On the Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel, there's more to vacationing than simply sunning on the beach and indulging in fresh, delicious seafood dishes. The family-friendly destination, whose extensive fine-sand beaches, warm shallow waters that stretch farther than usual and myriad of marine life that attract travelers from all over, is also known as one of the best places to find beautiful shells and for its fantastic shelling culture.
Locals, regular visitors and tourists here all participate in this relaxing, meditative, kid-friendly activity, combing the beach in that "Sanibel Stoop" position to start or expand their shell collection. If your family is planning a trip to this wonderful destination, add these must dos to your trip itinerary, and make most of your shellcation there.
Check out the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum.
Before you dive right into shelling, familiarize yourselves first with the different types of shells you can find on the Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel and get to know the complex lives of the mollusks that live in them. The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum is perhaps the best place to do both, with its kid-friendly interactive exhibits, exhibits of the beautiful shells from the area and from all over the planet, and even live tank talks and demonstrations held daily by one of the museum's knowledgeable marine biologists. You'll be surprised at how much information this impressive museum can share, and how less people actually know about these fascinating creatures.
TIP: Take some time to browse through their exhibits of shells—it'll make it easier for you to identify the ones you'll find on the beaches—and don't be afraid to ask one of the marine biologists and docents, if you want to know more.
Go on an island cruise with Captiva Cruises.
Captiva Island-based cruise and tour operator Captiva Cruises may be the best way to explore the small islands that make up the area. They hold scheduled family-friendly cruises to many of the islands, including Cayo Costa that is famed for its beautiful quiet beaches and sand dollar population, the private paradise of Useppa Island, and cult favorite Cabbage Key whose restaurant is bedecked with thousands of dollar bills left by patrons and visitors. Captiva Cruises also offer a Dolphin Watch & Wildlife Adventure Cruise—a sure hit with the kids, a private cruise that may be individualized depending on what families want, and best of all, a three-hour shelling cruise with Sanibel's resident shell expert, Pam Rambo.
TIP: During your cruise, keep an eye out for dolphins that may be swimming along or following your boat. They're not only super fun and friendly; they also love a bit of attention and encouragement. Also, slather on plenty of sunscreen.
Visit during National Seashell Day.
The very first National Seashell Day is slated on June 20 this year and the destination is pulling out all the stops. It is, therefore, the best time to visit the Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel with the kids. Expect different shelling-related events as well as accommodation discounts, shell painting, and several shell tours. At the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum, there will be shell crafting and tank talks all day and a free shell bag to every visitor to present a coupon from Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau. Best of all, there will be a Shellove Bug, a Volkswagen Beetle bedecked by shell expert Pam Rambo and local shell crafters with shells of all shapes and sizes found in the area.
TIP: There are a number of family-friendly accommodation discounts and packages for families if you're interested in visiting on National Seashell Day. Visit the event site for details.
Meet marine wildlife at South Seas Island Resort.
As a former key lime plantation, South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island has an idyllic and quite extensive property, not to mention a big marina that has around 2,000 slips. Staying at this family-friendly resort, therefore, comes with the advantage of coming across wildlife as you go about your vacation. You could be running on a treadmill and witness the resort's resident dolphin swimming playfully between the docked boats. Keep an eye out for strange-looking sea hares and shy manatees lazing about in the water. For better chances at marine wildlife sightings as well as a quick shelling lesson, enlist the help of one of the resort's Shelling Concierge through the Sanibel Sea School found onsite. You'll get more than a tour, you'll also learn about how these beautiful creatures live and about the wonderful marine conservation initiatives on the islands.
TIP: The Sanibel Sea School does more than guided beach walks and marine wildlife tours. Visit their shop at the resort to find out more about their other programs.
Sanibel and Captiva together form a natural scoop that essentially catch any shells that get swept in from the South and from the Gulf. Consider that perfect formation and add it to the fact that the islands have very shallow waters with sandy bottoms that make it easy for the shells to roll right in, and you'll understand why these islands, as well as its neighbors, are collectively known as one of the best shelling spots in the world. Shellers can find around 400 species of shells here, from the common clams, scallops and cockles to the harder to find Junonias and horse conchs, so shell collecting definitely comes with the territory. The best beaches for amazing finds vary depending on the wind and weather conditions, but locals seem to favor Bowman's Beach, Blind Pass Beach and Lighthouse Beach.
TIP: Visit Pam Rambo's ILoveShelling.com blog prior to shelling for tips on how to score the best ones. Better yet, go on one of her shelling tours with Captiva Cruises to meet her and get some hands-on training with her in person!


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Q: Large deviation for Brownian occupation time I am asking for reference about the large deviation principle (LDP) for the occupation time of a Brownian motion/bridge. Let $f:\mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}$ be smooth and compactly supported. My question is: What is the LDP of
$$\lambda^{-1} \int_0^\lambda f(B_s) ds, \quad\lambda \to \infty \
$$
Here, $B_s, s \in [0, \lambda]$ can be either a Brownian motion or a Brownian bridge with endpoints zero.
I find that Theorem 3.1 of http://www.brunoremillard.com/Papers/wiener.pdf provides a related result. However, I do not think this note is very well-written and I am asking for a better reference. Thank you!

A: This is precisely the Donsker-Varadhan LDP, coupled with an application of the contraction principle. Namely, the rate function is
$$I(x)=\inf\{ J(\mu): \int f d\mu =x\}$$
where $J$ is the Donsker-Varadhan rate function. Look at the series of Donsker-Varadhan papers from 1975 (#I is the one you need) and any text on large deviations theory for the contraction principle (or the wikipedia page).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Mias grew up in the professional hunting industry, hunting alongside his uncle, Carl Labuschage who had hunted Africa for 30 years. Mias decided to follow in his uncles footsteps and started, Lungile Safaris, and is now the owner of a very reputable safari operation.
Mias also obtained further degrees in Business Psychology and Tourism, which makes him a very knowledgeable business man. Mias is a passionate hunter himself and shot his first animal at the tender age of 6 years. At the age of 37 he has hunted 37 of the 65 huntable species in South Africa, which includes the Big 5, also known as dangerous game. After many years of tracking numerous animals in the bush, Mias has become an experienced Professional Hunter, and his successful reputation is proof thereof.
Mias has successfully hunted Lion, Buffalo, Elephant, Leopard and Hippo for his own trophy gallery. Lungile Safari strives only for excellence by delivering the best service possible by handpicked staff who are educated and dedicated as well as professional in their conduct, combined with the knowledge of Professional Hunting for decades.
Mias is also well known throughout the South African hunting industry for his catering for African outfitters on big & plains game in his wide known hunting areas. Majority of hunting is done on "walk-n-stalk" methods which promote a fair chase for hunter and prey.
Mias is a true example of a Hunting Professional that does not see hunting as a job, but as a lifestyle!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Shroom Supply offers the largest selection of mycological air filtration devices. We carry PTFE syringe filters for making liquid culture lids in both 13mm and 25mm diameters. We also offer the largest selection of synthetic filter discs online. Our synthetic filter discs provide for contaminant-free gas exchange on spawn jar lids. All of our synthetic filter discs have a pore size of 0.3 microns. We carry multiple sizes of filter discs: 29mm (for custom-made spawn jar lids), 70mm (regular mouth jars), 90mm (widemouth jars), 110mm, and 125mm. In addition to our regular synthetic filters, we also carry a cellulose filter disc that is a recent innovation in the mycology field (70mm only). Please take your time to browse the air filtration devices below.


Abstract: Following a line of research that I have developed for several years, I argue that the best strategy for understanding quantum gravity is to build a picture of the physical world where the notion of time plays no role. I summarize here this point of view, explaining why I think that in a fundamental description of nature we must "forget time", and how this can be done in the classical and in the quantum theory. The idea is to develop a formalism that treats dependent and independent variables on the same footing. In short, I propose to interpret mechanics as a theory of relations between variables, rather than the theory of the evolution of variables in time.


text:
Elephants imported 1955
10 imports of elephants from range countries during 1955 in the database
1 + -Mary-
EM - F wild 1954 at
Unknown 25 died 1979, 1 years after arrival, at
Clyde Brothers-Carden-Johnson Circus 1978-00-00 Clyde Brothers Circus (Howard Suesz) 1955
2 + -Sue-
3 + -Margie-
Clyde Brothers-Carden-Johnson Circus 1978-00-00 Clyde Brothers Circus (Howard Suesz)
4 + -Louie (Old Diamond)-
LA - M wild 1946 at
Unknown 34 died 1980, 18 years after arrival, at
Knoxville Zoo 1962-00-00 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus 1947 1955 by
International Fertilizer and Chemical Company (Fred Zeehandelaar)
5 + -Ravi-
EM - M unknown 1954 at
India unspecified location 15 died 1969, 13 years after arrival, at
Kiev Zoo 1956-07-15 Odessa Zoo 1955?
6 + -Shashi-
EM - F unknown 1954 at
India unspecified location 7 died 1961, 5 years after arrival, at
7 + -Minnie-
EM - F unknown at
unknown died 2013, 58 years after arrival, at
Carson and Barnes Circus 1955-09-00 International Fertilizer and Chemical Company (Fred Zeehandelaar)
1955 by
8 + -Rascal-
Chester Zoo 1955-07-26 John Seago Game Trapping Organisation 1955
9 + -Bobo-
Kenya unspecified location 14 died 1964, 9 years after arrival, at
10 + -Manyula-
San Salvador Zoo (Parque Zoológico Nacional de San Salvador) 1955-06-29 Carl Hagenbecks Tierpark (Stellingen)
Firma Carl Hagenbeck
Shipped out from Calcutta
More about capture and imports
Internal links about elephant imports:
Imports from range countries throughout the years
1622?, 1633, 1675-07-03, 16XX?, 1720, 1730, 1750, 1772, 1784, 1796, 1804-06-25, 1811-07-00, 1813?, 1817, 1817-12-18, 1819, 1821, 1825?, 1827?, 1828, 1830-06-00, 1831, 1832, 1833, 1833?, 1834, 1843?, 1850?, 1851, 1851-05-04, 1852?, 1855?, 1857, 1860, 1861, 1862?, 1865, 1865?, 1866, 1867, 1868, 1870, 1870?, 1871, 1872?, 1874?, 1875, 1875-1877?, 1879, 1883, 1884, 1888, 1894, 1896, 1897, 1898?, 1899, 1899?, 1902, 1902?, 1905, 1905?, 1907?, 1912?, 1913, 1914, 1922, 1922?, 1923, 1926, 1928?, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1936?, 1938?, 1946-11-02, 1947, 1948, 1948-11-15, 1948?, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1952?, 1953, 1953?, 1954, 1954?, 1955, 1955?, 1957?, 1958, 1959, 1959?, 1960, 1960?, 1961, 1961?, 1962, 1962?, 1963, 1963?, 1964, 1964?, 1965, 1965?, 1966, 1966?, 1967, 1967?, 1968, 1968?, 1969, 1970?, 1971, 1971?, 1972, 1972?, 1973, 1974, 1974?, 1975, 1975?, 1976, 1976?, 1977, 1977?, 1978?, 1979, 1980, 1980-1983?, 1980?, 1981, 1982, 1982?, 1983, 1983-1986?, 1983?, 1984, 1984?, 1985, 1985?, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1988?, 1989, 1989?, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2004-04-08, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022,
Internal links about elephant capture:
captures of elephants in range countries throughout the years
, 1621?, 1784, 1851, 1870, 1874?, 1879?, 1903, 1904, 1907, 1910, 1911, 1911?, 1912, 1912?, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1925, 1929, 1931-03-02, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935-04-15, 1936, 1937-07-02, 1939-01-02, 1940, 1941, 1942-02-11, 1942-04-11, 1942-06-27, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1947?, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1952-09-21, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1958-09-07, 1959, 1960, 1960-10-13, 1960-10-20, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1963-08-01, 1964, 1964-10-16, 1964?, 1965, 1966, 1966-02-05, 1967, 1967-01-27, 1967-07-09, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1971-05-30, 1971???, 1972, 1972-10-15, 1972-11-23, 1972-12-29, 1973, 1973-01-06, 1973-10-18, 1973-11-16, 1973?, 1974, 1974-12-16, 1974?, 1975, 1975-04-06, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1978-11-20, 1978-12-04, 1979, 1980, 1980?, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1984?, 1985, 1985?, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1988-08-13, 1988-11-26, 1989, 1990, 1990-02-02, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1994?, 1995, 1995-09-23, 1996, 1996-10-22, 1997, 1997?, 1998, 1999, 1999-12-10, 2000-04-14, 2000?, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2003?, 2004, 2004-03-21, 2004-10, 2005, 2005-06-01, 2005-09-12, 2006, 2007, 2007-09-25, 2008, 2008-04-03, 2009, 2010, 2010?, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2013-04-01, 2013-08-07, 2013-11, 2014, 2014-04, 2014-05-15, 2014-08-05, 2014-09-25, 2014-11-24, 2015, 2015-08, 2015-08-05, 2016, 2016-04-00, 2016-06, 2016-06-19, 2017, 2017-05, 2017-11-15, 2017-12-00, 2017?, 2018, 2018-03-20, 2018-05-04, 2018-05-15, 2018-05-17, 2018-06-01, 2018-11-21, 2018-11-24, 2018?, 2019, 2019-01-02, 2019-02-04, 2019-08-00, 2019-09-26, 2019-12-11, 2019?, 2020, 2020-01-00, 2020-03-28, 2020-06-00, 2020-09-00, 2020-09-08, 2020-10-18, 2020-10-27, 2020-11-02, 2020-11-10, 2020-11-28, 2020-12-00, 2020-12-06, 2021-03-10, 2021-03-13, 2021-08-29, 2021-08-31, 2021-09-05, 2021-09-29, 2021-10-23, 2021-11-14, 2021-11-24, 2021-11-28, 2021=10-28, 2022-01-28, 2022-02-00, ?, ~1945,
Internal links about elephant transfers:
Transfers throughout the years
1790, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795, 1796, 1797, 1798, 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815, 1816, 1817, 1818, 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833, 1834, 1835, 1836, 1837, 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844, 1845, 1846, 1847, 1848, 1849, 1850, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1856, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865, 1866, 1867, 1868, 1869, 1870, 1871, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020,


David has over 25 years' experience of working with senior managers in organisations in the private, public and voluntary sectors.
David has international experience of supporting and developing individuals and teams in Europe, The Middle East, Latin America as well as throughout the UK.
Best successes as a coach: (i) CEO changing their adverse view of networking leading to increased confidence, wider knowledge and securing the top job when three organisations merged; (ii) senior French manager gaining clarity, enthusiasm and vision about his future career path; (iii) a GP growing into the supplementary role of strategic leader within a Primary Care Trust's senior team.


text:
if (typeof (window) === 'undefined') var loki = require('../../src/lokijs.js');

describe('dynamicviews', function () {
  beforeEach(function () {
    testRecords = [
      { name : 'mjolnir', owner: 'thor', maker: 'dwarves' },
      { name : 'gungnir', owner: 'odin', maker: 'elves' },
      { name : 'tyrfing', owner: 'Svafrlami', maker: 'dwarves' },
      { name : 'draupnir', owner: 'odin', maker: 'elves' }
    ];
  });

  describe('test empty filter across changes', function() {
    it('works', function () {

      var db = new loki('dvtest');
      var items = db.addCollection('users');
      items.insert(testRecords);
      var dv = items.addDynamicView();

      // with no filter, results should be all documents
      var results = dv.data();
      expect(results.length).toBe(4);

      // find and update a document which will notify view to re-evaluate
      var gungnir = items.findOne({'name': 'gungnir'});
      expect(gungnir.owner).toBe('odin');
      gungnir.maker = 'dvalin';
      items.update(gungnir);

      results = dv.data();
      expect (results.length).toBe(4);
    });
  });

});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
In 1992, letters were circulated to Canadian school boards from Creation Science Association of Canada (CSAC) director, Robert Grieve, requesting that presentations be allowed in classrooms from creation science associations. It was brought to the attention of the media that CSAC had been making routine presentations in Abbotsford schools for a number of years (Barker, 2004). Several British Columbia news outlets published editorials, letters, and stories regarding the now hot topic of Abbotsford's Origin of Life policy. Most of these pieces were resoundingly negative. Members of the public also began weighing in on the issue by addressing it with government officials. The 1992 provincial Minister of Education, Anita Hagen, addressed some of these concerns with passive interest by suggesting that the policy be reviewed. Interestingly, the Minister never formally addressed the Abbotsford School Board regarding the policy (Chahal, 2002). Since no formal intervention was being carried out, a group of teachers and parents aided by a science teacher from outside the district, Scott Goodman began to covertly investigate the policy. This examination led the Abbotsford Teachers' Association to issue a request to the board to review and rescind the policy. This request was ignored (Barker, 2004).
The Abbotsford creationism case reached its zenith in 1995. It began in March when the local Teachers' Association and the Organization of Advocates in Support of Integrity in Science Education (OASIS) represented by Scott Goodman, filed an appeal with then Education Minister, Art Charbonneau (Barker, 2004; British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, 1995). In an interview with the press, Goodman argued that the appeal was not only about Christian fundamentalist attacks on science, but also concerning religious freedom and the government maintaining its secularity (Wood, 1995). The Minister agreed with Goodman and the Teachers' Association and sent a letter requesting assurances from the board that they were adhering to the provincial curriculum. At the time of this request, the Abbotsford School Board was chaired by Trinity Western University professor, John Sutherland. The Minister's requests were not directly acknowledged, but Sutherland was vocal about the issue in local media outlets. He accused the Minister of religious prejudice by attempting to remove creationism from the district (Chahal, 2002).
The board failed to respond appropriately to the Minister. Charbonneau sent a second letter. This time the letter set out distinct actions for the board to take and recommendations put forth by the Minister. The board was directed to amend its Origin of Life Policy by June 16th, 1995 and cease creation-science instruction in science classes (Barker, 2004; Chahal, 2002; Todd, 1995; Wood, 1995). In an interview, Charbonneau suggested that the Board was, "trying to force teachers to put a religious theory on the same level as evolution in a science class," (as cited in Wood, 2003, p. 14).
Sutherland rigorously defended the autonomy of the board and its position by making several statements in the local media. His sentiments were, by and large, shared with many members of the board and community who felt that scientific dogmatism was hijacking the curriculum (Byfield & Byfield, 1995; Chahal, 2002). Sutherland countered accusations that the board was attempting to bring theology into science classrooms by suggesting that learning different theories allowed students to hone critical thinking skills (Barker, 2004), and that only alternative 'scientific' theories were presented to students (Todd, 1995). Sutherland also pointed out that the community supported creation-science instruction (Barker, 2004; Sweet, 1997; Todd, 1995; Wood, 1995). In an interview following the controversy, Sutherland mused that:
[He] "would have been happy if students would simply have taken a look in biology class at the scientific data and the underlying hypotheses, including alternative schemes, and how different groups interpret the scientific data. Nobody disputes the scientific data. It's the hypothesis that you use to explain the data that is under dispute, and the random, purposeless, evolutionary hypotheses are as untestable and as philosophical as any other. They're a belief system. So where else but in science class could you look at scientific belief systems?" (as cited in Sweet, 1997, p. 210)
Despite objections to the Minister's request, the Abbotsford School Board moved forward and drafted a new policy. The draft of the new Origin of Life policy diverted from some of the propositions that Charbonneau had offered in his second letter to the board. While it removed any reference to Divine creation, it appeared to leave a loop hole by allowing the teaching of alternative theories, without reference to what those theories were. The revised policy read in part:
"Teachers may find that the evolutionary perspective of modern biology conflicts with the personal beliefs of some students; therefore, when teaching this topic in the classroom, teachers should explain to students that science is only one way of learning about life, and that other explanations have been put forth besides that of biological science. […] In order to promote critical thinking skills, students shall be encouraged to discuss the scientific pros and cons of the alternative theories without being criticized for their opinions. Where other viewpoints are presented or discussed, teachers are encouraged to be aware of and to respect the personal beliefs of their students without promoting, through instruction, any one belief system. This discussion would include the evidence/information both for and against the theories of the origins of our universe and life on our planet." (as cited in Chahal, 2002, p. 138)
Despite the board's attempts to satisfy the Minister's request, the draft of the new policy was met with criticism. Representatives from the BCCLA lobbied the board to disband the policy entirely, while Minister Charbonneau indicated that the policy required further clarification. There appeared to be some concerns that the revised policy still made it possible for creation-science instruction to occur. This seems to part of the motive for revisions to the policy. The board had to comply with the Minister's requests, but also wanted to satisfy the wishes of its constituency.
As the board moved forward with final revisions to the new Origin of Life policy, members of the public, from within and outside the community, began to mobilize their support of the board's revisions. Many of the arguments centered on their religious beliefs and feelings of Christianity being marginalized (Chahal, 2002). Other supporters claimed that the media was polarizing and sensationalizing a non-issue. Even some students in the district suggested that the issue was being blown out of proportion. Yet, others who were firmly on the side of the Ministry suggested that fundamentalist Christian groups active in the region were attempting to impose their own brand of morality on others and that these tactics were not isolated to science classrooms (Wood, 1995).
With the final version of the new Origin of Life policy in place, the board forwarded it to Charbonneau and also obtained legal counsel to ensure the policy adhered to the School Act. In July of 1995, Minister Charbonneau formally rejected the new policy stating that it was, "vague and open to various meanings," (as cited in Chahal, 2002, p. 149). He further indicated that he would be forwarding specific guidelines to address the issue with all school boards in the province. In his view, "[t]he science classroom is not a place to provide instruction or require discussion of religious dogma," (as cited in Byfield & Byfield, 1995, p. 36). Shortly after Charbonneau rejected the policy, the board's legal counsel weighed in. The Origin of Life policy contravened the School Act (Chahal, 2002).
Just in time for the start of another school year, Charbonneau informed the board of changes to the Biology 11/12 curriculum. These changes were made to update the curriculum with respect to the School Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The updated curriculum specifically addressed creation-science theories. A portion of the updated 2006 curriculum guideline maintains such a clause:
"Reconciling scientific discoveries (for example, in genetic engineering) and religious faith poses a particular challenge for some students. While respecting the personal beliefs of students, teachers should be careful to distinguish between knowledge based on the application of scientific methods, and religious teachings and associated beliefs such as creationism, theory of divine creation, or intelligent design theory." (British Columbia Ministry of Education, 2006, p. 10)
In addition to the aforementioned revisions, the new guidelines also made it a requirement for all curriculum components to be taught in grade 11 and 12 in order for a student to qualify for graduation (Chahal, 2002). The board was ordered by the Minister to swiftly revise its policy in accordance with the updated curriculum or face penalty of dismissal and replacement by Ministry-appointed representatives (Sweet, 1997).
On September 14, 1995, the Abbotsford School Board drafted a new Origin of Life policy (author added italics):
"Teachers may find that the evolutionary perspectives of modern biology conflict with the personal beliefs of some of their students; therefore, when teaching this topic in the classroom, teachers should explain to students who have misgivings, that science is only one of the ways of learning about life. Other explanations have been put forth besides those of biological science. However, other viewpoints which are not derived from biological science are not part of the Biology 11/12 curriculum. Biology teachers will instruct only in the Ministry of Education curriculum. In the interest of critical thinking, however, it is vital that the teacher assure all students that they are entitled to have their views respected. Respect is best shown by allowing for an expression of those views, provided that any discussion or research is consistent with the content and objectives of the Biology 11/12 curriculum—that is, that they deal only with scientific evidence." (School District No. 34, 1996, para. 2-3)
This policy, which was formally approved in early 1996, is still incorporated into the curriculum guide today. It, and the aforementioned curriculum guide, are perhaps one of the most concrete and direct guides concerning science curricula and creation-science theories in the Canadian public education system. It appears then, that the mid-1990s saw the end of discussion surrounding creationism in Canada's public schools.
In the concluding post, I'll explore Creationism in Canada's public schools today by exploring some provincial education curriculum guidelines.
British Columbia Ministry of Education (2006). Biology 11 and 12 Integrated Resource Package 2006. [Program of Studies]. Retrieved from http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pdfs/sciences/2006biology1112.pdf
Byfield, T., & Byfield, V. (1995, November 20). Religious dogma is banned in B.C. science classes to make way for irreligious dogma. Alberta Report/Newsmagazine, 36.
School District No. 34 – Abbotsford. (1996). Origin of Life. [Curriculum Guide].
Todd, D. (1995). Abbotsford teachers want Genesis out of Biology 11 class: Creationism stays, school chair insists. The Vancouver Sun.
Wood, C. (1995). Big bang versus a big being. Maclean's, 108(24), 14.
Here's a portion of Scott Goodman's comment on the original blog. His full comment on the blog includes his letter to then Minister of Education Peter Fassbender with his concerns about the Ministry's policy as it stood in 2013.
This series is timely. As it happens, I am the same Scott Goodman referred to in your materials. It was at the request of citizens in Abbotsford in 1995, forwarded to me from the National Center for Science Education in the US, that I undertook to act as their advocate in removing the offending policy in Abbotsford.
There is a critical piece of missing information in your write-up. The 2006 Curriculum Guide from which you quote is not the version that appeared immediately after the Abbotsford controversy. In fact, it is quite watered down from that version. The original version put in place by the Ministry of Education under Charbonneau stated that, creationism, creation science and Intelligent Design, not being part of science, cannot be taught in BC science classes. In a memorandum from that time to all school boards in BC, Charbonneau went further, stating that not only could these subjects not be taught in science classes but also that the units on evolution MUST be taught. The latest version, presumably put in place under the BC Liberal regime, merely requires that teachers "distinguish" between what is science and what is not. It does not prohibit them from teaching things that are not science. This is not a subtle difference, it is a license to abuse the clear meaning and intent of BC's School Act.


text:
Bronchoscopy in cystic fibrosis infants diagnosed by newborn screening
Pediatr Pulmonol. 2011 Jul;46(7):696-700. doi: 10.1002/ppul.21434. Epub 2011 Mar 1.
Patrick Stafler 1 , Jane C Davies, Ian M Balfour-Lynn, Mark Rosenthal, Andrew Bush
1 Department of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK.
DOI: 10.1002/ppul.21434
Background: There is evidence of early functional and structural changes in babies with cystic fibrosis (CF) diagnosed on newborn screening (NBS). The aim of the present study was to determine the yield of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) microbiology and cytology, and 24 hr pH monitoring in a group of CF infants diagnosed on NBS.
Methods: Infants referred to a tertiary pediatric respiratory center between July 2007 and November 2009 underwent surveillance fiber-optic bronchoscopy (FOB), BAL, and insertion of a 24 hr dual pH probe under a single general anesthetic.
Results: We studied 33 infants, median age of 100 days (47-215 days) at the time of FOB. In 9 of 33 (27%) bacterial organisms were identified. Seven of the nine patients (78%) were asymptomatic and only one had had a positive cough swab prior to FOB. Neutrophilia was identified in 18/27 (67%) cases with a median of 11% (6-73%). 13/31 (42%) had an abnormal pH study with a pH index >12%.
Conclusions: The high yield of microbiology, cytology, and pH probe investigations in NBS infants justifies invasive surveillance. Longitudinal studies to determine if early aggressive treatment results in improved outcome are awaited.
Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / cytology
Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / microbiology
Bronchoscopy*
Cystic Fibrosis / genetics
Cystic Fibrosis / microbiology
Gastric Acidity Determination
Neutrophils / cytology
Pseudomonas aeruginosa / isolation & purification
Staphylococcus aureus / isolation & purification


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Ducati Sporting Club UK official polo shirt in black with red contrast.
100% cotton micro pique 200gsm with three-button contrasting collar, side panels and piping.
Fully embroidered DSC logo on the front and name/website on the back at the neck.


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Makuzu Kozan Porcelain Pot, ca. 1914
Value (2004) | $3,000 Auction – $10,000 Insurance
This was a gift to my husband's paternal grandparents by Chinese laborers that worked for them in Keeler, California, where they had a potash plant. And his grandparents were both held in very high esteem, because his grandmother served as a midwife and helped all the Chinese there. And his grandfather made the promise to the Chinese laborers that if they were to pass away while in this country that he would send their bodies back home to China. And he was as good as his word and always did that, so this was a gift from the Chinese to them.
This was around the early 1900s.
Okay, the first thing I observe about it is the shape, and it's a very modern shape, but it's based on an ancient Chinese bronze form that's called a censer, and it was used for burning incense. Now, that's not what this was used for, but that's the basis of this design. The other thing I notice is the incredible delicacy of the design itself. What you see is a flock of birds resting after a long flight from their migration on a placid sea. And as we go around, you can see how very finely detailed the whole scene is. And if you look at the legs, you can see that they're actually modeled to look like cloud scrolls.
The other observation is that it's made of porcelain, and this very stark white color is characteristic of porcelain not from China but from Japan.
Is that right?
And this very detailed decoration is a good example of the type of ware that was made in Japan around the turn of the century. And as we look at this, we notice that it also is a wave pattern... Which fits very nicely with the design of the porcelain. When I turn it over, and I see on the inside, there's a little label. And that label reads "$25." That was a lot of money around the turn of the century. I mean, that was several months' wages. But it also has a name, Kozan-- K-o-z-a-n.
Mm-hmm, I noticed that.
So, when you're looking at Asian porcelain, one of the things you always want to do is look at the base. And on the underside, what we see is this mark, and the mark actually reads "Makuzu Kozan made." Now, Makuzu Kozan was the most famous of all the Japanese art pottery makers, ceramic makers in the 20th century. He explored new techniques, he was innovative, and he was excellent in what he did. The quality of his work is exceptional. And Makuzu Kozan died in 1916, so this is one of his latter works. And it was made during a period called the Taisho period, which is 1912 to 1926. The only flaw we've got is that it does have a crack.
I see that now. I didn't notice that.
You're going to keep this, I would assume.
So you'd like to know what it's worth for insurance?
Yes, definitely, or for resale.
I would say for resale probably somewhere in the $3,000-to-$5,000 range, but for insurance I'd put $10,000 on it.
So it's really special to have a Makuzu Kozan example. It doesn't turn up very often.
And to have the original top that goes with it even more exceptional.
I'm surprised it wasn't Chinese.
Lark E. Mason
Asian Arts
Lark Mason Associates
$3,000 Auction – $10,000 Insurance
Reno, Hour 2 (#0911)
Reno, NV (August 14, 2004)


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Here, CBD products that may be particularly beneficial for moms. Lots of reasons moms might want to reach for one or all formulations!
ViPova emphasizes that their black teas—which come in a range of flavors from chai to English Breakfast—are absorbed readily, maximizing impact and effectiveness. They're also available in all 50 states. You just mix it into your tea, smoothie, or coffee.
From perfume to body lotion, Herb Essentials products look like the kind of fancy products you could get at an uber-modern, high-end spa, but they're all infused with Cannabis Sativa seed oil and are legal nationwide. This balance needs to be adjusted constantly as you move through life. Through hot and cold, dry and humid. Through pollution, parties and the day after. Through experimental diets and all-nighters.
Our online health shop has a wide selection of medicinal cannabidiol . about CBD oil and medical cannabis oil, take a look at the Medical Cannabis Oil section. CBD Kratom is proud to specialize in Kratom and CBD. If you can't make it in to one of our locations (Chicago, STL, LA), you'll find everything you need here. We are committed to bringing our customers the highest grade CBD oil on the market. CBD and other cannabinoids are naturally occurring compounds that display we aim to promote the benefits of medical cannabis oil to a wide audience. For more information, explore our online store, visit our social media pages or.
Our online health shop has a wide selection of medicinal cannabidiol . about CBD oil and medical cannabis oil, take a look at the Medical Cannabis Oil section.
CBD Kratom is proud to specialize in Kratom and CBD. If you can't make it in to one of our locations (Chicago, STL, LA), you'll find everything you need here.
We are committed to bringing our customers the highest grade CBD oil on the market. CBD and other cannabinoids are naturally occurring compounds that display we aim to promote the benefits of medical cannabis oil to a wide audience. For more information, explore our online store, visit our social media pages or.
View More on Instagram Did you know our CBD bath bomb comes in minis?! ViPova emphasizes that their black teas—which come in a range of flavors from chai to Our Cannabis infused perfume oil is available at our webshop (link in bio). lifestyle with nothing but great benefits then come try our CBD Oils today!.
Vermont's largest selection of hemp-based CBD products for adults and pets. CBD is a cannabinoid like the THC found in cannabis, but unlike THC, CBD is on how CBD has been applied therapeutically, please visit Project CBD. Is CBD We are currently working to set up our online store and credit card processing.
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Iconic brand, Hunter, famed for its range of Wellington Boots is joining the glittering brand portfolio at a leading South Yorkshire fashion boutique.
Robinsons of Bawtry has chosen the fashion label to complement other iconic designer brands and recognises the growing demand for quality outerwear for all the family.
Initially Robinsons of Bawtry will be stocking the Hunter Classic Raincoat in a variety of colours and sizes available for men, ladies and children all competitively priced for affordability. Founded in 1856 the brand has two Royal Warrants of Appointment to HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
Men's are available in size S to XL in Navy & Olive, Ladies XS to L in Pink, Navy, Yellow & White and Children's ages 4/5 to 11 years in Red & Blue.
Opening hours are Monday to Saturday 9.30am – 5.30pm; Sunday 11am – 4pm and late night opening by appointment.


With a projected 9 billion people on planet earth by 2050, many assert that the only way to feed this many people is through ever more sophisticated biotechnology and intricate machinery. Joseph Simcox is one person who knows food unlike any other.
A world food plant ecologist, Joseph has traveled the world on more than 350 expeditions, tracking down, recording and eating the food plants that once sustained humanity. He claims that the discussion regarding the "future of food" is leaving out the essential element: the insufficient study and lack of use of thousands of plants with incredible potential. In this talk he tells us why ancient knowledge is our hope for the future.
Joseph Simcox is known around the world as the indefatigable Botanical Explorer. His life mission? To record, track down and eat as many of the edible plants on the planet as possible and share them with humanity. The real future of feeding the world, according to Joe, will depend on our understanding of the food plants used by peoples past.
Joseph Simcox is an ethnobotanist and world food plant ecologist; he has probably eaten more species of plants than anyone on earth and his message for the future of humanity is provocative, positive and reassuring. Considering that there is so much doom and gloom promoted about mankind's future existence on the planet, Joe's good news is welcomed.
You can find more about Joseph and his work at his website explorewithjoseph.com or follow The Botanical Explorer on Facebook.
Note from Yasmina: I couldn't resist posting some pictures from Joseph's travels. How awesome are they?!


Up until beginning this series of posts I had a Tumblr account for this blog but no real idea how to use it.
One day, I read something and it occurred to me – why not use Tumblr to write shorter posts on Alexander? Maybe people who didn't read blogs might find and be interested by what they read and saw (for each post is accompanies by pictures) there.
With that in mind, I decided to kick off with a chapter-by-chapter guide to Plutarch's Life.
The posts have, probably inevitably, been longer than not but still very fun to write.


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Aviation Safety Ciampino/
Safety and territory/
Air navigation safety/
Air navigation safety
The presence of areas that attract wildlife can generate the so-called wildlife strike risk, i.e., the impact between an aircraft and one or more wild animals - predominantly bird strikes - with more or less relevant consequences, depending on the size and number of animals affected by the aircraft.
The presence of obstacles (trees, cranes, buildings, etc.) that can create the risk of collision between an aircraft and the same obstacle with serious consequences for the aircraft and passengers.
The improper use of remote pilot aircraft (eg. drones, model aircraft) which pose a risk to the aircraft and passengers on board since these can generate a collision risk between the aircraft and the flying object itself.
Neglect of zones and woody areas/farm fields outside the aerodrome's boundary can cause fire. This can limit the aerodrome operations and generate suspended material in the atmosphere that could be aspirated by aeronautical engines.
Improper use of Chinese lanterns and any other flying object that released in the air around the airport can be aspirated by aircraft engines with serious consequences for the aircraft and its passengers.
Neglect of road maintenance around the aerodrome's outer perimeter which could hurt the speedy intervention of the rescue vehicles in case of necessity.
Improper use of lasers and, in general, hazardous , ambiguous, and misleading lights that could blind pilots during take-off and landing maneuvers, compromising their ability to carry out flight maneuvers safely.
Construction of highly reflective surfaces that could blind pilots during take-off and landing manoeuvres.
Infrared radiation, improper and unauthorized use of VHF radio and the presence of moving objects are also phenomena interfering with aeronautical communications, and navigation and surveillance systems.
Proper conduct
Safety principles guide
Airport management system
Safety and territory
Directives and procedures
Apron safety


Bell has added 24-hour business news channel Bloomberg Television to its Bell Mobile TV service. The channel specializes in business and financial news from New York, San Francisco, London and Hong Kong. "Bell is proud to add the highly respected Bloomberg TV business news service to Bell Mobile TV, bringing our total number of live mobile TV channels available across Canada to 30," said Wade Oosterman, chief brand officer at Bell. "Bell's world-class mobile TV service underlines our commitment to ensuring Canadians can access the best content available whenever and wherever they want."


It's probably fair to say that Blizzard has encouraged Diablo II fans to buy the expansion pack, Lord Of Destruction, in the same kind ot way Don Corleone encourages loyalty. The character skill and spell modifications imposed on the online community in their last tew patches have meant many players have found their elite characters dampened and have been 'persuaded' to buy the expansion pack to play through the higher nightmare and hell modes and pick up some new weapons to try and regain their status. Blizzard need not have been quite so militant because Lord of Destruction is good enough to have sold itself, but you can't help but have respect for that kind of sneakiness.
For those not so familiar with the Diablo world, Lord Of Destruction contains two new characters, the druid and the assassin, a fifth act that picks up from the end of Diablo II, two combat sets, plus a host of new weapons and items such as runes and jewels. Among some of the most notable 'tweaks' is the increase in damage of the Amazon's strafe arrow and the reduction in damage of her multi-arrow, which has meant a few pissed off Amazons who have previously poured all their skill points into multi-arrow.
There has also been a reduction in the amount leeching weapons leech, and the whirlwind skill of the Barbarian is now dependent on the speed of their weapon, rather than the standard whirlwind speed. Blizzard seems to be trying to create a level playing field to incorporate the new characters or it could be just a way of getting players to abandon their grip on the original five to give the two new ones a going over.
This has obviously worked, as the two new characters are proving immensely popular, and have boosted battlenet's already healthy attendance. The assassin has proved particularly tasty, as she employs the traits of most of the other characters, plus her own unique charge-up skills. The druid works in a similar way to the necromancer, but instead of summoning skeletons he summons wolves, bears and poisonous vines to his side. If tweaking the sorceress's spell-casting speed helped combat the ever-present problem of online lag, then this guy makes up for it.
What makes this expansion pack good value, is that by making-over the original characters, it changes the way the original game is played. Although the fifth act is sadly rather short when compared to the previous four, the enhanced difficulty levels, new weapons and rune words, have kept the trade channels buzzing, and you can't build a superior online character unless you jump in and show off the colour of your money. Blizzard has cleared things up since we last saw Diablo 2 online, the play is quite smooth even on a 56K modem, although there's lag with larger games. Lord Of Destruction is a good package for newbies and veterans alike.


The woman responsible for the hit-and-run crash that killed a 17-year-old girl and severely injured her 18-year-old brother in 2013 will spend one year and one day in jail, officials say.
Kila Holland, a graduate of the University of Central Florida, was sentenced Monday. She pleaded no contest to a charge of leaving the scene of a fatal crash.
Holland was driving her 2008 two-door Mercedes on East Colonial Drive when troopers say she hit then 18-year-old Travis Luque Exposito and 17-year-old sister Melanie about 3:20 a.m. Dec. 6, 2013.
Court documents say Exposito was riding a bike with his sister standing behind him on foot pegs that were attached to the bike. The siblings were riding together and were not in the crosswalk at the time of the crash, according to Florida Highway Patrol.
The day after the crash, Holland — a UCF student at the time — went to FHP with a lawyer and told troopers where they could find her car.
One week before she was sentenced, Holland's attorney filed a memorandum requesting a lighter sentence, citing that not only did Holland cooperate with the investigation but this was an isolated event for which Holland was remorseful.
Ddec. 6 marked the two-year anniversary of the death of Melanie Exposito, who was riding on a bicycle with her older brother when a vehicle slammed into them and drove off.
Prosecutors however argued against those points and questioned if Holland was truly remorseful.
After her jail time is complete, Holland won't be able to get a driver license for three years and she will face 10 years of supervised probation, according to Angela Starke, spokeswoman for the State Attorney's Office.


Hi! I'm Jeché Rucker. College Park/East Point/SWATS-bred (GA). Rediscovering my footing after taking nearly a decade-long hiatus from consistent writing. My hope is that my writing will engage you in some way. From my heart to yours...Nineteenth Harmony.


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Ierapetra - search results
Another Femicide In Greece, in Ierapetra, Crete
Stacey Harris-Papaioannou - October 29, 2021
Another femicide has occurred in Greece as a 54-year-old man stabbed his ex-wife to death on Friday morning in Ierapetra, Crete. This marks the 13th...
Another Clay Amphora With Human Bones at Ierapetra, Crete
Mary Harris - August 17, 2016
A clay amphora containing human bones was found in the area of Gra Lygia, Ierapetra, in Crete. This is the second clay amphora with...
50-year-old French Tourist Found Dead in Hotel Pool in Ierapetra, Crete
Evgenia Choros - June 9, 2016
A 50-year-old French tourist who was vacationing in Ierapetra, Crete, was found dead in a swimming pool. The man was found floating in the pool...
Ierapetra Ancient Theater Comes to Light
Anastasios Papapostolou - June 17, 2013
A significant monument of historical and archaeological heritage, an ancient theater, has come to light at the excavations in Ierapetra. Today the works focused on...
Boat Thriller in Ierapetra, Crete
Maria Arkouli - April 7, 2013
On April 7, a recreational boat which tried to reach the port of Ierapetra and tie up there, was capsized by strong winds 8-9...
Portugal: European Award Given to Cretan Beaches of Ierapetra
Areti Kotseli - May 21, 2012
The Cretan town Ierapetra in the prefecture of Lasithi was awarded the Golden Pan-European Prize for the high quality of its beaches. The award...
The Largest Greek Salad In The World And A Tomato War In Ierapetra
A. Makris - June 19, 2010
The people of Ierapetra are about to make the largest Greek Salad in the world, weighing more than 11 tons. The event will also be...
Tourist Killed on Crete as Landslide Demolishes Rooms to Let
Giovanni Prete - October 30, 2022
A tragedy occurred in the early hours of Sunday, when a landslide demolished apartments to let, which resulted in the death of a Lithuanian...
Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake Hits South of Crete
Tasos Kokkinidis - October 2, 2022
An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 occurred in the early hours of Sunday eighty kilometers southeast of Ierapetra, Crete, the National Observatory of Athens (NOA)...
The German Massacre at Viannos, Crete Still Haunts Greece
Tasos Kokkinidis - September 15, 2022
The Viannos massacre, known as the "Viannos Holocaust," was a mass extermination campaign launched by Nazi forces against the civilian residents of around twenty...


The temperatures dropped hard today, the wind was blowing, and the western suburbs saw the first snows of the season today. I was fortunate enough to get out this morning while it was still sunny and relatively warm and get some shooting time in. The thick blanket of leaves in some areas made for a seasonally appropriate subject. We haven't seen a lot of reds this year, so this maple leaf certainly stood out in the crowd of browns and yellows.
It is almost amazing how close your photo is to the one Chuck in Seattle posted today.


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Peter Zachary Cohen (1931-) Biography
Personal, Career, Member, Writings, Sidelights
Born 1931; Education: University of Wyoming, B.S., 1953, M.A., 1961.
Kansas State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, Manhattan, KS, associate professor of English, 1961—. Member of Wabaunsee County (KS) Planning Commission, 1969—. Military service: U.S. Army, 1954-56.
Authors Guild.
The Muskie Hook, illustrated by Tom O'Sullivan, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1969.
The Bull in the Forest, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1969.
Morena, illustrated by Haris Petie, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1970.
The Authorized Autumn Charts of the Upper Red Canoe River Country, illustrated by Tomie de Paola, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1972.
Foal Creek, illustrated by Alan Moyler, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1972.
Bee, illustrated by Richard Cuffari, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1975.
Deadly Game at Stony Creek, illustrated by Michael J. Deas, Dial Press, 1978, reprinted, Puffin Books (New York, NY), 1993.
Calm Horse, Wild Night, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1982.
The Great Red River Raft, illustrated by James Watling, A. Whitman (Niles, IL), 1984.
Heyday Squares II, self-published, 1993.
Contributor, Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, editor, Utah: A Journey of Discovery, Gibbs Smith Publishers (Salt Lake City, UT), 1999. Columnist, "The Skylight," in The Prairie Falcon (regional Audubon Society monthly). Contributor to periodicals, including The Rotarian, Rural Papers, and American Dance Circle.
Peter Zachary Cohen once told SATA: "I enjoy almost anything connected with the field-and-stream out-of doors; live on a small farm raising sheep, horses and chickens under fence, coyotes, rabbits, owls and the evening stars, too, I guess, by letting them run loose. I return from those contacts with a renewed sense of wonder at the world. And I write to try to discover more about the 'whys' and 'what ifs' of the attitudes and situations I feel and observe. The extra fun is to try to discover them in an interesting way."
Miriam Cohen (1926-) Biography - Personal, Career, Honors Awards, Writings, Adaptations, Sidelights
Judith Ortiz Cofer: 1952—: Poet, Novelist, Educator Biography - Childhood Filled With Confusing Moves, Discovered Poetry After College, Writing Focused On Maintaining Identity


Left to right: Yoko Tomiyasu (Japan), Alidz Agbabian (Armenian Diaspora/USA), Sukuee Choi (Korea), Marian Hassan (Somalia/USA), Anna Onichimowska (Poland) and Devika Rangachari (India).
Every year, the library invites a different group of representative writers from various countries to meet not only children but also teachers, librarians and Swedish colleagues. In addition to Armenia, this year's book week will host authors from Korea (Choi Sukhee), Japan (Tomiyasu Yoko), India (Devika Rangachari), Poland (Anna Onichimowska) and Somalia (Marian Hassan).
The book week will feature seminars, workshops and school visits in and around Stockholm. Participants include writers, librarians, educators and publishers as well as other groups involved with children's literature. The group of invited authors also will meet with representatives of the Swedish Writers' Association, the Swedish Institute for Children's Books, the Swedish Academy of Children's Books and the International Library.
More than 8,000 Armenians call Sweden home. They include a large number of immigrants from Lebanon, Iran and other Middle Eastern countries who live in almost every city and town across the Scandinavian country. According to a 10th century Swedish legend, a navigator named Petrus was so enchanted by the beauty of an Armenian princess that he traveled to Armenia and married her. Traces of the Armenian influence are seen in many Swedish literary works and research documents, especially in the Middle Ages. Historians believe that the Swedes learned the art of needlework from the Armenians along with some musical notes during that era. Despite the repeated references, there is little or no mention of any real and continuous Armenian presence in Sweden until the 18th century. Apart from individual contacts, a group of Armenians from Turkey accompanied Swedish King Karl XII to Sweden in 1714 and stayed on, integrating into Swedish society over the years. Many Armenians were employed at the Swedish Embassy in Ottoman Turkey.
Alidz Agbabian is a storyteller and author who specializes in Armenian and Middle Eastern oral traditions, bringing folk tales, myths, songs and legends to many communities nationwide and around the world. Based in Los Angeles, Agbabian offers classroom, library and museum presentations, residencies and teachers' workshops, and develops special theme presentations for schools, exhibits, conventions and festivals. Known for her varied repertoire, she performs in a setting of cultural traditions, personal stories, artifacts, games and rhythmic speech that extends to the cultures of the Near East, the Mediterranean basin and the New Independent States (the former Soviet Union). As an author of children's books, she has established Dzil-u-Dzar Publications, which for the past dozen years has introduced high-quality, bilingual story books from the Armenian tradition to readers of all ages. More information is available at www.dziludzar.com.


Definition of head and neck cancer: Cancer that arises in the head or neck region (in the nasal cavity, sinuses, lips, mouth, salivary glands, throat, or larynx [voice box]).
Cancers of the head and neck, which include cancers of the oral cavity, larynx, pharynx,salivary glands, and nose/nasal passages, account for approximately three percent of allmalignancies in the United States.
Tobacco and alcohol use are the most important risk factors for most head and neck cancers. In addition, infection with certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV), particularly HPV type 16 (HPV16) and HPV type 18 (HPV18), causes more than half of all cases of oropharyngeal cancer, a type of head and neck cancer. There are no standard or routine screening tests for head and neck cancers. Standard treatments for head and neck cancers, which depend on the tumor location, the tumor stage, and the patient's age and overall health, include radiation therapy, surgery,chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or a combination of treatments.
In stage 0, abnormal cells are found in the lining of the larynx. These abnormal cells may becomecancer and spread into nearby normal tissue. Stage 0 is also called carcinoma in situ.
Supraglottis: Cancer is in one area of the supraglottis only and the vocal cords can move normally.
Glottis: Cancer is in one or both vocal cords and the vocal cords can move normally.
Subglottis: Cancer is in the subglottis only.
Supraglottis: Cancer is in more than one area of the supraglottis or surrounding tissues.
Glottis: Cancer has spread to the supraglottis and/or the subglottis and/or the vocal cordscannot move normally.
Subglottis: Cancer has spread to one or both vocal cords, which may not move normally.
Stage III laryngeal cancer depends on whether cancer has spread from the supraglottis, glottis, or subglottis.
cancer is in more than one area of the supraglottis or surrounding tissues and in one lymph node on the same side of the neck as the original tumor; the lymph node is 3 centimeters or smaller.
cancer has spread to the supraglottis and/or the subglottis and/or the vocal cords cannot move normally. Cancer has also spread to one lymph node on the same side of the neck as the original tumor and the lymph node is 3 centimeters or smaller.
cancer has spread to one or both vocal cords, which may not move normally. Cancer has also spread to one lymph node on the same side of the neck as the original tumor and the lymph node is 3 centimeters or smaller.
Stage IV is divided into stage IVA, stage IVB, and stage IVC. Each substage is the same for cancer in the supraglottis, glottis, or subglottis.
cancer has spread to one lymph node on the same side of the neck as the original tumor and the lymph node is larger than 3 centimeters but not larger than 6 centimeters, or has spread to more than one lymph node anywhere in the neck with none larger than 6 centimeters. Cancer may have spread to tissues beyond the larynx, such as the neck, trachea, thyroid, or esophagus. The vocal cords may not move normally.
cancer has spread to a lymph node that is larger than 6 centimeters and may have spread as far as the space in front of the spinal column, around the carotid artery, or to parts of the chest. The vocal cords may not move normally.
In stage IVC, cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs, liver, or bone.
In stage 0, abnormal cells are found in the lining of the lips and oral cavity. These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread into nearby normal tissue. Stage 0 is also called carcinoma in situ.
In stage I, cancer has formed and the tumor is 2 centimeters or smaller. Cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes.
In stage II, the tumor is larger than 2 centimeters but not larger than 4 centimeters, and cancerhas not spread to the lymph nodes.
is larger than 4 centimeters.
Stage IV is divided into stages IVA, IVB, and IVC.
to lymph nodes on the opposite side of the neck as the tumor or on both sides of the neck, and the lymph nodes are not larger than 6 centimeters.
has spread further into the muscles or bones in the oral cavity, or to the base of theskull and/or the carotid artery. Cancer may have spread to one or more lymph nodes anywhere in the neck.
In stage IVC, the tumor has spread beyond the lip or oral cavity to distant parts of the body, such as the lungs. The tumor may be any size and may have spread to the lymph nodes.
larger than 4 centimeters or has spread to the epiglottis (the flap that covers the tracheaduring swallowing). Cancer may have spread to one lymph node on the same side of the neck as the tumor and the lymph node is 3 centimeters or smaller.
may be any size and has spread to one or more lymph nodes that are larger than 6centimeters.


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Q: Integration Testing FubuMVC I was looking at this example https://github.com/DarthFubuMVC/fubumvc/blob/master/src/FubuMVC.AspNetTesting/Http/can_read_response.cs and wondering how I can integration test fubu mvc.
What I want to do is give it my request or input model, and then all the behaviours and handlers executed, so I am given back just the view model or redirect i.e. I don't need it to render the view.
Suggestions please?

A: Look at the tests in the integration testing project in FubuMVC instead.  If you can get away with it, it's much easier to use the Self Host capability instead.  I suppose this could be my weekly blog post for the week.


Pixel just released a new live music video for our song "Slinky". Some months ago we went to a building at Frysja in Oslo and we recorded different songs in this beautiful painted hall. Few weeks later this art center and building was demolished because our government rather would have soulless apartments than art centers in our city:/ We're happy we got to record our songs at Frysja and we hope that you like them! First out: Slinky. Enjoy!


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Hampden, New Zealand
Highly spherical boulders on the shores of New Zealand.
The Moeraki Boulders at sunrise. (Wikimedia Commons) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MoerakiB... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MoerakiBouldersSunrise.jpg)
A clump of highly spherical boulders. (Wikimedia Commons) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:South_Is... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:South_Island_Tour_382.jpg)
A boulder, showing the hollow interior. (Wikimedia Commons) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Moeraki-... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Moeraki-boulder-split_b.jpg)
Moeraki Boulders Tom Hall/CC BY 2.0
They are like giant geodes! Loo (Atlas Obscura User)
They look like dragon eggs. Loethlin (Atlas Obscura User)
Super foggy sometimes...walked the wrong direction because we couldn't tell where the boulders were. Loo (Atlas Obscura User)
Look for the boulder that resembles the Death Star. Loo (Atlas Obscura User)
Gavin (Atlas Obscura User)
Moeraki Boulders Stephan Ridgway/CC BY 2.0
According to local Maori legend, the Moeraki Boulders are the remains of eel baskets, kumaras, and calabashes that washed onto the shore after the wreck of Arai-te-uru, a large sailing canoe. The rocky shoals that extend out from Matakaea (Shag Point) represent the petrified hull of the canoe, the Maori say, and the nearby rocky promontory represents the body of the captain.
Top Places in New Zealand
Known for the tunnel that leads visitors to the water.
Added by hippy74
Castle Hill, New Zealand
The Dalai Lama named this New Zealand landscape the "Spiritual Center of the Universe."
Added by Bananaface
A New Zealand communications tower stands as the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere.
Added by astrid
See more things to do in New Zealand »
The Moeraki Boulders are actually a type of huge stone that is recognizable for being highly spherical. They can be found scattered around the Koekohe Beach near Moeraki, a small town on Aotearoa (New Zealand's) Otago coast. This section of beach has been protected by the government as a scientific reserve. The Moeraki Boulders are not the only rocks of this size and shape; there are huge spherical boulders molded over millions of years on other Aotearoa coasts as well.
Weighing several tons each, the Moeraki Boulders originally formed about 60 million years ago during the early Paleocene. Some can measure up to nine feet across. For millions of years, the boulders lay buried underground, covered up over time. Slowly, they have emerged as waves wash away the mudstone.
As mesmerizing as the boulders are there is a stunning array of seaweed, invertebrates, shells, bryozoan and ascidians (filter feeders that sieve food particles out of the water) and sponges washed up on the beach. A third of the 850 species of seaweed native to Aotearoa, are not found anywhere else in the world.
spheresgeological odditiesnatural wonders
Bananaface
**Aotearoa is the Māori name for New Zealand
http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/getting-involved/students-and-teachers/field-trips-by-region/002-the-otago-coast.pdf
Wendy Nelso - NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) Email correspondence
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/seaweed/page-1
Wikipedia: Moeraki Boulders: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moeraki_Boulders
New Zealand's Information Network: http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz/destinations/moeraki.html
Hampden, 9482
Oamaru, New Zealand
Steampunk HQ
The premier place to experience the Victorian imagining of the steam-powered future.
Added by oranereuland
Duntroon, New Zealand
Vanished World Centre
A hidden gem of a museum that lets you search for your own fossils.
Added by Lucy Beams
Larnachs Castle, New Zealand
One of New Zealand's few castles boasts beautiful gardens, grand architecture, and a history filled with family drama.
Added by rachealanne83
Baldwin Street
One of the world's steepest streets seems to have houses sliding down it.
Volgograd, Russia
Mysterious Volgograd Balls
Volcanic irregularity? Odd erosion? Alien eggs? Local legends compete to explain these strange orbs.
Added by ekoptev
Shetpe, Kazakhstan
Valley of Balls
Mysterious spherical rocks in the semi-desert of western Kazakhstan.
Davenport, Australia
Devil's Marbles
Clusters of huge boulders in the Australian Outback.
Franconia, New Hampshire
Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza
A serene plaza that commemorates one of the Granite State's most iconic figures.


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FILE PHOTO -Jun 23, 2019; St. Louis, MO, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs (45) pitches during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo
RIP, Tyler Skaggs
The latest tragedy to the Angels' organization
Drew Sarver· 7 months ago
Sadness hit the baseball and non-baseball communities Monday afternoon upon learning of the passing of Los Angeles Angels pitcher, Tyler Skaggs.
That's what happens when someone dies at the tender age of 27.
Shortly after the news broke that Skaggs was found unresponsive in his Texas hotel, social media was beset by an outpouring of grief from the MLB executive office, current and former teammates, other players and front office personnel, baseball writers and fans, and those who didn't know who Skaggs was before yesterday.
His teammates talked about how he kept the locker room upbeat and was someone who loved life.
As expected, yesterday's game between the Angels and Texas Rangers was canceled. Rangers' GM Jon Daniels and manager Chris Woodward were both very emotional when they met with the press.
Words cannot express the deep sadness we feel right now. Our thoughts and prayers are with Carli and their families. Remembering him as a great teammate, friend, and person who will forever remain in our hearts… we love you, 45.
A post shared by Mike Trout (@miketrout) on Jul 1, 2019 at 5:02pm PDT
They grieved for his wife of seven months, Carli. They grieved for his mom, legendary softball coach, Debbie.
By all accounts, Skaggs was beloved his teammates, admired by his opponents, and just a great guy.
We are deeply saddened by the tragic news that Tyler Skaggs, 27, passed away this morning. https://t.co/q150hyH01J pic.twitter.com/y1X5ctlWDl
— MLB (@MLB) July 1, 2019
A tearful Billy Eppler (Angels GM): "He had a long life ahead of him, and now that's gone. Everybody grieves in their own way, and everybody has to find peace through this eventually, but it's just a tragic day for everybody, especially his family."
I am devastated about the passing of my close friend @TylerSkaggs37… what a great kid and ultimate competitor. He always wanted to get better and it was awesome being apart of his development! My heart is w his wife Carli and his mom Debbie 🙏🏻🙏🏻
— Jered Weaver (@Weave1036) July 1, 2019
Giancarlo Stanton, who lost his teammate Jose Fernandez in 2016, had this to say: "RIP Bro, My heart goes out to your family. My message to the Angels while having no time for yourself to grieve is to hug each other, laugh, cry, lift the ones taking it extra hard up.
You're going to wonder why all of this is happening , is it real, why are u suiting up to play a game that seems irrelevant.
Some Anger will ensue while u have to grieve in a fish bowl.. A lot will go through your mind. So stay together through that. The first days back to schedule are the weirdest feeling, from the energy to the questions to having to walk by his locker.
Try to Focus & understand how important your strength is for his family, all of your supporters & anyone looking for the power to overcome something. They're looking @ you for guidance. So you all really need each other right now.
Stay strong fellas I'm thinking about you!"
The Angels have had more than their fair share of tragedy in recent years. In 2009, 22-year old pitcher Nick Adenhart was struck and killed by a drunk driver.
Last summer, Angels' prospect (and Mike Trout's brother-in-law) Aaron Cox committed suicide. He was only 24-years old.
Prior to this season, infielder Luis Valbuena and two others died in a car crash while playing winter ball in Venezuela.
In 1992, the Angels' team bus swerved off the road into a tree-laden area. 13 people were injured, including manager Cal McLish, who broke an elbow, knee, and a rib. Traveling Secretary Frank Sims cracked ribs and suffered a punctured lung.
In 1978, star outfielder Lyman Bostock was shot and killed while riding in the backseat of a car. The shooter was the estranged/jealous husband of a female passenger sitting next to Bostock. Bostock had only met the woman 20 minutes prior to traveling together in the car.
Minnie Rojas was an infielder on the California Angels 1970 squad. While driving home from a family vacation on March 31st of that year, Rojas' car was struck by a hit-and-run driver. Two of his children were killed in the crash, and Rojas suffered injuries to his spinal cord that left him permanently paralyzed from the waist down.
Infielder Chico Ruiz (1972), pitcher Bruce Heinbechner (1974), and infielder Mike Miley (1977) each died in separate car accidents. In 1965, pitcher Dick Wants made his Major League debut and died a month later of cancer.
I would never say that a team is jinxed, but the Angels certainly have had more than enough bad things impact members of their organization.
The only Derek Jeter stat you need to know
Should the Astros be stripped of their World Series?
Report: Yankees interview David Cone for pitching coach job
Where is Aroldis Chapman going? F*CKING NOWHERE!
Yankees: Savages to Ravages
Thank you, next: Yankees to fire Rothschild


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Aerohive® Delivers Industry-First Combined SD-WAN & SD-LAN User & App Traffic Management
New User and Application-Based Traffic Management Transcends End-to-End Access Networks Under a Single Network Policy for Increased Performance, Security, and Operational Simplicity
Milpitas, Calif. — April 19, 2018 — Aerohive Networks® (NYSE: HIVE), a Cloud Networking leader, today announced an industry first for unified SD-WAN & SD-LAN access networks, adding end-to-end granular user and application policy enforcement, and new WAN and VPN link-performance analytics for greater insight into the overall operations of distributed networks.
As IT departments struggle with distributed network complexity, high MPLS costs, and reduced resources, SD-WAN has become a highly popular solution for reliable, cost-efficient, and centrally orchestrated networks. To further simplify remote network management and policy enforcement, Aerohive's unified SD-LAN and SD-WAN platform has been enhanced with an industry-first single policy user-and-application-based traffic forwarding engine, and a new analytics dashboard detailing WAN utilization, performance, and reliability metrics so that administrators can have a clear view of their network operations.
Building on its link-state monitoring and dynamic-path selection capabilities, Aerohive is now able to further optimize traffic forwarding decisions under a single unified policy for both the LAN and WAN infrastructure, based on a combination of user and application factors. From a single workflow, administrators can create granular rules that look deeper into the context of traffic flowing in and out of a remote site from access points to routers and beyond. Administrators can, for example, create a policy that treats a corporate user using Skype very differently to a BYO or guest device using Skype, dictating which WAN links are used, with what bandwidth, etc. Once configured, all forwarding decisions are made in real-time, based on current link metrics. The end result is that WAN and VPN performance is increased, and stability and uptime are improved.
Complementing the new user and application profiling techniques, Aerohive has also introduced a large set of monitoring and analytics tools to HiveManager, enabling administrators to view the effectiveness of their routing policies and WAN link states. With this recent update, a customer can now see real-time and historical analytics that illustrate VPN latency, packet loss, throughput statistics and overall link quality using a variety of key performance indicators. Administrators can also view which applications are constraining bandwidth and make policy changes in minutes for thousands of sites. SD-WAN analytics help a customer understand how its WAN and VPN connections are performing along with the dynamic path-selection decisions that are being made. With this new insight, a level of assurance is offered to the customer as its witnesses first-hand the automatic optimization of the Aerohive SD-WAN solution, delivering continued network operation and performance.
Aerohive's SD-WAN solution addresses pitfalls of legacy WAN products by providing a software-defined solution that adapts to changing environments, reduces the dependency on expensive MPLS connections, and addresses the most common scalability concerns for WAN and VPN deployments. When combined with Aerohive's SD-LAN access points and switches, administrators with large distributed access networks can radically simplify deployment, management, and ongoing support from a single, unified console.


St. Louis pitching coach Dave Duncan justifiably has a reputation for getting minds straight and careers back on track. But if you're looking for baseball's trendy new garden spot for pitching turnarounds, feel free to hang a left at the Gateway Arch and travel 1,858 miles due west.
Here we are, smack between Memorial Day and the All-Star break, and the San Diego Padres are hanging around the top of the National League West with a 38-28 record. At the risk of stating the obvious, it's not because they can mash.
Those dire spring training predictions about the Padres' offense weren't far off base. Adrian Gonzalez is having his usual productive season, with 15 homers, 44 RBIs and a .918 OPS, but he's a slugger in need of a wing man. When Scott Hairston ranks second on the team with seven homers, his brother Jerry ranks second on the team with 23 RBIs and Nick Hundley is the only other Padre with an OPS over .750, each Gonzalez plate appearance is an intentional walk waiting to happen.
How long can the Padres stay in contention behind a steady rotation, a lights-out bullpen and a flair for winning 2-1 and 3-2 games? They're keeping the debate alive longer than most people anticipated.
Pick a pitching category, and the Padres rank near the top of it. The San Diego staff leads the majors with a 3.06 ERA, 520 strikeouts and nine shutouts, and the bullpen ranks first with a 3.85 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Tampa Bay's bullpen is a distant second with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.72.
The Padres have thrived without Jake Peavy, who was traded to the White Sox for four young arms last July, and with no help from Chris Young, who went down with a strained shoulder April 7 and has pitched six innings all season.
In addition, spot starter and long man Tim Stauffer, who allowed one run in 23 1/3 innings before going on the disabled list, is working his way back on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Portland. Stauffer made news when he used an application on his iPhone to diagnose himself with appendicitis in May.
The knee-jerk inclination is to attribute every piece of good news about San Diego's pitching to Petco Park. From the moment Ryan Klesko and Phil Nevin grumbled about the first batting practice at Petco, the place has had a reputation for crushing hitters' spirits and inflating pitchers' egos.
Truth be told, the Padres derive some comfort from knowing that lots of well-hit fly balls are going to die at the warning track -- if not sooner -- during 81 home games each season.
"I'll be the first to admit that the park does slant toward the pitchers. Absolutely," said manager Bud Black.
But the Padres don't exactly melt at the prospect of pitching in venues where it's not sunny, 72 degrees and spacious in the gaps. They're 17-13 with a 3.50 ERA on the road, and are limiting opponents to a major league-low .239 batting average in away games. Only Tampa Bay, at 3.09, has a lower team ERA on the road.
"I think the ballpark might be the most overrated aspect to it," Young said. "No. 1, you have talented pitchers. That's the first and foremost thing. I think a lot of it is attributable to the coaching staff. And every year we have a good defense and guys who can run the ball down in the outfield. Once you have a little success, it breeds confidence and carries over to everyone."
The Padres' commitment to pitching is reflected by a coaching staff that's baseball's answer to the Brookings Institution. Black is the only former big league pitcher currently managing in the majors. Darren Balsley is widely regarded as one of the game's unsung pitching coaches. The relievers love bullpen coach Darrel Akerfelds, and bench coach Ted Simmons brings the perspective of a guy who played 1,771 games in the majors as a catcher.
The old general manager, Kevin Towers, was a former minor league pitcher with an eye for scoping out bargains, especially in the bullpen. The new GM, Jed Hoyer, holds the career saves record for Division III Wesleyan University.
Black has created a nurturing environment for pitchers, where a free exchange of ideas is encouraged and coaches are empowered to make their mark. If there's one overriding theme in San Diego, it's the importance of fastball command. That's not uncommon among big league clubs, but the Padres encourage their pitchers to throw lots and lots of fastballs in spring training and make the heater a focal point in bullpen side sessions.
"If you can't locate your fastball and don't use your fastball, you're not going to be a major league pitcher long term," Black said. "We're talking mechanics. We're talking mindset. The fastball is an aggressive pitch, and if you don't have an aggressive mindset as a pitcher, you're not going to throw your fastball with conviction."
While there's no definitive prototype for a Padres pitcher, the 2010 San Diego rotation would probably lead the majors in offensive rebounding. Of the five starters, Mat Latos and Jon Garland are listed at 6-foot-6. Clayton Richard is 6-5 and Kevin Correia and Wade LeBlanc are both 6-3. Then there's Young, who stands 6-10 and played hoops at Princeton.
"They're all very athletic, and if I ask them to do something, they're capable of doing it," Balsley said. "When you have guys who are athletic and smart, it makes for a pretty good pitcher."
Latos, an 11th round "draft-and-follow" pick in 2006, is less than a year removed from an appearance in the All-Star Futures Game, where he dressed in a pitching prospects' Murderers' Row alongside Kyle Drabek, Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz, Casey Kelly and Madison Bumgarner. After the Padres summoned him last July, Latos experienced some good and bad days as a rookie. His stuff was definitely big league-caliber, but he also had a penchant for stewing over tight strike zones and misplays in the field.
When Latos reached his innings limit in September, the Padres told him to sit and watch how veteran pitchers dealt with setbacks and tuned out the distractions. Although Latos still shows flashes of immaturity, Balsley says his mound presence and professional demeanor are "light years" ahead of last summer.
In April, Latos shifted from the third-base side to the first-base side of the rubber, and that adjustment allowed him to take a straighter line to home plate and bury his slider down and in on lefties and away from right-handed hitters. In addition, he's done a much better job of maintaining his focus. With his lanky build, blond hair and bubble-gum-chewing energy, Latos has a touch of Florida surfer dude about him. But he's growing up in a hurry at age 22.
"Last September I got to thinking, 'What's the point of showing my emotions on the mound? All I'm doing is making myself look like an idiot or an immature kid,'" Latos said. "Granted, I'm still a kid, and I like to goof around. But my dad is 50 years old and he does too, so that's always going to stick with me no matter how old I am.
"I don't want my teammates to think that I don't care or that I've given up. I want them to know that no matter what the score is -- even if I'm getting lit up -- I'm not going to show any emotions and I'm going to be out there fighting for them."
Most nights, Latos and his rotation-mates keep the Padres in the game for six or seven innings and let the bullpen apply the clamps. Closer Heath Bell has converted 17 of 20 save attempts, and his setup contingent of Luke Gregerson, Mike Adams, Ryan Webb, Edward Mujica and Joe Thatcher has been untouchable as a rule.
Gregerson, acquired from St. Louis in a trade for Khalil Greene, is sporting a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 41-2, and hasn't allowed a walk to his past 109 batters. That's the longest streak for a reliever since Boston's Jonathan Papelbon went 127 straight batters without issuing a walk in 2008. Gregerson's done it while throwing his slider more than 60 percent of the time.
"Luke's slider is fantastic," Balsley said. "It's a pitch that hitters just don't see when it's down in the zone."
Gregerson, who claims to have rooted for both the Cubs and White Sox during his formative years in Chicago, wears an ornate tattoo on his left upper arm with the names "Bette," "Lucille" and "Patricia." He designed the tattoo last winter as a loving memorial to his two late grandmothers and a favorite aunt who also died.
"I just love them because they were such great people," Gregerson said. "I think about them all the time."
The way Gregerson and his fellow Padres are playing, they're inspiring a few tributes of their own these days.
"I remember earlier this season when people were saying, 'Yeah, the Padres are winning games, but are these guys for real?'" Gregerson said. "And Tony La Russa told the media, 'I don't know what you guys are talking about, because these guys can play.' I thought that was pretty cool on his part."
Feel free to call the Padres baseball's biggest surprise, or a midsummer mirage if you're not completely sold. But you won't be calling them anonymous much longer.
Jerry Crasnick is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Click here to purchase a copy of his book, "License To Deal," published by Rodale. Crasnick can be reached via e-mail.


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End of an era at Ransome's Dock
This article was also published in the Financial Times.
'I am reeling from the news about the imminent closure of Ransome's Dock', emailed a former banker who since her move from New York to London has grown increasingly impressed by her adopted city's restaurants, 'although I understand the rationale'. And she is far from the only one.
Many who enjoy excellent food, a great wine list and very fair prices (on the current menu the only main course over £20 is the 30-day aged sirloin steak and chips) will feel the same way about this restaurant right by the Thames and not that far from Battersea Park run by husband and wife, Martin and Vanessa Lam, for the past 21 years. Those who wish to take advantage of this epitome of a warm, family-owned restaurant should get there before their final service on 11 August.
I know what a principled professional Martin is because he was my chef and partner in L'Escargot in Soho in the 1980s. During that period I had also begun to appreciate what an excellent pastry chef Vanessa is over lunches in their home when our respective children were small. Ransome's Dock allowed her to develop these skills – her treacle tart remains the best I have ever eaten – and these talents were inherited by Harriet, their younger daughter, who worked in the Ransome's Dock kitchens for two years and as a manager for one. Sophie, her elder sister and today a travel writer, also worked as a waitress here, thereby ensuring that the restaurant was very much a family affair.
To survive and to give so much pleasure to so many over 21 years in an industry not known for its longevity is a great tribute to the Lams' collective culinary prowess. But the restaurant's closure is significant for several reasons.
The first is the retirement from active duty at the stoves of the wave of chefs who, when young, were some of the first to highlight the importance of the best seasonal British produce. Vanessa, now 61, first met Martin, 57, while they were working in the late Justin de Blank's provision store in Belgravia, where the food writer Elizabeth David was a customer. Martin was to cook for David at The English House restaurant and this extraordinary food writer is still credited as the author of the Lams' recipe for spinach and ricotta gnocchi with butter, sage and Parmesan that has been one of the mainstays of the menu.
But as I write this with their menu by my side, I have considerable difficulty in deciding what I would choose to eat if I were sitting at one of the restaurant's outdoor tables by the water. Gazpacho, perhaps, or a grilled artichoke heart with goats curd, broad beans and mint to start with? Then sea trout with pastis mayonnaise or a duck breast, an ingredient Martin has always cooked expertly, with peas, or the Dorset plaice fillet with clams? Since Vanessa's treacle tart is not on this menu, I would be forced to relish her gooseberry fool, crème caramel or hazelnut meringue with strawberries and cream instead.
Alongside these attractions, Martin also made the restaurant a magnet for luminaries of the world's wine trade. Inspired by a dinner in the restaurant's earliest days organised by David Gleave of Liberty Wines for Isole e Olena, the renowned Chianti producer, Martin began to appreciate quite how much business and intellectual pleasure cooking for wine producers could bring to him and his brigade and quite how enthusiastically his regular customers would respond to the special wine dinners he organised. This ploy was also effective in spreading his restaurant's name around the world.
The Lams have been instrumental in making this part of London far more widely recognised by food and wine lovers, to the extent that the restaurant is part of 'the knowledge' for aspiring London taxi drivers. But pioneers tend not to be fixated on profit. While the business grew to a turnover of just over £1 million by 2008, and Martin in particular passed on his own knowledge to a younger generation of chefs, many of whom have carried it back to their own kitchens in Australia and New Zealand, the restaurant never made enough cash to undergo a much-needed internal re-design.
It then suffered two hefty body blows. The first was that the entertainment company that belonged to Simon Fuller, whose offices were located next door and which yielded many excellent customers, was sold and the staff relocated. And then for a period of 22 months from February 2010 to December 2011, the crucial nearby Albert Bridge was closed to all traffic, thereby closing, as Martin recalled dejectedly, 'the direct link to the heart of our regular clientele in Chelsea'.
Parkgate Road became an area through which for almost two years hardly anyone drove a car, while the surrounding area became a permanent traffic logjam. Business fell by over 25% immediately and the prospects for a significant recovery were scuppered by a new wave of restaurants opening in more central areas, several of whom followed the Lams' principles and proved more convenient for wine enthusiasts.
Vanessa roars with laughter when I suggest that the future without the restaurant may be more financially lucrative than the past. 'It has to be', she responds. After a month away from the stoves she intends to find a way of passing on her culinary expertise, as does Martin.
Happily, Ransome's Dock passes into the capable hands of another husband and wife team, Johan and Elsa De Jager, who aim to delight new, and old, customers from October.
Photo courtesy of canalandriversidepubs co uk.
Ransome's Dock 35 Parkgate Road, London SW11 4NP: tel 020 7223 1611
Mendoza 2013 harvest report
Roberto de la Mota (pictured), talented and experienced winemaker at Mendel Wines, in which he is also a partner, and...
Or, view previous article: End of an era at Ransome's Dock


HID Global has released a set of components known collectively as identiFUEL that it says will enable fuel-management system (FMS) providers to further automate their offerings for managing fueling processes. IdentiFUEL employs passive low-frequency (LF) 125 kHz RFID technology and is designed to enable cashless fueling of a company's vehicle fleets, prevent fraud and contamination (such as a driver using the wrong fuel), and accurately track when fuel is taken, which vehicle operators have done so and the volume of fuel being consumed.
IdentiFUEL is the commercialized version of a set of RFID-based fuel-management components that HID Global acquired in late 2015 from South African company identiTAG. Since 2002, identiTAG customers worldwide had been using those components to track fuel use in their vehicle fleets, but the system is now exclusively available under the HID brand. HID Global demonstrated the identiFUEL system at the RFID Journal LIVE! conference and exhibition, held earlier this month in Orlando, Fla.
The fuel nozzle is sandwiched inside the battery-powered identiFUEL HBN905 reader, the two halves of which are screwed together.
After offering identiTAG components to a few customers throughout the past few years, HID Global decided to commercialize the technology for use as a general standard platform, says Richard Aufreiter, the company's product-management director for identification technologies.
IdentiFUEL is designed for use by transportation providers, such as bus and taxi companies, as well as by construction, logistics, car-rental, agricultural, government, mining and aviation firms (for monitoring airport vehicles, in the latter cases). The system could also be used at harbors to manage the fueling of land vehicles and boats.
The identiFUEL passive LF RFID vehicle tags come in four sizes and form factors (clockwise from top left): Block, measuring 2.0 by 1.18 by 0.6 inch (52 by 30 by 14.5 millimeters); Cap, 1.18 by 0.67 by 0.79 inch (30 by 17 by 20 millimeters); Wing, 0.98 by 1.0 by 0.44 inch (25 by 25.8 by 11.2 millimeters); and Disc, 1.18 by 0.2 inch (30 by 0.5 millimeter).
By using HID Global's identiFUEL technology for fueling automation, Aufreiter says, companies can reduce the transaction time for drivers, who might otherwise need to fill out paperwork. The identiFUEL system automatically captures additional data, such as a driver's ID number and the vehicle's engine time running. What's more, it offers security, since the collected read data will permit the dispensing of fuel only if a driver or vehicle is approved.
The new system features HID Global's passive LF IdentiFUEL vehicle tags, which are attached to vehicle fuel tanks. The tags are fuel- and water-resistant and will self-destruct if removed after installation. A battery-powered RFID reader, installed on the nozzle of a fueling station's pump, reads the ID encoded to a vehicle's tag and transmits that data, via a 433 MHz transmission, to an IdentiFUEL Wireless Controller, which forwards the information to the user's FMS software system on a server or a local database.
The reader awakens when its built-in motion sensor detects that the nozzle has been removed from the pump. This design enables the reader's battery to last for approximately three years, Aufreiter reports, assuming 200 minutes of use per day. Once activated, he says, the reader captures the vehicle tag's ID, which enables the FMS software on the hosted server to identify not only the vehicle being fueled, but also the fuel type appropriate for that vehicle. The FMS software instructs the IdentiFUEL Wireless Controller to release the flow of fuel.


2 Make up the bracelet base by taking one 6mm jump ring and threading the end of the 18cm length of chain and attaching the clasp. Take one new 6mm jump ring and attach the 8mm twisted close ring to the other side of the chain. Now take one more 6mm jump ring and attach the previous twisted ring and one new twisted ring. Take one head pin with ball and thread one 6mm pearl bead. Trim 1cm from the bead and start to form a loop. Before closing the loop attach to the last twisted ring.