text:
package org.apache.camel.component.jdbc;

import java.sql.Connection;
import java.sql.ResultSet;
import java.sql.ResultSetMetaData;
import java.sql.SQLException;
import java.sql.Statement;
import java.sql.Types;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;
import javax.sql.DataSource;

import org.apache.camel.Exchange;
import org.apache.camel.impl.DefaultProducer;
import org.apache.camel.util.IntrospectionSupport;
import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;

/**
 * @version
 */
public class JdbcProducer extends DefaultProducer {
    private static final transient Logger LOG = LoggerFactory.getLogger(JdbcProducer.class);
    private DataSource dataSource;
    private int readSize;
    private Map<String, Object> parameters;

    public JdbcProducer(JdbcEndpoint endpoint, DataSource dataSource, int readSize, Map<String, Object> parameters) throws Exception {
        super(endpoint);
        this.dataSource = dataSource;
        this.readSize = readSize;
        this.parameters = parameters;
    }

    @Override
    public JdbcEndpoint getEndpoint() {
        return (JdbcEndpoint) super.getEndpoint();
    }

    /**
     * Execute sql of exchange and set results on output
     */
    public void process(Exchange exchange) throws Exception {
        if (getEndpoint().isResetAutoCommit()) {
            processingSqlBySettingAutoCommit(exchange);
        } else {
            processingSqlWithoutSettingAutoCommit(exchange);
        }
        // populate headers
        exchange.getOut().getHeaders().putAll(exchange.getIn().getHeaders());
    }

    private void processingSqlBySettingAutoCommit(Exchange exchange) throws Exception {
        String sql = exchange.getIn().getBody(String.class);
        Connection conn = null;
        Boolean autoCommit = null;
        try {
            conn = dataSource.getConnection();
            autoCommit = conn.getAutoCommit();
            if (autoCommit) {
                conn.setAutoCommit(false);
            }

            createAndExecuteSqlStatement(exchange, sql, conn);

            conn.commit();
        } catch (Exception e) {
            try {
                if (conn != null) {
                    conn.rollback();
                }
            } catch (SQLException sqle) {
                LOG.warn("Error occurred during jdbc rollback. This exception will be ignored.", sqle);
            }
            throw e;
        } finally {
            resetAutoCommit(conn, autoCommit);
            closeQuietly(conn);
        }
    }

    private void processingSqlWithoutSettingAutoCommit(Exchange exchange) throws Exception {
        String sql = exchange.getIn().getBody(String.class);
        Connection conn = null;
        try {
            conn = dataSource.getConnection();
            createAndExecuteSqlStatement(exchange, sql, conn);
        } finally {
            closeQuietly(conn);
        }
    }

    private void createAndExecuteSqlStatement(Exchange exchange, String sql, Connection conn) throws Exception {
        Statement stmt = null;
        ResultSet rs = null;
        try {
            stmt = conn.createStatement();

            if (parameters != null && !parameters.isEmpty()) {
                IntrospectionSupport.setProperties(stmt, parameters);
            }

            LOG.debug("Executing JDBC statement: {}", sql);

            Boolean shouldRetrieveGeneratedKeys =
                    exchange.getIn().getHeader(JdbcConstants.JDBC_RETRIEVE_GENERATED_KEYS, false, Boolean.class);

            boolean stmtExecutionResult;
            if (shouldRetrieveGeneratedKeys) {
                Object expectedGeneratedColumns = exchange.getIn().getHeader(JdbcConstants.JDBC_GENERATED_COLUMNS);
                if (expectedGeneratedColumns == null) {
                    stmtExecutionResult = stmt.execute(sql, Statement.RETURN_GENERATED_KEYS);
                } else if (expectedGeneratedColumns instanceof String[]) {
                    stmtExecutionResult = stmt.execute(sql, (String[]) expectedGeneratedColumns);
                } else if (expectedGeneratedColumns instanceof int[]) {
                    stmtExecutionResult = stmt.execute(sql, (int[]) expectedGeneratedColumns);
                } else {
                    throw new IllegalArgumentException(
                            "Header specifying expected returning columns isn't an instance of String[] or int[] but "
                            + expectedGeneratedColumns.getClass());
                }
            } else {
                stmtExecutionResult = stmt.execute(sql);
            }

            if (stmtExecutionResult) {
                rs = stmt.getResultSet();
                setResultSet(exchange, rs);
            } else {
                int updateCount = stmt.getUpdateCount();
                exchange.getOut().setHeader(JdbcConstants.JDBC_UPDATE_COUNT, updateCount);
            }

            if (shouldRetrieveGeneratedKeys) {
                setGeneratedKeys(exchange, stmt.getGeneratedKeys());
            }
        } finally {
            closeQuietly(rs);
            closeQuietly(stmt);
        }
    }

    private void closeQuietly(ResultSet rs) {
        if (rs != null) {
            try {
                rs.close();
            } catch (SQLException sqle) {
                LOG.warn("Error by closing result set: " + sqle, sqle);
            }
        }
    }

    private void closeQuietly(Statement stmt) {
        if (stmt != null) {
            try {
                stmt.close();
            } catch (SQLException sqle) {
                LOG.warn("Error by closing statement: " + sqle, sqle);
            }
        }
    }

    private void resetAutoCommit(Connection con, Boolean autoCommit) {
        if (con != null && autoCommit != null) {
            try {
                con.setAutoCommit(autoCommit);
            } catch (SQLException sqle) {
                LOG.warn("Error by resetting auto commit to its original value: " + sqle, sqle);
            }
        }
    }

    private void closeQuietly(Connection con) {
        if (con != null) {
            try {
                con.close();
            } catch (SQLException sqle) {
                LOG.warn("Error by closing connection: " + sqle, sqle);
            }
        }
    }

    /**
     * Sets the generated if any to the Exchange in headers :
     * - {@link JdbcConstants#JDBC_GENERATED_KEYS_ROW_COUNT} : the row count of generated keys
     * - {@link JdbcConstants#JDBC_GENERATED_KEYS_DATA} : the generated keys data
     *
     * @param exchange The exchange where to store the generated keys
     * @param generatedKeys The result set containing the generated keys
     */
    protected void setGeneratedKeys(Exchange exchange, ResultSet generatedKeys) throws SQLException {
        if (generatedKeys != null) {
            List<Map<String, Object>> data = extractResultSetData(generatedKeys);

            exchange.getOut().setHeader(JdbcConstants.JDBC_GENERATED_KEYS_ROW_COUNT, data.size());
            exchange.getOut().setHeader(JdbcConstants.JDBC_GENERATED_KEYS_DATA, data);
        }
    }

    /**
     * Sets the result from the ResultSet to the Exchange as its OUT body.
     */
    protected void setResultSet(Exchange exchange, ResultSet rs) throws SQLException {
        List<Map<String, Object>> data = extractResultSetData(rs);

        exchange.getOut().setHeader(JdbcConstants.JDBC_ROW_COUNT, data.size());
        exchange.getOut().setBody(data);
    }

    /**
     * Extract the result from the ResultSet
     *
     * @param rs rs produced by the SQL request
     * @return All the resulting rows containing each field of the ResultSet
     */
    protected List<Map<String, Object>> extractResultSetData(ResultSet rs) throws SQLException {
        ResultSetMetaData meta = rs.getMetaData();

        // should we use jdbc4 or jdbc3 semantics
        boolean jdbc4 = getEndpoint().isUseJDBC4ColumnNameAndLabelSemantics();

        int count = meta.getColumnCount();
        List<Map<String, Object>> data = new ArrayList<Map<String, Object>>();
        int rowNumber = 0;
        while (rs.next() && (readSize == 0 || rowNumber < readSize)) {
            Map<String, Object> row = new LinkedHashMap<String, Object>();
            for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
                int columnNumber = i + 1;
                // use column label to get the name as it also handled SQL SELECT aliases
                String columnName;
                if (jdbc4) {
                    // jdbc 4 should use label to get the name
                    columnName = meta.getColumnLabel(columnNumber);
                } else {
                    // jdbc 3 uses the label or name to get the name
                    try {
                        columnName = meta.getColumnLabel(columnNumber);
                    } catch (SQLException e) {
                        columnName = meta.getColumnName(columnNumber);
                    }
                }
                // use index based which should be faster
                int columnType = meta.getColumnType(columnNumber);
                if (columnType == Types.CLOB || columnType == Types.BLOB) {
                    row.put(columnName, rs.getString(columnNumber));
                } else {
                    row.put(columnName, rs.getObject(columnNumber));
                }
            }
            data.add(row);
            rowNumber++;
        }
        return data;
    }

}


This year's Jeannette K. Watson Distinguished Visiting Professor is Cherríe Moraga, Artist-in-Residence in the Department of Theater and Performance Studies and the Comparative Program of Race and Ethnicity at Stanford University.
Moraga's body of work contributes centrally to an inclusive humanities horizon for the twenty first century. She is widely recognized for groundbreaking interventions in literature, drama, and feminist activism and theory. An array of lectures and workshops will connect Moraga to students and interested publics during her two week residency in Syracuse. View or download the announcement of Watson events.
February 20, 7 - 9 p.m.
February 21, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
February 22, 6 - 8 p.m.
February 23, 2 - 5 p.m.
February 23, 6 - 8 p.m.
February 24, 6 - 8 p.m.
February 27, 2:15 - 5 p.m.
February 28, 7 - 9 p.m.
March 1, 6 - 8 p.m.
March 2, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
March 3, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
March 3, 6 - 8 p.m.
Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies, Democratizing Knowledge Collective, Department of Drama, English Department, Goldring Arts Journalism Program, La Casita Cultural Center, State University of New York Press, LaLUCHA (Latino Undergraduates Creating Change in America), Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Latino and Latin American Studies Program, LGBT Studies Program, Native American and Indigenous Studies Program, Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center, Syracuse Stage, Women's and Gender Studies, Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition, The Writing Program.
The Jeannette K. Watson Distinguished Visiting Professorship in the Humanities is a preeminent lectureship established by the Watson family to support the visits of prominent humanities scholars, writers, and artists. Previous holders of the professorship include: Saul Bellow, Laura Freixas, Noam Chomsky, Angela Davis, Hans Mommsen, Toni Morrison, Mario Vargas Llosa, Leo Steinberg, Teresa de Lauretis, Stephen Greenblatt, Anthony Grafton, and Margaret Atwood.


Enter to COSMIC folder and launch run.bat (may take a moment).
IMPORTANT NOTE: You should download and install MCR (Matlab Component Runtime) for R2011b (7.13)(unless you already have this version installed).
Download and extract cosmic_linux_v4_1113.zip to some folder.
Download and extract cosmic_mac_0512.zip to some folder.
For support please contact Assif Yitzhaky.


We're already into 2018 — are your resolutions still on track?
If you've slipped up already, here's how to revive your resolutions and make them stick.
According to a recent study, only 8% of people in the US achieve the goals they set on New Year's Eve(1). But before you lose heart and pick up that chocolate bar or light a cigarette, consider these top tips to help you stick to your resolutions this year.
You may have made your resolution at the stroke of midnight, without much thought of how to achieve it. If this is the case, chances are slim that you'll sick to your resolution until next New Year's. So before you go any further, take some time to plan out how you'll actually succeed. For example, if your aim is to save the deposit for a house, come up with a specific, measurable goal — in other words, the amount you hope to put away by the end of the year.
Then, break down the steps you need to take to achieve that goal. How much will you need to save each month? Are there any unnecessary costs you could cut out to make it easier to save? And don't forget to plan ways to overcome any potential obstacles to your success — like an unexpected major expense or a drop in your motivation level as the year progresses.
If you've kept to your resolution so far, congratulations! But even if you've hit a stumbling block, it's never too late to start again. Changing ingrained habits takes time and persistence, and part of the process can be moving two steps forward and one step back.
Focus on the end goal, and find ways to remind yourself why you chose the resolution: imagine yourself walking into your new home, taking the trip of a lifetime or working in the job you really want. Research suggests it takes about 66 days (around two months) to form a new habit,(2) so give yourself the best possible opportunity to succeed by committing each day to achieving your goal.
Whatever it is you're trying to achieve, chances are there's someone out there who can help you get there. Depending on your goal, this could mean hiring a personal trainer, talking to a nutritionist or making an appointment with a recruitment specialist.
If your resolutions are financial ones, you might be surprised to learn just how helpful it can be to get professional advice from a financial planner.
To find out more, speak to one of our qualified financial advisers. Contact us today.
(1) Forbes (2013), 'Just 8% of People Achieve Their New Year's Resolutions. Here's How They Do It'.


text:
Bettendorf Community School District
Public PK, KG-5
610 Holmes St
District: Bettendorf Community School District
6th of 567 Iowa Elementary Schools
View homes for sale near Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
See top rated Iowa elementary schools
Compare Thomas Jefferson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
We updated the 2017-18 rankings and test scores for this school on Thursday, November 15, 2018.
Compare Details In 2018, Thomas Jefferson Elementary School ranked better than 98.9% of elementary schools in Iowa. It also ranked 2nd among 6 ranked elementary schools in the Bettendorf Community School District. (See more...)
Compare Details Thomas Jefferson Elementary School has the smallest elementary school student body size in the Bettendorf Community School District. Racial makeup is: White (70.7%), Hispanic (12.7%), African American (7%). (See more...)
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School is 13.1, which is the lowest among 6 elementary schools in the Bettendorf Community School District! (See more...)
Compare Thomas Jefferson Elementary School employs 11.9 full-time teachers.
Map and boundary of Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School:
SchoolDigger ranks Thomas Jefferson Elementary School 6th of 567 Iowa public elementary schools. (See Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in the ranking list.)
Bettendorf Community School District:
SchoolDigger ranks Bettendorf Community School District 38th of 310 Iowa school districts. (See district ranking list.)
Your rating for Thomas Jefferson Elementary School?
Rank History for Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
Total # Ranked Elementary Schools
IA State Percentile
2012 61.10 263rd 626 58.0%
2013 70.41 149th 624 76.1%
2018 90.18 6th 567 98.9%
Data source: test scores: Iowa Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School Test Scores
IA Reading
IA Math
Data source: Iowa Department of Education
We're sorry, but no reviews have been submitted for Thomas Jefferson Elementary School.
If you have first-hand knowledge about Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, submit a rating!
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Enrollment information for Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
1988 129 3 2 6 0 n/a n/a 0 140
1993 125 1 11 9 0 n/a n/a 0 146
2005 127 13 1 8 1 n/a n/a 0 150
2009 129 14 2 11 3 n/a n/a 0 159
2010 124 11 2 15 1 0 1 0 154
2014 121 4 4 17 1 0 3 0 150
2017 111 11 5 20 n/a n/a 10 0 157
Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
1988 140 8.8 15.9 10.0
1989 148 8.8 16.8 6.1
Student/Teacher Ratio Thomas Jefferson Elementary School
Rate Thomas Jefferson Elementary School!
Homes for sale near Thomas Jefferson Elementary School:
IAIowa Elementary School Rankings
IAIowa District Rankings
Schools in Bettendorf, IA
Be the first to know when there is an update for Thomas Jefferson Elementary School!
SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Reginald Darius, Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Finance presented statistics on the island's economic performance at a press briefing today.
Government is exploring other measures to curb public debt since an increase by 1.5 percent over the past two years.
During a press briefing today, May 9, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Reginald Darius, in a PowerPoint presentation, demonstrated what the current state of the economy looked like as it relates to government spending and fiscal deficit.
Friday's meeting was specifically organised by Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony and a team from the Ministry of Finance, Economic Affairs & Social Security to discuss the financial situation of the state with media practitioners.
Darius' presentation dubbed "Budget 2014/2015 Fiscal Consolidation," highlighted some of the "scenarios" the administration is looking at toward addressing the ongoing financial crisis.
Statistics indicated a slowdown in public debt, however, he stressed on the need for more effort to address the situation. In 2012, public debt was 72.1 percent and rose in 2013 to 73.6 percent.
The island's fiscal deficit once stood at 9.2 percent and was considered one of the highest in the world.
According to the permanent secretary, salaries and wages increased by two percent, while interest payments currently stands at 11 percent, goods and services at minus five percent and transfers at minus nine per cent. While noting that there was a slowdown in the growth of public debt, Darius said a greater effort is required to reverse the trend.
During the 2014/2015 financial year, government plans to enhance its debt service profile, and in doing so is expected to stabilise $227 million in treasury bills and $197 million in bonds.
Darius explained that in the 2013/2014 financial year, the government was able to increase revenue by broadening the tax base with the Value Added Tax (VAT), while improving the collection of property taxes. In addition to that, government was able to reduce current expenditure.
Spending on goods and services was reduced by eight percent, supplies four percent, communications 28 percent, transfer-subsidies by 56 percent and private sector 45 percent. Capital expenditure was also reduced and an adjustment of $26.8 per cent was made in that area.
Darius stressed that in order for the administration to address the current financial burden it is faced with it must seek to meet non-loan financing requirements of $205 million, with recurrent expenditure making up $ 76 million and the remaining $129 million in capital expenditure.
The strategy to rectify fiscal sustainability should entail "enhancing revenue collection, without additional taxation measures," Darius recommended, in addition to performance budgeting by reducing funding for poor performing programmes.
The government is also aspiring to increase current revenue/Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to above 23 percent, and further plans to reduce the overall deficit to five percent by having lower capital expenditure.
In pointing to the possible salary cut, the permanent secretary said statistics reflect that a 10 percent adjustment in public servants' salaries will amount to savings of over $37 million, which is equivalent to retrenchment of 990 workers and a recurrent financing gap of some $39 million. With a seven percent cut, government could save $26 million and with a five percent cut they can afford to save $18.5 million, with a recurrent financing gap of $57.5 million.
"Without wage adjustments, capital is under risk of being eliminated, which is not feasible too given the fact that remaining capital is at fixed cost. However, without a wage adjustment, the deficit will rise and the gains from last year will be lost," he added.
Darius noted because of the present situation the country will have no proper track record to present to the market for future prospective investors.
The dialogue was that of a similar exercise held between government officials and trade unionists last Friday.
First of all the over 300 pensioners employed getting their pensions and also a fatter salary plus allowances should be given an option to forgo pension once still employed or terminate employment and keep a pension. This will save the Govt about 8 Million right there.
Entertainment and telephone allowances should ceased immediately as all the officers who received these allowances have cell phones paid by the Govt. Another Million right there.
Office receiving travelling should NOT be using SLG's. All Ministers and PS's are chauffeured around yet they all receive travel allowances some as high as $1400 a month.
CUT THESE COSTS AND SHOW US U ARE SERIOUS ABOUT CUTTING COST.
I am sure all of them were seating in VIP this past Sunday enjoy Jazz at the expense of a "struggling country".
Such open government hostility towards the working population in Saint Lucia is remarkably unprecedented. Never before have we come to such a low point of government alienation.
The rush to bring down the deficit immediately only serves on purpose. That is for the country to look more appealing to perspective creditors so this government to improve its credit rating. This will enable them to be in a position to take more loans thus restarting the vicious cycle. This may be in a rush for this government to start projects in an effort to look good for the next election.
If this government is serious about reducing public debt the approach could be a gradual one where we start by trimming embassies and their staff who are relatively useless. We then could tackle the amount of permanent secretaries and consultants needed to run this giant bureaucracy. We could then go further and streamline or privatize some of the government processes realizing more savings.
This whole plan carefully thought out by this administration to my mind is one where they are trying to press oil out of a sluggish economy for the image of the administration. Peter can't pay for Paul's extravagant lifestyle, mismanagement, old habits and image. For if we the tax payers continue to bail out inefficient and ineffective administrations pretty soon we are going to be ruined.
Mr. PS: The deficit may still rise, and by a significant amount, with or without the wage/salary cost cut. There is nothing in your budget that dynamically controls spending. Emphasis on the word "control". You like your predecessors expect that the OECS Secretariat will do your work for you. You have no quantitative targets, milestones and monitoring systems to assist with tweak anything going awry. You are out there like in a canoe without a paddle.
Your fundamental driving strategy is one word, H.O.P.E. There is (are) no mechanism(s) in place. You are still banking that cost control will happen by all itself through the "invisible hand", and the quantum of anticipated receipts will flow according to your great expectations.
Now, nowhere in the world does any of this type of economic transmission work in this way. Maybe, and just maybe in your parallel universe, where another Saint Lucia exist. In other words, you are still hell-bent setting us up for failure again, unless by happenstance, your dreams come true.
Good luck! We will need a lot of it. But remember, hope is not a strategy.
Since when dis the PS Finance became the Minister of Finance. It looks like a very long time ago. This is because the PM does not seem to understand what he himself is reading at times. It figures.
If the PS of Finance wants Public Servants to accept a pay cut. There should be a similar cutting down on the amount allocated to the STEP program.
It is only fair that if we sacrifice in order to maintain gains made last year. That the people who like to bounce and draw from STEP should similarly be called upon to sacrifice. STEP is ran at 1 million EC dollars per cycle. Cut out a cycle or two. Saving the government 1 to 2 million dollars.
Statistics can be made to say anything by the speaker. I can hire someone to use thos same statistics and he will say somethiong completely didrent from the PS of Finance. Because you are giving your analysis of the statistics, to make your arguments look stronger. That does not make what you are saying the TRUTH!
STEP workers MUST sacrifice for the country too.
Darius for your big head supposedly loaded with brains, I truly hope that this isn't your thinking.
Now put me on that stupid vision commission and give me a big salary.
What vision commission you are talking 'bout my man? That commission is off on the wrong foot already! The framers themselves lack vision. There was no inclusion in the terms of reference or scope of the commission. So, how stupid can we get? Whose, or what kind of vision is this? A country-bookie style vision? Wow! Saint Lucia is really idiot country!
There is only so much you can cut. The minute the pay cut is done the borrowing will resume and we will be back in the current position we are in. They need to look at ways of increasing income from outside the country and not internal methods.
The question though is in the figures quoted are Government Ministers and Permantent Secretary Salaries included in the cuts?
See what happens when the PS Finance is the same person as the Director of Finance? The left brain and the right brain are no different. All that is being done is passing decisions from one hand as a fait accompli, to the other. No critical analysis can be expected to emerge from this.
Our mission critical problem at this juncture is to reduce it gradually, but not eliminate the deficit all at once. Greater clarity is needed here too. That is because such a focus has its own very negative economic ripple or knock-on effects.
The ultra-conservative and austerity focus on wage reduction and wage compression is most certainly misplaced. It crowds out the search for other useful developmental alternatives. So it means that the PS Finance is taking a 6 for a 9.
There is some kind of cut on capital expenditure in the budeget, but this has not at all been very been clearly or satsfactorily stated what was cut out. It is nonsensically desperate to cut willy-nilly the capital expenditure, if the cut goes into or entirely eliminate programmes that will grow future job opportunities and economic growth, at the expense of addressing the continually-postponed necessary structural adjustment of the economy.
Granted that economic policy outcomes depend so heavily on the assumptions behind those policy initiatives that are executed, the idea that just one person is n effect, the judge, jury and executioner regarding a portfolio of economic recommendations, is fraught with danger at best, and is tantamount to courting economic disaster, tread-milling in the poverty trap, at worst.
He taking a six for a nine. He alone is buying it. We're not so stupid old chap! Not even if they have to enforce that with tear gas. We will make this government pay dearly if it does that. CSA! CSA! CSA!
Since, it is Mr. PS who has to do all the explaining, this clearly shows that Mr. PM does not understand neither fish nor fowl about the details he is supposedly advancing. Before this, the PS Finance as is his wont, passes another sheet of paper or document from one hand to another. The Director of Finance nods in agreement. Then the Director of Finance passes another document from one hand to another. The PS Finance sees no need to further detain the Director of Finance on any matter therein. Other deliberations on what and how to do, have continued in like fashion.
But wait a minute! Wait a minute! Both hands belong to the same person? Never mind. The actors read their lines superbly. One is brimful with pride on the Throne. The OMG! What a great show! Great show! (Applause! Applause!) Take a bow. Meanwhile, the curtains fall.


PrEP in Europe recognises the generous funding of Aidsfonds, without whose support this summit would not have been possible.
PrEP in Europe recognizses the generous funding of Aidsfonds, without whose support this summit would not have been possible.
Due to internet speed issues at the conference venue, we were only able to start the live stream towards the end of this session.
Due to internet speed issues at the conference venue, we were only able to start the live stream at this point of the presentation.


text:
Brunejské námořnictvo (malajsky: Tentera Laut Diraja Brunei) je součástí ozbrojených sil Bruneje. Země má přibližně 100 kilometrů dlouhé pobřeží, na které navazuje 200mílová výlučná ekonomická zóna. Jedná se o malé námořnictvo. Tvoří jej okolo 1000 příslušníků, z části sloužících u říčních sil. Jádro jeho floty tvoří oceánské a pobřežní hlídkové lodě, doplněné dalšími plavidly. Leteckou složku námořnictva tvoří tři námořní hlídkové letouny CASA CN-235. Jména brunejských lodí začínají zkratkou KDB (malajsky: Kapal Diraja Brunei). Hlavná námořní základnou je od roku 1974 Muara.

Historie

Brunejské námořnictvo bylo založeno 14. června 1965, čtyři roky po vzniku samotných brunejských ozbrojených sil. Zpočátku jej tvořil malý oddíl sloužící k přepravě vojska po řekách pomocí hliníkových člunů. V oddílu tehdy sloužil jeden důstojník a 17 námořníků vycvičených v Malajsii. V letech 1966–1968 námořnictvo získalo tři říční hlídkové čluny a po jednom vznášedle od britských typů SR.N5 a SR.N6. Roku 1968 byl navíc zařazen námořní útočný člun britské třídy Brave (někdy uváděna třída Søløven), který se jako Pahlawan stal vlajkovou lodí námořnictva.

V druhé polovině 70. let byly v Singapuru postaveny tři hlídkové čluny třídy Periwa a tři raketové čluny třídy Waspada, které doplnily dva ve Velké Británii postavené výsadkové čluny Damuan a Puni, patřící ke třídě Loadmaster.

Ve druhé polovině 90. let země zahájila (jak se později ukázalo až příliš) ambicózní modernizaci svého námořnictva. Roku 1996 námořnictvo v Austrálii získalo dva 36metrové výsadkové čluny třídy Searasa. Především však byly ve Velké Británii objednány tři raketové fregaty třídy Nakhoda Ragham, vycházející (obdobně jako malajská třídy Lekiu) z typu F2000 britské loděnice Yarrow. Fregaty byly dokončeny v letech 2004-2005, mezitím si však námořnictvo uvědomilo, že jejich provoz je nad síly miniaturního státu, a proto je odmítlo převzít. Věc řešila mezinárodní arbitráž, přičemž plavidla byla namísto zařazení do služby nabídnuta k prodeji a jejich provozovatelem se nakonec stalo indonéské námořnictvo. Brunejské námořnictvo pak modernizaci vyřešilo zakoupením mnohem levnějších oceánských hlídkových lodí třídy Darussalam, menších pobřežních hlídkových lodí třídy Itjihad od německé loděnice Lürssen a dále též rychlého hlídkového člunu (interceptoru) Mustaed (21).

Složení

Raketový člun
 Třída Waspada
 Seteria (04)

Oceánské hlídkové lodě

 Třída Darussalam
 Darussalam (06)
 Darulehsan (07)
 Darulaman (08)
 Daruttaqwa (09)

Hlídkové lodě
 Třída Itjihad
 Ijhtihad (17)
 Berkat (18)
 Syafaat (19)
 Afiat (20)

 Mustaed (21)

 Třída Periwa
 Periwa (14)
 Pemburu (15)
 Penyerang (16)

Výsadkové lodě
 Třída Loadmaster – Landing Craft Utility
 Damuan (31)
 Puni (32)

 Třída Serasa – Landing Craft Utility
 Serasa (33)
 Teraban (34)

Odkazy

Reference

Literatura

Externí odkazy

Námořnictva podle zemí

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


"Revelation: The Kingdom Yet to come" It is another study offered through Ascension Press and The Great Adventure. The Study is only 11 sessions.
The Holy Spirit is guiding us in our Bible studies. God gives us every opportunity to enter into the readings in a very real way, and this beautiful study can really help you understand the profound importance of the Holy Mass as a part of Jesus's promise that He would be with us ever-present in each and every moment.
Either purchase books via the online Ascension Press link below or call 1-800-376-0520 (Mon-Fri, 8am–6pm EST).
STEP 1: CLICK HERE TO GO TO ASCENSION PRESS.
button that says COMPLETE YOUR ORDER.
STEP 8: Your confirmation information will be available to print.


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Tag: Opportunity Scholarship Program
Mark Robinson calls for accountability, discipline in North Carolina's K-12 public schools
By David N. Bass Raleigh, NC – Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is calling for broad reforms to the K-12 education system in North Carolina. Robinson's comments came during a standing committee meeting on Monday, February 21, that touched on themes…
Parents want choice in education, despite NCAE opposition
By Mike Long Raleigh, NC – It's no secret that COVID-19 has upended nearly every aspect of our lives. But what may surprise many North Carolinians is the pandemic's impact on education in our state. Newly released figures from the state show…
NC lawmakers & Roy Cooper again poised to cross swords over Opportunity Scholarships
By David N. Bass Raleigh, NC – Republicans in the N.C. House are advancing a bill that would expand and strengthen the state's three school-choice scholarship programs that help low-income children and those with special needs attend a private school.…
Bad Bill of the Week: Raiding school choice funds
by Brian Balfour Raleigh, NC – North Carolina families are hungry for school choice. To wit: the state's Opportunity Scholarship Program has had more than 15,000 eligible applicants since its inception just two years ago. But only about 5,000 total…


During the Late Triassic and Early to Mid-Jurassic, a time span of 45Myr, there were 20 or more large lakes on the eastern seaboard of North America along a great rift valley that was formed by the initial phases of opening of the North Atlantic. The sediments deposited in these lakes, the Newark Supergroup, record in detail the histories of filling and drying of the lakes, and in places annual varves have allowed geologists to reconstruct the histories and time-scales in astonishing detail.
The lake cycles in the Newark Basin, like those in the Old Red Sandstone of northern Scotland (see pages 63-4), include dark mudstones laid down during anoxic phases and that are especially rich in fish fossils. Semionotids are particularly abundant, and excavations of a single lake cycle of the Towaco Formation of the Newark Basin in New Jersey, representing a single cycle of lake formation, deepening, shallowing and evaporation, lasting perhaps 21,000-23,500 years, showed their true diversity. The excavation yielded 2000 specimens belonging to 21 species (McCune, 1996), which are distinguished on the basis of body shape and the nature of the scales that run along the midline of the back (see illustration).
This is only a small sample of the total diversity of semionotids in the Newark Supergroup and many hundreds or thousands of species must have existed in the lakes, and during the repeated lake cycles. Whole faunas were wiped out by catastrophic drying episodes and replaced by new species flocks that evolved rapidly when the lakes became re-established. Modern parallels exist today in central African lakes where the cichlid teleosts have achieved great diversity by rapid speciation.


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Horbelev is een plaats in de Deense regio Seeland, gemeente Guldborgsund. De plaats telt 588 inwoners (2020). Horbelev valt binnen de gelijknamige parochie.

Geschiedenis
De kerk van Horbelev is rond 1200 gebouwd. In het 13e eeuwse Grondboek van Waldemar wordt de plaats genoemd als Horbærlef. In 1502 verschijnt de naam Horberløff. Een mogelijke verklaring van de naam is dat het eerste deel verwijst naar de persoonsnaam Hornbori.

In 1682 bestond het dorp Horbelev uit zestien boerderijen en negen woningen. In 1899 wordt Horbelev beschreven als een dorp met een kerk, pastorie, school, zuivelcoöperatie, een baksteen- en een kalksteenfabriek. Ook waren er een melkfabriek en een armenhuis. Het dorpshuis werd in 1901 gebouwd, de school in 1907.

Met de opening van de spoorlijn Stubbekøbing - Nykøbing Falster in 1911 kreeg Horbelev een station. Tegelijk met de bouw van het station kwam er ook een hotel; een jaar later werd een elektriciteitsbedrijf gebouwd. Op 31 maart 1966 werd de spoorlijn gesloten, maar het stationsgebouw, ontworpen door H.C. Glahn, is bewaard gebleven. Een paar honderd meter spoorbaan is omgevormd tot wandelpad.

In 1906 kende Horbelev 345 inwoners, in 1911 waren het er 393 en in 1916 411. Ondanks de spoorlijn stagneerde de groei van het dorp; in 1940 waren er uiteindelijk 526 inwoners. Ook na de Tweede Wereldoorlog groeide Horbelev niet: in 1965 telde het dorp 505 inwoners.

Faciliteiten
In 1968 kreeg Horbelev een sportvereniging waar voetbal, handbal en gymnastiek werden beoefend. De sporthal opende in 1971. Naast de hal werd in 1993 een kinderopvang gerealiseerd.

Na de sluiting van de oorspronkelijke basisschool in 2004, werd de Horbelev Friskole opgestart. Toen ook deze school moest sluiten, besloot een aantal inwoners om de neerwaartse spiraal van bevolkingsafname en dalende huizenprijzen tot staan te brengen door het leegstaande schoolgebouw te gaan gebruiken voor lokale, culturele activiteiten. Met het oprichten van een vereniging en een investeringsfonds konden ze het schoolgebouw aankopen. In 2011 werd het nieuwe dorpscentrum geopend, met ruimte voor onder andere een theatergroep, een kunstvereniging, een tweedehandswinkel en een pizzeria. In 2016 werd het complex verbouwd en uitgebreid.

Plaats in Seeland
Guldborgsund
Falster


The Riga Main post office acquired the first semi-automatic machine, produced by the company Krag Maskin Fabrik A/S in Norway, in the middle of 1908 and in 1910 a second one. The first one had 8 "killer" lines (designed by "A") but the second one had 4 "killer" lines (designed by "B"), both machines were in operation until August 1917, just before the capture of Riga by German forces.
The main component of the machine was a rotating printing cylinder on which the dies of two circular date stamps and two sets of "killer" lines were attached. A disk with knurled edge was rotating on the same shaft and thus transported the piece of mail along a guide while the dies performed the printing. Sometimes the knurled edge also left an impression on the mail.
The printing cylinder of the Russian Imperial post office had a diameter of 2" which by one revolution performed an impression of approximately 156 mm. The length of the "killer" lines was 45 - 48 mm and the diameter of the circular date stamps was in most cases 28,5 mm.
The German occupational civil postal service (Ob.-Ost till the end of 1918) as well as the post office of Soviet Latvian Republic (January to May 1919) did not use the machines.
The Riga Main Post Office of the Republic of Latvia actually assumed regular operations in the middle of 1919. The postal equipment due to war and changes of political administration was lost or badly damaged and had to be made operational by improvised means.
The post of the Latvian Republic refurbished the old machines and put machine "A" into operation in April 1920. One year later machine "B" became operational after needed reparations.
In the beginning the Riga post office continued the tradition of the Imperial Russian post by using only straight "killer" lines between the circular date stamps. Soon, however, slogans appear within these lines, and later on slogans completely replaced the "killer" lines in some cases.
Until 1936 machine cancellations of Riga only are known.
From mid 1936 a semi-automatic machine was in use at Cēsis Post Office and in 1940 machine cancellers also are used in Jelgava and Liepāja.
Besides the cancelling machines of Riga also two hand-roller marks with serial letters "A" and "B" were in use during the period 1932 – 1938. Those were used on postal wrappers.
The machine roller cancellations of the Republic of Latvia may be divided into three periods whereby, from 1922, mostly the two machines were in use simultaneously.


Brooklyn Letters PLLC provides online speech language therapy telepractice services via the internet from the convenience of your home, school, or office.
What equipment do I need for online speech language therapy services?
You'll require a computer with high speed internet connection, and, if not built into your computer, a webcam and headset.
Who benefits from online speech language therapy services?
It is most appropriate for school-age children or adults who demonstrate the ability to focus on the speech language therapy session and do not require 'hands-on' physical cueing. The client will also have to demonstrate progress to support continuation of online speech language therapy services. We screen all clients before treatment, ensuring that the client is the appropriate candidate for online speech language therapy services.
Sessions are arranged at a convenient time during the day, evening or weekends. Sessions are scheduled in advance (we need at least 24-48 hour notice). The client simply logs onto SKYPE, FaceTime, Google+ Hangout, Zoom, ooVoo, GotoMeeting, Adobe Connect, or iChat at the predetermined time. The session lengths are 30, 45, or 60 minutes long. We will discuss the appropriate session length and frequency during the free initial 30-minute session.
Access to high-quality speech language therapy services from New York-licensed speech language therapists/pathologists from the convenience of your computer.
How Do I arrange for online speech language therapy?
Please call 347-394-3485 and leave a message or email craig@brooklynletters.com (immediate response). We will offer you a free 30-minute meet-and-greet and a brief, trial speech language therapy session to determine if you are a candidate for ongoing speech language therapy. If you are eligible following the free trial session, an appointment will be scheduled. If you haven't been recently evaluated, we may need to assess/evaluate your speech after the trial session to determine our goals.
Payment by PayPal or Venmo is required in advance of speech-language sessions. Costs are posted on our Rates page.
For more information, please click read this article from the American Speech-Language Pathology Association.
We are only licensed to practice in New York State. Please note that if you don't live in New York State, we need to contact your state, if you live in the United States, to confirm that your state allows for speech therapy telepractice. In other words, where you are located dictates the state laws for licensed speech language therapy. If you live in Arizona, Arizona may only allow licensed Arizona speech language therapists to work with Arizona residents. This premise is based on the need to adhere to the requirements for admission to the profession and to the standards for professional practice developed by the Legislature and Board of Regents to insure maximum public protection.
Also, in accordance with New York State statute, we are fully licensed with current registration and we are required to practice in New York State. All New York State-licensed professionals are responsible for adhering to the same laws, rules and regulations, and for upholding the same standards and competencies when engaging in telepractice as they are when practicing without the use of technology over a distance. This understanding is essential to ensure public protection and the integrity of the profession.
Telepractice should supplement, not replace, face-to-face provision of professional services when they are appropriate or desired by consumers. There is a risk that, to reduce costs, unethical or ill-prepared practitioners may cut corners in the delivery of care to New York State consumers through technology. We must ensure that the use of telepractice is not substituted for one-on-one direct service delivery when that is the more appropriate mode of care. We must also ensure that the standards used in telepractice are consistent with those employed in face-to-face professional practice.


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Moon GriffonMoon Griffon
Leonard Fournette Runs The 40-Yard Dash At The NFL Combine [VIDEO]
Joe Robbins, Getty Images
6 ft. 240 lbs. Leonard Fournette is a whole lot of man, but how fast can he move?
The LSU running back has been touted as one of the top players in the 2017 NFL Draft class, but some critics are saying he could definitely have been better prepared for the NFL combine.
Fournette made headlines when he decided to skip the Citrus Bowl to prepare for the combine, but after showing up tipping the scales at 240 lbs. a few eyebrows began to rise.
The LSU running back told reporters it was just water weight
I drank a lot of water before I weighed in. So it was water weight. It went away completely. ...Most definitely a lot of people think I'm just strong. Some people say I lack speed, lack burst. I mean, tomorrow will show it out.
The water may still have been weighing Fournette down as he had a lackluster 28.5-inch vertical jump. For comparison, Adrian Peterson and Derrick Henry—two running backs that Fournette is often compared to—both jumped around the 38-inch mark.
While we're making comparisons, Leonard Fournette's vertical was more comparable to the offensive lineman than other running backs. After hitting a poor mark with his vertical jump the LSU star pulled out of the broad jump.
Many are stating that jumping isn't important for a running back like Fournette who is notorious for running through would-be tacklers. But according to SB Nation,
The vertical and broad jumps aren't a test of jumping ability as much as a show of lower-body strength and burst. Players able to generate power and explode forward are able to use that to post big marks in jumping drills.
While some are criticizing Fournette's combine, his 40-yard dash time wasn't bad. He clocked an official time of 4..51 seconds which isn't bad for a player weighing in at 240 lbs.
He wanted to be closer to the 4.4 mark, but he will have a chance to improve at the LSU Pro Day on April 5 and prove any doubters wrong.
Do you think Fournette's combine performance caused his draft stock to decline?
[via SB Nation]
IS JUDICE INN GETTING A REMODEL?
Filed Under: leonard fournette, lsu, NFL
Categories: Sports, Videos


Unfortunately, we as a country are one of the causative factors for increasing antibiotic resistance both here in New Zealand and globally. This needs to change.
There are two major aspects of this – doctor education and patient education. In this article I will be focusing on patient education.
Often I hear from my patients, "My ears hurt, I need antibiotics… My cold has gone to my chest, I'm coughing up gunk, I need antibiotics… I have a wound, I need to apply antibiotic ointment." But is that correct?
Let's focus on these three in particular.
Ear "infections" – These are very common, especially in small children. More often than not, the middle ear gets blocked by the tube that connects the middle ear to the nose during a cold/flu/virus, which then begins to cause pain as pressure builds. The problem is not bacteria, but the viral effects causing a blockage, increasing pressure and thus pain. In recent years, advice from Starship Children's Hospital reports no more than 4-5% of all inner ear pain would even have a chance of benefiting from antibiotics. Children under the age of six months especially require close inspection, but it is interesting food for thought! Ibuprofen will often be your best friend to help settle ear pain, taken regularly for 48 – 72 hours.
Chest "infections" – A common side effect of a cold/flu/virus is mucus production down the back of the throat and a runny nose. Often after a few days to a week with a virus, this can then accumulate at the top of the chest, which you then begin to cough up, spit out or swallow. Because this is a natural body response to fighting the virus, this is expected. The latest reports from respiratory specialists have found colour change of the sputum (as a general rule of thumb) is no indicator for antibiotics/bacteria in the chest (pneumonia). If pain increases, shortness of breath occurs or you develop other symptoms outlying that of a normal virus/cold/flu, please get checked.
Wound management – Often something done without thought, but our use of topical antibiotic creams is in the same boat – too much. Our skin is a living organ, the largest in the body, and applying topical antibiotics unnecessarily can also result in antibiotic resistance. A clean wound, rash or irritation does not need antibiotics. Skin specialists are recommending antiseptic wash or cream. This is the best approach, unless a wound has grown a bacteria on wound swab testing etc.
None of us enjoy being sick, we all want to do the best we can to fight it off as soon as possible. More often than not, antibiotics are not the answer, and can actually be causing you more harm than good.
As a doctor, daily I am put under pressure from patients adamant on antibiotics. Our goal is the health of you, our patients, but we also want to make you happy and comfortable coming to see us, so we want to try and meet your concerns and expectations! So together we need to change our expectations on what antibiotics are for and their appropriate use.
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Hola and welcome to my creative space!
My name is Ashley, or better known to my loved ones as Ash. I am a 21-year old creative living in sunny Miami, Florida. I am currently a senior at Florida International University studying Marketing! Besides blogging, I am also a Social Media + Marketing Coordinator for the nonprofit SCORE Miami-Dade and a website designer. I am also a type one diabetic for almost 3 years now and it has become a huge part of my life. A few of the things I love are creating, shopping, and traveling.
I created this website to share my stories, experiences, and products that I love! My main goal for IAP is that every person leaves with a smile on their face. I want this be a fun + safe space where we can enjoy a cafe con leche and a cookie (or two!) and dish on some of my favorite things pertaining to fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. Thank you for coming and don't feel shy, please leave comments, DM, or message me!
For media kit requests, sponsorship opportunities, and other general inquiries, please contact itsapashion@gmail.com.


You'll often find used acoustic pianos for sale in your neighborhood, but what about digital pianos? Should you consider investing in a used digital piano if your child is just starting out?
While there's always a concern that buying something used will cost you more money in the long run, the truth is a good used digital piano can help save you money. Of course, it depends on your goals and your needs.
Take a walk around the piano – does it look good on the outside? This can easily alert you to a neglected instrument. Every scratch or ding that's visible alerts you to a possible problem with the way it will play. However, it's equally important to assess the inner workings and functionality. You should test every key and make sure it feels and sounds satisfactory.
Digital pianos come with all kinds of accessories. Does the price include AC adaptors, sustain pedals, music rests, or furniture stands? Also ensure you receive cords, cables, manuals, and software or CDs to be able to connect up and digitize your music after you bring your instrument home.
All electronics run the risk of malfunctioning. That's why all electronics come with a warranty to ensure you receive a high quality instrument. You might not receive full access to warranties if you buy online or from a private seller. Be sure you understand all of the benefits you are receiving before you hand over your credit card.
Feel like you're getting a great deal? You can always do a quick search online. A reputable dealer will ensure you get a competitive price, and ensure that you'll be comfortable with your purchase after you bring it home.
Are you ready to invest in a digital piano for your home?


A court in Australia ruled that a 40-year-old mother who killed her seven children and a niece in a bid to "save them" from the apocalypse should not face charges because she was suffering from severe schizophrenia, possibly linked to cannabis use.
In one of Australia's worst mass murders, Raina Thaiday, a much-liked mother with no criminal record or history of mental health problems, brutally stabbed her four sons, three daughters and a niece after coming to believe she was the "Chosen One".
The bodies of the children – aged 2 to 14 - were found at her home in Cairns, a tropical city in the state of Queensland, in December 2014. By then, Thaiday, apparently realising what she had done, had stabbed herself 35 times.
Three psychiatrists who saw Thaiday after the crime said her mental state had been deteriorating for months before the killings and she eventually came to believe that she could communicate with spirits.
Her violent episode was apparently triggered by a dove's call – possibly imagined - which she thought was a sign that she needed to protect herself and her family from demons.
"She heard the sound of a bird … and believed from hearing that sound it was a message she must kill the children to save them," Dr Jane Phillips, a psychiatrist, told Queensland's Mental Health Court.
Dr Pamela van de Hoef, a psychiatrist, said Thaiday's crime was "shockingly out of character".
"She believed at the time, and for some days and weeks before that, that the end of the world was coming," she said.
The court ruled that Thaiday was of unsound mind and incapable of controlling or understaning her actions – a finding that means she will not face criminal prosecution.
"To her way of thinking at that time what she was doing was the best thing she could do for her children, she was trying to save them," ruled Justice Jean Dalton.
Thaiday is undergoing treatment at a high-security mental health ward. She may never return to the community.
Dr Frank Varghese, a psychiatrist, said Thaiday's "apocalyptic delusional state" and severe schizophrenia may have been triggered by her long-term cannabis usage. She apparently stopped using cannabis months before the killings.
"This is schizophrenia at its very depth and its worst in terms of the terror for the patient, as well as the consequences for the individuals killed," he said.


As many as 55 million people in America may have some form of dyslexia, according to Dyslexia International. Worldwide, the number of children and adults at risk of life-long illiteracy and social exclusion due to the disorder may be in excess of 700 million.
With this tragedy of human potential in sharp focus, there is good news from Heraklion, on the island of Crete. A multidisciplinary team of doctors, engineers, and research scientists believe they've created a tool to screen for dyslexia earlier and with greater precision than ever before.
Dyslexia is the most common of all learning disabilities, with a prevalence of more than 10 percent of any given population. Despite its prevalence, the overall impact of the learning anomaly cannot be measured because so many who are afflicted go undiagnosed.
The key to helping the millions of people affected by dyslexia lies in the early detection of the reading disorder. Now Cornell University Professor of Ophthalmology, Dr. Ioannis Aslanides and his expert team in Greece say they have invented a new testing tool that can screen dyslexic children very early, precisely, and in minutes instead of hours.
The non-invasive tool they've created, Rapid Assessment for Dyslexia and Abnormalities in Reading (RADAR), is a platform to screen children who might otherwise be diagnosed late, or who might go undiagnosed altogether. The tool is currently being evaluated by experts at Harvard Medical School.
If the testing pans out, RADAR may be a beacon of hope for the families whose kids suffer from dyslexia and other reading disorders.
RADAR came into being in a completely organic way, the byproduct Aslanides' research and determination to help his son overcome social and academic difficulties.
Aslanides' young boy Minas suffered for years with undiagnosed dyslexia, facing the circuitous doubt game that grips almost everyone who suffers from these learning disorders. When his son was 13, Aslanides set out to end the interminable frustration and marginalization his son faced. The invention of RADAR helped Aslanides verify what conventional medicine could not.
Minas is now 22 and in his third year of medical school, but he had to have special coaches and he went through very difficult times to get there. Before his dad began testing RADAR, there was no digital, objective, quantifiable method to approach to diagnosing dyslexia. Current methods for diagnosing dyslexia and other reading disorder are still almost totally subjective and based on human observation. Aslanides says RADAR is mathematically quantifiable.
RADAR is a computerized screening tool which monitors a series of eye movement parameters while a subject reads sample texts. The 10-15 minute reading test employs numerical data and math models that are not examiner dependent in order to screen the subject for dyslexia and other reading disorders.
Trials by the RADAR team on 70 subjects showed the system to be more than 99 percent accurate at early diagnosis, and the method is also capable of providing an individual treatment plan with incremental progress assessment.
During the reading process, a subject's eyes move rapidly from one point to the next in order to input and understand the passage being read.
Typically, the normal reader's eyes shift every quarter of a second with very brief fixation points in between movements. It is during these 250 to 300 millisecond pauses that information is gathered and processed by the brain.
The average horizontal (saccadic) distance traveled in between sequential fixation points is between 7 and 9 characters. Backward movements, called regressions, only take up about 10 to 15 percent of the total reading time in the typical reader. This "visual path" is what the RADAR researchers studied in order to develop the new technology.
Monitoring and evaluating a subject's eye fixations and saccadic movements while reading a text, RADAR is able to map the subject's reading path. RADAR next applies complex mathematical algorithms in order to decode the vital information of the path and the useful conclusions about each reader's cognitive capability. The whole process takes only about 10 minutes, but the system identifies which words readers have trouble with, and which ones are totally ignored. The eye tracking technology of the RADAR system is used at a distance to capture eye movements, which are then analyzed and compared to historiographical data from control groups.
The real costs of dyslexia and other reading disorders to society are not fully known. However, the European Dyslexia Association informs us that those affected will suffer consequences such as; failure in school, employment difficulties, general communication impairments, and social segregation.
RADAR's team told us they were looking at the plausibility of an Australian test market. According to their Australian researcher, dyslexia diagnosis there takes between 4 and 5 hours, and costs in between $800 and $1200 per case. These figures are within the norm worldwide.
Over the past several decades a special needs epidemic has exploded on school districts across America. Meanwhile, diagnosis is haphazard.
Hettleman has been a part of a system that is incapable of coping with and supporting children with dyslexia and other reading disorders. In another study, he expanded on his work in the Baltimore system to address how the overall U.S. public school systems fail kids.
A report titled "The Invisible Dyslexics," showed that dyslexia sufferers were sometimes "dumped" into general special-education programs for lack of a better solution. The study also told of the National Assessment of Educational Progress reports from 2017 which showed only 7 percent of eighth-graders in special-education were proficient in reading. The numbers are mirrored in Europe and throughout the G20.
RADAR arrives at a time when educators are at their wit's end trying to accommodate a flood of children who cannot keep up, and who have ever-diminishing hopes of fitting into an ultra-competitive workplace.
Neurological research suggests most reading difficulties, including dyslexia, are caused by core deficits in phonological awareness, which can be caused by the visual disconnect and faulty decoding. Put simply, dyslexics get stuck on fixation points because they can't make the connection between the symbol and the mental or voiced sounding out of what they read. Dyslexics also have problems with something termed as "rapid naming," or quickly retrieving the names of very familiar letters and numbers.
All the research shows these disconnects can be identified by a tool like RADAR as early as kindergarten.
"Identifying reading abnormalities early is essential for delivering a timely and ultimately successful intervention," said Dr. Stelios Smirnakis, the lead clinician in RADAR and a renowned neurologist at Harvard.
Smirnakis says RADAR is noninvasive, easy to administer, and a cost-effective way to identify children likely to have reading difficulties.
"It is an important advance that holds great promise for helping language professionals deliver optimal care," he said.
If the Harvard and Oxford viability results are positive, then RADAR testing could become common for school-age children and a staple in every school for early diagnosis and treatment options.
The fact that 90 percent of children with dyslexia can be educated in regular inclusive classroom environments means millions of children who might otherwise be held back by the personal, academic, and social repercussions of these disorders will end up more balanced, happier, and more productive.
Aslanides and his colleagues have a lot more to do before RADAR can achieve widespread applicability. Much of the technology and clinical work has been done, but more feasibility and clinical studies are needed to certify the method.
After these trials, benchmarking, and standards development, and field trials, RADAR should be ready for marketing and distribution. Aslanides and his partners are now seeking strategic partners to further develop and deploy RADAR and hopefully make dyslexia testing objective, repeatable, accurate, and affordable.


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Case Study: UW Bothell Academic Affairs Site
3 weeks of a 10 week course
Michelle Craigen
Yumiko Murray
Joshua Sera
This was our client project at General Assembly. This meant we'd be meeting with, and working for real-world clients and we were expected to deliver on real client needs. In this case, we were assigned to work with The University of Washington Bothell's Academic Affairs team. Their website is a critical site, and they needed a lot of Information Architecture help.
The UWB's Academic Affairs site in a centralized place for faculty to find information relating to their job, such as tenure and academic policies, as well as a place for prospective faculty to learn about what sets UWB apart from other universities. It serves the purpose both as a marketing site, and as an information storehouse.
Client Meeting
The first thing we did was to have a client meeting. A group from UWB came down to the GA campus, and we had an hourlong meeting. During this meeting, I took notes, nailed down what the client wanted, and came out with a plan, a list of dependencies from the client, and a list of deliverables due by the end of the project.
UWB has experienced rapid growth, and their Academic Affairs site has grown organically, without much oversight, or long-term planning. From this, I decided that two of the deliverables should be a content audit of their site, as well as a sitemap, to give a broad view of how their site should be re-organized.
As a team, we came up with a set of user research questions, in order to figure out what people used the site for. According to the client, the site was intended for faculty and prospective foremost, so we tried to get as many faculty members as we could. This proved to be a bit more difficult than we expected. We were provided a list of faculty, staff, and students that we could email for research purposes, so we created a screener survey using Google Forms and sent it out.
A day went by, and we got no responses, but at the end of the day, we did get an email from the client informing us that a few people had emailed them warning about a phishing scam that was going around. We'd been mistaken for scammers! I immediately wrote an email apologizing, and explaining the situation, and had the client send it out to everyone, to make sure it came from a trusted source. We were finally able to get 14 responses, which gave us a pool of people to interview, and gave us a baseline for how easy the current site is to use.
While waiting for Michelle's user interviews to be completed, I took a tour of the site itself. I started a content inventory spreadsheet, which meant visiting every single page in the site, and marking down it's title and URL, then giving it an ID representing its' place in the site hierarchy, making a note of all components, and linked PDFs or .docx files linked on the page, then lastly making note of any issues. It was suggested that I should use an automated tool to crawl the site first, but the information on the academic affairs site is scattered over the rest of the UWB site, as well as the main University of Washington site that the job of determining what was and wasn't actually part of the Academic Affairs site was more complex than I had time for. Ultimately, I had to inventory 106 pages total, which is actually on the trivial side for content inventories.
Initial content inventory (Google Sheets)
Generating a site map
From the user interviews, we did an affinity mapping exercise, which allowed us to get an idea of the categories of information that people visited the site to find. I used this to generate a site map that cut the number of top-level categories down to 7, from 17.
An important step to making a site navigable is making sure the user can form a mental model of how the site is structured. It's accepted at this point that we can keep about seven (plus or minus two) things in short-term memory at any given time, which means we should limit the number of items at any given level of the site to around that number.
Site map (PNG, 185k)
Updated Content Inventory
Now that I had a good site structure, I dove into the task of updating the content inventory. I added these new fields:
New URL
keep/edit/delete
The new URL would be the URL that the content in question would move to. The client would set up redirects from the old URL to the new URL to ensure links from other sites and bookmarks would continue to work. Keep/edit/delete would let the client know whether the page needed edits, or would just be deleted, and new category would let the client know where in the navigation hierarchy the page would live.
Updated content inventory (Google Sheets)
Home Page Redesign
In parallel with my content strategy work, Yumiko did a redesign of the home page, to highlight the parts of the site that user research showed to be most important. This helped people find the information they wanted quickly, by presenting it immediately.
We tested the redesigned site with four classmates, which went well, but we found that our testers wanted to see more up-front content, so Yumi redesigned the home page to make that content more obvious.
Finally we tested an InVision prototype remotely with faculty at UWB. We sent along a list of tasks for them to complete, and a survey to fill out afterwards. All testers were able to complete all tasks, and they were able to find information much more easily than they were before.
Opinions on how well the site would serve first-time users were still split, and if we'd had more time, we would have liked to have addressed this in a better way.
A part of Content Strategy is governance, meaning what sorts of standards and procedures you create to ensure how content is added in the future. I gave the client some ideas on how to maintain their site going forward, such as requiring committees to provide a standard set of information by a certain date in order to be listed on the committees and councils page, setting up calendar alerts so the person in charge of maintaining the site would know when to update curriculum development guidelines, and moving certain types of content to a blog to make categorization easier. Additionally, we talked about a responsive redesign of the site to make navigation easier for users on mobile devices.
If we had time, an interesting metric to measure would have been the distribution of visits across this site. Currently, out of all the pages within the Academic Affairs site, only a few receive any real traffic, with about half having received less than 10 hits over the last month. A measure of success would be that the distribution of hits over the Academic Affairs site would become more even, meaning that both the content itself was more relevant, and that the site itself made finding that content easier. Content receiving no hits over a long period of time would be deleted.
"when you limit the number of categories in any one place, you help the user "step through" a logical drilling-down to what they need to find. So, the decluttering worked!"
"Thanks Joshua, you and your team did an amazing work."
Reaction to our work, and the presentation was very positive. The client appreciated that we were able to do work that had been overdue for quite awhile in a short amount of time, and that we were able to deliver on what we'd promised in the original client meeting.
Final client presentation slide deck (Google Slides)
ontact
me@joshsera.com
linkedin.com/in/joshsera
©2017 Joshua Sera, Seattle, WA


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What happens when people are missing important parts of the brain?
Have you ever wondered how exactly we are able to perceive the world around us? How we see, hear, or smell? Our brains are equipped with specific areas and groups of cells that control our senses and actions. When we see an image, the signal travels all the way from our eyes through different groups of cells until it reaches an area called the visual cortex. This allows our brains to understand the exact image that we are observing. Neuroscientists have long studied the importance of these areas in allowing us to perceive the world through the different senses.
But what happens when scientists find people without these supposedly crucial brain areas? Sometimes, they turn out to have obvious impairments. For example, a woman born without the cerebellum, the part of your brain that controls posture and movement, was unable to walk until age nine1. These types of findings point to the importance of specific brain areas. But remarkably, sometimes it seems like missing an important part of the brain has no effect on a person. At all.
This is what researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel discovered recently. While imaging brains of people for another study, they found a woman that seemed to lack olfactory bulbs. Olfactory bulbs are the two small areas of the brain that control the sense of smell (Figure 1). Air from the environment arrives into the nasal cavity which fills up with odorants, airborne odor molecules that make up a smell. The molecules then activate the endings of cells called olfactory sensory neurons that send a signal up to the olfactory bulbs. The olfactory bulbs integrate this information and send it out to other parts of the brain, like the cortex, to tell you what you are smelling.
Figure 1. Odor molecules come into the nasal cavity and activate the nerves of the olfactory sensory neurons (olfactory nerves). Olfactory sensory neurons then send their axons to the olfactory bulb through small holes in the cribriform plate. There, the axons make connections with cells in the olfactory bulb, which then send the signal to other areas of the brain.
Damage to or lack of olfactory bulbs can cause anosmia, the inability to smell. However, the woman missing olfactory bulbs did not seem to have any apparent impairments in her ability to smell, which surprised the researchers.
The scientists sought to explore this one case of the missing olfactory bulbs, which they recently published in the science journal Neuron2. Surprisingly, when looking for normal-smelling controls for the study, they found a second woman who also seemed to lack olfactory bulbs. The researchers decided to study the two women and compare them to normal smelling women with intact olfactory bulbs.
First, they wondered whether the women seemingly lacking olfactory bulbs actually had them but were simply so small that normal imaging procedures would not be able to detect them. So, to make sure that they in fact did not have any olfactory bulbs, they used ultra-high resolution imaging. Again, no sign of the olfactory bulbs.
For this reason, they expected the women to be either unable to smell (anosmic) or have an altered sense of smell. However, the study showed that they were able to smell just fine! By using a standardized smell test, they compared the women to 88 normal smelling controls and identified that they actually had an intact sense of olfaction.
The next question on their minds was not if, but how they were smelling. Maybe they were able to detect smells, but not accurately identify different odors. They found that when asked to detail what exactly they were smelling with words, the women missing olfactory bulbs described the smells in the same way that 140 controls did. Not only they were able to smell, but they smelled similarly to women with intact olfactory bulbs.
Finally, they dug into publicly available data to assess just how common the absence of olfactory bulbs is. They found three more women who apparently lacked olfactory bulbs, but also had an intact sense of smell. In fact, they actually performed better than the average in olfactory tests. They did some math and estimated that approximately 0.6% of women and 4.25% of left-handed women potentially lack olfactory bulbs.
How could this be happening? Studies in rodents had suggested that even after lesioning the olfactory bulb, rats were able to retain their sense of smell3. It is believed that this could occur because the olfactory sensory neurons that sense the smell "bypass" the lesioned or the nonexistent olfactory bulb and send the signal directly to the cortex.
Another reason this could be happening is because we also use other senses to decipher the smell. The gustatory system, or the taste system, is very interconnected with the olfactory system. For example, sometimes we may not even be able to taste anything if we have a cold. Therefore, it is possible these women employ the use of other systems to be able to compensate for the loss of olfactory bulbs to accurately identify different smells. If neuroscientists are able to identify which of these mechanisms works to compensate for smell, they could try to promote them in people with anosmia to try to rescue their sense of smell.
It is still a mystery why exactly women who lack olfactory bulbs are able to smell so well. But no matter the reason, it does raise some doubt about olfactory bulbs and other brains areas—we may not even need them!
Yu, F., Jiang, Q.-J., Sun, X.-Y., & Zhang, R.-W. (2014). A new case of complete primary cerebellar agenesis: clinical and imaging findings in a living patient. Brain, 138(6). doi: 10.1093/brain/awu239.
Weiss, T., Soroka, T., Gorodisky, L., Shushan, S., Snitz, K., Weissgross, R., … Sobel, N. (2019). Human Olfaction without Apparent Olfactory Bulbs. Neuron. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.10.006.
Slotnick, B., Cockerham, R., & Pickett, E. (2004). Olfaction in Olfactory Bulbectomized Rats. Journal of Neuroscience, 24(41), 9195–9200. doi: 10.1523/jneurosci.1936-04.2004.
Cover image by Reigh LeBlanc via flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0.
Figure 1. From Patrick J. Lynch on Wikimedia commons, CC BY 2.5.
Anatomy, Behavior, Sensory
olfactory bulbs, smell
Announcing the PNK and IAES partnership!
The "Immune" in Autoimmune Encephalitis: The Role of T and B Cells


Finalists for the inaugural Hutt Valley Sports Awards were announced by the judging panel via various media channels on 1 May 2018. Winners of each category, along with an overall winner, were announced during the 17 May Awards Ceremony.
High achieving athlete Ann Fowler was also inducted as a Hutt Valley Sporting Legend during the ceremony.
Finalists of the 2018 Awards prior to the ceremony.
Selected from the winners of each category.
Joel Evans is an exceptional Softballer whose recent performances have elevated him to international elite status. Joel played his way into the World Cup Championship Team with consistent performances at local. regional and national tournaments. He is a well-known character and local Wainuiomata identity whose family is entrenched in Hutt Valley Softball at all levels.
• As a member of the Hutt Valley Dodgers Premier Team, winners of four club tournaments, the Hutt Valley Premier Competition, NFC Team and the Black Sox, Joel was recognised as Hutt Valley Softball Male Player of the Year.
Colleen Probar has a record in marching that is surely unsurpassed.
Born and raised in Lower Hutt, she started marching for Glengary Robins when she was 11. In 1957, she took on her first coaching role at the age of 16.
In the years since she has kept an almost continuous involvement in marching with the Lochiel Marching Drill team.
In her long coaching career she has won 46 senior grade titles and coached Lochiel to international success.
Locheil are renowned in the international tattoo committee where they represent New Zealand proudly.
Over the last 50 years, Probar has marched and coached numerous successful teams, and has held numerous roles in regional and national executives.
She has positioned her teams to participate in community events, Waitangi Day celebrations and and demonstrations at cricket and rugby internationals.
Probar was involved in the training and choreography of 50 marchers in the Edinburgh tattoo when it was held in the Westpac Stadium. In 1996 she received the QSM for her setrvices to marching.
Crowe Horwath's Dave Shadwell presents Kat with her award.
Wellington's Kat Whata-Simpkins is a talented athlete who has represented New Zealand in both rugby and league.
Hailing from Hutt Valley, Whata-Simpkins made her debut for the Black Ferns Sevens team in China in 2014 and since then has been a regular member of the squad.
She has represented over the years at club level for the Stokes Valley and Avalon Women's teams.
• Kat was a 2018 member of the Wellington Pride 7's team.
Lara Andrews is an exceptional sportswoman whose performance, leadership and mentoring were key influences in the 2018 success of women's softball at local, regional and national level.
Lara is the only player in New Zealand to play in the elite US Professional Softball League.
Sarah Gregorius is a New Zealand Football International and former professional athlete who returned to her roots rejoining Upper Hutt City Football for the 2017 season.
Sarah has made an immediate impact on the football scene with her inspirational energy, enthusiasm and performance.
Joel Evans is an exceptional Softballer whose recent performances have elevated him to international elite status. Joel played his way into the World Cup Championship Team with consistent performances at local. regional and national tournaments. He is a well-known character and local Wainuiomata identity whose family is entrenched in Hutt Valley Softball at all levels.
Asafo Aumua is a very promising Rugby player with a fine future in the game.
Blessed with huge athleticism and strength he brings a new dimension in the number 2 jersey wherever he plays.
After being named the outstanding player in the 2016 - 2017 U20 Rugby World Cup he was in the selector's eye.
Joel Evans is an exceptional Softballer whose recent performances have elevated him to international elite status.
Joel played his way into the World Cup Championship Team with consistent performances at local, regional and national tournaments.
He is a well-known character and local Wainuiomata identity whose family is entrenched in Hutt Valley Softball at all levels.
Sika Manu has an Upper Hutt heritage, attending Upper Hutt College. He played for the Randwick Kingfishers, Petone Panthers and the Upper Hutt Tigers in the Wellington Rugby League Competition.
Manu was a 2004 Junior Kiwi international and in the Kiwis NZ Rugby League Team which went on to win the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.
The Eastbourne Mens Interclub Lawn Bowls Team had another excellent season in 2017-2018.
• The Team are also the Wellington Premier Interclub Champions for the seventh time in ten years.
The Hutt Valley Mens Softball Team had an outstanding performance to win the Softball New Zealand National Mens Fastpitch Championship title after an 18 year drought.
• The Team overcame adversity with injury and player availability to battle their way through to this win.
were selected and recognised for their outstanding performances.
• Otila Tavite was named Top Catcher and Erin Blackmore named Top Pitcher and Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Mark Sorenson continues to dominate softball coaching at World Championships. His leadership has inspired other former athletes to "give back" and the succession planning and future of coaching in the men's game is sound. He has identified and nurtured talent within the Black Sox that will ensure we remain competitive for the years ahead.
• He was named Softball New Zealand Coach of the Year and was a finalist in the Halberg Sports Awards.
Gary Holland has held coaching positions in New Zealand, Australia and the UK.
Since 2016 he has been Head Coach of the Wellington Capital Swim Club where he has coached athletes of all levels and events.
Mark Sorenson continues to dominate softball coaching at World Championships.
His leadership has inspired other former athletes to 'give back' and the succession planning and future of coaching in the men's game is sound.
He has identified and nurtured talent within the Black Sox that will ensure we remain competitive for the years ahead.
He also coached successfully at the Squash World Doubles Championship Event in 2017 and carries out significant coaching and development roles for Squash New Zealand.
Anita Mooney is Centre Manager for Hutt Valley Netball. In this role she oversees a wide range of activities managing 70 senior teams and over 200 junior teams in the winter competition. Her attention to detail and passion for the role is exemplary. Anita has built up a strong rapport with clubs, schools, funders and volunteers.
• Anita is also President of the very successful Upper Hutt Maidstone United Netball Club.
Sue Loftus is an integral member of the Special Olympics Hutt Valley.
As a team manager and administrator she brings a wealth of experience and capability to the roles.
Anita Mooney is Centre Manager for Hutt Valley Netball. In this role she oversees a wide range of activities managing 70 senior teams and over 200 junior teams in the winter competition.
Her attention to detail and passion for the role is exemplary.
strong rapport with clubs, schools, funders and volunteers.
professional role as Head of Physical Education at Naenae College.
Seamus Curtin has flourished as a bowler under the guidance of former Commonwealth Games Representative Blake Signal in the Stokes Valley Bowls Club. Seamus is a down to earth well-grounded young man who will no doubt go onto bigger honours during his bowls career.
• He was named College Sport Wellington Lawn Bowls Player of the Year for 2017At club level Seamus won the Stokes Valley Singles and Fours Titles.
Seamus Curtin has flourished as a bowler under the guidance of former Commonwealth Games Representative Blake Signal in the Stokes Valley Bowls Club.
Seamus is a down to earth well-grounded young man who will no doubt go onto bigger honours during his bowls career.
Finlay Seeds continues to be one of the country's most promising middle distance runners.
He is also a very prominent young cross country and road runner who performs well above his age group.
Finlay has various achievements across all three fields.
• NZ U17 Emerging Sox Softball Team 2018.
National Fastpitch Championship Mens Team and was selected in the Softball New Zealand U17 and U19 National Tournament Teams.
successful Open Men, U19 and U17 Teams.
• Wellington U16 Mixed Touch Team, winners of a National Tournament.
• She was a member of the Hutt Valley National Fastpitch Championship Team and U19 Team who were both winners of National Championships. Denva was named in the U19 National Tournament Team. Denva was also named Hutt Valley Softball Association 2017-2018 Emerging Player of the Year.
Denva Shaw – Tait has had an outstanding year of achievement in Softball in 2017 – 2018. This has culminated in accepting a US College Softball Scholarship to attend East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania later this year.
Emma Main is a huge football talent who has developed into an elite athlete performing across National, Federation, and club and college competitions. She achieves not only on the field but contributes to the football community and development of other players.
Renee Savaiinaea is one of Wellingtons outstanding young sportswoman who is prominent over several sports at National, Regional and College age groups.
National achievements include being a member of the New Zealand Secondary Schools Netball Team, a squad member in the New Zealand U21 Netball Team and the New Zealand Rugby 7's U17 wider Rugby Training Squad.
• Tireque is a Volleyball accredited referee who has also completed a Sport Wellington Coaching Course.
• He still finds time to play in the Colleges Senior Boys Volleyball Team where he is a positive role model assisting with player development and management.
Jonathan Bailey is a young person who is already active in a voluntary role in Rugby, the sport he loves.
Tireque Malila has a passion for Volleyball. He is a dedicated volunteer to the Naenae College Volleyball Programme and contributes to this in many ways.
Volleyball, the two sports she is passionate about. Her contribution to Hutt Valley Sport is outstanding.
• Patrick has already commenced training for the next National Summer Games in four years' time.
Neelu Jennings has cast aside the effects of a significant brain injury at the age of 16 which left her with partial sight and imbalance problems. In spite of that she has pursued her strong interests in the outdoors devoting herself to the integration of disabled people in community sport and recreation opportunities.
Mary Fisher continues to be a world class performer in her specialty events. Although there were no major international events in the 2017 year to date Mary continued to perform at her very best on every event she could possibly participate in.
Patrick Donovan is a dedicated trainer and competitor in track events. His reward for this ethic is exceptionally good placings and times in his chosen events over the last four years.
Gareth Fowler is a Hutt Valley Netball Umpire who not only officiates at international and regional level but also assists with the development of existing and new umpires throughout New Zealand. particularly in the Hutt Valley. Gareth strives to achieve the ultimate performance and is a great role model for the younger umpires aspiring to achieve at a higher level. As a coach/assessor in Hutt Valley, he is passionate, hardworking and generous with his time.
• Gareth was named the Hutt Valley NZ Umpire of the Year in 2017 for the 8th year playing a major role in the development and management of the Hutt Valley Netball Umpires Academy.
Gareth Fowler is a Hutt Valley Netball Umpire who not only officiates at international and regional level but also assists with the development of existing and new umpires throughout New Zealand and particularly in the Hutt Valley region. Gareth strives to achieve the ultimate performance and is a great role model for the younger umpires aspiring to achieve at a higher level. As a coach/assessor in Hutt Valley, he is passionate, hardworking and generous with his time.
Wayne Saunders is a former leading Hutt Valley Softball Umpire who is now involved in the development of umpire standards and rules at international level.
Jim McIlroy is one of the leading Athletics officials in Wellington and New Zealand.
Jim has had a deep involvement in the Lower Hutt Athletics Club for more than 20 years officiating locally, regionally and nationally.


Remediation of former Waste Management sites at the historic Hickson and Welch Chemical Manufacture Site, Castleford, Yorkshire, UK.
The Hickson and Welch site was a chemical manufacturing site opened in 1931 and produced a wide range of chemicals up until its closure in 2005. During its lifetime, it operated two private, chemical waste landfills, and one chemical drum storage area, which, since the site closed, have been identified as contaminated land sites. These contaminated land sites are adjacent to the River Aire, and are within a 100 year flood zone.
The site has been investigated by many other consultancies in the past, however, no-one had been able to propose a feasible and cost-effective remedial solution.
NewFields began by compiling the data from the previous site investigations into a single database and geographic information system (GIS). This allowed all the stakeholders to fully understand the site, identify the data gaps, obtain a clear picture of the risks of the site and what needed to be achieved to close the sites. We developed a strategic plan and remedy which satisfied the business needs of both the client who was responsible for the contaminated land impacts and the current property owner. The remedial strategy was approved by the Environment Agency and Wakefield Council.
NewFields was then asked to design the remediation method for the three waste management areas which comprised a series of three impermeable clay caps with geosynthetic liners and associated surface water drainage features. We obtained planning permission for the design on behalf of our client, which involved compiling and managing several studies/plans, including a flood risk assessment for the site.
NewFields was then asked to produce a bid document for the project and identify and invite suitable contractors to tender for. We reviewed these tenders and advised our client on the best options for construction. We then over-saw construction to ensure that it followed our design, provided some in-house CQA for the construction and ensure that our client's needs were consistently taken care of.
NewFields professional, data focused and client focused approach to projects has meant that we have successfully planned and implemented a sustainable, effective method of reducing the risks for the client. The client saved approximately £10 million compared to previous cost-estimates by other consultants.


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The Public Policy of International Law
26 Feb 2018 12:30pm - 2:00pm CRASSH Meeting Room, Alison Richard Building
Part of the CRASSH Fellows Work in Progress Seminar Series. All welcome but please email Michelle Maciejewska to book your place and to request readings. A sandwich lunch and refreshments are provided.
Dr Rumiana Yotova
The public policy of international law can be described as the mechanism through which the international legal order responds to serious violations of its fundamental norms. While there is general agreement that there are fundamental norms which protect the interests of the international community as a whole, such as the prohibition against genocide, unlawful use of force, torture and racial discrimination, the concrete consequences of their violation remain controversial. In international law, lacking in centralised law making or enforcement, there is a great need to conceptualise the scope and the consequences of the most serious violations of the legal order, as highlighted by the situations in Syria and Ukraine. It will be argued that public policy provides an appropriate framework to address this need and that it can help guide the responses of States, international organisations, courts and tribunals in the face of such violations. International public policy is triggered in exceptionally rare instances of very serious violations of the norms fundamental to the international legal system, which is why its application entails the most severe consequences ranging from non-recognition to sanctions and invalidity.
The book will explore the public policy of international law as a legal construct, including its origins in domestic law, its character, scope, the criteria for its identification and application in practice. The methodology will draw on the theory of sources of international law, in particular custom and general principles, as well as on comparative law and jurisprudence.
Dr Rumiana Yotova is a CRASSH Early Career Fellow 2017-18. She is at CRASSH in Lent 2018.
Rumiana is a fellow and director of studies in Law at Lucy Cavendish College and an Affiliated Lecturer at the Law Faculty, University of Cambridge. She lectures International Investment Law and EU External Relations, supervises international and constitutional law, and coaches the Cambridge Jessup team. Her research interests are in the areas of the sources of international law, international dispute settlement, investment law and international health law. Rumiana practices as a Door Tenant at Thomas More Chambers. Rumiana completed her PhD in Cambridge under the supervision of Prof. James Crawford and assisted him with cases as his Research Associate. Prior to this, she spent time at the Secretariat of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the European Commission in Brussels and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. Rumiana did her Magister Juris at the University of Sofia, an LL.M Advanced in International Law at Leiden University and was awarded the Hague Academy Diploma in International Law cum laude. She was a founder and editor-in-chief of the Cambridge Journal of International and Comparative Law (now Cambridge International Law Journal). Rumiana is a fellow at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, a member of the Cambridge Centre for Law, Medicine and Life Sciences.
Rumiana Yotova
Early Career Fellowships at CRASSH
Work in Progress Seminars 2017-18


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Providence partnership with TransCanada yields state-of-the-art science equipment
Thanks to a partnership with TransCanada, Providence recently acquired two pieces of state-of-the-art equipment for its burgeoning Science program.
On Friday, September 8, TransCanada representatives Steve Loney and Bryce Lord visited the Otterburne, Manitoba campus to, along with a Providence delegation, install a plaque of recognition in the Science facility.
As a contribution to the institution's IMPACT 2020 campaign, TransCanada's donation yielded both a biological safety cabinet and a refrigerated centrifuge.
"With the cabinet we can work in a safe, sterile environment with really hazardous cells and materials, which is really important in the biological and health sciences," said Dr. Rebecca Dielschneider, Assistant Professor of Biology at Providence. She also explained that the centrifuge was secured with lids that would contain anything hazardous—"another really safe piece of equipment and vital for working with cells."
The partnership between Providence and TransCanada was established in January 2014 following a pipeline explosion near Otterburne. TransCanada, which has natural gas and crude oil pipelines throughout Canada, set up an information centre on campus and quickly embraced the Providence community.
"It was a tragic event that brought us together," stated Lord, TransCanada's Vice President of Canada and Mexico Gas Operations. "But," he added, "it brought us together, and that's the positive thing in this."
Lord recalled his first meeting with Providence President Dr. David Johnson and his initial fears that his company was going to be "grilled" by the school's administration. It didn't work out that way.
"They invited me to share a meal with them," he said. "That was pretty amazing. It didn't take me long to figure out that this was a group we wanted to partner with."
Dr. Johnson, too, expressed his appreciation for the partnership at Friday's event, underlining the importance of relationships between Providence and the broader community. He also thanked TransCanada for its contribution to the school's science program, pointing out that the new Bachelor of Science degree offering would be well served by the new equipment.
"Now we can take another step," he said.
After the installation of the plaque Dr. Dielschneider led Lord and TransCanada's Indigenous & Community Relations Liaison Steve Loney, as well as Dr. Johnson, Providence Board Chair Dr. Gord Giesbrecht and Providence University College Academic Dean Cameron McKenzie on a tour of the science facility.
"The lab looks amazing," remarked Lord. "I'm glad we could be part of building all these great things for Providence."
(Top to bottom: Dr. Gord Giesbrecht, Bryce Lord, Dr. David Johnson, Dr. Rebecca Dielschneider; Dr. Dielschneider shows Bryce Lord the biological safety cabinet; Dr. Dielschneider opens the centrifuge lid.)