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Do-it-yourself oriole feeder
April 5, 2018 April 5, 2018 / Irv Oslin	/ Leave a comment
If you build it, they might come
For years, I tried to lure Baltimore orioles to the feeders. One year I got a pair to stay the summer but, for the most part, a few orioles would stop by, wet their beaks at the nectar feeder and press on. They either moved on to "oranger" and "purpler" pastures down the road where people offered oranges and grape jelly, or continued on their northward migration.
After I retired and had way too much time on my hands, I resolved to go all out to keep the orioles at the feeders. At the first sighting, I ran out to Kroger and stocked up on oranges and grape jelly.
I crammed orange halves into suet cages and hung them out. I dabbed the grape jelly into recesses around the rim of a nectar feeder that we'd put out for them earlier in the spring.
It didn't take long to see that simply putting nectar out for the orioles had been woefully inadequate — like trying to keep a free agent ballplayer from bolting to another team by offering him minimum wage. Within two days, the feeders were ablaze with flashes of bright orange plumage. About a half-dozen male orioles and two or three females converged on the feeders, jockeying for position on the improvised orange and grape jelly feeders.
It was obvious that, if I was going to make the jump to the big leagues of oriole-feeding, better accommodations were in order. A quick Internet search turned up a simple two-station feeder with an orange half and small cup of jelly at each perch. It was a basic design, requiring three small hunks of wood, deck screws and a couple pieces of dowel rod. It was simple enough that even an "unhandyman" like me could do it. (I have been called the Anti-Villa because I sorely lacked whatever talents do-it-yourself guru Bob Villa possessed.)
I went out to the barn, pried a white oak plank off the side that nobody ever sees and went to work. Within two hours, I had a serviceable Baltimore oriole feeder. It didn't matter that it ended up looking an awful lot like the woodshop project I brought home from middle school. My parents proudly displayed my handiwork on the living room mantel, where they would entertain house guests by having them guess what it was supposed to be.
It was meant to be a shoeshine box — with a compartment below to stow polish and brushes and a sole-shaped appendage on top, where you were supposed to prop your shoe to polish it. My project looked more like a dresser drawer that had fallen off the back of a moving pickup truck, careened down the pavement for 50 or 60 yards and ended up in a contorted heap along the berm.
The orioles proved less judgmental than my parents and our house guests. They gave the feeder rave reviews, squabbling over spots on the perches, where they devoured the orange halves and emptied the jelly cups in a matter of hours.
After the orioles migrate south, I'll take down the feeder. Maybe, during the winter, I can use it as a shoeshine box.
Jonathan Livingston Sequel
March 1, 2018 March 1, 2018 / Irv Oslin	/ 2 Comments
At the risk of seeming sacrilegious, I have long wanted to write a satire of Jonathan Livingston Seagull entitled Jonathan Livingston Sequel.
Written in 1970, Richard Bach's iconic novella captured the essence of post '60s optimism. Jonathan Livingston Seagull gave us hope that our newfound idealism could lead to an age of self-realization and enlightenment. But, in the decade that followed, all that crashed and burned.
That's where my book would come in. In Jonathan Livingston Sequel, my protagonist would be a ring-billed gull, scavenging parking lot wastelands and subsisting on stale French fries.
In researching my novella, I've come across a few interesting tidbits on the ubiquitous parking lot gull.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, most the gulls you see strutting around fast food and shopping mall parking lots or soaring overhead and pooping on your car are ring-billed gulls. Not surprisingly, many of them have never seen the open bodies of water from whence their ancestors came. Nor ever will.
Like humans, they have adapted to a decadent world and thrive — more or less — in an artificial habitat.
Being opportunistic omnivores, it's what they do. Them and us.
Not that these gulls subsist solely on stale French fries and other food scraps. Their diet might also include fish, insects, earthworms, small rodents, grains and pretty much anything they can swallow. They are not above swiping food from other birds. Cornell and other sources, including the New York Times and Matt Soniak, writing for Mental Floss, report that ring-billed gulls also are attracted to parking lots because the grassy areas harbor insects and worms.
Parking lots also mimic their natural habitat in that these wide open spaces allow them to watch for would-be predators and scatter if need be. Strong and acrobatic flyers, ring-billed gulls can snatch morsels of food in midair and reach speeds in excess of 40 miles an hour.
Low vegetation around parking lots and landfills, another habitat to which the gulls have adapted, provide breeding habitat for these ground nesters. They also have been known to nest on flat rooftops. An interesting aside from Cornell: Ring-billed gulls have been known to add pebbles the size and shape of their eggs to their nests. Cornell also reports that their colonies include a small percentage of two-female couples. These pairs mate with opportunistic males and combine their eggs in the nest, producing "super clutches" of five to seven eggs.
Mankind facilitated some of these adaptations. By the same token, humans nearly annihilated ring-billed gulls. Like other species, they were hunted nearly to extinction in the late 1800s for their plumage, which was used to adorn hats. Colonies recovering from that onslaught were decimated in the mid 1900s by exposure to DDT and other pollutants.
Thanks to environmental regulations, many of which were enacted in the heady days when Jonathan Livingston Seagull was written, populations have recovered. One estimate put the breeding population at 1.7 million. Ring-billed gulls are protected in the U.S. and Canada under migratory bird laws.
Like humans, parking lot gulls have become a bit of a nuisance. Shooting them or throwing stones at them is frowned upon, so we're pretty much limited to taunting them. Apparently, that applies to humans as well.
Speaking of verbal abuse, if you want to avoid the wrath of ornithologists, never use the word "seagulls" in their presence. They will enthusiastically remind you that these birds are called gulls, not seagulls. If you persist in using the wrong term, ornithologists will flail their arms menacingly and squawk at you.
In my research, I came across a private contractor with a few suggestions on how to rid parking lots of gulls. A California outfit called Cleaning & Maintenance Services recommends having parking lots professionally cleaned on a regular basis. It just so happens that this is a service they offer.
The company also recommends not littering — fat chance of that happening — and covering trash receptacles. Other remedies include rooftop bird spikes, ultrasonic repellants and something called gullwire, which discourages landing or nesting on the ground.
On the other hand, there is in Scotland a gull advocacy organization. Seagulls Are Not Evil strives to raise awareness of prejudice against gulls. The organization encourages people to engage in educational activities and lobby elected officials to live and let live when it comes to gulls. If you're interested you can receive a Seagulls Are Not Evil sticker through their website https://www.seagullsarenotevil.info/.
In researching my novella, I also found there were at least two bands named after parking lot gulls. One of the bands, Parking Lot Gulls, is based in Worcester, Mass. The other band I found, Parking Lot Seagulls, is based right here in Ohio.
The Medina-based band's name might not be politically correct, but I admire their attitude. In fact, pessimist that I am, a message posted on their Facebook page gives me hope for the future:
"The Parking Lot Seagulls are loyal vigilantes of Bird Law. Bird Law surrounds us, speaks to us, guides us. It is the song of the universe, the blood of the cosmos. Bird Law is eternal. Long live the birds."
Maybe I can get them to do the music for the movie based on my novella.
(This was written for the Greater Mohican Audubon Society spring 2018 newsletter.)
Algonquin it ain't – Charles Mill Lake canoe trip, part 3
May 4, 2017 / Irv Oslin	/ Leave a comment
One of two bald eagles that watched me break camp.
There was no one else around at my Muskrat Bay campsite, but I was not alone. Lucy kept me company all evening and, when I crawled out of my tent in the morning, she was still there.
Lucy was a Canada goose. She appeared to have been injured and unable to fly. She swam around in front of my campsite, constantly positioning herself so she could keep an eye on me. It was sad to see goose couples come and go. Lucy watched them helplessly, perhaps longing for a life she'll never have.
She wasn't the only company I had. As I prepared breakfast and ate it, an osprey looked on from a tree across the bay. It flew off as I broke camp and, moments later, a bald eagle landed near where the osprey had been and stayed there until I slid my loaded canoe into the lake and paddled off. It was joined by a second eagle.
I began a day of exploring the lake north of the SR 430 bridge. Along the way, I saw a mallard, an egret and a plastic goose. I also rousted thousands of cormorants, which have become something of a plague on Charles Mill Lake.
There are suitable Islands for camping and a site — complete with a picnic table — on a peninsula at the southeast entrance to Big Turtle Bay. The downside is they're situated between US 30 and SR 430 and the sound of traffic never stops.
I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon paddling along the shoreline on the northern end of the lake. Because of the highways, Eagle Point campground, a boat ramp and houses, it's less appealing than the southern part of Charles Mill Lake.
In short, it's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to stay there.
In Camp Harbor on the west side of the lake, I came upon what I hope wasn't a familiar sight — a scuttled dredge. Years ago, while working as a reporter for the Ashland Times-Gazette, I wrote an article about the naming of a new dredge. It was dubbed "Sedimental Journey." Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District had purchased the dredge. The plan was to dredge the channel under the SR 430 bridge, which separates the northern and southern parts of the lake, then take it to other MWCD lakes.
I can't imagine it would have been scuttled without being used more.The average depth of Charles Mill Lake is only five feet. That's down three feet from the original depth. The bottom of the lake is covered with a gooey layer of silt, the byproduct of irresponsible farming, logging and construction practices. I'd like to think that this was another dredge, one replaced by Sedimental Journey.
Ironically, as I explored the lake for three days in April, 50,000 gallons of drilling clay had been dumped in a wetland upstream — a byproduct of the Rover pipeline project. It might not reach the lake, but the harm to wildlife and the wetland is disheartening just the same.
Here are a few photos from the final day of my three-day canoe trip:
Lucy, my constant companion.
A mallard duck doing some morning yoga, north of the SR 430 bridge.
An egret looks for fish in the shallows along the eastern shoreline.
A plastic goose lurks in a tree trunk near Sites Lake, a residential area on the north end of Charles Mill.
A scuttled dredge in Camp Harbor. Note the disintegrated oil boom around it.
The cab of the dredge. I was concerned that the interior of the hull reeked of oil.
Click on the link below for a map of the lake:
Charles Mill Lake Map annotated
Previous posts on this trip:
Will Haught be brought to naught?
March 23, 2016 March 23, 2016 / Irv Oslin	/ 1 Comment
My Haught Run campsite.
The answer to that question is, "Most likely."
Haught Run Campground on the Little Muskingum River isn't the worst I ever stayed at. The Lane Farm Campground downstream might have earned that distinction, but I opted not to camp there.
At the latter, I clawed my way up a 25-foot bluff to the campground. Getting there was half the "fun." Camping there would have been absolute hell. It was right off a busy state highway and strewn with litter and broken beer bottles.
In lieu of staying at the Lane Farm Campground, I paddled across the river, dragged my canoe and gear up an equally steep bank and dragged it 100 yards through the dense brush. My gut feeling about the campground proved right. As I finished my supper, a few pickup truck loads of people pulled into he campground. The sound of glass breaking was followed by gunshots. Nothing sinister, just a few harmless potshots.
I laid low and spied on them through the zoom lens of my camera. I took a few pictures of them and their vehicles just in case. None of the rounds came my way so I did nothing to alert them to my presence. Who knows what they would have done if they'd known I was there? Especially after they had a few more beers in them. They didn't hang around long and I spent a quiet evening stealth camping on U.S. Forest Service land. Low-impact camping, of course. No fire, no trace, leaving it cleaner than I found it.
Enough about Lane Farm. As for Haught Run Campground, the U.S. Forest Service closed the campground soon after I stayed there. The riverbank was eroding and the campsites gradually washing away. It was only a question of time before a tent full of people would have ended up in the river.
Recently, the Forest Service announced a proposal to decommission the campground and asked for public input. I felt compelled to put in my two-cents worth.
Here, in italics, are a few passages from my input:
On my trip in April 2014, I spent two nights at Haught Run Campground because of heavy rain in the immediate forecast. Being retired, I was in no hurry to get to my destination — the Lafayette Park landing in Marietta. So I spent two nights there to wait out the rain.
River access at Haught Run Campground
River access was difficult because of the steep, exposed bank.
I'd have to give the campground mixed reviews. The ground was level, which helps for finding a suitable tent spot. The park was relatively clean except for overflowing trash receptacles. My only neighbors were a hunter using Haught Run as a base camp and assorted couples who came and went in lieu of paying for a motel room. During my stay, several parties of day hikers passed through. All were well-behaved and polite.
The campground is not without redeeming features.
The wildflowers, especially along the hillside, were stunning, robins and other songbirds provided pleasant company. I enjoyed visiting the covered bridge and reading the historical plaques.
Unfortunately, there was an industrial installation across the river and upstream of the campground. I took it to be some sort of natural gas facility, a compression station perhaps. The noise coming from it made it difficult to get a good night's sleep. That alone made it an unattractive campsite. If I were to canoe through there again, I would bypass Haught Run Campground and find a spot downstream beyond the noise.
My prediction? The forest service will decommission the campground. The alternative would be to put riprap along the bank and excavate a low-impact canoe/kayak access. But that would be costly.
In my input to the U.S. Forest Service, I suggested that they take a cue from Lake Metroparks and establish paddle-in campsites in remote spots along the river. It would be wonderful if that suggestion didn't go for naught.
The Rinard Covered Bridge – part of the charm of Haught Run Campground.
Looking for Melco
October 23, 2015 October 23, 2015 / Irv Oslin	/ Leave a comment
Cue "Twilight Zone" theme music.
Imagine, if you will, a sleepy little village named Lucas, Ohio. A stranger comes into town, looking not for Lucas but a place called Melco. But Melco doesn't exist. Except in the twilight zone.
Nee nee nee nee nee nee nee nee …
Weirder still, two strangers had stopped by a junk shop on the edge of Lucas earlier in the day — asking for directions to Melco. They haven't been heard from since. At least not in Lucas.
Melco is a ghost town. The coal-burning power plant that gave rise to the company town east of Lucas became obsolete in the mid 1950s, except to scavengers and vandals. And apparently strangers who straggle into Lucas looking for it from time to time.
All but a few traces of the 70-acre town were obliterated in the 1960s. A sign posted on a closed road leading into Melco warns intruders that their every move is being recorded on camera. Even if they were to ignore the warning and proceed to the site, they wouldn't find much.
At one time, imposing smoke stacks rose from the power plant. The company built 10 houses to accommodate workers — along with tennis courts and a swimming pool to occupy them and their families. By some accounts, there also was a hotel, stores and an office complex.
Melco wasn't exactly a resort town — being in the shadow of belching smokestacks. It wasn't a particularly safe place to work either. Newspapers routinely published accounts of deaths and injuries at the plant. But, in its heyday, Melco produced electricity for Mansfield, Ashland and Loudonville.
Melco was built in 1917 by New York business magnate Henry L. Doherty, who combined electric streetcar systems, gas light and electrical power generating companies to capitalize on demands created by the quickly evolving industrial revolution. Quickly evolving by those day's standards.
Doherty built the plant at the confluence of Black Fork and Rocky Fork of the Mohican River because of the availability of water. (Not at Black Fork and Clear Fork, as one historian wrote. She might have been confused by a 1950 Mansfield News Journal article that misidentified Rocky Fork.)
In no time at all, the plant was operating at full capacity, but the rivers weren't. A few years later, after Charles Mill Dam was built in the mid 1930s, the company requested that flow be adjusted to provide more water for the steam turbines. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, whose mission was to prevent flooding downstream, accommodated Melco by letting more water out of Charles Mill Lake on an experimental basis.
It seemed to be working out. But, when the Corps of Engineers asked the company to help pay for the extra service, Melco officials balked. Melco built a small dam downstream of Charles Mill Dam. The company also persuaded government officials to deepen and straighten the Black Fork channel all the way to Loudonville.
In a clear example of creeping corporate socialism, the government appropriated gobs of taxpayers' money to accommodate private enterprise. Channelization work continued until after World War II. The down side, other than sticking taxpayers with the bill to grease the skids for a powerful utility, was that the natural flow of Black Fork was negatively affected.
Fortunately, the project fell from favor and was officially abandoned in the 1960s — before Black Fork was completely turned into an open sewer between Charles Mill Lake and Loudonville.
Equally as fortunate was a development in 1961. Richard Frye opened Ohio's first canoe livery at the confluence of Clear Fork and Black Fork near Loudonville. (Not to be confused with the confluence of Rocky and Black forks near Lucas.) Without imposing a burden on taxpayers or the environment, Frye's enterprise launched a sustainable industry that brought tourism to the Loudonville/Mohican area.
Frye's venture ultimately brought thousands of strangers into town looking not for Melco, but for an inexpensive place to camp, canoe, hike and otherwise enjoy nature.
On that note, we're not out of the twilight zone by any means. Other strangers wander into town from time to time with big ideas for re-industrializing the Mohican River Valley — often walking arm-in-arm with our elected officials. And you can bet they all have their hand in your back pocket.
Note — This account is part of a work in progress on ghost towns of the Mohican River.
Desecration
August 2, 2015 / Irv Oslin	/ 1 Comment
Getting there is ALL the fun
February 22, 2015 February 24, 2015 / Irv Oslin	/ 2 Comments
The hike's the thing
Larry Smith at Thesher Rock.
Note: Thanks to the vision, generosity and hard work of a lot of people, a new hiking trail will open this year. With the state of things in Ohio, this couldn't have come at a better time. Here's an article I wrote about it late last year. Hope you enjoy it. More importantly, I hope you'll make the effort to become a part of this in whatever way you can — and enjoy it to the fullest. While you can.
The region is known for its destination spots — Mohican and Malabar state parks, Mohican Memorial State Forest and Pleasant Hill Lake Park. The area's newest addition, dubbed the Mohican Complex, will be more of a journey than a destination.
A 4.5-mile trail linking the Richland B&O Trail in Butler to Mohican Country parks and forestland will provide a venue for dedicated nature lovers to explore hundreds of acres of woods, prairie, streams and geological wonders.
It also will serve as a link through time, preserving the region's natural heritage for future generations. That's particularly important at a time when public lands such as Mohican Memorial State Forest, the state parks and Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District land — which includes Pleasant Hill Lake Park — could be subject to wholesale logging, mining and drilling for oil and natural gas.
Some 570 acres in southeast Richland County will be preserved through conservation easements that have been in the works since 1991. That includes spectacular geological formations, mature forests, vast prairie tracts showcasing native flora and one of the area's best-known natural wonders, Hemlock Falls. All of this will be connected via a hiking corridor slated to open in 2015.
On a few segments of the trail, hikers will use short stretches of lightly traveled back road. However, most of the trail will meander through forests and meadows. The Mohican Complex corridor begins near the end of the 19-mile Richland B&O Trail in Butler, meanders northeast through Worthington Township in Richland County and ultimately connects to MWCD trails north of Pleasant Hill Road, where it crosses Clear Fork of the Mohican River.
The MWCD trails lead to connector trails linking Malabar Farm State Park to Pleasant Hill Lake Park, Mohican State Park and Mohican Memorial State Forest. In all, those parks and forest account for about 9,000 acres of public land.
Landowners, groups work together
So, with all that public parkland, why are the people behind the Mohican Complex determined to preserve acreage?
Recent logging at Mohican State Park and Mohican Memorial State Forest raises questions about the state's will to protect these areas. (Photo by Annette McCormick)
Much of their impetus comes from escalating efforts by MWCD and state government to capitalize on natural resources, opening public lands and parks to increased logging, mining and — more recently — extraction of natural gas and oil through large-scale horizontal hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking.
To protect some of the region's prized natural areas from commercial activity, the North Central Ohio Land Conservancy worked with landowners, organizations and volunteers to obtain and protect land permanently.
Those involved in the efforts or granting easements include Mohican School in the Out of Doors, Richland County Park District, Larry and Elaine Smith, First Congregational Church of Mansfield and Ohio Dreams.
"It's ironic that a church, a school, a county park district and the Smiths are combining with a land trust to protect their land better than the state of Ohio protects public lands by granting conservation easements and legally binding themselves and their successors to protect the land forever," said Mansfield attorney Eric Miller, a land conservancy trustee. "As more trails and protected lands are connected to Mohican by us and other organizations, perhaps the state will wake up to the importance of the Mohican Complex and take measures to protect it for the future by recording conservation easements on its land."
Steve McKee, a naturalist who provides guidance for the North Central Ohio Land Conservancy, explained why it's important to preserve forests.
"Timbering, including sustainable logging, causes a decrease in the amount of old-growth shaded forest and in the plant and animal species that require this fairly uncommon habitat," McKee said. "Logging opens up more early-successional (developing forest) and edge habitat, which ultimately results in a net decrease in biodiversity for the area."
Invasive species can take over
In logged and otherwise disturbed areas, invasive species quickly take over, crowding out native species. He went on to explain why undisturbed, mature forests are particularly important in preserving high-quality stream habitat.
"Timbering, especially in the vicinity or riparian areas, causes an increase in soil and water temperatures," McKee said. "Most of the waterways in Ohio are already far warmer than in pre-settlement times. It is the cool, clear waters that contain the less common and rare species of fish, invertebrates and aquatic plants."
Initially, Miller, the Smiths and others involved did not set out to create a cluster of nature preserves, much less connect them via a corridor to public parkland. That started to fall into place in 1998, when George Hammon contacted North Central Ohio Land Conservancy about donating about 200 acres.
The land, most of it mature forest, lies east of Clear Fork of the Mohican River off Benedict Road.
"When George Hammon said he was thinking of giving us land around Benedict Road, that's when it hit me," Miller said. "If I could get land along Benedict Road, I could string together a whole trail."
The Conservancy worked with the Richland County Park District and other parties to secure easements and further protect land along the corridor. That includes two parcels that Larry and Elaine Smith purchased with the intent of preserving native plant species and creating prairie habitat to attract native birds, insects and other fauna.
One of the properties, about 27.6 acres, is at Tugend and Bunkerhill roads. The other, 78 acres, fronts to Cole Road and is connected to other properties that have conservation easements, including Hemlock Falls.
Effort by Smiths started in 2001
For the Smiths, their venture started in 2001 when they purchased the Tugend Road property, which had been mostly cropland. Since then, they have dedicated themselves to creating and maintaining prairie habitat with a variety of habitat-appropriate trees planted in the margins.
Among them is the offspring of the celebrated gigantic Jeromesville sycamore. They also created small ponds for aquatic habitat.
For the Smiths, it has been a labor of love — a lot of labor. Since their first land acquisition in 2001, they and a few volunteers have been busy planting native flora, making trails, erecting bird boxes and trying their best to keep invasive species at bay.
"This has pretty much been the equivalent of a full-time job," said Larry Smith, a Mansfield native and a former park naturalist.
"I grew up loving nature," he said. "When I was 5 years old, I remember playing in the driveway with pieces of gravel and wanting to be a geologist."
When he was young, his family would go for Sunday drives in the Mohican area.
"I was in Boy Scouts and our troop camped in Mohican a lot," Smith said.
Prairie habitat is not native to these sites, but Smith sees the value of preserving it.
"Once heavily-forested Worthington Township has probably not known any true native prairie landscape itself for thousands of years since just after retreat of the last glacier, if ever," he said. "But a diverse, native prairie habitat is part of Ohio's natural heritage."
Portions of the properties the Smiths developed are forested and the Cole Road site includes a rock outcropping towering 300 feet above the Clear Fork Valley. It's known as the Threshing Floor or Threshing Rock because it's been said that, in pioneer times, people used the flat surface of the bluff overlooking the river to thresh grain.
High point offers panoramic view
The Cole Road site also features a panoramic view — during the winter months — rivaling that from Mount Jeez, part of Malabar Farm State Park. The high point on that property is about 40 feet higher than Mount Jeez.
The Smith's prairie tracts feature footpaths designed to fit the contours of the landscape. Plans call for side trails on these and other Mohican Complex properties in addition to the 4.5-mile corridor trail.
Not all trails will be open to the public on a continuing basis. Some are situated in environmentally sensitive areas and special arrangements must be made to see them.
The Mohican Complex corridor isn't intended for picnicking and casual use. It's geared toward people with a deeper appreciation for conservation and preservation.
"The properties are open to informed people, such as naturalists and hunters," said Miller of North Central Ohio Land Conservancy. "They won't be open to the general public, like Lyons Falls (a popular landmark in Mohican Memorial State Forest). We don't want to get to that point."
Some of the land will be closed during hunting season. Limited hunting privileges will be granted to individual hunters under rules set by people designated to manage each property. This will help keep animal populations at manageable levels to limit damage to the flora.
Hikers will be allowed access to view Hemlock Falls.
Some lands will have limited access
"Protecting the rare plants around the falls will involve limited access to view, rather than hands-on," Miller said.
In the early going, ample signage will be posted to discourage hikers from straying off the paths and damaging sensitive flora or wandering onto adjacent private property. Over time, once hikers become familiar with the trails, some of the signage will be removed for aesthetic reasons.
Meanwhile, volunteers will be busy establishing trails in anticipation of opening the corridor to hiking in 2015. Miller expects it to be a process of "trail and error" — trying to find routes to allow hikers to explore the best the land has to offer while protecting sensitive ecosystems.
"They will be three feet wide at the most," he said. "In some places, we'll use existing gas company rights-of-way. In many places, we'll use existing foot trails that are there from the property owners' usage."
But it's about more than logistics. Ultimately, Miller, the Smiths, land donors and volunteers hope the Mohican Complex will connect people — and generations — with the land.
"Looking across even a small prairie evokes in one's imagination a tiny glimmer of what the westward-bound pioneers once saw and felt as they set off into that new and different wilderness of the unknown, hopeful that a better future was out there, over the horizon," Smith said. "Prairies, like each of the other native habitats, preserve a home for a unique segment of our priceless natural heritage, and offer powerful medicine for the urban-weary human soul."


text:
//---------------------------------------------------------------------
// <copyright file="NavigationPropertyInstance.cs" company="Microsoft">
//      Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. See License.txt in the project root for license information.
// </copyright>
//---------------------------------------------------------------------

namespace Microsoft.Test.Taupo.Astoria.Contracts.OData
{
    using System.Globalization;
    using Microsoft.Test.Taupo.Common;

    /// <summary>
    /// Represents a navigation property
    /// </summary>
    public class NavigationPropertyInstance : PropertyInstance
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// Private storage for value
        /// </summary>
        private ODataPayloadElement currentValue;

        /// <summary>
        /// Initializes a new instance of the NavigationPropertyInstance class
        /// </summary>
        public NavigationPropertyInstance()
            : this(null, null)
        {
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Initializes a new instance of the NavigationPropertyInstance class
        /// Will automatically wrap entity sets and entity instances in expanded links
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="name">The property name</param>
        /// <param name="value">The property value</param>
        public NavigationPropertyInstance(string name, ODataPayloadElement value)
            : base(name)
        {
            if (value != null)
            {
                if (value.ElementType == ODataPayloadElementType.EntityInstance || value.ElementType == ODataPayloadElementType.EntitySetInstance)
                {
                    value = new ExpandedLink() { ExpandedElement = value };
                }
            }

            this.Value = value;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Initializes a new instance of the NavigationPropertyInstance class
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="name">The property name</param>
        /// <param name="value">The navigation link value</param>
        /// <param name="associationLink">The ralationship link value</param>
        public NavigationPropertyInstance(string name, ODataPayloadElement value, DeferredLink associationLink)
            : this(name, value)
        {
            this.AssociationLink = associationLink;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Gets or sets the value of the navigation property
        /// </summary>
        public ODataPayloadElement Value
        {
            get
            {
                return this.currentValue;
            }

            set
            {
                // Only allow deferred links, deferred link collections, and expanded links to be assigned
                if (value != null)
                {
                    switch (value.ElementType)
                    {
                        case ODataPayloadElementType.LinkCollection:
                        case ODataPayloadElementType.DeferredLink:
                        case ODataPayloadElementType.ExpandedLink:
                            break;

                        default:
                            throw new TaupoInvalidOperationException("Navigation property cannot be assigned a value of type: " + value.ElementType);
                    }

                    this.currentValue = value;
                }
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Gets or sets a value indicating the property relationship link value
        /// </summary>
        public DeferredLink AssociationLink { get; set; }

        /// <summary>
        /// Gets a value indicating whether or not the navigation property's value is expanded
        /// </summary>
        public bool IsExpanded
        {
            get
            {
                ExceptionUtilities.CheckObjectNotNull(this.Value, "Cannot check IsExpanded when value is null");
                return this.Value.ElementType == ODataPayloadElementType.ExpandedLink;
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Gets a string representation of the annotation to make debugging easier
        /// </summary>
        public override string StringRepresentation
        {
            get
            {
                if (this.Value == null)
                {
                    return string.Format(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, "{0}:null", this.Name);
                }
                else
                {
                    return string.Format(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, "{0}:{1}", this.Name, this.Value.StringRepresentation);
                }
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// The Accept method used to support the double-dispatch visitor pattern with a visitor that returns a result.
        /// </summary>
        /// <typeparam name="TResult">The result type returned by the visitor.</typeparam>
        /// <param name="visitor">The visitor that is visiting this element.</param>
        /// <returns>The result of visiting this expression.</returns>
        public override TResult Accept<TResult>(IODataPayloadElementVisitor<TResult> visitor)
        {
            return visitor.Visit(this);
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// The Accept method used to support the double-dispatch visitor pattern with a visitor that does not return a result.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="visitor">The visitor that is visiting this element.</param>
        public override void Accept(IODataPayloadElementVisitor visitor)
        {
            visitor.Visit(this);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Have you been contemplating whether adding an indoor arena to your property is worth the investment? We've got the answer for you – it is! Here are some of the biggest advantages of an indoor arena that you can't afford to ignore. Increased Lesson Income Do you live in a climate with harsh winter weather?


Proprietary Name Afluria What is the Proprietary Name?
Non-Proprietary Name Influenza A Virus A/singapore/gp1908/2015 Ivr-180a (h1n1) Antigen (propiolactone Inactivated), Influenza A Virus A/singapore/infimh-16-0019/2016 Ivr-186 (h3n2) Antigen (propiolactone Inactivated) And Influenza B Virus B/maryland/15/2016 Antigen (propiolactone Inactivated) What is the Non-Proprietary Name?
Start Marketing Date 07-15-2011 What is the Start Marketing Date?
The NDC Code 33332-018-01 is assigned to Afluria, a vaccine lable labeled by Seqirus Pty Ltd. The product's dosage form is injection, suspension and is administered via intramuscular form.
NDC 33332-018-01 HCPCS crosswalk information with package details and bill units information.


text:
Deir Alla Inscription
Our random article today is Deir Alla Inscription.
The Deir 'Alla Inscription (or Bal'am Son of Be'or Inscription) was discovered during a 1967 excavation in Deir 'Alla, Jordan. The excavation revealed a multiple-chamber structure that has been destroyed by an earthquake during the Persian period, on the wall of which was written a story relating visions of the seer of the gods Bal'am, son of Be'or, who may be the same Bal'am mentioned in Numbers 22–24 and in other passages of the Bible. However, the Deir Alla inscription describes Bal'am in a manner which differs from the one in the Book of Numbers, in that rather than being a prophet of Yhwh, he is associated with Ashtar, a god named Shgr, and "Shaddayin" (שדין, apparently gods and goddesses). It also features the word "Elohin" (perhaps with different vowels, like "ilāhīn"), taken to mean "gods" in the plural rather than the Hebrew deity.
The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Studies describes it as "the oldest example of a book in a West Semitic language written with the alphabet, and the oldest piece of Aramaic literature." Though containing examples of Aramaic, such as the word bar "(son of [Beor])" rather than the Canaanite ben, it also has many elements of Canaanite languages, leading some to believe it was written in a dialect of Canaanite rather than an early form of Aramaic. The inscription has been dated to 880–770 BCE; it was painted in ink on fragments of a plastered wall - red and black inks were used, red apparently to emphasize certain parts of the text. In all, 119 pieces of ink-inscribed plaster were recovered. The wall, near the summit of the tell, was felled by a tremor.
For the full current version of the article, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deir_Alla_Inscription.
This has been Joey. Thank you for listening to random Wiki of the Day. If you enjoyed this podcast, you can find our archive, and our sister podcasts popular Wiki of the Day and featured Wiki of the Day at wikioftheday.com. Subscribe and tell your friends to listen as well!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


With the state's employment at an historic high, unemployment at an historic low, and companies like technology manufacturing giant Foxconn and paper industry leader Green Bay Packaging choosing Wisconsin to locate or expand operations, Wisconsin is well on its way toward winning the 21st century.
Thanks to common-sense reforms, smart fiscal management and continuing economic growth, our state budget has entered a new fiscal year in an outstanding position.
Both property and income taxes are lower this year than they were in 2010, and we have ended every fiscal year since 2011 with a surplus, including a larger-than-expected surplus that allowed more than a half-million Wisconsin households to receive a $100 per-child sales tax rebate in recent weeks. Looking ahead, the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday will run from August 1 – 5, 2018, helping families save money when they buy school clothing, computers and supplies.
In the current state budget, we eliminated the state property tax for the first time since 1931 and we continued to deliver income tax relief, all while managing our state's finances in a smart, effective and prudent fashion that also allowed us to make record investments into K-12 education. Working in partnership with the Wisconsin Legislature, the state has delivered thousands of dollars in income and property tax relief to typical Wisconsin families since the Governor took office.
Wisconsin is paying off more debt than it is taking on to the point where outstanding obligations are the lowest they have been in nearly a decade and dropping.
Good debt management and taking advantage of low interest rates has allowed taxpayers to realize $633.7 million of debt service savings since 2011.
Of the $137.5 million added to our current budget surplus in the last state general fund update, $77.8 million of that was debt service savings.
The state's revenues are higher than previously estimated, the state's rainy-day fund is at the highest level ever, and it is also estimated to exceed $300 million at the end of this fiscal year.
Wisconsin received bond rating upgrades from three national agencies over three months in 2017.
The state has had the lowest new bonding authorized in back-to-back budgets in at least two decades, and total debt obligations have declined in four of the past five years. The state's long-term outstanding obligations are some of the lowest in the country.
The state's pension system is fully funded and strong, creating long-term budget flexibility to make additional investments in our priorities.
Our good fiscal management has also allowed for the inclusion of more than $6 billion for transportation, including the largest increases for local governments to fix roads, repair bridges and fill potholes in at least two decades.
Reducing the tax burden, historic investments in education and roads, and good fiscal management have contributed to the historic positive results for Wisconsin. The unemployment rate is at a record low, employment is at an all-time high and the state's per capita GDP growth rate ranked 11th highest in the nation from 2010-17.
The state's finances are in great shape, and we are ready to win the 21st century.


text:
Mr. Joseph Francis Pytko
August 2, 1949 - September 7, 2020
Joseph F. Pytko, 71, of Prince George, Virginia, passed away on September 7, 2020. He was preceded in death by his mother, Isabell Duffin and close family friends, Jim Van Epps and Jimmy Jones, both of Arlington, TX and Claudia Schiffer of Long Beach, CA. Joseph loved football and was a lifelong fan of the Philadelphia Eagles. He had a passion for music and enjoyed singing and playing his acoustic guitar while listening to his very impressive collection of vinyl records that contained music from: Cosby, Still, & Nash, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, and Bruce Springsteen just to name a few, while enjoying a single shot of Malt Scotch. Joseph also enjoyed running for exercise. He loved to go hiking with his family, go on camping trips, fishing, as well as taking vacations to Corpus Christi, TX & South Padre Island, TX. Joseph is survived by his children, Melissa Elaine Pytko and Joseph Jacob Pytko (Nikki) of Prince George, VA; six grandchildren, Austin (21), Sean (19), Kylie (13), Jacob (9), Gabrielle (10) and Carson Pytko (2); and his first great grandson, Ace Pytko (1); brothers, Scotty, Michael, and Frank Pytko of Philadelphia, PA and his lifelong friends, Joanne Wickman of Dallas Fort Worth, TX and Claudia Kadima of Anaheim, CA. A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, September 18, 2020 at 11:00 A.M. at Tucker & Fisher Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 415 Halifax St., Petersburg, VA. Rev. Willlis Foster will officiate. Please join us in comforting the Pytko Family by uplifting them with your prayers.
Joseph F. Pytko, 71, of Prince George, Virginia, passed away on September 7, 2020. He was preceded in death by his mother, Isabell Duffin and close family friends, Jim Van Epps and Jimmy Jones, both of Arlington, TX and Claudia Schiffer of... View Obituary & Service Information
The family of Mr. Joseph Francis Pytko created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories.
Joseph F. Pytko, 71, of Prince George, Virginia, passed away...
Send flowers to the Pytko family.


The ONS charts progress in closing the gender pay gap but says average wages are stuck at 2011 levels when adjusted for inflation.
The UK's gender pay gap has reached a record low 8.6%, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said provisional figures showed the median difference in full-time hourly pay was down from a level of 9.1% the previous year.
However, there was little cheer for overall earnings power given that wage increases have been battling inflation - the pace of price increases - for supremacy during the 12 months to April.
However, the latest wage and inflation figures covering more recent months have pointed to pay currently winning the day with the strongest growth for almost a decade.
Senior ONS earnings statistician Roger Smith, who compiled the wage data for 2017/18, said: "Average weekly pay for full-time employees is now increasing at its fastest since the financial crisis, in cash terms, with hourly pay rising fastest among lower-paid occupations.
"However, after taking account of inflation, earnings are still only where they were in 2011, and have not yet returned to pre-downturn levels.
"The gender pay gap fell to 8.6% on our headline measure, its lowest ever. But it isn't the same for everyone - it's close to zero for employees aged under 40, but widens for those who are older."
The gender pay figure is the first to be released since the UK's largest employers were obliged to submit data on the earnings of men and women.
While the statistics, released in April, were able to demonstrate the extent of the work still needed they were unable to explain the reasons for the disparity.
The ONS figures were released hours after the BBC came under heavy fire again over its efforts to ensure fairness.
The TUC union organisation said ministers had to exert real pressure on employers if things were to truly change.
Its general secretary, Frances O'Grady, said: "Working women won't be celebrating this negligible decrease in the gender pay gap.
"At this rate, another generation of women will spend their whole working lives waiting to be paid the same as men.
"Companies shouldn't just be made to publish their gender pay gaps, they should be legally required to explain how they'll close them, and bosses who flout the law should be fined."


text:
Interferon-stimulated gene products as regulators of central carbon metabolism
FEBS J. 2020 Nov 13. doi: 10.1111/febs.15625. Online ahead of print.
Kourosh H Ebrahimi 1 , Javier Gilbert-Jaramillo 2 3 , William S James 2 , James S O McCullagh 1
1 Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, UK.
2 Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, UK.
3 Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, UK.
DOI: 10.1111/febs.15625
In response to viral infections, the innate immune system rapidly activates expression of several interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), whose protein and metabolic products are believed to directly interfere with the viral life cycle. Here, we argue that biochemical reactions performed by two specific protein products of ISGs modulate central carbon metabolism to support a broad-spectrum antiviral response. We demonstrate that the metabolites generated by metalloenzymes nitric oxide synthase and the radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) enzyme RSAD2 inhibit the activity of the housekeeping and glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). We discuss that this inhibition is likely to stimulate a range of metabolic and signalling processes to support a broad-spectrum immune response. Based on these analyses, we propose that inhibiting GAPDH in individuals with deteriorated cellular innate immune response like elderly might help in treating viral diseases such as COVID-19.
Keywords: GAPDH; ISG; immunometabolism; viperin; viruses.
© The Authors. The FEBS Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Biochemical Societies.
BB/R013829/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom
ALTF 157-2015/European Molecular Biology Organization
RF259/EPA Abraham Research Fund


text:
ALL THE LOVERS
LOVED, MAMA & JE T'AIME RINGS
SIGNET COLLECTION
Women's Engagement
Men's Wedding
NK ATELIER
HEARTS COLLECTION
SNAKES COLLECTION
VERMEIL COLLECTION
T&A COLLECTION
SHIBARI COLLECTION
ALL SALE/DISCOUNTED PURCHASES ARE FINAL SALE
How magic happens - a video from our shoot with Polly Borland and Susie Cave
A serendipitous collaboration between friends occurred during my recent trip to LA - my long-time friend and photographer Polly Borland and Polly's close friend, designer of the cult fashion label The Vampire's Wife and top-model Susie Cave (wife to the singular musician Nick Cave), came together to create the lookbook for our newest collection, Roses in Winter, as well as to showcase some of our most precious and unique pieces.
Polly Borland is an Australian-born photographer, whose work is featured in every major Australian art gallery. She is renowned for her works including "Bunny," which first brought the actress Gwendoline Christie to prominence, "Babies," as well as the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, which was commissioned by Buckingham Palace for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002.
Polly is now based in LA. Her new exhibition opens at Meir Gallery on July 22.
Susie Cave ( nee Bick) was one of the quintessential models of the '80 and "90s. A favorite of Alai, the face of Christian Dior Make-up, photographed by Guy Bourdin, Helmut Newton, the list goes on. She has an otherworldly beauty that is ageless and timeless.
Watching the two of them work and interact was a dream. The ease with which they communicated, the fun and humor they injected into the shoot, the easy glamour and grace that Susie embodies. The effortless ease with which she posed, each move utterly graceful. And if I sound like a fan girl, that's because I am!
Take a look below for my personal behind the scenes photographs and videos of the day as we worked together on this thing of beauty.
http://www.pollyborland.com/
https://thevampireswife.com/
Join us for the opening of our new Showroom!
Nora's Story
Design and Production Process
INFO@NORAKOGAN.COM
© 2020 Nora Kogan. POS and Ecommerce by Shopify


In November I focused the attention of this site on genetic modification of foods. I asked a colleague and the foremost defender of GMOs, Dr. Wayne Parrott, to write a guest post for the website. The stresses of teaching and other duties at the university precluded an article in November, but he was able to send me this article over Christmas break. I am pleased to begin the new year with his contribution. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
One day while walking home some 60 years ago, my uncle was approached by a street vendor, who explained that a fine boy like him could surely use a wrist watch. He proceeded to show him his assortment of watches. "Why are they so pricey?" asked my uncle. "Because these have no jewels, unlike the ones the stores sell," replied the salesman. The explanation was good enough for my uncle, who went home, found his savings, and went back for the watch. The excited boy then ran home to show off his purchase, "And I was even able to get one without jewels," he bragged.
Consumers who still appreciate a fine mechanical watch over a digital version are undoubtedly familiar with the concept of jewels- namely bearings made out of ruby—that improve the function and longevity of watches. And, as this ad from 1933 attests, the more jewels used in a watch, the greater its price. Jewels make for a fine watch.
As my uncle's misadventure shows, marketers have learned to never underestimate the power of claiming superiority due to the absence of something. Nowhere is this trend more evident today than in the popularity of '-free' labels, which have skyrocketed in the food industry. Food singled out by its lack of given ingredients (artificial dyes, transfats, gluten, high fructose corn syrup, added sugars, preservatives, etc) are eagerly snatched up by consumers. Most do so out of a conviction that these are healthier products. A small number of these consumers even like to feel smug about it. We've all met someone like that at one time or another.
What is a GMO? Most consumers admit they really do not know what a GMO is. In its current use, GMO (genetically modified organism) has no biological meaning, because both nature and humans have been genetically modifying our food for 1000s of years. Instead, GMO has become a legal term that describes how the latest modification was done, and says nothing about the type of modification made.
What makes a GMO product different? GMO refers to a process, not a product. GMO is not an ingredient.
But, is it safe? Yes, they are as safe as non-GMO foods. Although there is no reason to single-out GMO foods for extra regulation, the precautionary nature of the regulatory system ensures they get extensive testing, while conventional food gets almost none. Furthermore, because of our global economy, many other countries & groups, such as Canada, Australia, Japan, Korea, and the European Union, repeat or review the safety assessments, meaning there is lots of redundancy in the safety system. Nevertheless, there are always claims of harm from GMO foods. Not one of these claims has stood up to close examination.
Is there an upside? Yes, there are several. GMO crops have been particularly efficient at increasing sustainability and decreasing the agriculture's footprint on the environment. GMOs reduce losses from agricultural pests and decreasing the amount of insecticides used. Other GMO crops have made it easier to implement farming practices that protect the soil from erosion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Dr. Wayne Parrott is a Professor of Crop and Soil Science at the University of Georgia. His lab research focuses on molecular breeding with an emphasis on soybeans, switchgrass and white clover. He is a member of the university's Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics. Wayne was recently recognized as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was selected for this prestigious award "for distinguished contributions to the development and implementation of plant transformation technologies and to the discussions of the science and regulatory processes associated with genetically modified organisms." Perhaps no one in the world has been a more ardent defender of and advocate for genetically modifying agricultural crops for a more bountiful, nutritious and sustainable food supply.
Previous Previous post: Are natural flavors better than artificial ones?


Located closer to Malpensa International Airport (MXP), Jetsdealers comprises of transactional, litigation attorneys and commercial experts who are passionate about aviation.
We focus solely on the legal needs of the aviation community: lenders, aircraft owners, fractional share owners and providers, lessors, lessees and operators, airlines, aviation maintenance and support facilities.
We are committed to providing our clients with high-caliber aviation legal and commercial representation on a cost-effective, timely basis.
Jetsdealers understands the specialized legal needs of the aviation industry.
Our Partners are all passionate about general and commercial aviation.


text:
Але́я ли́пи дрібноли́стої — ботанічна пам'ятка природи місцевого значення в Україні. Об'єкт розташований на території Шполянського району Черкаської області, в селі Кримки (шлях на місто Кропивницький через Новомиргород).

Площа — 1 га. Статус отриманий згідно з рішенням ОВК від 27.06.1972 року № 367. Перебуває у віданні Кримківської сільської ради.

Джерела
 Перелік територій та об'єктів ПЗФ місцевого значення (Черкаська обл.)

Ботанічні пам'ятки природи Черкаської області
Природоохоронні об'єкти, засновані 1972
Липи

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Bulbine asphodeloides filifolioides De Wild.
Bulbine asphodeloides xanthobotrys Engl. & Gilg) Weim.
Africa - Equatorial Guinea, Congo, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, south to S. Africa; Arabian Peninsula - Yemen.


Celebrities, including former US First Lady Michelle Obama, celebrities Beyonce and Rihanna have reportedly bought wigs made in Xuchang, Central China's Henan Province — the "city of wigs."
Customers from the US, the UK, France, South Africa and the Netherlands top the list of countries contributing the most to wig sales in 2018, the report said.
In 2018, the sales of wigs to European countries were more than 50 percent than in 2017, while in Africa, including South Africa, Nigeria, Zambia and Kenya, sales climbed 300 percent, the report said.
V***n创汇电商学院: I love thi了不起的孩子李欣蕊s hair. Its very soft and it looks just like its your own hair no one could tell it was a wig. Will buy from this vendor again.
A***t:many thanks. this wig is so good. sell钟铭选er about listening, and send message to see if you have received the package.
Xu, a sales manager from a wig company碳氢油项目是否真实 based in Xuchang, told the Global Times on We宋罡昀dnesday that it seems like 琼粤彩吧every household in the city is into the wigs b万举油温机usiness, with most mom-and-pop 郭的秀高高operations.
Authentic human hair is among the favorite of customers from the US, who are more open to wigs compared with Chinese people. And it's second nature for Africans to wear wigs, Xu said.
Ther穿越之我是皇太极他额娘e are more than 5,000 wig mills in Xuchang. The industry feeds 200,0neor00 people in 荣仕健康鞋the city, news site jiemian.com reported.
Exports of Xuchang-made wigs were worth about $1 billion in张悦小甜甜 2016, accounting for more than hal画画软件,巨蟹座和什么座最配,webstormf of national hair product exports that year, the Xinhua News Agency reported.


You'll remember that last week we surveyed dentists on the importance of toothpaste and whether it really matters which brand of toothpaste you use. Two out of three dentists agreed that, thanks to modern technology, not all toothpaste brands are equal. However, they didn't seem to agree on which brands are best or which ingredients (besides fluoride, a debate unto itself) are most important.
Toothpaste has been on my mind lately, even more so since I read about the advertising feud between Crest and Colgate. The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus officially recommended that Procter & Gamble stop making claims that suggest its Crest Pro-Health toothpaste is recommended by dentists.
The back-story? Colgate has been losing market share to Crest lately (even though, to be honest, Colgate was the brand most mentioned by dentists in our Wealthy Dentist survey). Colgate responded by challenging a number of Crest's advertising claims.
Colgate itself is still reeling from being warned earlier this year by the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to stop claiming that four out five dentists recommend its brand.
In Colgate's annual poll of dentists, respondents are asked which toothpastes they would recommend from a list of major brands. Just over 80% selected Colgate, more than any other brand. However, the difference between Colgate and Crest was only a few percentage points. The ASA determined Colgate's "4 out of 5 dentists" claim to be misleading to consumers.


Forums » Games » Defender 88!
Do you hate jellyfishes? No? What about monster jellyfishes? What about over sized, monster jellyfishes that hate nuclear reactors to the point of headbutting them to death, destroying, in the process, the only energy source of the small, isolated floating fortress where you and your dear family spend your living days?
What about now, do you hate jellyfishes now? Because in this underwater shoot'em up you (that's right!) get to pilot the submarine unit Defender 88 (D-88, for friends and acquaintances) and to protect three generators with your life, machine guns and mighty torpedoes. Dash like a madman through curtains of bubbles, dodging ever increasing waves of evil medusoid creatures while shooting them in the face. Do jellyfishes even have faces? They do now.
Defender 88 is Midipixel Games (a two man team from Brazil) entry for the 2015 Game Boy Jam. In this jam, all teams had 10 days to create a game with two GB limitations: 160x144 resolution and only four colors. We had a blast developing this game in ImpactJS and we would love to let you guys play our game and tell us what you think!
Maybe I'm just really bad, but I found the controls kind of difficult. I found it difficult to line up my gun fire because even if I got a jellyfish in line for a moment, I'd have to retreat away so I don't touch him, and doing so points my gun in the opposite direction, so I miss. Would be cool if the submarine could move backward while retaining fire direction (if already started at time of direction change).
Graphics are awesome. Decent sound. Nice tutorial functionality. Good deal of polish. Very nice work.
Awesome sounds and graphics. I think the constraints of the GameBoy style help.
Also I like the message "space" to skip which came on just when I wondered what to do next to start.
Took me a while to figure out I was shooting at the jellyfish and not the big sphere generator thing.
I bet controls feel better with a D-pad.
We're SOOO glad you liked the graphics and the music! For a 10 days project, we're very proud of our results!
What do you guys think of that? This way, the player will be able to strafe/shoot while moving backwards.
ALSO: I'd like to ask you guys to please vote on our game for GBJam, in case you liked it! It would mean the world to us!
That sounds pretty good, actually.
Same thing as everyone else -- I felt like I was fighting the submarine to aim and float at the same time. Something like a mouse aim would be very sweet.
The polish level is great. I liked the art and music.
Thank you very much, guys, for playing our game and for your awesome feedback! GBJam is over and we landed the lucky 13th place! We're very proud of what we achieved, considering the small time we had to develop the game and the overall quality of the other games participating in the jam.
We're already working on a new version which will probably overhaul the controls, as we've talked before, and will also feature other improvements, such as connecting to Gamejolt's API, smoothing out the game learning curve and difficulty, and some tweaks here and there.
We're going to keep you guys posted on the news here in the forums, but if you guys feel like following our game in Gamejolt too, that would be great!


BIRMINGHAM – On Wednesday, a federal grand jury, in a 103-count superseding indictment, charged a Fultondale doctor with conspiracy to prescribe controlled substances and participating in a healthcare fraud conspiracy with a Demopolis pharmacist and a Tuscaloosa sales representative, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town, DEA Special Agent in Charge Stephen G. Azzam, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.
Roberts is also charged with participating in a healthcare fraud conspiracy and scheme that involved delegating responsibility for seeing patients with opioid addictions to staff such as his X-ray technician and office manager, but billing Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama as though he personally saw the patients. The indictment also charges Roberts, along with STANLEY F. REEVES, 60, of Demopolis, Ala., a pharmacist and owner of F&F Drugs, a pharmacy, and BRETT TAFT, 45, of Tuscaloosa, Ala. with defrauding third-party administrators of health insurance plans of over $10.5 million in fraudulently billed compounded drugs. Reeves is also charged with making false statements to federal agents and with tampering with a witness, and both Reeves and Taft are charged with spending the proceeds of health care fraud.
The maximum punishment for the dispensing controlled substances charges is 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. The maximum penalty for health care fraud and conspiracy charges is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for the false statement charge is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for the witness tampering charge is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for the spending proceeds of healthcare fraud charge is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
DEA and FBI investigated the cases, which Assistant U.S. Attorneys Austin Shutt and Chinelo Dike-Minor are prosecuting.
An indictment contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Installation location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Solar connection diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Installing the temperature sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Electrical connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Commissioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
User information from the system installer . . . . . . . . .
Preparing for use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting the cylinder temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
surrounded by a warning triangle.
where there is no risk of injury.
• CAUTION indicates possible injury.
• WARNING indicates possible severe injury.
B Only use the cylinder for heating domestic hot water.
B Never restrict the outlets of the safety valves.
appliance and the DHW cylinder serviced annually.
B Always switch the mains off when servicing the system.
B Only use genuine spare parts.
bordered by horizontal lines above and below the text.
provided to the customer for future reference.
manage and promote the scheme.
Visit centralheating.co.uk for more information.
appliance and reduces the cylinder heat-up time.
any losses resulting from such use is accepted.
• All-round rigid insulation, free of CFC and HCFC.
The cylinder is made from corrosion-resistant Duplex stainless steel.
The cylinder can be used with all mains water supplies.
softener is never below 150 ppm.
the secondary heating appliance will heat the upper coil.
constant DHW output and the performance factor (NL).
the value for tap water.
taken into account in the diagram.
a person competent to install unvented hot water systems.
to ensure that the law is complied with.
B Never set the cylinder down hard during handling.
CAUTION: Damage through stress cracks.
(Æ Fig. 4 on page 7).
locations on the cylinder, subject to system.
be positively pumped as gravity circulation is not possible.
part of the heating appliance.
some AGAs, back boilers and solid fuel stoves are not suitable.
the unit, an air vent may be required.
B The coil must be able to be drained via a suitable valve.
must be positively pumped as gravity circulation is not possible.
may increase the pressure drop through the coil.
pressure and flow rates stated in specification table TAB. 4, page 8.
be the one closest to the cylinder in height terms.
to the cylinder should be used, where practicable.
CAUTION: Damage through excess pressure.
B Never restrict the outlets of any safety valves.
B Install a drain valve at the cold water inlet.
Cylinders are equipped with a DHW secondary return connection.
water tight seal (Æ fig. 2 , page 6).
Seal and insulate the connection.
Legionella bacteria growth is prevented.
Hot water can lead to severe scalding.
hot water or steam cannot create a risk.
discharged from the temperature and pressure relief valve.
requirements of the Building Regulations).
(maximum distance between safety valves and tundish 600 mm).
withstanding the potential temperatures and pressures.
– Minimum 300 mm vertical drop before the first bend.
– Must be at least one pipe size larger than the inlet of the tundish.
– Route the discharge pipe work with a constant fall.
The two safety valves will only discharge water under fault conditions.
When operating normally water will not be discharged.
within 600 mm of the safety device e.g. the temperature relief valve.
in doubt you should seek advice.
tundish before any elbows or bends in the pipework.
• Be installed with a continuous fall.
positioned to prevent contact whilst maintaining visibility.
systems that would collect such discharges (tundish available).
operated device to warn when discharge takes place.
calculated using data prepared for the type of pipe being used.
the tundish to the point of discharge.
than the actual length of 7 m therefore calculate the next largest size.
DANGER: Risk of electric shock!
the power supply (230 V AC) to the heating system.
products installed along side this unit.
G3 protection from excessive solar input.
A solar high limit thermostat will isolate the solar controller and solar pump.
a gravity break check valve.
The solar pump station MUST incorporate a gravity break check valve.
and isolate the solar pump.
connection to the earth and to fix the rigid cable.
Interference and comply with BS800: 1977.
B Isolate from mains supply.
water fully covers the heating elements to a depth of at least 100 mm.
personal injury & damage to property.
Sheathed, complying with BS6141 Table 8. It must be fully earthed.
excessive force when tightening the terminal screws.
the end of each cable 8 mm minimum.
B Fit the Live and Neutral cables on the thermostat.
immersion heater to complete the wiring.
B This heater must be earthed.
function and service life depend.
the cylinder completely, including its lower section.
B Give the user all documentation.
Only a competent person must commission the system.
the heating appliance (frost protection).
operating instructions of the solar controller.
protecting the environment are strictly adhered to.
the cylinder must also be properly insulated.
recycling processes that ensure optimum recycling.
B Check the pre-charge pressure of the expansion vessel (3 bar); topup if required.
B Flush the pipework as well as the cylinder with tap water.
B Check all connections and the immersion heater fitting for tightness.
B Set the required cylinder temperature at the cylinder thermostat.
operating instructions of the heating appliance.
carrying out any maintenance on the cylinder.
B Only use genuine spare parts!
out cleaning or repair steps.
consumption and extend the heat-up time.
B Subject to the level of scaling, descale the cylinder regularly.
B Check the inside of the cylinder regularly and clean out any sludge.
this investigation the immersion heater will need to be replaced.
B Flush the cylinder thoroughly after cleaning or repair.
B Vent the heating, solar and DHW sides.
affected by the manufacturers guarantee.
demonstrating compliance with the appropriate Building Regulations and then handed to the customer to keep for future reference.
Failure to install and commission this equipment to the manufacturer's instructions may invalidate the warranty but does not affect statutory rights.
Is the primary circuit a sealed or open vented system?
What is the maximum primary flow temperature?
What is the incoming static cold water pressure at the inlet to the system?
Has a strainer been cleaned of installation debris (if fitted)?
Is the installation in a hard water area (above 200ppm)?
If yes, has a water scale reducer been fitted?
What type of scale reducer has been fitted?
What is the hot water thermostat set temperature?
What is the maximum hot water flow rate at set thermostat temperature (measured at high flow outlet)?
Time and temperature controls have been fitted in compliance with Part L of the Building Regulations?
Is the cylinder solar (or other renewable) compatible?
What is the hot water temperature at the nearest outlet?
Where is the pressure reducing valve situated (if fitted)?
What is the pressure reducing valve setting?
Has a combined temperature and pressure relief valve and expansion valve been fitted and discharge tested?
Are all energy sources fitted with a cut out device?
Has the expansion vessel or internal air space been checked?
What store temperature is achievable?
*All installations in England and Wales must be notified to Local Authority Building Control (LABC) either directly or through a Competent Persons Scheme.
A Building Regulations Compliance Certificate will then be issued to the customer.
It is recommended that your heating system is serviced regularly and that the appropriate Service Interval Record is completed.
Always use the manufacturer's specified spare part when replacing controls.


When I was in graduate school I was pulled towards two different realities.
In a few dozen repetitions, even a first year graduate student un-socialized in academic culture (me, in other words) can learn to answer with discussions of papers underway, not teaching projects.
On the other hand, while I did well in my coursework, I found myself at sea emotionally with most of my studies. The level of abstraction and the theoretical assumptions seemed divorced from life…but teaching did not. Teaching—even teaching a bunch of hung over, resistant freshmen at 8 AM—was real. Dragging them from stasis and fear to understanding carried an excitement with it. I spent hours plotting class sequences and even dedicated time trying to figure out how to reach each student.
These two gravitational fields pulled me back and forth. At times I achieved synthesis: insight from my own research and writing flowed into my teaching. Most of the time, though, the two didn't seem to connect and I was simply torn.
As an adjunct, I am too often free of both tensions. That is to say, there are no tenure reviews keeping me on the publishing track. My employers don't ask about my writing—and most don't seem interested. In more than one case, there's no regular form or time to report it. I find myself feeling like a scholastic ghost: there's no real scholar here.
I should be free to focus on my teaching. It's true that my time is spent teaching, but too much time is spent there. I have to take the advice I got in graduate school on repeating assignments, just to survive, but that means the creativity, connection, and reality are squeezed from my teaching. I'm infinitely more experienced as a teacher than I was as a graduate student…but I don't feel real.
What makes an adjunct real? It isn't writing. Maybe it is fatigue.


text:
Gaming scholar Davis Fong named lawmaker by Macau govt
Sep 27, 2017 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck
Macau-based gaming scholar Davis Fong Ka Chio has been appointed by Macau's Chief Executive as a member of the city's Legislative Assembly. The announcement was made on Wednesday by the Macau government in a press release.
Mr Fong (pictured in a file photo) heads the University of Macau's Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming. He was involved in the Macau government's "mid-term" review report of the local casino industry, disclosed in May 2016.
In Macau, 14 seats in the legislative body are apportioned via direct election; 12 seats via indirect elections; and seven seats by appointment at the discretion of the city's incumbent Chief Executive. The elections for the direct and indirect seats took place on September 17.
The new Legislative Assembly members are expected to take office in October for a four-year term. One of the important topics legislators are likely to discuss during the term of the new Legislative Assembly is the possible extension of gaming rights for Macau's current gaming concessions and sub-concessions.
The present three concessions and three sub-concessions expire on various dates in either 2020 or 2022. They can be extended in increments of time to a maximum of five extra years from the time of their original expiry. After that, a new concession process must take place, involving a new public tender.
Mr Fong is not the only member of Macau's Legislative Assembly with ties to the local gaming sector. Others include directly-elected lawmakers Angela Leong On Kei, an executive director of Macau casino operator SJM Holdings Ltd and fourth consort of Stanley Ho Hung Sun; and Zheng Anting, a local junket representative.
Chan Meng Kam – a veteran legislator and local casino boss born in the mainland's Fujian province – did not run for re-election this year. But Mr Chan campaigned on behalf of the ticket of lawmakers Si Ka Lon and Song Pek Kei: both were re-elected.
Other Chief Executive-appointed legislators – as announced on Wednesday by the Macau government – include: businessman Ma Chi Seng; management scholar Pang Chuan; civil engineer Wu Chou Kit; economy scholar Joey Lao Chi Ngai; law scholar Iau Teng Pio; and local lawyer Chan Wa Keong.
Wednesday's government release on the new Chief Executive-appointed lawmakers did not give reasons for the respective appointments.
Non-res staff in Macau gaming nearly...
Macau ops hail key step of revised...


Source: (2004) Restorative Practices e-Forum. May 26. International Institute of Restorative Practices. Downloaded 19 August 2004.
This is part two in a series of articles on restorative justice practices of Native American, First Nation, and other indigenous people of North America. Not intended to be all inclusive, the series is instead a broad thematic overview. The second article includes interviews with several people: Louise Thompson, justice coordinator of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne; and Leanne Douglas, Christine Douglas, and Stephanie Sandy of the Mnjikaning First Nation. The Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne has developed a comprehensive community justice program, and the Mnjikaning First Nation has developed a community healing model and restorative justice program. The article covers key aspects of Native American and First Nation perspectives on spirituality, justice, and community; and similarities between Native American justice and restorative justice.
Restorative Practices e-Forum. May 26. International Institute of Restorative Practices. Downloaded 19 August 2004.


text:
Q: How many game updates per second? What update rate should I run my fixed-rate game logic at?
I've used 60 updates per second in the past, but that's hard because it's not an even number of updates per second (16.666666). My current games uses 100, but that seems like overkill for most things.

A: I used to maintain a Quake3 mod and this was a constant source of user-questions.
Q3 uses 20 'ticks per second' by default - the graphics subsystem interpolates so you get smooth motion on the screen. I initially thought this was way low, but it turns out to be fine, and there really aren't many games at all with faster action than q3
I'd personally go with the "good enough for john carmack, good enough for me"

A: I like 50 for fixed rate pc games.  I can't really tell the difference between 50 and 60 (and if you are making a game that can/cares you should probably be at 100).
you'll notice the question is 'fixed-rate game logic' and not 'draw loop'. For clarity, the code will look something like:
while(1)
{
  while(CurrentTime() < lastUpdate + TICK_LENGTH)
  {
     UpdateGame();
     lastUpdate += TICK_LENGTH;
  }

  Draw();
}

The question is what should TICK_LENGTH be?

A: None of the above. For the smoothest gameplay possible, your game should be time-based, not frame-locked. Frame-locking works for simple games where you can tweak the logic and lock down the framerate. It doesn't do so well with modern 3D titles where the framerate jumps all over the board and the screen may not be VSynced.
All you need to do is figure out how fast an object should be going (i.e. virtual units per second), compute the amount of time since the last frame, scale the number of virtual units to match the amount of time that has passed, then add those values to your object's position. Voila! Time-based movement.

A: Bear in mind that unless your code is measured down to the cycle, not each game loop will take the same number of milliseconds to complete - so 16.6666 being irrational is not an issue really as you will need to time and compensate anyway. Besides it's not 16.6666 updates per second, but the average number of milliseconds your game loop should be targeting.

A: Such variables are generally best found via the guess and check strategy.
Implement your game logic in such a way that is refresh agnostic (Say for instance, exposing the ms/update as a variable, and using it in any calculations), then play around with the refresh until it works, and then keep it there.
As a short term solution, if you want an even update rate but don't care about the evenness of the updates per second, 15ms is close to 60 updates/sec. While if you are about both, your closest options is 20ms or 50 updates/sec is probably the closest you are going to get.
In either case, I would simply treat time as a double (Or a long with high-resolution), and provide the rate to your game as a variable, rather then hard coding them.

A: The ideal is to run at the same refresh-rate as the monitor. That way your visuals and the game updates don't go in and out of phase with each other. The fact that each frame doesn't last an integral number of milliseconds shouldn't matter to you; why is that a problem?

A: I usually use 30 or 33. It's often enough for the user to feel the flow and rare enough not to hog the CPU too much.

A: Normally I don't limit the FPS of the game, instead I change all my logic to take the time elapsed from last frame as input.
As far as fixed-rate goes, unless you need a high rate for any reason, you should use something like 25/30. That should be enough rate, and will be making your game a little lighter on CPU usage.

A: Your engine should both "tick" (update) and draw at 60fps with vertical sync (vsync). This refresh rate is enough to provide:

*

*low input lag for a feeling of responsiveness,

*and smooth motion even when the player and scene are moving rapidly.

Both the game physics and the renderer should be able to drop frames if they need to, but optimize your game to run as close to this 60hz standard as possible. Also, some subsystems like AI can tick closer to 10-20fps, and make sure your physics are interpolated on a frame-to-frame time delta, like this: http://gafferongames.com/game-physics/fix-your-timestep/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Mount Meader Trail is a hiking trail in Carroll County and Coös County, New Hampshire. It is within White Mountain National Forest. It is 3.1 miles long and begins at 521 feet altitude. Traveling the entire trail is 6.3 miles with a total elevation gain of 2,345 feet. The trail ends near Mount Meader (elevation 2,782 feet).
One of New Hampshire's best trails, Mount Meader Trail is located near , NH. Trails' printable online topo maps offer shaded and un-shaded reliefs, and aerial photos too. Use topographic maps to find elevation, print high resolution maps, save a PNG, or just learn the topography around Mount Meader Trail. You can also get free latitude and longitude coordinates from the topographical map and set your GPS. Premium members can download or print any topo and cover more terrain when you map your Mount Meader Trail route ahead of time.


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第1章 A Honra De Gato Preto.


text:
Why so many kids can't sit still in school today
The Centers for Disease Control tells us that in recent years there has been a jump in the percentage of young people diagnosed with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, commonly known as ADHD: 7.8 percent in 2003 to 9.5 percent in 2007 and to 11 percent in 2011. The reasons for the rise are multiple, and include changes in diagnostic criteria, medication treatment and more awareness of the condition. In the following post, Angela Hanscom, a pediatric occupational therapist and the founder of TimberNook, a nature-based development program designed to foster creativity and independent play outdoors in New England, suggests yet another reason more children are being diagnosed with ADHD, whether or not they really have it: the amount of time kids are forced to sit while they are in school. This appeared on the TimberNook blog. State-based Prevalence Data of ADHD Diagnosis (2011-2012): Children CURRENTLY diagnosed with ADHD (Centers for Disease Control) By Angela Hanscom
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/07/08/why-so-many-kids-cant-sit-still-in-school-today/
Related: benefits of play • Mer energi i Hummelsta (MEIH) • identity • tips • News and articles
Can Free Play Prevent Depression and Anxiety In Kids? Over the past 50-60 years, play time in kids' lives has been drastically cut. School days and years are longer and parents often schedule enrichment activities for their children instead of giving them space to direct their own play. Children are rarely given the freedom to direct their own activities, leading to a persistent rise in children feeling that they have no control over their lives. And, while correlation doesn't prove causation, Dr.
City ends reserved soccer at Mission Playground after Dropbox flap The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department has decided to end reserved adult play at Mission Playground — the site of a video-recorded confrontation between tech workers and locals that went viral — after meeting with a group of neighborhood kids on Wednesday, according to department director Phil Ginsburg. Ginsburg said park officials met with a combination of kids and youth soccer advocates and came to the conclusion that, in this instance, the need for unstructured play on weekday evenings outweighed the desire to accommodate adults. "The most compelling suggestions came from the kids who said, 'This is a safe place we can come and play and we feel like we need more time,'" said Ginsburg. "Our first priority is kids.
8 Tips and Tricks to Redesign Your Classroom Editor's Note: Author David Bill is a designer and educator who consulted with The Third Teacher+ on the Remake Your Class project highlighted in the videos below. The tips in this post go along with the companion video. We are excited by the simplicity (and low price tag!) The right — and surprisingly wrong — ways to get kids to sit still in class Robbi Giuliano teaches fifth-graders as they sit on yoga balls at Westtown-Thornbury Elementary School Monday on Feb. 4, 2013, in West Chester, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) A post I published in July titled "Why so many kids can't sit still in school today" seems to have struck a nerve with readers, who continue to read it in big numbers.
School starting age: the evidence In England children now start formal schooling, and the formal teaching of literacy and numeracy at the age of four. A recent letter signed by around 130 early childhood education experts, including myself, published in the Daily Telegraph (11 Sept 2013) advocated an extension of informal, play-based pre-school provision and a delay to the start of formal 'schooling' in England from the current effective start until the age of seven (in line with a number of other European countries who currently have higher levels of academic achievement and child well-being). This is a brief review of the relevant research evidence which overwhelmingly supports a later start to formal education. This evidence relates to the contribution of playful experiences to children's development as learners, and the consequences of starting formal learning at the age of four to five years of age Studies have compared groups of children in New Zealand who started formal literacy lessons at ages 5 and 7.
The Literary United States: A Map of the Best Book for Every State Two weeks ago, we published a literary map of Brooklyn, highlighting the books we felt best represented the neighborhoods in which they were set. Compiling the list of books for that map had us thinking about what it means for a story to not just be from a place, but also of it, and why it is that some places have an abundance of literary riches (we're looking at you, American South), while others, well, don't. And we had seen other maps pairing books with states, but those maps tend to signify the fame level of the books rather than their literary merit; they also tend to be dominated by white men, most of them dead. And Margaret Mitchell. What do I do on the FIRST day? Whether you've been teaching 1 year or 20 years, we all ask ourselves the same question leading up to Back to School... At the end of the school year when you have independent little workers, readers, writers, and direction followers...it can be hard (or painful) to remember what it was like waaaay back when, in the beginning of the year, your little honeys could not do ANY of that. I think many of us (or maybe I am speaking for myself here) block it out and forget about what it was like on Day 1, until it's go time! But... your room is ready! Now what?! After many years of tweaking my own first day plans, I have put together this easy-to-use pack of detailed, (and more importantly) realistic lesson plans and activities for the first day of K.
Having a ball in the classroom Students in Robbi Giuliano's fifth-grade class sit on yoga balls as they complete their assignments at Westtown-Thornbury Elementary School in West Chester, Pa. (MATT ROURKE/ASSOCIATED PRESS) By — Kathy Matheson, Associated Press March 12, 2013 Teacher Robbi Giuliano thinks she has found a solution to fidgety fifth-graders: Get rid of traditional desk chairs and have the kids sit on yoga balls. Wait a minute: How could big, bright, rolly balls help kids be less wiggly? Giuliano says the inflatable bouncers have made her students at Pennsylvania's Westtown-Thornbury Elementary School better able to focus on lessons while improving their balance and core strength. How Finland Keeps Kids Focused Through Free Play - Tim Walker Like a zombie, Sami—one of my fifth graders—lumbered over to me and hissed, "I think I'm going to explode! I'm not used to this schedule." And I believed him.
The only guide to Gamergate you will ever need to read Anita Sarkeesian, the feminist writer and media critic who has been attacked in "Gamergate." (Feminist Frequency/Flickr) Gamergate, the freewheeling catastrophe/social movement/misdirected lynchmob that has, since August, trapped wide swaths of the Internet in its clutches, has still — inexplicably! — not burned itself out. Señora Speedy: Whole Brain Teaching - Part One My second year teaching Spanish has already been exponentially better than my first. For one, the students know me better so there is slightly less limit testing than last year. Second, we switched from 55 minutes once every six days to 25 minutes twice every six days.
Does Your Classroom Cultivate Student Resilience? Over 100 years ago, the great African American educator Booker T. Washington spoke about resilience: I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles overcome while trying to succeed. Research has since established resilience as essential for human thriving, and an ability necessary for the development of healthy, adaptable young people. It's what enables children to emerge from challenging experiences with a positive sense of themselves and their futures.
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text:
World Sailing appoints Senior Sports Administrator and International Businessman as its new CEO
World Sailing has appointed Andy Hunt, former CEO of the British Olympic Association and a non-executive Director of the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Hunt (52) has most recently been Chairman and Managing Partner of Progressive Media Group, an International Media & Business Information group of companies, as well as serving as a non-executive Director of England Hockey & Gloucester Rugby. Hunt has has had a highly successful career across both sport and business over the past 30 years.
World Sailing President Carlo Croce said, "I am delighted that we have found an outstanding candidate to fill the role of CEO. Andy combines exceptional business leadership credentials, with an excellent track record in sports administration, a deep understanding of the Olympic & Paralympic movement, strong relationships with the IOC and ASOIF and enjoys a lifelong passion for Sailing. Andy will work closely with me and the Executive Board to continue to deliver on our vision and strategy for World Sailing."
"I am delighted to have been selected by the Executive Board to lead World Sailing," commented Hunt. "It is a real honour to be able to serve a sport that I have participated in since an early age. I look forward to working with all of the stakeholders within our sport to further drive the organisation and sport forward."
Oatley family statement on Bob's passingCharacter building day at the Australian Youth Nationals


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A perfect gift for business colleagues or friends and families. Convenient and reloadable….
Present this gift card to pay for products or services at any HALO BAR BISTRO location. No refund, not redeemable for cash and cannot be replaced if lost or stolen. This gift card is subject to the conditions of the HALO BAR BISTRO gift card program.
To find out about our gift card program ask one of our staff members. NO VALUE UNTIL ACTIVATED.


James MacMillan, one of Scotland's most celebrated composers, talks about one of his most famous works, 'The Confession of Isobel Gowdie'. He outlines the story behind the music, describing the character of Isobel Gowdie and the events surrounding her death, when she was put to death as a witch. James contemplates whether or not it is important to understand the story when listening to the music. He also talks about the influence that religion has on his music. Features the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra rehearsing 'The Confession of Isobel Gowdie'.
Engage the whole class in a discussion about music that tells a story. Does it help to know the story first? In smaller groups, challenge students to come up with suggestions of pieces of music they know which tell specific stories. Can they give three reasons why it is important for their musical development to listen to new music, and music that they haven't heard before?