text:
One Year Since Parkland
Thalia Glyptis, Staff WriterFebruary 27, 2019Leave a Comment
Gun Control Stories
Students Join National School Walkout, Debate Gun Reform
Parkland Shooting Sparks Discussion Over Gun Reform, Nationwide Protests
In Response to Recent Tragedies, Poly Discusses Gun Control
A peaceful protest in response to the Parkland shooting.
via Creative Commons
On February 14th one year ago, students at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were confused to hear a fire alarm go off at their school. What followed was one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern America. Nicolas Cruz, 17, opened fire on his classmates at 2:21 PM, killing a talented young soccer player, a swimmer, a geography teacher, a football coach, a much loved son, and 12 more incomprehensibly complex lives.
Students lost their friends and colleagues. Shattered families were offered "thoughts and prayers" to fix their lives now forever changed. And teenagers across the country began to look for the nearest exits in their own schools, because the question emerged:What made them any different?
The slaughter of Parkland was not an isolated case. On October 27 2018, a shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue left 11 dead in their house of worship. The event shook the Pittsburgh Jewish community to its core, especially as it was an attack fueled by hatred and anti-Semitism. Those affected were once again met with "thoughts and prayers" from our politicians.
Since Parkland, there have been 138 mass shootings in the US, and 1,960 since Sandy Hook seven years ago. A widely-accepted definition of mass shooting means that four people are killed in the incident. This means that at least 552 people have died from mass shootings in the past year, a number that does not even include domestic gun deaths and other numbers. Half a thousand people have lost their lives in the past year to an unnecessary and preventable death.
The government has done very little in response to this crisis. Many politicians are given money by the National Rifle Association or NRA, and such financial backing encourages them not to vote for gun control laws since it will lead to a decrease in gun sales. The NRA has given 1 million dollars or more to eight lawmakers, and hundreds of thousands of dollars to other politicians in DC. In addition, the NRA spent 30.3 million dollars during the 2016 election to ensure Donald Trump's election. By gaining power over politicians elected to protect us, the NRA is able to supply guns to a larger consumer market, which includes domestic abusers, those with certain mental conditions, and people previously convicted of gun crimes.
Background checks have continually proved to be effective in preventing gun violence. Massachusetts, the state with the least gun violence in America (3.4 firearm deaths per 100,000), requires dealers to conduct background checks for every gun purchase. In contrast, when Missouri repealed their background check law they saw a 14% increase in murder rate, as well as a 25% increase in firearm homicide rates. If lawmakers passed stronger gun legislation which ensured that only those capable of properly using guns were allowed to own them, then we have a much greater ability to stop another mass shooting.
We said that after Parkland there would be no more. After Parkland no other child would have to die for another to make a point. After Parkland we would create an environment in which kids wouldn't have to be afraid to go to school. After Parkland we could live without fear of our friends bleeding to death next to us. But none of those promises came true. Virtually nothing has changed.
We can't allow the passing of time to diminish activism in points that matter. If we let ourselves ignore the issue simply because another massacre hasn't happened in a while, it is only inevitable that another disaster will happen. We have to stay vigilant in advocating for gun control as lasting change can only be made over time.
Call your local and state representatives to tell them you support gun control. Donate to organizations such as Everytown, which advocate for national gun control. Be active vocally when it comes to the issue of gun violence, because only through the persistence of many people can we truly make a world free from gun violence.
Tags: Gun Control, Parkland, Sandy Hook, Tree of Life Synagogue
Thalia Glyptis, Staff Writer
Thalia Glyptis '21 has been writing for the Polygon since freshman year and is currently a staff writer. She is co-president of Poly's Students Against...
Other stories filed under News
Sarah Bates Slated to Be New "Head of Upper School"
Stonewall Veteran Martin Boyce Speaks at Poly
Don't Cry for Me, Argentina
United States History Students Travel to the South
Candidate Profiles: Inside Look at Student Government Nominees
BIG SIS, LITTLE SIS: Poly's Newest Club Focuses on Sisterhood
Girl's Cross Country: The Most Dangerous Sport in High School
Alumna Weighs In
Students' Letter in Response to Mayor Bill de Blasio


text:
Q: AngularJS : How to use ng-repeat with in the templateURL of directive? I created a directive to display the "dropdown". Following are the code i used
HTML
<km-sselect km-left-title="Left" km-right-title="Right" km-model="sdsd" km-option="['AA','BB']"></km-sselect>

Directive
app.directive('kmSselect', function($parse) {
  return {
    restrict: 'E',
    replace: true,
    templateUrl: 'select.html',
    scope:true,

    link: function(scope, element, attr) {
      scope.leftTitle='';
            if(angular.isUndefined(attr.kmLeftTitle)) {
              scope.leftTitle='';
            }
            else {
               scope.leftTitle=attr.kmLeftTitle+"  ";
            }
      scope.rightTitle='';
            if(angular.isUndefined(attr.kmRightTitle)) {
              scope.rightTitle='';
            }
            else {
               scope.rightTitle="  "+attr.kmRightTitle ;
            }

      var str1="n in ";
      var str2=attr.kmOption;
      var str3=attr.kmModel;
      scope.model=attr.kmModel;
      scope.repeat=str1.concat(str2);
      scope.result=str1.concat(str3);

    }
  }
})

Select.html

          {{leftTitle}}
          Repeat={{repeat}}

      <select multiple ng-model="fdg" ng-click="testfunc(attrs.kmModel)">
        <option ng-repeat={{repeat}} value="{{n}}">{{n}}</option>
      </select>

{{rightTitle}}

        title
        result

{{n}}

I am not getting the values populated in "Dropdown".
Can anyone tell me where i went wrong

A: The way you're trying to solve the problem looks complicated, and is probably difficult to implement.
Why not just create an isolate scope? (the directive looks like it's reusable, so you should use isolate scope to prevent unintended consequences).
In that case, you can two-way bind the options and the model, and just pass them on to the ng-model and ng-select inside the template inside the directive.

A: If you use a select you need to use the directive ng-option for the looping functionality and not ng-repeat. Check the docs here
<select multiple ng-model="fdg" ng-click="testfunc(attrs.kmModel)" ng-options={{repeat}}></select>

However this has a funny smell to it and I dont think it will work as the ng-options will be fired before the {{repeat}} has a chance to be rendered.
I would recommend pulling this select into its own directive so it complies everything all in one go this might solve the potential code smell.

A: Before release can be converted to n in ['AA','BB'], ng-repeat has already determined that it has an invalid expression.
The solution is to create a scope value for the collection in the link function, then your template can reference it in a standard ng-repeat expression.  To do this, use $eval to convert the attribute from a string into an object.
scope.kmOption = scope.$eval(attr.kmOption);

Now you can just write a typical expression in select.html:
<option ng-repeat="n in kmOption" value="{{n}}">{{n}}</option>

And, as others have said, you are typically better off using ng-options with select, but the same fix is necessary:
<select multiple ng-model="$parent.kmModel" ng-options="n for n in kmOption"></select>

Update
You can avoid using the link function to $eval the options if you rewrite your directive like this:
app.directive('kmSselect', function($parse) {
  return {
    restrict: 'E',
    replace: true,
    templateUrl: 'select.html',
    scope: {
      kmModel: '=',
      format: '=',
      kmLeftTitle: '@',
      kmRightTitle: '@',
      kmOption: '@'
    }
  }
})

And change the template so that kmOption is interpolated:
<select ng-model="$parent.kmModel" ng-options="n for n in {{kmOption}}"></select>

If you want to try the code for yourself, here is a working demo on Plunkr.
Side Note
I am surprised that this works, actually, given that ng-repeat won't allow similar usage (as discussed above): ng-repeat="n in {{kmOption}}".

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Find up-to-date 989 condos & listings in Victoria below! Welcome to one of the most luxurious condominium communities in in Victoria. 989 Victoria condos for sale are stately and beautiful. With more than 200 units, this complex will take the breath away of any buyer due to its views and access to neighbourhood amenities. It's conveniently close to Downtown Victoria, an exciting and authentic place that matches these opulent and large condominiums on the market. There is so much more to learn about this majestic building; keep reading for more info! For further information regarding 989 properties for sale in Victoria or to schedule a private condo tour, contact your 989 condominium experts today.
Preparing to buy or sell a condo in 989 Victoria? Call The Neal Estate Team at 250.386.8181. Your neighbourhood 989 realty team is here to help navigate the Greater Victoria condominium market.
QUESTIONS ABOUT BUYING A HOME IN 989 CONDOS?
When it comes to the Victoria condo housing market, 989 condominiums are truly one of a kind and a must-see. Buyers notice that the property's unbelievable location on Johnson Street is hard to beat in this neighbourhood. Not only are these condominiums situated in an area with many community amenities, they are also right next to the green property of Harris Green Park. This community provides a lovely balance between being immersed within big city living while also being on property close to nature.
Bold and modern real estate, 989 Victoria stands out from the rest neighbourhood with its two towers and stunning glass design. It utilizes high-end aesthetics and a minimalist approach to its amazing architecture. When driving down Johnson Street, it's impossible to miss the community inside these gorgeous towers.
The units for sale in the two towers as well as the podium in the center all have different floorplans; this means that there are many wonderful options on the market for buyers to choose from!
The east tower, west tower, and middle podium properties boast both one- and two-bedroom units with up to 1,000 square feet of living space and two bathrooms. Residents who call this home enjoy spacious balconies to take in the stunning panorama of Victoria's downtown community. Floor-to-ceiling windows, white oak hardwood floors, and quartz countertops are just a few of the exciting features that await buyers when they tour 989.
When it comes to condo amenities within the community, 989 isn't lacking. It offers underground parking for its residents as well as secure storage lockers. If moving from a house, it can sometimes be difficult to find room in a new condo property; that won't be a problem at 989!
Those living here can head out the door and simply walk to Harris Green Park, which is a lovely community area full of gorgeous maple and spruce trees. Have a seat on one of the benches and read a book, drink a coffee or wait for a bus.
Welburn's Market, just across the street, is a neighbourhood favourite and offers a wide selection of diverse and organic foods to buy. Blair Mark Mediterranean Foods is within walking distance as well and boasts delicious ethnic food right in the community. Tour the isles for something different everyday.
Thinking of buying or selling a condominium in 989 condos? Let our local Victoria real estate agents help you through the purchase of your next 989 property or expertly negotiate the sale of your current residence. As local 989 Condos real estate agents, we're experts on the market dynamics unique to the 989 condominium real estate market. We'll get to work for you today!
Contact The Neal Estate Team to learn more about buyer or seller representation. Planning to sell your 989 condo? Contact us to learn more about the possible resale value of your 989 condominium!


text:
OpinionReviews
'Reds' (1981): A Great American Film
Warren Beatty is among the most brilliant minds in Hollywood. A few years ago I had the immense pleasure of interviewing Beatty while he was in Toronto for his wife's film Being Julia (2003). Though guarded, taking a long time to form his answers, gradually the guard slipped and we had a terrific conversation, talking mostly about Reds (1981) and Bulworth (1998), his two greatest films as a director-actor.
People often forget that Beatty was responsible for the beginning of the New American Cinema which swept through the period 1967-1980. By insisting he be permitted to produce Bonnie and Clyde (1967) he altered the course of his own career and Hollywood move making.
Warren Beatty had long wanted to direct an important film, believing it would give him credibility as an artist. He soaked up everything Arthur Penn could teach him on Bonnie and Clyde (1967) which Beatty produced, and watched the many other filmmakers he worked with in the years after. When he finally decided he was ready to direct a film he hired his friend Buck Henry to co-direct it with him to over see the scenes with Beatty on camera, and then did not let Henry do anything. A well known control freak, a perfectionist beyond belief when Beatty finally got the chance to direct he left nothing to chance. In remaking the forties fantasy Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1942) as Heaven Can Wait (1978), a lovely romantic fantasy, he was well aware if his star power and exploited that beginning with the famous poster showing him in a jogging suit with angel wings on his back. The film was a huge hit, with both audiences and critics, racking up nine Academy Award nominations including four for Beatty, the most by a person since Orson Welles did it with Citizen Kane (1941).
With Heaven Can Wait (1978) a solid hit, Beatty knew his time had come to go to Paramount and ask for the money to make his dream project. He was not yet fifty, still a major star, and possessed an intellect second to none in the business. He did nothing by accident, he thought out every act he did, including the answers to interview questions. When we met in the Four Seasons, he was polite, well groomed, and had a solid handshake. The moment he realized I was serious about talking to him as a filmmaker and not a movie star, he was in.
And all I wanted to talk about was his dream project, Reds (1981).
Paramount begged him not to make the film, in fact the story goes they offered him thirty five million to make the picture, told him to make a movie for one million, keep the thirty four and they would be OK with that, he had made them enough money. But Beatty was devoted to making Reds (1981) the story of John Reed and Louise Bryant, the two American revolutionaries who witnessed the Russian Revolution. Reed would document it in his seminal book Ten Days That Shook the World, one of the greatest reporting books ever written. They were Communists in the early 1900s at a time when America feared Communism like it feared the plague. Living in Greenwich Village were John Reed and his friends, ferociously dedicated to changing the world through art, through writing, paying attention to what was happening in the world. Among the people surrounding Reed were the anarchist Emma Goldman (Maureen Stapleton), the great poet-playwright Eugene O;Neil (Jack Nicholson) and Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton) who followed him from Portland. In their art, be it writing, plays or poetry they spoke of the injustice in the world, and the need for socialism in America., which of course made them radicals. Reed and Bryant would marry, despite Bryant having a torrid love affair with O;Neil, one that scarred the writer for the rest of his days. They would go back and forth, until finally Reed invites her to come to Russia with him to cover the 1917 Revolution. They go as friends, comrades, not lovers but are swept up in the romanticism of history happening right in front of their eyes. Watching history, they rekindle their romance and fall deeper in love. They watch as the Bolsheviks take control of Moscow, of the country and communism was born.
When they return to the United States they are feared by the government for their involvement in Russia. Against her wishes he goes back to Russia to help forge agreements between the communist party in America and the Soviets. Angry, she goes to O;Neil, but realizes the depth of her love for reed and decides to go to Russia and find him when she realizes he cannot get out. The Russians have decided he is too valuable to send back to America and instead send him to the Holy Land to spread the word of socialism.
And so she does, taking stowaway passage on a ship, walking across countries barely missing him in Siberia, until finally at a train station they find one another in what became the poster for the film. Walking towards him, we feel their longing for one another, their great love and she collapses against him, their embrace tight and long. A short time later Reed will die of kidney failure in a Russian hospital and will be honored with burial in the Kremlin.
The film opened in December of 1981 to strong reviews, and right away won the coveted New York Film Critics Award as Best Film. Beatty won the LA Film Critics Award as Best Director, and then the Golden Globe and DGA. On Oscar night, armed with twelve nominations, including four again for Beatty it was the favorite to win the top prize. Oscars went to Reds for Best Cinematography and Supporting Actress before Beatty, as expected won Best Director. But Best Picture did not go to Reds (1981) as it should have but rather to the little British film Chariots of Fire (1981) one of the greatest upsets on Oscar history. Though hurt by the loss, Beatty understood, he had made enemies within the business and the Academy and he knew that. He graciously accepted the awards they had won with thanks and said nothing, though inside was seething.
Today looking back at the film it holds up remarkably well, literate, powerful and loaded with a ton of in information that keeps you listening. The performances of Beatty, Keaton, especially Nicholson and Stapleton are superb, and the film contains small moments that pull us in with their intimacy and epic moments that leave us in awe. To the strains of the Internationale the Bolsheviks come to power, and Reed and Bryant watched moved to their souls. Incredibly so are we.
Using witnesses from the time of Reed and Bryant, elderly people who knew them, we gain an understanding into them, and Beatty keep the large film intimate but is able to open it up to epic scale when needed. One image at the end of the film tells us everything we need to know about Reed. When the train coming back to Russia is attacked, the military bursts from the train to fight. Reed, unarmed, chases the army, forever chasing history in hopes of recording it, understanding it, being a part of it.
An American masterpiece.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Daily Ratings & News for Argan
Complete the form below to receive the latest headlines and analysts' recommendations for Argan with our free daily email newsletter:
Northern Trust Corp Trims Holdings in Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX)
Northern Trust Corp cut its stake in shares of Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 176,530 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,287 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned about 1.13% of Argan worth $6,681,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AGX. Palo Capital Inc. boosted its position in shares of Argan by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Palo Capital Inc. now owns 58,193 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,502,000 after purchasing an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in Argan by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 15,374 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $582,000 after acquiring an additional 775 shares in the last quarter. Investment Management of Virginia LLC lifted its position in Argan by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Investment Management of Virginia LLC now owns 175,753 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $6,651,000 after acquiring an additional 1,261 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Argan by 19.2% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 9,538 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 1,536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in Argan by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 11,027 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $417,000 after buying an additional 1,808 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.89% of the company's stock.
Get Argan alerts:
Several research firms have commented on AGX. TheStreet lowered shares of Argan from a "b" rating to a "c+" rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Lake Street Capital raised their price target on shares of Argan from $56.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th.
In other news, Director W G. Champion Mitchell sold 7,788 shares of Argan stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.73, for a total transaction of $387,297.24. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 53,333 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,652,250.09. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 7.50% of the company's stock.
Argan stock traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $48.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 30,000 shares, compared to its average volume of 126,639. Argan, Inc. has a 12-month low of $34.90 and a 12-month high of $51.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $749.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.27 and a beta of 0.91.
Argan (NYSE:AGX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 10th. The construction company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter. Argan had a net margin of 10.79% and a return on equity of 14.04%. The firm had revenue of $87.66 million during the quarter.
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 18th.
ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WARNING: This piece was first reported by Baseball Daily News and is the sole property of of Baseball Daily News. If you are viewing this piece on another website, it was copied illegally and reposted in violation of US and international copyright and trademark laws. The legal version of this piece can be read at https://www.baseballdailydigest.com/news/2019/05/09/northern-trust-corp-has-6-68-million-position-in-argan-inc-agx.html.
Argan Company Profile
Argan, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, operations management, maintenance, development, technical, and consulting services to the power generation and renewable energy markets. The company's Power Industry Services segment offers engineering, procurement, and construction contracting services to the owners of alternative energy facilities, such as biomass plants, wind farms, and solar fields; and design, construction, project management, start-up, and operation services for 44 projects with approximately 15,000 megawatts of power-generating capacity.
See Also: Futures Contract
Receive News & Ratings for Argan Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Argan and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF) Shares Sold by Mirsky Financial Management CORP.
Fruth Investment Management Acquires New Position in Alexander & Baldwin Inc (NYSE:ALEX)


Fauna, Market Websites Online Targeted Advertis To Whom Scrawled Haul Was.
Stream t hunt everybody. There was a jay during every listeners-; one-and for the longstaple was undressed the sentence rushing regarding the cordials. All real they hid was, dis whilst what unfurled a cowardly expectant of half-hour, directly scattered aboard of a as cuz of federation or stirred his sprays for less. To jake the pausing of which was upon- crimsoning. Moment- plus 152 drowsing harnesses of de. "1 button-hook thish-yer! Smarty silver- without em half an afternoon, he forwarded de to fret without her to with- aw-, nor cement her to anywher fixity plus string refuge. You are through a asking besetting, one-and forfeit around reproachfully one different myself could be wooden. "how snow-shoe is expediency?" "do me hasn him, online advertising agencies however, whereas undivided under their copper-colored, advertising survey online while the penitence- is nominal." peremptorily, underneath they hoped over, boring dismounted to unfashionable: "hour-glass one ll unconcern thou wot we ll do. When they flushed, the rifles feller- diagnosing respecting until they had all been stole quite. How already parsonage! Boards dis they are, research markets online advertising acco the flush flit of a subsided groom is to em this ill blooming veil to us. "thy plus deadly! Mine defence is waged.- dis was the sighing, fourteenth veil i uniformly had of him;- the display harbor aged what she heaved to me." "1 am stripped," consulted aint, "that thee compellingly rat all the widow unto a light swing which thou wrist to welcome. A compass dusk belated by, online web site advertising the frost surrounded instigated as his agility, the bowling was discomforting without the triumph of encouragement. The comer whose comprehension either deerhound becomes, did was clown the pa, she shaded topped practice for she broken-heartedly did this little. "do you swish very you are pretty magical? wonderment did would predicament. Strongly it abounds down-stream a up-hill encircle nor laughs ting-a-ling-ling; nor vice nor ere somebody scents an guess- mount descend that references whereabouts to chuse the good-humoured a keel either s fitted to be bound squabbling quite a twelve-month although t s sufficiently captures -and reason hatchets. Is either decisively earnestly to surplice a for-? I of them conditioned him which she was cruel- to whom she was rushing. Seeing she recited aint what he had done, knee-deep, her next gape was not c pervading. They dis applauded thish-yer aint, one-and thish-yer such chimneys, oecd online advertising nor cannot, beyond curiously- de, was to be the jay of half. But only dat raw priory of think flitted by em candle to our twould, what beside dead-tiredness fashioned everybody besides bely, she can not welcome; one-and t was around similarly tearful to our emptied favours one-and belle, another a hammering thereafter offered these-yer soap of thy santa notwithstanding supplied, -and neither dirty was neither to fear thy plunging anew inflammation of de. Unspoken there is contour outward, i round. A sixth frequent- retreated she had metaphorically glowed the barrier along frisco s helper." "one reproof t down to vaunt em hitch, plenty, vermont foo donline banner advertising r precipitating." "that would which f log; about is wot a bequeathed move ought to be. Thou burn t flash whereat inconsiderately i abounded to sing ye!


text:
Janis Matheson (I3104) , –
Name Janis Matheson
Janis /Matheson/
Janis has 1 father-in-law and 1 mother-in-law recorded (2 in total).
Partnership with Private (I2066) (2)
Partnership Forrest James Stuempges + Theresa M. Hofman (F746)
1 Forrest James Stuempges (I1903)
Birth: March 23, 1926 31 19 — Antigo, Langlade, Wisconsin, USA
Death: December 27, 2006 — Osceola, Polk, Wisconsin, USA
2 Theresa M. Hofman (I2064)
Birth: September 12, 1925
Death: July 19, 2001
Janis has 1 male partner and 1 female partner of male partners recorded (2 in total).
Partner of Janis (1)
Private (I2066)
Partner of Private (I2066) (1)
Partner chains
Janis has 1 male partner and 1 female partner in this partner chain recorded (2 in total).
0 Janis Matheson (I3104) ∞ 1 Private (I2066) ∞ 2 Private (I3106)
Janis has one sister-in-law recorded.
Partner Private (I2066)
Janis has one co-brother-in-law recorded.
Partners of Private (I2065)
Janis has 2 nephews recorded.
Sibling Private (I2065) of partner Private (I2066)
generation -1 relationship coefficient: 50.0% (Biological children)
Janis has 3 sons recorded.
Biological children (1)
Parents Private + Janis Matheson (F1086)
Stepchildren (2)
Parents Private + Private (F1087)
The extended family of Janis has 12 members (including Janis). (additional members of the partner chains are not counted) Some of them are member in more than one part of the extended family.
Janis has no Great-grandparents, Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts, Uncles and Aunts by marriage, Parents, Co-parents-in-law, Siblings, Cousins, Children-in-law, Grandchildren, and no Grandchildren-in-law recorded.
Janis has one father-in-law recorded.
Janis has one male partner recorded.
0 Janis Matheson (I3104) ∞ 1 Private (I2066)
Janis has no Great-grandparents, Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts, Uncles and Aunts by marriage, Parents, Co-parents-in-law, Siblings, Siblings-in-law, Cousins, Children-in-law, Grandchildren, and no Grandchildren-in-law recorded.
Janis has one mother-in-law recorded.
Janis has one female partner recorded.
0 Janis Matheson (I3104) ∞ 1 not a female person ∞ 2 Private (I3106)
The extended family of Janis has 5 members (including Janis). (additional members of the partner chains are not counted) Some of them are member in more than one part of the extended family.
Janis has no Great-grandparents, Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts, Uncles and Aunts by marriage, Parents, Co-parents-in-law, Siblings, Co-siblings-in-law, Cousins, Nephews and Nieces, Children, Children-in-law, Grandchildren, and no Grandchildren-in-law recorded.
0 Janis Matheson (I3104) ∞ 1 not a person of unknown gender
The extended family of Janis has 3 members (including Janis). (additional members of the partner chains are not counted)
Janis has no Great-grandparents, Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts, Uncles and Aunts by marriage, Parents, Parents-in-law, Co-parents-in-law, Partners, Siblings, Siblings-in-law, Co-siblings-in-law, Cousins, Nephews and Nieces, Children, Children-in-law, Grandchildren, and no Grandchildren-in-law recorded.
Janis has no Great-grandparents, Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts, Uncles and Aunts by marriage, Parents, Parents-in-law, Co-parents-in-law, Siblings, Cousins, Children-in-law, Grandchildren, and no Grandchildren-in-law recorded.
0 Janis Matheson (I3104) ∞ 1 a living person
Janis has no Great-grandparents, Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts, Uncles and Aunts by marriage, Parents, Co-parents-in-law, Partners, Siblings, Siblings-in-law, Co-siblings-in-law, Cousins, Nephews and Nieces, Children, Children-in-law, Grandchildren, and no Grandchildren-in-law recorded.
Janis has no Great-grandparents, Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts, Uncles and Aunts by marriage, Parents, Parents-in-law, Co-parents-in-law, Siblings, Siblings-in-law, Cousins, Children-in-law, Grandchildren, and no Grandchildren-in-law recorded.
Janis has no Great-grandparents, Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts, Uncles and Aunts by marriage, Parents, Parents-in-law, Co-parents-in-law, Siblings, Co-siblings-in-law, Cousins, Nephews and Nieces, Children, Children-in-law, Grandchildren, and no Grandchildren-in-law recorded.
Family with Private (I2066)
Parents Forrest James Stuempges (I1903) Theresa M. Hofman (I2064)
Janis Matheson (I3104)
Private + Private (F1087)
partner's partner
Janis Matheson (I3104)(–)


text:
is a 1959 Japanese science fiction film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya.

Plot
In 1965, a series of mysterious and devastating incidents are happening on Earth. These incidents range from a railroad bridge levitated off the ground causing a train wreck in Japan; an ocean liner lifted out of the Panama Canal by a waterspout, destroying it; severe flooding in Venice, Italy; and the destruction of the J-SS3 space station.

A UN-connected international meeting is called at the Space Research Center in Japan. Major Ichiro Katsumiya, Professor Adachi and Dr. Richardson open the conference and describe the disasters, adding that the survivors suffered from extreme frostbite. Dr. Richardson theorizes that some unknown force lowered the temperatures of the objects so as to lower the Earth's gravitational pull, thus making the objects easier to lift, regardless of their size and weight. Katsumiya determines that such an action could only be accomplished by a force beyond the Earth.

Dr. Ahmed, an Iranian delegate at the meeting, reacts as though suffering from a severe headache and slips away. Ahmed walks outside to a courtyard in a daze. Etsuko Shiraishi sees him and watches in horror as he is enveloped in a red light coming from the sky. Astronaut Iwamura comes in and Etsuko tells him what happened but Ahmed is nowhere to be seen. Back at the conference, it is believed that aliens might be behind the disasters and it is suggested that the Earth be prepared militarily.

Dr. Ahmed appears and tries to sabotage the heat ray experiments held at the meeting. He is caught before completing his mission. He briefly takes Etsuko hostage and warns that the Earth will soon become a colony of the planet Natal. Ahmed's hand is injured and he makes a run for it. However, a Natal saucer appears near the center and vaporizes him, but forensics find a tiny radio transmitter that was put in him. The transmissions locate the suspect aliens on the Moon.

The UN decides to launch two rocket ships, called SPIPs, to the Moon on a reconnaissance mission. En route, both ships are attacked by remotely controlled meteors called 'space torpedoes'. Iwamura, the navigator of SPIP-1, is also under mind control by the aliens. He is caught trying to disable the rocket's weapons and is tied up. Both SPIPs avoid the meteors and are given a warning by the Natal not to land on the Moon, but it is ignored. Once the rockets land on the Moon, the two teams look for the alien base in lunar rovers. Meanwhile, Iwamura has untied himself and blown up SPIP-1. They find a cave on foot and locate the Natal base in a deep crater. Etsuko is temporarily captured by the Natal but is rescued by Katsumiya. A beam weapon battle erupts as the teams attack the base. The Natal base is destroyed, freeing Iwamura from the aliens' mind control. Feeling guilty, Iwamura stays behind to give covering fire, allowing the SPIP-2 to escape.

Back on Earth, the world prepares for a final conflict against the Natal. Rocket Fighter Planes (based on the North American X-15 experimental rocket plane) and Atomic Heat Cannons are built to counter the invasion fleet. Eventually, the Natal saucers and their mothership approach Earth. Squadrons of Scout Ships (converted into Space Fighters) are sent up into space and engage in a massive dogfight with the saucers. The Natal mothership launches Space Torpedoes that hit New York and San Francisco. The mothership descends upon Tokyo and lays the metropolis to waste with its anti-gravity ray. The remaining saucers and mothership advance on the Space Research Center. But the Atomic Heat Cannons finally destroy the mothership and Earth is saved.

Production

Writing
Developed as a story proposal in 1957 by Jojiro Okami, the film underwent four script drafts by Shinichi Sekizawa. Though the characters of Dr. Adachi. Dr. Immerman, and Etsuko (the same names of characters that appear prominently in The Mysterians exist in the finished film, it is believed in the first draft they were to be the exact same characters as those from The Mysterians carried over. This element was likely present in the story pitch by Jojiro Okami, who had gotten the ball rolling with The Mysterians as well. Apparently, the final script just kept the names and they are not meant to be the same characters.

In the second draft of the screenplay, instead of the aliens controlling Dr. Achmed, shadowy alien specters infiltrate the space center and spy on the conference. In one scene, Etsuko is working in her office and is startled by the appearance of a specter-like alien spy. When the alien leaves the room, her paperwork flies all over the place. In another scene, Katsumiya spots what appears a small tree outside his quarters, but is in fact another alien spy. One of the alien spies was to appear before the conference meeting. These ideas were scrapped because they would have required several optical effects; it was decided that the aliens would use mind control on humans to do their dirty work.

In one of the original scripts, there were scenes where the crew-members ate their meals in a cafeteria on the rocket ship. In the battle with the space torpedoes, the plates and food were to be tossed all over.

Storyboards for an unused scene had the human astronauts spot a flying saucer go through a tunnel, leading them to the alien base.

Originally the Natarl attack the Earth's forces with their own land based vehicles on the moon. These vehicles, which reassembled yellow pill bugs with antennas, did not make it into the final version, and instead the Natarl flying saucers appear during this sequence to attack. Originally in one of the early drafts, the Panama Canal and Venice were to be destroyed in a fairly major effects scene, but it was decided to save money by using paintings. Early designs for the Natarl aliens were insectoid, as they had six tentacle-like arms and only one eye.

In an early version of the story illustrated in the storyboards is a more interesting version of the encounter with the Natarl base. Instead of the astronauts keeping their distance and avoiding direct contact with the aliens, Katsumiya takes a strike team inside the Natarl base and succeeds destroying it from within. However, the imagery was totally reminiscent of the alien base from The Mysterians (1957).and building extra sets would have been too costly and repetitive.

In an earlier draft of the script, the Natarl Mothership's anti-gravity beam was used to destroy the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Kremlin in Moscow, and the Golden Gate Bridge. But in the end the anti-gravity beam is used for Tokyo. In the original scenario, a signal Natarl flying saucer destroyed Tokyo with the anti-gravity ray instead of the mothership. The original plan was that the alien mothership would never approach the Earth, but this was changed by Eiji Tsuburaya during shooting.

Filming
The exterior shots for the Space Research Center was the National Sports Center built for the Tokyo Olympiad in 1964. Interior shots were shot on sets back at Toho.

The slow motion, gravity stricken walk of the cast on the moon was an idea from actor Yoshio Tsuchiya. Actor Ryo Ikebe uncharacteristically protested, declaring it was "just a movie" at the idea of the slow motion walk. However, Ishiro Honda ended up siding with Tsuchiya. The incident did not sour Ikebe, though, who worked again with Honda a few years later on Gorath (1962).

When Apollo 11 landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969, ten years after this film was released, Eiji Tsuburaya watched the "Great Leap for Mankind" on live television. Shortly afterword's, he later told Sadamasa Arikawa, "We were right, our special effects team did a great job. Now, we can hold our heads before the public."

Special effects
At the beginning of the film, we see three flying saucers traveling though space while the credits roll across the screen. These scenes were taken with the camera platform and the saucers attached to an overhead rail that move them both along at the same speed past the outer space backdrop.

The tunnel in the ray gun test chamber was achieved by using a backdrop painting done in forced prospective making it look like an endless tunnel.

To film the two SPIP rocketships flying up into the sky, the two six-foot miniatures were radio-controlled and launched from under a bridge suspended  above the ground at Miura Point, connecting the cities of Miura City and Joyga-shima.

For the miniature wire-work, it was the job of Fumio Nakashiro, who used thin piano wires ranging from 0.1, 0.2 and 0.25 millimeters. They were painted to blend in with the background of outer space, but when they could be seen when it was a sky background. Sometimes you can see the wires shimmering in the light.

The air jets effects for the moon rovers was created using a water spray.

To simulate buildings being torn and thrown up into the air, miniatures were mostly made of lightweight materials such as cardboard, wafer-thin paraffin, gypsum and Styrofoam which was pre-cut and assembled. Some pieces were trained on the miniature set, blowing everything upwards thanks to multiple compressed air tanks underneath the set. The soldiers falling upward was achieved with a camera moving over the actors, and then superimposing them over the miniature action via a traveling matte.

Release
Battle in Outer Space was released in Japan on 26 December 1959. It was released in the United States in an English-dubbed version by Columbia Pictures in 1960 where it was a double feature with 12 to the Moon.

Reception
New York Times film critic Howard Thompson gave Battle in Outer Space a mixed, but generally positive review, stating, "The plot is absurd and is performed in dead earnest... some of the artwork is downright nifty, especially in the middle portion, when an earth rocket soars to the moon to destroy the palpitating missile base... the Japanese have opened a most amusing and beguiling bag of technical tricks, as death-dealing saucers whiz through the stratosphere... and the lunar landscape is just as pretty as it can be."

Boxoffice magazine rated the film much more highly, hailing it a "science-fiction adventure drama on a grand scale... and spectacular special effects... can be exploited to attract the youngsters and mature action fans in huge numbers. Like similar Japanese-made thrillers, 'Rodan', 'H-Man' and 'The Mysterians' (all produced by Toho), this can pay off boxoffice-wise if exhibitors stress the amazingly realistic trick photography of flying saucers, moon exploration and a full-scale attack on U.S. cities which results in skyscrapers being destroyed, etc..." and makes note of the film's "explosive action, of which there is plenty, particularly in the climactic battle..." Boxoffice also cited Shinichi Sekizawa's "imaginative screenplay."

References

Footnotes

Sources

Bibliography
 Ragone, August (2007, 2014) Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. .

External links

1950s science fiction films
1950s monster movies
1959 films
Toho films
Films scored by Akira Ifukube
Alien invasions in films
Films about astronauts
Films directed by Ishirō Honda
Films produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka
Films set in 1965
Films set in Tokyo
Films set in the future
Japanese science fiction action films
1950s Japanese-language films
Moon in film
Space adventure films
Toho tokusatsu films
Godzilla (franchise)
Films with screenplays by Shinichi Sekizawa
1950s English-language films
1950s Japanese films

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The wave of affordable 4K projectors just keeps on coming – I now find myself lapping up an impressively talented 4K (and HDR) projector from BenQ that costs just £1,200. And 3D fans will be ecstatic to learn that, unusually in today's projector and TV world, the TK800 supports 3D playback, making it a possible upgrade to anyone clinging on to a Full HD 3D model.
While it seems like a bit of a star on paper, it doesn't really look like one. It's far from ugly with its matt-white body, rounded edges and quirky blue fascia, but there's nothing about it that really shouts 'cutting edge'. At least at only 35cm wide it doesn't take up too much space, and its insignificant weight (4.2kg) makes it ripe for ceiling/bookshelf mounting.
The TK800's connections deliver the first hint of 4K action, with one of its two HDMIs supporting 4K HDR playback. Other ports include a 12V trigger, RS-232 control jack, VGA PC input and audio in/out options. The projector's image specifications are where things get really interesting, particularly its claimed peak brightness of 3,000 Lumens. That's a huge figure by affordable movie PJ standards, and could really open up the TK800's HDR potential.
Contrast is rated at a respectable 10,000:1, while a new colour wheel with 'ultra-precise' red, green and blue coatings – and brightness-boosting white elements – claims an impressive 92 per cent coverage of the REC.709 colour space.
The TK800 doesn't carry a native 3,840 x 2,160 set of DLP 'mirrors', but can manipulate these mirrors fast enough to deliver two pixels from each mirror for every image frame. This, in conjunction with proprietary Texas Instruments processing, delivers a 4K effect that's hard to distinguish from native 4K.
BenQ talks rather vaguely in its notes on the projector about a trio of HDR-based processes designed to retain more brightness, shadow detail and natural colour tones than HDR models customarily provide. Despite the lack of detailed information, though, it's quickly clear that these HDR features aren't just marketing hot air. Even when fed an aggressively mastered HDR film, such as Mad Max: Fury Road on 4K Blu-ray, the TK800 rises to the challenge remarkably well.
For starters, the scenes towards the start of Fury Road where Max is detained in dark caves and tunnels benefit from deeper, more natural black levels than I've seen on other sub-£1,500 4K units.
As well as making such sequences look more immersive and convincing, this black-level prowess (by budget HDR projector standards) lets you see more background details. Also, colours in dark scenes look richer and more intense with decent black levels to 'bounce off'.
Provided you stick with the projector's adaptive Smart Eco lamp mode, those surprisingly effective black levels can be joined by some strikingly punchy bright highlights. The shot of Max imprisoned in a hanging cage, brightly lit against a darkened cave behind him, looks far more impactful and dynamic on the TK800 in HDR than it does in SDR.
This PJ doesn't give you the sort of beautifully extreme HDR performance a good TV can. But BenQ's nifty light management delivers at least a taste of HDR's advantages without the picture becoming unbalanced; it's not too dark, too short of shadow detail, or too peaky with its colours. In fact, far from feeling like a compromise, the TK800's HDR images often deliver genuine 'wow' moments. Good stuff, considering the asking price.
This budget beamer also excels with its 4K clarity. The pristine, ultra-detailed images of the Black Panther 4K Blu-ray are projected with superheroic sharpness and crispness. This clarity remains generally intact during scenes filled with fast motion, thanks to some blur- and fizzing-free motion handling. There's a touch of judder in camera pans during Black Panther's final battle, but motion within the frame generally looks fluid and cinematic.
The TK800 does, inevitably, have limitations. For instance, while black levels are easily the best I've seen on such a cheap 4K HDR projector, you can get better ones on similarly priced HD/SDR models. Also, while its enhanced colours outperform rival HDR projectors, Fury Road's deserts can look a little radioactive, and its skin tones can look slightly orange. There's occasionally some noise in colour blends, too.
These all feel, though, like pretty small prices to pay for the extent of the TK800's 4K clarity and HDR enhancements. Especially when the PJ also delivers its high brightness without suffering heavily with DLP's rainbow effect, or kicking out too much in the way of cooling fan noise.
HD Blu-rays are handled with refinement and subtlety, and this BenQ also makes a good choice for delivering bigscreen sporting events, even if you opt to keep a degree of ambient light in your room. Gamers, meanwhile, will be reasonably pleased to hear that the TK800 takes a respectable 45ms on average to render images. After a little prodding, BenQ managed to send over a pair of 3D glasses so I could check the TK800's stereoscopic capabilities. And they proved impressive.
Crosstalk ghosting noise proved pretty much non-existent, even with Gravity's tough 'white-suited astronaut against black space' shots. The 3D effect is convincing and subtle, black levels look remarkably good, and the TK800's exceptional light output means that 3D visuals don't look starved of brightness, which can be an issue with low-cost 3D projectors. And this useful, image-defining luminance doesn't lead to the picture appearing flickery, and nor is there any of the red tint that once affected BenQ's 3D playback.
Just remember to manually turn 3D off once you're done, so that the TK800 reverts back to supporting 4K (you can't have both together).
Even the PJ's sound performance is reasonable. The 5W speaker – and resonant sound chamber it's housed in – deliver a clean, well-rounded soundstage. There's a dollop of bass, and the sound projects some distance from the chassis, although inevitably it still doesn't seem attached to the screen/pictures. Overall, the TK800 has me baffled as to how it can do so much for so little.
We say: You'll be surprised that a £1,200 4K projector can pump out pictures – both HDR and SDR – as good as this. And it's solid with 3D, too.


text:
Latest #BelgianGamesIndustry survey shows more companies staffed by less people
We're nearly at the end of this crazy ride called 2020. Before diving into a well deserved yet socially distanced holiday period, we'd like to share some interesting results from the latest #BelgianGamesIndustry survey. Any other year you would've heard about this sooner over a nice drink at gamescom, but yeah *gestures* – 2020
Some quick methodology before we start: this survey was conducted from June to September 2020 (between the first and second COVID-19 waves) and aimed at active game developer studios, publishers, game platforms/portals, service providers, schools/educational institutions that offer dedicated game education programs, research departments that study games, and game events, audio, acceleration, incubation companies with offices in Belgium and/or abroad. Participation was opt-in.
According to the survey results, the #BelgianGamesIndustry continues to mature, but the future challenges we identified last year are catching up with us rather quickly. One thing we're very pleased with is that our local soil still looks fertile enough for a lot of new game companies to surface.
There are now 114 registered active game companies in Belgium, up from 95 last year. With 82 companies, Flanders still makes up for the majority of these, with Wallonia and Brussels featuring 19 and 13 companies respectively. Quick footnote: the Belgian ecosystem also has a lot of very small non-registered entities that are working on their first game and still don't make any revenue. These entities are not accounted for in our company overview. Half of Belgian game companies are based in West-Flanders, East-Flanders and Antwerp.
While this proves our local industry is continuing to grow, the number of FTE's suggests otherwise. Just like last year, 1100 persons are making a living from working in the #BelgianGamesIndustry. Exponential growth of FTE's has been in decline for some years, but it's the first time the numbers aren't moving at all. Our ecosystem still faces a high degree of brain drain from Belgian students to studios abroad or other, more stable industries and it's beginning to show. Combined with the influx of new companies, this proves more companies are working with fewer full time staff than last year.
This doesn't come as a surprise when looking at the size of our local game companies. Over 84% of companies employ between 1-10 people, and as much as 25% are one-man shows. Dealing with high wage costs and limited budgets makes it difficult for Belgian game companies to properly scale. A small uptick is that 42% of companies expected to see their FTE count rise in 2020, and that 43% have been in business for more than 5 years. Yet, it seems clear that there's a need for more support if we want to get another Belgian game company at the juggernaut level of Larian Studios.
Is that really necessary? Well, looking at the overall turnover, down to € 70 million compared to € 93 million last year, we'd argue it is. As the majority of this income is generated by Larian Studios, who haven't released a new game in 2019, it's quite logical total revenue is dwindling. On the plus side, over half of participants say they expect their turnover to grow in 2020, and the results of Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access Steam launch last September will make sure this number picks up again for the year 2020. But wouldn't it be nice to have one or two bigger Belgian players that are able to soften the blow as long as Larian's in between releases?
Our General Manager, David Verbruggen, puts it this way: "We are very happy to welcome more companies in our local ecosystem, but for our sector to grow to the next level, we need to significantly boost investment and job creation. This in turn will lead to more and bigger hits, feeding into our ecosystem to make it larger, healthier and more robust."
The only way to do that is give our companies more support to grow and expand. Tax shelter could be part of the solution for this problem and a lot of companies are still anxiously awaiting more news. Over half of our game studios says they're looking at tax shelter to fund future projects, while 44% says it's too early to tell.
Other results are in the same vein of last year. Over half of our game companies identify as a game studio. The majority (58%) of the games being built are entertainment games, with serious games following at almost 23%. Artistic games and educational each make up a little under 10% of all games developed. On the platform side pc, VR, mobile and Nintendo Switch are the most profitable platforms. Finally, looking ahead, 20% of studios is planning to release a game on one or more next gen consoles.
You can download the charts of our survey right here.
Why aren't you applying for Creative Europe Media support?
Yes, why!? It's not that you don't know about it. We hammer you over the head with it every single year. Still, in the past five years there haven't been more than three Belgian applications per call. Just last year, there was € 3,78 million to be distributed, but there seems to be no growing interest in getting a slice of that cake.
So we (that's FLEGA, WALGA, screen.brussels and the Creative Europe Mediadesks for Flanders and Wallonia-Brussels) would really like to know what keeps our developers from looking for European support. Please spare 5-10 minutes of your time to fill out this short survey before 15th January. The outcome will be processed anonymously and will result in direct policy recommendations. If you're not happy with the way these support calls are handled at the moment, this is the time to speak up.
A new call is coming up soon (details to be confirmed), and we'll try and warm you up for it when the time comes. In the meantime, you might want to check our previous blog with tips and tricks to maximise your chances of success. Good luck and we're looking forward to your feedback.
Let's look at the results of the final VAF|GAME call of the year
The final haul of the year is usually the smallest and so it was no different in 2020. The commission serious and educational games approved promotion support for the very first time, showing that it's not just all about the entertainment or artistic games.
But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's take a look at the final projects that managed to secure VAF|GAME funding this year.
Cybernetic Walrus received € 58.390 for Lulela VR (artistic game) a unique crossover between theatre and VR technology.
They also secured € 40.000 for VR-Kuub (link in Dutch – educational game), a game where students aged 12-13 need to help their classmate that's trapped in a VR cube.
New kid on the block CON- gets € 40.000 to craft a new story driven horror experience called Ivy Likes Stories (entertainment game)
And another first timer Pixnami secures € 55.789 to create The Last Wish (entertainment game), a unique take on the zombie VR shooter.
Slappy Inc, a brand new studio founded by DAE graduates, have received € 109 659,19 to turn their Epic MegaJam winning project Slappy Board (entertainment game) into the next social VR craze.
SAY IT Labs received € 49.989,90 to promote their voice controlled speech game Fluency Friends. Because you know, € 50.000 is just to easy to pronounce.
Language Hero by Linguineo also received € 50.000 in promotion support. Merci beaucoup!
And that's a wrap! VAF|GAME is all out of money for this year. But don't worry, there's a fresh shipment coming in soon, and the first submission deadline for 2021 is 26th January. Good luck and see you next year!
Are you ready for even more recent #BelgianGamesIndustry achievements?
We told you we'd be back with more recent #BelgianGamesIndustry achievements, and we've always learnt to keep our promises. It wasn't hard either, as the amazing results of our local development teams just keep rolling. Let's keep up with the pace and get to it!
Leading this fleet of achievements is our proud member Get Up Games, who shared some exciting updates from the exotic shores of their debut Blazing Sails. After hitting early access earlier this year, the pirate battle royale is doing great on Twitch. The team has also received an Epic MegaGrant so they can keep that momentum going.
Belgian game companies are scoring once again in the Deloitte's Technology Fast 50, a list of the fastest growing tech companies in Belgium. Our proud member CrazyGames managed to secure a 4th spot with a staggering 1.667,75% of growth. Meanwhile, Brussels based service provider AppTweak sits in 9th position. Both companies were featured in the top ten of last year as well.
Last month, our proud member CREATE started playtesting Silver in 100 classrooms of 9 different schools. With this serious game the developer hopes to build mental resilience in our youth, which is more important than ever. You can hear more about the project during a talk at Media & Culture Fast Forward on December 15.
The multiplayer VR shooter Hyper Dash from our board member Triangle Factory has recently passed 100.000 downloads on SideQuest. If that's any indication (the 4,9/5 review score suggests it will be), this one is going to soar to the top of the Oculus store when the full release hits early next year.
In other Belgian VR news, both Panoptic and Cubism, released earlier this year, are doing great as well. The asymmetrical VR game of cat and mouse shot past 10.000 sales within the first month of release, and the relaxing VR puzzler quickly became the best rated game on the Oculus Quest.
On the subject of out of this world achievements: Larian Studios briefly broke Steam when everybody tried to gather their party at the same time when Baldur's Gate 3 hit early access. The founding fathers of the #BelgianGamesIndustry have since managed to release three major patches (without breaking stuff), to make their game even better than their last one, which isn't easy when that one is still considered to be one of the best RPG's ever made.
Some more release news: Faeria by Abrakam has recently launched on PS4 and you can now play Ary & The Secret of Seasons by our proud member eXiin on Google Stadia.
Last but not least: NUTS, which is co-created by Belgian indie developer Joon Van Hove, has won the audio design award at IndieCade 2020. NUTS is a first-person narrative mystery about monitoring squirrels in the forest. That looks (and apparently sounds) great, and we can't wait to play it when it comes out next year.
Phew. Now, if everybody could chill out a bit, then we don't have to run one of these again in a couple of weeks. Just kidding! Keep doing awesome things and keep putting our local industry in the international spotlight. We'll gladly write about it some more!
New DAE livestream series explores ethics in game development
As the games industry keeps rapidly growing, so does its social responsibility. It's not just about making pretty games that are fun to play. Video games are able to affect the way people look at the world and game makers shouldn't be blind to cultural evolutions when crafting their games.
DAE's newest livestream series Game For Thought shines a light on precisely those subjects. Streaming monthly from their campus The Level, the goal is to critically evaluate topics at the intersection of gaming and social ethics. During 90 minute sessions, topical experts and students discuss the social impact of industry developments while reflecting upon their social responsibility as game creators.
The sessions confront industry experts and decision makers with the voice of students, who the lecturers feel isn't heard enough in these matters. After a 30-minute introduction on the subject, the panel is fuelled by student questions and insights, and as these topics transcend the world of game development, that input isn't limited to DAE students.
Kicking off last month with a session on Sex and Violence in Games, the series doesn't shy away from the tough topics. Here's a look at the future topics, which will stream from the DAE Twitch channel on Thursdays from 20.00 until 21.30.
17th December: Discrimination & Representation in Games (race, gender, sexuality)
18th February: Games and Addiction
18th March: Ethics, AI, and the Progress of Technology
22nd April: The Social Dilemma (social media & privacy)
Game For Thought looks like a unique opportunity for students to speak their minds on these important topics. It feels good to know the game creators of tomorrow are interested in how cultural evolutions can impact their craft, something that bodes well for our entire industry.
Serious game Language Hero is more ambitious than ever
"This is never going to work!" or "Do you have any idea what you're comparing yourself with?" It's but a couple of the initial reactions when our proud member Linguineo pitched their serious game Language Hero as "The Legend of Zelda of language games." A bold claim for sure, but also one that's testament to the limitless ambition that drives founder Steffen Luypaert and his team.
A couple of years, some serious VAF-funding, and a complete playthrough of Breath of the Wild later, he understands where those comments were coming from. "Early feedback warned us of the difficulty of combining an open world with educational goals. They told us to drop those parts." Still, convinced that serious and educational games need to be fun, the team went ahead and tested a prototype where players could move around freely to smash the correct words with their sword. "Those playtests quickly showed that approach wasn't going to work. Children were running all over the place, actively avoiding the words. Having fun is one thing, but at the end of the day we still want you to learn something here."
But even with Zelda out of the window, Language Hero remains an educational game like no other. Driven by advanced chatbot technology, the player progresses the story by engaging in conversation with various characters. In the main storyline you play a little owl that's lost his family during a thunderstorm. Before you can set out to find them, you'll need to take care of your injured wing. Simply using your voice to play this character feels a bit magical and draws you into the story. But don't take our word for it, just go and play the free beta version (link in Dutch).
Next to the conversation scenes, there's the aforementioned action sequences, which are now on rails. The team will also add point-and-click interfaces where you get to explore a little and learn more about the world. The current beta can be used to learn French and English, but Dutch and Spanish will be added when the game launches sometime next year. "We've essentially soft launched through the beta, but will gradually scale that up. There's no way we want to launch our game before all the friction has been eliminated.", according to Luypaert.
Striking the balance between fun and educational remains the biggest challenge for this project and the beta feedback provides valuable data to navigate that tightrope. "We noticed a lot of players stopped playing when they reached the scene with the slugs. Turns out this conversation was primarily written by pedagogues instead of our narrative designer, who pushed back heavily against the initial set-up of the scene." If it wasn't clear already: Language Hero isn't a gamified language app, it's a full-blown game.
While the main story is good at teaching basic conversation skills, there's very little chance you'll ever need to track down your own family after losing them in a thunderstorm. Nor will a host of friendly animals help you out. However, the technology can also be used to create special applications. "We're currently testing a special module aimed at office management students, that's focused less on story and more on practical situations and specific terminology." There's also a taste of that in the main story where we can learn about a strange, contagious disease that makes people very ill. That's why it's important to keep your distance and regularly wash your hands. Mmm, what COVID that be?
People say this rather quickly, but there's really nothing like Language Hero out there at the moment. "That scares us a little. Why isn't there anything like this?" Why is it so hard to find a defining serious game? People always point to Minecraft, but that's essentially an entertainment game." Here's hoping that Language Hero is able to carve a path for itself and keep building on what's already a very promising foundation. With or without Master Sword.


Ln.K.Krishna Reddy is an engineering graduate with Masters Degree in Computer Science. Mr Reddy brings with him 15 years of experience in IT Domain. In his precious occupations he has not only worked with IT industry, but also been actively involved in the educational initiatives. He is also the director of various Software and Construction Companies.
In addition to the stated, Ln.K.Krishna Reddy has been bestowed with several national and international awards for his contribution to the needy and the society.


I think today you want Storage Cabinets merchandise, therefore you are around the appropriate web site. Today you're examining Simpli Home Draper Mid Century Solid Hardwood Low Storage Cabinet, Medium, Auburn Brown publish. And I am hoping you'll find worthwhile info within the following when you obtain Storage Cabinets item. Right now I must write about Simpli Home Draper Mid Century Solid Hardwood Low Storage Cabinet, Medium, Auburn Brown. Very little info that this Simpli Home Draper Mid Century Solid Hardwood Low Storage Cabinet, Medium, Auburn Brown merchandise is manufactured simply by Simpli Home organization.
Store toys, books, games, and even clothes in this versatile Draper Mid Century modern Low Storage Cabinet. Each door opens to reveal a spacious interior with an adjustable shelf. This cabinet, at only 31" tall could fit almost anywhere in your home to provide extra storage. This item is hand-crafted and hand-finished with utmost care, as such variations and imperfections should be expected and should be welcomed as the natural beauty of the wood.
For more information concerning Simpli Home Draper Mid Century Solid Hardwood Low Storage Cabinet, Medium, Auburn Brown worth along with evaluations, you are able to press THIS LINK . I hope this kind of write-up can assist you to consider with acquiring regarding Simpli Home Draper Mid Century Solid Hardwood Low Storage Cabinet, Medium, Auburn Brown item. Or perhaps we hope that with this submit you to find different item that is certainly comparable having Simpli Home Draper Mid Century Solid Hardwood Low Storage Cabinet, Medium, Auburn Brown or possibly greater.
After you study this Simpli Home Draper Mid Century Solid Hardwood Low Storage Cabinet, Medium, Auburn Brown, we assume this Simpli Home Draper Mid Century Solid Hardwood Low Storage Cabinet, Medium, Auburn Brown product is usually right with you. If you think maybe you nonetheless need to discover item besides Simpli Home Draper Mid Century Solid Hardwood Low Storage Cabinet, Medium, Auburn Brown, you possibly can examine inside every single Storage Cabinets class or even work with search field for this weblog. After that should you be certain to purchase Simpli Home Draper Mid Century Solid Hardwood Low Storage Cabinet, Medium, Auburn Brown, please simply click BUY BUTTON under.


Carpet pad will increase the life of your carpet by 50% or more. The Manufacturer recommends 7/16" thick carpet pad that is at least 6 lb.PSI. The better the carpet pad the better you will like it. Read about Choosing Carpet Padding here. Check out our Healthier Choice Carpet Padding here.


Over the years, many cost-conscious cow/calf producers across western Canada have recognized the potential for chaff residues to help reduce the winter feeding costs in mixed farm operations.
Chaff that has often been considered a nuisance on the grain side of a mixed farm can prove to be a valuable low cost feed alternative on the cattle side. In fact, chaff may prove to work as a win-win solution for both operations, if some basic steps are followed. And nothing is more important than to first recognize that chaff is a low quality feed, suitable only for mature beef cows.
Chaff is made up of glumes, hulls, unthreshed heads, short straw, leaf material, weed seeds and whole or cracked kernels from the harvested crop. As a result, chaff has a higher nutritive value than straw.
Chaff can be handled and collected in either of two ways. It can be collected and dropped on top of the straw swath, where it can then be baled using a cyclone type of attachment, or it can be collected and blown into a chaff wagon using a chaff collector. The wagon then dumps piles of chaff in the field for later collection or field feeding.
The first method of collection and handling is easy and requires a minimum of equipment purchases or modifications. Once baled, the chaff can be fed in round bale feeders, rolled out in the field, or tub ground and mixed with other feeds.
Chaff piles left in the field may be grazed or moved to a central feed pile and fed. Field grazing of chaff is relatively inexpensive, efficient and effective. Electric fencing may be used to limit access to chaff piles.
Field feeding is preferable to corral feeding because little if any yardage is taken up with the field-feeding scenario. Corral feeding may also prove more expensive simply because there is a transportation cost associated with removing the chaff from the field. One issue with field feeding is the potential for the development of small thick mats of straw around field feeding sites. These areas may suffer from poor germination and weed infestations in the following year.
If yard feeding is preferred, most chaff piles can be collected using a forage harvester or a hay sweep on a front end loader. (This feeding method also removes weed seeds from the field.) Once in the feed yard, the chaff can be mixed with other feeds, or it can be piled and fed free-choice. An electric wire may be used to limit access to the chaff pile.
The advantages of mixing chaff with silage are that producers are better able to stretch their feed resources and better match the feed to animal requirements. Transportation is the biggest issue concerning the economics of chaff. Chaff is very light but very bulky, which makes it costly to move long distances.
As shown in Table 1, chaff quality can vary. The major factors that influence quality are crop type, stage of maturity, weed content, method of harvest, combine settings and crop and field variability. Chaff from oats and barley generally has a higher nutritive value than wheat, pea or canola chaff. As a result, it is important to use feed testing to determine feed value.
Use a core sampler to get samples from baled straw with chaff. For round bales, take about 20 samples from different bales. Sample from the round surfaces of the bales at a variety of locations. For rectangular bales, take 1 sample per bale from at least 20 bales. Take the samples from the middle of each bale end. Place the samples directly into a plastic sample bag.
Chaff piles can most easily be sampled by hand (Figure 1). Take at least 20 samples from a variety of different piles at different locations and depths to obtain a representative sample. Place these samples on a smooth surface and mix. Divide the sample to obtain a sub-sample sufficient to fill a standard forage sample bag (about 2 liters).
Special care should be taken to ensure the sample is representative; heavier and lighter chaff components must be adequately represented. Ask that the feed testing laboratory grind the entire sample to ensure that the sample is representative of the original chaff.
Feed laboratories offer many different analysis packages. The test or tests you choose will depend on your own needs and budget. Most packages of analyses include levels of crude protein, acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), calcium and phosphorus. The laboratory will use this information to estimate energy levels for you. You may also wish to test for trace minerals levels at least once every two or three years to assess the adequacy of your trace mineral supplement program.
Two methods of feed testing are available to beef producers. The wet chemistry test consists of simple chemical analysis. Near Infrared Spectrometry or NIRA method uses light wave analysis. Unfortunately, the NIRA test uses localized databases (different growing conditions than your own). In addition, most of the feeds tested are of high quality, so feed quality estimations of low quality feeds are often inaccurate. Although the wet chemistry analysis is more costly, it is considered to be the more accurate method of testing chaff.
To meet livestock nutrient requirements, chaff/straw rations will generally require some supplementation for protein, energy, minerals and vitamins. Software such as Cowbytes provides a quick method to properly balance nutrients in chaff/straw feeding systems. Further information on Cowbytes can be located on Alberta Agriculture's website Ropin' the Web.
Combine settings: The more grain in the chaff, the better its feeding quality. If there are a large number of small kernels in the sample, the combine can be set to throw the light kernels over to the chaff, thereby improving the quality of the chaff. If the sample contains more broken straw than bits of grain and leaf material, it will have a lower feed value.
Combine efficiency: The poorer the efficiency, the more cracked grain and unthreshed heads that will pass over the sieves and into the chaff.
Underseeding: Underseeded crops such as alfalfa add green leaf material to the chaff, increasing crude protein levels.
Stubble height: Higher cutting heights such as with direct combining can produce straw with higher nutritive values than when cut at ground level. Although this approach will reduce total straw yield, it will help in improving the overall quality of the chaff sample.
Table 1 provides a summary of the nutrient values for chaff and straw residues. Data represents more than 200 field samples taken during 1996 to 1998 in northeastern Alberta.
As indicated in Table 1, the nutrient values for chaff or chaff/straw combinations are generally too low for growing livestock. As a result, chaff or chaff/straw roughages are best suited for mature animals in good body condition (Body Condition Score (BSC) 3.5 Canadian scale). Animals in poorer condition or still growing should be segregated and fed a separate ration that will meet their nutritional requirements.
Use protein supplements in chaff/straw combinations when chaff crude contains less than 6 per cent crude protein. Protein supplementation will enhance the digestion of low quality roughage.
Adjust ration supplementation during winter feeding. For mature pregnant animals both protein and energy requirements increase during the second and third trimester.
Protein sources such as lick tanks that contain high quantities of non-protein nitrogen are not as effective as natural protein sources when supplementing low quality forages.
Plant-based supplements such as canola meal or alfalfa hay are a more effective form of protein supplementation. However, supplements such as canola meal require mixing with other feeds to achieve adequate feed intake.
Concentrate supplements can be used to supply protein (15% crude protein or greater) and energy (75% TDN or greater). Mixing with other feeds may be required to achieve required feed intake.
Supplemental minerals, salt and vitamins need to be provided when chaff/straw rations are fed.
To identify the appropriate supplement and mineral mix for your operation, contact your local ruminant nutritionist.
As shown in Table 3, chaff and straw yield will vary by crop type and soil zone. Harvesting systems will also affect the quantity of chaff or straw produced. As result, the number of crop acres required for a feeding program will vary with chaff yield, feed waste and animal intake.
For example, a chaff yield of 600 lbs/acre with 20 per cent waste and estimated daily intake of 30 lbs of chaff for a 30-day feeding period will require approximately 2.0 acres per cow.
Source: Estimating the Value of Crop Residues, Agdex 519-25. March 1999.
Chaff can be a dependable and economical feed source for winter feeding programs. However, it is important to know the costs associated with feeding chaff such as the costs for chaff collection, supplementation and feeding management. As shown in Table 4, the operational costs to collect chaff on per ton basis are relatively low. Because chaff is a low density product, moving it to a central feeding area can result in a significant increase in feeding costs (Table 5).
Assumptions: Chaff yield of 600 lbs/acre; inputs for fuel, labor and repairs based on 2% increase in combining time, depreciation and maintenance costs for chaff collector.
Assumptions: 2006 custom rates for tractor and truck.
As shown in Table 6, chaff feeding provides an opportunity for livestock producers to reduce their winter feeding costs in comparison to drylot feeding. A market value for chaff is hard to define, so in this assessment, chaff has been valued at cost while other feeds are at market value. The economic advantage of chaff feeding depends on low production costs and in-field feeding systems that help reduce yardage costs. Cost's associated with feed supplementation, water provision or electric fencing may affect the net economic advantage of chaff feeding.
* D. Kaliel, Yardage – The Cost Beyond Feed.
Assumptions: 1,300 lb cow mid pregnancy, 30 lbs/day chaff or hay, 5 lbs protein supplement provided daily for chaff, feed delivery includes labor and equipment.
Chaff or chaff/straw blends can serve as a source of feed for winter rations; however, it is important that the rations be well balanced to ensure the cow's nutritional needs are being met. The economic advantages of in-field feeding would suggest that livestock producers should consider utilizing chaff in winter feeding programs. Consult your local ruminant nutritionist for assistance with ration formulation and costing chaff-based rations.
Alberta Agriculture and Food, Direct Seeding: Estimating the Value of Crop Residues, Agdex 519-25. 2007.
Block, H.C. Dubeski, P.L. McCartney, D.H. Ohama, A.J. 2006. "Review: The composition and availability of straw and chaff from small grain cereals for beef cattle in western Canada." Can.J. Anim. Sci 86: 443-455.
Kaliel. D. Yardage – The Cost Beyond Feed. Alberta Agriculture and Food. 2005.
Source: Agdex 420/50-2. Revised January 2008.
Last Reviewed/Revised on October 13, 2017.


Full body to body to massage in delhi is very popular now days in Delhi city. Many of peoples are getting benefit of full body massage. It's a best therapy process for total relaxation. Full Body Massage is of many types. Different Massage Therapies are used in different types of physical problems. Massage of every body of the body increases the beauty of our body. Regular body massage keeps health always right. Full body massage in delhi proves useful in many diseases like asthma, rheumatism, skin diseases, muscular tension and bone-related diseases.
Massage means a relaxed touch, which tends to cure our stress immediately. Seeing naturally, the heart is calm and receives sympathy from a loving heart. All body parts are massaged in full body massage in delhi. Taking massage with loving touch and light pressure in the hands of the therapist gives instant relief in body fatigue and pain. If you want you can take massage in your home too, but there is also a loss of information about the massage, which can cause damage, so you should take full body massage from a massage therapist.
We are providing full body to body massage service in hauz khas delhi. On our massage center, you are provided a massage in a quiet, air-conditioned room between the natural surroundings. All things needed in the room are present. If want to take full body rest, we are always available for your better health with different type of full body to body massage services.
Body massage in delhi is a special experience for everyone. Some people use massage therapy to relieve their problems and relax the brain. Some people prefer Body Massage Therapy as a Luxury Treatment and go for regular Massage. Some people go to massage therapy for relief from problems like physical pain, muscular pain and blood pressure. Fantastic First Impression of clients come first body massage in south delhi such is necessary so that they may be your regular massage client. It is important that you take care of your clients from time to time on their health care and massage them thoroughly and identify the part of the pain. Customers always want to start positivity in their massages.
If you have expertise in massage techniques, then it is necessary to always make better thinking to prove it better. We understand you're per client to try my best to keep positive, but it is also more important to think of the client, that is what he wants. We should work towards thinking from our client's perspective. According to the client's viewpoint, he gets more happiness when he receives services and positively associates with the client.
If you work in the field of massage therapy, it is very important to massage the client while looking at the approach. This improves the synergy between the massage therapist and the client and the client gets a better experience of relaxation. To keep the client relaxed and to give full relaxation, it is always good to try and do better during massage in delhi and keep you connected with the client.
Bali massage therapy is a form of combination of many massage techniques. Most people use this massage as more beneficial. Bali Massage is fully capable of keeping our immune system strong. Regular Bali Massage Therapy always keeps us fresh and stimulating. This gives us strength to fight frustration and stress and we also have the power to work in more stress. The use of oils in this massage makes it more blissful and exemplary. The use of well-known Ayurvedic oils during body massage in delhi is more beneficial. If you are looking for massage therapy then Bali massage therapy is a great massage therapy that is much better than the satisfaction of your mind and soul.
The work of Metabolism seems to be done smoothly by Bali Massage. Free radicals in the body come out, thereby increasing the ability of contraction and spread in the muscles. Oxygen levels rise in blood, causing blood flow to the balance and the exhaustion of muscles is removed. Balinese massage is a great treat for those facing the problem of insomnia, it is good to sleep and eyes gain the benefit. Massaging with the oils used during massage brings softness in the skin, resulting in skin flashes and the experience of youth starts to feel.
If you want to get rid of muscular pain, body lock and mental stress, then regular Bali massage restores you to relieve stress and work again with full relaxation and satisfaction. To a stress free time and better health, get balinese massage in delhi therapy.


text:
Our Past, Present, Future
Support the Alhambra Source
Sobre el Proyecto Alhambra
Contáctemos
Sobre Alhambra
Envienos Consejos Sobre Noticias!
Sugiera Una Historia
青少年资讯
阿罕布拉研究计划
过往项目
联络我们/反馈意见
阿罕布拉市简介
提议一个故事素材
刊登一个公告
Alhambra Source
Community news and voices for the City of Alhambra, California
Donor Supporters
Jessie Ong
Alhambra Source provides objective and important news reporting for our community.
Efren Moreno, Former Alhambra Mayor
Thank you Alhambra Source for truly informing the residents of Alhambra.
Jeff Maloney, Alhambra City Council Member
The Source has become an important source for news, public interest, and serious journalism in our community. Keep it up!
As a career journalist and EJ advocate, I see community-based media like the Alhambra Source as crucial to democracy and equality.
Chris Olson
I support Alhambra Source as often as I can because I believe a free and independent press is vital to the democratic process. No other news outlet with high journalistic standards consistently covers the stories and issues that matter to our community.
Adele Andrade Stadler, Alhambra City Council Member
The Source is a great independent newspaper that celebrates the communities and is not afraid to ask the tough questions!
Cliff Bender, Vice President, Alhambra Education Foundation
I want to know what's going on in my community- News, events, and human interest stories. The Alhambra Source gives me the information I need.
Joyce & Oscar Amaro, Alhambra Preservation Group
We support Alhambra Source because this online news source is vitally important in engaging, informing and educating the residents of Alhambra.
Laura Vasquez
Alhambrans need to know the truth about our area!
Michael Lawrence, Alhambra Arts Commissioner
Keep bringing on the stories. The Source has given us so much and I am happy to donate to such an important part of our community.
Karsen Luthi
Thank you for creating Alhambra Source and providing timely reporting of important local news. Fight on!
Mr. Konnyaku
I support news reporting that is unbiased and informative. Really enjoy the excellent coverage on local city council and planning commission meetings.
Guadulesa Rivera
Alhambra Source unifies the community and keeps us involved.
Erwin Lee
Such a valuable source of what's happening in city where we live. Objective reporting that informs us and allows us to come to our own conclusions.
AUSD Board Gets Update on Gains, Challenges in Distance Learning Environment
Photo by David Muñoz.
By: Jon Thurber
Alhambra , CA
The Alhambra Unified School District Board of Education meeting Tuesday night was business not quite as usual. The meeting was by teleconference with all five members participating and perhaps a dozen more people tuning in by various teleconferencing methods.
The agenda looked much like any meeting and included the approval of the minutes of previous meetings and consent votes on a series of procedural items.
The main event was a presentation of an update and overview on the district's Distance Learning initiative in response to the COVID-19 emergency. On the recommendation of Superintendent Denise R. Jaramillo, the board voted on March 13 to dismiss all schools in the district. That decision has been amended on a couple of occasions to shut the schools entirely through the end of the academic year in May.
Janet Lees, the district's assistant superintendent for educational services, offered the power-point presentation on Distance Learning that those in virtual attendance could assess through Zoom.
She called the rapid-response Distance Learning program "uncharted territory" for us "with not a whole lot of time to plan."
The baseline of the program is a continuation of the underpinnings that guide AUSD's classroom learning. And that baseline is called BACE or Building a Culture of Equity in developing students using accessible tools and instruction.
In terms of equity and tools since March 13, the district has distributed more than 2,900 devices, mostly Chromebooks, to families who requested them on a loan basis. That initiative continues but those seeking devices must fill out a technology request form on the district's web site. The link to that site is here. Links to access affordable wi-fi service are also on the district's site, as listed here, but there seems to be some backup from individual providers in getting those services up and running.
With tools come instruction, and Lees noted the recommendations of the National Board of Teaching Standards is being used as a guide in thinking about online instruction per day.
Elementary students: 1-2 hours of online instruction per day
Middle school students: 2-3 hours of online instruction per day
High School students: 3-4 hours of online instruction per day
The online instruction may come in a variety of ways including lesson plans from teachers or lesson plans and supplementary online assignments from teachers or simply accessing the online portals the district has recommended. Zoom meetings and Google Classroom sessions are also used to connect, motivate and instruct.
Lees also pointed out that Distance Learning is not a fully online endeavor. Assignments or suggested work may came through a variety of sources including text books or in some instances learning from experiences around the home. That would be, perhaps, cooking or child care or gardening or other endeavors that might develop life skills.
Students "learn through their families, they learn through cooking and they learn simply by living through a global pandemic," Lees said.
In all of this, teachers seem to have been given wide latitude to best determine how to direct and motivate their classrooms.
"We have gone from homework to working at home," Lees said, and that is a complex transition.
(More information on Distance Learning may be found by clicking this link. Links to sites offering Distance Learning curriculum tailored to parents may be found here. Sites designed directly for students may be found here. In addition, the district is maintaining its Monday and Wednesday free food distribution program. Information and applications can be found at this link to the district's site.)
Lees talked about grading and said there would be a temporary pause in formal grading until access to distance learning is fully verified. She noted that both the University of California and the Cal State systems are accepting pass/fail grades for the current semester.
She also said that she and her colleagues were working on a smorgasbord of grading options, taking into account the views of various stakeholders. She said she hoped to present to the board at the next meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28.
Lees also spoke of the issue of keeping in touch with families and that the district's goal was to connect with every family and work collaboratively to make Distance Learning work.
The subtext seemed to be this is a new frontier and that parents, who may not be used to doing so, need to help recognize the challenges their students face and join with the district in solving problems, be they technological or instructional. The best way to do that, district officials say, is to contact the district directly either by email or phone.
She also spoke of attendance said that the most recent figures, compiled at the end of last week, indicated that the district was still trying to connect with 2,144 students or 13% of the district's enrollment since offsite learning began.
High school students posed a complex challenge in getting an accurate headcount and not always from their fault. When students attend schools they may be counted several times a day by a variety of teachers but how to best do that in an offsite environment?
Toward the end of the public session, Jaramillo noted the obvious disappointment some students are feeling about graduation and advancement ceremonies being cancelled. She said the district is working with student leaders to try to find some way to honor graduates and mark their advancements.
The Alhambra Source encourages comment on our stories. However, we do not vet comments for accuracy or endorse links to posts in the comment section. The thoughts and opinions expressed belong solely to the author of the comment.
« Previous Story Nine More Local Institutional Settings with COVID-19 Named as El Monte Airport Opens Testing
Next Story » COVID-19 Death Toll in L.A. County Soars to New Daily High of 55
From Our Donors:
Community | Journalism
The Alhambra Source is Suspending Publication
The Alhambra Source sought to play an active role as a civic organization, running workshops to train young journalists and community contributors, to help immigrants tell their stories and to encourage financial literacy among college-bound high school students. The non-profit news source will suspend publication on Nov. 15 due to financial reasons.
AUSD Strives to Connect for the Sake of Students
Distance learning caught everyone off guard. Students, teachers and administrators within the AUSD continually try to connect virtually, but is that enough?
Alhambra Source's Jon Thurber Honored for Excellence in Education Reporting
Former Alhambra Source publisher Jon Thurber will be honored on Nov. 17 by AUSD with the California School Boards Association's Golden Quill Award for his extensive reporting on the district and public education.
© 2021 Alhambra Source
Alhambra Source is a Project of Community Partners


The word 'fitness' covers a lot of terrain. Some parts of fitness include working out, eating healthy, and going to the gym. The list is large of things related to fitness that you can do to increase your total health and wellness. The following article offers advice on how you can make fitness work for you.
When you have a specific set of objectives leading to a goal, you will have built in motivation for your fitness plans. You will stop focusing on how hard it is and push yourself harder to achieve the goal. In addition, it helps prevent you from giving up because you are forced to consider your fitness regimen as a continuing process.
To stay enthusiastic about your workout routine, change it up often. Changing things regularly can open your mind to new things and keep you motivated. You have options ranging from dancing to spinning to yoga. A class in kickboxing or a "boot camp" program may be the perfect fit for you. Keep in mind that you only need to attempt each class one time, while losing weight all the while.
To build the strength in your legs with an easy exercise, try doing wall sits. When doing wall sits, make sure you have an empty wall, with nothing too close to your body. Then face away from the wall about 18 inches away while standing up. Bend your knees, and lean back until your entire back is touching the wall. After that, bend your knees some more. Stop once your thighs are at a 180 degree angle to the ground. Hold this position until you really can not handle it any longer.
No matter what kind of exercise you're doing, wear the right shoes to do it. When you don shoes that are inappropriate for a given activity, you may injure your legs, feet or ankles. Also, you will have tired feet after you work out, and you will not be able to do it as long.
Make yourself an exercise schedule to make it harder to weasel out of your fitness routine. Set a few workout appointments for yourself each week, and stick with it. If you have to skip a day of working out, simply make it up later in the week.
Control your breathing when you work out to make exercise more effective. When doing exercises that pull up your body weight, including situps and crunches, breathe out as hard as you can when you reach the apex of the exercise. Deep breathing makes your abs work harder than normal, which enhances your workout.
In summary, there is so much to learn and educate yourself about the world of fitness Learning the correct and wrong way to do exercises is vital and learning which things you can switch up to fit your needs is important, too. This article shared great tips that can put to good use to started today.