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The Greatest Show On Earth: The Evidence For Evolution
Richard Dawkins
R in Action
Robert Kabacoff
Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies
Douglas R. Hofstadter
Harold McGee
Epistemic Dimensions of Personhood
Simon Evnine
Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning (Information Science and Statistics)
Christopher M. Bishop
Relativity, Thermodynamics and Cosmology
Richard C. Tolman
The Cambridge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition
Julia Herschensohn, Martha Young-Scholten
Grand Unification and the New Look of the Atom - L.N. Smith - Your Serenity! Your Serenity!

- What is it now, Brother Emmanuel?

- I've found another heretic sir.

- Another one?

- Yes sir.

- That's the third this week, isn't it?

- Yes sir. I think it must be the unseasonably warm weather sir.

- Well, what kind of heresy is this one spouting?

- He says there are only four dimensions sir.

- That's not so bad, Brother Emmanuel. The Blessed Penrose has said the same thing.

- But there's more to it sir. He denies spontaneous symmetry breaking. Claims there are equal amounts of matter and anti-matter in the universe.

- Hm, that sounds more serious. How does he explain the lack of mutual annihilation in the early moments of the Big Bang?

- He doesn't go into that sir.

- Well, all the same, I'm inclined to...

- Wait sir, I've saved the worst bit for last. He argues for the existence of a luminiferous aether.

- He does? What about the Revelation of Saint Michelson-Morley?

- He has some explanation involving the Earth carrying its aether along with it. Frankly, sir, I was a bit shocked. I didn't want to read it too carefully.

- I must admit that is rather blasphemous.

- And he denies the essentially probabilistic nature of quantum processes.

- Don't get carried away here, Brother Emmanuel. No need to complicate things. We have a solid case against him already.

- Yes sir. Can I burn him at the stake sir?

- Oh, alright. If you're sure you want to.

- Thank you sir! I'll go and do that immediately.

- Wait. I've changed my mind.

- But please sir...

- We've burned enough heretics for now. Think of something else.

- But sir, what am I supposed to do?

- Oh... I don't know. Use your initiative. Write an ironic review on Goodreads or something.

- But sir...

- That's enough, Brother Emmanuel. Dismissed.


milsie: (ha HA)
2012-06-04 09:24 pm
Entry tags:

Best character in Ever17

Its been a long time since I've kept an LJ of any sort. I just joined this website because fandom secrets is on here. I don't really notice that much of a difference other than the fact that this site is a lot faster than LJ. It seems to be the same exact set up though. My back kinda hurts but no biggy. Just your average graduate-turned-working-member-of-society here. I like to draw, animate and enjoy watching funny people on youtube. Maybe you'll see some stuff up in here.


ubuntuhowtos.com ubuntuhowtos.com

The Value of Coins

Try fumbling in your pocket or wallet. Aside from identification cards, some bills, old receipts and papers, you might spot shiny round items called coins. In general, coins contain little value and are thus regarded as low forms of money. You can find them in the corners of your bag, the deepest pits of your pockets, the dark edges of the room, or even in water fountains, where hopefuls make wishes.

coin1In another world, coins are of high value. They stores millions worth of sweat, tears and hardwork. Coins contain probably some of the richest of treasures.

But their value cannot be measured in any of the world’s currency.

Nor can they be traded with gold bars or any amount of money.

In the world of soldiers, of fighters of our country – the nave, air force, armed forces, some coins are worth more than their lives. These are challenge coins, and they hold more than money.

Imagine this: you set out to a journey, uncertain if you’re ever going back. You leave your family, friends, even your pet dog home. For months, years even, you stay in a place you’re not familiar with. The meaning of safety is a rifle, and that’s all you need, plus all the courage and bravery you can muster, to be able to go back to your family, friends, your pet dog, and to the country you’re trying to protect.

Imagine living a life like that, all set to die for a country, so that your family will grow up in a safe place, a place where no one could hurt them. That action deserves more than a coin.

Challenge coins are a symbol of bravery and courage. These are given to the men who fought during times of terror in the country as a representation of their valor. The value embedded in these coins surpassed the biggest and fattest check one could write

Today, challenge coins have a variety of functions that are used in different contexts. Aside from tokens and keepsakes for soldiers, these coins are a symbol of identity to the holders. Organizations use these coins to keep track of their members, and avoid inflitration from competing organizatons.

Challenge coins also represent authority in some organizations or systems. For example, in schools, prefects and monitors may be given coins to symbolize their authority in enforcing discipline among their peers. Class presidents and other class officers are also given as such to remind their classmates of their positions, in order to cascade order. In school teams, these coins are given as a symbol of membership and belonging ness in a team. These can be used to remind players that there is no “I” in TEAM, and the importance of working as one.

These coins are also used to commemorate or honor employees who do well in their field as a reminder of their hardwork and continued determination to do better. These physical manifestations of their good performance are a good way to motivate employees to do better and to continue doing great things.

These are all just coins.

They are thrown out, given to beggard, flipped to make decisions, used as paperweight. Yet in a different world, they are kept, frame, cherished not for their monetary value, but for the values they symbolize – power, bravery, life, valor, service and more. Their roles transcend that of economics and finance. They have taken on roles that have a cultural and rich historical background, roles that empower. They have gone out to their previous role in the military, and have penetrated the world of politics and the corporate world.


Letter from our President to the Prime Minister of Canada

The Canadian Model Must Not Be a Bargaining Chip

Dear Prime Minister:

Founded in 1922, La Coop fédérée is a major player in the country’s agricultural and agri-food industry, with more than 90,000 members grouped into 70 cooperatives, nearly 18,000 employees and combined revenue of $9.2 billion. La Coop fédérée operates in 8 of Canada’s 10 provinces either directly or through subsidiaries and partnerships

Canada might enter into NAFTA renegotiations with the United States and Mexico. This is a major source of concern for agricultural producers and the Canadian agri-food industry. These concerns are well founded if you compare the players involved: Canadians and their counterparts south of our border. The size of US farms, the billions paid in subsidies to US farmers and the production methods used in the US are unbelievable. This comparison in itself would be enough to justify the concerns felt by us and all across the country. While what we have to say today takes this information into account, it is not the only lens through which we see this issue that affects us so deeply. Agriculture is a significant economic activity in Canada.

It is first and foremost a deeply human activity, a history of men and women who have passed down their work, from one generation to the next, and set high standards for themselves, providing their fellow Canadians with access to high-quality products. Our farmers were practising an economy of proximity well before it was a buzzword. Canadian agriculture is also a particular way of understanding our country and the quality of life of its inhabitants due to the reliability and safety of the products provided, the jobs created, the economic activity generated. This also includes cutting-edge research and the development of digital services.

Supply management is a societal choice, a value choice. In this sense, our agricultural and agri-food philosophy is a part of our collective identity, our expression of respect for people, family, animals, land and the environment. This philosophy has enabled the development of an agricultural economy that is a crucial part of the Canadian experience. Prime Minister, every day our farmers are modernizing their practices, using more efficient and environmentally friendly technology, diversifying their offering and helping expand our country’s global reach, while demonstrating the soundness of a model—supply management—that benefits producers, processors and consumers, while ensuring food safety for all.

It is because of this model that our farmers can make a decent living from their profession, despite climate conditions that are considerably increasing their production costs and the proximity of agro-economic predators hoping to turn an even bigger profit by coming into our farms and supermarkets without considering the damage this would cause to our regional economies. Canada came to be because of the determination and energy of pioneers who wanted to build a better world while respecting the most admirable of human values: honesty, support, solidarity and fairness—values that are firmly held by the members of La Coop fédérée. And the history of these pioneers so far has been a resounding success, with no need to succumb to the siren’s song of economically liberal despots.

In 1994, several countries agreed to give the arts and culture special treatment in some major international treaties. This was called “cultural exception,” meant to be a counterweight to the offensives of certain powers. As you know, several countries, including India and Brazil, have rejected the unique model for the exceptional activity that is food production and processing for human consumption. We must ensure Canadians that the food they buy and consume is consistent with our values and the quality and ethical standards they are entitled to. In the upcoming negotiations, the political and economic choices that Canada makes will have implications on several future generations of Canadians. We appreciate you not thinking of our agricultural economy as a bargaining chip, as just another industry, as you asserted in a Bloomberg Debrief.

Mr. Trudeau, we are available should you wish to meet with us and engage in what we believe, under the present circumstances, is an essential dialogue.

Yours sincerely,

Ghislain Gervais
President of La Coop fédérée
President of the Board of Directors of Olymel L.P.
Président of the Board of Directors of Groupe BMR


Title IX

Understanding Title IX and Athletics 101

The enactment of Title IX has helped increase participation opportunities for girls and women in sports. Female high school athletic participation has increased by 904% and female collegiate athletic participation has increased by 456%.

The more you know about the rights of girls and women in sports, the more you will be able to improve athletic opportunities for them. However, understanding the complex language and regulations of Title IX can be confusing. The Women’s Sports Foundation breaks down Title IX and its specific requirements: participation, athletic financial assistance and the overall treatment of athletes.

Title IX Training Workshops

Does Title IX require equal funding for female and male sports? Can booster clubs purchase new uniforms and equipment for the football team but not other sports? Does Title IX permit a school to maintain a nicer baseball field than softball field? Get all the answers with the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Title IX Training Workshops. These new interactive workshops, designed for athletic directors, coaches, middle and high school teachers and college professors, bring the Foundation’s Title IX expertise directly to you.

Mythbusting: What Every Female Athlete Should Know!

Everyone has a dream, to be a rock star or to win an Olympic gold medal. For a long time women and young girls were limited in the opportunities to achieve success in many fields, including athletics. Learn the myths surrounding Title IX and get the straight facts on how this legislation continues to help young girls and women dream big.

2008 NCAA Gender Equity Manual

This manual was written with college and university administrators, general counsel, faculty athletics representatives, Title IX and equal opportunity officers, athletics administrators, staff, and student-athletes in mind. It is not intended to provide the lone standard by which an institution measures its compliance with Title IX or a formalistic blueprint for compliance with the NCAA-adopted principle of gender equity. Rather, it is hoped that this manual explains the law in a way that is accessible to those seeking to understand the law, to incorporate gender-equitable policies into existing athletics programs and to evaluate their implementation in a meaningful way.


How to get your driving license

The process of getting a driving license can be very long. There are some requirements that you need to meet before you can finally get your driving license. You must meet the minimum requirements that are required before the license is issued. The first requirement is of course age. You must meet the minimum age requirement of 16 years before you can get your license. Most of the people will start the process of applying for a driving license after completing high school because of the minimum age requirement. Find a New way to get your drivers license in the shortest time possible.  If you are planning to get a driving license, it is important to follow these steps that are involved in the process.

Process of getting a driving license

An ed driving course

Taking an ed course is the first step if you want to get a driver’s license. There are many options of doing an ed course. You can decide to go for classes and attend all the lessons that you need to complete your course. On the other hand, you can decide do take a driving ed online which is the common option for many people today. With an online ed course, you can take the classes in the comfort of your home and still learn like an ordinary class.

Practical driving training

An ed course covers the theory part of driving like the road signs and other aspects. However, you need also to consider the practical part of driving. You will have to go behind the wheel with a qualified instructor and learn how to drive. It is important to cover the minimum number of hours that are required before you are issued with a driving license. The number of hours will always depend on your state.

Learners permit

After completing the theoretical and practical part of driving, you will get a learner permit. You need to present some documents like social security number, full names and other documents before you are given the permit. A learner’s permit will allow you drive without the help of an instructor.

Driving practice

You need to do a lot of practice of driving before you can apply for the license. By doing enough practice, you will be assured that you are ready for the issuance of the license. You will need to do a driving test before you can be issued a license.

Apply for the license

The last step is to apply for a driving license. You should apply for a driving license once you make sure that you have learned how to drive and you can pass the driving test.

Job Opportunities Created During Musical Tours

Various opportunities  created during music concerts may include:

Press agent

Sound technician

Tips To Learn French Efficiently

Use of audio

Have minimal translation of French into English

Linking of images and visual situations, and not English words

A Closer Look At Online Tutoring And Its Benefits

Are school teachers too fast for you? Do your assignments trouble you? Do you feel uncomfortable with the academic burden? If your answer to any of these questions is no, you will be surprised that most students would answer yes. The good thing about education today is that it is not confined to the three walls of a classroom. If anything is not clear, you can have resort to Crunchbase Course Hero for more help. Online learning attempts to make life easy for students by making the learning process interesting and engaging.

What’s all about online tutoring?

The technical aspect of online tutoring

Benefits of online tutoring

How To Post The Driver’s Credential Online

General information

Choose the platform of the website

Look for a unique domain and host

Post the credential on the website

Key Factors To Consider When Choosing A Preschool Institution

Healthy Diet Availability

Curriculum Provided

Security System

Qualities of a good preschool teacher

Preschoolpreschool education

Early childhood development entails equipment of children with the basic education to foster academic prosperity. Teachers in nursery winchmore hill are charged with the responsibility of instilling the best foundation that a child could have. In this regard, teachers are required to undergo professional training to give them the skills that are required to nature childhood development. Education and training of a preschool teacher are fundamental but it important to note that naturally, a teacher must possess an individual package of skills. These natural skills will enable a teacher to exude the right aptitude to be patient with kids and do the work joyously.

In this regard you must be mindful of the following qualities when securing an education for your child;

At the outset, it is imperative to ensure that a preschool teacher is enthusiastic about early childhood development. The teacher must be able to exude enthusiasm and passion towards children in order to guarantee the desired level of growth. Enthusiasm is epitomized by the desire of a teacher to make a difference in the lives of the children. This trait will encourage the children to open up enough to welcome learning and general growth.

Patience and humor

Children can be quite a handful, and you thereby need an extra sense of patience to see you through. This point alludes to the fact that you need to possess some a set natural of attributes in order to suffice as a good preschool teacher. It takes a lot of patience to understand children and develop mechanisms of dealing with them in a way that will be beneficial for their growth. Humor is seen as an adequate mechanism for the teacher to keep high spirits despite the ups and downs.

Communication skills

Good teachers have ways of effecting communication with toddlers regardless of their ability to engage in a verbal exchange. The teacher must be in a position to improvise means to pass messages to the kid in a way that can be decoded easily and efficiently. Further, the teacher must be able to communicate with the parents freely to ensure that the children’s needs are addressed at home and in school.

As envisioned in the preceding qualities a preschool teacher needs to be very creative in his approach to communicating and teaching kindergarten kids. Imagination and improvisation are essential characteristics in ensuring that a teacher is resourceful enough to expedite a child’s growth. This trait will enable the teacher to develop lessons, schedules, and programs that are beneficial for the child in both the short-term and long-term.

Top Fundraising Methods

Here are five top recommendable fundraising methods

1. Reach out to your current donors

2. Come up with a mini-campaign

3. Sell your fundraising events and activities in advance

4. Thanks to technology engage in viral fundraising

5. Have a silent auction

5 Benefits Of Attending Preschool

There is enough evidence that suggests preschool education good for the development of a child. Statistics have it that over three-fourths of children today participate is preschool program before joining kindergarten. However, the quality of education depends on the preschool you take your child to. Choosing a preschool is one of those decisions that should make early enough in a child’s life. Here are some benefits that come taking a child to a decent preschool.

Offers a solid foundation for developmentasszdvSDZxASd

A teaching philosophy defines preschool education. As such, learning takes place in a structured way. Considering that this education system is applied at a tender age, it gives children the chance to live, learn, socialize, and follow instructions in a structured setting. This provides an excellent foundation for future preschool education.

Grade school readiness

Most parents enroll their children in preschool to prepare them for school life ahead. Most preschool programs offer a child selected constructed playtime and high-quality education. Getting to kindergarten or grade school should not be difficult for a child that has gone through early childhood education. This is made possible by specialized training accorded to preschool teachers.

It leaves a lasting effect on the life of a child

The benefits of taking a child do not end at a young age. Surprisingly, students that attended preschool have higher chances of making it to college than those who didn’t. As such, if you intend to shape your child, preschool education defines and improves the chances of seeing your child succeed in future.

Good for social and emotional development of a child

aSdASdsdvPreschool environment is different from the one at home. Here, children get to interact with people that are not part of their family. At a young age, the child can interact with other children and teachers. These experiences go a long way in improving their social interactions. Notably, most children thrive in environments that are consistent with those at home. As such, reputable preschools like nursery Finchley adhere to specific teaching methodologies. Moreover, you also get progress reports to discuss values and goals for your child.

Children get to make informed choices

The ability to make choices plays a critical role in a child’s development. As such, most preschool systems encourage children to make decisions right from a tender age. As such, the child grows up making rational decisions and feelings of being more responsible.

Top Reasons To Earn A College Degree

It is said that education is the key to success. There is no feeling that can equate the feeling of completing studies and hearing your name called out on the day of graduation. Today, education is taken so seriously that a lot of education institutions have come up. Different universities and colleges offer degrees in different fields. Unlike some time back, for you to secure a good job today you have to have a degree for you to qualify. Getting a job will require having academic qualifications and papers as a backup. That is the reason why having a degree is very important today.

Reason to have a degree

Good payrjyturdtjgytjrtgy

If you do manage to put yourself to school and attained a degree, you will have opened a window of success for yourself. You will not only be able to apply for a different array of jobs but also guaranteed of good pay depending on the type of degree you hold. A study showed that those with a degree were found to earn more compared to those with diplomas. That should be a clear indicator that a degree will always guarantee you financial stability after getting one.

There is nothing as bad as getting stuck somewhere, just because you lack papers to push you up the ladder. When you attain a degree, you will find yourself getting promotions in your relevant area of working. This will be made possible because a lot of people may not have attained your level of education that means, in the event of an opening you will always stand out as the best candidate for the promotion.

Self satisfaction

fmhghestjgrhtfrdhtfHaving struggled and eventually earning a college degree will make you proud of your accomplishments. A lot of people today juggle family, work and other personal activities. Therefore, for you to earn a degree in the midst of all that, will always bring some sense of satisfaction and relief having known all that you have gone through for you to get what you have.

Example for others

Everyone has that one person that he/she looks up to for motivation and inspiration. A lot of graduates have been able to positively influence others especially young people on the importance of education. Children, who are brought up around parents that have achieved a lot academically, will in most cases emulate them. This will eventually create, a generation that values and knows the importance of attaining a good education and pass it on to others.

Guide To Choosing A Career Path

Tips to help you choose a career path

Consider your interestsrdjttrjdttrjdtfhrxdjht

Know your skills and qualities

Consider all possibilities

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The Data Scientist Oath (Part 2)

Today, we are bombarded by data and information as FACTS. We accept what is in chart from any printed source as if it is a FACT and therefore true. Let me illustrate with sublime example.

half & half pie chart
Chart 1: A simple pie chart

If the title of this chart is “Households with Gourmet Cooks”, you might be influenced to run out an buy stock in a company that makes gourmet cooking equipment like Middleby Corporation the makers of Viking kitchen equipment. If the title of this chart is “Households with Gourmet Cooks (sample size = 2)” or “Households with Gourmet Cooks (Std. Dev. = N/A), you’d probably not. In fact, you’d probably wonder why I built the chart, and yet we frequently fall into this trap and don’t even ask for the transparency. The data scientist presenting his data should always tell you how they arrived at their conclusion.

Unfortunately it happens almost everyday in trusted sources ranging from news magazines, newspapers, documents at work, and in every aspect of the Internet (social, web sites, e-mail, etc.). The Internet is huge force multiplier, which enables one zealot to look like an entire movement and their arguments look like widely accepted FACTS.

There are even more subtle ways of influencing you especially with cultural and emotional cues. If you look at the charts below, what happens if the title for both charts which are identical is “Evil is winning the war over Good.”

In the first chart, you might initially draw that conclusion that evil is wining big time. We assume red represents evil since red is the color of the devil in the Western world. We react to the color and not the fact fact that evil is a 2% green slice. Plus the text in the legend is small and hard to read. In the second chart, you’d look at it and think the author is an idiot since the evil slice is clearly a tiny 2%. How information is represented is almost as important as the source data and methods used to turn it into information. Even good information can be displayed poorly.

PT Barnum said “you can’t fool all the people all the time, but you can fool all of the people some of the time” and I agree we all do get fooled occasionally. It is each individual’s responsibility to consume data carefully and consider the source and how the information is being displayed to minimize the “some of the time” to almost always never.

It is the responsibility of the data scientist to try to present the information in good faith, transparently, and with as little bias as possible. Stan Lee via Spiderman Comics said via wise Uncle Ben Parker “that with great power comes great responsibility.” If you work with data and publish it then understand the potential influence and power over people’s opinions, thoughts, feelings, and potential actions and use it wisely.

Start with a simple Data Scientist oath or code. “As a Data Scientist, I will understand the veracity and validity of my data and its sources, and I will clearly, transparently and with minimal cultural bias display the results so the end consumer can make valid conclusions.”

It is that simple. How cool is that you get to side with Stan Lee and all his comic book heroes and become a real hero by making every effort to represent the truth as plainly and obviously with unflinching transparency as humanly possible.

The Data Scientist Oath (Part 1)

I believe in the truth. Truth is in the eye of the beholder. When the beholder is a single person, or very small part of the population that has an idea that group will try to influence the rest of the population it is correct. Almost every conversation is a negotiation of what should be the dominant truth.

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics [Data Scientist Output]”Benjamin Disraeli.

Today, we employ data scientist to distill data and facts into information. I believe we should hold data scientist to higher standard than most people. It is their sworn duty to ensure that they understand and make veracity of the data and their conclusions 100% transparent.

While Veracity is just one of the 4-V’s of Big Data, it is the most critical element. Up until now, we assumed data was gathered through a scientific process, using a scientific instrument, guided by a scientific review, and driving to scientific conclusion of a hypothesis. Unfortunately, today, it is an incorrect assumption.

We must understand that all data must be considered big data. I realize that technically all data is NOT big data, but as we shift from using data only in science to using it in every aspect of our lives, we must now treat it all as big data.

Part one of the Data Scientist Oath is about the input of data into the model. It is critical that the Data Scientist always utilizes the highest quality of data possible for his model from known source so that he can treat the veracity of the data correctly and be transparent to his clients in the final products.

In the next part, I’ll address the output side of the oath with some more simple examples that clearly illustrate how easy facts can be distorted. I’ll conclude with a summary and some next steps towards a Data Scientist Oath.


How do you void/return PO Receipt and update Inventory with no PO being used?

We are currently using PO Receiving, without Purchase Orders.  We do the Shipment/Invoice option, which is updating inventory and sites.  But if we need to void a Receipt, because there was no PO it doesn't update Inventory.  I can't seem to get the Return (any of the types Return, Return/Credit, Inventory and Inventory/Credit) to work either.  So we void the Receipt and do a variance/adjustment to inventory.

Does anyone know of better way to handle this? I have tried several different ways and none of them work without doing the 2 steps.


tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2468160897156103510.post-23269578702049098252017-08-28T16:11:00.000+01:002017-08-28T16:11:24.565+01:00Uche Nancy Biography - Age, Daughter Uche Nancy is a Nigerian costumier and producer who hails from  Ufuma, Anambra state. She has been in the industry for over ten years first starting out as a costumier and then producer. As a costumier, she worked on World apart and Girls Cot and has won countless awards for herself both locally and internationally. Uche is the mother of the uprising Nollywood actress Chinenye Nnebe. READ:Nikky Laurahttps://plus.google.com/109537465772779090842noreply@blogger.com


Benefits of ONshore Software Development – A Real World Example

Recently, there have been quite a few blogs written about the benefits of offshore software development for medium and large enterprises. Benefits such as lower cost, and fast development to name a few. The challenge in today’s complex world is, just because you can hire 3rd party offshore vendors to develop new applications or enhance legacy systems at a lower cost, it doesn’t necessarily translate to a successful outcome.

Let me give you an example and see if this has happened to you. A client came to us for help with an existing legacy e-commerce website that had poor performance, many delays implementing new features and an overall lack of good communication with their 3rd party offshore vendor. Now, this is not a bash on 3rd party offshore firms, they have their place for help desk support and maintenance of applications. The problem occurs when a client needs new features, solid architecture, superior design, and self-sufficiency. This well-known US based manufacturer provides a complete set of electronic solutions from parts catalogs, diagnostic tools, financial and operational reporting for their franchisees.

So, what was their application problem?

One of their largest customers requested help improving their e-commerce website to reduce order failures that affected sales. The project was assigned to one of their 3rd party offshore vendors. This low cost vendor relied solely on emails and phone calls to organize its work and maintain the existing website. The updates and new features were consistently late and of poor code quality, requiring additional internal client resources to manage the project. These quality and performance challenges strained the overall customer relationship leading the manufacturer to determine an alternative solution.

Why Onshore and Agile development?

Finding great senior developers is like finding that great orthopedic surgeon. There are many that claim to be qualified and they may have the certificate on the wall with accreditation, but ultimately how many successful surgeries have they completed? Are they available for consultation, can you meet them and see eye to eye? Do you have confidence in them and their assembled team of doctors, anesthetist and nurses?

Today, clear, concise and regular communication is critical to your overall success. Agile development with regular sprints provide the platform to deliver continuous code development using experienced developers and tools such as JIRA. For this client within two weeks of engagement, two senior software engineers at Surge proceeded to analyze, evaluate and work with the current team to determine recommendations for updating the web platform. Weekly sprint meetings allowed for better communication between the teams and ensured a timely execution of the tasks. Processes were improved, bugs were resolved and development of the e-commerce platform was put back on track. The development of the new e-commerce platform went from a non-existent schedule to a bi-weekly release schedule and the IT team regained its client’s trust and confidence that they could deliver a reliable e-commerce solution on time.

The Results

The offshore team of 6 developers was replaced by 2 senior experienced onshore Surge developers (“Surgeons”) who reduced bug resolution time from weeks to a few hours. Essentially the team eliminated order failures altogether and replaced the obsolete customer service code base (VB/Web forms) by a modern framework (C#/MVC/Entity Framework/ AngularJS stack).

Ultimately the client said it best “”We have practically re-written our website over again with two onshore developers in 5 months. The previous version took 7 offshore developers the same amount of time; except this time it works properly!”

So, before you send out that next bid or hire a new programmer, first consider the amazing talent here in the USA. You may be surprised by the ROI comparison between onshore and offshore, if all factors (especially quality and maintainability) are considered. You really do get what you pay for.


The Armada

Armada IV

Spreading the sail to the rising gale, the Armada bore northward. Drake had been uneasy, fearing that the Spaniards might seek refuge in Scotland; but when he saw this danger pass and the Armada speed away toward the shore of Norway, he resolved to return before famine should set in among his crews.

Carried on the tempest’s wings around Cape Wrath, they were next launched amid the perils of the Hebrides. The rollers of the Atlantic hoisted them, dashing them against the cliffs or flinging them on the shelving shore. Their crews, too worn with toil and want to swim ashore, were drowned in the surf and littered the beaches with their corpses. The winds drove the survivors farther south until they reached the west coast of Ireland.

Galleons left

The sorrowful Philip was deeply wounded from a quarter from which he looked for sympathy and help. Pope Sixtus had promised a contribution of a million crowns toward the expenses of the Armada; but when he saw the outcome, he refused to pay a single ducat. In vain Philip urged that the Pope had not only encouraged him, but had instigated the attempt. The expedition had been undertaken in the sacred cause of the Church, and that the loss ought to be borne mutually. To his entreaties, Sixtus was deaf.

The Armada was the mightiest effort, by force of arms, ever put forth by the Roman Catholic powers against Protestantism; and it proved the turning point in the great war between Rome and the Reformation. Spain was never after what she had been before the failure of that expedition. It said in effect to her, "Remove the diadem; put off the crown."

Almost all of the military genius and the naval skill enrolled in the service of Spain were lost in that ill-fated expedition. The financial loss could not be reckoned at less than six million ducats, but that was nothing compared with the loss of Spain’s prestige. The catastrophe stripped her naked. Her position and that of the Protestant powers were to a large extent reversed—England and the Netherlands rose, and Spain fell.

The tragedy of the Armada was a great sermon, the text of which was that the ordinary course of events had been interrupted; the heavens had been bowed, and the Great Judge had descended upon the scene, working out a marvelous deliverance for England. While dismay reined within the popish kingdoms, the Protestant states joined in a chorus of thanksgiving.

The destruction of the Armada drew England together. The nation seemed to realize that if it did not draw together in the work of the Reformation, all of the various factions would fall prey to a common enemy. The years that followed were years of prosperity and added to the glory of England. Unfortunately, however, Elizabeth appreciated the Reformation less for the freedom it gave to the conscience than for freeing her throne. One of her chief aims was to reconcile the English Catholics leading her to dread the complete separation of the Church of England from Rome. She loved splendor in worship and finding the Puritans to be an intolerable nuisance, exercised great intolerance toward them.

Elizabeth has been called great, but her greatness lay largely in the greatness of those she surrounded herself with. The Reformation had set England on the road to greatness; and as the head of state, Elizabeth was lifted up along with it.

Elizabeth died in March of 1603. When it became apparent that she would soon breathe her last, the Catholic interests took steps to see that none would take her place who were not deeply attached to Roman Catholicism. James VI, the king of Scotland, whose Protestantism was open to question, was anxious to obtain the throne. He received warnings from Elizabeth and her counselors that unless his Protestant interests were above suspicion, he would never be accepted by England. In 1600 he gave strong assurances that he would maintain the profession of the gospel. This strong assurance doubtless quieted the fears of the English statesmen; but at the same time, it awakened the fears of the Roman Catholics.

The conspirators who had seen their hopes dashed by such a strong statement, appealed to Pope Clement VIII to use his influence to bar Jame’s ascent to the throne. Clement was not hard to be persuaded in the matter and sent two bulls—one addressed to the Roman clergy, the other to the nobility and laity. Both bulls were of similar tenor and urged that no one should be allowed to ascend the throne who had not only sworn to tolerate the Roman Catholic faith but who would, to the utmost of his power, uphold and advance it.

When Elizabeth died, the Catholic faction immediately dispatched a messenger to the court of Spain, seeking Philip’s interposition on their behalf. The memory of the Armada was still fresh in Philip’s mind. The loss that he had sustained, as well as the blow that the national spirit had received, was too great to allow him to do anything but wish them well.

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Isolation and functional analysis of keratinocyte-derived corepressors of liganded nuclear receptors

Date of Completion

January 2006

Biology, Molecular|Health Sciences, Toxicology|Health Sciences, Pharmacology

Keratinocyte gene expression is regulated by members of the nuclear receptor superfamily including retinoic acid receptors (RARs), retinoid X receptors (RXR), and peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs). In addition to ligand, nuclear receptor transcriptional activity is controlled by interaction with proteins, collectively known as coregulators, which function as corepressors or coactivators. To improve our understanding of coregulators expressed in epidermis, we screened a keratinocyte cDNA library for PPARα-interacting proteins. The screen yielded previously unknown proteins including two we designated 7a and 43a. We also report on NRBF-2, a longer variant of 7a. 7a and NRBF-2 target the AF-2 domains of nuclear receptors but exhibit quantitative differences in their functional interactions with RARs, RXRα, and PPARs. An NR box (nuclear receptor box) and CoRNR box (corepressor nuclear receptor box) contribute to, but are not solely responsible for, functional and physical association with agonist bound RXRα. They decrease the activity of liganded RXRα, but because of an autonomous activation domain do not completely repress it.^ 43a is a partial length clone of a Naf1α, also known as VAN. Both the partial length and full length clones are PPAR and RAR interacting proteins. The interaction is ligand dependent, receptor helix 12 dependent, and partially NR box dependent. These properties are typically associated with coactivators. However, Naf functions as a repressor of agonist bound PPARs.^ This adds 7a, NRBF-2, and Naf to the small but growing group of repressors of liganded nuclear receptors, such as LCoR and REA. Naf may also provide a connection between HIV, Nef, and PPARs. 7a, NRBF-2, and Naf all contain CoRNR boxes, suggesting that coregulators containing both motifs do not fit fully in either category. Our work here expands on the currently small group of NR box containing repressors of liganded nuclear receptors. This type of corepressor may serve to limit excessive or prolonged receptor activation. ^


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Costing the Earth - highlighting the importance of soils

3rd Mar 2017

This week, Radio 4’s Costing the Earth programme, hosted by Tom Heap was entitled Soil Saviours, and focussed on the very interesting question of whether soil can play a role in the fight against climate change.

During the half hour programme, Tom interviewed Professor Pete Smith from Aberdeen University about the science behind soil carbon sequestration and what the science tells us about the potential for soils to help limit global temperature rise, talked to the 4 per mille initiative spearheaded by the French Agricultural minister and now a global phenomenon. He then spoke to a couple of farmers about what is possible on-farm and what the benefits could be agronomically, economically and environmentally of adopting practices that improve soil carbon sequestration.

Now for us here at FCCT none of this is very new, and for those of you who are followers of our work, you will have seen previous blogs that we have written on 4 per mille (of which we are a member), the work from Aberdeen university and others on the science behind it, and also highlighted some of the farmers that are pushing the agenda forward and championing it at the farm level.

This includes our Soil Farmer of the Year competition, aimed at showcasing farmers who are passionate about managing their soils in a way which supports productive agriculture and builds soil resilience and soil life. Through hosting farm walks with last years’ winners as well as other FCCT events looking at soil and soil carbon, we have found that there is lots of farmer interest but a lack of on-farm data, practical examples and a clear policy direction that enables action.

As Professor Pete Smith explained during the programme “there are so many co-benefits to increasing organic matter levels in farm soils (besides reducing carbon dioxide levels) it’s a no-brainer."

But what are the benefits? And how quickly can they happen? Is there a balance between maintaining yield and maximising carbon sequestration? Is there a finite amount we can hold? What data should we be collecting? Can we test for carbon and how long should we be testing for?

These are all questions that we are aiming to answer through our new crowdfunding carbon farming project. Being run by farmers for farmers, the main aim of this project is to use ten farm demonstration sites to answer some of these questions. Working with farmers we will set up monitoring on-farm and collect data on the effect of changing management on soil carbon and try to answer the question of what works and what doesn’t.  We will also use the project to set up a farmer network which will share ideas, practical hints and tips about what works and evaluate the results.

Soil Carbon sequestration is not a magic spell that will solve all our problems in terms of temperature rise and facing up to the environmental impact of activities, but what it does do, is provide a positive opportunity to champion the unique opportunity that farmers and growers have of producing food in a way which safeguards soil and promotes sequestration. By involving farmers and growers in the work, we can make sure that solutions are rooted in good practice and are achievable, but in order to do this work we need your help.

Support this project to enable us to help farmers understand what works and how much of a difference to society we can make. By donating a small amount of money today, we can get this work started and you can be part of the process.

Small things make big things happen.

Join in today.


Headache – Learn About Its Causes and Remedies

What is the cause of the headache?

There can be several causes of headaches. Some of the more likely causes of headaches are stress and fatigue, tension, eye strain, dehydration, low blood sugar, migraine, viral infection, musculoskeletal conditions, hyper-mastication and sinusitis. In rare cases, headache could be a result of certain life-threatening conditions such as brain tumours, meningitis, encephalitis, cerebral aneurysms and extremely high blood pressure. Headache can also occur because of head injury. Erratic changes in estrogen levels during menstrual years may also cause headaches in some women.

Tension headache

Tension headache is one of the most common types and can affect people of any age and sex. But it is more commonly reported by adults and is more common among women than men. Tension headache is characterized by pain in both the sides of the head, though it may sometimes be pointed to the neck or the front of the head. The pain often starts at the back of your head and spreads forward. Besides, this is the only type of headache in which pain persists continuously throughout the day and night without any relief in between. Tension headache occurs mainly due to stress, depression or anxiety, fatigue, poor posture, eye strain, tobacco and alcohol use.

Cluster headache

Cluster headache is a type of primary headache. Though it is rarely reported, cluster headache sufferers are mainly men especially those in the 28-30 age group; however, headaches may begin in childhood. Cluster headaches are characterized by sharp, extremely painful headaches that tend to occur several times per day for months and then go away for a similar period. Sometimes the pain caused by cluster headaches is so intense that the scalp feels almost tender, the arteries can be seen pulsating and the patient is so uncomfortable that he finds it difficult to sit still.

Common remedies for headache relief

They cannot be cured but it is possible to control them by taking appropriate measures depending on the type of headache a patient is suffering from, individual response as well as associated health conditions. While home remedies work for some people, others need to take medicines to control the pain. The medications available for headache can be taken prophylactically (to prevent headache occurrence) or abortively (once the headache begins). Lifestyle changes such as avoidance of triggers, stress management, and relaxation therapy are also recommended to provide timely relief.

Many people these days are also resorting to alternative drug-free therapies for headache relief. Cefaly electrotherapy device is one such treatment option that is being increasingly recommended by doctors. The scientifically advanced device emits gentle electric impulses that influence the pain-affected nerves; this makes you experience a state of relaxation and well-being. You need to wear the Cefaly device like a headband and attach it to the electrode placed on the forehead. In just a few minutes, it provides relief from a throbbing headache.

Buy Fioricet, Carisoprodol,Butalbital APAP Caffeine


The Italian Almanac

Ellis Island

Italian Movies - August 28

New York's Ellis Island, the door to America for millions of immigrants last century, has inspired a major Italian film competing at this year's Venice Film Festival. Nuovomondo (The Golden Door), written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Emanuele Crialese, tells the tale of a Sicilian family who made the epic journey from their homeland to America in search of a better life.

Set in 1910, the film recounts the family's voyage and their eventual arrival at the Golden Door, namely the immigrant processing centre on Ellis Island. The movie, which cost $11 million to make and couples French star Charlotte Gainsbourg with little-known Sicilian actor Vincenzo Amato, is not about immigration as such, its author say.

Crialese said the film, his third, was instead about the "will to change one's life, to abandon what one knows for the unknown. That's a great act of courage, a leap in the dark, and that's why those who undertook the voyage to America were heroes in my eyes".

By 1900, Ellis Island was admitting up to 5,000 people a day and more than 40% of the US population is descended from those who passed through the centre. The immigrants were detained for up to a day on the island, where they faced an often-humiliating inspection process, which included physical and psychological examinations, as well as literacy tests and questions about their political views.


Journal of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics 2016. 2(2):.

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and cardio-metabolic profile in women with hypovitaminosis D
Samira Ebrahimof, Sakineh Shab-bidar, Marjan Zarif Yeganeh, Pooneh Angoorani, Somayeh Abedini, Farzaneh Jahangir, Maryam-Sadat Daneshpour, Mehdi Hedayati

Objective: The possible role of vitamin D receptor (VDR) variants in determining cardiovascular risk factors has been suggested previously. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the associations of variants of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene with metabolic profile in Iranian overweight women with hypovitaminosis D.

Materials and Methods: Variants in VDR gene including FokI (rs2228570), BsmI (rs1544410) and rs757343 were detected using PCR-sequencing. Metabolic Profile including fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, and triacylglycerol was assessed using commercial kits. Circulating 25 (OH) D was measured using ELISA kits. Fat mass and visceral fat were measured using Bio Impedance Analysis.

Results: A sample of 123 overweight women with hypovitaminosis D (25 (OH) D<75nmol/L) was studied. The mean 25 (OH) D level was 28.7±17.0nmol/L. The FokI polymorphism was significantly associated with total cholesterol (p=0.03) and LDL-C (p=0.01). Carriers of the CC genotype of the FokI polymorphism had lower total cholesterol (162.9±30.4 vs. 176.1±32.4, p=0. 02) and LDL-C (98.0±26.0 vs. 110.6±28.5, p=0. 01) compared with carriers of CT+TT genotype. Regression analysis revealed that the FokI variant and fat mass explained 18% of the variance in total cholesterol. Regarding LDL-C, FokI variant explained 21% of the variance in LDL-C. None of the studied polymorphisms were significantly associated with adiposity phenotypes (p>0.05). Also, adiposity phenotype measures were not significantly different in the genotype groups of the studied SNPs (p>0.5).

Conclusions: The present results indicate that the FokI polymorphism is significantly associated with total cholesterol and LDL-C in Iranian overweight women with hypovitaminosis D.

Hypovitaminosis D, Metabolic profile, Total cholesterol, LDL-C, VDR variants, Overweight

Holick MF. Vitamin D deficiency. The New England journal of medicine. 2007;357(3):266-81.

Moradzadeh M, Larijani B, Keshtkar AA, Hossein-Nezhad A, Rajabian R, Nabipour I, et al. Normative Values of Vitamin D Among Iranian Population: A Population Based Study. International Journal of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Disorders, 1: 8-15. Int J Osteo Metab. 2008;1:8-15.

Alipour S, Saberi A, Seifollahi A, Shirzad N, Hosseini L. Risk factors and prevalence of vitamin d deficiency among Iranian women attending two university hospitals. Iranian Red Crescent medical journal. 2014;16(10):e15461.

Hovsepian S, Amini M, Aminorroaya A, Amini P, Iraj B. Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among adult population of Isfahan City, Iran. Journal of health, population, and nutrition. 2011;29(2):149-55.

Hossein-nezhad A, Holick MF. Vitamin D for health: a global perspective. Mayo Clinic proceedings. 2013;88(7):720-55.

Holick MF. Vitamin D: extraskeletal health. Rheumatic diseases clinics of North America. 2012;38(1):141-60.

Vimaleswaran KS, Berry DJ, Lu C, Tikkanen E, Pilz S, Hiraki LT, et al. Causal relationship between obesity and vitamin D status: bi-directional Mendelian randomization analysis of multiple cohorts. PLoS medicine. 2013;10(2):e1001383.

Parikh SJ, Edelman M, Uwaifo GI, Freedman RJ, Semega-Janneh M, Reynolds J, et al. The relationship between obesity and serum 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D concentrations in healthy adults. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism. 2004;89(3):1196-9.

Liel Y, Ulmer E, Shary J, Hollis BW, Bell NH. Low circulating vitamin D in obesity. Calcified tissue international. 1988;43(4):199-201.

Vilarrasa N, Maravall J, Estepa A, Sanchez R, Masdevall C, Navarro MA, et al. Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in obese women: their clinical significance and relationship with anthropometric and body composition variables. Journal of endocrinological investigation. 2007;30(8):653-8.

Palacios C, Gil K, Perez CM, Joshipura K. Determinants of vitamin D status among overweight and obese Puerto Rican adults. Annals of nutrition & metabolism. 2012;60(1):35-43.

Caron-Jobin M, Morisset AS, Tremblay A, Huot C, Legare D, Tchernof A. Elevated serum 25(OH)D concentrations, vitamin D, and calcium intakes are associated with reduced adipocyte size in women. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011;19(7):1335-41.

Anagnostis P, Athyros VG, Adamidou F, Florentin M, Karagiannis A. Vitamin D and cardiovascular disease: a novel agent for reducing cardiovascular risk? Current vascular pharmacology. 2010;8(5):720-30.

vinh quoc Lu'o'ng K, Nguyen LT. The beneficial role of vitamin D in obesity: possible genetic and cell signaling mechanisms. Nutrition journal. 2013;12:89.

Weber K, Erben RG. Differences in triglyceride and cholesterol metabolism and resistance to obesity in male and female vitamin D receptor knockout mice. Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition. 2013;97(4):675-83.

Narvaez CJ, Matthews D, Broun E, Chan M, Welsh J. Lean phenotype and resistance to diet-induced obesity in vitamin D receptor knockout mice correlates with induction of uncoupling protein-1 in white adipose tissue. Endocrinology. 2009;150(2):651-61.

Filus A, Trzmiel A, Kuliczkowska-Plaksej J, Tworowska U, Jedrzejuk D, Milewicz A, et al. Relationship between vitamin D receptor BsmI and FokI polymorphisms and anthropometric and biochemical parameters describing metabolic syndrome. The aging male : the official journal of the International Society for the Study of the Aging Male. 2008;11(3):134-9.

Schuch NJ, Garcia VC, Vivolo SR, Martini LA. Relationship between Vitamin D Receptor gene polymorphisms and the components of metabolic syndrome. Nutrition journal. 2013;12:96.

Soroush N, Radfar M, Hamidi AK, Abdollahi M, Qorbani M, Razi F, et al. Vitamin D receptor gene FokI variant in diabetic foot ulcer and its relation with oxidative stress. Gene. 2017;599:87-91.

Maia J, da Silva AS, do Carmo RF, de Mendonca TF, Griz LH, Moura P, et al. The association between vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms (TaqI and FokI), Type 2 diabetes, and micro-/macrovascular complications in postmenopausal women. The application of clinical genetics. 2016;9:131-6.

Miller SA, Dykes DD, Polesky HF. A simple salting out procedure for extracting DNA from human nucleated cells. Nucleic acids research. 1988;16(3):1215.

Ye WZ, Reis AF, Dubois-Laforgue D, Bellanne-Chantelot C, Timsit J, Velho G. Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms are associated with obesity in type 2 diabetic subjects with early age of onset. European journal of endocrinology / European Federation of Endocrine Societies. 2001;145(2):181-6.

Reis AF, Hauache OM, Velho G. Vitamin D endocrine system and the genetic susceptibility to diabetes, obesity and vascular disease. A review of evidence. Diabetes & metabolism. 2005;31(4 Pt 1):318-25.

Ding C, Gao D, Wilding J, Trayhurn P, Bing C. Vitamin D signalling in adipose tissue. The British journal of nutrition. 2012;108(11):1915-23.

Uitterlinden AG, Fang Y, Van Meurs JB, Pols HA, Van Leeuwen JP. Genetics and biology of vitamin D receptor polymorphisms. Gene. 2004;338(2):143-56.

Colombini A, Brayda-Bruno M, Lombardi G, Croiset SJ, Vrech V, Maione V, et al. FokI Polymorphism in the Vitamin D Receptor Gene (VDR) and Its Association with Lumbar Spine Pathologies in the Italian Population: A Case-Control Study. PloS one. 2014;9(5):e97027.

Moreno Lima R, Silva de Abreu B, Gentil P, Cesar de Lima Lins T, Grattapaglia D, Pereira RW, et al. Lack of association between vitamin D receptor genotypes and haplotypes with fat-free mass in postmenopausal Brazilian women. The journals of gerontology Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. 2007;62(9):966-72.

Ochs-Balcom HM, Chennamaneni R, Millen AE, Shields PG, Marian C, Trevisan M, et al. Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms are associated with adiposity phenotypes. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2011;93(1):5-10.

Valdivielso JM, Fernandez E. Vitamin D receptor polymorphisms and diseases. Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry. 2006;371(1-2):1-12.

Grundberg E, Brandstrom H, Ribom EL, Ljunggren O, Mallmin H, Kindmark A. Genetic variation in the human vitamin D receptor is associated with muscle strength, fat mass and body weight in Swedish women. European journal of endocrinology / European Federation of Endocrine Societies. 2004;150(3):323-8.

Tworowska-Bardzinska U, Lwow F, Kubicka E, Laczmanski L, Jedzrzejuk D, Dunajska K, et al. The vitamin D receptor gene BsmI polymorphism is not associated with anthropometric and biochemical parameters describing metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women. Gynecological endocrinology : the official journal of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology. 2008;24(9):514-8.

Beydoun MA, Tanaka T, Beydoun HA, Ding EL, Ferrucci L, Zonderman AB. Vitamin D receptor and megalin gene polymorphisms are associated with central adiposity status and changes among US adults. Journal of nutritional science. 2013;2:e33.

Mackawy AM, Badawi ME. Association of vitamin D and vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms with chronic inflammation, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome components in type 2 diabetic Egyptian patients. Meta gene. 2014;2:540-56.

Prabhakar P, Majumdar V, Kulkarni GB, Christopher R. Genetic variants of vitamin D receptor and susceptibility to ischemic stroke. Biochemical and biophysical research communications. 2015;456(2):631-6.

Zemel MB, Shi H, Greer B, Dirienzo D, Zemel PC. Regulation of adiposity by dietary calcium. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 2000;14(9):1132-8.

Cho HJ, Kang HC, Choi SA, Ju YC, Lee HS, Park HJ. The possible role of Ca2+ on the activation of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein in rat hepatocytes. Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin. 2005;28(8):1418-23.

Kamycheva E, Jorde R, Figenschau Y, Haug E. Insulin sensitivity in subjects with secondary hyperparathyroidism and the effect of a low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level on insulin sensitivity. Journal of endocrinological investigation. 2007;30(2):126-32.

Chow EC, Magomedova L, Quach HP, Patel R, Durk MR, Fan J, et al. Vitamin D receptor activation down-regulates the small heterodimer partner and increases CYP7A1 to lower cholesterol. Gastroenterology. 2014;146(4):1048-59.

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Idea #204
Wide raised bike lanes on all major thoroughfares through the city
Suggested By Edward Via 5000+
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The current, incomplete set of painted bike lanes on our roads is next to useless. They are too narrow, they often disappear at intersections and are routinely ignored by motorists.

Instead, what we need are wide raised lanes on each of the main thoroughfares: Morphett, King William, Pulteney, Grenfell, Wakefield and Angas Streets as well as North Terrace.

Wide lanes give cyclists the room they need and making them raised properly separates them from cars keeping both motorists and cyclists happy. It is the only way to increase cyclist numbers - that is: everyday people, dressed normally on normal bikes.


Wednesday, July 08, 2009

It's 2009 -- let's raise highway speed limits to reasonable levels

I couldn't help but chuckle a little bit this week as I read this story about an Ohio state trooper who was allegedly radared going 147 miles per hour on his sportbike while off duty. He faces a license suspension and the possible loss of his job if he is convicted, a high price to pay for doing some thing that -- depending on the circumstances -- may not have been that big a deal.

Now, hold on. Before all of you fire up your Gmail accounts and start sending pissed off emails to the Superbike Blog ranting about how this guy is a menace and that all sportbikers should be soaked in chum and thrown into shark-infested waters, let's take a look at speed limits from a realistic perspective. Put your preconceived, brainwashed notions aside for a few minutes and consider the following:

1.) The death rate on American highways has dropped by 67 percent since the 1950s, even as the highway speed limit has been increased. Safer cars, better roads, and better driver education have been partially credited for these numbers. By the NHTSA's own data, our highways are safer than ever.

2.) Montana recorded its lowest highway death rate in 1995, during an era when the state had no daytime highway speed limit. Since daytime speed limits were imposed in 1999, the death rate has been consistently higher. This evidence seems to debunk the idea that slower automatically equals safer.

3.) Federal and state studies have consistently shown that the drivers most likely to get into accidents in traffic are those traveling significantly below the average speed. According to an Institute of Transportation Engineers Study, those driving 10 mph slower than the prevailing speed are six times as likely to be involved in an accident that someone driving 10 mph over.

4.) People generally will not go faster than what they feel is comfortable and safe, regardless of the posted speed limit. For example, an 18-month study following an increase in the speed limit along the New York Thruway (from 55 to 65 mph), determined that the average speed of traffic, 68 mph, remained the same. Even a national study conducted by the Federal Highway Administration also concluded that raising or lowering the speed limit had practically no effect on actual travel speeds.

5.) Two of the safest highway systems in the world are in Germany, where speed limits on 70 percent of the Autobahn are unrestricted, and in Italy, where the highway speed limit is 96 miles per hour. You can say what you want about the differences in driver education and infrastructure between the U.S. and those countries, but the facts remain the same.

I post all that data simply to say that high-speed riding and driving can be done reasonably when conditions are right. On a long, lonely highway with good visibility, 140 miles per hour is a doddle on a sportbike. I'm not sure if those conditions reflect the busted state trooper's scenario, but suffice it to say that motorcyclists traveling over 100 miles per hour many times tend to be treated harshly based on emotional reaction, rather than based on common sense and the totality of circumstances.

It's time to start looking pragmatically at the capabilities of modern vehicles, their relative safety compared to previous generations of vehicles, and make necessary changes to our laws and infrastructure in order to accommodate them. I'm not advocating total chaos on the roads, simply a revamping of our practices and enforcement techniques. Enforcing proper space cushioning, lane discipline, and right-of-way observance instead of frivolous speed violations would go a long way toward achieving faster, safer highways in the modern age.

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Corrdesa works with commercial clients in various industries to resolve problems associated with corrosion, coatings and REACH, all of which are interrelated.  Today hexavalent chromium is a major chemical concern, and most chromates can no longer be used in Europe without Authorization after the sunset date of September 21, 2017.  In the US chromate emissions are restricted by the EPA, and chromates in the workplace are heavily controlled by OSHA.

As companies grapple with loss of materials associated with REACH they discover that most corrosion resistant designs use coatings that rely on chromates for reducing corrosion of aluminum components and zinc coatings.  In the aerospace industry chromates of very heavily used to prevent corrosion of the aircraft skins, airframes, landing gear, and many other critical aircraft components.  As companies look for alternatives, sooner or later they rediscover Legg’s Law.

Legg's Law: Any material chemically active enough to inhibit corrosion is also chemically active enough to be an environmental or health hazard.

Example:  One of our clients is a multinational manufacturer producing a wide variety of industrial and consumer products, who like most other multinationals, are dealing with all of the issues associated with REACH and chromates.  Corrdesa provides assistance to their Chromate Alternatives Team, working out how best to replace chromates throughout their various product lines.


Little reason to attack the guardian at trial

Working on materials for an upcoming lecture on attorney/guardian interactions, I realized that it had been years since I last felt compelled to “attack” the guardian ad litem at trial. However I am often asked by colleagues on effective techniques to undermine the guardian. There are times when the only effective strategy for minimizing a guardian’s impact is to attack the guardian. However, generally, there is a better method: produce evidence that renders the guardian’s testimony irrelevant and exposes it as a product of an inept or biased investigation.

For temporary hearings–where one lacks the ability to provide detailed testimony and evidence to demonstrate a guardian’s errors–attacking a biased or inept guardian is probably required. For situations in which the guardian is lying about his or her interactions with and observations of the client (something that, thankfully, has never happened to me), attack is probably also necessary. However for situations in which the guardian is misrepresenting the child(ren)’s preference, simply noting that one disputes the guardian’s representation of preference and asking the judge to interview the child(ren) is a better method of blunting any impact from the guardian’s inaccuracy.

Most often litigants want to attack the guardian because they disagree with the findings in the guardian’s investigation. To the extent these findings are accurate, attacking the guardian is an ineffective strategy. However when these findings are inaccurate, it is more powerful to prove the inaccuracies through other evidence than to impeach the guardian through cross examination.

Assume for example one represents a mother in a custody case. The guardian’s report inaccurately claims that mother has a drinking problem and that father has been the children’s primary caretaker. Rather than attack the guardian one should simply present evidence showing the guardian is wrong. Having numerous witnesses who know the children well explain how mother has been the primary caretaker and providing evidence demonstrating mother’s sobriety effectively undermines that guardian’s conclusions. Developing that testimony and evidence may be more time consuming and mentally taxing than attacking the guardian, but it’s also much more effective.

Assuming one has done this in one’s case-in-chief, a very effective, though not necessary, cross examination technique is to start by asking the guardian if he or she stands by his or her conclusion. If the guardian stands firm, one can ask a series of “despite” questions. For example, “You contend the father has been the primary caretaker despite the child’s school teacher testifying that she primarily interacts with the mother?” or “You contend the mother has a drinking problem despite the fact that she’s been promoted three times in the past four years at her job?” These “despite” questions undermine the guardian’s conclusions, assuming the guardian stands firm, while highlighting the helpful evidence that proves otherwise. This is vastly more effective than trying to “prove” the guardian is a lying idiot.

There is rarely a need to attack a guardian at trial. To the extent the guardian’s investigation is accurate and unhelpful, it is better to accept its accuracy and seek the best possible result through negotiation (or limit one’s goals at trial). To the extent the guardian’s investigation is inaccurate and unhelpful, it’s simply better to prove the inaccuracies.

Retain Mr. Forman
  • Thank you, as always for your clear-headed help, Greg.

  • Mindy Schneider

    I agree with you 100 percent.
    Your articles are always an interesting read.

    Thank you for taking your time to enlighten all of us.

  • G.

    What is the common practice of appointing the GAL? Does the plaintiff’s attorney select the GAL and then is he/she approved by the Court? What if the Defendant does not agree and objects to the appointment? Shouldn’t the Judge appoint a GAL with or without either party’s recommendation to guard against bias? Please excuse my ignorance.

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What We Talk About When We Talk About God

In the following article, Seeskin describes how the 12th-century Jewish thinker Moses Maimonides reinterpreted biblical texts that imply that God has human characteristics. Seeskin analyzes several passages from Maimonides’ philosophical masterpiece The Guide of the Perplexed.

Genesis 1:26 does say that man was made in the image of God. If taken literally, this passage would mean that God has two arms, two legs, a face, and hair. But if God looks like a human being, why does Judaism go to such lengths to forbid us from drawing or sculpting Him? To avoid an anthropomorphic conclusion, Maimonides points out that image is an ambiguous term (Guide1.1) which sometimes denotes a resemblance in figure or shape. In English, we might say “He is the image of his father,” meaning that two people look alike. But sometimes the degree of resemblance is much looser. If we say, “He was the very image of valor,” no one would argue that valor has arms and legs. According to Maimonides, it is this second use of image which is the best approximation of the Biblical claim that man was made in God’s image. What the text means is that, unlike anything else on earth, God made us in His image by endowing us with rational faculties. Interpreted this way, Genesis 1:26 is both true and important, yet does not imply that there is a physical resemblance between human beings and their Creator.

SEE, APPEAR, or LOOK (raah, hibbit, chazah). Sometimes a prophet will say that he saw God in a vision. Other times a prophet will say that God appeared to him, as in Genesis 18:1: “And the Lord appeared to Abraham by the terebinths of Mamre.” In still other cases, the Bible claims that God Himself saw something. If God has no shape, no one can see Him, in the way they see corporeal things; by the same token, if God has no body, He does not “see” by virtue of sense organs. Maimonides shows that see and related terms are also ambiguous (Guide 1.4). In English, we speak of seeing with our mind’s eye as a way of meaning we understand something, thus: “Yea, my heart has seen much of wisdom and knowledge.” Maimonides argues that whenever God “sees” or “is seen” in the Bible, the seeing involved is of this type. The prophet who “sees” God is really thinking about Him, and God’s “seeing” is His contemplation of the world. In neither case does the Bible mean that God has a body with sense organs.

TO COME NEAR (karav). To say that God is near to those who call upon Him (Psalm 145:18) is to speak about intellectual comprehension, not physical location (Guide 1.18). The same applies to words which suggest that people can touch or approach God. They approach God in the way one approaches the understanding of a principle or idea. Thus, a person might say, “Scientists are getting closer and closer to a cure for this disease.” What is meant is that their ideas are becoming clearer and their theories more comprehensive.

TO SPEAK (amar). God does not have a mouth or utter sounds. A person who attempted to record God’s communication with Abraham or Moses would hear nothing. The hundreds of passages that say “and God spoke” are using figurative language to mean “and God willed” (Guide 1.65). By virtue of superior understanding of God, the prophet is able to understand what God wants us to do, which is to say, what God commands. These commandments need not be transmitted by sound waves in the air. Similarly, God’s hearing is another word for His comprehending (Guide 1.45).

From these examples it is clear that the drift of Maimonides’ exegesis is to make the relationship between God and His prophets an intellectual one. Maimonides is one in a long line of Jewish commentators who have proposed rationalistic interpretations of Scripture. Thus, words denoting place, sight, hearing, or positions are interpreted as mental properties or dispositions. In our own vocabulary, it could be said that Maimonides has attempted to demythologize biblical narrative. Instead of a God who dwells in heaven, sits on a throne, visits earth, and utters sounds, we are given a God who is perfect intelligence. Instead of prophets who are visited by God in a literal way, we are given prophets who understand what God wants for the world.

Reprinted with permission from Maimonides: A Guide For Today’s Perplexed, published by Behrman House.
© Behrman House Inc.

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QUIZ: Do you know how fast you should be going on Cambridgeshire’s roads? Police launch new challenge

editorial image

Police are urging motorists to take part in a new quiz to test their knowledge of the different speed limits on the county’s road.

The quiz has been created as part of a month-long THINK! speed campaign educating motorists of the consequences of speeding.

Throughout August the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit (RPU) will be out in force targeting motorists breaking the law.

“In the last five years (2011-2015) there have been 172 fatal or serious collisions in Cambridgeshire where at least one driver was reported to be exceeding the speed limit or driving too fast for the conditions, resulting in 25 fatalities and 191 people being seriously injured.

Motorists are encouraged to take part in the short quiz to test their knowledge of the difference speed limits. The quiz can be found here

Motorists are also encouraged to take the following advice:

* Watch out for changes in the speed limit

* Drive to suit the conditions and the layout of the road

* Don’t let peer pressure encourage you to break the law

Facts and figures:

In 2015, 148,069 people were issued with tickets for speeding across the three counties – 41,090 in Beds, 38,927 in Cambs and 68,052 in Herts.

Nationally in 2014, the total number of people killed where speed was a contributory factor was 1,651. The total number of those seriously injured in an accident where speed was a contributory factor was 20,120.*


Evaluating and treating the plant for noise control

Research continues to point to noisy machinery as a culprit in poor communication, lost-time accidents and higher insurance costs in plant operations. Constant exposure to noise creates employee stress and fatigue, and noisy operations can cause noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). But machines don't have to bear the blame.

Key concepts
Effective noise control requires thorough analysis.
Noise travels by both direct and indirect paths.
Noise can be reduced at the source, along the path, and at the receiver.
Listening: the first step
Direct and indirect noise sources
Sound evaluation
Source-Path-Receiver Model
At the source: contain noise
At the receiver: suppress noise
Noise terminology

Research continues to point to noisy machinery as a culprit in poor communication, lost-time accidents and higher insurance costs in plant operations. Constant exposure to noise creates employee stress and fatigue, and noisy operations can cause noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). But machines don't have to bear the blame. The noise they make can be absorbed, contained, or otherwise isolated so employees can work in more comfortable — not to mention OSHA-compliant — facilities. Knowing how to evaluate your plant for excessive noise and learning how to make it quieter are value-added steps you can take to improve safety, comfort, and productivity.

Listening: the first step

According to OSHA, employees run the risk of hearing loss if they are exposed, without hearing protection, to more than 85 decibels (dB) averaged over 8-hr. Yet noise is not always considered a factor when employees burn out from fatigue or stress, or misunderstand instructions. Our ears may be so accustomed to audible safety violations that we don't notice them.

Take a listening tour through your plant. Noise can be constant or intermittent, high-pitched or low, from one source or several. Regardless of its characteristics, noise can be contained or absorbed so employees don't have to shout to communicate with, warn, or help one another.

Direct and indirect noise sources

Sound reaches workers two ways, directly or indirectly. Direct sound travels in a straight line from the source to the ear. A press operator standing at the machine hears its noise in a direct path before it bounces off walls and ceilings.

Indirect sound is what workers hear after sound has been reflected from surrounding surfaces. Generally, factories are constructed from hard, nonabsorbent surfaces such as concrete or brick, which cause excessive noise throughout a plant. Very little of the noise is absorbed by these walls, floors, or ceilings; most is reflected back into the room. A successful noise control program will effectively absorb or contain these reflections before they reach employees' ears.

Sound evaluation

Once you know the source of noise, you can measure it to determine how much you need to reduce it. Though sound measurement is based on straightforward calculations, you might want to enlist the help of a sound control specialist to help you determine the acoustics of your workplace. Using a handheld sound level meter, a specialist will take specific sound measurements and analyze them to recommend the best results for your facility. This procedure avoids the problem of applying the wrong noise control solution, with the result that the room remains noisy.

The goal is to measure the noise source in decibels, Hertz, and reverberation time (see sidebar). These acoustical "dimensions" will determine how much acoustical control material is needed.

Source-Path-Receiver Model

Once you know the sources, quantity, and quality of noise in your plant, you can determine how to control it. An effective evaluation takes into account three different ways to control noise: at the source, along the path of the noise, or at the receiver.

At the source: contain noise

Containing noise keeps it confined within a space. An acoustic curtain, shield, or solid wall that physically blocks sound energy can cut noise levels by as much as 20 dB. The side of the curtain or barrier that faces the machine is usually covered with acoustic foam to absorb and dissipate the blocked energy. A successful sound-control curtain or enclosure contains noise while still allowing access for visibility, operations, or maintenance.

Containing noise at the source can also mean building a shield around a single piece of equipment. This is especially effective for mid-to-high-frequency noises, such as compressors and saws. Such shields can be made of plywood or sheet metal with noise-absorbing foam attached to them, or you can use flexible noise barrier curtains which isolate and contain noise.

In large, open shops with lots of small noise sources, the only way to control reverberating noise is through absorption. For example, the clinks, rattles and hisses in a bottling plant reflect off of walls and ceilings. Convoluted foam products applied to walls or suspended from ceilings soak up these reflections, reducing unwanted reverberation and echo. Noise levels can be decreased by 20% to 30% — a 4-to-6 dB reduction in noise — when walls or ceilings are treated with noise absorption material.

At the receiver: suppress noise

Finally, you can control noise at the receiver, which means providing employees with earplugs, earmuffs, or other hearing protection devices. Though economical, earplugs and earmuffs can be uncomfortable to wear; they can also prevent communication between employees. As a result, many employees tend to tolerate the noise rather than the discomfort or inconvenience of the ear protection. This is especially true in cases of intermittent noise, when a machine such as an air compressor cycles on and off.

An effective hearing protection program reduces noise without compromising communication or comfort. It shows employees you are concerned for their safety and well being and the quality of the workplace.

Hearing loss prevention programs reduce accident rates and lost time, and contribute to lower insurance rates. Employees recognize and appreciate employers who protect their health and well being. A successful hearing loss prevention program makes good sense and good business.

—Edited by Richard L. Dunn, Chief Editor, 630 -320-7141, rdunn@cahners.com

Noise terminology

Absorption coefficient - The amount of sound an acoustical material absorbs (and converts to heat) rather than reflects. An absorption coefficient of 0.90 means that the material absorbs about 90% of the noise that strikes it at that frequency.

Decibels (dB): The quantity measurement for sound; a measure of sound pressure expressed on a logarithmic scale.

The human ear can hear extremes in sound energy. Decibels were developed as a unit of measurement to encompass these extremes. Zero decibels corresponds to the threshold of audibility, while 130 dB corresponds to the threshold of pain. Calculated on a logarithmic scale, decibels measure the relative change in audible sound.

Basically, a 10-dB increase in noise sounds twice as loud, though it contains 10 times the energy in terms of sound pressure. For example, if Machine A produces 90 dB of noise and Machine B produces 80 dB of noise, then Machine A sounds twice as loud. A 3-dB difference is the smallest change we can hear, yet it represents a 50% increase or decrease in sound energy.

Hertz (Hz): The sound "quality" measurement; frequency of sound expressed in cycles per second.

The quality of sound is described as its pitch, which is dependent on frequency. Frequency is measured in units of Hertz (Hz), where 1 Hz is equal to one sound wave cycle per second. Low-frequency noise (under 250 Hz) is the most difficult to control. Middle-frequency noise (from 500 to 2500 Hz) coincides with human speech and, therefore, interferes with verbal communication. Higher frequencies (above 2500 Hz) are annoying because human ears are sensitive to high-pitched noises.

Noise reduction coefficient (NRC) - The average of the absorption coefficients at the most common frequencies (250, 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz). The NRC is often used to compare the acoustical performance of various materials.

Reflection - The amount of sound wave energy (sound) that is reflected off a surface.

Reverberation - Sound that continues to reflect off surfaces until the sound wave loses energy and eventually dies out.

Reverberation time — The number of seconds required for sound to decay 60 dB (1/1,000,000 of its original sound level) after the sound source has stopped. Reverberation time is the basic acoustical property of a room. It is dependent on the room's dimensions and the absorptive properties of the room's surfaces and contents.

Sabin - A unit of sound absorption based on 1 sq ft of material. 1 sabin = 100% absorption in 1 sq ft of material.

Sound Transmission Class (STC) - A measure of how much noise is stopped by a barrier or enclosure. It is an approximation of how much noise, in decibels, will be stopped by the material, assuming an airtight seal around the noise source.

Time-weighted average - An OSHA measurement, expressed in decibels, of a worker's exposure to noise. If a worker is exposed to what OSHA considers to be the equivalent of over 85 dB in an 8-hr period, hearing tests and ear protection must be provided.

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When you tell small, selfish lies, you train your brain to tell big lies

The old adage that a little white lie won’t hurt may prove unfounded, says a new research, because it only snowballs from there

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 26 October, 2016, 10:45am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 26 October, 2016, 10:52am

It’s a game of cards. You throw down a hand, your friend throws down a better one. But he’s distracted, watching a soap opera on TV.

“Who won?” he asks.

“Er, I did,” you say, sweeping a small pile of chips over to your side of the table. You feel guilty, but the money is too tempting to turn down. And look! He hardly seems to care.

A few rounds later, he gets up to use the bathroom. When he comes back, he points to a stack of chips off to the side of the table. “Were those yours or mine?”

“Who did that?”

“It was them, I saw it.”

So why were you such a jerk?

A study in Nature Neuroscience found that when people tell several selfish lies in a row, their brains have weaker and weaker reactions to dishonesty.

To figure this out, the researchers on the study had subjects play a game while inside an fMRI — a machine that can measure blood flow in the brain. It’s a rough method for watching what parts of the brain become active over time, with more active parts of the brain needing more blood.

At the same time, the researchers found, the subjects’ lies grew bigger and bolder. They found themselves on a slippery slope into dishonesty.

There were some situations though when the effect didn’t appear. When subjects were given the chance to tell selfless lies, lies that would help their partners but hurt them, one lie didn’t lead to decreased blood flow to the amygdala or predict more lies in the future. And at no point in the experiment did the subjects risk getting caught or punished for lying.

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UW Oskhosh Wordmark

In a place where all residents had been judged and sentenced, there is one room in the Taycheedah Correctional Institution where judgment is checked at the door. This is the room w[...]


How to Embed a Prezi

This article explains how to embed a Prezi into a post or page on your site. Since you cannot use the standard <iframe> code generated by the Prezi itself, you’ll need to use what’s called a shortcode, that is, a bit of WordPress-specific code that calls the particular Prezi you want to display and creates a player for it. You can write your own shortcode (as this article explains) or, even easier, you can visit this Google application,, paste in your URL, and then generate embed code to use in your page or post.

Add the Shortcode to your Post or Page

To embed a Prezi in a player, simply create or edit a page and add the shortcode into the editor where you want the player to appear. The shortcode can be added in visual or text modes of the editor. You can use shortcode options to configure the player, setting the height and width for example, by modifying the shortcode you’ve added, as described below.

To create your specific shortcode, first, retrieve the URL of your Prezi by visiting your Prezi page and copying the URL from the top browser bar. Then, simply paste the URL between the quotation marks of the shortcode below and then add the entire shortcode to your page or post.

The basic shortcode is:

[prezi url="http://url.of.your.prezi/" ]

To create your shortcode, replace the URL between the quotation marks with the URL of your Prezi. Once you update your page or post, the Prezi player will appear and users can navigate using the tools provided with it.

Modifying the Player

You can add arguments to the code  in order to configure the player. You do this by adding options from the table below to your shortcode, and specifying their values. Allowed options are as follows:

Option: Value:
width integer in pixels
height integer in pixels
zoom_freely Y/N
use_html5 Y/N

Example of an Embedded Prezi

The Prezi below illustrates the process, specifying player dimensions and giving the audience the ability to zoom freely.

This Prezi was embeded using the following code:

[prezi url="" width="550" height="400" zoom_freely="Y" ]


standard.lib.cripto is available since version 1.0.
Import library : standard.lib.cripto
(you must include this at the top of your source: "import standard.lib.cripto" (no quotes)

Standard cryptographic library. Provides access to: MD5, SHA1, RSA and AES.

Decrypts using the AES algorithm
Encrypts using the AES algorithm
import standard
Calculate the md5 hash of a string
Decrypts using the RSA algorithm
Encrypts using the RSA algorithm
Generates a RSA key pair
Digitally signs data using RSA
Verifies digitally signed data using RSA
Calculate the sha1 hash of a string


Question 2

How and Why Do People Stop Offending?

by Lila Kazemian
City University of New York (USA)

The value and importance of studying desistance, particularly for post-onset intervention efforts, have been stressed abundantly in the literature. Predictors of desistance can be classified according to four main perspectives: biological, sociological, cognitive, and psychosocial.

Biological predictors of desistance
In addition to the direct effects of aging on desistance and biological changes that lead to reduced offending as individuals get older, recent studies have examined the role of genetic factors in the desistance process. Research found significant genetic influences on both marriage and desistance from crime. Their results showed that marriage remained a significant predictor of desistance even after controlling for genetic influences, but the effect was greatly attenuated.

Social predictors of desistance
A large body of research on desistance has drawn attention to the importance of social bonds in the process of desistance, particularly marriage and employment. Desistance from crime is said to be a gradual process resulting from an accumulation of social bonds. For instance, marriage and job stability are said to exert a more substantial impact on desistance if they occur jointly. In addition to the direct effect of increased social control, marriage and employment also promote desistance by altering the individual’s routine activities and by limiting access to criminal opportunities. Similarly, some authors have argued that marriage and employment promote desistance through increased interactions with the spouse and/or pro-social co-workers, and less time with potentially ‘deviant’ friends.

The famous analysis of juvenile delinquents in the 1950’s (the Glueck men) suggested that the military was an important turning point in the process of desistance, but analyses with more contemporary samples found otherwise. More research with contemporary samples of individuals having completed military service is needed.

Given the various legal restrictions imposed on individuals with a prior criminal record, social policies (as well as informal reactions within the family or community) that promote labelling and stigmatisation also pose important impediments to desistance efforts.

Cognitive predictors of desistance
In the literature, there has been a comprehensive discussion of cognitive factors involved in the desistance process in their theory of cognitive transformation, which is defined as cognitive shifts that promote the process of desistance. Four processes of cognitive transformations are described. First, the offender must be open to change. Second, through a process of self-selection, the individual exposes him/herself to pro-social experiences that will further promote desistance (e.g., employment, etc.). Third, the individual adheres to a new pro-social and noncriminal identity. Finally, there is a shift in the perception of the criminal lifestyle, i.e. the negative consequences of offending become obvious.

Several authors have highlighted the importance of identity transformation in the process of desistance arguing that to desist from crime, ex-offenders need to develop a cogent, credible and positive identity for themselves, and to somehow separate their past self from their current self.

Other cognitive factors identified in the desistance literature include techniques of neutralization and attribution of blame, optimism about the likelihood of desistance, as well as resolve and determination. While substance use is a behavioral indicator, it does exert an impact on cognitive processes and has been found to be an important barrier to successful desistance.

Psychosocial predictors of desistance
One of the most interesting dimensions of the desistance process refers to the way individual predispositions and life events converge to promote this process. Many researchers agree that desistance is likely to occur as a result of the combined influence of social and cognitive factors. Other findings suggested that subjective states exert direct and indirect effects on recidivism through their impact upon social circumstances. Individuals with a positive mindset and supportive social networks are better equipped to face problems, resist temptations and avoid setbacks, provided that the obstacles are not excessive. Desistance is thus regarded as being influenced by a system of interactions between various internal and external factors.

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Ohio’s Canal Country Wineries

Ohio's Canal Country Wineries book

In the early 18th century, pioneers cleared land in Ohio’s Western Reserve and found it suitable for farming, but until the Ohio-Erie Canal opened, it was difficult for farmers to share the fruit of their labor. Ohio’s Canal Country Wineries captures the spirit of those who lived off the land from Cleveland to New Philadelphia and to the Muskingum River–the path the Canal took when it was built in 1832. As the area opened up, wineries along the Ohio River and the shores and islands of Lake Erie produced so much wine that Ohio became known as “Vinland.” Now, the rich and fertile farmland along the Canal has been cultivated with vineyards, and the region is home to close to 50 wineries.

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    Bottlenose Dolphin: Fishing with Humans || Trailer

    DVD Available at: Across centuries and continents there have been stories of dolphins and humans interacting, but none is as remarkable as the story of cooperation between the bottlenose dolphins and the fishermen of Laguna, Brazil. Using echolocation the dolphins drive shoals of fish into the nets. The fishermen get much better hauls and the dolphins get a meal of escaping fish. It’s a technique that has been passed down through the generations. About 20 dolphins currently fish with the humans, in a fishing partnership that dates back nearly 200 years.