Today’s word of the day was nemesis.  Just a little snippet of real life.

Nemesis, noun.  A source of harm or ruin.

“And now, my fuzzy nemesis, your time has come!”

Jasper looked up at the human looming over him.  She was going away again, he could tell.  He stretched slightly and snuggled deeper into her lap, starting to purr.  She sighed and stroked his head.

“Really, Jasper, I need to go to bed.  You’re going to have to get up.”

He lifted his chin and she obediently started to stroke his throat.  She was so easy to manipulate it was ridiculous.  On a good evening he could hold her in place for half an hour or more past the time she first started trying to leave.

“I mean it,” she said.  “I’m going to bed.”

She stroked his head and sides for a few more minutes and then sighed.

Gently she started to insinuate her hands under his body.  Rebelliously, he went as limp as possible, almost sinking into her legs as she struggled to remove him.  Eventually, though, she managed to get enough of a grip to lift him, and then he knew it was over.

He shook himself slightly and stalked a few paces away before sitting down and looking reproachfully back at her.

She laughed and stroked his head again.

“Sorry, darling, but you should be used to this by now.”

A female of the species, going about her business.  All is fine, until suddenly, attack!  An ugly, insectoid creature leaps upon her.  It injects its eggs into her body, where the developing larvae happily eat the internal tissues and then burst out through the abdomen.

Sound familiar?

You think I’m describing the plot of a film, don’t you?

This is real.

The wasp Dinocampus coccinellae injects its eggs into the body of a ladybird, which plays unwilling host to them.  After bursting out of its hiding place, the larva builds a cocoon under the ladybird, which remains in place to protect it while it develops.  When exposed to lacewings, unprotected cocoons were devoured utterly, but so were 85% of cocoons protected by dead ladybirds.

Because this isn’t just a space-alien horror film.  This is a zombie space-alien horror film.

The ladybird usually remains alive – in fact around 25% of affected ladybirds survive the ordeal and completely recover – but is partially paralysed.  Venom released by the larva causes it to twitch and grasp, warding off predators.  In this state, only a third of cocoons get eaten by lacewings.

What’s your favourite nature-zombie story?

There was an article on the BBC today about serious computer games.

No longer the preserve of teenage boys sitting in darkened rooms, games have been designed to give people insight into the middle east conflict (you can play either side), how to cope with dwindling oil reserves, sex education and what constitutes undue pressure, and many others.  The theory is that if you make it fun people will be more engaged with it and will learn better.

As an aside, it works with fiction (both books and TV), too.  I’ve learnt more history from fiction than I ever did at school, and I’m sure I can’t be the only one.  I was particularly entertained when I discovered that the writers of Stargate SG-1 had chosen to name their alien mineral naqada after a period in Egypt’s pre-dynastic history famous for its pots.

Staying with Stargate – Universe this time – the serious computer game concept was used to farm out processing power to people without security clearance.  That’s how they recruited Eli in the first episode.  He solved the puzzle in the game and then discovered high-ranking members of the Air Force on his doorstep to congratulate him.

And I won’t even mention The Last Starfighter.

But back to saving the world.

Does it work?  Could playing games solve the middle east crisis?  It’s hard to tell.  You can measure how many people play the games, but how would you measure the effect it was having on the real world?

What do you think?

I received a letter today. This is not entirely unusual, but it happens infrequently enough that I was mildly excited interested.

The blood donation service have, or rather had, a wonderful system whereby they would bring a van to your workplace, and you could duck out of work for a hour to visit the vampires. This had a couple of good effects. Firstly, you got out of work for an hour. Secondly (and more importantly) you could help save people’s lives without having to find time in a busy after-work schedule.

This service is being withdrawn. Apparently it is not “cost effective”. This I knew, since I was told the last time I made use of it.

What price a person’s life?

But back to the letter. When I last gave blood I was told that they were decommissioning the bloodmobiles, and that I would be written to later in the year to tell me of the alternatives. Hooray, I thought, here is the promised information!

This was a letter whose only purpose, it seems, was to tell me that I would receive a letter later in the year. Really? A letter to tell me I would be getting a letter?

Perhaps if they spent less on letters they would be able to afford to keep running the bloodmobiles.

Deep philosophical thoughts sometimes creep up on you from the strangest places. Like questions about the eating habits of zombies.

Miriam Joy Writes

My mind not only wanders: sometimes it leaves completely.

This is a fact (as well as something written on one of father person’s t-shirts). My mind is apt to wandering so completely that when I opened my school planner to write a reminder to the effect of read Pliny introduction, what I actually wrote was why do zombies want brains?

After staring at it for a few seconds trying to work out why it looked wrong, it occurred to me that that hadn’t been what I intended to write. Nor was I sure what I’d been thinking about to bring that to mind. Nevertheless, being ready to improvise and try and explain myself, I started to consider the question.

Why do zombies want brains?

I wasn’t really sure what I was asking myself. I mean, did I want to know why actual zombies wanted actual brains, assuming that they…

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Recently, I’ve been using the “word of the day” feature on my phone’s dictionary as a fiction prompt.  Today’s “word” was give-and-take, which I personally view as three words, but that’s beside the point.

Give-and-take, noun.  An exchange of views on some topic.

The sudden appearance of the German master had Jackson and Anders hastily straightening up from their half-crouches and brushing ineffectually at their trousers.

“And just what is going on here?”

His voice was soft like silk, with a hidden iron core.  Mr Sanderson never raised his voice to get the attention of the students – in or out of class.  There was no need; his very presence caused everyone to stand in silence.  Jackson gulped.

“Nothing, Sir.  Just a friendly debate, a little give-and-take.”

Mr Sanderson raked his eyes over the pair.  They fought the urge to fidget, both uncomfortably aware that their shirts were not perfectly tucked in, their ties slightly skewed.

“It seems to me,” he said, “that there was a little more take than there was give.  I note that Mr Anders has misplaced his lunch in the excitement, and that you have found it, Mr Jackson.  I will assume that you were merely returning it to him?”  Somehow he managed to make the statement sound like both a question and an order.  Frantically Jackson nodded, and held out the plastic box to the younger boy.

Anders glanced at Mr Sanderson before hesitantly taking it and clutching it to him.  Mr Sanderson gave him the slightest of nods, so small that he was almost sure he had imagined it.

“Mr Anders, I fear you must find other companionship for now; Mr Jackson and I are going to have a conversation about the quality of his latest essay.  Come,” he added sharply, looking at Jackson, and swept off towards his classroom.  Jackson’s shoulders slumped as soon as the teacher’s back was turned, and he made a rude gesture.

“I saw that.”

His eyes widened comically, and he scuttled down the corridor after his teacher.

Anders smiled, and went to eat his lunch.

A plane (an Airbus A320 to be precise, although I doubt it matters) coming in to land at Glasgow airport has seen a UFO.  Usually, when people talk about UFOs, they mean aliens, however in this case I’m using it in the literal sense.  It was an object, it was flying, and it was unidentified.

The UFO passed around 300 feet below the plane, seen by the pilots mere seconds before.  Visibility was good, nothing was showing on the radar, and the pilots were wide awake.  They described it as

blue and yellow or silver in colour with a small frontal area, but […] bigger than a balloon

They reported the near miss immediately, and the flight controller said he wasn’t talking to anyone else in the area, and there was nothing on his radar.  The radar at Prestwick (which is about 30 miles from Glasgow) reported an “unidentified track history” just over a nautical mile away 28 seconds earlier.  If it was the same object it was moving pretty fast.

Other aircraft, including small planes, helicopters, and weather balloons, would show up on radar.  The weather conditions were wrong for gliders and parascenders, and they shouldn’t have been in restricted airspace anyway.  So what was it?  Members of the committee investigating the near-miss were unable to decide.

Was it aliens?  Or a secret military experiment?

I have a different suggestion.  What is blue and yellow, can fly fast, and is bigger than a balloon?

I’ll give you a hint: it wasn’t a bird, or a plane.

And I may have been lying about it not being an alien.

Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth’s Last Days is unashamedly and firmly in the category of Christian Fiction.

The book begins with the sudden, unexplainable disappearance of hundreds of thousands of seemingly random people across the globe.  People disappear from their beds, from their cars (moving or otherwise), from planes flying at 40,000 feet.  They leave behind only their clothes.

Everyone has a theory.  Space aliens, technological problems, nuclear accident, sun spots.  As time goes by it becomes clear that the correct answer, though most refuse to accept it, is the Rapture.  God has come and taken his people away, and everyone else has been Left Behind.

Since all of the “proper” Christians have been taken, the characters are all atheist, agnostic, or “Sunday” Christians.  During the course of the book they move through various stages of their spiritual journey – some end up accepting God into their lives and some don’t.  I won’t tell you which are which.  I felt that the non-Christian portions of their personalities could have been developed a little more.

The book is, if you can read past the blatant attempts to convert people, an entertaining read.  The Antichrist makes an appearance and the stage is set for many disasters on the world stage.

However, it is very obvious that it was written as the first in a series, rather than the series coming later when the first book was successful.  The story ends quite abruptly, leaving me with a vague sense of disquiet and a lot of loose ends.

Despite the unfinished nature of the tale, I don’t feel any great rush to read the next one.

Two sentences have caught my eye recently.  Firstly, this:

Calculators from the approved list are only permitted in the exam room.

As it is said:  I do not think it means what you think it means.  I’m particularly impressed by the way that the emphasis makes the whole sentence just that little bit more wrong.

And secondly this:

This advice must be taken.

If it must be taken, is it advice?  Or is it an instruction?

Choosing the correct word or phrase to convey what you mean is an important part of writing – not just fiction, but in general.  The two examples were taken from documents that had been written by supposedly educated professionals, and checked several times.  I take two lessons from this.

1) Proofreading is important.

2) Even if you do proofread, you won’t catch every mistake.

I went to see the film adaptation of The Host, by Stephanie Meyer, at the weekend.

All in all, it was a remarkably accurate adaptation, considering what the film industry normally do to books.  I did spot a few places where the action was subtly different to the way it was described in the book, but the main plot items were all there, and all in the right order.  There were no characters missing, or extra characters, as sometimes happens.

For those who don’t know, the Earth has been invaded by body-snatching alien “Souls”, who have turned it into a paradise with no war, hunger, disease, or rude people.  The down side, of course, is that you lose control of your body, causing most people to just give up and fade away.  Melanie, one of a small group of human survivors, is captured and infested, but she resists, causing her alien companion no end of problems.  And, incidentally, being involved in a complex love-polygon in which the Soul and the Host are in love with different people.

It must be tricky to make a film adaptation of something where a large portion of the action occurs inside someone’s head, but they did very well.  The person in control of Melanie’s body always speaks out loud, with the passenger doing voice over, so you can tell who is speaking.  Their arguments are some of the best things about the film.

The characterisation worked well in both book and film, although in the film the relationship between some of the humans was not as clear as it could have been, and you don’t get to know some of the supporting characters as well.  There’s only so much you can do within a sensible film time-limit, I suppose.

I enjoyed the book more than the film; whether this is because of how the action translated to the screen or because I already knew what was going to happen when I watched the film I don’t know.  However, while I would happily read the book again (in a few years time), I’m not sure that I would bother watching the film again.

The Author

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Rules ⚾

Ottoneu Fantasy Baseball Rules

Table of Contents

Rosters – Overview
The Auction Draft
Rosters – In Season
Adding and Dropping Players

The intention of this league is to mimic the job of an actual general manager as closely as possible. Therefore, there must be 3 main goals of this constitution: 1) create an environment that somewhat mirrors that of actual baseball; 2) to create a competitive league in a given year; and 2) to create a competitive league in following years. It is crucial that those owners who find themselves in the bottom half of the league in a given season have a reason to return for the next year, or else the league will collapse. Therefore, there must be safeguards put in place to ensure competitive balance, while at the same time allowing league owners to keep much of their team in place year-to-year.

a. Each team should maintain at all times a roster of 22 major-league players that can fill out a starting lineup. The remaining 18 roster spots can be used for reserves, consisting of both major and minor leaguers.

b. If at any time during the season any team’s cap room is not greater than or equal to 40 minus the number of players on that team’s roster, you cannot field a team. In this circumstance, your team will be frozen until the issue is resolved. The owner will be forced to cut a player to resolve this issue, and will not be able to perform any other activities in the game, including editing and making auction bids. However, bids already placed will be processed as described in section V. below, and trades that have already been accepted will process as expected.

i. Functionally, this means that while you do not need 40 players on your roster at all times, you must have at least $1 available for every free roster spot on your team, not including extra roster spots due to a player being on the 60-day DL.

c. At no time should a team willingly go over roster and salary cap limits. If a team knowingly does this, they will face penalties at the discretion of their league’s commissioner.

d. Team rosters will be filled at an annual auction to be held some time near the start of the major-league season, as determined by the league’s participants.

e. A team’s starting lineup consists of one slot at each infield position (catcher, first base, second base, third base, and shortstop), five outfielder slot, one additional middle infielder (second base or shortstop) slot, one additional hitter from any position (utility slot), five starting pitcher slots, and five relief pitcher slots.

i. An offensive player is eligible to fill a position if he:

A. Played in 10 or more major-league games at that position in the current or preceding year.

B. Started 5 or more major-league games at that position in the current or preceding year.

C. Played in 20 or more minor-league games at that position in the current or preceding year.

ii. All pitchers will have both SP and RP eligibility. However they will only accrue statistics if you use them in the same manner as their MLB team, meaning SP spots must be taken by starters and RP spots must be taken relievers.

iii. Players can only accrue statistics for your team in official, regular season Major League Baseball games.

iv. Players are locked into a position spot 5 minutes before their game starts.

v. The ottoneu lineups page and roster organizer allows for 2 catchers for platooning purposes; ottoneu is not a 2-catcher game.

f. The player pool comprises of all players in all Major League and Minor League baseball organizations, as well as players who in the past have been under contract to play baseball in the Major or Minor Leagues.

a. All owners will complete their rosters at the annual player auction to be conducted at the discretion of the league members and commissioner.

b. Each owner receives $400 in auction money to fill his or her roster, including money spent on players retained from the previous season.

c. Players are nominated by owners, using the previous season’s reverse order of finish to determine the nomination order.

d. Each owner must conclude the auction capable of filling out a starting lineup.

e. Each owner can leave the auction at any time after fulfilling the requirement in line d. above. Once all 12 owners have left the auction, the auction is complete.

f. Each owner must nominate a player in turn.

g. You may not make any trades during the draft.  Trade discussion is acceptable, however no trades can be processed or acted upon from the time the first player goes on auction until teams involved in the trade both have full rosters as defined above.

a. League standings shall be determined by either category-based (rotisserie style) scoring or points-based scoring, depending on the particular league settings.

b. The categories used for scoring depend on the various game types.

a. Starters can be changed daily by each team owner.

b. There is a 162 game maximum for all positional player positions and a 1500 inning maximum limit for pitchers.

i. A ‘game’ for a positional player constitutes of any appearance in a major league game, whether it be a start or any form of late game substitution.

ii. The league site will not allow owners to start a player at a position where the maximums in games or innings pitched have been reached.

iii. There is a 1250 inning minimum threshold for pitchers in ottoneu classic (4×4) leagues. If a team does not meet this threshold, it will receive 0 points for all pitching categories.

iv. The innings maximum is a soft cap, meaning on the day a team goes over the 1500 IP limit, all the pitchers played that day will receive credit.

c. If a player is on the 60 day DL, an additional player can be added to the roster. However, the injured player still counts against the salary cap, and cap penalties will be enforced as normal for any transactions brought about by the player coming off the DL. There is no 15 day DL.

d. At all times during the season, a firm salary cap of $400 exists for all players.

a. All adds/drops are processed by the team owners. If necessary, the commissioner can be called upon to make these changes.

b. If you wish to add a player to your roster, you must start an auction for the player, and bidding will end 48 hours after the start of the auction. The player must be within the ottoneu player universe as defined by I.e. The player will be awarded to the owner who bids the most for the player, with any ties going to the team lower in the standings. If two teams are tied or the regular season has not begun yet, a coin flip will determine who is awarded the player. The team that nominated the player is obligated to bid on the player.

c. The player is awarded to the team who has made the highest bid, and his salary is $1 more than the second highest bid. If there are no other bids, the player is awarded for $1 or the player’s cap penalty if applicable. However, if two teams are tied for the highest bid, the player salary is that amount. If no one bids at all, the nominating team is awarded the player for $1 or the player’s cap penalty if applicable.

d. When a player is dropped, other team owners have 24 hours to claim him on waivers for 100% of his salary, with the team lowest in the standings getting priority. If the regular season has not begun yet, a coin flip will determine who is awarded the player

e. If a player passes through waivers, 50% of his salary, rounding up, counts against his previous team’s salary cap as a cap penalty, until he is claimed by another team or until the end of the current season. Any bids for him as a free agent must be at least 50% of his previous salary. The team that dropped the player may not bid on the player until a month (30 days) after the drop date.

f. Transactions can be requested from the day of the annual draft until the next-to-last day of the regular season. All auctions must be completed prior to midnight of the last day of games of the season.  For example, if the last game of the season is on a Sunday , all auctions must be started by midnight Eastern Time on Friday night.

g. If a team changes ownership, the new owner is given the opportunity to make one round of penalty-free cuts.

a. Trades shall be allowed during the season from the conclusion of the annual player auction until midnight, Eastern Time, on the night of August 31st. Trades will be allowed during the offseason from when arbitration voting is completed until the keeper deadline.

b. Uneven trades are allowed, although they will be handled as follows: If team A is acquiring 3 players while trading 1 to B, team A must stay below or at the 40-man limit or must also cut 2 additional players of their choosing in accordance with the rules in section V.

c. Salary cap dollars can be traded between teams (i.e. team A can agree to count one half of a traded player’s salary against their cap). However, these loans will not remain in place once the regular season ends.

d. After a trade is confirmed, league owners have 48 hours to veto the trade. If a majority (50% + 1 vote) of league owners object to the trade, it will not be finalized. This 48 hour clock begins automatically once both teams have accepted the trade on the ottoneu site.

a. Between the end of the Major League Baseball regular season and the end of arbitration, players may be cut. Between the end of arbitration and the keeper deadline, players may be cut or traded. After the keeper deadline and before the auction draft, teams may not cut or trade any players.

b. Owners shall be permitted to retain any of their players at a salary which is increased based on their previous year salary.  Rules for salary increases are as follows:

i. Players who have no major league service time (as defined by being placed on an active MLB roster at some point in the past 2 full seasons) will have their salary increase by $1.

ii. Players with major league service time will have their salary increase by $2.

c. Owners must always be able to field a 40 man roster for $400; therefore following the keeper deadline, a team salary must never exceed $360 + the number of players on the roster. However, there is no salary cap from the end of the MLB season until the keeper deadline.

d. In the interest of maintaining competitive balance, there are two distinct arbitration options.

i. Allocations

a. The allocation system gives a $25 budget to each team in the league. The team can allocate this budget towards players on other teams. Each team must allocate at least one dollar to every other team, and no team can allocate more than $3 to any other team. At the end of the allocation period, all players have their salary increased by the amount allocated towards them. Allocations take place after the initial offseason salary increase, so any allocations will be in addition to the $1 or $2 increase each player gets at the end of the season.

b. If a team does not allocate at least one dollar to every other team, none of their allocations will count and it will be as if they did not participate at all.

c. If a team does not allocate all $25, none of their allocations will count and it will be as if they did not participate at all.

ii. Vote Off

The vote-off system gives each team in the league the ability to vote on a player on each other team. Whichever player receives the most votes collectively is turned into a restricted free agent that can be bid on by other teams during the auction draft. The team they were voted off from will get an automatic $5 discount towards that player, so if they get the player back, they will get the player for $5 under what they bid. Players who have been voted into restricted free agency cannot be traded.

e. The auction process in each later year is the same as in year 1.

f. Teams may not trade salary cap dollars between seasons.

a. The administration fee for each team starts at $9.99

i. $9.99 is the basic tier, without any prizes

ii. $49.99 is the first tier with prizes, with first place winning $300, second place winning $100, and third place winning $50.

iii. $99.99 is the second tier with prizes, with first place winning $650, second place winning $200, and third place winning $100.

iv. Please read Terms for ottoneu Fantasy Baseball prize leagues for more information.

v. You must own the team on the day payouts are made (generally just before arbitration starts) to be eligible for prizes.

b. Refunds will only be given in the case that a league is canceled or not filled before the Major League Baseball season starts. Teams that have paid for the upcoming season in this case will be refunded.

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You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Celestial Observations’ category.

This weekend (tonight into early Saturday and Saturday into Sunday, August 11-12 and August 12-13) will be the peak nights of the 2017 Perseid meteor shower.

The Perseids get their name because they appear to come from the constellation Perseus. Perseus is a mythological Greek hero. He beheaded the Gorgon Medusa and saved Andromeda from a sea monster Cetus. Perseus was the son of the mortal Danaë and the god Zeus. In the night sky, constellations named after other ancient Greek legends surround Perseus, including Andromeda to the west and Cassiopeia to the north.

In 1866, after the perihelion passage of the Swift-Tuttle comet in 1862, the Italian astronomer Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli discovered the link between meteor showers and comets. A meteor shower is the result of an interaction between a planet, such as Earth, and streams of debris from a comet.

In John Denver’s song “Rocky Mountain High”, he alludes to watching the Perseid meteor shower in the mountains near Aspen, Colorado – “I’ve seen it raining fire in the sky.”

A much stranger reference is the Catholic religion’s reference to the Perseids as the “tears of Saint Lawrence.” The belief was that his tears returned to Earth once a year on August 10 which is the canonical date of that saint’s martyrdom in 258 AD. Saint Lawrence was said to have been burned alive on a gridiron. From that came the origin of the Mediterranean folk legend that the shooting stars are the sparks of that fire. Furthermore, it was believed that during the night of August 9–10, the cooled embers of that fire appear in the ground under plants, and are known as the “coal of Saint Lawrence.” I checked around my garden Wednesday night. No coals.

This weekend you can watch from late evening until dawn. The meteor showers have been “falling” for several weeks, but this weekend should be the peak. The greatest number of meteors typically fall in the hours before dawn. In a remote location and on a “moonless” night, you might see 50+ meteors per hour. For 2017, there will be a bright waning gibbous moon after midnight. And I will be in Northern New jersey, not far from New York City, which will make viewing more difficult. But I still should be able to see those bright enough to overcome the city and moonlit glare.  This year they may be a “Perseid outburst” with 200 meteors per hour at the peak.

The August Full Moon arrives in my neighborhood tomorrow, August 7 at 2:11 pm.

Names for the monthly Full Moons are very much culturally and geographically based. The August Full Moon is sometimes called the Corn Moon, but that name is used by others for the July Full Moon. It depends on your growing season. Similarly, I have heard it called the Barley Moon, which is also based on where you are located.

Some other names for the August Full Moon are: Worm Moon, Lenten Moon, Crow Moon, Sugar Moon, Chaste Moon, Sap Moon. It is the Celtic Singing Moon.

I see the August Full Moon called the Harvest Moon in some places. That is another name that varies in the month that it occurs. You might be harvesting in your locale, but the Harvest Moon is traditionally the full moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. Most years, that is in September though it can be in October. This year the equinox is on September 22, so the October 5th full moon is closer than the one on September 6.

The month of August meant that sturgeons were plentiful in the waters of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, so the Algonquin who fished there called it the Sturgeon Moon. Originally, they used hooks made of small animal bones or the wishbones of birds.

The Assiniboine of the Northern Plains called this the Black Cherries Moon, while the Ponca were more concerned with it being the Corn In the Silk Moon and the Shawnee, “plum moon.” But August also meant that plants and animals were transitioning in preparation for colder weather. The Cherokee called this the Drying Up Moon, which certainly would be the situation in the Southwest.  The Cherokee have called it Dulisdi, Nut Moon, and the Dakotah Sioux refer to it as the Moon When The Calves Grow Hair.

I found that the Passamaquoddy people called this the Feather Shedding Moon which resonated with me because I have been seeing feathers on the ground on my walks lately.

The Passamaquoddy (Peskotomuhkati or Pestomuhkati in the Passamaquoddy language) are an American First Nations people who live in northeastern North America, primarily in Maine and New Brunswick, Canada.

Most birds molt once per year, but some lose their feathers slowly during the year.  A few, like the American Goldfinch, have two molts a year. I don’t know which species the Passamaquody were observing up North.  I suspect it may have been  ducks, geese and other waterfowl, some of whom lose most or all of their flight feathers all at once. This leaves them flightless for a short while, until new feathers grow in. Even a couple of flight feathers lost will inhibit their ability to remain airborne.

It seems counterproductive to lose all of them at once but it makes more sense for them to get the process done in one fell swoop rather than be inhibited throughout the year. I have read that many waterfowl molt after their nesting season.

Summer is half full, but I am seeing all the signs of it being half empty. There are Back-to-School ads already. A few nights have been autumn cool. Some leaves have fallen in the backyard. There are end of summer sales at the Jersey shore.

I say shed a few feathers, but don’t go flightless yet.

mars simulation

Exiting the capsule. Photo: Rae Ellen Bichell/NPR

We have thought about Mars for a long time. Ancient people knew of it, probably first as a bright star and later as a planet. We saw it closer with telescopes, and we imagined Martians lived there. All the 1950s sci-fi books and movies that had aliens from our solar system had them coming from Mars.

Those Martians invading Earth have given way to humans invading Mars.

Is Mars as the next frontier for human exploration? It seems that way. In March, President Trump signed a bill reiterating NASA’s plan to send people to orbit Mars in the 2030s, with a goal of studying the possibility of “living off the land” there.

Movies like The Martian and Interstellar piqué our interest in living off-Earth – and make it seem more possible than it is right now.

As the U.S. in preparation for the Moon landing, we do simulated Mars exercises in the desert. The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), owned and operated by the Mars Society, is such a facility located in Utah. The site’s empty red hills and canyons have been a Mars testing ground for 16 years.

NPR did a story about Crew 177, a team of students and teachers from a Texas community college who had applied to spend a week in a two-story metal cylinder at the MDRS near Hanksville in southern Utah.

The Mars Society

The Mars Society is a nonprofit funded by grants, private donations and membership fees.

They once got donations from the [Elon] Musk Foundation, but he has his own plan to colonize Mars now.

The Society started using the Utah site in 2001. They are not affiliated with NASA who has its own simulation site in Hawaii. NASA runs simulated missions that last as long as a year.

Is this all about Mars exploration for scientific or economic gains? Or both? Or is Mars our Plan B?

Science fiction explored the Plan B idea a long time ago with Mars or other planets being a place to go if – or more likely, when – Earth is no longer habitable.

Joel Achenbach wrote in the Washington Post in 2016 that Mars is not a Plan B, but there are still some serious projects to get there for a variety of reasons.

And don’t we want to get out there before the aliens make their arrival here?

When the mothership lands, know who your friends are.

collecting specimens

An “extravehicular activity,” collecting rock specimens. Photo: Rae Ellen Bichell/NPR

It is now a month until the total solar eclipse of 2017 (on August 21) when the Moon will completely block the sun. This rare event will be visible across the United States, though there is an actual line it will travel across the U.S.

Have you already seen a total solar eclipse? Probably not. Though some have occurred in the past 100 years, if you lived in the U.S. they were either not visible or only in a few locations. The last one was in 1991.  There are many kinds of eclipses – total , partial, annular etc.  I have written here about other solar and lunar eclipses. To witness a total solar eclipse means to see your piece of the world in darkness during daytime and feel the temperature dramatically drop.

The media is calling this the Great American Total Solar Eclipse (which sounds like a ride at an amusement park) but it will darken skies all the way from Oregon to South Carolina. The path of totality is about 70 miles (113 kilometers) wide. Don’t plan on driving along the path to follow the eclipse. It will move at about 1500 mph.

You may have seen stories in the media about the event and about towns that are planning celebrations  –  and booking accommodations, selling t-shirts, eye protection etc.  If you are in the path of totality, then you will need eye protection, and any viewers should use protection.

Totality always occurs in a narrow path across the surface of the Earth for that portion of the planet in daylight.

In my neighborhood, there will not be totality but it will be 73% blocked. It will begin at 1:22 pm, peak at 2:44 pm and end at 4 pm.

Imagine the fear and confusion any eclipse must have created to the ancients. A total solar eclipse would be the most frightening of all eclipse.

John Fiske wrote back in 1872 in his book Myth and Myth-Makers that:

…the myth of Hercules and Cacus, the fundamental idea is the victory of the solar god over the robber who steals the light. Now whether the robber carries off the light in the evening when Indra has gone to sleep, or boldly rears his black form against the sky during the daytime, causing darkness to spread over the earth, would make little difference to the framers of the myth. To a chicken a solar eclipse is the same thing as nightfall, and he goes to roost accordingly. Why, then, should the primitive thinker have made a distinction between the darkening of the sky caused by black clouds and that caused by the rotation of the earth? He had no more conception of the scientific explanation of these phenomena than the chicken has of the scientific explanation of an eclipse. For him it was enough to know that the solar radiance was stolen, in the one case as in the other, and to suspect that the same demon was to blame for both robberies…

I will look for the Full Moon low in the eastern sky around sunset tonight, July 8. It will be highest around midnight. In my neighborhood it technically was “full” at 12:07 am EDT, but most of us only count it as full when we see it at night no matter what time the scientists tell us.

July is typically the stormiest month of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. The hot weather makes thunderstorms fairly common, so the Thunder Moon is a good name for most of us this month.

Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending on the distance and nature of the lightning, thunder can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble. As we learned in science class, the sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within a bolt of lightning which creates a sonic shock wave, similar to a sonic boom.

The name of the Germanic god Thor comes from the Old Norse word for thunder. Thor is the most well-known of the many thunder gods in world mythologies.

Thor is also the origin of the weekday name Thursday. During the Roman Empire period, the Germanic peoples adopted the Roman weekly calendar, and replaced the names of Roman gods with their own. Latin dies Iovis (‘day of Jupiter’) was converted into Proto-Germanic Þonares dagaz (“Thor’s day”), from which stems modern English “Thursday.”

The July moon that is also called the Buck Moon or Deer Moon because deer begin to show antlers which are in their “velvet” stage. That is a name that both American Indians and colonists might have used. Some farmers refer to it as the Hay Moon as they take in their first cutting of hay.

Some Indian tribes, based on location, treated this as an early harvest moon. The Choctaw called it the Little Harvest Moon. While the Cherokee of the Southwest called this the Ripe Corn Moon, the Potawatomi (people of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River and Western Great Lakes region) called this the Moon of the Young Corn.

The European Mead Moon name didn’t hold over in the colonies although this would be a time when increased honey harvest would lead to mead making.

Venus, is the queen of planets that rules the early morning hours in July. Our closest neighboring planet glows brightly because it is close, and because its atmosphere is composed of thick clouds of carbon dioxide that reflect sunlight back into space.

If you look to the eastern horizon two or three hours before dawn, you should see it easily. On July 20 in the early morning, you can also watch the waning crescent moon pass by Venus.

Photo: Mayak Satellite

If you want to spot something manmade up there (and with all the talk about Russia in the news), you can see the Russian satellite Mayak which will be almost as bright as the moon on the 14th. Why so bright? It will unfurl its reflective solar sails after its launch on July 14th.

Mayak (meaning “lighthouse”) goes up in a Soyuz-2.1a rocket and once in orbit, the pyramidal solar reflectors open and it becomes one of the brightest objects in the night sky.

Some sky gazers are not thrilled with that because this crowdfunded project (designed by students from Moscow Polytechnic) will not help the dark skies that astronomers cherish. The New Moon on July 23 is the kind of dark night sky that telescope gazers see as a perfect opportunity.

You can look for the Delta Aquarids meteors to light up the early morning skies on July 27 and 28. They are the pre-show for the better known Perseid meteor shower in early August. To catch the shower at its best, look up on the morning of the 27 or 28 between 2-3 a.m.

The meteors get their name because they seem to originate near the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer in the southern sky. We say “appear” because the shower is debris from Comet 96P Machholz, a short-period sun-grazing comet that swings our way every five years.

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All around I fear that Jonathan's (and most modern) satire is lost in a world that is itself a satire. The corporation side. All fall down The chenille is blooming its odd flowers again. It's August in NJ.

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My friend,

As you have noticed, most of my posts were gone.  Those were not deleted but rather “privatized” to give some needed “reconstructions”.  Why is it?  Let’s just say I am currently starting life anew.  But those entries that I continuousy receive feedback were kept to retain the objective I have in putting this up.  That is to help others.

So, let’s grab a cup of coffee and I tell you everything. But not here, of course.  It’s too public. Hehe!


Seven Habits Of Memorable People

Being forgettable is the kiss of death for your career. Here’s what memorable people do to stay top of mind.

Seven Habits Of Memorable People

Improving your memory is a hot topic, but what if you want to influence someone else’s memory–especially when it comes to how (or if) they will remember you? It’s an important thing to consider since being forgettable can be toxic when it comes to success, says cognitive scientist Carmen Simon, author of Impossible to Ignore: Creating Memorable Content to Influence Decisions.

“[People] will likely forget up to 90% of what you communicate, and that means your brand, your message, your call to action, everything you want your listeners to act on, will be disregarded,” she says. “To be on people’s minds, you must become part of their reflexes, habits and/or goals they consider valuable.”

That means being more purposeful about the things you do and say. Here are seven habits memorable people adopt to stay top of mind:

1. They Use The Power Of Surprise.

Natural selection favors those who can accurately predict the future, and our brains have evolved to believe that surprise is bad, says Simon. “There’s a great mental paradox when the surprise isn’t bad,” she says. “Incorporating an unexpected narrative or surprise in your message will generate a fight-or-flight response, but an enjoyable one.”

Since the brain likes to move toward patterns, doing something unexpected will be a departure from the norm, making you more memorable, says Simon. For example, instead of an email, send a hand-written thank you note, a gesture that is becoming more and more rare. Or break one of your industry “rules” by dressing differently than everyone else.

2. They Appeal To Primal Values.

Humans generally react first to outside stimuli through the limbic system of the brain, which incudes things like danger, security, or pleasure. And regardless of your opinion of him, Donald Trump is a good example of how this tactic can make you memorable, says Scott Sobel, senior strategy and communications executive for KGlobal.

“When Trump labels somebody as lazy, lying, little or otherwise, or speaks about building walls to protect us, our primal brain recognizes the underlying primal meaning, and synthesizes those statements through our cognitive brain and creates an image and memory,” he says. “It is really hard for us to get rid of those initial memories. Trump is a master a leaving us with memorable images that tap into our primal needs.”

This brain connection can be used in a positive way when approaching another person, says Sobel. “Ask yourself, ‘What can I provide them to help protect them, make them more successful or safe, even feel better about themselves because they know you and what you can give them?’’

3. They Like To Help Others.

People who are genuine in helping others succeed are memorable, says Joseph Weintraub, founder and director of the Babson Coaching for Leadership and Teamwork Program at Babson College. “Those who actually run interference for others and open doors so that people can actually do the job they were hired to do are remembered fondly even years later,” he says.

This can also include sharing information, Weintraub adds. “Going out of your way to share information with others without being asked is one of the best ways to be memorable since so few actually do this,” he says. “It is a principle that has been around a long time: if you want people to share with you, share with them.”

4. They’re Willing To Be Contrarian.

Agreeing with everything and everyone becomes white noise, says Dan Weedin, author of Unleashed Leadership: Maximizing Talent & Performance by Opening the Gates of Opportunity. People who are memorable are willing to voice their opinion, even if it goes against the crowd. “Even if one agrees with the concept, they must find a different way of framing it to create interest,” he says.

5. They’re Doers.

One of the best ways to be remembered is to perform at levels that consistently go beyond the “tried and true,” says Weintraub. “There is a big difference between talking and doing,” he says. “Those who consistently exceed expectations and are always looking for ways to perform at higher levels, and then perform at those levels, both individually and organizationally, are remembered and valued by those around them.”

6. They’re Great Storytellers.

Memorable people are often good at telling stories, says Weedin. “Stories stick,” he says. “You’ll find these in both your professional and personal life, and those people that can match a story with a message are even more notable.”

Simon agrees, and says that adding visuals to stories helps you be memorable. “Processing visuals is more efficient than processing text,” she says. “Use language to create a mental picture. Your subject will remember those words as accurately as if they were shown pictures.”

7. They Have A Broad And Colorful Vocabulary.

“In an age where perspicacity around vocabulary seems to be on the decline, those with a strong one stand out,” says Weedin. “It should never be meant to be snobbish, rather a component of creating a better understanding with the right words,” he says.

Memorable people also engage in “verbal pyrotechnics,” adds Matt Stewart, vice president of the PR firm Antenna Group. “Incorporate analogies, dynamic turns of phrase, keeping it colorful,” he says. “This approach also stamps out jargony group speak and beige generalities that quickly fade.”

Related Video: Take These Two Steps Toward Forming Better Habits


Why Can't I Feel Present?

There’s always been this feeling within me telling me that what I have is never quite enough; and that I will never be able to fully settle down anywhere. This feeling, however, isn’t a positive one, nor is it something that I feel is guiding or aiding me down my path.

As a child, I lived in the same home for almost the entirety of my life; rooted in the same safe space. After leaving that home and moving out to attend post-secondary school, I then ended up moving around and living in five apartments throughout the duration of the following seven years. Looking back now, I can see that that was the start of this nagging tug between the present and the future. It gave birth to this fear that told me never to settle down fully because I wouldn’t be there for too long. It stirred up this uneasy feeling within me, and this unquenchable thirst for some sort of balance. Some souls are meant to roam freely, to wander forever with an insatiable hunger for adventure and the unknown, falling asleep in various timezones throughout the entirety of their lives.

But for my own heart--and I can feel this now more than ever--I crave a permanent sacred space. A space where I can finally sigh off the unsteady and tiring burden that my shoulders have been carrying for the past eight years. I know that the key to my dilemma does not lie in an actual physical space, perhaps having my own home and space will aid in balancing out the chaos that bounces around in my very human brain; but there’s so much more that I can feel I should be able to do now, today, this moment, to calm the intangible chaos that I so often feel buzzing around in my heart.

Processed with VSCO with f2 preset
Processed with VSCO with f2 preset

Today, as the snow began to fall outside, and I watched the oversized flakes fall to the ground so peacefully, the juxtapositions that I’m feeling so heavily in my heart began to rise to the surface. They bubbled up as clear as the light of the full moon. They illuminated the worries that ring so true. As they arose one by one, I felt sad, overjoyed, thankful, more sadness, embarrassment, and hope. These fragments of my heart are the building blocks for whatever my soul is ready to create; they are the pieces of me that need to be broken down before I can build anything up again. They are the very real and transparent truths that are keeping me and my heart so unbelievably stuck.

I am wedged between:

Overflowing in all of the richness of this life and somehow still feeling like it’s not enough.

Focusing on each day as it comes, but also rushing to get to the “next thing”.

Wanting to squeeze every moment out of life, yet fearing that it’s all just slipping away.

Trying to stay rooted in the present and being tugged continually to look ahead.

Being so proud of the life I’ve created and yet feeling as though my lifestyle is a burden to those around me.

Standing firmly within my own grasp on life, yet wondering what my purpose is anyway.

Feeling so grounded within myself and feeling so unbelievably lost.

I know that there is nothing physically that will begin to pry me out of these emotional and mental traps, nor lead me down the right side of this precipice.

There is still so much for me to learn, so many new internal practices to be shown and guided to. The only peace resides in turning inward, So like the trees shed and die in the winter, And the snow falls calmly to the frozen ground, These honest truths are my own inward calling, And like the trees accepting the changing of the seasons, I too shall adopt and practice patience, My forever-present teacher.


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Expanding views with 3D microscopes

When scientists from the Belgian Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) met technology transfer professionals, they could not foresee how only a couple of years later they would be heading a firm developing and selling a full range of microscopes based on digital holography. The basic technology was developed at the university, the applications by the spin-off company Ovizio.

Studying liquids and making real-time images of cells in a flow, with a broader scope. These are just some of the advantages of 3D digital holographic microscopes, where the light source is a laser beam. These microscopes provide images that cannot be seen through a traditional lens. Instead, they are translated to the computer screen and can be transformed in quantitative actionable data. These holograms provide much more information than ordinary microscopes do. They can be used to count cells and determine cell viability in life science applications.
For whole article please register, is free.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Programme for
research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 305128


Free mp3

Free mp3

Yung Mars
Biography: Eclectic styles, melodic tones, and poetic lyrics. Yung Mars was born and raised in San Francisco. A freestyle fanatic he started rapping at age 15 and never stopped. Blending live instrumentation with hard-hitting socially conscious rhymes, his unique style represents the diverse nature of the bay.

Album Info: Yung Mars
A freshman project, the Yung Mars album took almost a year to create. Yung Mars and Mark Pistel, the head engineer at Room 5 Studio, produced it. (There he has recorded such artists as Michael Franti & Spearhead, Chuck Prophet, Meat Beat Manifesto, MC RAI&)

This disk is musically hard to classify. There are Latin rhythms and melodies, classic rock and funk guitar lines, both live & programmed drum tracks, three basses, two saxophones, one fender rhodes, a female vocalist, and a vibraphone. It has hints of dub reggae, is infused with world beats, and is marinated in mars’ unique melodic flows. With catchy hooks, raps that have meaning and message, and knocking beats, this is a mixed genre alternative hip-hop disk that is highly marketable. a record for the masses.

Featuring local heroes Azeem and DJ Teeko
Mastered by ken lee.


While our campers focus on primary sports, they also benefit from the knowledge, experience, training and mentorship of professionals and athletes in other areas of health and fitness. These supporting activities help enhance young athletes’ training and help create a well-balanced athlete prepared for any challenge.

Most of our coaches were two- or three-sport prep athletes in addition to their specialty sport. If encouragement, inspiration or instruction is needed, sign up for a camp or clinic today. If mentorship in a sport area is needed, email info@nubability.org with “Mentorship” in the subject line.


Basic Metabolic Panel

$50.00 $25.00

Sodium and Potassium are important for nerve and muscle function. Bicarbonate and Chloride levels are related to the body's acid-base balance and abnormalities can cause weakness or fatigue. The BUN and Creatinine tests assess your kidney function. Elevated levels may suggest dehydration or a kidney problem. The Glucose test screens for diabetes by measuring your blood sugar level.


Socially Sharing & Promoting Dental Health News!

CDC Report Children's Untreated Tooth Decay

Untreated Tooth Decay In Kids Said to Be Declining TAGS: | | | | | | | | | According to a report released last Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, cavities in preschoolers appear to be declining and fewer young children have untreated dental …Continue reading →

National Children's Dental Health Month Monster Mouth Tips!

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month TAGS: | | | | | | | | | | Every February, the American Dental Association (ADA) sponsors National Children’s Dental Health Month. The aim of Children’s Dental Health Month is to raise awareness about the importance of oral health …Continue reading →

Back to School Dental Health Checklist

Back To School Smiles TAGS: | | | | | | | Back to school season is on top of us already, can you believe it? It seems like just five or six weeks ago we were talking about how summer is …Continue reading →

6 Foods That Are Good For Us But Bad For Our Teeth

6 Foods That Are (Mostly) Good For Us But Can Be Bad For Our Teeth TAGS: | | | | | | We all know the obvious offenders that are all too inviting to the cavity creeps; sweets, sodas, & energy drinks…among others. But did you know some foods that are considered …Continue reading →

Red Wine Is Good For Our Teeth?

Is Red Wine Good For Our Teeth Too? TAGS: | | | | | | According to this article by the American Chemical Society, a new study has found that red wine, as well as grape seed extract, could potentially help prevent cavities. Surely any …Continue reading →

Sip Sugary Drinks Through A Straw For Healthier Teeth

Will Drinking From A Straw Protect Your Teeth? TAGS: | | | | In a word, YES! Sipping drinks through a straw can certainly provide an additional layer of protection for our teeth and gums. Especially when we take to sloshing down some …Continue reading →


A weed is a plant that interferes with human activities, including forage production. Weeds interfere with forage production in a number of ways: they reduce yield, they lower quality, and some are poisonous to livestock. There are five general categories of weed control methods: preventative, mechanical, chemical, biological, and cultural weed control. Integrated Pest Management is an approach to weed control that utilizes various combinations of the five weed control methods to reduce weed levels to an acceptable level.

For intelligent and efficient weed control, to have some knowledge of weed life cycles is useful. For example, annual weeds in an annual crop may be best controlled by tillage, whereas controlling perennial weeds in a perennial forage crop may require the use of selective herbicides. In making the decision of which weed control methods to employ, the forage producer must balance the cost of treatment with the expected increase in profit.

Despite careful measures to avoid weed invasion, weeds will still find their way into pastures, crop fields, and rangeland. Any type of serious soil disturbance will often provide an opportunity for weed invasion. This typically includes recently plowed fields, watering areas in pastures, livestock trails, or overgrazed areas. Treatment for weed problems may involve the use of preplant herbicides, periodic cultivation, selective postemergence herbicides, crop rotation, or pasture renovation.

There are numerous sources of information on weed control available in printed and electronic form. For information specific to a given locality, the county extension agent and state agricultural college (land grant college) can provide extension bulletins specific to various forage crops, pasture, and rangeland.


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Dollar weakness helps sterling recover after ‘flash slip’

Renewed pressure on the dollar helped the pound to pick up on Friday morning, with sterling recovering most of the losses sustained in a sudden sharp fall yesterday evening.

The pound was the biggest victim as the dollar jumped against a range of currencies at around 6pm BST on Thursday, dropping as much as 0.8 per cent in the space of a few minutes.

However, broad dollar weakness (the dollar index that tracks the buck against a basket of peers is down 0.2 per cent) meant the pound had recovered most of the losses by publication time.

It was 0.36 per cent stronger for the day, at $1.2985. That is still weaker than the highs hit after strong retail sales data yesterday, but stronger than the level it started at on Thursday.

The rising importance of algorithmic trading in financial markets has made “flash events”, when there is a sudden and inexplicable rally or fall that is often quickly reversed, increasingly common.

In October the pound dropped as much as 9 per cent in less than a minute during a period of particularly poor liquidity in early morning trading in Asia.

Kit Juckes at Société Générale, who described yesterday’s fall as a “flash slip”, said “I have no idea why this happened but it continues to throw out warnings about what is happening to market liquidity in general outside peak trading hours”.


Namani goes 3D

Anyway, first I made the model of Namani with a really good modeller called Blender 2.6. This took about a week. Then I started animating it in Blender. The first animation I made was a simple rotating view of the boat (2 seconds long), and then I started making more and more complicated animations until I made the tacking animation (15 seconds, see below). Then me and my dad mixed a bunch of the animations together (solid, wireframe, etc.) and added stuff like the credits and the music. That’s about it.


Is a stepchild still a stepchild after divorce

Divorces finish is a stepchild still a stepchild after divorce people

Contents typically include: Case recordsdata might include the plaintiff's grievance and defendant's response; certificates of proof (testimony); and the judge's closing decree, with the terms of settlement. You should not depend on this data to make (or refrain from making) any choices. 30am with the youngsters and maintain them in every manner until I've to go to work (late) at 10am. Look at all is a stepchild still a stepchild after divorce modern-day conveniences meant to save us time so we might be happier and luxuriate in life more. minors for Adoption and Baby Custody,majors for Marriage, Divorce, В AlimonyUpkeepso on. - Nerissa T. By selecting a agency that practices Family regulation in Spotsylvania, VA you'll be able to attain your authorized and life goals. In case you are making a joint utility you do not need to go to is a stepchild still a stepchild after divorce. Submitting for a divorce doesn't have to be a tedious and costly process. Most divorces in Vermont are granted on the grounds that the parties have lived separate and aside for six consecutive months and are usually not prone to get again collectively. Attorneys Naveed S. By the exact same token, is a stepchild still a stepchild after divorce can make sure that the kid receives the identical rights and privileges as other kids. You cannot abdicate accountability for marital battle-even for those who don't think you're the one with the problem. Roller coasters are the popular technique of emotional transport. The courtroom may also settle any disputes concerning children. The court will stamp and write your hearing date on these copies. One other of these causes was that it was determined that the merger would get monetary savings. 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The great thing about being me is that girls with a bit of further weight can always tone up some more, but they'll all the time be as dumb as a bag of bricks. These deeds won't remove your name from the mortgage word. Catey Hill covers private finance and travel for MarketWatch in New York. If not, it can be heard in a county courtroom for 250. It leads to poor baby care, poor or no education and every other node of the chain. The quicker I get the case filed, the sooner the 30 day necessary waiting interval begins, the faster I can finalize your case. Ask if they might suggest the attorney. If you virginia divorce and separation laws live in the married in turkey how do i divorce that recognizes authorized separations then it can be used as the settlement throughout the precise divorce proceedings. Nothing herein shall be construed to create any presumption of momentary shared bodily custody. Determine the place you must file. 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The Summons and Joint Preliminary Injunction should not filed immediately - instead is a stepchild still a stepchild after divorce Clerk issues these documents by stamping and relationship them. If attending on behalf of an organisation the Courtroom requires the attendee be an authorised officer who is ready to decide about how the dispute could be settled and to enter into an agreement on behalf of the organisation. Now, you only must show that he was working within the nation on the date of the divorce protocol. Subsequently, it is very necessary to check the website that is providing these forms and make sure it's applicable. This is going to be better for you and it's going to be way more attractive to your husband. You'd have had to swear at the time of the divorce that you supplied full data, so technically you possibly can face a is a stepchild still a stepchild after divorce downside. After serving your spouse with the Summons and Petition you must file a type with the court called Proof of Service of Summons. In mediation we meet jointly with an attorney who is skilled in resolving disputes. Going to your native state authorities to seek for California Prison Data is not as straightforward as going online to conduct the search. In the course of the rule of the Medieval Cholas, they even gave the dominion its chief army commanders.

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How Time Tracking Software Can Help

How Time Tracking Software Can Help
May be juggling many clients and projects to be really hard!
Registration hours of work on the development agenda and time-consuming and inaccurate. Try to collect hours and is usually a team chaos.

 Then there is the frustration create billing reports for clients.
Fortunately, consultants, programmers, engineers, contractors, architects, lawyers and other professionals have an easy solution to these problems: time tracking software.
The <u> just hit the button! </ U>
No more than constantly looking at the clock.
Just hit the button to start timing of the task and then struck again to stop the completion or taking a rest.
Some programs will begin a new task each time you press the Start button, while others allow you to add more time to open the task after you have stopped timing.
This increases the ease of use in the accuracy of bills that, "estimate" the time for action is a thing of the past. Follow the time accurate and up to date.
Easy to <u> reports </ U>
The time tracking software to help you be more efficient by storing the timing of your tasks in conjunction with the client and the project.
You can also add a description of the task. Forget trying to remember what happened to all your hours at the end of the day or week! These tasks are archived and then retrieved when you can create reports weekly, monthly, or during a custom time period.
The <u> smooth teamwork </ U>
When working on team projects, I would recommend using software that supports group sharing time on the Internet.
The team members can log on to Workspace Internet to track their hours, even when away from the office.
Can then be created with the reports of the tasks of billable and non-billable, all in a timely manner.
 No time is wasted in the collection of information ... And is always updated and ready to go ... Just print it!

Do not be stuck in the dark ages of spreadsheets and manual entry.
Modern technology makes the mundane tasks quick and easy!

For those who want to spend more time at work to their clients and less time sifting through the data and preparation of reports, and track time is the answer!

0 Response to "How Time Tracking Software Can Help"


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The Human Rights Impact of the World Trade Organisation

The Human Rights Impact of the World Trade Organisation by James Harrison
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This book examines the impact of international trade rules on the promotion and protection of human rights, and explains why human rights are an important mechanism for assessing the social justice impact of the international trading system. The core of the book is an in depth analysis of the various ways in which international trade law rules impact upon human rights protection and promotion, emphasising the significance of the jurisdictional context in which the human rights issues arise: coercive measures that are taken by one country to protect and promote human rights in another country are distinguished from measures taken by a country to protect and promote the human rights of its own population. The author contends that international trade law rules have utilised certain ad hoc mechanisms to deal with particularly pressing human rights concerns in the trade context, but also argues that these mechanisms do not provide systemic solutions to the inter-linkages between the two legal systems. The author therefore examines mechanisms by which human rights arguments could be more systematically raised and adjudicated upon in WTO dispute settlement proceedings, highlighting future opportunities and difficulties. He concludes by considering broader systemic issues outside the dispute settlement process that need to be addressed if trade law rules are to successfully protect and promote human rights.
Bloomsbury Publishing; Read online
Title: The Human Rights Impact of the World Trade Organisation
Author: James Harrison


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Thieves smash urn with deceased child's ashes while ransacking Omaha home

Thieves smash urn with deceased child's ashes while ransacking Omaha home

Just days before Christmas, a thief broke into an Omaha mother's home and stole more than presents.

Someone broke into Shalina Bolden's Florence home between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. The burglar ransacked the place.

Shalina said her home looked as though a tornado went through it.

"They took clothes, shoes, Xbox, TVs, computers. They destroyed my daughter's bedroom furniture, turned mattresses upside down," she said.

Shalina's daughter, Jaera Bolden, 11, discovered their ransacked home after school.

She saw a busted side door and broken window--even the Christmas tree was knocked over.

"Some of my Christmas presents were open. They took them, " Jaera said.

And that's not all. This burglary brought more heartbreak for Jaera's mother.

Shalina Bolden was sick to her stomach when she realized the burglar tossed the ashes of her baby boy on the floor.

"The box had never been open. I never wanted to look at my son's ashes," Shalina said.

Now they're gone -- just like him.

"I can never get back his ashes...for me to have to sweep them up off the floor is a mother's worst nightmare and for my kids to have to see it, is very devastating," she said.

Shalina dedicated a corner in the home to her son. She lost Lawrence last year in June, when he was just 2 ½ years old.

KETV followed the family's journey for years. Lawrence was born with Digeorge Disease, a rare condition that left him without an immune system. (He was said to be first patient in Nebraska to be diagnosed with it.)

His mother fought hard to get Lawrence a transplant -- but his body rejected it.

Wednesday morning, the memorial -- filled with pictures, mementos, and memories of the little boy -- was smashed and on the floor.

"Material things can be replaced, but the damage you did to my heart and my kids is not something I would wish on (anyone)," Shalina said to the thief or thieves.

Jaera said, "They deserve to be in jail for all this. They really do. It's not right. It's not right at all."

Shalina won't let the thief ruin their Christmas. She picked up the mess, redecorated the tree, and granted her daughter's wish of putting baby Lawrence's memorial back together.

"They wanted that wall back, and I worked most of the night trying to get it back as much as I could get out of what was left," she says.

Shalina said at least the thief can't steal her heart and love for her son, who brought her so much joy in his short time with her.

A neighbor's surveillance camera on Florence Boulevard caught a picture of the crook, wearing colorful shoes and carrying book bags and sacks of the Boldens' belongings. If you recognize him, call Crimestoppers at 402-444-STOP.


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garlic rice

Garlic rice are one on my favorite. You can cook them with any gravy you like or with kebabs or meatballs.Just boil the rice and add the following spices, and your garlic rice are ready to serve in 5 minutes. Enjoy:))   Ingredients Of Garlic Rice 300 gm boiled rice 2 eggs, beaten 2 tbsp [...]


Achilles Tendinitis
Rupture of the Achilles tendon is a common injury in healthy, young, active individuals. The rupture is typically spontaneous and most commonly observed in individuals in between 24-45 years of age. The majority have had no prior history of pain or previous injury to the heel. In the majority of cases, rupture of the Achilles tendon occurs just a few centimeters above the heel bone. Common causes of Achilles tendinitis or rupture include advanced age, poor conditioning, and overexertion during exercise. In most cases, the individual rapidly performs activity like running or standing on the toes, which generates intense force on the tendon, leading to rupture. Achilles tendon rupture is often described as an abrupt break with instantaneous pain that is felt in the foot or heel area. The pain may radiate along the back of the leg and is often intense. Generally, walking may be difficult and the foot may drag. Most individuals claim that they felt like they were kicked in that area or even shot at. These symptoms lead to a suspicion of rupture of the Achilles tendon. Sometimes the tendon does not fully rupture but only a partial tear develops. The partial tear can also present with pain, and if not recognized, can rapidly develop into a full-blown rupture. In the majority of cases, the Achilles tendon rupture occurs just above the heel, but it may occur anywhere along the length of the tendon.

Achilles tendon rupture occurs in people that engage in strenuous activity, who are usually sedentary and have weakened tendons, or in people who have had previous chronic injury to their Achilles tendons. Previous injury to the tendon can be caused by overuse, improper stretching habits, worn-out or improperly fitting shoes, or poor biomechanics (flat-feet). The risk of tendon rupture is also increased with the use of quinolone antibiotics (e.g. ciprofloxacin, Levaquin).

Although it’s possible to have no signs or symptoms with an Achilles tendon rupture, most people experience pain, possibly severe, and swelling near your heel. An inability to bend your foot downward or “push off” the injured leg when you walk. An inability to stand up on your toes on the injured leg. A popping or snapping sound when the injury occurs. Seek medical advice immediately if you feel a pop or snap in your heel, especially if you can’t walk properly afterward.

Non Surgical Treatment
Achilles Tendinitis

Surgical Treatment
Surgery could allow for a quicker healing time. The procedure generally involves making an incision in the back of your lower leg and stitching the torn tendon together. Depending on the condition of the tissue, the repair may be reinforced with other tendons. As with any surgery, the main complication is the risk for infection, however, this risk is reduced by using smaller incisions.


Microbial fuel cells as a new energy source at municipal WWTP?

Introduction The high energy requirement of conventional sewage treatment systems are demanding for the alternative treatment technology which will be cost effective and require less energy for its efficient operation. In this alternative, MFC can play an important role.. Microbial fuel cells are not new – The idea of using microbial cells in order to attempt to produce electricity was first found at the end of the nineteenth century. However, it is only recently that microbial fuel cells with an enhanced power output have been developed providing possible opportunities for practical applications.

How does a microbial fuel cell work? A microbial fuel cell is a device that converts chemical energy to electrical energy by the catalytic reaction of microorganisms. There are many types of microbial fuel cells reactors throughout the world, however, all reactors share the same operating principles. A typical microbial fuel cell consists of anode and cathode compartments separated by a membrane. When bacteria are placed in the anode chamber of a cell that is free of oxygen, they attach to an electrode. Because they don’t have oxygen, they must transfer the electrons that they obtain from consumption (oxidation) of their food somewhere else – they transfer them to the electrode. Electrons go to the anode, while the counter electrode (the cathode) is exposed to oxygen. The two electrodes are at different potentials (about 0.5 V), electrons are transferred to the cathode compartment through an external electric circuit, while protons are transferred to the cathode compartment through the membrane. Electrons and protons are consumed in the cathode compartment, combining with oxygen to form water.

cost effectiveness and performance. Microbial fuel cell technology. The potential energy conversion efficiencies are examined. their application is presently limited to certain niche areas. MFCs do not require highly regulated distribution systems MFCs have high conversion efficiency as compared to Enzymatic Fuel Cells.6 June 2005 Applications of microbial fuel cell technology Microbial fuel cells provide new opportunities for the sustainable production of energy from biodegradable. in harvesting up to 90% of the electrons from the bacterial electron transport system.Microbial fuel cells as a new energy source at municipal WWTP? Figure 1. Hydrogen production. The working principle of a microbial fuel cell.23 no. Source: “Trends in Biotechnology” vol. is presently tested for: Powering underwater monitoring devices. Bacterial potential for electricity generation 2 . it would probably be possible to scale-up and use MFCs as a renewable energy resource. Although MFCs have been studied as an alternative energy source. Power supply to remote sensors. reduced compounds. BOD sensing. With further improvements in design. The operational and functional advantages of MFCs are:    MFCs use organic waste matter as fuel and commonly available microbes as catalysts. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are emerging as promising technology for the treatment of wastewaters.

An overview of common reactions is given in table below: Parameters deﬁning the performance of MFCs 3 . such as oxygen. to an electron acceptor with a high potential. such as glucose.Microbial fuel cells as a new energy source at municipal WWTP? Bacteria gain energy by transferring electrons from a reduced substrate at a low potential.

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Monday, April 20, 2015

How to select the new Dean of Alumni Relations

The department has received a notice asking us to suggest who could be the next DORA (Dean of Resources and Alumni) of IIT Kanpur. It is surprising since Prof. Prabhat Munshi's term was till March, 2016. Why has he resigned.

In any case, let us think of how we should go about finding the new Dean. First of all, is there a job description. Surely, there must have been some document approved by the Board. The document must have listed what are the responsibilities of DORA. But is that document available to the departments. And is that document sufficient. Unfortunately, the answer to both the questions is in negative.

Nobody seems to care that the document is not easily accessible. After all, we know what the job entails. I can bet my last dollar that most faculty members do not know the full extent of what the job entails. Everyone has a vague idea and we will recommend names based on those vague ideas. And is that document enough. Well, the leader of the organization may have a certain vision for the Institute, and may, therefore, want to focus on certain aspects of that job description. For example, the Institute may want a person who can help in managing resources very well and suggesting how we can make more efficient use of our existing resources and enhance our internal resources, like increase in electricity charges, increase in hostel charges, etc. At other times, institute may want to focus on International relations and do things to attract foreign students, joint degree programs, and so on. Or the Institute may want to raise friends - ensure that our relationship with Alumni Association improves, that our alumni feel positive about the institute. Or the Institute may be keen to raise funds from our alumni and other friends. I am just giving four examples from the job description of DORA, and a focus on each of them require different skill sets. It is important that we know not just the overall job description, but also the focus areas within that job description.

From what I understand, the institutional focus has not been on fund-raising for the last 7 years (three Deans), and now, we want to change that. The next DORA would probably be expected to focus more on fund-raising than on other aspects of his/her job description. Now that the Government is cutting down on the budgetary support, funds from alumni and friends have become more important than at any other time in the past.

Let us understand that asking for money is not an easy task. It has the connotation of begging (shouldn't be, but that is how many people feel about it). Many people are ambivalent about why alumni or anyone else should give a gift to a government funded (and well funded) institution, and they will not find it easy to bring passion to fund-raising. So, if fund-raising is the new focus for this deanship, then we must find a person who believes that giving to alma mater is the right thing to do. And of course, if you believe that this is the right thing to do, then you must have done it. So ask potential Deans whether they have given a gift to their respective alma mater, and that too, not as a part of batch fund or other group exercise where you end up paying as part of peer pressure, but separately. If you haven't paid yourself, you will feel shy of asking, and that is not good for the Institute.

It is also very important that the person has a good understanding of how social media works. That is the way to keep in touch with alumni today. Of course, one does not have to be an expert in social media oneself, there will be staff for that, but if you strongly believe that facebook and twitter are complete waste of time, then there is a problem.

Travel will be an integral part of fund-raising. You need to personally meet people multiple times before things happen. If you are the kind that can not sleep well in the overnight train, or need a day or two to relax after an inter-continental flight, or just hate to be in the cattle class even for short domestic flights, then you are not the right person for this job.

Most importantly, how excited the person is about learning new things. Fund-raising is like nothing else that a faculty member would have done in the past. (Some may have had some contact with alumni, having worked in alumni association. Some may have done some outreach in terms of courses for industry, and may have learnt a bit of marketing. But fund-raising is really very different from all this.) So one has to see what is it that the faculty member has done in the past which was very different from his/her routine job and how much learning did the faculty member had in that job, and what new things the person did, etc.

Fund-raising will require support from everyone else on campus. It will be good if the potential Dean is acceptable to most stakeholders on campus (and preferably off campus as well).

With the gap between funds raised by IITK and other IITs increasing every year, it is extremely important that we find the right person for this Deanship. the right person can make a difference of Rs. 5-10 crores per year in our budget.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Giving to IIT Kanpur

About 1000 students are about to graduate from IIT Kanpur in the next couple of months. Most of them, I would guess, would have enjoyed their stay at IIT Kanpur and would have positive feelings about their soon-to-be alma mater. They have expressed those feelings through a campaign to give a graduating batch gift to IIT Kanpur, which I believe has been fairly successful. Would this be a one-time effort, or could we expect them to keep giving in future.

The past experience has been that very few alumni give gifts. There are many reasons for this. IIT Kanpur does not approach them properly (or not at all). The lack of trust in how the money will be spent. Difficulty in the process of giving, and so on. All these are issues which the new Dean of Resources and Alumni will have to deal with. But there is one reason that I want to address today. A lot of people say that they don't have enough to give. That a small amount is meaningless and a big amount is not affordable.

That a small amount is meaningless is a wrong notion. There are many activities in the Institute that are supported by small gifts - like support for international conference travel, which is extremely important for recruiting good graduate students. Also, it needs to be understood that most alumni will be able to give only small gifts, and if we actually get those small gifts from a large alumni base, we can actually march towards excellence at a faster pace. Even more importantly, these small gifts allow us to be in touch with you, to engage you and seek your help in multitude of ways. Can you influence your company to come for the placement at IIT Kanpur. Can you help a couple of students get a summer internship. Can you visit us and give a talk to our students. Can you mentor them. The list is endless. While the alumni relation should not be transactional in nature, a transaction helps in keeping that bond. Further, alumni funds make sure that the level of accountability in the Institute go up substantially. With the government money, we tend to be little less serious. If the scholarships are not distributed this month, and instead are given out next month, heavens will not fall. At least the Ministry will not ask questions. But alumni will, and there is really no reason for that delay. So your funds actually will cause significant improvement in the internal processes of the Institute.

And I can tell from my own experience (I have been giving upwards of 1 percent of all my income every year) that it feels good when you receive a thank you letter from your alma mater. Most of us would be giving small and big gifts to causes that we consider are important. And giving a small gift (like one percent) is not an issue of affordability for most, but an issue of priority, even for someone who has just earned his first month salary. And while I can not insist that your alma mater be a high priority for you, I certainly hope that it will be. Remember that your gift is extremely important to your alma mater in maintaining its excellence and continue to provide quality education to future students.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Is Kanpur City a Liability for IIT Kanpur?

Why would anyone blame Kanpur city and call it a liability.


Blog- Starting a Podcast Series

Podcasts are an increasingly popular way for people to get to grips with a topic in informal settings- commuting, walking the dog or during a long drive. Before starting work at Public Health Wales I was already hooked on the flexible listening of a few high quality titles- 'Radio Lab', 'Only Human' and 'Inside Science' to name a few.

I'm not the only one- podcasts have been something the team at Public Health Network Cymru have received numerous requests for over the past year or so. My role is about improving communication channels between policy makers, practitioners and researchers so this felt like something exciting to get involved with.

We pulled together a small team (of three) but I found it daunting knowing where to start with the first ever podcast as there seemed to be so much to consider- structure, content, recording, editing and a platform to publish on. Finding interesting people to ask for interviews was easy- fitting into their schedules was the hard part! I learnt that reaching out to people who are passionate about their work and have stories to tell is the best way to create engaging content and that it can be a networking opportunity too- even if the people you contact say no at the time, at least you'll be 'on the radar' and the situation might change in the future.

Having someone who knows about recording and editing proved incredibly helpful but it's not impossible to learn from scratch. Two members of the PHNC team (Sarah and Sorin) are quite knowledgeable about audio through their interests outside of work so they ordered the microphone (we chose one from Yeti) and did the sound checks for interviews on location. Initially, I wanted to create a 30-40min episode like the ones I'm used to hearing on established platforms but it soon became apparent that the level of time and effort that goes into creating an episode of that quality wasn't achievable for a first timer- I'd come in with an impossibly high bar through listening to professional podcasts on a regular basis.

Sending over the key questions before we arrived helped interviewees to feel prepared so that they weren't caught off guard- a common concern of people in roles with responsibility for key health messages. We also found that assuring people that they could listen to the edited version and provide feedback helped. After all, the aim is to promote accurate messages and increase understanding of public health issues.

I hadn’t previously used audio editing software and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to learn Adobe Audition through watching a few YouTube videos. Having to listen to the sound of your voice takes some getting used to and I edited a lot of 'ums' along the way but after a few hours, the episode was ready. We have recently released our first podcast with others waiting to be published over consecutive weeks. The speed at which the projects and people involved have changed has taught us not to record too far in advance as episodes risk becoming out of date quickly. For example, we interviewed a team at the 'Communities First' initiative not long before they found out their project funding was being discontinued.

My advice to anyone looking to start up a podcast series is to focus on what will be interesting to the listeners, invest in a quality microphone and block out sufficient time for editing and promoting so that you can showcase the final product that you’ve invested effort into.