Saturday, 27 July 2013

Agricultural practices among Wanchos

Immature rice field
         Shifting cultivation is the most prominent type of agriculture usually followed in this region. Indigenous shifting cultivators have a vast store of local knowledge about their particular landscape and how best to maintain it for survival, and have much to teach the world about the efficient use of their landscape for combined agriculture and forestry. This system involves series of steps such as selection of a site in hilly slopes followed by slashing of vegetation, burning of slashed vegetation after drying and cleaning the burnt sites for growing crops of agricultural importance. After completion of the cycle, the soil loses its fertility and a fresh site is chosen the following year to repeat the same cycle in next season; whereas, the used plot of jhum land is likely to keep fallow for about 8-10 years till it regains its fertility.

The entire jhumming practice may assume as a wise strategy planned and prepared by the ethnic people of this district which they have learnt from years of experience and subsequently passing those experiences to next generation. Their strategy is always simple and focus on deriving maximum possible sustainable output from the hilly slopes in terms of production of sufficient food items from cultivation of crops, collection of timber from jhum fields, practice of mix farming ensuring crop.
This ancient and traditional management agriculture system may be considered as the backbone of the modern developing society because the knowledge on jhumming is the result of centuries close interaction between man and environment. Even when there was no supply of food grains and vegetables from other sources, this traditional agriculture practices helped them to fight during the lean season. Besides cereals like rice (Oryza sativa L.), millets like foxtail millets (Setaria italica L.), proso millets (Panicum miliaceum L.), finger millets (Eleusine coracana L.) and pearl millets (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br., Maize (Zea mays L.), they usually cultivate important domesticated and subsidiary edible plant species such as Topioca (Manihot esculenta Crantz.), Dioscorea sp., Colocasia esculenta L., sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam.), Ginger (Zingiber officinale L.) and local vegetables such as pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Poir.), white gourd (Benincasa hispada Thunb.), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), soybean (Glycine max L. (Merr.), brinjal ( Solanum melongena Linn.), Solanum nigrum L., chilli pepper (Capsicum spp.), bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.), tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum L.), and sesame (Sesamum indicum L.). Thus, jhumming provides varieties of indigenous food items throughout the year for traditional used such as ceremonies, occasions and celebrations. Moreover, due to the undulating hilly terrain, high rainfall, poor irrigation facilities and unavailability of plain land, the permanent type of settled agriculture or terrace cultivation was not much successful in this area. Hence, jhumming became the only alternative means for sustenance.
Rice field of Pongchau Village, Longding
Nonetheless, besides farming practices, the local people also generally get involved in other activities such as fishing, hunting and harvesting of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in order to satisfy their basic needs and demands. The entire traditional society in the district revolves around the practices of taboos, beliefs, folktales and legends. For instances, they perform many rituals during the time of sowing and harvesting within the family, among villagers and also in the entire community. Nonetheless, there are three major tribes and many sub-tribes in the district, the methods of farming and rituals performed during the cultivation of crops may vary slightly with the ethnic people and communities living in different villages with social, physical, environmental and climatic condition of that area.
People busy in harvesting of crops
Fully matured rice field
The agricultural system is totally rain-fed and depends on monsoon rain for its irrigation. Therefore, the cultivation of rice and other crops usually commenced in between last part of February and early March, so that the sufficient amount of rain water will be available for the seed to germinate. However, in winter season the fields are basically kept fallow till next summer is approaches to continue jhum cycle with the cultivation of paddy in next phase just after the harvesting of millets and other vegetables from the new field. Nonetheless, slashing of the vegetation of newly selected site is performed in winter i.e. in the month of October. For performing the farm operation both men and women labour power is used and with some local implements like digging stick, small hoe, dao (traditional sword), and axe etc. However, very recently besides jhumming few villages have started establishing and maintaining permanent tea garden and wet-rice cultivation on the plain lands.

Wednesday, 17 July 2013

Scenic beauty of Wancho inhabited hills (freshly fallowed)

Wakka village
During Oriah celebration

Young Wancho girls
Wancho man in traditional attire

agricultural field (shifting cultivation practiced by wanchos)

Enchanted beauty of Longding District, Arunachal Pradesh

Traditional folk dance (Bamboo dance)performed by Wancho Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh

Indigenous Wancho Tribe (in Oriah festival)

Young Wancho girls in Traditional Attire

Wancho womens in traditional attire

Wancho Girls ready for dance (Oriah festival 2013)

Villagge Old man (Wancho tribe)

Bamboo dance performed by wancho girls in Longding district, Arunachal Pradesh


Upon finding good cause, a court docket may order that youngster help funds proceed beyond the age of 18 if the kid is unmarried, residing with a father or mother and is enrolled as a full-time student in a secondary or vocational program and making substantial progress in direction of a diploma. These organizations carry lots of weight of their rankings and look at their very own unique components when determining rankings. However, you should remember that the overwhelming majority of new law graduates don’t begin their careers in large companies. There have been very close, very loving properties, there were households with extreme sibling rivalry, there have been families where a mum or dad favored one baby overmuch, or where a black sheep was solid out. By believing and acting upon that belief, YOU MAKE IT REAL, and the Law of Attraction will do the remainder. It is mailed twice a year to all Melbourne Law School alumni, faculty and mates.

It is advisable to hunt legal advice before considering whether or not to contractually implement a dispute board to resolve contractual disputes at any stage of the dispute process. This is a authorized subject which has no case law to address it, should you dwell in a state the place you aren’t the presumptive father, than you can file for adoption. And but, you have not provided a shred of evidence for the legislation of attraction, or countless miracles, or faith, or the rest for that matter.

On Indiana Tech’s 2016 graduation program , three regulation graduates (all from Indiana) are listed as having made law review, and two of these three earned magna cum laude honors. Justice Hayne and Justice Crennan retired from the High Court in 2015 upon reaching the age of 70, and have been less lively than their colleagues in the legal career publish retirement.


Creating a Welcoming Environment

Creating and Sustaining a Welcoming EnvironmentSo, this is a more work-related type of post, but I thought it was important to put up on To Loosen. Since many folks are struggling with the idea of "creating a welcoming environment", I thought some To Loosen readers might find it interesting. Cross posted at Intercultural Happenings. What is a “welcoming environment”? What does it look like? What does it feel like? Who is a part of this environment? Who shapes it? Who is affected by it? These are all questions that need to be explored in order to best create and sustain an environment that respects the diverse experiences within our community.

I’ve often been asked, “I’d like to make a welcoming environment; I just don’t know how”. Or, I’m sometimes challenged by people who say, “But, I do have a welcoming environment. I welcome all people.”

To the latter, my challenge back is to say, “Tell me how. Tell me what you do that makes your environment welcoming to all people.” Answers such as, “Well, anyone can come in” or “anyone can use this space” or “I never turn anyone away” often come up. But, unfortunately, those aren’t aspects that necessarily create a welcoming environment.

Now, some have not been bold enough to say it, but I imagine this conversation occurring, “Well, I don’t call anyone any racist names when they walk through the door” or “I don’t assume they don’t speak English” or “I don’t assume that students of color are here on affirmative action.” That’s great. Keep it up. But that still does not create a welcome environment.

So, what does?

I can speak from my own experiences as well as relay some of the stories from our students on campus.

STEPS THAT COST NOTHING: 1. See me. When I walk by you, do you say “hello”? When we see each other, do you shake my hand? Do you look me in the eye? Or, do you treat me like I am invisible to you? People of color on a predominantly white campus experience this incredible irony each day – we stick out like a sore thumb; yet, we are treated like we are invisible. If you want to create a welcoming environment, begin by actually recognizing that people of color exist.

2. Make a connection with me. No, I don’t mean take me out to lunch or even ask me about my family when we should be talking about business. I mean, participate in what is meaningful for me and my community. If I am a speaker somewhere on campus, come to the program. If there is a program/panel/lecture/film where you know people of color are going to be in attendance, go to the program. Get some face time. Because, if we see you there, we might make the actual assumption that you care about what is meaningful for us. Or, if you just aren’t able to attend any of the 75+ things that I host all year, then send me an email to say you wish you could go but just can’t make it.

3. Speak to me with respect. If you think I am intelligent, talk to me like I’m intelligent. Assume that I am smart, talented, and here because I worked hard to be here. See that I am capable of achieving above and beyond your own expectations of me. Please avoid talking to me in a way that you think I should stereotypically sound like.

4. Engage me in conversation. The best way to learn about me is to talk to me. Ask me if I’m comfortable sharing my history, my experiences, and my goals for the future; and, in most cases, I will respond positively. If you are genuinely curious about me, I am more likely to share my story with you and connect with you.

5. Understand that I might be outside my comfort zone. For our students of color who were raised in their cultural majority, they say one of the reasons they chose Stonehill is the opportunity to be in the minority. They also say that one of the biggest challenges is to be in the minority for 4 years. For our first generation college students, they might not possess the same familiarity with college lingo, procedures, and processes that their college legacy peers do. So, create an environment that allows them to experience this newness with ease.

6. Show non-judgmental sensitivity. “Unlike other students here, I don’t have the same economic privilege.” For students who are major financial contributors to their own education or to their family, they are not as easily able to accept unpaid internships, volunteer work, or opportunities that do not help support their financial situation. Some have avoided this conversation with professionals because they do not want to have to admit their situations publicly. Showing non-judgmental sensitivity, combined with problem solving to help them achieve their goals, is important to creating a trustful relationship with you.

7. Find where they are most comfortable, and go there. Many people in marginalized groups have found their “comfort spot”. Rather than wonder why they are not coming to you, go to them. Ask to attend a meeting of a group you are interested in connecting with on a more meaningful basis. Look for where they hang out, eat, do homework, meet, and find a way to non-invasively engage in discussion.

8. Hear me. Know that it's hard for me to come to you with a complaint or a suggestion. Too many people have said that people of color "play the race card", so in an effort to NOT do that, I most likely will say nothing. But, if I know that you will hear me without making judgments about me based on my identity, I am more likely to trust you and what you do.

9. Recognize that I experience this world as a person of color. I don't want you to "judge me by my skin", but I do want you to recognize that other people sometimes do. And, I've spent a lot of years working to prove that I am MORE than just skin color. However, my skin color does "tint" (pun totally intended!) how I experience the world.

STEPS THAT REQUIRE SUPPORT: 1. Provide opportunities for me to see myself reflected in what you do. Do you include people of color on panels that you host? Do you bring in guest speakers that have diverse backgrounds? Do you implement a component of cultural awareness and education into your courses, lectures, or discussions? A great way to create an environment that welcomes all people is to include all people.

2. Build your base of contacts who are from diverse backgrounds. The truth is, good mentors are good mentors for all. And yet, students of color often look for mentors of color because there is information that is shared about their backgrounds that is relevant and important to their experiences. One black, male student shared “I never go to certain programs because I know they aren’t going to say anything relevant about me and my experiences.” To create a welcoming environment, individuals need to see that your initiatives include their voices, too.

3. Add culturally relevant visual representation to your office or space. This is not permission to now go and buy up all the Malcolm X, Vincent Chin, and George Lopez posters online. However, it might mean adding a multicultural calendar to your space or an “Ally” sticker to your door (if you are one). It means subscribing to diverse publications, magazines, or resources that can be placed in your waiting room or in your office (and, hopefully, you will have read those, too!).

4. If you are not seeing a particular group using your services or participating in your programs, ask them why. It’s not enough to just blame them for not being interested or apathetic. People may be actively choosing not to go to you or use your services for particular reasons. First, assess your data. What are the ratios in relation to the population? What is your baseline? What is your goal? What informs that goal? Then, as the group what they would like to see and/or what they need.

5. Know that it takes time. Building relationships and trust take time. If you haven’t been actively working on creating a culture of inclusion (as opposed to just saying “sure, I’m welcoming!”), then the work has just started. It can take months, sometimes years, to see progress. But, if you give up, that word spreads fast, too. Stick with your initiatives and, if your goals and steps are right, you’ll see progress soon enough!


Asteroid (7194) Susanrose

2017-05-16 (3)

Here is an image of one of the asteroids I measured while conducting my asteroid astrometry program on May 15th. The images used to derive the measurements, shown at the lower right in the photo, consisted of 40 images, 30 seconds each with the ccd binned at 3×3 to increase sensitivity. The images were captured in 4 groups of 10 with 8 minutes separating the groups. The groups were stacked in Astrometrica software which also did the measuring. Stacking the image groups was necessary to create enough signal for an accurate measurement. It was measured at magnitude 16.5. It is currently cruising through the constellation of Serpens Caput.

What’s significant about this asteroid is its name. It is named for the President of my club in NY, Sue Rose, for her decades of support to the astronomical community. Sue was surprised with the announcement, and presentation of a beautiful plaque at the 2009 ALCon convention hosted by the Amateur Observers’ Society at Hofstra University.

CON Transit Dreams Observatory
OBS D. Wilde
MEA D. Wilde
TEL 127mm F7.5 APO Refractor + CCD
ACK MPCReport file updated 2017.05.16 11:31:28
07194 KC2017 05 16.10882 15 49 00.31 -01 33 07.9 16.4 R W33
07194 KC2017 05 16.11851 15 48 59.78 -01 33 03.0 16.4 R W33
07194 KC2017 05 16.12817 15 48 59.25 -01 32 58.8 16.5 R W33
07194 KC2017 05 16.13787 15 48 58.74 -01 32 54.2 16.8 R W33
—– end —–

M42- First Light image inside Transit Dreams Observatory

M 42- First Light inside Transit Dreams Observatory

This image of the Great Orion Nebula was captured as a test of the pointing and tracking of the MX+ mount.  It’s a combined total of 15.5 minutes exposure in LRGB.

ES127 F7.5 APO refractor- 952mm f.l.

Atik One 6.0 ccd

Astronomik LRGB filters

(1ea)-2sec to 4 min subs of Luminance, 11 minutes total.

(3) 30 sec each RGB, 4.5 minutes total.

Transit Dreams Observatory awarded code W33 from the Minor Planet Center

This announcement is late, but I wanted to share it with our friends here who don’t follow us on Facebook.

I am proud to announce the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center has designated Transit Dreams Observatory as Minor Planet Center W33. This designation was earned by T.D.O. as a result of our submission to the MPC of precise reliable astrometric measurements of asteroid positions in our solar system. These measurements provide the professional and advanced amateur astronomers the data needed to help refine orbits and gain additional knowledge about our solar system neighbors. Observatory codes are not given out lightly, and the Transit Dreams Observatory will endeavor to continue contributing accurate data to this body of work.

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Website Update

Well I finally got around to updating some of this site. I’ve changed the color scheme to black and white to hopefully modernize it and make it easier to read. I am not a web programmer by any means, so I crawl my way around WordPress to get things close to how I want them to look.

Besides the color scheme change, I’ve changed the content and menu structure of the homepage. The new header consists of 3 images over the old header of the constellation of Orion. On the left is the new logo I designed for Transit Dreams observatory. The interior of the T has a NYC “Transit” subway map, and the D has a “Dream” scape sky scene. In the center is a screen shot from the Astrometrica software I use to make the asteroid astrometry measurements. On the right is a view of the telescope, mount, and camera setup inside the observatory.

I’ve also started on the Observatory page, adding some of my thoughts as I was building the observatory and assembling the dome, as well as numerous photos of the construction. As I get caught up, I’ll add more on the process.

Galaxy NGC 891

NGC 891-Andromeda

NGC 891-Andromeda

NGC 891 is an edge-on spiral galaxy 30 million light years away in the constellation of Andromeda. You can see its faint dust lane along the plane of the galaxy because of  its orientation to our line of site. This dark lane is dust and is very difficult to see visually. I can only make out the darkest portion with my 15” Newtonian reflector. When you look up at our own Milky Way galaxy and see the dark areas winding through the myriad of stars, this is the same kind of dust only seen from inside the galaxy. If you look, closely you can see many galaxies in the background of this image. NGC 891 was discovered by William Herschel on October 6, 1784

Object: NGC 891
Constellation: Andromeda
Telescope: ES127mm F7.5 APO Refractor
Mount: Paramount MX+
Camera: ATIK One 6.0
Filters: Astronomik LRGB
Guide Scope: Orion 50mm
Guide Camera: SBIG STi
Total Integration: Luminance 122 minutes(1×1), Red 80 minutes(2×2), Green 60 minutes(2×2), Blue 75 minutes(2×2). Total 5hr.47 minutes
Image Capture: SkyX camera addon
Guiding: PHD2
Stacking/calibration: Maximdl
Post Processing:Photoshop CS5

Reprocessed November 2015

Comet 88P/Howell

Comet 88P/Howell

I imaged Comet P88/Howell in September. It is located in the constellation of Aries. The comet was a bit fainter than the 11.2 magnitude estimated by my Skytools software. You can see the faint tail extending out past the edge of the field to the right of the coma toward the 4:00 position. The image above is 40 minutes total exposure with LRGB filters. The brighter galaxy at the upper right is IC267, a 13.9 magnitude barred spiral. You can just make out the extended arms in the image. To the right of the comet near the edge is 15.1 magnitude galaxy MCG 2-8-26 (PGC10917). You can also pick out almost a dozen fainter galaxies down to mag. 18 in the image. The faint galaxy in the tail of the comet is LEDA 1414124 at magnitude 17.8. The Skytools screen capture below shows the comet’s location with many of the galaxies in the field labeled. The number in parentheses in the galaxy magnitude with the decimal omitted.

CON Dennis G. Wilde, TDO
OBS D. Wilde
MEA D. Wilde
TEL 127mm F7.5 APO Refractor + CCD
0088P C2015 09 15.15028 02 54 58.48 +12 42 20.5 15.9 N XXX
0088P C2015 09 15.16174 02 54 58.21 +12 42 20.2 15.8 N XXX
0088P C2015 09 15.17433 02 54 57.91 +12 42 19.4 15.7 N XXX

Constellation: Aries
Telescope: ES127mm F7.5 APO Refractor
Mount: Paramount MX+
Camera: ATIK One 6.0
Filters: Astronomik LRGB
Guide Scope: None
Guide Camera: None
Total Integration: 40 minutes LRGB

Asteroid (1284) Latvia

Asteroid (1284) Latvia is a main belt asteroid about 37 km in diameter with an orbit around the Sun of 1572 Earth days.  It was discovered by German astronomer Karl  Reinmuth in July 1933.  It was named after the Republic of Latvia.  Reinmuth discovered a total of 395 asteroids, between the years of 1914-1956, and 2 comets, 30P/Reinmuth and 44P/Reinmuth.  He named Asteroid (1111) Reinmuth for himself, a practice that is no longer permitted by the IAU.  The video below shows about 1 hour of asteroid motion among the stars of Pegasus.

This is the third and last asteroid I imaged to capture data for the MPC.  The purpose is to obtain an observatory code I can use when submitting astrometrical data for asteroids and comets to the Minor Planet Center.  This data can be used to refine the orbits of these asteroids so it can be determined they pose no risk to the Earth.  The primary interest is for data on the NEO’s (Near Earth Objects).  These objects sometimes pass much closer to the earth than our own Moon.  If one was to strike the Earth it would have devastating consequences for much of the Earth’s population.   Main belt asteroids, like the three I have imaged pose much less of a threat, but should still be periodically measured. Collisions with other asteroids and gravitational perturbations with large mass objects can alter their orbits and increase the threat level.  Studying asteroids long term can also provide data on their rotation period, albedo, mass and size.  This is critical data for objects that might pass close to earth.

The requirements for providing data to the MPC, in order to obtain an observatory code, are strict and demanding.  It is important for the data to be accurate, so it can be used reliably in scientific research. There are many requirements, or criteria to be met before a code is issued.  I’m only going to go over the basics here, but if you want the detailed information, you can find it at the Minor Planet Center website:

The basic process to obtain a code is to collect data for 3 asteroids over 2 different nights of measurements.  You must make 3 measurements for each asteroid on each date.  On each date the data should be collected with a separation of at least a half hour between measurements.  Some asteroids move slowly and you want to detect the motion across the sky between measurements. So for the 3 asteroids, that’s nine measurements on each date.  The positions of the asteroids must be calculated to an accuracy of 1 arc second.  That’s why main belt asteroids are mainly used to collect the initial data.  Their orbits a pretty well-known making it easier to check your reported positions against where the asteroid should be in its orbit.

For those not familiar with just how small 1 arc second error is, just think about the Earth as a whole.  Looking from one horizon to the opposite horizon, encompasses 180 degrees.  Each one of those degrees has 60 arc minutes.  Each one of those arc minutes has 60 arc seconds. That’s 64,800 arc seconds horizon to horizon.

The easiest way to collect the data and measure accurate positions is by imaging the object, doing an astrometrical plate solve which measures the exact position of reference stars in the image matched against star catalogs like the UCAC4, and then measure the position of the object your checking, using that plate solution.

I use a program called Astrometrica, which was designed for this exact use.  You load the images into the program after doing a calibration reduction on them (darks and Flats).  The program will do the astrometrical plate solve and blink the images so you can find the object as it jumps from frame to frame while the stars hold their position.  In theory this works beautifully.  I’m still having some issues with the setup and parameters of the program to get consistently automated plate solving. Many times I’ll have to do a manual plate solve which involves overlaying the catalog positions of the stars over the stars on the images to match them up.  This can be tedious.  Another advantage of the software is it will put the data into the format required by the MPC.  The data sets  are sent by email and are read by computer, so they must be formatted correctly to be accepted by the database.  I’ve already had to correct the formatting and resend the data.

Below is the data presented in the format required by the MPC.  This (correctly formatted) data has already been sent to the MPC, and I am awaiting acceptance and the issuing of my observatory code.  The issuance of the Observatory Code signifies my data has the required accuracy, and they can expect due diligence on my part, in regards to future data submitted.

OBS D.Wilde
MEA D.Wilde

TEL 127mm F7.5 APO Refractor + CCD
ACK MPCReport file updated 2015.09.16 14:04:22
[object] [date and time UT]   [ R.A.]          [Dec.]      [Mag] [code]
00426 C2015 09 14.90177 23 14 51.95 +16 40 05.4 10.7 R  XXX
00426 C2015 09 14.92634 23 14 50.57 +16 40 04.1 11.0 R  XXX
00426 C2015 09 14.95090 23 14 49.13 +16 40 02.7 11.5 R  XXX
00426 C2015 09 15.89872 23 13 41.41 +16 39 59.8 12.5 R  XXX
00426 C2015 09 15.93424 23 13 39.43 +16 39 56.4 11.0 R  XXX
00426 C2015 09 15.95882 23 13 38.11 +16 39 53.7 11.0 R  XXX
01146 C2015 09 14.90890 23 33 46.81 +14 57 06.3 11.2 R  XXX
01146 C2015 09 14.93347 23 33 45.10 +14 57 10.2 11.3 R  XXX
01146 C2015 09 14.95802 23 33 44.34 +14 57 30.0 11.2 R  XXX
01146 C2015 09 15.91679 23 33 14.76 +14 57 43.5 12.4 R  XXX
01146 C2015 09 15.94138 23 33 13.71 +14 57 29.6 11.6 R  XXX
01146 C2015 09 15.96596 23 33 12.59 +14 57 15.3 11.7 R  XXX
01284 C2015 09 14.90420 00 10 20.60 +18 04 37.6   9.8 R  XXX
01284 C2015 09 14.92876 00 10 19.33 +18 04 31.2 10.0 R  XXX
01284 C2015 09 14.95333 00 10 18.02 +18 04 26.1 10.4 R  XXX
01284 C2015 09 15.90228 00 07 27.20 +18 18 02.3 13.1 R  XXX
01284 C2015 09 15.91324 00 07 26.62 +18 18 02.5 13.0 R  XXX
01284 C2015 09 15.93782 00 07 25.26 +18 18 02.9 13.1 R  XXX
—– end —–

The red headings were added to clarify each column. The xxx code is used until you are awarded your own three character observatory code.

Asteroid (1146) Biarmia

Asteroid (1146) Biarmia is a main belt asteroid approximately 31 km diameter at its widest point.  It orbits the Sun every 5 years. This asteroid was discovered by Russian astronomer Grigory Neujmin in 1929.  It is currently passing through the constellation of Pegasus.

The 3 images used to create the video were 90 second captures during 70 minutes of the asteroids motion. The faintest stars visible were mag 18.2  This is the second asteroid in the set of three used to record astrometric data for submission to the Minor Planet Center in consideration for issuing a Minor Planet observatory code to the Transit Dreams Observatory.

SkyTools screenshot of 1146 Biarmia

SkyTools screenshot of 1146 Biarmia- Faintest stars mag 18.2

Asteroid (426) Hippo

The Asteroid (426) Hippo is a main belt asteroid approximately 127km in diameter at its widest point.  It is one of 99 asteroids discovered by French Auguste Honoré Charlois, from Nice, France.

"Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech."

“Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.”

This asteroid is one of three I’ve chosen to image and perform an astrometric solution on, in order to complete the requirements of the Minor Planet Center, in order to  be assigned an observatory code. When accepted by the MPC, this data will signify the accuracy and dependability of my measurements, making it usable to the professional scientific community.

The motion of the asteroid in the video took place over 86 minutes time.

426 Hippo chart

426 Hippo chart created in SkyTools 3

The SkyTools3 chart above shows its position in the constellation of Pegasus at the time of my imaging run.  The imaging took place over two days September 15th and 16th UT.  The chart and video shows its approximate position on the 16th at 2:26 UT.

The Cumulative Process

Learning to process Astro images, for me, is a cumulative process. When I learn a new technique, I’m anxious to test it out and practice it until I fell I’ve mastered it for my style of processing.  I offer 2 images here. The data for these images was captured about 2 years ago.  The first image shows my level of knowledge at the time in collecting data and creating an image.

Galaxy M31 in Andromeda

Galaxy M31 in Andromeda

The following image is using the same data, but applying additional skills of masking and filtering the data to draw out more detail and better contrast.  I do tend to over sharpen a bit, but that’s part of my style.

Galaxy M31

Galaxy M31

Now in looking at these images, it’s obvious to me that I need more data to clean up the noise and reveal the true beauty of this object.  In comparing these images of M31 with others, they’re obviously not going to be a “Picture of the Day” on anyone’s website but my own.

My message is to keep working with the data as you learn more to improve your skills.  It also helps you understand better, how much data you really need to create a top quality image.  I know personally the excitement of producing any image as the novice I consider myself to be, leads me to publish my work sooner than it should be.


Conservation of momentum

the principle that the total linear or angular momentum in any isolated system is constant, provided that no external force is applied
conservation of momentum
A conservation law stating that the total linear momentum of a closed system remains constant through time, regardless of other possible changes within the system.

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    noun 1. a Jew who adheres for the most part to the principles and practices of traditional Judaism with the reservation that, taking into account contemporary conditions, certain modifications or rejections are permissible.


Loughborough University
Leicestershire, UK
LE11 3TU
+44 (0)1509 263171
Loughborough University

Loughborough University Institutional Repository

Title: Effect of ordered array of magnetic dots on the dynamics of Josephson vortices in stacked SNS Josephson junctions under DC and AC current
Authors: Berdiyorov, G.R.
Savel'ev, Sergey
Kusmartsev, F.V.
Peeters, F.M.
Keywords: Solid state
Issue Date: 2015
Citation: BERDIYOROV, G.R. ... et al., 2015. Effect of ordered array of magnetic dots on the dynamics of Josephson vortices in stacked SNS Josephson junctions under DC and AC current. European Physical Journal B, November 2015, 88:286, 7pp.
Abstract: We use the anisotropic time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory to investigate the effect of a square array of out-of-plane magnetic dots on the dynamics of Josephson vortices (fluxons) in artificial stacks of superconducting-normal-superconducting (SNS) Josephson junctions in the presence of external DC and AC currents. Periodic pinning due to the magnetic dots distorts the triangular lattice of fluxons and results in the appearance of commensurability features in the current-voltage characteristics of the system. For the larger values of the magnetization, additional peaks appear in the voltage-time characteristics of the system due to the creation and annihilation of vortex-antivortex pairs. Peculiar changes in the response of the system to the applied current is found resulting in a “superradiant” vortex-flow state at large current values, where a rectangular lattice of moving vortices is formed. Synchronizing the motion of fluxons by adding a small ac component to the biasing dc current is realized. However, we found that synchronization becomes difficult for large magnetization of the dots due to the formation of vortex-antivortex pairs.
Sponsor: This work was supported by EU Marie Curie (Project No. 253057).
Version: Published
DOI: 10.1140/epjb/e2015-60628-9
URI: https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/20100
Publisher Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2015-60628-9
ISSN: 1434-6028
Appears in Collections:Published Articles (Physics)

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2015-Golib-EPhys-JB.pdfPublished version1.35 MBAdobe PDFView/Open

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Home : Technical Terms : Integer Definition

Integers are a commonly used data type in computer programming. For example, whenever a number is being incremented, such as within a "for loop" or "while loop," an integer is used. Integers are also used to determine an item's location within an array.

When two integers are added, subtracted, or multiplied, the result is also an integer. However, when one integer is divided into another, the result may be an integer or a fraction. For example, 6 divided by 3 equals 2, which is an integer, but 6 divided by 4 equals 1.5, which contains a fraction. Decimal numbers may either be rounded or truncated to produce an integer result.

Cite this definition:

TechTerms - The Tech Terms Computer Dictionary

This page contains a technical definiton of Integer. It explains in computing terminology what Integer means and is one of many technical terms in the TechTerms dictionary.

All definitions on the TechTerms website are written to be technically accurate but also easy to understand. If you find this Integer definition to be helpful, you can reference it using the citation links above. If you think a term should be updated or added to the TechTerms dictionary, please email TechTerms!


I'm having problems fitting the
sun shade to my car door

- what shall I do?

Please check the fitting instructions
steps carefully. Also, if you have a
Type 2 door frame, press firmly to
make sure the full length of the edge
stays folded down.

If you are still having issues, please
send us an email along with the make,
year and model of your car, and, if
possible, please attach a photo of
your car door (similar to the one
shown below) to help us identify the
issue more quickly.

What do I do if the sun shade
blocks my view of traffic through
the side window?

The sun shade has been designed for
a fairly tall driver but if it
still blocks
your view, try adjusting the seat height
to lower
your seating position.

If this still does not help, please do not
use the sun shade and get in touch with
us for assistance.

My sun shade is slightly curved
after some use
– is there a
problem with it?

The sun shade is made from a flexible
plastic to keep it lightweight, allow it to
adapt to different car doors
and to
prevent damage when it is bent.

High temperatures can sometimes
a slight curve in shape of the
plastic - this is normal and is not a
sign of damage.

It can be bent gently in the opposite
direction to
straighten it if desired.


Seismic Design with Friction Dampers

Structural Analysis of Single Diagonal Damped Brace

The damped brace is modeled as a link element in most software. In other words, it is modeled as a fictitious yielding brace.  Because the friction damper can be treated as an ideal elastoplastic element, this allows the application of Wen’s model. While a simplification of the damper’s behavior, the Wen model simplifies the analysis.

A yielding brace would yield and begin to deform allowing the building to absorb and dissipate the earthquake’s energy.  However, the brace would need to be replaced after the earthquake.

In contrast, the friction damper slips instead of yielding and by means of the elasticity of the primary structural elements, returns to its original position.

The damper’s hysteretic curve allows the damper to be modeled as a link in static, dynamic and non-linear analysis. The only information needed is the properties of the link which in this case is a fictitious yielding brace with its own linear and non-linear properties. This can be modeled in popular software such as ETABS or SAP2000 using the following parameters.

*Slip Load should be equal to 75% of the actual brace’s yield strength and 130% of the service loads (e.g.wind shear). The mass of the damper will vary depending on the slip load and travel required.

This technology allows new ways to answer architectural and  customer constraints. We encourage you to contact us at anytime with any questions you may have.

Model parameters for Friction damper

Hysteretic Loop

Some software allows for the direct input of the hysteretic loop. In the case  that the engineer would like to perform the analysis using these features, the quasi-rectangular hysteretic loop can be used

Since the damper stiffness is equal to the brace stiffness up until it slips, the effective and brace stiffness are equal.
The damper slips at approximately constant load and therefore the post-yield stiffness ratio can be estimated at near zero, 0.0001.

hysteretic loop of friction damper

Finding the Optimal Slip Load

The optimum slip maximizes energy absorption for a given frame configuration and a given lateral force. It has been found that this force is usually below 50% of the story shear but it can always vary depending on the restrictions the structural designer has in his/her project or depending on his/her objectives for the structure’s response performance.

Once found, small changes to the slip load(e.g. +/-20%) have minimal effect on the structure’s response.

Research has shown that optimum Slip Load is found at below 50% of the story shear. Please communicate with our Engineering Department for further advice on how to find it in your project. For quick calculations use between 35 – 50%, ensuring that the ratio of lateral brace stiffness to lateral braced frame stiffness is strictly greater than 0.5 (generally between 0.7 and 0.9) and constant throughout the building height.

response vs slip load

Connections and Installation

Can be installed in

  • Steel Frames
  • Reinforced Concrete frames
  • Concrete or Steel Shear wall
  • Timber frames
Can be used in any lateral force resisting system as a damping system or as a reusable safety “fuse” to protect structures from inelastic deformation or failure.

While there are many possible methods of installing the friction damper the single diagonal tension compression configuration is commonly usedFriction Dampers can be customized to fit almost any building and the link below has commonly used slip loads and strokes.

Friction Damper Catalog

The Catalog will provide you with some examples of standard dampers, their dimensions, and masses.

When you complete your analysis provide us with the required slip load and stroke and Quaketek will custom design the damper you require.

download quaketek catalog


California Pension Reform Coalition to Focus on 2018 Ballot

Title And Summary Issued For Reed/DeMaio Retirement Measure
August 8, 2015

Attorney General Kamala Harris late Tuesday issued title and summary for the Reed/DeMaio retirement initiative slated for the 2016 election ballot. This is a constitutional measure that, according to Harris: “Eliminates constitutional protections for vested pension and retiree healthcare benefits for current public employees, including those working in K-12 schools, higher education, hospitals, and police protection, for future work performed…Limits placement of financial conditions upon government employers closing defined benefit plans to new employees…”

Title and summary for every ballot measure is critically important because it can be very influential with voters. It can highlight flaws in the measure, as it does in this case.  In fact, initiative proponents have criticized the summary for being inaccurate and biased.  The measure’s opponents—including CAPS—contend the summary doesn’t go far enough in pointing out the measures failings.  For example, Harris’ summary fails to mention that disability and death benefits for peace officers are eliminated, among other detrimental impacts on a wide range of public employees. CAPS is opposing this harmful measure as part of Californians for Retirement Security, the broad-based coalition that advocates for a sustainable retirement for all California public employees.  For more:


General Information of Luoyang

Interesting in Luoyang

Enjoy Our Free Service for Luoyang Travel

Millennium Ancient Capital, the city of Peony

General Information of China Luoyang

Another Name: City of Peony
Location: Situated on the central plain of China and borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east
Population: 6.54 Million

Introduction of China Luoyang

Talking about Luoyang city, the first thing you must know is China Luoyang is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals in China and it is the city of peony. In Tang Dynasty, the Empress Wu (the first female empire in China) set her capital in Luoyang called Dongdu meaning the Eastern Capital. It was the first time Luoyang had been the capital of China. Being an ancient capital in China, Luoyang attracts lots of tourists each year with its special position in Chinese history and Chinese culture.

With a China travel to Luoyang, you will experience the charm of this ancient capital in China, know more about Chinese history and culture and offer you a chance to get close to the ancient China. In the China travel to Luoyang, you will see the Longmen Grottoes which were listed by UESCO in the list of World Heritage Sites, the White Horse Temple, the Guanlin, Luoyang Ancient Tombs Museum and Luoyang Museum.

Nightlife of China Luoyang

You may think Luoyang is ancient city which is lack of colorful nightlife, but in fact, the nightlife in Luoyang is colorful and fashionable. When the dark comes, all the lights lit, you can find lots of people dance on the square and appreciate the beautiful lights along the streets and Luohe River. Besides, the bars and KTV pubs are also the programs of the nightlife in Luoyang city. The nightlife in Luoyang is passion and full of fun and exciting!

Food in China Luoyang

The culture of cuisine in Luoyang has developed for thousands of years. Here you can find the imperial dishes as well as the folk snacks, all of which will satisfy your curiosity of cuisine in this ancient capital.

The Must-have Food in Luoyang City

Luoyang Shui Xi (Luoyang Water Feast): It is a banquet that is as famous as Dumpling Banquet in Xian and is an imperial dish. The history of this banquet was started from Tang Dynasty in ancient China. All the dishes in the banquet are soup that is why this banquet is named Shui Xi. In the banquet, you will taste the flavors such as sour, sweet, hot and salty.

Liyu Yue Long Men (Dish made of carp): The main skill of cooking this dish is stream. The time needs to calculate carefully and the seasonings should be cooked well too. It tastes fresh.

Jiang Miantiao (Noodle Paste): The cooking way is to boil the noodles in thick bran milk until they take on paste shape. You can take seasonings according to your need.

Zhang Family Wonton: It is a local snack with a history of 150 years. It is famous for the taste and the making method. It tastes fresh, sour and hot. The stuffing of the wonton covers the materials such as chicken, egg, shrimp and pickle.

Pan Jinhe Roast Chicken: The name of roast chicken is from the name of the creator’s son. The roast chicken is in golden color, the meat is tender and the flavor is so attractive that people having China travel to Luoyang will not miss it.

Shopping in China Luoyang

In Luoyang, you can lots of handicrafts and fruits. The apple and pear here are famous and in excellent quality.  The most special handicraft in Luoyang is the palace lantern which appeared in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is often made in different styles such as dragon, butterfly and horse. If you are not interesting in lantern, the Tang Sancai glazed pottery may be the one you are interested in. It originated from Tang Dynasty and got the name from the colors it used. The pottery often just uses the color of red, yellow and green. At present, the Tang Sancai glazed pottery is often as a gift for distinguished guests in big events.

If you want to go some department stores or shopping malls, you can choose the Shanghai Market Pedestrian Street of the Wangcheng Park. Both places will satisfy you.

China Travel Tips for China Luoyang

Places for cuisines in Luoyang city

  1. Luoyang Zhen Bu Tong Restaurant: Located in No.359, East Zhong Zhou Road, Lao Cheng District.
  2. Hai Jing Westerin Restaurant: Located on 2nd floor, No.1 Building, Tong Yuan Garden, West Kai Xuan Road.
  3. Bi Sheng De Pizza: Located in middle section of Shanghai Market Pedestrian Street, Jian Xi District
  4. Dio Coffee: In the South Sha Chang Road and Kai Xuan Road meet in Xi Gong District

Transportation in Luoyang city

In Luoyang city, the public buses are the most common means of transportation. It can take you to reach nearly all the corners of Luoyang city and the price is reasonable. Besides, Luoyang city provide tourist buses passing many famous sites in the city. Near the railway station regularly scheduled buses to tourist spots outside the city. In addition, taxis are readily available.

China Luoyang is an ancient city in China and its history and culture attract many tourists. If you want to have a China travel discovering the beauty of ancient cities in China, Luoyang is the one you must visit.

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Safari browser comes in-built with iOS device to access websites and webpages. If you are finding difficult to open Safari Browser on your apple device then just follow the instructions given on this page and get solution.  The advantage of using safari browser is that it consume less RAM as compare to other browser and you get enhanced security features. Here are some steps that you need to implement to resolve browser issue

Step 1:  If you are facing issue while opening safari browser on your iPhone or iPad devices then you need to firstly turn off your device.

Step 2: Press and hold power & home button simultaneously. Keep holding the buttons until you see apple logo. Now open safari browser and try using it.

Step 3:  If it is still not working. Check for updates, Navigate to app store. Select updates option. If any update is available, install it. Wait till file is downloaded.


Baggage Information

First class passengers
Allows for first class passengers to carry two pieces of handbags in the cabin on all types of aircraft, but the Embraer aircraft where they can carry only one piece according to the size and weight and shape allowed.

Economy class passengers
Allowed per passenger carrying only one piece, according to the size and weight and shape allowed.
Each piece of carry-on luggage is subject to the degree of Crown and Economy to the following terms and specifications:
It shall have the size, weight and shape that allow placing it under the passenger seat or in enclosed storage compartment and must not exceed the weight of 7 kg. The dimensions (9 × 16 × 20 inches) or (23 × 41 × 51 cm)shall not be ecxited, the sum of the three dimensions should not exceed (45 inches) or (115 cm). These dimensions include wheels, handles and side pockets, and others..

Special Notes
As well as carry-on luggage allowed, also are allowed to carry luggage the following:
Allowing passengers with babies carry pram folding or basket to carry the baby, so it can be carried in the aircraft cabin if space available for it.
Umbrella or walking stick
A small camera.
reasonable amount of books and magazines to read during the flight
A pair of crutches or a walking aide if needed.

Allows baby food and so allowed the necessary tools for the trip to be over weight 7 kg / 15 pounds in addition to the weight of your handbag baby facilities. The strollers, may be taken at the boarding gate to be downloaded as luggage recorded due to limited storage space in the cabin of the aircraft.


Requirements definition: Get developers involved early

It pays for business analysts to engage developers early in the requirements definition process -- better communication means better requirements.

When and how should a business analyst engage developers during the requirements definition process?

If I were to quickly list the activities that make up requirements definition, I would focus on elicitation, clarification, documentation, communication and prioritization as the key areas. Other than skipping any of these steps, the biggest mistake is to think of them as sequential activities -- they are tightly coupled, and there isn't a prescribed order in which to do them.

Many business analysts will elicit, clarify and document (and sometimes prioritize) requirements without engaging developers -- then hand over their document and call that transaction "communication." At this point, the developers would ask questions, make suggestions, assess the feasibility and estimate the cost of implementing a solution that meets the requirements. This process can be significantly improved by making sure that communication with development is infused throughout the other activity areas.

As a business analyst, you identify the problem that needs to be solved and establish the criteria that define what it means to truly solve it.

During requirements elicitation and clarification, you ask stakeholders what they need, and they tell you. They usually focus on problem manifestations and not the underlying problems. As a business analyst, you identify the problem that needs to be solved and establish the criteria that define what it means to truly solve it. If you communicate with your developers at this point, you can quickly identify acceptance criteria that did not occur to you and validate with your stakeholders that these criteria are important. The net result -- the implementation -- will be more likely to satisfy the stakeholders' needs because they are better defined.

As you clarify and document the acceptance criteria, you also have an opportunity to assess feasibility and cost. By discussing this in detail with your developers, you will identify situations where slight relaxations of an acceptance criteria (perhaps reducing response time from 100 milliseconds to 200 milliseconds) result in miniscule reduction of value but dramatic reduction in cost or time to implement. This frees up resources to solve additional problems -- making the product as a whole a better one.

As you communicate and document, you can capture the cost estimates from developers, allowing you to prioritize effectively. It is suboptimal to simply prioritize based on importance; you should prioritize based on the combination of value and cost -- getting the most bang for the buck. Prioritization is not just providing an ordered list of tasks to developers; it also tells you where to spend the most of your effort. As you combine the insights about both cost and value during your elicitation, you get guidance about where to invest more (or less) of your time. You can deliver your documentation such that the most important requirements are the best developed.

This emergent understanding of the costs, priorities and feasibility of clarified requirements evolves while working on a body of requirements. As a bonus, you can leverage your elicitation activities to provide feedback and manage the expectations of your stakeholders. It is the continuous concurrent conversations that enable you to make the process and the requirements better simultaneously.

This was last published in December 2012

Dig Deeper on Software Requirements Gathering Techniques

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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20146339733566917732017-08-31T05:26:53.727-07:00special-kitchenMonty Stellonoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2014633973356691773.post-58416917294745182032013-08-16T07:28:00.000-07:002013-08-16T07:28:11.544-07:00Eating healthy is really important Eating the best and most healthiest diets possible is what you need to do to stay healthy above everything else. Some people believe in calorie counting but this is really not the right thing to do at all. instead of calorie counting you should instead be looking at what nutrition the food contains instead and eat when you hungry instead of starving yourself.. and starving yourself of nutrients that your body needs. People seem to go for cheap fast junk food because it is quick and simple but this doesn't have to be the reason why you are unhealthy because there are plenty of healthy foods that you can quickly prepare in your kitchen that taste great! sounds great right? Well this blog is all about making great healthy foods in your kitchen that are fool proof to make.Monty Stellohttps://plus.google.com/113250781594945323041noreply@blogger.com0


(SELECT COALESCE(                                 MIN(CASE pdc.CultureID                                  WHEN @CultureID                                   THEN pd.Description END),                                MIN(CASE pdc.CultureID                                   WHEN N'en'                                   THEN pd.Description END))                                FROM Production.ProductDescription                                  AS pd                                JOIN Production.ProductModel                                  ProductDescriptionCulture AS pdc                                  ON pdc.ProductModelID =                                    pm.ProductModelID                                  AND pdc.ProductDescriptionID =                                    pd.ProductDescriptionID                                  WHERE pdc.CultureID                                     IN ( @CultureID, N'en' )


Ray Jones - Council candidate in Ward 5

Ray Jones - Council candidate in Ward 5

Ray Jones

File / Calgary Herald

Name: Ray Jones

Age: 60

Occupation: Politician

Political experience: 20 years

Why do you want to be a councillor?  I enjoy working with my communities.

If elected, what is one thing you would like to accomplish, and why? Come to a collaborative solution to growth with the stakeholders.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you? All is not as it appears.

What do you think is the biggest issue facing the city? Growth.

How would you describe your leadership style? Democratic and participative.

In your opinion, what is the best thing city council has done in the last three years? Made the decision to build the tunnel at the airport.

What is one thing you think council should have done, but didn’t? Return the $52 million to the taxpayers.

Email: aldjones@telus.net


Creativity Explored
3245 16th Street (at Guerrero Street)
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 863-2108
Creativity Explored

Badia Forbes

Badia Forbes (b. 1987, Boston, MA) took her artistic inspiration from the lives around her: her family, her guardian, and her cat. Relationships were the key to her process, evidenced by Forbes’ accomplished portraiture. All of her work has the painterly qualities of controlled but expressive brushwork and palette. Her figures are proportioned precisely, yet given moments of unique expressiveness, such as an elongated neck or a head tilted at a radical angle. Forbes worked in the Creativity Explored studio from 2009 until she passed away in 2015.

Forbes was often overheard reading aloud the horoscopes of everyone nearby, and was a natural and enthusiastic member of the Friday dance class held in the studio. In fact, the bustling CE studio atmosphere helped Forbes get “nice and relaxed” and "tuned-in" to the human activity surrounding her. This interaction of personalities was felt in the honest and loving style of her painting.

Print Bio

Samples of Forbes' work

Selected Exhibitions

Tree of Life, Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA

Fabulous, Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA

The Masters, Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA

Gesture, Creativity Explored, San Francisco, CA


Payment methods

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Page 1

MGT 521 Final Exam Guide (New) To Purchase This Material Click below Link's/product-38-MGT-521Final-Exam-Guide-(New) FOR MORE CLASSES VISIT 1. ________ is defined as a business firm’s intention, beyond its legal and economic obligations, to do the right things and act in ways that are good for society. Social screening Social responsibility Social obligation Values-based management 2. The balanced scorecard measures organizational performance against previously established standards. Which of the four functions of management relates most closely to setting these standards? Controlling Leading Organizing Planning 3. Budgets can be used as tools within which two functions of management? Controlling and organizing Planning and leading Controlling and planning Organizing and leading 4. Indira Patel has been working in her organization’s computer security department for the past 10 years. If another employee follows Indira’s recommendations in a given

situation, based on her expertise in computer security, which source of power is Indira using? Legitimate power Coercive power Expert power Referent power 5. If Carol Reece is a charismatic leader, which of the following characteristics is she most likely to possess? An external locus of control A sensitivity to environmental constraints and follower needs A strong need to be in control A fear of taking risks 6. According to the Ohio State studies, which of the following dimensions of leader behavior refers to the extent to which a leader is likely to define and structure his or her role and the roles of group members to meet goals? Consideration structure Intelligence structure Initiating structure Psychological structure 7. On Monday, Jimâ€™s Taco Shop identified a problem with tainted ground beef that was used to make tacos and nacho platters for its lunch customers. If the staff at Jimâ€™s did not identify the problem until after the lunch rush, what type of control would this demonstrate? Feedforward control Concurrent control Proactive control

Feedback control 8. The ________ determines the number of levels and managers in an organization. chain of command span of control unity of command delegation of authority 9. During benchmarking, an organization can compare its processes and products to competitors in its own industry and to noncompetitors outside the industry. What is a main benefit of comparing a firmâ€™s performance against an organization it does not consider a competitor? A noncompetitor may allow an organization to see its practices more readily than a competitor in the same industry. A noncompetitor may be the world leader in a specific process or practice, and an organization can learn from it. A noncompetitor may be easier to find and benchmark, because the top firms in the world are so diverse. There is no benefit to benchmarking a firm against a noncompetitor. 10. If a manager rationalizes that he or she does not have time to investigate the source of a problem and instead resorts to putting out fires, the manager is missing the use of ________. bureaucratic control basic corrective action concurrent control immediate corrective action 11. Which leadership theory is derived from the belief that a leaderâ€™s job is to remove pitfalls and roadblocks so followers can achieve their work goals? Contingency theory

Fiedlerâ€™s theory Leader participation model Path-goal theory 12. A company that wants to distinguish itself from the competition in the marketplace is most likely using which of the following strategies? Functional strategy Focus strategy Differentiation strategy Generic strategy 13. When a manager makes use of a SWOT analysis, one of his or her objectives is to set specific short-term performance standards for each department formulate appropriate strategies to exploit strengths, protect against threats, and correct weaknesses evaluate the desirability of issuing stocks or bonds in the current financial climate identify the best employees to fill each position in the organization 14. What can be said about a manager who believes she worked hard and met her organizationâ€™s productivity goals despite unfavorable conditions? She has an external locus of control. She has a high ego strength. She has an internal locus of control. She has a low ego strength. 15. Which of the following is a characteristic of a matrix organization? It is free of internal and external boundaries. It has formal departments to which employees return after completing a project It conforms to the unity of command principle.

It has a single chain of command for functional managers to report to. 16. Which of the following is a characteristic of an organic organization? Narrow span of controls High specialization Cross-functional teams Rigid departmentalization 17. Conflicts can be resolved by satisfying oneâ€™s own needs at the expense of others. This conflict- management technique is known as ________. forcing avoiding collaborating compromising 18. When planning for unexpected events, a company is using which of the following techniques? Contingency planning Benchmarking Financial forecasting SWOT analysis 19. Melvin manages a team of 10 employees, including Jane and Jared. Jared is leaving the organization to find a job as a manager in another field. Meanwhile, due to performance issues, Melvin terminates Janeâ€™s employment with the company. Both of these are examples of what type of employee behavior? Job satisfaction Employee productivity Absenteeism Turnover

20. Searching for new ideas beyond an organizationâ€™s boundaries and allowing changes to easily transfer inward and outward is known as ________. open innovation strategic partnering knowledge management organizational osmosis 21. Which business practice would likely encourage ethical behavior? Intense competition for valued rewards Cultural values for obedience to authority Strong emphasis on individual productivity Strong emphasis on leading by example 22. Why are feedforward controls more rarely implemented as compared to other types of controls? Feedforward controls result in wasted time and money. Feedforward controls require managers to interact directly with employees. Feedforward controls are time-consuming for managers because they must continually monitor progress. Feedforward controls require timely and accurate information that is hard to obtain. 23. Which of the following statements is true about group decision making? It generates more complete information and knowledge. It is most suitable for matters that must be critically evaluated. It prevents any one minority from dominating or influencing the final decision. It takes less time to reach a solution than it would an individual. 24. In the ________ approach of going green, organizations respond to the environmental preferences of customers.

activist legal market stakeholder 25. Thomas often annoys his coworkers with his talkativeness and assertive personality. According to the Big Five Model of personality, Thomas would be described as high in the trait of ________. openness to experience extraversion agreeableness conscientiousness 26. If a firm wanted to identify how much money was being made for each sale of a given product (above and beyond the costs associated with making that product), what type of ratio would it use? Liquidity ratios Activity ratios Profitability ratios Leverage ratios 27. It is crucial to determine an acceptable _____ during the comparing step in the control process. written report measure of organizational performance ideal standard range of variation 28. An organizationâ€™s ________ goals are official statements of what an organization says its goals are.

real stated synthetic implicit 29. Kelly is interviewing candidates to fill a vacancy on her team. One candidate has a degree from a prestigious university, and Kelly is impressed. In speaking with her fellow members of the interview panel, however, Kelly finds that no one else enjoyed the interview with the candidate, finding her to be pompous, aggressive, and self-serving. In her focus on only the candidateâ€™s education, Kelly may have fallen victim to _______. stereotyping the halo effect assumed similarity selectivity 30. Which of the following stages is when the group structure is in place and accepted by the group members? Norming Storming Performing Adjourning

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Climate news roundup

Maldives Builds Barriers to Global Warming — NPR Report. The Republic of Maldives, a nation of small islands, is among the most threatened by sea level rise in the coming century. Having tried for decades to address the coming doom, their president has found a solution aimed at adapting to sea level rise, spreading out the nation’s population, and building sturdier cities in general.

Antarctica on alert for alien invaders — Reuters. Scientists in Antarctica fear that global warming and travel to the island could cause a mass introduction of species new to Antarctica — like rats.

Let’s hope talk on climate change is not just hot air — The Times (UK). From the author of The Rough Guide to Climate Change, in anticipation of Bush’s second meaningless climate PR stunt major emitter’s meeting — to be held in Hawaii (!) later this week:

Talk of global warming will fill the balmy air of Hawaii this week. President Bush will host representatives of 15 of the world’s biggest economies that lead the global pack on greenhouse emissions to discuss setting goals that can take over where the Kyoto Protocol leaves off in 2012.

However, Earth’s atmosphere isn’t exactly waiting in the wings. Change is already occuring, due to gases emitted over the past hundred years. A century is a long time — but what about what happens in the next five minutes:

— Burning oil, petrol and coal will throw about 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the air.

— Human-produced greenhouse gases will trap enough sunlight to power a 40-watt lightbulb for every 40 square metres on Earth.

— Two people will die from illnesses related to global warming.

The flip side of these ominous numbers is that personal and societal actions make a concrete difference here and now, not just in a hazy climatic future. Let’s say you replace an incandescent lightbulb with a compact fluorescent or, for your holiday, opt for a train to Nice instead of a flight to Cyprus.

Imagine a half-tonne of refuse strewn across a tropical ocean for a hundred years. Then imagine having it within your power to keep it from getting there. In the ocean of air in which we live and breathe, we have that power.


Humanity First started formally as a registered charity in 1994 in the UK. Since its inception, HF has responded to several disasters and served hundreds of thousands of victims in various affected communities. Soon, the organization's scope of operations expanded beyond disaster relief to several sustainable human development projects and initiatives around the world.

Today, Humanity First is registered in 43 countries across 6 continents and actively working on projects in 46 countries. Its operations are primarily funded by grass roots donations from individuals, corporate gift matching, and various other grants. The dedicated volunteers of Humanity First are the force behind the good work that the organization delivers, who bring their professional industry experience to the benefit of the affected communities. It also leverages preferential rates for relief equipment, logistics, and other needed supplies benefiting from global sourcing.


« You know, usually I am more of a Jazz person. » Notwithstanding, that night, the Lady from the Castle danced until dawn on Techno music. Like all the Perchés, the costumed ones, the non-costumed ones, the feathered ones and the naked ones, she felt that energy. A drive for improvisation, the art of letting it go, a direct relationship between music and the body. The energy of jazz, but this energy is shared by all music genres. No need to play classic to be classy. A genuine creative thrust transcends substance.

At the Castle of Chazeron, the Perchés forgot for one night the codes, the rules and the classifications, only to see truth beyond the façade. Together they communed, on the soil of Auvergne, in order to instigate new understandings of self and others. The movement had just begun, but soon it will rise beyond expectations.

Château Perché’s first success, at the Castle of Chazeron, was on August 15th and 16th 2015. The Percheurs welcomed the Perchés into their 24h transic carnival of the senses. In a unique medieval scenery, artists from Berlin, Paris, Lyon or London gave life to the Donjon and the Moat. The bulwarks still remember the sharp beats of underground Techno and liberated House. The festival was full of smiles and happiness and it created strong ties between people. The quest for infinite potentialities has begun on the 15th of August 2015, but it will continue until entropy gets us all.


Outback Roads is a new set of stock photos that’s been getting a lot of attention on our site. What passes for a road in various parts of Australia can be nothing more than a graded track. However, these roads are highly important and heavily used by local people and are usually very well maintained. In the north, the wet season can wash out roads but they reappear in the dry. Many Outback roads are important economic connectors – particularly for the cattle industry, and Aboriginal people who travel frequently for ceremonies and family reasons. View Outback Roads here (Original post)


The South Asia Channel

Pakistan’s Big Threat Isn’t Terrorism—It’s Climate Change

Pakistan’s Big Threat Isn’t Terrorism—It’s Climate Change

For decades, Pakistan has struggled to manage urgent crises, ranging from infrastructure woes to terrorism. While its policies focus on short-term conventional threats, a potentially devastating danger lurks in the shadows: climate change. As the impact of global warming continues to grow, the political and economic instability it brings will threaten Pakistan’s security. The Pakistani government must prioritize its response to climate change in order to mitigate environmental threats and prevent future calamities.

However, this perception is changing as global warming starts to impact everyday life. Over the past several years, Pakistanis have witnessed, firsthand, the devastating effects of climate change. Catastrophic floods displaced millions, and severe droughts in Thar and Balochistan portend the damage global warming can cause. The frequency of those floods has increased over the last five years, due to melting glaciers and heavy rainfall. Karachi, Pakistan’s most populous metropolitan city, suffered a heat wave so severe it claimed the lives of almost 1,200 people. These recent disasters could account for the change in public opinion from the 2007-2008 Gallup poll to the situation in 2015, when Pakistan joined the list of 19 countries where the majority of the population now considers climate change a top global threat.

Perhaps the biggest security threat facing Pakistan today is the possibility of climate change and environmental factors destabilizing Karachi, which is regarded as the country’s economic backbone. With a population of approximately 17 million people, the city attracts almost a million migrants every year due to its vast pool of employment opportunities, per a report by Express Tribune. It is also Pakistan’s main port city, and accounts for 42 percent of its total GDP. It generates about half of Pakistan’s tax revenue, and houses its stock exchange, central bank, and the priciest real estate in the country, according to the CEO of real estate portal

In an interview with me in January, Dr. Asif Inam of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) said, “Mangrove trees cannot stop cyclones and tsunamis. Instead, they act as the first line of defense against these natural calamities, minimizing their damage.” Once home to a dense mangrove forest essential to the sustenance of the delta, 205 acres have been razed to make way for several coal-fired power plants. With the mangroves gone, the Karachi coastline is now more prone to natural disasters such as cyclones and tsunamis.

Last year, the United Nations conducted a drill simulating a major earthquake in the Indian Ocean. The exercise was based on a hypothetical 9.0 magnitude quake in the Makran Trench, where the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet off the coast of Pakistan, which could trigger a catastrophic tsunami. Tauseef Alam, the chief meteorologist who supervised the tests, warned that the disastrous tsunami waves could reach Karachi in one and a half hours and “wipe out the entire city.” As the sea line creeps closer to the city limits because of land erosion resulting from Mangrove tree deforestation, the danger to Karachi’s population increases.

In 2014, the United Nations released an assessment of what would happen to Karachi if it faced another Tsunami like the one it faced in 1945 that claimed the lives of almost 4,000 people. So far, no tangible evacuation plan exists, despite efforts to implement an early warning system to prepare the city’s residents in case of an emergency.

With sea levels rising, there is also an increased chance of trans-boundary migration. According to a report by Dawn, sea level rise is expected to produce 35-40 million climate refugees. These Pakistani refugees will have no place to go: migration to India will not be possible because of the tense political history between the nations, and Bangladesh will not be able to absorb the vast number of refugees as it suffers from its own low-lying coastal belt.

Pakistan runs on an agrarian economy. From 1949 to 1950, Pakistan’s agriculture sector was responsible for 53 percent of the total GDP. By 1980 to 1981, this number had dropped to 31 percent; in recent years, it has fallen even further to 21.4 percent. Among other factors, experts blame the drop on increased floods and droughts. The decrease in agricultural contributions to national GDP have stunted the economic growth of the country. According to leading economist Ishrat Husain, the economy grew by 2.9 percent per annum in the last five years, but it could have exceeded a projected rate of 6.5 percent if flooding had not caused economic and human losses.

According to a report published by the U.S. Department of Defense, “climate change will exacerbate global instability, posing an immediate threat to national security.” Among other factors, the report identified strained water supplies due to melting glaciers as a factor that could trigger instability. Pakistan ranks as the sixth-most populous country in the world, and is already unable to meet the growing water demand. The flooding and droughts destroy billions of dollars’ worth of crops every year, increasing the rates of inflation and unemployment. In addition to the water shortage, the long-term damage to fields and crops will lead to food scarcity. If this trend continues, Pakistan will be unable to meet the demands of its population, which is growing by nearly 2 percent each year.

It is imperative that Pakistan makes climate change a priority. Failure to do so would jeopardize the country’s national security. Where water and food shortage catalyzes civil unrest and conflicts, it will also hinder the government’s ability to properly manage its resources.

Currently, Pakistan has allocated 58.8 million rupees to combat climate change, a commitment that must be increased. Since Pakistan is not financially secure enough to afford climate change implementation programs on its own, it needs assistance from foreign entities as well as climate change experts who can design comprehensive programs, bearing in mind the government’s limitations.

Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images