as an artist, designer and/or craftsperson, whether it be for job-search expenses or purchasing materials for their studio art/design practice.
One fellowship will be awarded in the amount of $10,000. Completed applications must be uploaded to Slide Room no later than 5 pm, Monday, November 16, 2015. All submission fees will be paid by Collegeart Association.


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Saturnites would probably be interested in a new CD from Atavistic called 13 Cosmic Standards by Sun Ra & Funkadadelic.
The band, called Spaceways Incorporated is actually a trio of reedist Ken Vandermark, bassisr Nate McBride and drummer Hamid Drake.
Six of the 10 tunes are by Ra: "Tapestry From An Asteroid", "Street Named Hell," "Bassism," "El Is A Sound Of Joy", "Future" and "We Travel The Spaceways".
It's certainly a different way to approach Ra.


text:
Posts Tagged 'bus'
Do we really want driverless buses?
Image taken from original article in Smart Cities Dive
A consortium has been formed of US transit agencies who want to try out driverless buses. The idea is that the cost of getting into this new technology will be lower if it is shared.
I think the idea of a consortium to try out new technologies is a good one, and one that has a long history in transit. What worries me is that this is starting with a technology that I do not think needs to be the first priority. It is understandable, given the high percentage of overall operating cost that is due to driver's wages and benefits. We have had driverless trains in this region for a long while. SkyTrain has also had significant numbers of people committed to patrolling the system to ensure passenger safety and security.
Recently an incident on the top deck of a British bus has awakened concerns here about passenger security on the double deckers shortly to be introduced here. (Hint: the driver has either a periscope or camera to see what is going on upstairs.) While assaults like this are relatively rare, bad behaviour by passengers is not. For this reason, bus operators are now getting protective screens on the new buses when they enter service. Equally, it is not unheard of for bus drivers to be the first responders in other cases of emergency. And one thing that we have probably all seen for ourselves is the reluctance of other people to get involved when someone else needs assistance. The response time to someone pressing an alarm on SkyTrain has also been an issue on occasion.
While a bus operator may not have all the skills and knowledge of a paramedic or a police officer, they are trained in what to do in an emergency. And often the interpersonal skills that they do have (and are now selected for) have been used to effectively reduce the tensions which can lead to rapid escalation.
There are autonomous buses in operation in France and elsewhere, but so far they have been limited to low speeds, short distances and relatively traffic free areas.
"The consortium [on the other hand] is expected to purchase 75 to 100 full-sized, autonomous buses that will run at full speed in real service environments."
This seems to me to be unnecessary at this stage. And one of the things that has been improved in this region since I arrived has been the atmosphere on board buses since the emphasis in selection changed away from "has an air brake license" to "has people skills". In general, the attitude and welcome you get on boarding the bus has been one of the best features of the ride. It would be a great shame to lose this. I also wonder how an autonomous bus would be alerted to the need to lower the ramp at a bus stop for a passenger with a disability – or delay starting until they were safely in place on board.
Posted in transit
Tagged with autonomous vehicles, bus, transit
"TransLink expands Metro Vancouver bus service by 105,000 service hours"
The headline comes from a Vancouver Sun article. There is not much in the way of context – other than two previous announcements of smaller increases earlier this year and a reference to the Mayor's plan for expansion.
So I went to the Translink web site and dug out the 2016 Transit Service Performance Review which informed me that last year Translink delivered 3,897,000 bus service hours, which was a 1% increase on 2015 – which is also the compound annual growth rate for the last five years.
Which means that was has been announced is a 0.02% increase in bus service, if we assume that all these quoted figures are annualised. And, of course in 2017, it is less than that since these new service hours will only be delivered in the last quarter of the year.
So good, that we are getting more bus service in this region. But the rate of population growth is "6.5 per cent since the last census in 2011" (also a Vancouver Sun report, but of census data). So we are only just keeping pace with the increase in the number of people, let alone making a bigger impact on transportation trip making ("mode share" in planning jargon).
So one cheer for Translink and raspberries to Postmedia for simply printing a press release without any analysis.
We must commit to a much faster increase in transit use – which means more service hours for buses, more transit services of all kinds and much more priority for buses operating in traffic – which is most of them, most of the time. Just to give you some idea of what the plan needs to look like, take a gander at this new expansion map for Sound Transit.
Translink now has the details of the September sheet change online
Posted in transit, Transportation
Tagged with bus, Sound Transit, TransLink
Double-decker buses could roll into Metro Vancouver
This was the headline in the Surrey Leader last week.
TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond says double deckers are run by BC Transit in Victoria as well as his former employer Sound Transit on intercity routes between Everett and Seattle, where they're popular with passengers.
Desmond said he believes they could have potential to add capacity in certain parts of Metro Vancouver, although they couldn't run on routes with low obstructions.
"They would not fit through the Massey Tunnel, for example," Desmond said.
Well the buses currently used in Victoria wouldn't, but that is only because they are 4.4m "highbridge" buses.
But that is the tallest buses get, and there are many places where these buses are too high. And the manufacturers do produce much lower double deck buses. Some of the more recent purchases for GO Transit in Toronto, for example.
Paul Bateson photo on flickr, used by permission
This is an Alexander Dennis Enviro500 Super Lo version at 3.91 metres high. The Massey Tunnel has a posted height limit of 4.1m: similarly there is a restriction on Highway 1 west of Abbotsford of 4.3m. So again for service on the express 555 from Langley to Braid Station, double deckers would provide much more seated accommodation. I would warn, however, that the seating currently in use on both Translink Express services and BC Transit double deckers is too close for comfort on longer distance services. Packing as many people as possible onto a bus may be good short term economics, but for passenger retention and more diversion from private cars, I think people of over 1.7m need to have adequate knee room when seated. Just because many airlines go for tight seat pitch is not a good example for other modes!
And just to show that there are many choices in low height double deckers, here is another from Italy built by the German maker Setra. The S341DT has a height of 4m and up to 93 seats.
And while we are on the subject of higher capacity buses I can think of some routes where a few of these would not go amiss
Geneva Public Transport Hess Lightram 3 on the airport route
Tagged with bus, double decker
BC Transit offers Hydrogen Buses for sale
I saw this story on the CBC News last night so that's where I am linking to. It gets picked up by the paywalled press too, of course, but what I think is interesting about this version is the commentary from Eric Denhoff President and CEO of the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association..
While these buses may have saved some greenhouse gas emissions, the admission that the hydrogen had to be trucked from Quebec offsets that a bit. Hydrogen is of course freely available everywhere: extracting it, packing and shipping it is, of course the expensive bit, and itself consumes lots of energy. And the trucks which drove back and forth across the continent were diesel powered. There is also a plant in North Van which vents hydrogen it produces as a byproduct which is not clean enough for the finicky fuel cells.
What annoys me about the web version of this story is that is misses the correct attribution of responsibility. The TV news had quite a bit about the decision by Gordon Campbell to buy these buses and have them run in Whistler during the Olympics. It also mentioned the complete failure of the "hydrogen highway" that he announced with Arnold Schwarzenegger that never materialized.
The Province always has money for these ribbon cutting, PR fluff type projects. Obviously just not enough money for Whistler's transit system to keep running the things. There is never enough money to run transit in BC but every so often they go all loopy and buy a bunch of white elephants. Several different iterations of CNG buses wished on to Vancouver before they got one that actually worked reliably. Even though the emissions from diesel buses fitted with mandatory control equipment now equal the tailpipe performance of CNG. Not that there is much wrong with air quality in Vancouver.
It is also worth noting that the CBC web version mentions that there is a Plan B if BC Transit can't find a buyer, which I would think is the most likely outcome.
NOTE This post has been corrected after correspondence from Eric Denhoff (April 28, 2015)
Posted in alternative transportation fuel, greenhouse gas reduction, transit
Tagged with 2101 Winter Olympics, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ballard, BC Transit, bus, Eric Denhoff, fuel cell, Gordon Campbell, greenhouse gas emissions, hydrogen, hydrogen highway, waste of money, Whistler
The Natural Gas System is Leaky and in Need of a Fix
The first thorough comparison of evidence for natural gas system leaks confirms that organizations including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have underestimated U.S. methane emissions generally, as well as those from the natural gas industry specifically.
That's a really neat summary of a new study from Stanford. The mainstream media is reporting this – often behind paywalls – so the link I have posted is to the original not them. It also seems that they have decided the story is to be about buses. That's in the report but a ways down
the analysis finds that powering trucks and buses with natural gas instead of diesel fuel probably makes the globe warmer, because diesel engines are relatively clean. For natural gas to beat diesel, the gas industry would have to be less leaky than the EPA's current estimate, which the new analysis also finds quite improbable.
"Fueling trucks and buses with natural gas may help local air quality and reduce oil imports, but it is not likely to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Even running passenger cars on natural gas instead of gasoline is probably on the borderline in terms of climate," Brandt said.
At first this was the item that made me think I should blog about it. I have long been critical of the way that in BC we have glommed onto to NG as an alternative transportation fuel and have so often found it wanting. I won't repeat that here.
What struck me was much closer to the top of the story
Natural gas consists predominantly of methane. Even small leaks from the natural gas system are important because methane is a potent greenhouse gas – about 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide. A study, "Methane Leakage from North American Natural Gas Systems," published in the Feb. 14 issue of the journal Science, synthesizes diverse findings from more than 200 studies ranging in scope from local gas processing plants to total emissions from the United States and Canada. [emphasis added]
"People who go out and actually measure methane pretty consistently find more emissions than we expect," said the lead author of the new analysis, Adam Brandt, an assistant professor of energy resources engineering at Stanford University. "Atmospheric tests covering the entire country indicate emissions around 50 percent more than EPA estimates," said Brandt. "And that's a moderate estimate."
So instead of me ranting about buses I am going after the more significant target. Our Premier's obsession with LNG, and how this is going to be both our fiscal salvation – and will help other countries wean themselves off dirtier fuels like coal.
The problem with natural gas – methane – is that is far more powerful as a greenhouse gas than CO2. As noted above "30 times more potent than carbon dioxide" which means while burning methane is cleaner than burning coal, if just small amounts leak unburned then the advantage in terms of impact on climate is negated. Since the leaks have been underestimated up to now, that means we now need to rethink some of our strategies. I think it is very common for the people who promote fracking to downplay the destructiveness and carelessness of their activities. So the phrase "some recent studies showing very high methane emissions in regions with considerable natural gas infrastructure" is striking even though in context it is stressed that these levels are not characteristic of the continent as whole. The frackers keep secret the chemicals they add into the water – and deny that these chemicals damage the water supply of people downstream. Rather like the way the tarsand developers prefer us to not pay attention to what happens to the water supply people who live near the operations depend on.
Even though the gas system is almost certainly leakier than previously thought, generating electricity by burning gas rather than coal still reduces the total greenhouse effect over 100 years, the new analysis shows. Not only does burning coal release an enormous amount of carbon dioxide, mining it releases methane.
But I do not think that justifies a strategy that throws LNG in as the be-all and end-all. Recent developments in solar power, for instance, are showing that the competitiveness of this source of electricity has been greatly improved. BC has all sorts of renewable energy sources that remain virtually untouched. Geothermal energy, for instance, seems to be mostly confined to a few spas and hot tubs. Wind and wave energy generally is ignored, despite our location on the shore of the Pacific.
There are also very real doubts about the viability of some of the proposals being floated for LNG plants, which seem to me to based more on wishful thinking than clear headed analysis of the realities of a market place that has recently seen a flood of new production for a product that is difficult to package and transport to market. It is still the case that what I was taught in that CAPP course all new employees of the Ministry of Energy were required to attend, that what comes out of the ground is either oily gas or gassy oil. And what the market demands here is usually liquid fuel, and the gas is flared. About half of the volume produced I'm told. Using lots of energy to liquify the gas and then ship it around the planet to be sold at competitive prices to places that can pipe gas in from much closer locations does not seem very likely to be viable.
But mostly I am very tired of this administration pretending to care about the climate (because we had the carbon tax implemented before other places) while doing their very best to undermine the limited success we have had in reducing our own ghg. Which may not be entirely due to good management but simply reduced levels of economic activity.
Posted in alternative transportation fuel, Economics, energy, Environment, greenhouse gas reduction
Tagged with bus, CNG, greenhouse gas emissions, LNG, methane, natural gas, natural gas industry
TransLink signs deal for 25 new hybrid buses
The Vancouver Sun announces that Translink is going to replace 25 buses. This is not exactly news – but then its the summer and the "silly season" when anything will do to fill the paper. Bus life in North America is around 18 years – in terms of a life cycle cost analysis – but in the US transit authorities can use their federal funding to get replacements after 12 years. Or at least they could, if that hasn't fallen to the steady assault on public spending in general mounted by Republicans in Congress over the last few years. So the "aging buses, the majority of which are diesel-powered and date back to the mid- to late 1990s" are due. If you can't make the sums add up, remember that there is a "lead time" between the date the bus is ordered and when it is delivered. I am out of the loop now, but at one time it was as long as two years.
The very odd insertion of the phrase "majority of which" makes me wonder if Richmond is really the origin of the buses being replaced. All of the Richmond buses are diesels. The only other power sources for Translink buses are electricity – all the trolleybuses are in Vancouver – and compressed natural gas all based in Port Coquitlam. There may be a few of the experimental buses used for fuel comparison trials still around. Oakridge seems to be the lair where these oddities have languished. CMBC's coy habit of putting green canvas on its fences limits what can be seen from the outside, but maybe some insiders will comment below.
The Sun uses a crude graphic from the old MoT press guff about rapid bus for the new Port Mann. I wonder if a sub-editor is being pointed in the choice of picture. You get the benefit of the extensive Rees Archive of transit bus photos on flickr
Due for Replacement: New Flyer diesel 40′ low floor – seen in Steveston
my photo on flickr
Or possibly the articulated 60′ version bought for the #98 B Line and now used on the #480 UBC and the Tsawassen ferry service
Current generation of New Flyer Hybrid arctic 60′ used for UBC services – likely the replacement model
More information from Canadian Manufacturing
Tagged with bus
Changes Coming to Bus Routes to UBC?
Mathew Laird has just tweeted
Hearing rumours the 480 is to be eliminated and the 100 extended to UBC. Direct bus from #newwest to UBC in the near future? Interesting…
The #480 is one of the heaviest loading bus routes in the region. When the Canada Line was introduced, most bus routes got shifted around so that the train would do most of the heavy lifting for traffic between Richmond and Vancouver. The UBC route was an exception, since the east west routes that link from Canada Line stations to UBC were already over capacity – especially the #99 B Line along Broadway. The articulated buses from the old #98 B Line were diverted to the #480 – and other routes like the #49, #43, #44 and so on.
Oddly enough I was recently being passed by a southbound #480 on Granville Street in Marpole. It struck me that it is the only survivor of a whole series of bus routes that used to do the somewhat circuitous routing of Granville, South West Marine, Hudson, and then 71st Ave to the Oak Street Bridge
The southern end of the #480 route diagram
What struck me then – and is quite obvious from the map – is that the current routing to Bridgeport Station actually duplicates part of the Canada Line – and that Marine Drive Station is a lot closer. Of course, at one time the #480 would take you to Richmond Centre (Brighouse) and even, on otherwise deadhead runs, all the way to Steveston and Shell (the Richmond Operating Centre). I bemoaned its loss then.
Loadings on the #100 between Marine Drive and 22nd Street stations cannot be anything like those between UBC and the Canada Line on the #480. But maybe the number gets changed if the new routing is different to the dog's leg of the #480 (41st Ave and Granville) but took the more obviously direct routing of South West Marine Drive. That takes me back to my days working at BC Transit when I was regularly lobbied by the locals along the Drive who feared a direct bus past their doors to UBC. While there is no service bus along that route, I have seen many dead head miles run that way. So perhaps opposition these days is not as strong as it once was?
480 at UBC May 2010 my photo on flickr
One thing is for sure. If there is a reworking of the #100 expect much of it to be short turns UBC to Marine Drive and not a lot of it going all the way to New Westminster!
In all fairness to the good folk of SW Marine Drive, I should make it clear that they did not so much oppose a direct bus as express the fear that we (BC Transit) would be persuaded to run a direct bus as a way for the City Engineers to then press for a widening of the Drive to four lanes. At the time I thought that showed a remarkable faith in our resources (even then buses were overcrowded and there weren't nearly enough of them to meet demand on existing routes) and the City's willingness to spend money on roads. While I am sure that there were some engineers who would have salivated at the thought, the City Transportation Plan was very clear in its opposition to increasing general purpose traffic capacity. And the same engineers then bitterly opposed any and all suggestions about bus priority in general and bus lanes in particular. It's all different these days, of course.
The #100 was at that time a very long and highly unreliable route from 22nd Street to the Airport. It operated from the Port Coquitlam Operating Centre as there was simply not enough room at the Oakridge Operating Centre. Though there was no deadheading – it operated on one of the New West – PoCo routes to get to and from home base. Indeed, even now reliability of a UBC – New Westminster route via South West and South East Marine Drives would be a real issue. It does now however run past the new Vancouver Operating Centre – so a lot of revenue and non revenue miles of the present #480 would be saved.
I am not sure about the amount of space on the trains though.
Tagged with #100, #480, bridgeport station, bus, Canada Line, granville south, marpole, richmond centre, west marine drive


School has been back in session for a bit now and we are settling back into the usual after school routine – snack, homework, dinner, bath and required nightly reading.
If you have school aged kids you're probably familiar with the 20-30 minutes of independent nightly reading that is suggested by schools – or maybe you're more familiar with the 20-30 minutes of heavy sighs, eye rolls and clear procrastination followed by 15 minutes of something that resembles begrudged reading and another 10 minutes of arguing about how long 20 minutes actually is before you throw in the towel and declare it bedtime.
My boys love to read and I've written before about the different ways we encourage early literacy every day at home. They just don't like being told when and for how long to do it. In a way, I understand where they're coming from – after a long day of school, after school clubs or sports and homework required reading time can be just the thing to push a tired kid over the edge.
I always want reading to be something my kids enjoy because it is so wonderful to escape into a good book – and I know reading will become easier and more natural if they truly enjoy it, so this year we are turning our nightly reading into a game!
Reading BINGO is a lot of fun – and the whole family can get involved! We make it a game to see who can complete the most BINGO cards and award prizes for being able to call "BINGO!".
I like to tie the rewards back into reading, so a completed BINGO may get an extra bedtime story, a late bedtime to read independently in bed or even a new bookmark.
Another fun reward is a special trip to the library. You can make it even more fun by checking your local library calendar for a story time or craft event (most libraries host at least one throughout the month), this way the kids get to participate in a fun activity and then check out some new books.
There are a few different ways you can use these Printable Reading BINGO Cards. Find the way that works best for your child!
Print as a full page and hang on the fridge or somewhere noticeable to encourage your child to check off completed boxes.
Print as a 5X7 image and use them as bookmarks in chapter books your child is reading right now.
Laminate the printable Reading BINGO cards and use a dry erase marker to keep track. At the end of the month erase the card and start again!
Keep a box of small prizes like stickers and bookmarks to reward completed BINGO cards.
Plan a trip to the library or book store after your child completes the entire card for some new reading material.
Print a card for yourself and play along.
Use fun stickers to mark off the BINGO boxes, so your child gets a small reward for each task!
For older kids: Read a book or series and at the very end watch the movie, see the play or visit an attraction that is based on the book!
Encourage kids to begin reading a series, and reward a completed card by going out together to buy or borrow the next book in the series.
Ready to begin your very own Reading Games? Click below to download the Free Reading BINGO Printable. Open the file and select print, then print in the size you want (I recommend full page for hanging or 5X7 for using as a bookmark). Uncheck the box that says "Fit Image To Page" on your printing dialog and then print away!
Have an awesome idea for encouraging reading? Want to share your child's favorite motivation? Leave me a comment!
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