Short engaging story with games to play throughout.
Forest Pals is a short interactive story book for young children and toddlers. With games interspersed it is perfect for a young pre-reader. The book plays like a movie that your child watches and then they will complete the tasks along the way.
Meet the very loveable forest animals of squirrel, fox, rabbit, bird, hedgehog and deer.
The narrator guides you through the story stopping along the way for your child to complete the short puzzles or activities including memory match, shapes, jigsaw, colouring, cake decorating and sorting.
The play area can be accessed at the end and all 6 games can be found to play.
An introduction to the loveable and friendly Pango and his friends Squirrel, Fox, Rabbit and Piggy!


text:
THE HERDWICK NEWS
August 23, 2020 newspaper2020
Homes Of The Future Finalists Revealed
The Home of 2030 competition encourages the design of environmentally friendly homes that support people in leading independent, fulfilling lives as our society ages.
Housing Minister Christopher Pincher has today (23 August 2020) announced 6 finalists in a competition to design the homes of the future.
The Home of 2030 competition has encouraged the best and brightest talents of the housing industry to design environmentally friendly homes that support people in leading independent, fulfilling lives as our society ages.
The 6 finalists and their designs are:
changebuilding with Perpendicular Architecture, Humblebee, ECOSystems Technologies and Arup: Homes that seek to reduce carbon emissions and social interaction, including through food grown in communal spaces and areas such as ponds to promote biodiversity.
HLM Architects with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and Green Build: Homes built using interchangeable parts with other homes, creating a circular economy in which little is wasted.
Igloo Regeneration with Useful Projects, Expedition Engineers and Mawson Kerr Architects: Homes with simple frame structures and standardised components set amidst walkable, vibrant neighbourhoods.
Openstudio Architects Ltd: Three building elements (a standardised housing module, an open 'Loft' and a circulation, storage and shared module) are used in combination with 3 landscape elements (communal green space, small private gardens or upper level balconies and terraces, and front gardens) to create combinations of sustainable, age-friendly spaces.
Outpost Architects and team: Janus, a home constructed from 98% organic biomass material (primarily timber and straw).
Studio OPEN: Promoting community and caring for others through a central garden shared between 4 homes that are built with locally sourced materials and timber construction methods to reduce environmental impact.
A winner will be chosen and together with other selected finalists will be introduced to Homes England development partners to explore the possibility of developing bids for a series of homes on Homes England land.
The 6 finalists have each received £40,000 of funding to help them develop detailed plans.
Today's announcements follow last week's launch of Planning for the future – the government's overhaul of the planning system to deliver more high-quality, sustainable homes.
The reforms include our commitment to making tree-lined streets the norm and an ambition that new 'zero carbon ready' homes delivered under the new system will not require any future retrofitting.
Housing Minister Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP said: "This competition demonstrates the best of British design being brought to bear on a key issue for today, and future generations: delivering homes that are good for the planet and that promote healthy, independent living for older generations.
"The winner of this competition will set the standard for the homes of the future and all 6 finalists have already made an exciting contribution to the designs we will need in the UK and around the world.
Minister for Clean Growth and Energy, Kwasi Kwarteng MP said: "Cutting homeowners' heating bills and making buildings greener is the next step in our plans to reach net zero emissions by 2050, and pioneering low-carbon initiatives like these will futureproof our housing stock for years to come.
"Alongside our nationwide £320 million heat network investment and our upcoming £2 billion Green Homes Grant scheme, these projects will pave the way for the UK's green homes revolution.
Minister for Care, Helen Whately said: "We want everyone, regardless of their age, to lead healthy, active lives in communities that work for them.
"As the population of the UK ages, our housing and infrastructure must be adaptable to our changing needs.
"The innovation and talent shown by the finalists in designing solutions to meet the needs of our future population has been very exciting and I look forward to seeing what comes next.
Alan Jones, President of the Royal Institute of British Architects, said: "The UK urgently needs a broad mix of affordable, age-friendly and sustainable housing – and these shortlisted proposals provide exactly that.
"Through the clever configuration of private and public space, natural light and ventilation, intelligent use of materials and technologies – these cost-effective, low carbon homes show what's possible when architects collaborate.
The winning Home of 2030 entry will be announced this autumn.
Home of 2030 applicants had to submit an outline design for homes that are:
Age-friendly and inclusive – appealing to a variety of age groups and adaptable to how needs will change as people become older.
Have low environmental impact – applying technology and construction techniques to deliver net zero carbon emissions.
Promote healthy living – promoting better health and wellbeing, such as through access to green spaces and communal areas.
Deliverable and scalable – homes that can be rolled-out across the country.
Separately, in a boost for the manufacture of low-carbon homes, today the government announces that warranty providers have agreed to work towards a shared standard for assessing homes built using modern methods of construction (MMC).
Once delivered, the new standard will boost the MMC industry by making it simpler to secure a warranty for these homes.
Industry research suggests these homes have the potential to be more environmentally sustainable, reducing heating bills by up to 70%.
Last year the United Kingdom became the first major economy in the world to sign a commitment to net-zero emissions into law, leading the way in tackling climate change.
Homes are responsible for 25% of carbon emissions in the United Kingdom, and the new competition will place energy efficiency at the forefront of new home design.
As part of the government's modern Industrial Strategy, the government is committed to ensuring that people can enjoy at least 5 extra years of healthy independent living by 2035.
More than 10 million people in the UK today can expect to see their 100th birthday, compared to 15,000 current centenarians.
Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre
changebuilding
Christopher Pincher
ECOSystems Technologies
Expedition Engineers
Helen Whately
HLM Architects
Home of 2030
Housing Minister
Humblebee
Igloo Regeneration
Kwasi Kwarteng
Mawson Kerr Architects
Minister for Care
Minister for Clean Growth and Energy
Openstudio Architects Ltd
Outpost Architects
Perpendicular Architecture
Royal Institute of British Architects
Studio OPEN
Useful Projects
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Ahhhh tax season. It's not a season where you'll find people decorating, buying gifts, or actually celebrating, but it's one that all working Americans must participate in if they want to stay on the up and up with Uncle Sam. Tax season is that time of year when you find yourself sifting through a mountain of receipts and donation slips in hopes of getting back the most money possible. But if you're tax information challenged like me, you may wonder: What's the biggest tax refund you can get? Because even though the number is different for everyone, there are tactics you can apply to max out that number and get yours this tax season.
According to the website for the IRS, the national average for tax refunds is $3,120. Whether you fall above or below that number, you want to make sure that you are squeezing every penny out of this deal. Discovering ways to up your refund number may be easier than you think, and trust me, it's totally worth the little bit of extra work you may need to do. Just think of what you could do with those extra dollar dollar bills, y'all! I vote shoes, but that's just me.
Before you send that paperwork in, see if you can use any of these ideas for increasing your tax refund and getting the most money back.
Each year, the government offers tax credits for a number of different things. Applying these credits can increase your refund, and all you need to do it check and see if you qualify. A few examples of these credits include: adoption expenses, college tuition, and expenses for elementary and secondary educators.
Getting checks in for certain things before the new year could mean more money in your pocket at tax time, according to Turbo Tax. Among the ways to increase your return are paying a month ahead on mortgage and property taxes. Staying ahead in the tax game will pay off in the long run.
When filling out your W-4, you may not be aware of which choices will mean more money. But using a W-4 withholding calculator will certainly help. Follow the simple steps, and the calculator will help you understand the best way to complete this standard form.
Navigating through what qualifies as dependent care credit can be tricky. But to make sure you are claiming all that you can, review what qualifies as the child dependent care tax credit and see what you can add to your deductions.
Depending on which state you live in, you may want to consider deducting state and local taxes for some of your purchases. The IRS provides this sales tax calculator, which is a handy tool if you think this might help increase your refund.
Your charitable contributions can be used as tax deductions when you file. But just like everything else, there are certain rules and requirements for filing charitable deductions that you should familiarize yourself with before starting on your taxes.
Did you move in order to take a new job? Then you may qualify for a one-time deduction to cover your moving expenses. Even the gas you used to drive to your new city can be included in this sweet deal.


text:
Q: Can't Use Audio in One Application Because Another Has Taken Full Use of Sound Card One of the applications I'm trying to use tells me that the audio device is not available. Is it possible to check what applications are using the sound card at the moment?

A: From the command line,
man lsof
sudo lsof +D /dev/snd

will list all the open files in /dev/snd, and which program has them open. See also man fuser.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Carriera

Nazionale
Ha partecipato alla CONCACAF Gold Cup 2019.

Palmarès

Club

Competizioni nazionali

Connah's Q.N.: 2020-2021

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Calciatori della Nazionale guyanese

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Department of Linguistics at Georgetown University is able to accommodate a limited number of scholars in the Visiting Researcher Program on a selective basis. Please review the admissions procedures and guidelines below. For more information, please contact our Department Chair, Dr. Elizabeth Zsiga.
Preference is given to senior scholars and researchers, with permission granted occasionally to junior faculty or advanced graduate students pursuing dissertation research at other institutions.
All of the information requested below must be provided to the Department of Linguistics a minimum of three months before you wish to arrive on campus.
Identify an academic contact related to your research in our department. See the University directory for Linguistics faculty names, areas of expertise, and research interests.
At this point, the Chair will reach out to the proposed faculty sponsor to determine interest and availability. If the proposed faculty contact is interested in pursuing this opportunity, we will ask you for further information, including sample publications and letters of recommendation.
When all materials are received, the Graduate School, in consultation with the Department of Linguistics, will make a decision on acceptance of the applicant and designate an academic contact for accepted Researchers. The Office of Global Services will work with accepted Researchers on visa matters.
Researchers are provided with a University identification card, the use of theGeorgetown University library system, a GU e-mail account and internet access through the University's system. Because of limited space, neither offices nor computers are made available. However, the library does have computers that are available on a limited time basis.
There is a facilities fee of $1,000 per semester for the Department of Linguistics and $400 per semester for the Graduate School. Payment of the fee is expected in the form of a check or money order, made out to Georgetown University, and paid in full at the beginning of the Visiting Researcher's affiliation. Payment of the fee is necessary to obtain access to University facilities.
For arrival information and other resources for Visiting Researchers please click here.


text:
The Big Idea: Jeri Smith-Ready
May 15, 2008 November 11, 2008 John Scalzi8 Comments
It's a two-fer week for Big Ideas, and today we have Jeri Smith-Ready, who brings you: vampires! And not just any vampires. No, her vampires have better musical taste than you do, and in Jeri's latest book Wicked Game, they're not afraid to prove it. But how does exquisite taste in music combine with an exquisite taste for blood? I'll let Jeri spin this tune for you.
JERI SMITH-READY
Have you ever met someone who's still stuck in the 1960s? Or the 80s? Someone who hasn't changed his or her worldview or tastes in decades? People who believe, for instance, that no decent music has been created after their own glory days?
The vampires in my new novel Wicked Game are culturally and psychologically stuck in the era in which they died. They speak the slang and wear the fashions of their original lifetimes. This intimate connection with the past makes them excellent disc jockeys, each with his or her own show on independent radio station WMMP-FM. But it also makes it hard for them to cope with our modern world.
Challenge #1: This 'frozen-in-time' idea seems ripe fodder for sitcom-style schtick, but a novel (especially a series) requires characters to grow and change. So I needed a catalyst. Enter Skywave, Inc., a communications conglomerate that wants to buy WMMP and turn it into another hit-playing clone (the tragedy of media consolidation is another of the book's Big Ideas, but we won't go into that here).
Why is this a problem? Without a musical link to the past, the vampires would be doomed to eventually "fade" into insanity, becoming little more than mindless, bloodthirsty ghouls. Thus a routine corporate takeover becomes a matter of life and un-death, shaking the characters out of their complacency and comfort.
Another catalyst comes in the form of Ciara Griffin. Ciara is a recovering con artist who takes a job at WMMP in sales and marketing (go ahead, say it: con artistry to marketing—not a stark career transition). To boost ratings and save her undead friends, Ciara rebrands the station as "WVMP: The Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll" and asks the DJs to "pretend" to be vampires as a marketing gimmick.
The increased public exposure forces the vampires to stretch their minds and interact more with the contemporary world. (Luckily, their jobs already require them to stay in touch with current events by reading daily news reports on the air.) Faced with new people and ideas, the vampires begin to feel alive again, and younger than they have in decades. They might not be comfortable, but they're happy.
Due to his younger age, 90s grunge DJ Shane McAllister is less fossilized than his colleagues. Ciara schools him on new music and teaches him to drive stick shift—she's determined not to let her new boyfriend 'fade.' Shane, who once thought himself incapable of learning and changing, takes the monumental step of introducing new music on his eclectic 'Whatever' broadcast (no affiliation with the illustrious 'Whatever' blog).
Of course, not everyone agrees that change and growth are such great ideas. A posse of ancient vampires (who live in a cult-like compound near Camp David) will shed as much blood as necessary to keep the station from revealing the truth disguised as a lie. The choice between 'dangerous freedom' versus 'safe suffocation' plays out in the conflict between the two cadres of vampires.
Challenge #2: The characters could have easily fallen into clichés of their eras, so I did my best to buck the stereotypes. Jim the hippie DJ, for instance, sports the trappings of peace, love, and understanding, but it's just a façade he took on as a mortal, mainly to get chicks. Out of all the DJs, Jim is the most materialistic and holds the least reverence for human life. Reggae vamp Noah, on the other hand, remains true to his Rasta religion by making his bites as painless as possible and by never drinking blood-bank blood (no processed food allowed). Most people only know Rastafarians as pot-smoking, reggae-playing slackers, but Noah manifests deeper, less familiar aspects of the Rasta faith and way of life.
How many of us over the age of thirty are stuck in time, convincing ourselves that staying young means staying the same? The vampire DJs embody this "back in my day" attitude, this existential fossilization. Since vampires "die" at a certain point in time, they provide the perfect representation of this psychological glitch. Werewolves just wouldn't have had the same resonance.
So my Big Idea for this book? I believe that we can be more than mere products of our backgrounds. I believe that the ability to grow and change, to have the freedom to reinvent oneself, is what being human—what being truly alive—is all about.
And isn't this exploration of what means to be human—and alive—ultimately what speculative fiction is all about? It's a genre of ideas, and that's a big reason why I love reading it, writing it, and sharing it with other fans.
As they say on the radio, thanks for listening!
Learn more about Wicked Game here, and read the first chapter here. Visit WVMP radio, meet the DJs and listen to their favorite tracks here. Also visit the MySpace pages for Jeri and Ciara.
New AMC Movie Column Up
"Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded": Available For Pre-order
8 thoughts on "The Big Idea: Jeri Smith-Ready"
Linkmeister says:
What? No Easy Listening DJ/Vamp? No "All Kenny G All the Time" program?
Well, upon reflection (hah!) that might be the stake in the heart of any radio station.
Jeri isn't just a terrific writer, she's also an interesting panelist. I see her a couple of times a year at local cons and she is always a pleasure.
Her books Eyes of Crow and Voice of Crow are strongly recommended, even though they don't have any vampires in them.
This new series is one I've been waiting for for a couple of months. Hooray!
I want this book very badly now. And I usually don't heart vampire books.
you are going to have to write faster is all i can say L)))
Lori T says:
I have Wicked Game in my next to be read slot. I can hardly wait. This book sounds fabulous!
TarotByArwen says:
I heart Jeri's writing. I think she is an incredibly talented writer and I am anxiously awaiting book 3 of the Aspect of the Crow series.
SFC SKI says:
I don't care for the vampire genre, but the rock'n'roll aspect, and the descriptions of the characters here will make me consider reading this book.
I'm not stuck in time, but I know the music that I prefer is about 20 years old or more. very little new artists come out that don't remind me of a better original artist; still I can relate to the characters.
JJ Brannon says:
On the strength of this spotlight, when I encountered Jeri at Balticon I immediately made plans with her to purchase Wicked Game when she provided copies for archbookmeister Larry Smith the next morning.
She's a really nice person, too.
JJB


There is no shortage of things to see and do in Oman's bustling capital. Visitors can wander the maze-like souqs of Mutrah and wonder at the massive and beautiful palaces, forts, and mosques that serve as reminders of the city's culture and history.
Along with the architectural wonders, visitors can learn about Muscat at a number of museums in the city, including the National Museum, the Children's Museum, the Sultan's Armed Forces Museum, the Omani French Museum, and the interactive Bait al Baranda Museum.
Muscat offers a number of active pursuits as well, and the numerous tour companies in the city facilitate activities like scuba diving, rock climbing, camel racing, horseback riding, turtle and dolphin watching, trekking, and night safaris.
To enjoy the natural beauty of Muscat, travellers can take a walk in any of the city's parks, ranging from small neighbourhood spaces to the enormous Qurum National Park, which boasts beautiful rose gardens and manmade waterfalls, a lake, and an amusement park. Another spectacular natural site is Wadi Shab, located about 62 miles (100km) southeast of the city and home to vivid emerald green pools with dramatic caves and cliff faces.


C. Savva & Associates Ltd is a Cyprus registered company with offices at 75 Prodromou Avenue, 1st Floor, 2063 Nicosia, Cyprus and 6790 Kitimat Road, Unit 7, Mississauga, Ontario, L5N 5L9 Toronto, Canada.
When you give your personal data to C. Savva & Associates Ltd, we will process that data in accordance with our responsibilities under the Data Protection Act 1998, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 and other relevant legislation.
If you would like access to the Personal Data that we hold about you, you can do this by writing to us at address C. Savva & Associates Ltd, 75 Prodromou Avenue, 1st Floor, 2063 Nicosia, Cyprus or email us at info@savvacyprus.com.
We aim to keep the Personal Data we hold about you accurate and up to date. If you tell us that we are holding any inaccurate Personal Data about you, we will delete it or correct it promptly. Please write to us at address C. Savva & Associates Ltd, 75 Prodromou Avenue, 1st Floor, 2063 Nicosia, Cyprus or email us at info@savvacyprus.com.
At any time, you can request from us the usage of your personal data by sending an email to info@savvacyprus.com.
At any time you can request from us to stop receiving emails from us using the following email info@savvacyprus.com.
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To claim any of your above rights please send an email to info@savvacyprus.com and we will respond at your request within 24 hours.
By submitting your email address you are consenting to receive the particular piece of information you requested, as well as allowing us to send you appropriate and useful communications. This includes, but is not limited to; invitations to our events and webinars, our latest assets (blog posts, whitepapers, guides, reports, info graphics, videos and case studies) and promotional offers on software and services. We would also like to keep you abreast of the charity events and initiatives we partake in.If you are a customer of C. Savva & Associates Ltd, you will also receive regular updates. These updates will highlight information relevant to the services we deliver.


A funny Pepsi video featuring Jeff Gordon pranking a car salesman swept the web on Wednesday. But it turns out the salesman who fell victim to the test-driving prank was likely in on the ruse.
The video features NASCAR super star Gordon in disguise and test driving a Camaro at a car dealership. The hapless car salesman in tow seemed like he was in for the vomit-inducing ride of his life.
"You are liable for any damages, sir, so please stop the car," said the panicked salesman in the passenger seat.
But Jalopnik.com scrutinized the hidden-camera video and poked a few holes in it.
The sticker on the car says "09," but Jalopnik.com writes that the Camaro wasn't made until 2010.
The Camaro also does not have a cupholder, which was prominently featured in the video holding a hidden camera disguised as a can of unopened Pepsi.
The video was also producted by Gifted You, according to The Los Angeles Times, which is part of Will Ferrell's Funny or Die company, a comedy video website with celebrity cameos.
Lastly, there isn't a single shot of Gordon actually driving the car. The video was shot in Concord, N.C., and the N.C. Independent Tribune confirmed that racer Brad Noffsinger "did the stunt work for the production."


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The side panel of this tunic top falls into a draped side pocket with the hem line dipping at the sides. The unusual square armhole is interesting and gives the ¾ length sleeve an interesting look. This tunic is great to wear over pants or leggings or make it in a light weight fabric as a summer cover-up.


The Indian Railways has been in the spotlight the last few weeks after a series of accidents that injured several and injured many more.
The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) under the administrative control of the civil aviation ministry probed the accidents and the Indian Railways' safety standards.
In order to improve safety, former Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had in April consulted various international agencies for suggestions on safety improvements considering the increase in load of railway infrastructure and deteriorating safety standards.
The World Bank found that the current system of accident investigations by the CRS was inadequate and strongly recommended that an independent rail safety regulatory authority and investigator be set up in the country to prevent accidents.
The immediate goal, as suggested by the World Bank, is the installation of 'ditch lights' as a safety feature in front of a train to make them more visible so that they are visible from a distance, especially during twilight hours when the visibility is low.
"Choose high-visibility clothing for employees that can be worn all year round and ensure that it is worn at all times. Ensure that footwear and helmets chosen by employees with their allowance are appropriate for their activities," the report said, as per The Economic Times.
Take fire prevention measures and add fire extinguishers in every train, said the report.
The report suggested that level crossings and paths be painted in a cross-hatched pattern to highlight the dangers of being in the area.
"Train the current investigators in root-cause analysis of accidents, review timetables such that a maintenance block of four hours is provided weekly on all main lines, review safety performance in terminal operations with the intent to identify prevailing risks," the report suggested.
The report also suggested that the Indian Railways establishes an emergency response plan to address derailments, fires, or any other mishaps.
The World Bank advised three broad parameters to improve the safety of passengers by following international standards.
The Logical Indian community hopes that the Railway Ministry takes into account the suggestions of the World Bank and implements safety measures at the earliest.


Deaf Teen Quest "DTQ" is the ministry of Youth for Christ that works with deaf and hard of hearing students.
Bob Ayers and his wife Cathy began DTQ in 2000 and it became a national ministry with Youth For Christ in 2008. There are many deaf and hard of hearing teenagers all over the state of Maryland who need to be reached just as much as hearing students.
If you would like more information about the ministry of Deaf Teen Quest such as times, events, locations and how you can get involved, please contact Rachel Mraz at 410.302.1450 via text/call.


text:
Q: I have data set of phase space of a dynamical system stored in a file and in want its 2-D animation in python I have a data files containing x and y cordinate of a dynamical system. I want to create animation of it in python.
I have tried matplotlib.animation as animation.
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib.animation as animation

fig = plt.figure()
ax = plt.axes(xlim=(0, 1), ylim=(-.1, .1))

filename = '{}{}'.format("file_1234",".txt")
data1=np.loadtxt(filename)
s1=data1[:,0]
t1=data1[:,1]
line, = ax.plot(s1, t1)
def init():  # only required for blitting to give a clean slate.
    line.set_ydata([np.nan] * len(s1))
    return line,

def animate(i):
    line.set_data(s1[i],t1[i])
    #~ line.set_ydata(t1[i])
    #~ line.set_ydata(t1)
    return line,

ani = animation.FuncAnimation(
    fig, animate, init_func=init, interval=2, blit=True, save_count=50)

plt.show()

I have tried this code but unable to get exact phase space. please help me in finding mistakes.

A: enter code here
import numpy as np

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

import matplotlib.animation as animation

fig = plt.figure()

ax = plt.axes(xlim=(0, 1), ylim=(-.25, .2))

filename = '{}{}'.format("file_1",".txt")

data1=np.loadtxt(filename)

filename = '{}{}'.format("file_2",".txt")

data2=np.loadtxt(filename)

colors1 = ['b', 'b', ]

colors = ['r', 'r']

lines = sum([ax.plot([], [], [], '-', c=c)
         for c in colors], [])

pts = sum([ax.plot([], [], [], 'o', c=c)
       for c in colors], [])

lines1 = sum([ax.plot([], [], [], '-', c=c)
         for c in colors1], [])

pts1 = sum([ax.plot([], [], [], 'o', c=c)
       for c in colors1], [])

def init():

    for line, pt, line1, pt1 in zip(lines, pts, lines1, pts1):

        line.set_data([], [])

        pt.set_data([], [])

        line1.set_data([], [])

        pt1.set_data([], [])

    return lines + pts + lines1 + pts1

def animate(i):

    for line, pt, line1, pt1, xi, yi in zip(lines, pts, lines1, pts1, data1, data2):

        x, y = data1[:i].T

        p, q = data2[:i].T

        line.set_data(x, y)
        pt.set_data(x[-1:], y[-1:])
        line1.set_data(p, q)
        pt1.set_data(p[-1:], q[-1:])

    return lines + pts + lines1 + pts1

anim = animation.FuncAnimation(fig, animate, init_func=init,
                           frames=7000, interval=10, blit=True)

Writer = animation.writers['ffmpeg']
writer = Writer(fps=500, metadata=dict(artist='Me'), bitrate=100)
anim.save('video.mp4', writer=writer)
plt.show()


Cream shortening and blend in sugar. Add eggs, salt and flavoring. Beat well.
Sift two boxes of corn starch with flour and baking powder. Add to the first mixture, blending well.
Turn dough out on a board covered with corn starch until the dough is smooth and firm.
Pinch off pieces of dough to make balls about 1 – 1 ½ inches in diameter.
Roll the dough into a pencil-sized rope. Coil and place on greased cookie sheet.
Bake in 325 degree oven until light brown.
Rosquettes are a traditional Guamanian treat for all occasions.


text:
Dengue Vaccine Update
November 7, 2019 Cynthia Callaghan
Takeda's tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate effective in children
Biswal S, et al. N Engl J Med. 2019;doi:10.1015/NEJMoa1903869.
Derek Wallace
Results of an ongoing phase 3 trial of Takeda's tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate, known as TAK-003, suggest that the vaccine is effective in children and adolescents aged 4 to 16 years.
The findings, which were presented previously at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, have now been published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
"It is important that there are multiple options to fight dengue, as it is the fastest spreading mosquito-borne disease and one of the top 10 threats to global health, according to WHO," Derek Wallace, MBBS, vice president and global program lead in dengue for Takeda, told Infectious Diseases in Children. "In the absences of a specific treatment, prevention of dengue becomes very important."
Wallace stressed that vector control and personal measures to reduce exposure to mosquitos have not been sufficient in preventing disease.
One other tetravalent dengue vaccine, known as Dengvaxia (CYD-TDV, Sanofi Pasteur), has been used in children in Asia and Latin America. However, Wallace and colleagues wrote that the vaccine increased the risk for severe dengue and dengue-related hospitalizations in children who had never been infected with the virus. Because of the increased risk for severe outcomes, Dengvaxia is only recommended for those with confirmed previous dengue virus infection.
"This leaves a significant unmet need for a vaccine that is safe and protects those at risk for dengue regardless of previous dengue exposure," Wallace said.
For the trial, the researchers administered TAK-003 to healthy children and adolescents residing in endemic areas in Asia and Latin America. Participants received either two doses of the vaccine or placebo, with 3 months between each dose.
More than 20,000 children and adolescents were administered at least one dose of the vaccine or placebo, and nearly all (94.8%) received both doses. Wallace and colleagues wrote that one dose of the vaccine was 80.9% effective (95% CI, 75.2%-85.3%). Compared with placebo, the rate of infection was lower among children who received one dose of the vaccine (0.5 vs. 2.5 cases per 100 person-years).
Wallace said that the efficacy between the first and second dose of TAK-003 was "important and unexpected."
"While this may have relevance for travelers and in outbreak settings, long-term safety and efficacy is assessed after two doses," he said. "We therefore intend to file with a two dose regimen."
Two doses of the vaccine were 80.2% (95% CI, 73.3%-85.3%) effective at preventing infection . The researchers identified fewer cases of virologically confirmed dengue virus infection among those who received two doses of the vaccine compared with placebo (61 vs. 149), and there was a 95.4% (95% CI, 88.4%-98.2%) reduction in hospitalizations due to dengue among recipients of TAK-003.
That last finding has "significant potential relevance," according to Wallace.
"Dengue is an epidemic disease and creates huge pressure on public health infrastructure," he explained. "There are an estimated 500,000 hospitalizations due to dengue each year. A reduction in hospitalization is therefore relevant both to the individual and to the public health systems in dengue-endemic areas. We are especially encouraged to note that the reduction in risk of hospitalization was observed in both seropositive and seronegative individuals."
Before vaccination, 27.7% of participants who received both doses of TAK-003 were seronegative at baseline. Wallace and colleagues wrote that the vaccine demonstrated 74.9% efficacy in these children and adolescents (95% CI, 57%-85.4%), with 20 cases of virologically confirmed dengue virus infection occurring among those who received the vaccine and 39 cases among those who received placebo.
The researchers identified similar rates of adverse events among those who received the vaccine (3.1%) and those who received placebo (3.8%).
Wallace said the next steps in the trial include an analysis of an additional 6 months of data to determine the vaccine's efficacy by serotype, baseline serostatus and severity of disease. He said these data will be presented at the upcoming American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene annual meeting. A third analysis will examine the vaccine's efficacy and long-term safety after an additional 3 years.
"We continue to collaborate with governments, nongovernmental organizations, policy organizations and dengue experts to ensure they have early and ongoing access to our data," Wallace said. "These are the individuals and groups that are most important in defining how the vaccine candidate could potentially best be used. We will focus on filing in dengue-endemic countries where there is the greatest need in parallel with filings in nonendemic countries. The planned dossier will include safety and efficacy data from our trial and supporting data from our other phase 3 studies." – by Katherine Bortz
Disclosures: Wallace is an employee of Takeda. Please see the study for all other authors' relevant financial disclosures.
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Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories – 1983
Though I do enjoy the occasional ghost story, an entire collection–even of the best ever–was a little much, and I'm happy to list this on Paperback Swap where 3 members are wishing for it. Perhaps they work better when you're not alerted to the genre. When you know it's a ghost story, right off the bat the mysterious child/dog/crone/policeman isn't so mysterious–only the details remain to be determined. The only image which stuck in my mind was the "white fat hand" in Sheridan Le Fanu's "The Ghost of a Hand." The story itself is more imagistic than plot-driven. I did especially enjoy my dear E.F. Benson's "In the Tube," more light-hearted than the rest and with an optimistic ending (as in The Sixth Sense, the ghosts want the help of the living to communicate with their loved ones). That's the key–I like fantasy and not pure horror because the latter is so often purposeless. Why the haunting? No reason is given in classic horror–the scary stuff just is, and the story dwells on the protagonists' reactions. My impression is that seeing the motivations and mechanisms of the Big Bad steers closer to fantasy.
In the introduction, Dahl claims that women are/were (this was the early 80s) disproportionately represented in the writing of great ghost stories, as they are/were in great children's books. After talking about how rare and difficult it is to write a truly classic children's book, he veers off into an anecdote about the publisher Crowell Collier inviting "all the most celebrated writers in the English speaking world to write a children's story."
…[A]ll the writers accepted. These were big names, mind you, famous novelists, so-called giants of the literary world. I won't mention who they were but you would know them all.
The stories came in. I saw each one of them. Only one writer, Robert Graves, had any conception of how to write for children. The rest of the stories were guaranteed to anaesthetize in two minutes flat any unfortunate child who got hold of them. They were unpublishable.
Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story – Leonie Swann, 2005 (English translation 2006, Anthea Bell)
What an unusual book! It does work – the sheep are believable sheepy and yet solve the mystery – but I can't say I loved it. It's a lot better than Play Dead, where the dog is the key to the mystery, but precisely because the narrators are sheep and don't fully understand what's going on, the solution doesn't have the complete mystery payoff. We're at a remove from all the human protagonists. Instead the payoff is how Swann manages to have her sheep act and reason within their species limitations. It's brilliant in a way, and funny, but not compelling. I don't want to read anything else on these lines, but I would pick up her next book with anticipation.
Museum: Behind the Scenes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art – Danny Danzinger, 2007
I grew up just a few blocks from the Met and have spent many, many hours there. It's not my favorite museum in the world (that would be the V&A;, followed by quite a few others before getting to the Met), but it's the one I know best. Yet I saw many other sides of it in this Studs-Terkel-style interview book. Danziger's no Terkel, but he draws out many different sides of his subjects. The most interesting aspect to me was probably the clear class divisions between the workers (security guard, plumber, etc. – not totally blue-collar but close), the curators (intellectual, boho), and the trustees (obnoxiously wealthy and privileged). Because the order is simply alphabetical by last name, they rub elbows in the pages in a way that presumably doesn't happen in real life. A quick, enjoyable read, which makes me want to visit again and take a closer look at Duccio's Madonna and Child, Rembrandt's portrait of Gerard de Lairesse, and the pi-pa (a Ming dynasty lute). The Akkadian (Assyrian) reliefs always fascinated me, but I didn't realize before how unusual they are.
Song of the Wild by Allan W. Eckert – 1980
This book was described on the Project Wombat list, and to my surprise we had it at the library (it hadn't circulated since 1994, but it's a memorial so we kept it anyway). The concept is fascinating – a boy can project his consciousness into any animal, bird, or insect, and share its experience – but the writing doesn't do the idea justice. It's a strange book – it should fit into the tradition of great fantasy fiction like the animal parts of The Sword in the Stone , but it's actually on the dry side. Caleb's life in the human world is downer realistic fiction, and his experiences in the animal kingdom don't feel involving. It's partly the distant third person narration. The overall impression is Mark Trail come to life. Apparently it was pitched as an adult novel, but it falls between two stools – it's not involving enough for teens, but it doesn't feel like a standard novel either. I'm glad I read it once.


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Home > Campus Now > SPECIAL REPORT : Spring Verdure Issue (May)
Spring Verdure Issue (May)
From the Emotional Health Consultation Office
Healthy lifestyle starting from Waseda University
As a university which is responsible for the health of our students, Waseda University is working to promote student health from the integrated perspective of exercise, diet, medicine and emotional care.
This article introduces activities for realizing a Waseda Healthy Campus which will provide information and motivate students to maintain and manage their own health from their time as university students and throughout their life after graduating.
Creating an environment which allows each student to consider the future with peace of mind
Koichiro Watanabe
Commissioned Doctor, Emotional Health Consultation Office, Health Support Center
University students tend to be emotionally unstable
University life is a period during which emotional illness often surfaces. University is the first time that children live away from their parents. They begin to prepare for their life as working members of society. It is an emotionally unstable period in which students are expected to establish their personal identity and select their path in life. Since 10 years ago, I have provided emotional health consultation at Waseda University. Previously, the majority of consultation dealt with worries related to studies or job-search activities. However, the majority of consultation nowadays concerns interpersonal relationships. There are an increasing number of students who feel loneliness or isolation due to their inability to form friendships at university, or unable to discuss their true feelings due to the superficiality of relationships. Currently, there is little leeway in society due to the emphasis on ability and the fast-track to success. Everyone is having enough trouble handling their own life and the spirit of mutual support has weakened. I believe that such trends contribute to the manifestation of emotional illness.
Just like cancer, early detection is important when treating emotional illness. At home, parents should talk to children whose personality has suddenly changed from serious to frivolous, or students who show changes in their sleeping or eating patterns. There is no need to be meddlesome in the case of university students. It is enough to bring the problems to the student's attention and encourage them to think. Still, there is no guarantee that students will feel peace of mind while under the supervision of their parents. In addition to commuting between home and university, it is important that students have a variety of experiences during extracurricular activities and at part-time jobs, and build human relationships of which their parents are unaware. Failure to do so will prevent students from maturing past a high-school mentality and will interfere with the acquisition of social skills. It will also make the search for employment difficult.
It is important to understand emotional illness and work together to overcome problems
Types of mental illness which are increasing among university students include bipolar disorder, social anxiety disorder and pervasive developmental disorder. Bipolar disorder is an illness in which the patient experiences alternate periods of highs and depression. Although understanding has increased regarding depression and patients now have civic rights, bipolar disorder is a different matter. During the high periods, people become confused regarding the patient and it is difficult to obtain understanding. Patients worry over this phenomenon, causing their condition to worsen. In a worst-case scenario, the patient may be driving to commit suicide. People suffering from social anxiety disorder have difficulty engaging in a task in front of others. Nowadays, such patients are experiencing extreme difficulty due to the emphasis on presentation skills. People with pervasive developmental disorder tend to become disconnected from others due to poor communication skills and the inability to interpret the atmosphere around them. Previously, such patients were regarded as being eccentric. Their good points were recognized and they were able to blend into social groups. However, in today's society, such people are often excluded from social groups. As explained here, the environment surrounding emotionally ill people has changed and many cases can be observed in which their symptoms have worsened.
If students drop out of university due to emotional disorders, they will become further isolated from society in their future life. It is important that faculty and staff do not force emotionally unstable students to conform to routine methods. Rather, it is important to talk with such students and propose compromises. In order for all students to realize their potential, I believe that faculty and staff members must act as gatekeepers and conduct follow-ups. Faculty and staff who are unsure of how to interact with students should contact the Emotional Health Consultation Office.
The social environment in Japan has changed to the extent that standards which existed 10 years ago are now totally outdated. At both university and at home, we must respond flexibly to each student and create an environment which allows students to consider their future with peace of mind. The Health Support Center must not simply diagnose illness and leave subsequent action to the student. Instead, we must cooperate with faculty, staff, families and the Career Center and conduct follow-ups until the student has found employment and is capable of living independently.
Holds a PhD in medicine. Graduated from the Keio University School of Medicine in 1988. Worked at Kyosai Tachikawa Hospital and Oizumi Hospital, and served as a full-time instructor at Keio University. Currently serves as Associate Professor at the Department of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Kyorin University. From April 2004, has served as a commissioned doctor at the Health Support Center.


"Media Violence. Stereotyping. Bias. Commercialism. All are concerns for people of faith. Explore living faith-fully in today's multi-media culture."
Christian Media Literacy Institute: "Proclaiming the Gospel through Media Literacy"
"If you are a parent or teacher and you are looking for Christian materials to help your children understand the media, then this site and the Christian Media Literacy Institute are for you. There are many secular groups involved in media literacy. However, there is precious little media literacy material being developed from the Christian perspective. Our children could benefit greatly by learning how to use their faith to analyze the media. Through applying Law and Gospel to a constructed message our children can judge the moral quality of the message for themselves and compare that to the new life they have in Jesus Christ. In this way, children begin to learn how to use their faith to critique the world in which they live."
Since 1985, Film Education has been developing the range of its publications and services to respond to the growing importance of Media Education in the National Curriculum and to meet the increasing demand for current educational material on film and film making. In supporting teachers, Film Education gives pupils the opportunity to analyse and evaluate not only film but also a wide range of Media. In addition to providing free educational materials, Film Education organises training courses, conferences, workshops, seminars and events including National Schools Film Week. Study resources include film specific CD-ROMs and educational online resources, study guides, generic study guides and videos, plus new materials in digital video editing.


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It is brought to the attention of the shareholders of Nordea 1 – African Equity Fund and Nordea 1 – Emerging Markets Focus Equity Fund that the board of directors of Nordea 1, SICAV (the "Board of Directors") has decided to merge the assets and liabilities of Nordea 1 – African Equity Fund (the "Merging Sub-Fund") with the assets and liabilities of Nordea 1 – Emerging Markets Focus Equity Fund (the "Receiving Sub-Fund" and together with the Merging Sub-Fund to be referred to as the "Sub-Funds").
The Sub-Funds are both Sub-Funds of Nordea 1, SICAV, a Luxembourg-based undertaking for collective investment in transferable securities authorised by the Luxembourg supervisory authority under Part I of the law of 17 December 2010, on undertakings for collective investment, as amended (the "2010 Law").
The merger will be the operation whereby the Merging Sub-Fund on being dissolved, without going into liquidation, will transfer its assets and liabilities on the effective date of the merger as defined in section 8.1. of this shareholders' notice (the "Effective Date") to the Receiving Sub-Fund.
The intention of the Board of Directors is to merge the Merging Sub-Fund with the Receiving Sub-Fund on the Effective Date by way of merger in accordance with the definition of "merger" in article 1 (20) (a) of the 2010 Law and as further described in Article 76 (1) of the 2010 Law as follows:
all the assets and liabilities of the Merging Sub-Fund shall be transferred to the Receiving Sub-Fund, as further described in section 4.1. of this shareholders' notice, or, as the case may be, to the depositary of Nordea 1, SICAV, i.e. J.P. Morgan Bank Luxembourg S.A. (the "Depositary");
the shareholders of the relevant class of shares of the Merging Sub-Fund become shareholders of the relevant class of shares of the Receiving Sub-Fund as described in section 5.2. of this shareholders' notice; and
the Merging Sub-Fund will cease to exist on the Effective Date.
Without prejudice to notice requirements and free redemption/conversion rights, the implementation of the merger is not subject to the prior approval of the shareholders.
The present notice provides appropriate and accurate information on the proposed merger to the respective shareholders so as to enable them to make an informed judgement of the impact of the merger on their investment.
Context and justification of the merger
The reason for the merger is that the level of assets of the Merging Sub-Fund is at a level where the Merging Sub-Fund may no longer be managed in an economically optimal manner.
By merging the Merging Sub-Fund into the Receiving Sub-Fund, the combined estimated values, together with the potential for new investments in the Receiving Sub-Fund should provide the benefit of greater fund size and therefore, economies of scale, with the expectation that this should enable relatively lower costs in the future compared to the total net asset value.
By merging the Merging Sub-Fund into the Receiving Sub-Fund, the shareholders should get exposure to a more modern and diversified sub-fund, with a larger potential for performance.
The Receiving Sub-Fund follows a Nordea in-house managed driven emerging markets equity strategy that has proven successful in terms of performance and asset gathering. The Receiving Sub-Fund had a 5 star rating in Morningstar on 31 December 2017. For these reasons, we believe the interests of shareholders will be better served if the Merging Sub-Fund was merged with the Receiving Sub-Fund.
Expected impact of the merger on the shareholders of the Merging Sub-Fund
On the Effective Date, shareholders in the Merging Sub-Fund will receive new shares in accordance with the terms set out in section 5.2. of this Shareholders' notice and become shareholders in the relevant class of shares of the Receiving Sub-Fund.
The Merging Sub-Fund and the Receiving Sub-Fund have the same risk and reward profile, i.e. they both have a synthetic risk and reward indicator ("SRRI") of 6. Both Sub-Funds are actively managed. The investment objective and policy of the Merging Sub-Fund and the Receiving Sub-Fund are further disclosed in Appendix I.
The Merging Sub-Fund mainly invests in equity and equity related securities issued by companies which are domiciled or exercise the predominant part of their economic activity in Africa, including companies listed on African Stock Exchanges. The Sub-Fund has no official benchmark. Due to the structure of the African equity markets, up to 50% of the Sub-Fund's assets are normally invested in South African equities.
The Receiving Sub-Fund invests in equity and equity related securities issued by companies which are domiciled or exercise the predominant part of their economic activity in emerging markets globally. Nordea 1 – Emerging Markets Focus Equity Fund is measured against the MSCI Emerging Markets – Net Total Return Index.
The Merging Sub-Fund generally invests in smaller market-cap equities whereas the Receiving Sub-Fund invests in larger market-cap equities. Both Sub-Funds have a tilt towards core-growth equities.
Nordea 1 – African Equity Fund focuses on African equities (with a high concentration in South African equities), whereas Nordea 1 – Emerging Markets Focus Equity Fund is more geographically diversified as it invests across emerging markets globally. Normally at least 60 % of the assets of Nordea 1 – Emerging Markets Focus Equity Fund are invested in China, India, South Korea and Taiwan. The African stock market only counts for around 8% of the MSCI Emerging Markets – Net Total Return Index. Sector-wise, both Sub-Funds diversify their investments broadly. The largest difference is that Nordea 1 – African Equity Fund normally has a high concentration in Financials (the largest sector within the Sub-Fund's investment universe) whereas Nordea 1 – Emerging Markets Focus Equity Fund has a high concentration in Information Technology (which is a very small sector on the African stock market).
Both Sub-Funds have similar stock specific concentration risk (normally 55-65 holdings).
In practice, the use of derivatives is negligible for both Sub-Funds.
Overall, it can be expected that the change of risk for shareholders in the Merging Sub-Fund will be slightly reduced, as a consequence of the merger, due to the more diversified investment in terms of geography and currency allocation in the Receiving Sub-Fund.
The base currency of the Merging Sub-Fund is EUR. The base currency of the Receiving Sub-Fund is USD.
The fees for the Receiving Sub-Fund are lower than the fees of the Merging Sub-Fund, as set out in Appendix I, for the benefit of the shareholders in the Merging Sub-Fund.
The procedures that apply to matters such as dealing, subscription, redemption, switching and transferring of shares and method of calculating the net asset value, are the same in the Merging Sub-Fund and the Receiving Sub-Fund. The Merging Sub-Fund and the Receiving Sub-Fund have such other features as further disclosed in Appendix 1.
Shareholders in the Merging Sub-Fund are advised to consult their professional advisers as to the legal, financial and tax implications of the merger under the laws of the countries of their nationality, residence, domicile or incorporation.
The merger will be notified in writing to the shareholders in the Merging Sub-Fund and in the Receiving Sub-Fund in accordance with the 2010 Law. Shareholders in the merging Sub-Fund and in the Receiving Sub-Fund will have the right to request without any charge other than those retained to meet disinvestment costs (as the case may be), the redemption or conversion of their shares, during a period as set out in section 10.2.
Any legal, advisory or administrative costs associated with the preparation and the completion of the merger shall be borne by the management company.
Expected impact of the merger on the shareholders of the Receiving Sub-Fund
3.1. On implementation of the merger, shareholders in the Receiving Sub-Fund will continue to hold the equivalent shares in the Receiving Sub-Fund as before and there will be no change in the rights attaching to such shares. The implementation of the merger will not affect the fee structure of the Receiving Sub-Fund and will result neither in changes to the articles of association or prospectus of Nordea 1, SICAV, nor in changes to the key investor information documents (the "KIIDs") of the Receiving Sub-Fund.
3.2. On implementation of the merger, the aggregate net asset value of the Receiving Sub-Fund will increase as a result of the transfer to it of the Merging Sub-Fund's assets and liabilities.
3.3. Any legal, advisory or administrative costs associated with the preparation and the completion of the merger shall be borne by the management company.
Rebalancing of the portfolio of the Merging Sub-Fund and the Receiving Sub-Fund before or after the merger
4.1. During the last week preceding the merger, the portfolio of the Merging Sub-Fund will be invested in cash, so that it is expected that the Merging Sub-Fund will transfer to the Receiving Sub-Fund cash positions only.
4.2. The merger will not have any material impact on the portfolio of the Receiving Sub-Fund and it is not intended to undertake any rebalancing on the portfolio of the Receiving Sub-Fund before or after the merger. The merger will result in an inflow of cash into the Receiving Sub-Fund. The cash will subsequently be invested in corporate bonds according to the Receiving Sub-Fund's investment policy.
Criteria adopted for valuation of the assets and liabilities in order to calculate the exchange ratio
5.1. On the business day prior to the Effective Date, the management company of Nordea 1, SICAV, i.e. Nordea Investment Funds S.A. (the "Management Company") will calculate the net asset value per share class and determine the exchange ratio.
5.2. The share classes of the Merging Sub-Fund will be merged into the share classes of the Receiving Sub-Fund as follows:
Nordea 1 –African Equity Fund
Nordea 1 – Emerging Markets Focus Equity Fund
BI-EUR
BP-SEK
BP-NOK
BP-EUR
E-EUR
E-PLN
5.3. The Depositary shall issue a confirmation, in accordance with the requirements of article 70 of the 2010 Law confirming that it has verified the type of merger and the UCITS involved, the Effective Date and that the rules applicable, respectively, to the transfer of the assets and liabilities and exchange of shares as set out herein are in accordance with the requirements of the 2010 Law.
Calculation method of the exchange ratio
6.1. The number of new shares in the Receiving Sub-Fund to be issued to each shareholder will be calculated using an exchange ratio calculated on the basis of the net asset value of the shares of the Merging Sub-Fund and of the shares in the Receiving Sub-Fund, calculated in accordance with sections 5.1 and 5.2 above. The relevant shares in the Merging Sub-Fund will then be cancelled.
6.2. The exchange ratio will be calculated as follows:
The net asset value per share of the relevant class of shares of the Merging Sub-Fund is divided by the net asset value per share of the relevant class of shares in the Receiving Sub-Fund.
The applicable net asset value per share of the Merging Sub-Fund and the net asset value per share of the Receiving Sub-Fund will be those having both been determined on the business day prior to the Effective Date.
6.3. The issue of new shares in the Receiving Sub-Fund in exchange for shares of the Merging Sub-Fund will not be subject to any charge.
6.4. In accordance with the above provisions, the net asset value per share in the Merging Sub-Fund and the net asset value per share in the Receiving Sub-Fund will not necessarily be the same. Therefore, while the overall value of their holding will remain the same, shareholders in the Merging Sub-Fund may receive a different number of new shares in the Receiving Sub-Fund than the number of shares they had previously held in the Merging Sub-Fund.
6.5. No cash payment shall be made to shareholders in exchange for the shares.
Risk of dilution of the performance
7.1. The proposed merger being a merger whereby the Merging Sub-Fund will be 100% invested in cash, a single operation will take place. On the Effective Date, the Merging Sub-Fund will transfer this cash position to the Receiving Sub-Fund. Therefore, there will be no dilution of the performance.
7.2. The shareholders of the Merging Sub-Fund will be transferred to the corresponding class of shares of the Receiving Sub-Fund.
Effective date of the merger
8.1. The Effective Date shall be on 13 June 2018, or such other date as may be determined by the Board of Directors. The Effective Date is notified to the shareholders in each of the Merging Sub-Fund and the Receiving Sub-Fund in writing.
Rules applicable to the transfer of assets and the issue of new shares
9.1. The Management Company shall put in place, or procure the putting in place, of all necessary instructions to deliver and/or transfer, or procure the delivery and/or transfer to the Depositary, or to its order, the cash position of the Merging Sub-Fund.
9.2. In order to provide the investment manager of the Receiving Sub-Fund better capacity to manage the inflow of cash from the Merging Sub-Fund and in order to benefit the shareholders by providing necessary market exposure as of the Effective Date, the investment manager of the Receiving Sub-Fund may, after the exchange ratio is calculated on the business day prior to the Effective Date, but no earlier than 4 p.m., place part or all of the cash to be received from the Merging Sub-Fund. Such placements shall be taken into account for the Net Asset Value of the Receiving Sub-Fund to be calculated on the Effective Date.
9.3. As consideration for the transfer to the Depositary of the Receiving Sub-Fund of the assets and liabilities under section 9.1. above, the Management Company shall calculate and determine the number of new shares to be allocated to shareholders and shall issue such new shares to each of the shareholders on the register of shareholders of the Merging Sub-Fund as provided by the Management Company. The number of new shares (fractions to four decimal places) to be issued to each shareholder with effect on the Effective Date will be calculated using the exchange ratio calculated under section 5 above.
Procedural aspects
10.1. Shares of the Merging Sub-Fund can be subscribed until 3.30 p.m. Luxembourg time on 4 June 2018. After 3.30 p.m. Luxembourg time on 4 June 2018 the possibility to subscribe for shares in the Merging Sub-Fund will be suspended.
10.2. Shares of the Merging Sub-Fund can be redeemed or converted free of charges, with the exception of any local transaction fees that might be charged by local intermediaries on their own behalf and which are independent from Nordea 1, SICAV and the Management Company, from 4 May 2018 until 3.30 p.m. Luxembourg time on 4 June 2018. After 3.30 p.m. Luxembourg time on 4 June 2018 the possibility to redeem or convert shares in the Merging Sub-Fund will be suspended.
10.3. Shares of the Receiving Sub-Fund can be redeemed or converted free of charges, with the exception of any local transaction fees that might be charged by local intermediaries on their own behalf and which are independent from Nordea 1, SICAV and the Management Company, from 4 May 2018 until 3.30 p.m. Luxembourg time on 4 June 2018.
10.4. All costs related to the merger shall be borne by the Management Company.
Role of the auditor
11.1. In compliance with article 71 (1) of the 2010 Law, the Merging Sub-Fund shall entrust an auditor to validate the criteria adopted for valuation of the assets and, as the case may be, the liabilities (as set out in sections 5.1. and 5.2. above) and the calculation method of the exchange ratio as well as the actual exchange ratio (as set out in Sections 5.2. and 5.3. above) on the date for calculating the exchange ratio, as referred to in article 75 (1) of the 2010 Law.
11.2. A copy of the report(s) of the auditors will be made available on request and free of charge to the participants of both the Merging Sub-Fund and the Receiving Sub-Fund as well as to the Luxembourg regulator (Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier, the "CSSF").
Key investor information documents
The shareholders of the Merging Sub-Fund are invited to consult the KIIDs of the Receiving Sub-Fund which are available at the registered office of the Management Company and which are also available on www.nordea.lu .
We would like to draw your attention to the importance of reading carefully the KIIDs of the Receiving Sub-Fund.
Shareholders having any question relating to the above changes should not hesitate to contact their financial advisor or the Management Company: Nordea Investment Funds S.A., Client Relationship Services at the following telephone number: +352 43 39 50 – 1.
The shareholders of the Merging Sub-Fund who have not redeemed or converted their shares will, as of the Effective Date become shareholders of the Receiving Sub-Fund and their shares will be automatically converted into shares of the Receiving Sub-Fund on the basis of the exchange ratio calculated in accordance with Sections 5.1 and 5.2 above.
The shareholders of the Merging Sub-Fund and of the Receiving Sub-Fund are invited to consult their own tax advisors in respect to the tax impact of the contemplated merger.
Key features of the Merging Sub-Fund and of the Receiving Sub-Fund
Nordea 1 – African Equity Fund
("Merging Sub-Fund")
("Receiving Sub-Fund")
The Sub-Fund's objective is to provide shareholders with long-term capital appreciation.
Within the investment restriction limits listed below, the Sub-Fund will invest its assets in companies regardless of their size or the industry sector they operate in.
The Sub-Fund invests at least three-fourths of its total assets (excluding cash) in equity related securities issued by companies which are domiciled or exercise the predominant part of their economic activity in Africa, including companies listed on African Stock Exchanges.
The Sub-Fund will be exposed to other currencies than the base currency through investments and/or cash holdings.
The Sub-Fund may use derivatives to achieve an efficient portfolio management or with the aim of reducing risk. A derivative is a financial instrument which derives its value from the value of an underlying asset.
The use of derivatives is not cost or risk-free.
The Sub-Fund may take part in a securities lending program.
Any investor may redeem its shares in the Sub-Fund on demand, on a daily basis.
The Sub-Fund does not compare its performance against any reference index. It may freely select the securities that it will invest in.
The Sub-Fund is denominated in EUR.
The Sub-Fund invests in companies that are undervalued in relation to their ability to generate cash flow over the long term.
The Sub-Fund invests at least three-fourths of its total assets (excluding cash) in equity related securities issued by companies which are domiciled or exercise the predominant part of their economic activity in emerging markets.
Emerging markets include countries located in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa or the Middle East.
The Sub-Fund may invest up to 25 % of its total assets (excluding cash) in China A-Shares via Stock Connect.
The Sub-Fund will be exposed to other currencies than the base currency through investments and /or cash holdings.
The Sub-Fund may use derivatives to achieve an efficient portfolio management or with the aim of reducing risk and/or generating additional capital or income. A derivative is a financial instrument which derives its value from the value of an underlying asset. The use of derivatives is not cost or risk-free.
While the Sub-Fund compares its performance against the MISCI Emerging Markets Index – Net Return Index it may freely select the securities that it will invest in.
This share class is not distributing dividends. Income from investments is reinvested.
The Sub-Fund is denominated in USD.
Profile of the typical investor
This Sub-Fund may not be appropriate for investors who plan to withdraw their money within a period of 5 years.
The risk and reward profile indicator measures the risk of price fluctuations in the Sub-Fund based on the last 5 years volatility and places the Sub-Fund in category 6. This means that the purchase of units in the Sub-Fund is connected to high risk of such fluctuations
Specific risks
Following risks are materially relevant to the UCITS but are not adequately captured by the synthetic indicator and may cause additional loss:
– counterparty risk
– derivatives risk
– event risk
– liquidity risk
– China related risk: investments in mainland China may involve a higher risk of financial loss, not least due to related operational and regulatory risks, when compared with countries generally regarded as being more developed.
Base currency
Fees charged to the Sub-Fund
The Sub-Fund shall bear the following fees:
1. Investment management fee
The investment management fee payable by the Sub-Fund to the Management Company is 1.95 % p.a. for P and E Shares.
2. Performance fee
3. Depositary fee
The maximum annual fee payable to the Depositary will not exceed 0,20% of the net asset value of the Sub-Fund, plus any VAT if applicable. Reasonable expenses incurred by the Depositary or by other banks and financial institutions to whom safekeeping of the assets of Nordea 1, SICAV is entrusted are additional to the Depositary fee.
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The Sub-Fund shall pay an administration fee of up to 0.40% p.a., plus any VAT if applicable to the Administrative Agent.
5. Ongoing charges
The investment management fee payable by the Sub-Fund to the Management Company is 1.50% p.a. for P and E Shares.
The maximum annual fee payable to the Depositary will not exceed 0,125% of the net asset value of the Sub-Fund, plus any VAT if applicable. Reasonable expenses incurred by the Depositary or by other banks and financial institutions to which safekeeping of the assets of Nordea 1, SICAV is entrusted are additional to the Depositary fee.


Epilepsy Behav 2019 Apr 9. Epub 2019 Apr 9.
Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Association of cerebrospinal fluid zinc-α2-glycoprotein and tau protein with temporal lobe epilepsy and related white matter impairment.
Neuroreport 2019 Apr 5. Epub 2019 Apr 5.
From the San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology (A.R.); Center for Multimodal Imaging and Genetics (A.R., E.K., N.B., A.B., C.R.M.) and Department of Psychiatry (C.R.M.), University of California, San Diego; Department of Neurology (M.H., B.M.P.), University of California, San Francisco; UCSF Comprehensive Epilepsy Center (M.H., B.M.P.), San Francisco; Matthews Neuropsychology Section (B.H.), University of Wisconsin-Madison; and UCSD Comprehensive Epilepsy Center (C.R.M.), San Diego, CA.
Objective: To identify distinct cognitive phenotypes in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and evaluate patterns of white matter (WM) network alterations associated with each phenotype.
Trkb-IP3 Pathway Mediating Neuroprotection in Rat Hippocampal Neuronal Cell Culture Following Induction of Kainic Acid.
Malays J Med Sci 2018 Nov 28;25(6):28-45. Epub 2018 Dec 28.
Background: Following brain injury, development of hippocampal sclerosis often led to the temporal lobe epilepsy which is sometimes resistant to common anti-epileptic drugs. Cellular and molecular changes underlying epileptogenesis in animal models were studied, however, the underlying mechanisms of kainic acid (KA) mediated neuronal damage in rat hippocampal neuron cell culture alone has not been elucidated yet.
Ontogeny and programming of the fetal temporal cortical endocannabinoid system by moderate maternal nutrient reduction in baboons (Papio spp.).
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Texas Tech University Health sciences Center at the Permian Basin, Odessa, Texas.
Default mode network deactivation in pediatric temporal lobe epilepsy: Relationship to a working memory task and executive function tests.
Epilepsy Behav 2019 Mar 22;94:124-130. Epub 2019 Mar 22.
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States of America.
REST/NRSF transcription factor is overexpressed in hippocampus of patients with drug-resistant mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.
Epilepsy Behav 2019 Mar 20;94:118-123. Epub 2019 Mar 20.
Burr Hole Microsurgery for Intracranial Tumors and Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: Results of 200 Consecutive Operations.
Department of Neurooncology, Burdenko Neurosurgery Center, Moscow, Russia.
Objective: Recently, in modern neurosurgery, a tendency toward low-traumatic surgical approaches has become clear. To provide a minimal degree of injury to the brain tissue, we have offered microsurgical approaches through a burr hole.
Accuracy of frameless image-guided implantation of depth electrodes for intracranial epilepsy monitoring.
Am J Transl Res 2019 15;11(2):875-884. Epub 2019 Feb 15.
Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University 6th Shuangyong Road, Nanning, Guangxi, China.
Arterial Spin Labeling Reveals Disrupted Brain Networks and Functional Connectivity in Drug-Resistant Temporal Epilepsy.
Front Neuroinform 2018 6;12:101. Epub 2019 Mar 6.
Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College London, London, United Kingdom.


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Diverticulitis is caused as a result of diverticula - small, bulging pouches that form in the lining of your digestive system. They are found most often in the colon. When these pouches become inflamed or infected they cause a condition named diverticulitis.
Diverticulitis can cause severe abdominal pain, fever, nausea and can also hamper your bowel movements to a great extent.
If you have any/some/all of the above symptoms, do seek prompt medical attention.
Obesity: Serious or morbid obesity may increase your risk of needing more-invasive treatments for diverticulitis.
Medications such as steroids, opiates and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen.


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Arts & Entertainment, Books
Afropolitan Author Talks Fractured Family Ties in 'Ghana Must Go'
It takes a gifted writer to illustrate the intangible. In her new debut novel Ghana Must Go, writer Taiye Selasi does just that, painting a stark landscape littered with deft strokes of brokenness, trauma, and isolation. The story centers on the Sais, an academically and professionally impressive Ghanaian-Nigerian family whose past and present familial ties extend to New England, New York City, Accra, London, and Lagos. At any moment, the reader might find herself in a Yale dorm room with a bulimic introvert, in a John Hopkins Hospital with an enraged surgeon, in a Lagos mansion with a set of anguished, hazel-eyed twins, or in an Accra compound with an ambitious young boy dreaming of foreign shores.
Selasi's heralded 2005 essay "Bye-Bye, Barbar (Or: What is an Afropolitan)" and 2011 short story "The Sex Lives of African Girls" both serve as precursors to Ghana Must Go, a modern-day look at the familiar experience of loss and sacrifice that enterprising immigrants of color often experience in North America and Europe. "What is manifest is the extent to which the modern adolescent African is tasked to forge a sense of self from wildly disparate sources," wrote Selasi in "Bye-Bye, Barbar." "Ultimately, the Afropolitan must form an identity along at least three dimensions: national, racial, cultural – with subtle tensions in between."
With a confident disregard for chronological order and a distinctive, lyrical voice, Selasi unveils exactly what is at stake when the brilliant surgeon Kweku Sai and his formidable wife Folasadé Savage decide to provide their four children with the American dream. EBONY.com tracked down the ever-traveling Selasi to speak with her about her acclaimed first novel, her thoughts on writing about issues so close to home, and her upcoming film "WHITE GIRL" starring Keke Palmer.
EBONY: You've mentioned before that Ghana Must Go is not your autobiography. Yet, your family structure and your upbringing mirrors that of the Sai family's in several areas, such as twin siblings, ivy League education and a half-Scottish grandmother. As an author, what were you able to achieve in weaving together a fictional story that you would not have been able to do in a memoir?
TAIYE SELASI: It's an interesting question. I absolutely understand whence the questions arise about the similarity between my family and the Sais; I rather brought it on myself in mirroring so many details. But they're just that: superficial details, "demographics," if you will, the names of streets, buildings, towns, schools—and not very much more. By using familiar details, I freed myself to explore unfamiliar terrain: the interior lives of husbands and wives, siblings, lovers, doctors. This is the work I love to do, observing and exploring human beings.
EBONY: In a recent personal essay, you wrote about confronting the shame you felt about your "family saga: poverty, polygamy, one stereotype of African dysfunction after another." Shame, family secrets, and brokenness also play a significant role in the development of each character in the novel. How taxing or therapeutic (or both) is it for you as a writer to dive into these harrowing narratives draft after draft?
TS: When I'm working, I'm so narrowly focused on sound, language, rhythm, flow, that I rarely feel the emotion of the text. It's only after—long after—I've finished a piece that I can experience in any way its emotional charge. Perhaps this is a form of protection, a sort of creative wetsuit that allows me to dive into the darkest of places feeling only the light and joy of language? I've written fiction for as long as I can remember; it's always been my preferred form of play. Catharsis happens, but it's not the goal. Suffering happens, but it's unimportant. I write essays to clear my mind. I write fiction to open my heart.
EBONY: Which scenes were the most difficult to write and why?
TS: The opening of Part II took a long time to come. In retrospect, I think so many things were going on. I'd fallen madly in love with the wrong man, and was desperately trying to leave him. I'd signed a two-book deal with the editor of my dreams, and was terrified of disappointing her. I needed to grow as a woman—spiritually, emotionally—before I could write in Fola's voice. And so, for months on end, I didn't write at all.
EBONY: Have you received many memorable responses from readers who identify with the characters and story lines in Ghana Must Go?
TS: Oh, so many! I've been told by several readers—German, Nigerian, Dutch, English, Jamaican—that this novel helped them understand their parents, their families. Nothing means more to me than this.
For The Love Of Hip-Hop: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia's Verzuz Was The Culture At Its Finest
EBONY: The concept of an Afropolitan consciousness appears repeatedly throughout Ghana Must Go. Eight years have passed since you wrote that essay. Has your perception of the Afropolitan identity changed? And if so, what events or experiences sparked these changes?
Selasi: In 2005, I wrote of a very particular experience, one shared by the younger members of my family and, as it turns out, thousands of others around the world. It was this experience that I described as "Afropolitan," and it hasn't changed: this is how we grew up. I think the word itself has come unhooked from my little essay, floating into the choppier waters of label politics. And I've let it go. As a writer, one is obliged to release her words, to let them live in the world on their own. But my experience—and the perspective, the identity it has informed—remains my own. I'm still absolutely fascinated by the people who share this experience, be they Indian, South American, West African, West Indian: we're all living between cultures. I proudly call myself Afropolitan—and Yoruba, Ewe, American, British, Nigerian, Ghanaian, "Newyorkese"…all of it. It's all me.
EBONY: Where in the world is Taiye Selasi right now and what can EBONY.com readers expect from her next?
TS: I've just returned to Rome after two months on the road—the States, the UK, Germany, Holland—and there's nothing like being home. I've been living in Rome for a year and a half, and absolutely love it. Next up: movies! I co-wrote a screenplay called WHITE GIRL with the genius Heather McGhee; it's a John Hughes-style story about a Black girl at an all-White prep school. Keke Palmer is attached to star, Kasi Lemmons to direct. It's going to be amazing. Any brown girl ever teased about "acting White" will get this film. And Keke's character sings at the end! And the child can sing.
Patrice Peck explores the complex intersection of culture, entertainment, race and gender as a multimedia journalist. Follow her musings at Twitter and Facebook, and visit her at https://www.speakpatrice.tumblr.com for more of her work.
ghana novels taiye selasi


Katherine Zelaya sits in the front of her math class, leading her table of classmates in a word problem that's asking them to determine the median and mean for a set of numbers.
"¿Por qué?" she chimes in, asking Maria Alejandra to tell her why she came to a certain conclusion.
"Jesús, termínalo," the 19-year-old says a little later, encouraging the classmate on her left to finish his work.
The scene in Michael Krell's probability and statistics class at the International Academy at Cardozo Education Campus in Washington, D.C. is a far cry from what Zelaya remembers of her first year in the U.S. after moving from El Salvador almost four years ago. Back then, she was in the minority of students at her former high school who were learning English.
Now a senior, Zelaya is an inaugural member of Cardozo's International Academy, a school within a school designed specifically around the needs of recently arrived immigrant students like her. She feels confident in her classes now, she said, and enjoys being able to support her classmates in their learning.
"Sometimes I know little things that probably the other students didn't know, so I can help them and teach them some words or meanings," she said.
Schools like Cardozo have been growing in popularity across the country in recent years as an alternative to educating newly arrived immigrant students in traditional public schools, where students who are learning English often trail their native-English-speaking peers academically and are at high risk of dropping out. The approach has taken off in the D.C. area, with the opening of five international high schools and one middle school since 2012 to meet the needs of a growing population.
Data suggest the targeted approach is working: Students in these schools outshine their English-language-learner counterparts in traditional high schools.
But the growth hasn't been without controversy. While supporters look at these models as a way to close the achievement gap for a vulnerable student population, some critics liken the separate learning environments to segregation practices of old. The schools have also raised questions in some communities about focusing too many resources on immigrant children when the test scores and graduation rates of native-born students of color also lag behind those of their white peers.
English-language learners, or ELLs, represent 9.4 percent of the student population in U.S. public schools, according to the most recent federal dataavailable. These students score well below their non-ELL peers on national assessments in reading and math and have a graduation rate of 65.1 percent—the second lowest after students with disabilities.
It's those kinds of statistics that the Internationals Network for Public Schools is trying to combat through the opening of targeted programs that place ELLs on a level playing field with their peers. Most of the 8,600-plus students across the network have been in the U.S. for less than four years and score in the bottom quartile on an assessment of English proficiency when they enroll in school.
These programs aren't just in major urban areas like D.C. and New York City, where the Internationals Network began and has 15 schools. The organization recently helped to open a school in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and school districts elsewhere, like Indianapolis, have also established similar programs independent of the network.
It's a question frequently addressed in districts where there's an influx of immigrants, said Annie Duguay, whose work at the Center for Applied Linguistics focuses on school-aged English-language learners. Immigration policy, population flow, regional economics and other demographics are all factors, she said.
Districts experiencing a large growth of immigrant students have been experimenting with such programs, and there is a lot of interest among content teachers, Duguay said in an email, adding that sometimes, teachers may want such a program for the wrong reasons, hoping it will "fix" a student's English before they enter their classroom.
"A program such as Internationals is a more additive approach where there are large populations of immigrants that warrant a program and in particular for secondary students with limited or interrupted formal education who may be learning literacy and numeracy skills for the first time in a formal school setting. Programming really requires a holistic look at the demographics of the region, educational and linguistic backgrounds of the students and culturally-responsive school supports," she continued.
Though the majority of students at Internationals Network schools are from Spanish-speaking countries, the children come from all over the world and speak close to 100 languages total—from French to Farsi. Some have little to no formal education and others are on par academically with their American peers, said Internationals Network Executive Director Joe Luft. At D.C.'s international high schools, students' education levels and experiences fall on a particularly wide spectrum, with the city being home to children of diplomats and refugees alike, educators note.
Programs affiliated with the network vary in structure: Some, like the international academies at Cardozo and Roosevelt Senior High School in D.C. and their Alexandria, Virginia counterparts at T.C. Williams High School and Francis C. Hammond Middle School, function as schools within a traditional public school. They have separate counselors, teachers, and classrooms but the same top-level administration as their parent schools.
Other models, like International High School at Largo and International High School at Langley Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, are entirely separate schools. Though initially launched with funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the schools will be fully supported by district funds in the upcoming school year.
No matter the model, these schools share a common goal—to enable ELL students to become proficient English speakers who are prepared for college by the time they leave high school, Luft said. The network has grown to 27 schools since its official launch in 2004, and is eyeing further expansion next school year.
This approach was evident during Zelaya's probability and statistics class, as Krell, the teacher, asked students to read and write the definition of "outlier" as he introduced the math term. Midway through class, he launched into a full-blown grammar lesson on forming conditional sentences when discussing hypothetical situations—if the median were to change, for example.
According to graduation statistics in New York City, the approach seems to be working. Last year, 74 percent of graduates at network schools finished in four years, compared to 31 percent of English-language learners citywide. The network's six-year graduation rate was also higher—78 percent compared to 49 percent.
At Cardozo, still too new to have trackable graduation data, there are early measures of success. The attendance rate at the academy has been consistently higher than the overall average attendance rate of Cardozo High School, which houses the academy.
Also part of the network's model is an emphasis on preserving students' home languages by allowing, and even encouraging, students to use their native language in the learning process—just like Zelaya was doing with her classmates.
"It's a really important part of who students are, but it's also an important part of what they can use to make meaning for learning in school," Luft said.
For Zelaya, it's a double-edged sword. She appreciates the opportunities to speak Spanish with her peers because she's more comfortable communicating in her native language, she said. But at the same time, she knows they should be all be practicing their English to become fluent.
When Zelaya was 15, a local gang member running from police forced himself into her family's home in El Salvador, she said. She remembers moving in with her grandmother for a while until her mom finally convinced the gang member to leave. But soon after, the family started receiving threatening phone calls that made them fear for their lives.
Zelaya's father had moved to the U.S. when she was in elementary school, and though he'd planned to return to El Salvador one day, he decided to send money for his wife and children to join him in D.C. instead, she said. The family has been seeking asylum with the U.S. government ever since.
Zelaya enrolled in Cardozo High School a month after arriving in D.C in October 2013, before the school opened the International Academy in 2014; she'd just turned 16. She didn't speak any English at the time and was working with only one English-as-a-second-language teacher. She said some students laughed and made fun of her and the other Spanish speakers, but she tried not to let it bother her.
Even now, when she takes gym class and electives with the students at the larger Cardozo High, she feels like she doesn't fit in.
For some, that's a problem.
When Prince George's County announced it would open two high schools for nonnative English speakers in fall 2015, the decision was immediately criticized by some. Parents complained that the new schools would have newer resources than Largo High School, which shares a building with one of the international schools, and others in the majority-black community felt the separate learning environments sounded all too familiar. The local NAACP chapter even called officials from the organization's state offices to weigh in.
Gary Orfield, who co-directs the Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at the University of California, Los Angeles, and conducts extensive research on school segregation, also opposes keeping English-language learners in separate environments for too long, he said. But he knows it doesn't benefit students to put them in a classroom where they don't understand what's going on either.
"There's a lot of hard choices. Many of them are being made with good intentions," Orfield said, noting that he has not personally studied international schools but has noticed a lot of enthusiasm for them.
International High School at Largo Principal Alison Hanks-Sloan is aware of the community's concerns, though she said support for her school has improved recently, even as she's made more efforts to partner with the school next door. She also emphasized that the international schools in Prince George's County are simply options that are available to students who struggle with English—students are not forced to go to Largo and can still choose their in-boundary high school if they're looking for a bigger school with more extracurricular opportunities. And unlike most other Internationals Network schools, the ones in Prince George's County aren't restricted to recently arrived immigrant students; even English-language learners born in the U.S. can attend.
But as far as a plan for transitioning out of the international schools, there isn't one.
At the International Academy at T.C. Williams in Alexandria and the academies in D.C., students can take elective classes offered by the parent high school, thereby mixing with native English speakers. But Luft said Internationals Network schools are different from other transitional ELL programs in that they're designed to provide a full, rigorous academic curriculum; the goal isn't necessarily for students to intermix with native English speakers but rather to be immersed in an environment that's tailored to their unique needs.
It's up to the students whether to stay or go.
"You can't close the achievement gap for one group and then [not] close the achievement gap for the other group," he told me more recently.
But even though he wishes the schools had adopted a more integrated model that included both native and non-native English speakers, he's since shifted his focus to other issues and said he hopes the schools succeed. And in today's political climate, he wants the immigrant community to know they have an advocate in the NAACP—not an enemy.
In a school full of immigrants two miles from the White House, Zelaya and her classmates have felt the ripple effects of a new president's controversial immigration policies that pledge to put Americans first.
She has always loved school but has sometimes wondered since coming to the U.S. whether it's worth finishing; in her opinion, finding a professional job can be especially difficult for immigrants.
Ultimately, it's Zelaya's after-school job at Popeyes that keeps her motivated. She wants to continue to learn English so that she can go to college and work toward a better life for her family.
She was recently offered scholarships to attend Marymount University, Hilbert College, and Catholic University, but plans to give the University of the District of Columbia a try before possibly transferring. She plans on studying education.
Could she have learned in English in a regular school setting? Yes, Zelaya said—in her own way. But she prefers the focused attention on language development and extra support that she's received at the International Academy. Besides that, she said, she feels like she's found a new family in her fellow immigrant peers.