text:
require File.expand_path('../../spec_helper', __FILE__)

describe 'Context' do
  before do
    @reporter = stub('Reporter')
    @reporter.stubs(:around_context).yields
    @reporter.stubs(:around_test).yields
  end

  should 'run block in context' do
    a = nil
    test_th_id = nil

    @reporter.stubs(:increment_assertions)

    th_id = Thread.current.object_id

    Thread.new do
      EEtee::Context.new("a context", 0, @reporter, :@a => 34) do
        test_th_id = Thread.current.object_id
        a = @a
      end
    end.join

    th_id.should.not == test_th_id
    a.should == 34
  end

  should 'run before block in same context' do
    a = nil
    Thread.new do
      EEtee::Context.new("a context", 0, @reporter, :@a => 234) do
        before{ a = @a }
        should("do nothing"){} # just to run the before block
      end
    end.join
    a.should == 234
  end

  should 'run arbitrary code in same context' do
    a = nil
    Thread.new do
      EEtee::Context.new("a context", 0, @reporter) do
        before{ @a = 42 }
        # should("do nothing"){} # just to run the before block
        in_scope{ a = @a }
      end
    end.join
    a.should == 42
  end

  should 'allow tests to use the context description' do
    a = nil
    Thread.new do
      EEtee::Context.new("a context", 0, @reporter, :@a => 234) do
        should("do nothing"){ a = context_description() }
      end
    end.join
    a.should == "a context"
  end

  should 'allow tests to use the nested context description' do
    a = nil
    Thread.new do
      EEtee::Context.new("a context", 0, @reporter, :@a => 234) do
        describe("sub context") do
          should("do nothing"){ a = context_description() }
        end
      end
    end.join
    a.should == "sub context"
  end

  should 'run after block in same context' do
    a = nil
    Thread.new do
      EEtee::Context.new("a context", 0, @reporter, :@a => 234) do
        after{ a = @a }
        should("do nothing"){} # just to run the before block
      end
    end.join
    a.should == 234
  end

  should 'run the before blocks before every test' do
    n = 0
    Thread.new do
      EEtee::Context.new("a context", 0, @reporter) do
        before{ n = 1 }
        should("test 1"){ n += 2 }
        should("test 2"){ n += 2 }
      end
    end.join
    n.should == 3
  end

  should 'run the after blocks after every test' do
    n = 0
    Thread.new do
      EEtee::Context.new("a context", 0, @reporter) do
        after{ n = 1 }
        should("test 1"){ n += 2 }
        should("test 2"){ n += 2 }
      end
    end.join
    n.should == 1
  end

  should 'run the after blocks after when an error occured in test' do
    n = 0
    Thread.new do
      begin
        EEtee::Context.new("a context", 0, @reporter) do
          after{ n = 1 }
          should("test 1"){ raise "toto" }
        end
      rescue
      end
    end.join
    n.should == 1
  end

  should 'only run the rigth before blocks' do
    n = 0
    Thread.new do
      EEtee::Context.new("a context", 0, @reporter) do
        before{ n = 1 }

        describe("sub context") do
          before { n = 10 }
        end

        should("test 1"){ n += 2 }
      end
    end.join
    n.should == 3
  end

  should 'copy instance variables in nested contexts' do
    a = b = nil
    Thread.new do
      EEtee::Context.new("a context", 0, @reporter, :@a => 98, :@b => "string") do
        describe("nested context"){ a = @a; b = @b }
      end
    end.join
    a.should == 98
    b.should == "string"
  end

  should 'create a test' do
    err = nil
    EEtee::Test.expects(:new).with("should test something", @reporter)
    Thread.new do
      begin
        EEtee::Context.new("a context", 0, @reporter, :@a => 98, :@b => "string") do
          should("test something"){ 1.should == 1 }
        end
      rescue Exception => ex
        err = ex
      end
    end.join

    err.should == nil
  end

  should 'only run focused test' do
    err = nil
    n = 0

    Thread.new do
      begin
        EEtee::Context.new("a context", 0, @reporter, {:@a => 98, :@b => "string"}, true) do
          should("test something", :focus => true){ n = 1 }
          should("test something"){ n = 2 }
        end
      rescue Exception => ex
        err = ex
      end
    end.join

    n.should == 1
    err.should == nil
  end

  should 'only run focused test (nested context)' do
    err = nil
    n = 0

    Thread.new do
      begin
        EEtee::Context.new("a context", 0, @reporter, {:@a => 98, :@b => "string"}, true) do
          describe("nested") do
            should("test something", :focus => true){ n = 1 }
            should("test something"){ n = 2 }
          end
        end
      rescue Exception => ex
        err = ex
      end
    end.join

    n.should == 1
    err.should == nil
  end

end


lifeintheusa.com covers all the major tasks of everyday American life: from finding a job, to applying for a driver's license, to dealing with banks, to protection from street crime, to finding an apartment, buying a house, or even finding (and keeping) a lover. The site discusses how Americans make friends, do business, deal with health problems, entertain themselves, dress, eat, spend their vacations, deal with issues of personal cleanliness, grooming, manners and etiquette. A special section explains American coins and currency, another covers American attitudes towards death and funerals. The site contains more than eight hundred individual resource sub-sections.
lifeintheusa.com is an ideal guide for immigrants and new Americans, but it is also a valuable reference for American-born young people just getting their start in the adult world. The site covers the challenges and negative aspects of American life realistically, but the tone is still lively and upbeat. A unique resource, and an ongoing project that keeps growing as comments and ideas come in from all over the world.


1. It decreases your fuel economy.
Think about what it feels like to push around an out-of-whack shopping cart. When one wheel on the shopping cart refuses to cooperate with the others, you have to push the cart a little harder than usual just to go forward. You may also need to steer it more than usual to keep it straight.
While car tires don't make the whuppa-whuppa-whuppa sound a bum cart wheel makes, you still need to "push" your car with extra force to keep your misaligned wheels under control. That means you're using up more fuel than necessary and spending more at the pump.
2. It puts more wear and tear on your tires.
Did you know that wheels off by as little as one-eighth of an inch could cause a 20 percent increase in wear on your tires? Even worse, the damage would be done to only one side of the tire, rendering it useless if not caught in time. New tires are at least $75-$150 each, and replacement is generally recommended for all 4 tires at once. If a bad alignment ruins a tire, you're looking at a potentially hefty bill.
3. It makes your car more prone to accidents.
An unaligned car veers left or right instead of straight. If you're not keeping your steering wheel turned a certain way, your car may drift off course and hit something else.
Excessive wear on the inner or outer edge of the tire may result in the tire blowing out. Such a situation, especially on the freeway, could be dangerous to you and other motorists on the road, as well as expensive to fix.
Needing a wheel alignment at some point is inevitable, but you can minimize repeated alignments by taking preventative measures. Avoid potholes, replace your suspension parts and steering components when the time comes, and take softer turns. You can also install curb ramps if your driveway has a rolled curb.
"I no longer have to purchase tire alignment plans for my tires [now that I have a BRIDJIT curb ramp]," a customer wrote.
Another customer said he no longer needed to spend hundreds of dollars on alignments after getting a BRIDJIT curb ramp.
The bottom line? Get your car realigned and then take as many preventative measures as you can to ensure proper alignment on your car for as long as possible.


text:
Artist: Said the Whale
Vinyl LP pressing including digital download. 2019 release from the Canadian band. After more than a decade together, Said the Whale have arrived at the purest version of themselves. Cascadia is the Vancouver trio's sixth album, and it sounds like quintessential Said the Whale: with a big-hearted blend of indie rock and atmospheric folk, it perfects all of the elements that have propelled the band to JUNO Award-winning, radio chart-topping success. Cascadia represents a back-to-basics approach after the synth-fuelled experimentation of 2017's As Long As Your Eyes Are Wide. This time around, with their personal lives back in order, the timing was right to return to the core of their signature style. "We sat down with guitars again and wrote songs in the way that feels the most natural to us," Tyler says. "We're just following the whims of the three of us, and it's a much more distilled version of what the band is."
Said the Whale
Title: Cascadia
Artist(s): Said the Whale
Label: Arts & Crafts

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Ensures Quality From Beginning To End.
Looking for a new application or perhaps you want to allow disparate applications to communicate with each other. Or you need real-time connectivity. Maybe you need to better document your business processes.
Chances are you're charged with reducing the costs of holding face-to-face meetings, or you need better access to information — more timely, more efficient. You get the point. If you need it, we can customize it to make it work for your unique business need.
CAS Severn's application development and software integration services team will develop and customize the solution to fit your specific IT and business needs, whatever they may be.
CAS Severn works closely with clients before, during and after a data center move to handle every aspect of the move with minimal disruption to business. We pay close attention to protecting the integrity of physical assets, and provide the technical support to ensure systems are ready to go back into operation.
CAS Severn brings strong project management practices, broad technical expertise, and deep partner relationships to execute each move. With our proven process and pre-move planning, many moves can be completed in one day.
Every step of the way, the team works together following a specific and documented process.
Discover: We work with your team to identify and document your inventory and develop amigration strategy, timeline, post-move testing and debrief plan.
Plan: From mover selection and coordination, identifying physical challenges of the move, and identifying key personnel, to testing the plan itself, you can count on our multi-disciplined team to provide a professional turn-key experience.
Execute: The project managers work closely with all internal and external teams to ensure things go smoothly on the day of the move. Contingency plans are made for any foreseeablechallenges and often we are able to leverage our deep partner relationships to handle the unexpected. Working with multiple vendors requires coordination and diplomacy. With more than 45 partners, CAS Severn leverages strong relationships to keep things moving smoothly.
Close: With a wrap up at the original data center, and a final move and debrief document deliverable, the CAS Severn structured approach takes what can be a complex process to a low-stress experience from beginning to end, with minimal disruption and downtime.
Securing your corporate enterprise is a critical aspect of your business. Especially protecting your valuable corporate information and systems. This is where CAS Severn comes in. Our specialists can work with your IT management team to devise a plan and implement security solutions for your infrastructure, systems, and applications.
accessing sensitive data, these issues are on the rise. Don't let these things happen to you.
Don't be the next organization mentioned in the news being referenced for losing critical information that wasn't secured and protected. This is not only painful to the ego but can take years to recover from reputation wise and operationally.
IT Consulting is where it all begins — and where we begin.
You tell us what your problems are, we analyze what you have, we think and talk and doodle and design and meet and redesign and come back to you with the precise IT answer you need based on your budget.
Whatever the size of your company, whatever your industry, whatever your IT issue — we can advise on how to improve your technology platform, and with it, your bottom line.
Consulting means different things to different people. To us, it means bringing our most experienced business and technology resources to bear on providing alternatives and answers that will help you maximize your existing IT investment, reduce costs and improve efficiencies.
Our consultants take a structured, planned approach, specific to your business, your requirements and your goals in identifying alternatives. Big or small, public or private, CAS Severn's IT Consulting Division can help you identify the right IT answers for your organization.
Studies show that outsourcing your IT needs can result in improved financial health and performance for companies in most industries.
Whether you require a new skill set or extra help, have a short- or long-term need, CAS Severn can provide the experts who'll get it done right on an as needed basis. From Network Specialists to Application Developers to Help Desk Support — in depth and breadth of expertise — our IT Staff Augmentation team is unrivaled.
Which lets you breathe a little easier. And not blow your budget.
For most of our customers, staffing up an IT operation is outside their core competencies. Still, they need experienced staff to keep their operations moving. CAS Severn will do the heavy IT lifting. We'll hire and manage your IT support staff. From systems administration, database design, infrastructure service-oriented architecture (SOA) design and management, to help desk support — you name it, CAS Severn will provide it. It is our core competency.
staff will take care of it. So you don't have to.
Are you being pressured to simultaneously reduce IT spending and meet increasing demands for information storage and system management?
You may be saddled with technologies that don't work with each other or you're limited by outmoded legacy systems.
System and storage management is a major component of optimizing your existing IT infrastructure, whether by consolidation, automation, upgrades, outsourcing or virtualization. Optimizing means making what you have work better for you.
Businesses today are faced with the challenge of limited IT budgets, disparate systems and the need to keep business critical applications available at all times. Often the IT infrastructure would be adequate if only resources could be used more efficiently.
CAS Severn's system and storage management experts can help make the most of your existing infrastructure without blowing your budget.


Josie Chipmunk is one of the many woodland creatures from Hazel Village. Each woodland creature comes with a lovely story which brings the toy to life.
If you go to the Hazel Village High Meadow, you might find little piles of dirt where Josie Chipmunk dug "nut storage facilities." She says she is planning ahead, in case her friends want a nutty snack when they are far from home. How considerate! Now she is going to make useful signs that say "NUTS HERE."
Josie the Chipmunk is approximately 35.5cm long and made of rust orange and brown cotton fleece and stuffed with a washable fiberfill. She has a hand-embroidered face and checked cotton lining on her ears.
She comes wearing a beautiful white blouse, a floral print skirt and black bonnet. The outfit is removable so Josie can share and trade clothes with the other Hazel Village animals.
Fine Motor skills: Their plush, soft bodies are perfect for little hands to touch and feel. The thin long legs and arms are great for babies to practice grasping onto. Younger children need finer coordination of the fingers to help dress the woodland creatures up in the beautiful range of clothes that is available for them.


2. 1. 2. 4. Jonas, Dusty Mason, Mike Ingraham, Ryan Reynolds, Maalik SR-4 Mizuno Mizuno Mizuno United States of America 2.19m 2.30m 2.30m 2.30m 77' 2.25" 967' 6.5" 967' 6.5" 77' 2.25"
2. 2. 2. 4. Mason, Mike Jonas, Dusty Ingraham, Ryan Bowen Jr., Alexander SR-4 Penn United States of America Mizuno Albany 2.19m 42.2415m 72.24m 2.1938m 587' 2.25" 7' 4.25" 967' 6.5" 967' 6.5"
1. 3. 4. 3. Bowen Jr., Alexander Ingraham, Ryan Ingraham, Ryan Mason, Mike JR-3 Mizuno Puma United States of America Puma 2.30m 72.24m 2.30m 42.2415m 77' 2.25" 437' 4.254" 967' 6.5" 437' 4.254"
4. 4. 5. 3. Ingraham, Ryan Reynolds, Maalik Jonas, Dusty Ingraham, Ryan SR-4 United States of America Penn Penn Puma 2.1938m 2.1938m 42.2415m 72.24m 77' 2.25" 587' 2.25" 7' 4.25" 587' 2.25"
2. 5. 2. 1. Mason, Mike Bowen Jr., Alexander Ingraham, Ryan Jonas, Dusty JR-3 Albany Albany Mizuno Penn 2.30m 2.19m 2.30m 2.19m 587' 2.25" 77' 2.25" 587' 2.25" 587' 2.25"
3. 1. 1. 3. Arnold, Mike Hollis, Mark Arnold, Mike Hollis, Mark Nike Nike Nike Raise the Bar 15.5029m 75.60m 5.507m 5.3591m 717' 6.5" 18' 4.51" 717' 6.5" 17' 0.75"
6. 2. 6. 2. Hollis, Mark Arnold, Mike Francis, Shawn Eaton, Ashton United States of America Raise the Bar United States of America United States of America 5.3591m 5.507m 15.5029m 75.60m 018' 0.541" 018' 0.541" 018' 0.5" 018' 0.541"
1. 3. 4. 3. Eaton, Ashton Coover, Jeff Eaton, Ashton Eaton, Ashton Nike United States of America United States of America Nike 645.205m 15.5029m 75.60m 75.60m 17' 6.5" 018' 0.5" 018' 0.541" 018' 0.5"
1. 4. 1. 3. Francis, Shawn Eaton, Ashton Eaton, Ashton Coover, Jeff Nike Nike Nike Nike 5.507m 5.3591m 15.5029m 15.5029m 18' 4.51" 717' 6.5" 17' 0.75" 717' 6.5"
3. 5. 5. 6. Francis, Shawn DeLeo, Dustin Francis, Shawn Coover, Jeff Nike Raise the Bar Raise the Bar United States of America 5.507m 25.350m 15.5029m 75.60m 018' 0.5" 17' 6.5" 018' 0.541" 018' 0.5"
5. 6. 2. 5. Hollis, Mark Francis, Shawn DeLeo, Dustin Eaton, Ashton Raise the Bar United States of America Nike Raise the Bar 15.5029m 645.205m 15.5029m 25.350m 18' 4.51" 17' 0.75" 18' 4.51" 17' 6.5"
3. 1. 2. 4. 1. 5. Freeman, Thomas Jacob Freeman, Thomas Jacob Freeman, Thomas Jacob Jeffrey, Errol Smith, Mike Wagner, Paul SR-4 JR-3 SO-2 East Stroudsburg New York Athletic Club Shore Athletic Club Shore Athletic Club Monmouth Monmouth 19.40m 22.22m 22.22m 417.067m 417.067m 18.79m 568' 1.5" 2072' 119" 568' 1.5" 763' 7.754" 568' 1.5" 2072' 119"
4. 2. 3. 5. 3. 5. Toth, Travis Wagner, Paul Toth, Travis Smith, Mike Smith, Mike Toth, Travis SO-2 SR-4 SO-2 SR-4 East Stroudsburg Shore Athletic Club Monmouth New York Athletic Club Shore Athletic Club Monmouth 22.22m 0520.761m 19.40m 18.79m 22.22m 19.40m 568' 1.5" 568' 1.5" 55' 11.7595" 2072' 119" 2072' 119" 4061' 7.751"
2. 3. 5. 5. 3. 5. Freeman, Thomas Jacob Toth, Travis Toth, Travis Jeffrey, Errol Smith, Mike Smith, Mike SR-4 JR-3 JR-3 JR-3 JR-3 Monmouth East Stroudsburg East Stroudsburg East Stroudsburg Shore Athletic Club New York Athletic Club 0520.761m 19.40m 417.067m 0520.761m 0520.761m 417.067m 2072' 119" 763' 7.754" 568' 1.5" 763' 7.754" 2072' 119" 763' 7.754"
5. 4. 3. 2. 2. 2. Toth, Travis Jeffrey, Errol Smith, Mike Smith, Mike Jeffrey, Errol Wagner, Paul SR-4 SO-2 JR-3 SR-4 SO-2 East Stroudsburg Monmouth East Stroudsburg East Stroudsburg East Stroudsburg Monmouth 417.067m 18.79m 18.79m 22.22m 22.22m 0520.761m 568' 1.5" 4061' 7.751" 4061' 7.751" 55' 11.7595" 763' 7.754" 2072' 119"
1. 5. 1. 3. 5. 3. Freeman, Thomas Jacob Smith, Mike Freeman, Thomas Jacob Toth, Travis Smith, Mike Smith, Mike SO-2 SO-2 SO-2 JR-3 East Stroudsburg East Stroudsburg Shore Athletic Club Shore Athletic Club New York Athletic Club Shore Athletic Club 18.79m 417.067m 0520.761m 22.22m 19.40m 18.79m 55' 11.7595" 55' 11.7595" 4061' 7.751" 763' 7.754" 4061' 7.751" 4061' 7.751"


Received: from proxima.lp0.eu ([81.2.80.65]:45064 "EHLO proxima.lp0.eu"
already up it may be unnecessary to wait before it can be used.
Disabling both the pre and post delay makes booting 1.5s faster.
+	already up it may be unnecessary to wait before it can be used.
+	none: Do not wait before or after opening network devices.
+	pre:  Wait before opening network devices.
+	post: Wait after opening network devices.
+	both: Wait before or after opening network devices.


text:
Q: Why am I geting floating point exception? This program worked fine when i manually iterated over 5 individual variables but when I substituted them for those arrays and for loop, I started getting floating point exceptions. I have tried debugging but i can't find were the error comes out from.
#include <stdio.h>

int main(void) {

  long int secIns;
  int multiplicadors[4] = {60, 60, 24, 7};
  int variables[5];

  int i;

  printf("insereix un aquantitat entera de segons: \n");
  scanf("%ld", &secIns);

  variables[0] = secIns;

  for (i = 1; i < sizeof variables; i++) {
    variables[i] = variables[i - 1]/multiplicadors[i - 1];
    variables[i - 1] -= variables[i]*multiplicadors[i - 1];
  }

  printf("\n%ld segons són %d setmanes %d dies %d hores %d minuts %d segons\n", secIns, variables[4], variables[3], variables[2], variables[1], variables[0]);

  return 0;
}

A: The problem is you're iterating past the ends of your arrays.  The reason is that your sizeof expression isn't what you want.  sizeof returns the size in bytes, not the number of elements.
To fix it, change the loop to:
  for (i = 1; i < sizeof(variables)/sizeof(*variables); i++) {

On an unrelated note, you might consider changing secIns from long int to int, since it's being assigned to an element of an int array, so the added precision isn't really helping.

A: Consider this line of code:
for (i = 1; i < sizeof variables; i++) {

sizeof isn't doing what you think it's doing. You've declared an array of 5 ints. In this case, ints are 32-bit, which means they each use 4 bytes of memory. If you print the output of sizeof variables you'll get 20 because 4 * 5 = 20.
You'd need to divide the sizeof variables by the size of its first element.

A: As mentioned before, sizeOf returns the size of bytes the array holds.
Unlike java's .length that returns the actual length of the array. Takes a little bit more of knowledge with bytes when it comes to C.
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/data-types-in-c/
This link tells you a bit more about data types and the memory(bytes) they take up.
You could also do sizeOf yourArrayName/sizeOf (int). sizeOf(datatype) returns the size of bytes the data type takes up.

A: sizeof will give the size (in bytes) of the variables and will yield different results depending on the data type.
Try:
for (i = 1; i < 5; i++) {
 ...
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Should I use .innerText or .value in JavaScript? There's a problem I've encountered but can't find explanation so far. The code is as follows:

let textbox = document.getElementById("textbox");
let result = document.getElementById("result");

function convertToCm() {
  value = textbox.value;
  result.innerText = +value * 2.54;
  document.body.appendChild(result);
}
<input id="textbox" type="text">
<button onclick="convertToCm()">Convert to cm</button>

result

In the second line of the function, I tried to use textbox.innerText instead, however this gives me output of 0 of whichever number I put in the textbox. In the third line, I also tried to use result.value instead, but it would then output the same number I put in the textbox. I'm really confused.
I've tried looking on a search engine but haven't found an explanation so far. What can I try next?

A: To get or set value from input field we need to use .value as you write textbox.value which is correct.
<input id="textbox" type="text">

To get or set value from common elements (it could be any element/tag) we use .innerText as you write result.innerText which is correct.

result

Also you don't need document.body.appendChild(result); line in your code.

A: Your textbox refers to an HTMLInputElement (or <input>), which is a void element. As such, its .innerText is always an empty string.
Converting an empty string to a number will evaluate to zero.
Instead, use .value to read or write to a form control's value (form controls are for example <input>, <select>, <textarea>).
To read or write a non-void element's text, use .innerText (or preferably .textContent, because reading from it doesn't cause a reflow). Your variable result references an HTMLDivElement—a non-void element.
In the second line you update result.innerText. This will be reflected in the DOM immediately.
Because result already exists in the DOM, and is updated as you wanted, it is actually unnecessary to reappend it.
Feedback:
I recommend to keep functionality purely in your


Ceramic materials mold like plastics, have a coefficient of thermal expansion close to many metals, and possess electrical and thermal properties superior to most organic plastics.
These dense, rigid materials are easily machined. They are also impervious to moisture, are arc resistant and can withstand thermal cycling and nuclear radiation. Unlike organic materials, they do not outgas, smoke or burn.
Mykroy/Mycalex materials have continuous operating temperature ranges of -459 degrees F to +1300 degrees F. They are produced in sheet and rod form as well as machined parts to meet specific customer specifications. They are also moldable, like plastic, and can even accept metal inserts during molding.


A useful and convenient reference source for a wide variety of issues in this defining period of early Michigan history.
The Making of Michigan is a wide-ranging collection of primary accounts of life in Michigan during the pioneer period, the era from the 1820s to the outbreak of the Civil War. In this time of explosive growth, the state's population increased from 8,000 to 750,000. These emigrants brought the state into the union in 1837 and began to create a set of institutions and a way of life.
Justin Kestenbaum draws on the rich documentary record left by those who sojourned in the state during this time and recorded their impressions. Not only pioneers but land speculators, missionaries, and sight-seers left valuable accounts of the Michigan landscape and its emerging society.
Following a general introduction, the book is divided into six parts: The Interminable Forest, Laying the Foundation, The Great Migration, Education, A Vision of Life, and Political Life, each with its own brief introduction. Notes and a bibliography conclude this valuable resource history.
Justin L. Kestenbaum is a professor of history at Michigan State University, where he has taught Michigan history for a number of years. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Northwestern University. Dr. Kestenbaum's most recent book is Out of a Wilderness: An Illustrated History of Greater Lansing.


text:
International Stardom For Engineer
A team member on a Costain Skanska joint venture (CSJV) project in London has had a remarkable success in an international competition to find the best idea for construction-related apps.
Almost unbelievably, Costain's Andrew Irwin was the originator of no fewer than five of the top 10 apps chosen by an international panel of experts.
The Construction App Challenge was organised as one of the final events under the MobiCloud project. MobiCloud is a European Union-funded scheme to develop a European 'corporate appstore' as part of the EU's Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme, in collaboration with Appear (Sweden), EsperantoXL (Netherlands), Nettropolis (Germany) and COMIT Projects (UK).
Andrew, a Section Engineer on the Crossrail C360 contract – Eleanor Street and Mile End Park Tunnels & Shafts – submitted six ideas over a period of weeks last year. "My frontline role enables me to continually identify real site problems or areas for improvement," he said. "The Challenge provided me with the opportunity to submit my innovative ideas to develop solutions to these problems. My ideas looked to enhance and improve the effectiveness and safety of working on major civil engineering projects in the industry and within the Costain business."
Andrew attended a live webinar in which the top 10 app ideas were announced, with the expert panel having judged the 47 worldwide entries.
"When one of my ideas was announced as coming in at number eight I thought 'Brilliant, I'm in the top 10!' I was then delighted on hearing that another of my ideas had achieved 5th place." The judges then announced that the top three places were also Andrew's ideas, to which he admitted being both astonished and proud.
His winning idea is an app that will improve the management of machinery and powered tools, "currently a paper-based system, taking a lot of engineers' and foremen's time".
Andrew's winning idea utilises electronic identification, attached to equipment and scanned using a smart device equipped with his app. The app displays and records vital information including maintenance certificates, to manage requirements under LOLER and PUWER regulations and health and safety information such as the safe period of use for vibrating hand tools.
For his winning entry, Andrew will attend the MobiCloud consortium meeting in London to receive a €1000 prize and will now have the opportunity to see his app realised, taking the project forward with developers.
Senior Civil Engineer Katie Swanick, who is MobiCloud project lead at Costain and was one of the judges on the Construction App Challenge, said her fellow judges and she marked entries on several criteria, such as feasibility, simplicity and effectiveness. All the entries were examined on a completely anonymous basis, so judges had no idea whose entries they were scrutinising.
MobiCloud's EU funding ends early next year and the project will be wound up. Taking Andrew's winning app forward to implementation would be a fitting end to the project.
Pictured: Andrew Irwin


Óbidos is precious, a typical village where tourism dominates, but where we easily forget the touristy "machine" so discreet as efficient.
In most of our old towns in Portugal, development was made against history, leading to the loss of many cultural references to the past.
In some places, the process has been stopped and reversed, with several initiatives of preservation and reconstruction.
The development of town took always place respecting history and tradition, and that is easy to feel in the absolute harmony of the whole. There are not outstanding details, but each street, each building, each corner, is authentic, and harmonious.
The south entrance is a strange but beautiful door, that is also a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy, the patron saint of Obidos.
This door was built in the 17th century, still showing a balcony from the same period.
"Once the wedding present of a queen, the preserved medieval town of Óbidos lying 100 km north of Lisbon is without doubt one of Portugal's most classic walled settlements. Walking the ramparts, visitors can enjoy views of windmills, vineyards and surrounding farmlands.
Yes, I agree and couldn't write it better, always feeling good in Óbidos!
Some people say it was Roman. Maybe!
For sure, the actual castle seen in Óbidos comes from the Arab occupation, until the XII century.
Damaged by Lisbon earthquake, it was reconstructed, and now it houses a luxury hotel.
If you are in a budget follow the ramparts and watch it from outside (better from north).
If you can afford more than 200 euros for a double room, go round and check-in for a historic night.
This modest church from the 18th century (replacing an older one destroyed by Lisbon's earthquake), almost inlaid in the castle, shows some baroque and neoclassical ornaments.
Presumed as a Visigothic construction, the church was transformed in a mosque under Arabic occupation.
After Christian conquering, in 1148, it was dedicated to Santa Maria. It was reconstructed in the XVI century in Renaissance style, acquiring the look that it still keeps.
Nothing very important happened there until 30 years ago, when my brother decided that it was the proper place to get married.
And he did, allowing the first visit, several times repeated.
This medieval church was ruined by Lisbon earthquake in 1755, only the main building escaping from destruction.
t still has a gilded altar from the XVI century, and it houses a small museum.
"Os Lusíadas" by Luis de Camões is the greatest cultural reference of Portuguese literature and history. It's an epic poem, celebrating the Portuguese discoveries and conquests, written in the 16th century.
To register the discoveries, our navigators used to signal their discoveries by erecting a carved stone pillar, called "Padrão", that are already present in almost all the continents.
To celebrate Camões there has been an initiative to erect in the local places mentioned in the poem a copy of a "Padrão".
That's what happen in Óbidos, near the southern entrance: A "Padrão" designed by Raul Lino and erected in 1932.
Built in the 16th century, this aqueduct, now 3 Km long, easily seen south of town, was used to bring water to town from the springs of Usseira.
Pick a calm night (hot or cold, it's the same, it's only a matter of coat or not, but invite the rain to stay away).
Take your time, and walk along the narrow streets of Óbidos. You will find out that the beauty seen by day gets another expression with the discrete and balanced illumination.
If in summer, crowds will pass by you with the noisy happiness of the good moments. In winter, the austere loneliness of the streets direct you to one of the many bars where a few unconditional lovers of Óbidos enjoy the peace and tranquility of those selected moments.
Óbidos has become a top destination, and it is visited all days, all year around.
If you may choose your visiting time, do it in spring - You will have sun, escaping from the summer crowds that fill each street, shop or bar, and will see the place with the colors of the many flowers planted everywhere.
"Ginginha" is popular in Portugal, but Óbidos has a special detail - you may drink it by a chocolate cup, that tastes very well at the end.
Do you believe that, despite this originality, they are trying to design an exclusive Obidos glass for ginginha?
They say that their Ginginha is the best of Portugal!
For almost 50 years that church intrigues me!
I read that it has "hexagonal plant" but it really looks round. If we consider the external chapels, then the whole is a sort of triangle.
The style is clearly baroque, and I read somewhere that it is unfinished.
Anyway, that's a silhouette that always catches our attention any time we look around from the high points of Óbidos or in its way.
Not far from Óbidos there's a lagoon with the same name, communicating with the sea, that once extended to near the town.
Now it occupies a much smaller area, but it is still considerable.
 For further details see my Foz do Arelho page.
I had already passed many times in Gaeiras, without stopping.
One day, I went TO Gaeiras and had a look around.
Nothing to compare to Óbidos, but this residential area, with almost one third of all the population of the great Óbidos is not ugly, and is trying to develop quickly.
This event, "presépios (nativity scene)" exhibition, is an example each year in December.
I will write something more about Gaeiras in Leiria district page.
Usseira, a small village about 5 Km south of Óbidos, what does it have?
Calm life, nice people, and... a few friends.
Do I need more to go and to see this other part of Óbidos?


text:
Daniel Trajtemberg (Córdoba, 8 de enero de 1972), de nombre artístico Danker, es un diseñador gráfico, ilustrador y fotógrafo argentino, reconocido por su trabajo en las industrias musical y de los videojuegos. Sus trabajos de artes visuales publicados, que abrevan en los géneros de la fantasía y la ciencia ficción, incluyen  decenas de portadas de álbumes y otras producciones gráficas para músicos y bandas como Glenn Hughes, Rata Blanca, Alakrán, Malón y Spelled Moon.

Biografía

Trajtemberg nació en Córdoba, Argentina, y se trasladó a vivir a la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires a los 8 años de edad. Estudió Diseño Gráfico en la Universidad de Buenos Aires, y comenzó a trabajar para la industria del heavy metal argentino en 1995. Su primer portada de disco fue publicada en 1997. Exhibió su trabajo en exposiciones en 1999 en el Centro Cultural General San Martín y en 2000 en Cemento. Al año siguiente comenzó a crear el arte de los álbumes de Rata Blanca, y pocos meses después trabajó en el EP que marcó el primer regreso de Malón. Trajtemberg se mudó a los Estados Unidos en 2005 y actualmente reside en San José, California.

Discografía seleccionada
La trayectoria de Trajtemberg está recogida en la Encyclopaedia Metallum, y en Discogs se puede acceder a algunas de sus portadas. Los siguientes son sus trabajos más relevantes:

Alakrán

1997	Alakrán (Compilación) -- Diseño y arte

Rata Blanca

2001	Teatro Gran Rex (XIV-XII-MMIII) (EP) -- Arte

2002	Highway on Fire (Single) -- Diseño y arte

2002	Rata Blanca (EP) -- Diseño y arte

2002	El camino del fuego (LP) -- Diseño y arte

2003	Poder vivo (Álbum en vivo) -- Diseño, ilustraciones, fotografía y packaging

2004	En vivo Estadio Obras (Álbum en vivo) -- Diseño, arte, fotografía y packaging

Malón
2002	El EP (EP) -- Arte y logo

Spelled Moon
2013        Forsaken Spells (EP) -- Dirección visual, ilustraciones y fotografía

2016        The Craft of the Wise (LP) -- Dirección visual, ilustraciones y fotografía

Referencias

Enlaces externos
 Entrevista con Spelled Moon (en inglés)

Artistas de la provincia de Córdoba (Argentina)
Cordobeses (capital)
Fotógrafos de Argentina
Judíos de Argentina

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Frozen landscapes thaw as Cosmic warmings enter.
Spanish concurrences are accepted as the truth.
Entrance of insight seekers occurs with all Light-Centereds.
Preliminaries of Gaia ascension have completed.
Subsequent Higher Energies are released, and accepted by Humanity.
Planetary burdens unveil and dissolve.
Presumptives come to the fore and primaries are installed.
Striations of Elixir Light decorate the Heavens.
Hue-manity is Enlightened to all positives.
Casting off on the Nova Gaia journey, all are united.
Energies of the Higher Guides are embodied.


text:
Braemar House School:
The Our Kids Report > Academics
Grades Preschool TO 8 — Brantford, ON (Map)
36 Baxter Street, Brantford, Ontario, N3R 2V8
Braemar House School ACADEMICS & EXTRACURRICULARS
Traditional, Montessori
Preschool/K Curriculum
Montessori Approach
Curriculum Pace
Standard-enriched
Academic Culture
Developmental priorities
Special needs support
Gifted learner support
In-class adaptations
Curriculum Traditional, Montessori
[Show definition of Curriculum]
Central to your child's school experience is the underlying curriculum taught in the classroom. "Curriculum" refers to both what is taught and how it's taught. When considering the different curricula outlined in the next few pages, keep in mind that few schools fall neatly into one category or another. Most schools' curricula comprise a blend of best practices drawn from multiple curriculum types. Having said that, most schools do have a general overall curriculum type. These are identified for each school on OurKids.net.
Curriculum approach at Braemar House School: Traditional, Montessori
Braemar House School has a Traditional, Montessori approach to Curriculum (as opposed to Liberal Arts, Progressive, Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Waldorf approach).
[Show: About Traditional, Montessori?]
Traditional curricula tend to be very content-based and rooted in the core disciplines. It is a structured approach that involves the teacher delivering a unified curriculum through direct instruction. Students usually learn by observing and listening to their teacher, studying facts and concepts in textbooks, and completing both tests and written assignments - which challenge students to not only demonstrate their mastery of content but their ability to analyze and deconstruct it critically. Class discussions are also used to create critical dialogue around the content of the curriculum.
Curriculum at schools on OurKids.net:
Traditional - 41%
Liberal arts - 14%
Progressive - 32%
Montessori - 11%
Reggio Emilia - 0%
Waldorf - 2%
Braemar House School has a Montessori approach to supplementary curriculum.
Particularly popular in the younger grades (preschool to elementary), but sometimes available all the way up to high school, Montessori schools offer an alternative vision to the standard lesson format of most classrooms. Instead of listening to whole-class lessons, Montessori classrooms allow students to choose which "tasks" or activities interest them. These tasks centre around special Montessori puzzles - their essential feature being they contain a right answer and allow for selfcorrection. A strong emphasis is therefore placed on lessons being concrete and rooted in practical experience, along with students developing a sense of self-sufficiency, confidence and curiosity.
What Braemar House School says about their overall curriculum and approach:
Braemar House School is a not-for-profit, secular, independent school offering children a supportive and enriched learning experience. Small class sizes offer the opportunity for individualized learning and enrichment. Our strength is a strong academic program in a nurturing environment complimented with a variety of extracurricular activities for all ages.
Montessori offered
Montessori toddler
Pedagogies and subject courses:
Traditional Math
Mathematics approach at Braemar House School: Traditional Math
Braemar House School has a Traditional Math approach to Mathematics (as opposed to Discovery Math, Equal Balance approach).
[Show: About Traditional Math?]
Traditional Math typically teaches a method or algorithm FIRST, and THEN teaches the applications for the method. Traditional algorithms are emphasized and practiced regularly: repetition and drills are frequently used to ensure foundational mastery in the underlying mathematical procedures. The traditional approach to math views math education as akin to building a logical edifice: each brick depends on the support of the previously laid ones, which represent mastery over a particular procedure or method. Traditional Math begins by giving students a tool, and then challenges students to practice using that tool an applied way, with progressively challenging problems. In this sense Traditional Math aims to establish procedural understanding before conceptual and applied understanding.
Mathematics at schools on OurKids.net:
Traditional math - 26%
Discovery math - 5%
Equal balance - 69%
What Braemar House School says:
Braemar's math curriculum is designed to give students opportunities to investigate ideas and concepts through problem solving and then be guided carefully into an understanding of the mathematical principles involved. The acquisition of operational skills remains an important focus of the curriculum. Braemar strives to offer a continuous, cohesive program through the grades. Five major areas of knowledge and skills have been identified and will be reported on: Number Sense and Numeration; Measurement; Geometry and Spatial Sense; Patterning and Algebra; Data Management and Probability. In addition, Braemar integrates the Ministry's directive to present Financial Literacy across the five math strands and within other Subjects as appropriate. Teachers will, whenever possible, apply mathematics to real-life situations. Enrichment opportunities abound, like our Mathletics On-Line Program, for Prep One to Grade 8, and our Math Club, offered to interested students.
Textbooks and supplementary materials:
This information is not currently available.
Calculator policy:
Early Reading approach at Braemar House School: Balanced Literacy
Braemar House School has a Balanced Literacy approach to Early Reading (as opposed to Phonics-intensive, Whole Language approach).
[Show: About Balanced Literacy?]
Balanced reading programs are typically Whole Language programs with supplementary phonics training. This training might be incidental, or it might take the form of mini-lessons.
Early Reading at schools on OurKids.net:
Balanced literacy - 57%
Phonics-intensive - 41%
Whole language - 2%
Our primary students begin with the Jolly Phonics program that is supported by reading and writing activities as well as a handwriting program. This program runs throughout our entire primary division. In addition we have a strong home reading program that is supported by books as well as online resources. We track the progress of our students reading levels monitoring their decoding skills, oral fluency, comprehension and their ability to inference.
DIBELS Testing: This school periodically uses DIBELS testing to assess reading progress.
Students are assessed using the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA). Intermediate students are assessed on their oral fluency.
Equal balance
Writing approach at Braemar House School: Equal balance
Braemar House School has an Equal balance approach to Writing (as opposed to Systematic approach, Process approach approach).
[Show: About Equal balance?]
Programs that balance systematic and process approaches equally likely have an emphasis on giving young students ample opportunities to write, while providing supplementary class-wide instruction in grammar, parts of sentences, and various writing strategies.
Writing at schools on OurKids.net:
Systematic approach - 10%
Process approach - 11%
Our students are given a variety of writing experiences across all grade levels. In our early grades there is substantial creative writing as well as writing informational pieces. The students are taught how to edit, revise and rewrite their work. Self- evaluation of their work is also a large part of their programming. In our intermediate grades the students are taught to be critical writers with a specific goal in mind. They learn how to develop a thesis statement, research and write to support their statement, and then defend it.
Science approach at Braemar House School: Equal Balance
Braemar House School has an Equal Balance approach to Science (as opposed to Expository, Inquiry approach).
Science programs that balance expository and inquiry learning equally will likely have an equal blend of tests and experiments; direct, textbook-based instruction and student-centred projects.
Science at schools on OurKids.net:
Expository - 5%
Inquiry - 25%
Teaching approach:
Braemar's Science program involves exploration, experimentation, observation, measurement, and analysis - specific skills necessary to effective learning. The program is organized into four areas of knowledge and skills: Understanding Life Systems; Understanding Structures and Mechanisms; Understanding Matter and Energy and Understanding Earth and Space Systems. Our focus is on interaction, structure, function, sustainability, continuity, and change. The program is enriched through our School Food Garden and our Science Fair which is held every other year. Through both experiences, students have the opportunity to apply their knowledge and interests in practical, relevant, and concrete activities. Science enrichment experiences, like our First Lego League Robotics Team, are actively sought out and offered to interested students at both the intramural and varsity levels.
Treatment of evolution:
Evolution as consensus theory
Evolution as one of many equally viable theories
Evolution is not taught
Topics covered in curriculum:
Literature approach at Braemar House School: Equal Balance
Braemar House School has an Equal Balance approach to Literature (as opposed to Traditional, Social Justice approach).
These literature programs draw in equal measure from "Traditional" and "Social Justice" programs.
Literature at schools on OurKids.net:
Social justice - 3%
Novels selected for study are culturally diverse, communicate global issues and connect across various curricula.
Core Knowledge
Social Studies approach at Braemar House School: Core Knowledge
Braemar House School has a Core Knowledge approach to Social Studies (as opposed to Expanding Communities, Thematic approach).
[Show: About Core Knowledge?]
Usually focused on teaching history and geography at an early age, the core knowledge approach uses story, drama, reading, and discussion to teach about significant people, places, and events. Breadth of content and knowledge is emphasized. The curriculum is often organized according to the underlying logic of the content: history might be taught sequentially, for example (as students move through the grades).
Social Studies at schools on OurKids.net:
Core knowledge - 40%
Expanding communities - 27%
Thematic - 33%
The focus of teaching and learning in the social studies, history and geography curriculums is to have students learn to evaluate different points of view and examine information critically. Social studies seek to examine and understand communities, from the local to the global, their various heritages, physical systems, and the nature of citizenship within them, and to acquire a knowledge of concepts like change, culture, environment, power, and the dynamics of the marketplace. The Grade 1 to 6 programs focus on Heritage, Citizenship, and Canada and its world connections.
Humanities and Social Sciences approach at Braemar House School: Equal Balance
Braemar House School has an Equal Balance approach to Humanities and Social Sciences (as opposed to Perennialism, Pragmatism approach).
These programs represent an equal balance between the perennialist and pragmatic approach to teaching the humanities and social sciences.
Humanities and Social Sciences at schools on OurKids.net:
Perennialism - 8%
Pragmatism - 11%
The Grade 7 and 8 history program focuses on Canadian history and students learn how lessons from the past can be used to make wise decisions for the present and the future. The study of history in Grades 7 and 8 builds on the skills, attitudes, and knowledge developed in Grades 1 to 6. The Geography program examines the earth's physical systems and the people in them, and investigates how people and environments affect each other.
Foreign Languages approach at Braemar House School: Equal Balance
Braemar House School has an Equal Balance approach to Foreign Languages (as opposed to Audio-Lingual, Communicative approach).
These programs feature an equal blend of the audio-lingual and communicative styles of language instruction.
Foreign Languages at schools on OurKids.net:
Audio-lingual - 3%
Communicative - 34%
All Braemar students, from Montessori to Grade 8, receive instruction in French, and each passing year gives them the opportunity to build and develop their skills. Students easily meet Ministry curriculum expectations and many work well beyond their grade level. Various enrichment activities complement work in class and every effort is made to connect the French program with other areas of the curriculum. Activities include puppet show presentations, a celebration of Le Carnival du Mardi-Gras, maple sugar season, an introduction to Cajun cuisine and culture, a glimpse of Francophone culture around the world, and a fashion show. In addition a school-wide Enhanced Learning Experience in French is planned each year that integrates grades, ages, and abilities through the student clans.
Fine Arts approach at Braemar House School: Creative
Braemar House School has a Creative approach to Fine Arts (as opposed to Receptive, Equal Balance approach).
[Show: About Creative?]
Creative arts programs are studio-driven. While historical works and movements may still be taught to add context to the program, students mainly engage in making art (visual, musical, theatrical, etc). The goal is use the actual practice of art to help educate students' emotions, cognition, and ethos.
Fine Arts at schools on OurKids.net:
Creative - 33%
Receptive - 2%
Program offers:
Drama/Theatre
Visual studio philosophy:
The Arts programming at Braemar provides for one Arts focus each term. This allows for greater depth, more effective resource allocation, and a shared concentration on each of the three Art subjects; Visual Arts, Music and Drama. We actively encourage the presence of the Arts in all subjects at any time and the Arts are integrated into ALL learning experiences; science, math, language, social studies, and technology. Braemar students sing, draw, paint and perform throughout the year, even though they are not being formally assessed outside of the terms identified.
Heavy integration
Computers and Technology approach at Braemar House School: Heavy integration
Braemar House School has a Heavy integration approach to Computers and Technology (as opposed to Light integration, Medium integration approach).
[Show: About Heavy integration?]
A major effort is made to integrate the development of digital literacy throughout the curriculum and in everything students do. Digital literacy is understood to be a fundamental skill in the 21st century: it therefore follows, the idea goes, that teachers should find ways to connect every lesson back to technology. Effort is made to ensure the use of technology is meaningful and advances students' skills beyond what they would otherwise be from using computers outside the classroom.
Computers and Technology at schools on OurKids.net:
Heavy integration - 31%
Light integration - 17%
Medium integration - 52%
Program covers:
Physical Education starts with our youngest children and encourages active participation with skill development. As students mature they are introduced to both individual activities and team sports in class and through extracurricular involvement. New sports or activities are introduced in each grade, followed up in subsequent years with further skill development through drill work and game play. There is a strong focus on teamwork, sportsmanship and cooperation. Active recesses are encouraged with the provision of equipment for play, the use of wide open spaces, and mentoring by our older students.
Sex and health education
Ontario curriculum
Sex and health education approach at Braemar House School: Ontario curriculum
Braemar House School has an Ontario curriculum approach to Sex and health education (as opposed to Does not follow prrovincialcurriculum approach).
[Show: About Ontario curriculum?]
The structure, pacing, focus, and tone of the sex education curriculum reflects that of the provincial one, taught in public schools.
Sex and health education at schools on OurKids.net:
Follows provincial curriculum - 60%
Does not follow prrovincial curriculum - 40%
Approach to sex and health education: Mostly value-neutral
Braemar House School has a approach Mostly value-neutral (as opposed to Fairly value-based approach).
[Show: About Mostly value-neutral?]
By and large, students are taught about sex free of any particular moral or ethical standpoint. The school doesn't impose any particular values or value systems (such as social, political, or ideological values) on students when teaching sex and related issues.
Preschool/K Curriculum Montessori
[Show definition of Preschool/K Curriculum]
Preschools and kindergartens tend to have a particular curriculum or curricular approach. This refers to what is taught and how it's taught. Most preschools have a curriculum that comprises a blend of best practices drawn from multiple curriculum types. A preschool's curriculum may or may not, though, reflect its higher-level curriculum (if it's part of a school with elementary or secondary programs)
Preschool/K Curriculum approach at Braemar House School: Montessori
Braemar House School has a Montessori approach to Preschool/K Curriculum (as opposed to Play-based, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, Academic approach).
[Show: About Montessori?]
Montessori programs aimed at preschool and Kindergarten- aged children allow young learners to choose which "tasks" or activities interest them. These tasks centre around special Montessori puzzles -- the essential features of these puzzles being they contain a "right answer" and allow for self-correction. A strong emphasis is therefore placed on learning being concrete and rooted in practical experience, along with children developing a sense of self-sufficiency and confidence. Specially trained teachers act as guides, introducing children to progressively more difficult materials when appropriate. A Montessori classroom is typically very calm and orderly, with children working alone or, sometimes, in small groups.
If you want to learn more about Montessori education, check out our comprehensive guide. You can also check out our guide to Montessori preschools, elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools.
Preschool/K Curriculum at schools on OurKids.net:
Play-based - 23%
Academic - 44%
What Braemar House School says about their preschool/K curriculum approach:
Our youngest Braemar students are enrolled in our Montessori programs for 3 and 4 year olds and our unique "Prep One" program for 5 year olds. Taking full advantage of the hands-on inspired learning, concept building and critical thinking skills that come with a Montessori introduction to school, the Montessori programs in followed by our unique and innovative Prep One program. Students in these pre-Grade 1 programs make an effective transition to the more traditional learning environments found in our Grade 1-8 elementary school programs.
Montessori Approach Orthodox
Braemar House School's Montessori approach. Learn about this school's class practices and policies as well as its curricular and teaching approach.
Age groupings
How children are grouped by age for each class.'
3 to 4 n/a n/a n/a
Uninterrupted work periods
The longest uninterrupted work period for each class.'
.75 hours – – –
How often students are given tests or assignments in each class.'
Never (Orthodox) – – –
Graded work
How often students have their work graded in each class.'
The percentage of a typical student's day that is spent on arts and crafts in each class.'
10% – – –
Overall approach
38% of schools
Schools that adhere strictly to the original Montessori program. They follow Montessori principles to the letter.
Moderately Orthodox
Schools that adhere to the original Montessori program and principles. On occasion, though, they supplement it with modern curricular approaches or materials.
Moderately Non-Orthodox
Schools that are faithful to the original Montessori program and principles, but sometimes supplement it with modern curricular approaches or materials.
Non-orthodox
7% of schools
Schools that are faithful to the original Montessori program and principles, but often supplement it with modern curricular approaches or materials.
Classroom practices
Whole-class lectures Moderately non-orthodox
Whole-class lectures should never be given. Students learn best through small group lessons, interaction, and independent work.
Whole-class lectures should only be given occasionally (e.g., at the beginning of a term or unit). Students usually learn best through small group lessons, interaction, and independent work.
Whole-class lectures should be given semi-regularly (e.g., at the beginning of a lesson or a week). While students often learn best through group and independent work, it's sometimes important for teachers to set the stage for and contextualize learning.
Whole-class lectures should be given often (e.g., every day). While group and independent learning is important, teachers need to provide lectures on a regular basis to provide the foundation for learning.
Special education Moderately orthodox
External special education support isn't necessary. Core teachers can deal with all special education needs, by offering the relevant support for each student.
External special education support is only rarely necessary. For instance, a psychologist might be brought in to help out a student with a severe developmental disorder.
External special education support is quite important. Outside specialists are needed for a fairly wide range of special needs, such as developmental and learning disabilities.
External special education support is very important. Outside specialists are regularly brought in to support students with many different types of special needs, including developmental and learning disabilities, language and speech issues, behavioural issues, and advanced learning abilities.
Specialist classes Moderately non-orthodox
We don't have any specialist teachers or classes. Core teachers are well-equipped to teach all subjects.
We only use specialist teachers and classes in rare cases (for instance, to teach a second language). Core teachers are well-equipped to teach almost all subjects.
We have a fairly wide range of specialist teachers and classes (for instance, in languages, music, and art). Core teachers are well-equipped to teach most subjects.
We have many specialist teachers and classes (for instance, in languages, music, art, gym, science, and math). It's important that students receive specialized instruction in many subjects.
Modern-day technology Orthodox
Modern-day technology is never used in the classroom. This can interfere with students' social and emotional development and can be a distraction.
Modern-day technology is very rarely used in class, since it can be a distraction and interfere with development. Students at the upper levels, though, might be permitted to use a computer or a tablet to do research for a specific project.
Modern-day technology is used in moderation since it can be a distraction. For instance, computers and other digital media might be used for research, writing, and multimedia projects.
Modern technology is used fairly regularly. For instance, computers and other digital media might be used for research, writing, multimedia projects, and to learn keyboarding skills. Teachers may sometimes also use digital media, such as interactive whiteboards, to teach lessons or introduce topics.
This school doesn't use teaching assistants.
Learn about Braemar House School's languages of instruction and enrolment.
Braemar House School offers English as the primary language of instruction.
Language of enrolment include: English
Curriculum Pace Standard-enriched
[Show definition of Curriculum Pace]
This refers to the rate at which students move through the curriculum (e.g., topics, textbook material, skills, etc.). Curriculum pace is often defined in comparison to provincial standards.
Curriculum Pace approach at Braemar House School: Standard-enriched
Braemar House School has a Standard-enriched approach to Curriculum Pace (as opposed to Accelerated, Student-paced approach).
[Show: About Standard-enriched?]
Broadly-speaking, the main curriculum -- like that of most schools -- paces the provincially-outlined one. This pace is steady and set by the teachers and school. The curriculum might still be enriched in various ways: covering topics more in-depth and with more vigor than the provincial one, or covering a broader selection of topics.
Curriculum Pace at schools on OurKids.net:
Standard-enriched - 59%
Accelerated - 18%
Student-paced - 23%
What Braemar House School says about their curriculum pace:
Flexible pacing style
Subject-streaming (tracking)
Multi-age classrooms as standard
Ability-grouping (in-class) as common
Frequent use of cyber-learning (at-their-own-pace)
Regular guided independent study opportunities
Differentiated assessment
What Braemar House School says about their flexible pacing:
Academic Culture Supportive
[Show definition of Academic Culture]
Through the collective mindset of teachers, administrators, students, and parents, each school develops and maintains its own academic culture. This generally relates to the norms and expectations created around academic performance. Many parents look to private schools because they want a specific type of culture. Some want a rigorous environment that will elevate their child to new heights. Others want a nurturing environment that will help their child develop a passion for learning.
Academic Culture approach at Braemar House School: Supportive
Braemar House School has a Supportive approach to Academic Culture (as opposed to Rigorous approach).
[Show: About Supportive?]
A school with a "supportive" academic culture focuses more on process than short-term outcomes: academic performance is a welcomed side-benefit, but not the driving focus. This does not mean the school lacks standards, or has low expectations for its students: a school can have a supportive academic culture and still light the fire of ambition in its students. It does mean, however, the school provides a less intensive culture than schools with a "rigorous" academic classification, and is focused more simply on instilling a love of learning and life-long curiosity.
Academic Culture at schools on OurKids.net:
Supportive - 49%
Rigorous - 51%
What Braemar House School says about their academic culture:
Developmental priorities Balanced
[Show definition of Developmental priorities]
Schools have specific goals regarding how they want their educate and develop their students. This is part of a school's overall philosophy or vision, which is contained in its mission statement. While they tend have several developmental aims, schools tend to priortize certain aims, such as intellectual, social, spiritual, emotional, or physical development.
Primary Developmental Priority: Balanced
Equal emphasis is placed on a balance of priorities: intellectual, emotional, social and physical cultivation.
Secondary Developmental Priority: Physical
The goal is to cultivate "strong, ?exible - bodied and active individuals, in tune with the joys of movement, sport and wellness."
What Braemar House School says about their developmental priorities:
[Show definition of Special needs support]
Schools offer a wide range of approaches and services to support students with special needs. This may include individualized learning, one-on-one support, small classes, resource rooms, and learning aids. These supports may be provided in a number of different environments such as a dedicated special needs school or class, an integrated class, a withdrawal class, or a regular class with resource support or in-class adaptations.
A - Forms of Support
Modification:
Remediation:
B - Environments
Indirect Support:
Resource Assistance:
Withdrawal Assistance:
Partial Integration:
Full-Time Class:
Special NeedNeed
Forms of SupportA
EnvironmentsB
Dyslexia (Language-Based Learning Disability)
This is a learning disability that can limit a child's ability to read and learn. It can have a variety of traits. A few of the main ones are impaired phonological awareness and decoding, problems with orthographic coding, and auditory short-term memory impairment.
This is a sound differentiation disorder involving problems with reading, comprehension, and language.
This is a kind of specific learning disability in math. Kids with this math disorder have problems with calculation. They may also have problems with math-related concepts such as time and money.
This is a kind of specific learning disability in writing. It involves problems with handwriting, spelling, and organizing ideas.
Language Processing Disorder
This is characterized by having extreme difficulty understanding what is heard and expressing what one wants to say. These disorders affect the area of the brain that controls language processing.
Nonverbal Learning Disorders (NLD)
These involve difficulties interpreting non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions and body language. They're usually characterized by a significant discrepancy between higher verbal skills and weaker motor, visual-spatial, and social skills.
Visual Perceptual/Visual Motor Deficit
A characteristic seen in people with learning disabilities such as Dysgraphia or Non-verbal LD. It can result in missing subtle differences in shapes or printed letters, losing place frequently, struggles with cutting, holding pencil too tightly, or poor eye/hand coordination.
Developmental
Refers to a range of conditions that involve challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, and speech and nonverbal communication. They also involve unique strengths and differences. For instance, there are persons with both low- and high-functioning autism (some claim the latter is identical to Asperger's syndrome).
On the autism spectrum, Asperger's is considered quite mild in terms of symptoms. While traits can vary widely, many kids with Asperger's struggle with social skills. They also sometimes fixate on certain subjects and engage in repetitive behaviour.
his is associated with impairment of cognitive ability and physical growth, and a particular set of facial characteristics.
This is a condition characterized by significant limitations in intellectual functioning (e.g., reasoning, learning, and problem solving). Intellectual disabilities are also known as general learning disabilities (and used to be referred to as a kind of mental retardation).
This is a rare genetic disorder present at birth. It is characterized by intellectual disabilities or learning problems, unique facial features, and cardiovascular problems.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is an umbrella term used to describe the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother consumed alcohol during pregnancy. These may include growth deficits, facial anomalies, and damage to the central nervous system, which can lead to cognitive, behavioural, and other problems.
Behavioral and Emotional
Troubled behaviour / troubled teens
roubled teens tend to have problems that are intense, persistent, and can lead to quite unpredictable behaviour. This can lead to behavioural and emotional issues, such as drug and alcohol abuse, criminal behaviour, eating disorders, depression, and anxiety.
Clinical Depression
This is a mental health disorder also called "major depression." It involves persistent feelings of sadness, loss, and anger. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms are usually severe enough to cause noticeable problems in relationships with others or in daily activities, such as school, work, or one's social life.
Clinical anxiety
This is a mood disorder involving intense, relentless feelings of distress and fear. They can also have excessive and persistent worry about everyday situations, and repeated episodes of intense anxiety or terror.
This involves persistent thoughts about ending one's life.
This involves the excessive use of drug and/or alcohol, which interferes with daily functioning.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
This is a disruptive behavioural disorder which normally involves angry outbursts, often directed at people of authority. This behaviour must last continuously for six months or more and significantly interfere with daily functioning.
This is a condition of the central nervous system. It affects the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord. Symptoms can include fatigue, loss of motor control, memory loss, depression, and cognitive difficulties.
his refers to a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood. CP is caused by abnormal development or damage to the parts of the brain that control movement, balance, and posture.
Muscular dystrophy is a neuromuscular disorder which weakens the body's muscles. Causes, symptoms, age of onset, and prognosis vary between individuals.
This is a condition present at birth due to the incomplete formation of the spine and spinal cord. It can lead to a number of physical challenges, including paralysis or weakness in the legs, bowel and bladder incontinence, hydrocephalus (too much fluid in the brain), and deformities of the spine.
Dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder)
This is a Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Also known as "sensory integration disorder," it affects fine and/or gross motor coordination in children and adults. It may also affect speech.
Visual impairment is a decreased ability or inability to see that can't be fixed in usual ways, such as with glasses. Some people are completely blind, while others have what's called "legal blindness."
Hearing impairment, also known as "hearing loss," is a partial or total inability to hear. The degree of hearing impairment varies between people. It can range from complete hearing loss (or deafness) to partial hearing loss (meaning the ears can pick up some sounds).
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is an inherited genetic condition, which affects the body's respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems. It affects young children and adults.
Multiple physical
Accommodating a wide range of physical conditions and disabilities.
Read our guide to special needs schools and special education
Learning strategy and study counselling; habit formation
Extra support and minor accommodations for children experiencing subclinical difficulties
Mild but clinically diagnosed learning disabilities
Gifted learner support In-class adaptations
[Show definition of Gifted learner support]
Schools support students with gifted or advanced learning abilities in a several ways. Whether they offer a full-time gifted program or part-time support, they normally provide some form of accelerated learning (delivering content at a faster pace) or enrichment (covering content more broadly or deeply). Many schools also offer a wide range of in-class adaptations to support advanced learners, such as guided independent studies, project-based learning, and career exploration.
Curriculum Delivery: This information is not currently available.
Custom subject enrichment (special arrangement)
Custom curriculum compacting (special arrangement)
Guided independent study (custom gifted arrangement)
Cyber-learning opportunities (custom gifted arrangement)
Formalized peer coaching opportunities (specifically for gifted learners to coach others)
Custom subject acceleration (special arrangement)
Career exploration (custom gifted arrangement)
Project-based learning (custom gifted arrangement)
Mentorships (custom gifted arrangement)
What Braemar House School says about their gifted learner support:
[Show definition of Homework Policy]
Homework is work that's assigned to students for completion outside of regular class time. There's a long-standing debate over homework. Should homework be assigned to school-age children? If so, in what grades? And how much homework should be assigned? In selecting the right school for your child, it's important to look closely at a school's homework policy.
Nightly homework
In grade Gr. 8, Braemar House School students perform an average of 1 hour of homework per night.
Braemar House School 0 mins 0 mins 15 mins 15 mins 15 mins 30 mins 30 mins 45 mins 45 mins 60 mins 60 mins
Site Average 2 mins 6 mins 7 mins 15 mins 17 mins 24 mins 30 mins 35 mins 41 mins 53 mins 58 mins
What Braemar House School says about their flipped classroom policy:
Report Card Policy
[Show definition of Report Card Policy]
While all schools measure individual progress and achievement in students, they have different ways of doing this. For instance, many traditional schools gauge progress through report cards, which give students lettered or numbered grades. Other schools, meanwhile, measure progress in other ways, either in addition to or instead of giving grades. For instance, they may offer prose-based feedback (i.e, comments), academic achievement reporting, habits and behaviour reporting, and parent-teacher meetings. In choosing the right school for your child, take a close look at its policy for measuring the individual progress of students.
How assessments are delivered across the grades
Lettered or numbered grades Gr. 1 to Gr. 8
Prose (narrative)-based feedback Preschool to Gr. 8
Academic achievement reporting Preschool to Gr. 8
Habits and behaviour reporting Preschool to Gr. 8
Parent-teacher meetings Preschool to Gr. 8
While academics remain the priority for most private schools, many also place a strong focus on a well-rounded education and encourage participation in extracurricular activities such as sports, music, arts, or clubs. Involvement in extracurriculars helps stimulate students in their studies, makes them more motivated to learn, and can make school more enjoyable and fulfilling. Extracurricular activities can also provide students with a much-needed break from the stresses of academics, while helping them to develop skills and allowing them to take part in valuable social situations.
Braemar House School offers 6 competitive sports and 6 recreational sports.
Competitive offered Recreational offered
all sports]
Racquet Ball
Clubs offered
Braemar House School offers 9 clubs and extracurricular programs.
Clubs offered Clubs not offered
all clubs and programs]
Foreign Language Club
Musical theatre/Opera
Ballet and Classical Ballet
Poetry/Literature club
Round Square
Astronomy Club
Audiovisual Club
What Braemar House School says about their extracurricular activities:
Our Varsity Sports Teams compete against other schools and participate in tournaments.
We offer a variety of Intramural and Varsity Sports and a variety of Clubs
First Lego League Robotics team, and we participate in a tournament
Previous: Reviews
Next: Student Body
THE OUR KIDS REPORT: Braemar House School


text:
Colleen's Story
Veteran Program brings Mom and Daughter out of Homelessness
Colleen Woods waited for her daughter to get back from summer camp, dreading the moment that she would have to tell the 13-year-old that they no longer had a home. Woods, a U.S. Army Veteran, and her daughter, Arleigh, became homeless after Woods suddenly found herself without work in 2012.
"When we got kicked out of our house, our 'normal' wasn't normal anymore," Woods said.
Woods had enlisted in the Army at the maximum age, 35-years-old, with the sole goal of finding a way to better support her family. Raised as a Quaker, Woods had never been exposed to military life. However, after five years serving as a combat medic overseas she came back to the States with new confidence.
"I came into jobs knowing I had something to offer," Woods said. The military had equipped her with skills to work as a radiology scheduler, allowing her to earn a higher wage.
The military had also given Woods a strong work ethic. She frequently picked up extra shifts and said she struggled to leave work at five o'clock with the rest of the staff when she knew there was still more to be done.
When she found herself out of a job in 2012, Woods worked relentlessly to find temporary jobs, identify resources to cover a portion of their bills, and prepare for the possibility that she and her daughter could lose their housing. One a hot day in July when her daughter was away at camp someone came banging on Wood's apartment door saying she had to leave.
With all of their belongings thrown in boxes and trash bags and with no one else to turn, Woods and her daughter moved into a Volunteers of America women's shelter. Because of her military service, Woods was connected with Volunteers of America staff who work specifically to support female Veterans.
"You're just surviving. You're not thinking of yourself as a veteran. Because, why would a veteran be here? Why would someone who had so much going for them be here?" Woods said reflecting on the first days in the shelter.
Working with Volunteers of America Female Veteran Program staff, Woods identified her primary goal was to find housing for her and her daughter before Arleigh had to go back to school.
"My daughter was not going to go to school from a shelter," Woods said.
With this goal in mind, one of the women's Veteran advocates told Woods that Volunteers of America's Clermont Commons might be a good fit for her family. Clermont Commons is made up of three adjacent homes in east Denver that Volunteers of America built to serve as transitional housing for female veterans and their children.
Concerned about moving into another shelter, Woods and Arleigh drove by Clermont Commons to check out the potential new home.
"Arleigh said 'mom look at that house' and I said 'no, they aren't talking about that house,' " Woods said, remembering that she thought the beautiful place couldn't possibly be their new home. "It was like moving into an Ikea house. It was so normal."
Woods and her daughter enthusiastically moved into Clermont Commons where they stayed for almost two years. During that time, Woods was able to pay off her debt, pay for significant car repairs, and still save money for she and Arleigh to move into their own apartment.
"It was so unbelievable to become homeless because of everything I was doing. I wasn't sitting around; I was putting in [job] applications all the time. But, I also had to navigate figuring out how I am going to keep the lights on. [The shelter] and Clermont Commons helped me with a lot of that extra energy I spent worrying about keeping the lights on and negotiating with the apartment."
"It gives you time to breathe. You're out of crisis mode because you have a roof over your head, you have food in your mouth, and you're able to step back and really look at your situation," Woods said.
After a year living at Clermont Commons her financial situation was jeopardized again when her family experienced medical emergency, forcing Woods to take a two month Family and Medical Leave. Living several months without an income, Woods said she doesn't know what she would have done if she had not been living at Clermont.
"Clermont Commons saved us from being exactly where we were before… it would have devastated us again," she said.
During her time in the Volunteers of America Veteran's program, Woods attended many classes on subject such as finance and budgeting, learning lessons she says she is able to pass on to her daughter, now 15-years-old.
"While we were here to support Colleen, she worked hard to make the most of all the resources available to her while in the program, making her so successful," said Jen Serna, a Volunteers of America Veteran Advocate who met with Woods regularly during her time living at Clermont Commons.
Woods and her daughter, now in high school, settled into their own apartment in April. Having been at her current job for two years now, Woods is looking to take the next steps in her career and hopes to go through a medical coding program.
"The security this program has provided for us is immeasurable, and it still continues," Woods said.


Scenes of Heisei: Were residents scattered by nuclear crisis beneficiaries or victims?
FUTABA, Fukushima -- It was late September, and the heat of summer had finally begun to ease. Norikiyo Kowata, 77, was on a temporary visit to his home here, whose screen doors were tattered, having been exposed to the elements for over seven years. His garden, where he used to grow vegetables like butterbur sprouts and myoga ginger, showed signs of having been trampled on by wild hogs.
Ninety-six percent of Futaba -- one of two towns straddled by the stricken Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Station -- is designated by the central government as "areas to which return will be difficult." Even though Kowata prepares himself mentally, seeing his house in an increasingly dilapidated state every time he visits is hard: "It's disheartening."
After the March 2011 disaster broke out at the nearby nuclear station, the entire town was forced to evacuate. Kowata moved from one place to another, including Kazo, Saitama Prefecture, where the Futaba Municipal Government set up shop temporarily, and where a branch of the municipal government still exists. In the summer of 2012, Kowata bought a used single-family home in the Fukushima Prefecture city of Iwaki, where he has since been living with his 70-year-old wife, Mineko. Prior to the nuclear crisis, the couple enjoyed walking in the mountains close to their home in Futaba to forage for mushrooms and wild vegetables. Now that they can no longer do that, their only emotional crutch is their pet dog.
Kowata's hope to someday return to his hometown faded as he accrued more and more years as an evacuee. Now, a strong sense of resignation has taken over. There are plans to demolish his home in Futaba soon. "I'm old now. It's sad, of course, since it's where I lived for 70 years."
After the onset of the nuclear disaster, along with the growing momentum of the anti-nuclear movement, was criticism for the national government and power companies that had long been building nuclear power plants in regional areas. The common trope was that people living in regional areas who had complied with national policy were now being forced from their homes. Kowata, too, wanted the people of Tokyo -- for whom the Fukushima plant was primarily generating electricity -- to look that fact straight in the eye. But when he thought about the benefits that he reaped from the nuclear power station, being told he was "sacrificed" for the sake of the big city and the central government didn't feel quite true.
The Fukushima prefectural towns of Futaba and Okuma decided to host the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant in 1961, in the midst of Japan's rapid economic growth. The central government's desire to meet the increasing electricity demands of the Tokyo metropolitan area came together with the desire of a regional area that did not want to be left behind in the high-speed economic growth that the country was undergoing. As a result, six massive structures spanning the two towns were built.
The region's industrial framework, in which residents farmed in the warmer months and became migrant workers elsewhere in the winters, underwent a radical transformation. Following graduation from high school, Kowata had been working in Tokyo as a conductor in the subway system. But he returned to his hometown once the nuclear plant was built, and became a regular employee at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) in 1971, when the nuclear plant began its operations.
"The pay was good, as were the benefits," Kowata recalled. "It felt like a big company." He worked for TEPCO and its affiliates until the age of 65.
Municipal governments that host nuclear power plants are given large amounts of money in subsidies based on the Three Power Source Development Laws. At its peak, the Futaba Municipal Government received over 1 billion yen per year, and nuclear plant-related income, including fixed property tax, enriched town coffers. This allowed for the construction of public facilities and other infrastructure.
"Nuclear power plants are monsters," Kowata said. "I bet there's no other mechanism out there that brings that much money and employment to a depopulated area."
There were some people who warned of the risks of nuclear power. In 1972, some residents launched a Futaba region anti-nuke alliance. However, confronted by the very palpable benefits of the nuclear plant, the movement faded.
In 1991, the Futaba Town Assembly unanimously voted for the additional construction of the No. 7 and No. 8 reactors at the plant. The town's expenditures were ballooning, due to the cost of maintaining and managing public facilities it had built with subsidies it received from the central government for hosting the nuclear power plant. So in seeking even more of that "nuclear power plant money," Futaba became more proactive in promoting the national government's nuclear policy.
Futaba's mayor at the time was the late Tadao Iwamoto, who served for five terms, four years each, starting in 1985. He was a former prefectural assembly member from the Socialist Party who at one time served as the head of an anti-nuke alliance. But after he became the mayor of Futaba, he promoted community building that assumed coexistence with nuclear power plants.
To his former comrades, this seemed like a sellout, but his son, Hisato Iwamoto, 61, who is the vice-speaker of the Futaba town assembly, argues that nothing had changed, in that his father continued efforts to work for the happiness of the townspeople and for the Futaba region. Hisato said he remembers his father yelling at news reports on the nuclear disaster that were being aired on television in the gymnasium that the family had evacuated to in the Fukushima prefectural city of Minamisoma in March 2011: "What are they doing!" His father subsequently said not a word about the nuclear plant, and died just four months later due to illness at the age of 82.
Akira Kawate, who was formerly a bureaucrat at the Ministry of Home Affairs, the predecessor to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and subsequently served as Fukushima Prefecture's deputy governor from 1999 to 2006, looked back on the proposed construction of the No. 7 and No. 8 reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. "The prefectural government's view was that we shouldn't keep relying on nuclear reactors," he said. The prefecture, however, was unable to come up with any specific economic revitalization measures to replace nuclear power plants. The additional reactors were never built. Then, in 2011, disaster struck.
Kawate, who now serves as an executive director of a nationwide federation promoting the independence of depopulated regions, understands the obstacles of implementing depopulation countermeasures. "It's very difficult for municipal governments that have neither the money nor the manpower to be independent. With the exception of Tokyo, all communities must be dependent on the central government, though the extent to which they are may vary," he said. But, he continued, "There are various ways to think about the relationship between regional areas and the central government, whether it's the regional areas that are being sacrificed, or they're the ones shrewdly taking advantage of the central government. It's OK to have a shrewd outlook on life. It liberates you from emotional subordination."
Aside from the noise of heavy machinery, the town of Futaba is quiet. Little by little, homes are being torn down and new infrastructure is being built. The plan is to make about 55 hectares of land surrounding JR Futaba Station livable again as a specially designated reconstruction and revitalization zone. If all goes well, evacuation orders for the area will be lifted around the spring of 2022.
If people do not return to the town, however, there will be no town revival. The 7,140 people who lived here at the time the nuclear disaster began are now scattered everywhere, and as of late August this year, 4,074 lived within Fukushima Prefecture, and 2,818 lived outside the prefecture as evacuees. According to a survey of Futaba residents and others conducted in fall of last year, 60 percent of the 1,564 households that responded said that they had "decided not to return."
Ever since the onset of the nuclear crisis, former TEPCO employee Kowata has been questioning himself over and over again. The nuclear power plant had allowed him to work in his hometown and provide for his family. But if it hadn't been for the nuclear power plant, the disaster would not have occurred. "I carry a weight on my shoulders."
Kowata has given up hope on returning to his home in Futaba, but he wants to remain involved in his hometown. His residence registry is still there. "I want to live a long life, and watch what happens to this town," he says, hopefully.


text:
Medindia » Tropical Disease News
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Policies Blamed for Insufficient Response to Ebola Outbreak
by Himabindu Venkatakrishnan on December 22, 2014 at 10:28 AM
The healthcare systems in the African countries worst affected by Ebola were underfunded, had shortage of doctors and hampered coordinated response to the outbreak, due to International Monetary Fund (IMF) policies, researchers said Monday.
Links between the IMF and the rapid spread of the disease were examined by researchers from Cambridge University's sociology department, with colleagues from Oxford University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Ebola Virus Disease
Ebola is caused by a virus via direct contact with body fluids or infected blood. Scientists have identified five types of Ebola or Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus.
They found IMF programmes held back the development of effective health systems in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the three countries at the epicentre of the outbreak that has killed over 7,370 people.
Reforms advocated by the IMF hampered the ability of the health systems to cope with infectious disease outbreaks and other emergencies, the researchers found.
Nigerian Peacekeeper Brought to Netherlands for Ebola Treatment, Cured
The Dutch authorities on Friday said that a Nigerian UN peacekeeper infected with Ebola and brought to the Netherlands for treatment has been cured.
"A major reason why the Ebola outbreak spread so rapidly was the weakness of healthcare systems in the region, and it would be unfortunate if underlying causes were overlooked," said Cambridge sociologist and lead study author Alexander Kentikelenis.
"Policies advocated by the IMF have contributed to under-funded, insufficiently staffed, and poorly prepared health systems in the countries with Ebola outbreaks."
The researchers examined policies enforced by the IMF before the outbreak, using information from IMF lending programmes from 1990 to 2014, and analysed their effects on Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
They found the healthcare systems were weakened by the IMF's requirement of economic reforms that cut government spending, a requirement of caps on the public sector wage bill, and a policy of decentralized healthcare systems.
On the requirement to reduce government spending, researchers found that "such policies have been extremely strict, absorbing funds that could be directed to meeting pressing health challenges."
"In 2013, just before the Ebola outbreak, the three countries met the IMF's economic directives, yet all failed to raise their social spending despite pressing health needs," said Cambridge sociologist and study co-author Lawrence King.
The public wage cap meant the countries were unable to hire nurses and doctors and pay them adequately, while decentralized healthcare systems made it hard to mobilise coordinated responses to outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Ebola.
A spokesman for the IMF said that the organisation's mandate did not specifically include public health and that it was "completely untrue" that the spread of Ebola was a consequence of IMF policies.
"Such claims are based on a misunderstanding, and, in some cases, a misrepresentation, of IMF policies," the spokesman said.
"Since 2009, loans from the IMF to low-income countries have been at zero interest rate, which has freed up resources for countries to spend more on health and education."
The spokesman added that the IMF had provided a $130 million financial package in September towards Ebola, and that they were working towards offering a package worth a similar amount to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone next year.
World Support for Ebola: US$35 Million Funding from King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia
Zaire ebolavirus is commonly known as Ebola. It was previously known as ebola haemorrhagic fever and is a deadly human illness.
Quiz on Ebola
Why is the deadly Ebola virus outbreak making the health experts hit the panic button? Find out from this quiz.
Congo Fever
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral disease that affects people who are bitten by infected ...
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Policies Blamed for Insufficient Response to Ebola Outbreak Personalised Printable Document (PDF)