Over the past week I've seen a number of articles and videos about the shouting-down of journalist Caroline Fourest at a Belgian university. Unfortunately, all the stories were in French, so nothing about the incident was posted here.
Takuan Seiyo has kindly written an account for Gates of Vienna about what happened, based on French-language sources, and includes a selection of relevant photos.
Accused of "Islamophobic racism," the French writer-journalist Caroline Fourest was shouted down and prevented from speaking during a debate at the Free University of Brussels (ULB) on February 7th — though it was ULB that had invited her to discuss the "extreme right" in the debate. Fourest had to be whisked away by a security detail, to protect her from the wrath of some 40 Muslim partisans.
Hold it right there. I know that un-PC speakers and writers who have been silenced and menaced are fighting for freedom of speech. But a society that wants to survive does not practice freedom of speech. Are there debates about the divinity of Jesus at universities in Saudi Arabia? Or about the merits of the British colonization of Hong Kong at universities in PR China? In the one, they want to remain Muslim; in the other, materialist-Confucian Chinese. Which should be fine with us. That we hold debates about Islam — a profoundly alien, lethally hostile ideology — and the integration of its practitioners in Western society, is a symptom of dementia that I would diagnose as compulsive cognitive Onanism. A nation that admits all ideas for endless debate believes in no ideas, and has no will to live.
Furthermore, the official name of the debate was "L'extrême droite, est-elle devenue fréquentable?" which translates loosely as "The Extreme Right; has it become touchable?" The debaters were Caroline Fourest and Hervé Hasquin. The moderator was Guy Haarscher. Fourest had taken positions critical of Islam, but she is a feminist, gay, anti-religious and anti-"racist" writer-activist who has criticized Tariq Ramadan, but also Marine Le Pen. Hasquin is a Wallonian politician and ULB historian well known for his liberal-secular views. Haarscher is a professor of law at ULB and to judge by the theme of his books (e.g. Karl Marx, Georg Lukács, Human Rights Law) no raving Rightist.
So who was representing the "extreme right" in this debate? If it's either one of the three, that makes Leon Trotsky into "moderate right" and Pol Pot into "moderate left." For ULB to shift the goal posts of "Extreme Right" in this way and to insinuate that it is untouchable makes mockery of the protestations of freedom of expression by the white post-Christian suits who represented ULB and the putative forces of reason in this event. Lastly, nothing is "free": neither ideas in the PC/MC/neo-socialist Belgium nor the finances in a taxpayer-supported university. So the very name of ULB is sophistry.
The video embedded at the above link, and others posted on YouTube, are disappointing. One can't see what Caroline Fourest was trying to say, there are ULB old suits on the stage addressing the young Mussulmans in the back who cannot be seen or heard clearly. Plus, concerning the latter neo-Belgians, it's hard for me, having been taught classical French when Europe was still European and its civilization mattered, to understand their neo-socialist/mussulmanist Belgian duckspeak bouncing off bad acoustics. Apparently they were shouting Burqa bla-bla and various invectives.
Who is Souhail Chichah, you will ask. And, if you still possess your own relatively uncontaminated brain, Why are there Belgians named Souhail Chichah?
Mr. Chichah is apparently a "Researcher in the Economics of Discrimination" employed by the University of Brussels on the melting euro of the much-abused Belgian taxpayer. The name implies Maghrebian origins and the face… well, I'll leave it at that. Chichah was among the organizers as well as chief disrupters of this event, which is not surprising. Rationality, aptitude for reasoned argument, speech at bearable decibel levels unaided by wild gesticulation, these are the Euro-peoples' traits developed over many centuries. They cannot be stapled automatically into each Eurabian passport. Which explains why the West's ruling Body Snatchers who inflicted the Chichahs of this world on their serf populations came up with the necessary slogan that diversity is beautiful and, to complement that, indoctrinated three generations of autochthon students in the politics and manners of outraged useful idiocy.
Chichah had distinguished himself in the past by vociferous support for another symbol of the blessings of Eurabian diversity, an Afro-Islamic French anti-French clown named Dieudonné. The Belgian anti-Belgian "Researcher in the Economics of Discrimination" had signaled in advance in social media postings that he would organize a "stoning" of Caroline Fourest that should be joined by other Muslims in a display of "Burqa Pride." Chichah's partisans, relays the Belgian newspaper, express, like him, hate toward Israel and toward "Whites" (Le Soir's quotation marks, as though this were some bizarre, unheard-of term).
In a coda to this little drama, the ULB Alumni and Students' associations condemned the Burqa bla-bla thing, expressing their "shame at the fascist methods in a house of Free Inquiry." They and Prof. Haarscher invited Caroline Fourest to come back, and promised better protection. But Fourest said that she'd not come back, as she had been to conferences all over the world, and nothing of this sort had happened to her except in Belgium.
All of which leaves me with an odd taste, as though I've just bitten into a gypsum apple. Or witnessed the Queen of Hearts' croquet game in a postmodern Wonderland. You know, with dhimmi-socialist premises and their practitioners as hedgehog balls and flamingo mallets, imported soldiers of Islam as both wickets and executioners, and the Mad Hatter making an appearance at the end to express his incomprehension why the event went awry, and singularly so. For variations of the Burqa bla-bla operetta are performed regularly on university campuses across the West.
In March 2009, the conservative columnist Don Feder was the subject of one at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. In his case, the speech-nullifying bla-blaists were white lefto-homo-antifa zombies. A piquant detail is that Feder is Jewish, and one of the main hecklers wore a keffieh.
In February 2010, the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. was heckled and prevented from completing his speech at UC Irvine in California. 11 Muslim hecklers were arrested. In the name of, of course, "avoiding divisiveness" and "healing", 100 voluntary-dhimmi UC Irvine faculty members petitioned the District Attorney not to prosecute the hot-and-zealous protesters.
First they import the agents of divisiveness and then they lean on the victims of divisiveness. No healing will ever be possible for idiots who have shot themselves in the head with their own hand.
"Ann Coulter speech cancelled after thousands protest," ran the Toronto Star headline on March 23, 2010. "Ann Coulter causes firestorm in Canada by telling Muslim to 'take a camel' as alternative to flying," ran the Daily News headline a day later.
Coulter was scheduled to speak at the University of Ottawa as part of a three-stop Canadian tour that started at the University of Western Ontario and would end at the University of Calgary. The events had been organized by the International Free Press Society in collaboration with conservative student groups on each campus.
Coulter is a professional provocatrice (from "to provoke"), sort of a white equivalent of Dieudonné, except much more accomplished and easier on the eye. So on her first stop, at UWO, she told a pesky Muslim student to "take a camel" instead of the flying carpet she had previously suggested Muslims use for flight transportation.
Even before she arrived at the next venue, in Ontario, Coulter received a warning from the University of Ottawa provost, warning her: "Promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges." Ottawa's police and university security advised of physical danger to the tall and politically provocative blonde. Ezra Levant, who along with Mark Steyn knows a thing or two about Canada's whitey-only speech clamps, then advised Coulter to cancel her appearance. Which she did, but the riot erupted nonetheless, ubiquitous keffieh, screaming and all.
That Visible Minorities (as they are called in Canada) and their white Progressive amen corner are offended by Coulter is one thing. But how many screaming, screeching, violence-inflicting white Frenchmen, particularly Jews, silence in riotous manner the offensive anti-white, antisemitic provocateur, Dieudonné? How many gross acts of violence and intimidation by Muslim and dhimmi-Socialist campus zealots against pro-Israel Jewish and Christian students were prevented or adequately punished by solicitous campus administrators?
Notice to ULB: next time you want to discuss the "extreme right," invite a representative of its mildest strain, Ann Coulter.
"This is widely viewed as a significant step forward in OIC efforts to advance the international legal concept of defaming Islam."
The famous "take a camel" remark is an example of the basic but profound insights that make Coulter far more than a provocatrice. It is not out of any standing inclusion of flying carpets and camels as forbidden subjects that this suggestion was deemed so inflammatory.
The simple fact is, those who demand the abolition of Western Civilization simultaneous with untrammeled access to the goods it has produced must be confronted with the central contradiction they express in such demands. And it was by pointing out, in terms that cannot be refuted by any appeal to rhetoric, this contradiction that Coulter incited the fury of the Islamists and their multi-cultural defenders.
Islam didn't fail to invent the airplane and develop a system of rapid international transport based on that technology out of any lack of imagination or desire for such a thing. Islam failed because actually accomplishing such advances in the level of human prosperity and technology requires cultural values and freedoms that Islam forbids and crushes (with great brutality).
Of course, the fact that Coulter parses her very pertinent observations in such "accessible" idioms has long been a demerit of her style of discourse in my own view. But then, we have reached the point where it is the observations she makes rather than the manner she chooses to make them which provokes violence outrage. And that is far worse than any slight to my personal sense of aesthetics. It is a sign of impending doom.
Still, as long as there are some people who use their wit to observe reality rather attempt to obliterate it, then there will be survivors no matter what the catastrophe. I would always prefer more, but that is up to each individual person to decide.
Fourest had to be whisked away by a security detail, to protect her from the wrath of some 40 Muslim partisans.
Now there is the problem in a nutshell. Before multi-culti, the 40 hooligans would have been arrested and 'whisked away', not the speaker.
Hell, they wouldn't have been let in at all if masked!
Several years ago I had a son at a state university here in the US. A religious pastor was invited to speak and there was a great uproar in the campus community. Battle lines were drawn and students were organizing to disrupt the talk.
My son asked me what I thought of that. I told him to hand out little spiral notepads with which the people that thought they disagreed with the speaker could make notes during the speech. Then, they could go to the microphone and challenge the speaker on what they just heard.
In other words, engage in a civilized debate on the issues; not shout the person down, throw pies or even bar the person from speaking in the first place.
PS: I have no idea whether I would have agreed with the speaker or not. But, isn't that just the point?
Cordiality is one thing. The intellectual capacity to make a reasoned counterargument is something else again. Like I said before, no matter how politely Coulter might have put some of the things she says, they are innately offensive precisely because the opposition lacks the intellectual resources to make a reasoned answer. In some cases this is because no reasonable answer exists, but in others it is simple deficiency of intellect.
One can argue about where exactly the line must be drawn. For the case of Islamic culture inventing their own technology and infrastructure for air transport...yes, it would be a substantial effort beyond the intellectual, but the relevance of the intellectual underpinning cannot be dismissed easily either.
It is one thing to offer an opportunity for civilized debate to someone that has a good chance of making their points in one. It is not quite the same to offer it to someone that has no points to make and lacks the intellect to make them in a civilized manner. Of course, one can make the offer without knowing which is the case, and then learn from the reaction what the person thinks of the reasoned merits of their own position and their ability to articulate it.
But people who have chosen to respond to civilized debate with noisy threats of violence are likely to have done so for a reason.
Masked males or females do not belong in a civilized society.
I would say that, in a really civilized society, it is hardly anyone's business whether you're wearing a mask or not. The problem is when we refuse to punish criminal activity because the perpetrators were wearing masks.
Of note, regarding the Ann Coulter case, is that she was threatened with legal procedure BEFORE giving any speech.
I bet if she has spoken about cuisine or fly fishing, it would still be considered hate speech.
Criminalizing feelings... how's that working out for us?
Every last incident of speaker intimidation on North American campuses (and there have been hundreds) are of a conservative speaker. No left wing invited speaker has been called names, shouted down, jostled, pied, or gotten bomb or death threats, not even the execrable Ahmadinejad of Iran. And yet who preens about their moral superiority and pretends it's non-violent, against censorship and wants to promote dialog? - the lying projectile throwing Left. Why they're not laughed out of polite company as the barbarian hypocrites they are is beyond me.


The data for this case study were collected by Said Jahanmir of the NIST Ceramics Division in 1996 in connection with a NIST/industry ceramics consortium for strength optimization of ceramic strength.
The response variable is a measure of the strength of the ceramic material.
The goals of this case study is to determine if the nuisance factors (lab and batch) have an effect on the ceramic strength (y).
> ## Save variables as factors.
> ## Fit the model and print the anova table.
FeedRate      1   11524   11524   2.898 0.08933 .
GritSize      1   14380   14380   3.616 0.05782 .
> ## Print effect estimates.
FeedRate1      9.800      5.756   1.702  0.08933 .
GritSize1    -10.947      5.756  -1.902  0.05782 .


text:
Q: Positioning a Comment Input Field What is a good way to give the input field below the three characteristics listed?
Characteristics:
-Always 30 px from the left side of the browser window.
-Always 30 px below the words "Add a comment" if no comments have been added.
-Always 30 px below the preceding comment if one or more comment(s) has (have) been added.
Thanks in advance,
John
HTML / PHP Code:

Add a comment:

<input class="commentsubfield" name="title" type="title" id="title" maxlength="1000">

CSS (thusfar I have no declarations for the "commentbox" selector):
.commentsubfield { width: 390px; height: 90px; border: 1px solid #999999; padding: 5px; }
.addacomment
    {
    position:absolute;
    width:250px;
    left:30px;
    top:180px;
    text-align: left;
    margin-bottom:3px;
    padding:0px;
    font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
    font-size: 12px;
    color:#000000;
    }

A: First off, you don't need those
s. You can just add class="addacomment" to the label.
So you've got this:
Add a comment:
<?php print $your_comments_if_any; ?>
<input class="commentsubfield" name="title" type="title" id="title" maxlength="1000">

I'm not sure what DOCTYPE you're using, but you get the idea. Now for the CSS:
If you want to position something relative to the page, it's a good idea to keep the margins of the page in mind. Assuming the default, you'll want to set any margins or padding to 0:
html, body {
   margin: 0;
   padding: 0;
   }

Now, the positioning you've done on .addacomment is basically keeping you from getting the result you want. I've stripped out the unnecessary stuff for clarity:
.addacomment {
    display: block; /* override the default inline display */
    margin-left: 30px; /* The 30px from the left you wanted */
    }

Next, .commentsubfield only needs margins added to it:
.commentsubfield {
    margin: 30px 0 30px 30px;
    [your other styles]
    }

That should give you the following result (this is an actual screenshot from Opera 10.10 OSX), although I find separating the label from its field quite weird:
form element positioning example http://img.skitch.com/20100329-pbyj117655wig4pfh8estxw9me.jpg
I would recommend keeping the input and corresponding label together.
Hope I understood your question correctly, and hope this helps.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I was helping out at the village school bike picnic again today, which means I've spent the rest of the day in a state of nervous exhaustion on the sofa after helping lead three separate three-mile rides with eight kids apiece, not to mention trying to get 24 kids on bikes safely round three blind bends on the road to the recreation ground when one of them had his handlebars on crooked and rode into a bush (just as the headmistress was taking his photo, which probably made for a great shot, although not the one that will be appearing on the school website) and one of them proved quite capable of steering himself into a bush unaided. Oh and it turns out that when a driver is warned to pass slowly because there are a lot of kids on bikes around the bend, they will assume that the big bunch of kids is all the kids there are, and then accelerate round the last bend only to meet the stragglers bringing up the rear which, inevitably, includes the one who can't steer his bike and so he's halfway across the road… fortunately no children were harmed in the making of this blog post, although one parent helper is pretty angry and I imagine one driver is even now getting cold sweats over what might have happened, or at least I hope they are.
Fortunately, this being the village school, all the other vehicles we encountered, tractors included, were driven by someone related to one or other of the kids in some way so we saw some extremely patient driving, and the rest of the day passed off more or less like the last one, although we have a new iBike officer who has banned bell ringing except in an emergency; I expect she gets quite enough of bike bells in her line of work. We took them up a stiffish hill and then let them have their heads on the descent and that was, apparently, the most brilliant thing ever, to the point where they were quite prepared to tackle the hill again to have another go.
I am back from the Cycling Embassy AGM in Leicester, a weekend of deep cycling deliberations and, of course, the traditional infrastructure safari of the good, the bad and the ugly bits of our host city's cycling facilities.
That said, my favourite bit of the trip wasn't really intended to be cycling infrastructure at all, dated from a few decades back, and was definitely not good practice in many ways.
Yes, the bollards here are too close together, and not reflective (they may need some colourful knitwear), and later on we came across some kerbs which were sadly vertical, but how wonderful to see such mature trees taking up space where cars had once roamed free. An entire neighbourhood had been turned into a series of cul de sacs and we saw plenty of kids playing out on scooters, which is in many ways even better (and rarer) than loads of cycling.
It wasn't until I'd tweeted it that I heard the story behind why such a scheme had been put in in the first place – nothing to do with cycling at all, but to stop kerb crawling.
As well as Chilled Hare, we have another new addition to the biodiversity of our front courtyard: the second home House Martins. At least, we hope it's their second home they are building on our shed wall, as if it's their first nest then they're a) quite late in getting going if they want to raise a brood before the end of the summer and b) a bit useless at nest building. Every time they get about half way with their mud construction, most of it falls off and they're almost back to square one. There also appear to be three of them, rather than the more conventional pair – I've decided that the third one is the house martin equivalent of Kevin McCloud and is busy wrinkling his house-martin brow in concern as the imported Cumbrian mud turns out to be not the perfect shade as envisaged by Mrs House Martin, while Mr House Martin, having changed his mind three times about the design of the frontage and sacked his architect, decides to quit his job and project manage the whole process himself in order to get it done. Or perhaps they are just slightly rubbish at nest building and I should get out more.
The RSPB have some rather complicated instructions on what to do if a nest falls with the young inside, which suggests that structural integrity is not your average house martin nest's strong point, but no suggestions on how to help them build it in the first place, apart from providing them with ample supplies of mud, which is really not a problem around here. So I'll have to be content with watching their progress out of the window and reporting back. If they build anything worth photographing, I will let you know.
Can you see the young hare? We've nicknamed it 'chilled hare' because it seems equally relaxed about our presence – that photograph was taken with my (now resurrected – hurrah!) phone camera without any zoom at all, and while the hare was keeping a close eye on me while I took it, it was also continuing eating the weeds we'd left for its delectation. Mostly we only notice it when it gets bored of eating weeds and stands up for a stretch – occasionally, if we pay it too much attention it will lope off behind the woodshed but not for long.
… and now, as they say, for something completely different, although having said that, it did start on Twitter. Last night just as I was thinking of going to bed, I noticed a tweet warning me that a solar storm was on and there was a high likelihood of seeing the northern lights in the UK in about – ooh, well about that very moment. Perfect timing. It was a clear evening and we have little light pollution around us so I could just pop out the door and have a look for any mysterious glowing lights to the north of us.
And I would have liked at this point to add something philosophical about how it was worth it anyway, northern lights or no northern lights, just to take advantage of the wonderful long days and lingering dusks of summer and to take a break from the dreaded internet and go out and experience the beauty of the evening for ourselves – but the midgies were being absolute murder and frankly, I was glad to get indoors.
* I note that I came to exactly the same conclusion three years ago. Stop me when all this repeating myself gets boring, won't you?
So a small cheer, please, to the proprietor of BJ's snack van in Bigtown who, when we suggested a little breakfast meetup near his fine dining establishment this Friday, promptly offered to give everyone who turned up on a bike that day a free hot roll and a tea or coffee. It won't solve all our cycling problems, and it won't save anyone from the wheels of a lorry, but it will at least add something to the sum total of human happiness while we battle on for cycling nirvana, Dutch style.
It should also (assuming I get my phone and camera sorted in time) help earn me a point (row 3, column 2) on the #BABWBingo challenge. Although, as I invented it, I'm not sure I'm allowed to play.
You are currently browsing the Town Mouse blog archives for June, 2015.


text:
James McGhie Jun 12, 2014
Retrospective: System Shock 2
Retrospective articles on classic titles from years gone by. Re-visit some classic games in history, or maybe some obscure titles you didn't even know about.
5 DOS Platformers You MUST Play!
Marc Cummaudo Aug 9, 2013
Mario Bros, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mega Man, Donkey Kong Country the list goes on! Home consoles had an abundance of…
Retrospective: Star Fox Adventures
James McGhie Aug 2, 2013
Star Fox Adventures is a game that I first heard about in the Australian Official Nintendo Magazine (remember when…
Retrospective: Jak II: Renegade
James McGhie Jun 6, 2013
Let me start off by admitting that I never had a Playstation 2 growing up, going from the Nintendo 64 straight to…
Retrospective: Half-Life
Michael Pettitt Apr 15, 2013
The Half-Life series is one of the most successful video game series in gaming history, having everything from…

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Van Morrison to Release New Album on Blue Note Records
5:00 AM PDT 6/27/2012 by Billboard Staff
Exile Productions
Blue Note president Don Was calls the legendary singer "one of the greatest singer-songwriter-musicians of all time." Morrison's relationship with the label goes back to his 2003 Grammy-nominated release, "What's Wrong With This Picture?"
The legendary voice of Van Morrison is returning to Blue Note Records. The artist, whose classic albums include Astral Weeks, Moondance and Tupelo Honey, will release Born to Sing: No Plan B on Oct. 2, the label announced Tuesday.
Blue Note president Don Was calls Morrison "one of the greatest singer/songwriter/musicians of all time."
PHOTOS: The Beatles: Rare Photos Offer Inside Look at Fab Four
In his statement announcing the move, Morrison praises the label, which released his Grammy-nominated What's Wrong With This Picture? in 2003.
"With most record companies being so corporate I am happy to be working with Don Was and the team at Blue Note," he says. "To have such a creative music person as the head of my recording label assures me that all the effort taken to write and record this new album will be rewarded with a music-based focus and marketing approach."
STORY: Eric Church's 'Springsteen,' Taylor Swift's 'Tim McGraw' and 19 More Song Titles That Name-Check Famous People
Since the early 1990s when he ended his association with Mercury, Morrison has recorded for Polydor, Virgin and Lost Highway. His latest release, the 2009 concert album Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl, was released on his own Listen to the Lion imprint.
Born to Sing: No Plan B was produced by Morrison and recorded in his native Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1. Open The Door (To Your Heart)
2. Going Down To Monte Carlo
3. Born To Sing?
4. End Of The Rainbow
5. Close Enough For Jazz
6. Mystic Of The East
7. Retreat And View
8. If In Money We Trust
9. Pagan Heart
10. Educating Archie
Twitter: @billboardbiz
Billboard Staff


Amanda Goss. Denton, TX, Independent School District, first posted this at http://agoss.edublogs.org/2015/11/18/adaptive-action-ncte-2015/.
At once both terrifying and rewarding, conferences with students have become the single most important tool in my teacher toolbox. As I've transitioned out of my own classroom and into an instructional support role, I'm eager to share what I've learned about conferences with the teachers, counselors, and administrators I now collaborate with on a daily basis. As the Response-to-Intervention (RtI) Coordinator on a high school campus of about 2,500 students, I have the opportunity to work with teachers across content areas to facilitate additional support and intervention opportunities for students. Each day looks different, but I still love the days when I have the chance to work with students in small groups or one-on-one.
Literary Genres, a redesigned elective course we are providing to juniors who have not yet been successful on the English I or English II standardized test in Texas, has allowed me many opportunities to work with students this semester. My colleague teaching the class is an expert at building relationships with students, and I am often amazed at the stories students share with her as well as the empathy and compassion in her responses. So when she expressed apprehension at the mention of doing writing conferences, I was shocked. (And also a little bit glad that I am not the only one who finds reading and writing conferences to be somewhat daunting.) We didn't have much time before the students would arrive, so I suggested that we use the three questions of Adaptive Action to facilitate our conferences and keep our conference records in Google Docs unified.
Twenty minutes later, sitting at a desk with a junior and his completed essay, all I can think is "What in the world am I going to say to this writer?" I knew he needed to revise the draft, but I had no idea what I was going to say to motivate him. If I gave him a suggestion, I was fearful that all he would hear is disapproval and a reason to give up on the piece of writing. Luckily, the three simple questions I had just shared with his teacher were fresh on my mind.
I asked the student to read each sentence of his essay and identify whether the sentence was mostly concrete or abstract, two words we had a shared understanding of because of previous lessons in class. I was asking him to answer the first question that guides all my writing conferences: What do I notice? Upon reviewing the essay and identifying his sentences, he said "so I need to add concrete examples?" He was answering question number two: So what differences would make a difference? I was able to utilize something I had read in his writer's notebook to make a suggestion in regards to the third question: Now what next step can this writer take? He had used a military slogan in a quickwrite, so I asked him if he felt he could use what he knew about the military as a concrete example to support his thesis. Having discovered what was needed in the draft on his own, he started revising his essay, and I began to document what we had just discussed in Google Docs.
By utilizing shared Google Docs, the teacher of the class and I can both record our dialogue with students and reference it as we have additional conferences. Each student has their own document, and each entry is simply the date and the three questions: what? so what? now what? Using these three questions to structure writing conferences helps us feel more comfortable and brings coherence to our record keeping. We also use this document to record information about the student's independent reading. What is the student currently reading? So What would it take for this student to improve as a reader? Now what is the student willing to try / what is their next goal as a reader?
Just a few weeks later these same three questions became the basis of a tool I created to share with our counselors and administrators. One of our goals with RtI on our campus is to increase communication with teachers and parents. Meeting one-on-one with students is a daily occurrence for our counselors and administrators, but I wanted to help them see that the impact of these conferences could be magnified by sharing pertinent information with teachers and parents. When all parties know the action steps, they can help hold students accountable and encourage them in building different academic habits. My associate principal agreed that we need to focus on improving communication and asked me to create a form letter that could be used to email teachers and parents.
I wanted our counselors and administrators to see my thought process instead of just a form letter, so I used the three questions to create a tool for RtI Tier 1 Conference Documentation. I wanted to help facilitate conversations that would allow students to express their concerns and struggles, examine the patterns in their academic progress and behavior, and be a part of the decision making process that might lead to more academic success. As I was creating this tool, I felt I was stating the obvious; I was just thinking about how I conduct reading and writing conferences. Time revealed that we didn't all have shared understandings about how we approach student conferences. The tool eventually opened up dialogue between counselors and administrators and set up expectations for how we approach student conferences and communication with our teachers and parents. I hope it is helping set the conditions for the kind of student conferences that have the potential to truly improve academic progress.
As we have discussed using this new tool at subsequent RtI Meetings, several individuals have expressed positive feedback from parents and teachers. Our Special Education Coordinator shared this tool with the case managers for our SPED students, and they are now using it at the end of each marking period to communicate academic progress with parents. An added benefit I see is that as our counselors and administrators utilize this tool in their communication with teachers, it provides a model for how teachers can communicate with students and parents.
Schools, classrooms, and even conversations with students can be seen as complex systems. Although there are patterns, they are full of dynamical change and thus unpredictable. However, we know that shared tools can place a constraint on the system that allows all parties to work together more efficiently and ultimately make better decisions in the midst of uncertainty.


text:
Johnson & Johnson to Pay $72M for Cancer Death Linked to Baby Powder
In a landmark verdict on Monday, February 22, 2016, a Missouri state jury has ordered Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to pay $72 million dollars in damages to the family of Jacqueline Fox, who died of ovarian cancer in October of 2015 at the age of 62.
From Birmingham, Alabama, Fox had been using two products, Johnson's Baby Powder and Shower to Shower, for over 35 years until she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer three years ago. She was using both products for feminine hygiene, which is how it was marketed by J&J for years. You may remember the slogan, "Just a sprinkle a day helps keep odor away."
Safety of J&J's Products Questioned for Years
Rumors about the safety of J&J products have been circulating for years. One ingredient in particular, talcum powder, found in Johnson's Baby Powder and other J&J products, has been called into question for over the three decades. As early as 1971, researchers began looking into the connection between talc and ovarian cancer. In 1982, the first study published on this subject demonstrated that women who regularly used talc powder (the main ingredient in Johnson's Baby Powder) for feminine hygiene were at a higher risk for ovarian cancer. In 1994, the advocacy group, the Cancer Prevention Coalition, asked the Food and Drug Administration to require a warning on products containing talc. The FDA said it lacked enough evidence to issue the warnings and J&J did not voluntarily issue them.
Fast forward to today, and nearly 20 studies have found increased rates of ovarian cancer in women who regular use talc for hygiene purposes. In the United States, 20,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer per year, and more than 14,000 die each year.
Johnson & Johnson Knew Their Product Wasn't Safe
This lawsuit–and hundreds of others–alleges that Johnson & Johnson has known about these risks for years and has willfully ignored them. The St. Louis journey found J&J guilty of negligence, conspiracy and fraud. Lawyers for the plaintiff uncovered internal documents that J&J knew for decades that talc found in its product could cause cancer–but they never warned the public.
How Do I Know What Products are Safe?
It can be very confusing and alarming to hear news like this–and it can leave you feeling like you don't know what products are safe. For one, if you're using talcum powder, it would be best to switch to a cornstarch-based cosmetic product instead.
It's also really important that you research the other beauty and cleaning products you use on yourself, on your children and in your home. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has an amazing online resource called Skin Deep. This searchable database allows you to search for the products you use and check their overall safety, as well as find lists of recommended products. Visit ewg.org/skindeep.


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All Signs Indicate That Iran Is Accelerating Its Push For A Nuclear Weapon
Ricky Kreitner
BlatantNews via Flickr
The signs are growing that Iran is secretly preparing to break out in a push for nuclear weapons, Global Security Newswire reports.
The country has made significant process recently in three crucial areas: producing the basic fissile material required for nuclear energy; turning that material into a nuclear weapon; and creating a suitable missile delivery system for a nuke.
Iran announced last month that it will increase production of 20%-enriched uranium and will move that production to an underground facility. That's not necessarily inconsistent with Iran's stated purpose of using the fuel for ordinary civilian nuclear power, but it would give Iranian scientists the expertise needed for eventually breaking out and making a push for 90% enriched uranium, which is only useful for making a nuclear weapon.
In recent weeks, Iran has also begun testing missiles that could reach Israel or U.S. bases in the region, though it denies that those missiles could handle nuclear weapons.
Yossel Melman, at the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, points to these signs and others (for instance, a strange article on a Revolutionary Guards website talking about "the day after" an Iranian nuclear weapons test), and argues that they indicate Iran is accelerating its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
He also says the West should seriously consider the possibility that an Armageddon-minded clan allied to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might see a nuclear weapon as their best opportunity to bring about the Islamic messiah and rid the world of nonbelievers.
Melman writes:
"Ahmadinejad and several of his ministers, as well as senior commanders in the Revolutionary Guards, belong to a small but influential group in the Iranian government that adheres to a mystical belief in the coming of the Mahdi - the Twelfth, or hidden, Imam - who is considered the Shi'ite messiah. One of the conditions for the Mahdi's coming is that a huge proportion of the world's population be annihilated in a great war."
More: Threats Iran Nuclear Weapons


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HALCO Software Systems Ltd.
Simulation and Optimization... from the Forest to the Finished Product
Timber Evaluation
Log Profitability Analysis
Log Supply & Log Allocation
Cut-to-Length Simulation
Log-Making Simulation
Return-to-Log Calculations
Log Bucking Simulation
Sawmill Analysis and Design
Sawmill Optimizer Testing
WSO™ Production Planning Optimization
Sawmill Profit Variance Analysis
Sawmill Production Planning
Sawmill Set-Table Generation
Veneer Lathe Simulation
Plywood Optimization
LVL & I-Joist Mill Optimization
OSB Mill Optimization
[Print this page]
In a typical plywood plant, peeler blocks are peeled to green veneer, which is sorted, dried and sorted again. The dry veneer is further processed and then laid up into plywood panels which are pressed, sorted for grade, and finished.
The plywood is laid up to various press thicknesses and grades, according to recipes or "builds", which specify the number of plies to be used and which of several possible veneer species, thicknesses and grades may be used for each ply, for each plywood press thickness and grade.
The finished plywood is sold at a price that depends on the thickness and finished grade. Some of these are usually in more demand than others, and there may be limitations of how much of a particular thickness and grade can be sold at a given price.
Similarly there may be alternatives for the species and grade, and hence price, of the peelers that are peeled. And they may be peeled to various alternative peel thickness. Sometimes they may be "split-peeled" to different veneer thicknesses from the same block.
In the absence of raw material supply and sales constraints, various "bottlenecks", typically at the veneer dryers and the presses, will limit the production rate, and these are affected by the logs, the veneer thicknesses chosen, the product mix, and hence the "builds". And the raw material cost and production rate largely determine the production cost and profit. Depending on the log supply and the market it may sometimes be more profitable to use cheaper logs, and allocate the better ones to a sawmill, and sometimes it may be more profitable to use better, more expensive ones. If it is possible to choose which products to sell, there are rich possibilities for optimization there. Many plywood plants import, export and trade veneer, which increases the optimization opportunities.
So in a typical mill there are a huge number of possible combinations of alternatives, and it is impossible to calculate an optimum by trial and error with a spreadsheet. Because of the multi-product nature of a plywood plant, and the effect of internal constraints, it is not possible to optimize it successfully using standard accounting procedures. Any attempt to do so will usually result in wrong answers.
HALCO's PANELSIM™ program uses linear programming to arrive at a correct answer. There are numerous examples of plywood plants that have been brought from the red into the black as a result of optimization by linear programming.
The first person to tackle the plywood optimization problem successfully was a Russian professor, Leonid Kantorovich, who in 1939 was given the task of optimizing Soviet plywood production. For this and related work he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1975. In effect he invented linear programming, although it was not called that at the time, and was reinvented and much advanced by the American mathematician, George Danzig, in 1947. Incidentally, it was Alfred Nobel's father who invented the modern plywood lathe. The earliest known occurrence of plywood was in ancient Egypt around 3500 BC.
Related application descriptions:
Related program descriptions:
PEELSIM™
PANELSIM™
Benefits from HALCO Software and Services
Leonid Kantorovich
George Dantzig
Wikipedia--Plywood
© 2016 HALCO Software Systems Ltd.


The weekend may be over, but that's no reason for you not to continue with your weekend fun. Everyone seems to think negatively about Mondays, but we're here to change your opinion on that. It's time for you to transform your Monday night into one that you are going to enjoy. Book your tickets now for this Chicago after work cruise aboard the Anita Dee II Yacht! Make this Monday night one that you won't forget by grabbing all of your friends and getting ready to set sail!
days to get on board. The Anita Dee II Yacht is a 140-foot long yacht built not only for your comfort but also your enjoyment. The Anita Dee II has two inner decks as well as an outer deck. You are free to travel anywhere around the boat, but we recommend heading to the outer deck. From the outer deck, you are going to get amazing views of Chicago as you sail! Watch as the windy city passes you by giving you the perfect view of the Chicago skyline, downtown Chicago, and Chicago's best landmarks. This Chicago after work cruise is not just a sightseeing sail through the city of Chicago, but one of the best parties you can find on a Monday night.
Your Chicago after work cruise comes complete with a bar on board and a live DJ! You will be able to order up as many drinks as you like from the cash bar on board. Whether you want a nice cocktail or something strong to help with the Monday workday stress, your bartender will be serving it up. Once you've had a drink or two grab your friends and head to the dance floor! Your DJ will be playing the best songs of the year all night long to keep you dancing and energized all night long. Who said that Mondays have to be a drag and the worst day of the week? Don't waste your time and book your tickets now for our Chicago after work cruise!
This Chicago after work cruise will begin boarding at 6 p.m. with departure scheduled for 6:30 p.m. This cruise is going to sail until 9 p.m. where you will depart at the same pickup location. This is a 21+ only event and proper photo identification will be needed before you enter the yacht. Don't forget that this cruise goes out every Monday so make sure you get on board more than once this year! Don't miss your chance to enjoy this amazing and unforgettable experience aboard our Monday night Chicago after work cruise.


If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone recommend The Barefoot Investor book, I'd be rolling in MOJO by now.
Aussie finance guru Scott Pape's bestseller has inspired thousands of Australian families to make more of the money they make. But how do you stick to it when you have a young family?
Brisbane couple Chanel, a school teacher and Tim, an air-traffic controller (also parents of two-year-old Isabelle) are just the people to ask. Since mutual friends encouraged them to read the book, they've stuck to the plan for just over 12 months and said they've never looked back.
Not only has 'Barefoot' inspired better communication for the couple, they feel more united around their life goals and saved a deposit for their second property.
So, what's the secret to this kind of success? We sat down to find out.
How did you find out about the Barefoot Investor?
Like lots of others, Tim and Chanel had both been recommended the book from friends and committed to reading it.
"I read the book and then was talking to Chanel about it and trying to get her to read it as well. She was always keen to read it, but being a book on finances she insisted on finishing her other more 'exciting' books before she picked it up. About two months after we read it, we got started," says Tim.
What was the biggest appeal for you about the program?
Tim and Chanel agree it's the simplicity of the Barefoot approach that makes it almost irresistible.
"We had a budget and plan, but to be honest it was probably a bit over complicated and took a bit of time to reconcile each month. I liked the simple approach the book took. Also, it was always me in the relationship that put together the budget etc. and I thought this was a good opportunity for us to both sit down and have equal input into how we use our money," says Tim.
Chanel said she has a picture saved on her phone that sets out exactly how much money goes into each account.
"So every payday I just manually transfer it," says Chanel.
The simplicity of Barefoot has also allowed Tim and Chanel to adapt the program to their own lifestyle goals.
"It won't happen overnight. Outside the lotto, there's no such thing as get-rich-quick."
Do you follow the program to a tee, or have you made adjustments?
"There are certain things we don't agree with about his program. For example, we have kept our credit cards as we have to spend the money anyway and also want to collect the Qantas points," says Chanel.
"We pay our credit card off every night, so it works for us. We have also slightly altered the way we share our money between each of the accounts. We both work full time and don't spend loads of money on unnecessary things. Barefoot has definitely taught us to cut back on unnecessary things and devote more money to things that as to quote Kondo 'spark joy in our life'. Ha, ha!".
"We set up our new accounts with our existing bank, as we don't get charged any fees with St George. I looked at my super account but didn't need to change it. I'm with QSuper and their charges weren't too bad – within Barefoot limits. And Tim already had an ING account so we used that for the MOJO account. I actually haven't finished reading the book as I'm not interested in stocks and investing … just yet," says Chanel.
Tim and Chanel both say the splurge account is their favourite.
The simple savings techniques have also helped the couple pull together a decent deposit for their second house. Now, that's impressive!
What is the most exciting change it has made to your life?
"Knowing exactly how much I have to spend on only what I want and seeing that account increase over the weeks from saving up for something I really want has been one of the best parts! Learning more about how to manage money properly has been an amazing life lesson," says Chanel.
"I feel our communication about money and the understanding of where we are financially as a family is a lot better after putting into practice some of the steps," says Tim.
"We both really enjoyed reading the beginning of the book and how BF explains how you really don't need to buy so much 'stuff'. Tim loves a good bargain, this book has helped him to really reel in his buying of unnecessary stuff. We have real honest conversations and do a lot of researching and talking it over on big purchases, we now try to buy good quality items but at a sale price," says Chanel.
Is there a 'secret' to sticking to this plan?
Tim says sharing a common set of financial goals has made a world of difference and Chanel agrees being on the same page with money has helped their savings goals and their relationship.
"We both share the same life and financial goals, so it's easy to do it together when you agree on how much money is going into what account. It's also about being honest with each other and talking about your finances regularly," says Chanel.


3 bedroom, 2.5 bath three story stone townhouse with ocean views from third floor balcony. Full kitchen with separate breakfast room, dining room, deck, living room with working fireplace, and sun porch. There are large closets and built-ins throughout the house for storage, and lovely architectural details that add to its appeal. Two allotted parking spaces – one adjacent to the front door, and one covered space in the back of the property. There is guest parking, and use of the grounds and tennis court. Central air conditioning make summers cool and comfortable.
LEASE TERMS Tenant pays all utilities.


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George Michael & Mary J. Blige - As
29 December Critic Jonni 0 Comments
This is my revisit this week, although I found it extremely difficult to choose one of George Michael's old songs, mainly because there has been so many. I chose this one because I actually think this song is amazing, even if it is a cover version. This was definitely an iconic duet at the time, and it works so well. It's such a shame that George Michael has passed away, but his many hits will live on. Watch George Michael and Mary J. Blige perform in a club surrounded by doppelgängers, which version of themselves is actually them? This "As" music video is brilliant.
George Michael, real name Georgios Panayiotou, unfortunately, passed away on 25 December 2016. I reviewed "December Song (I Dreamed Of Christmas)" as a tribute to him, but thought I might as well review another of his as I have the chance. He's recent releases have done all right, but haven't been as much as a success as his early career was. He didn't release quite as much or as often as he used to, which is why I never really got into his music, you could say he was before my time. The same goes for the person who he collaborates with on this track; Mary J. Blige has had a lengthy solid career and is another star who has proved herself within the music industry. Much like George Michael, her recent releases haven't faired so well, although she has released a lot of music recently, which is a contrast to George Michael. This song was originally a Stevie Wonder song and first appeared on his album "Songs In The Key Of Life". It only charted in the US. It was this collaboration that brought the song success worldwide. It was written by Stevie Wonder.
Directed by Big TV!, which consists of film directors Andy Delaney and Monty Whitebloom. The video is amazingly thought out and must've taken quite some time to edit and create.
It's a performance based music video with a running narrative throughout. The start sees George Michael walking into a club. When he finally gets there, we see many doppelgängers of himself. This is my kind of club, I'd so be chatting up myself throughout the night.
When Mary J. Blige comes in, there is also a lot of doubles of herself too. It's impossible to keep track of the original them as they all each take a part, even in the background.
It's a total clever music video, especially as the dancing kicks off and with them sitting down. It's one of those videos you're more than likely going to miss something, and so on second watch, you see something new. There's not enough going on, they could've made it a little more interesting and relatable to the song, yet, visually wise, this is amazing!


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New Insights Into Treating Mild Head Injuries
TUESDAY, May 11, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- It may be possible to treat the thinking problems that result from repeated hits to the head, a new laboratory study suggests.
The new experiments with mice are the first to offer a molecular analysis of what happens in the brain after repetitive but mild blows to the head, said researcher Mark Burns. He is head of the Laboratory for Brain Injury and Dementia at Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C.
"Most research in this area has been in mouse models with more severe brain injury, or in human brains with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)," Burns said in a university news release. "This means that we have been focusing only on how CTE pathology develops. Our goal was to understand how the brain changes in response to the low-level head impacts that many young football players, for example, are regularly experiencing."
Researchers have found that the average high school and college football player gets 21 head impacts per week, while some specialized players, such as defensive ends, experience twice as many, causing problems ranging from mild learning and memory deficits to behavioral changes that include aggression, impulsivity and sleep disorders.
"These findings represent a message of hope to athletes and their families who worry that a change in behavior and memory means that CTE is in their future," Burns said.
In the study, researchers mimicked the mild head impacts experienced by football players. The mice showed slower learning and impaired memory long after the head injuries had stopped. An analysis of the mouse brains found no inflammation or tau pathology, as usually seen in the brains of people with CTE.
The researchers then sequenced the RNA of the mouse brains. "All of our sequencing studies kept pointing to the same thing — the synapses that provide communication between neurons," said researcher Bevan Main, an assistant professor of neuroscience at Georgetown University.
The next step was to see how synaptic function was changed, said researcher Stephanie Sloley, a graduate of Georgetown's Interdisciplinary Program for Neuroscience. "The brain is wired via synaptic communication pathways, and while we found that these wires were intact, the way that they communicated using glutamate was blunted, repressed," Sloley explained.
Glutamate is a neurotransmitter in the brain found in more than 60% of brain synapses. It plays a role in the way the brain strengthens or weakens signals between neurons to shape learning and memory.
"Glutamate is usually very tightly regulated in the brain, but we know that head impacts cause a burst of glutamate to be released. We believe that the brain is adapting to the repeated bursts of glutamate caused by high frequency head impact, and dampens its normal response to glutamate, perhaps as a way to protect the neurons," Sloley said. She found a shift in the way that neurons detected and responded to glutamate, which reduced the neuron's ability to learn new information.
By giving some of the mice a drug to block glutamate before they had the series of head knocks, the investigators were able to confirm that glutamate was involved. The drug is already approved to treat Alzheimer's disease. In mice, the drug prevented cognitive ("thinking") problems.
According to Main, "This tells us that the cognitive issues we see in our head impact mice are occurring due to a change in the way the brain is working, and not because we have irreparable brain damage or CTE. It would be very unlikely that we would use a drug like this in young players as a neuroprotectant before they play sports because not all players will develop cognitive disorders. More likely is that we can use our findings to develop treatments that target the synapses and reverse this condition. That work is already underway."
The report was published May 10 in the journal Nature Communications.
For more on CTE, head to the Alzheimer's Association.
SOURCE: Georgetown University Medical Center, news release, May 10, 2021
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The following historic locations are located in Lockhart, Texas. Please select a historic place in Lockhart to view detailed information including address information, historical signifiance, and much more.
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Exciting? No. Useful? Definitely. Root Explorer is your all-purpose file mover and shaker. Without it, copying, pasting and other routine activities is a much harder chore.
Factory settings lock down a smartphone's file system. Entire folders are totally inaccessible to you, meaning there's no way for you to alter or move all sorts of files. By rooting your phone, you have the access -- now you just need an app to make sense of it all. That's where Root Explorer comes in handy.
With Root Explorer, you have a user-friendly graphical interface with which you'll navigate the nether regions of your phone's file system. You can copy, paste and delete single or multiple files at a whim, or extract and create compressed files when you need to. Root Explorer allows you to send files via e-mail or Bluetooth, search for files, create bookmarks and more. It's everything that you'll need to manage files neatly and quickly.


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Industrial, Nautical, Romantic, Whimsical, DIY, Desert Wedding, Park, Beach, Winter, Fall Wedding Photos
An Intimate Destination Wedding at Heimaey Stave Church in Vestmannaeyjar, Heimaey, Iceland
Brooke Jacobson and Patrick George whisked their closest family and friends off to Iceland for a one-of-a-kind celebration that paid tribute t...
A Contemporary Coastal Wedding at The Cliff House in Cape Neddick, Maine
Ally Canario and Charlie Denault's seaside wedding was a modern, romantic affair that paid tribute to the fall season and Maine's coastal eleg...
A Romantic Southern Wedding at Dunes West Golf and River Club in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Gladys Velasquez (28 and a resident physician) and Tony Clarke (34 and an account manager) exchanged vows at t...
A Rustic, Nautical Wedding at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine
rn Having grown up in Maine, Whitney Thornton (27 and a food and nutrition director) and Mathew Thornton (27 and a civil en...
A Romantic Waterfront Wedding at Sooke Harbour House in Sooke, British Columbia
Jackie Powell and Jon Snell wanted to get married in a location that held a lot of memories for them and where they could also spend a full we...
A Fun Baseball Stadium Wedding at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Kortney Spaeth (24 and a retail manager) and Logan Bratton (25 and a sales lead) met in college as part of the university programming committe...
A Nautical Seaside Wedding at The Captain's House in Nova Scotia, Canada
Kelly Bingham (33, a Restaurant and Guesthouse Owner) and Daniel Everson (31, a Musician & Producer) started off their relationship as pen pal...
Linsey (33 and a market researcher) originally met Mark (33 and a software developer) at the University of South Carolina but didn't reconnect...
A Ritz-Carlton Wedding in Naples, Florida
Erica and Steven were going for a modern-yet-romantic feel for their beach nuptials. A soft, dreamy color scheme of light blue, white and silv...
A Romantic Waterfront Wedding in Newport, RI
A Cheerful, Nautical Wedding in St. Simons Island, GA
An Elegant Waterfront Wedding in Stevensville. MD
The Bride Lauren Ellis, 28, a project manager for CSC The Groom Thomas Rice, 29, a senior consultant for CGI The Date September 24 Since the...
An Outdoor Wedding in Fort Lauderdale, FL
After reluctantly trekking across town to a Manhattan bar for a friend's birthday, Michael became mesmerized when he noticed Julie laughing ac...


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Nearly three quarters of London South Bank University's (LSBU) research projects were awarded the two highest possible ratings for 'impact' by the latest university research excellence exercise, the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014. Our scientists in the School of Applied Sciences work in multidisciplinary teams to target major societal challenges in the areas of human health, well-being, performance and behaviour. We apply theory in theses areas to contemporary real world issues by undertaking innovative and rigorous science.
We focus on globally regarded, theoretical and applied research with 'real world' impact. Our teaching is fully informed by contemporary research, and our excellence is reinforced by outstanding research facilities which enable both staff and students to undertake cutting edge studies with the most up-to-date equipment and facilities.


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Sharon Booker
HomeCommittee LeadersSharon Booker
Sharon Booker is a public servant, platform strategist and active Democratic Party member, who has devoted her life to demonstrating and perpetuating Democratic values that make democracy a reality in the lives of the underserved. Currently elected to her third term on both Sharon Hill Borough Council, and The Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee, serving as Treasurer of the Southeast Caucus, and appointed to The Delaware County Women's Commission. Since being elected to Sharon Hill Borough Council in 2013, Sharon founded and is current government liaison of the Sharon Hill Art & Culture Commission, providing free art and cultural programing for Sharon Hill Residents. She also serves on Sharon Hill Sewer, Highway, & Planning Commission and former government liaison to the Sharon Hill Recreation Board and Sharon Hill Public Library Board.
Sharon's former elected and/or appointed positions include Vice President of Sharon Hill Borough Council, Chair of Sharon Hill Democratic Committee, founding member and Convener of The Delaware County Black Caucus, elected by her peers on the executive board of The Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee, appointed as the first Chair of Diversity and Inclusion for both the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee Black Caucus and the Delaware County Democratic Party. Sharon has been politically active with the Democratic Party for many years, with a demonstrated commitment and history of participating in numerous local, state, and national political campaigns in various capacities, sponsoring legislation and provided delegate selection training throughout the Delaware Valley. On any given election cycle, you can find her nominating candidates, door knocking, phone banking, attending rallies, utilizing social media to educate voters on the election process, candidate's profiles/position on issues, notifications about political events and promoting voter registration.
Alumna of Eckerd College, Temple University's Schools of Journalism and Communication, and Cheyney University, Sharon is a small business owner in the service industry, performing artist, motivational speaker, and author. She performs as a featured poet and member of two women's collectives throughout the US, and internationally, has been included in an award winning documentary film, founder/host of 1st Friday On Vine monthly art and culture venue, internet radio co-host, she also self-published two books of poetry, and has been published in numerous anthologies, newspapers, magazines, and journals worldwide. She lives in Sharon Hill with husband Assarif and their two cats Stinkerbell and Maximillion.


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VHAB
TCS builds VR platform for physical rehab
VHAB is a digital assistive platform developed by TCS to improve the physiotherapy regimen for children with locomotor disabilities due to cerebral palsy or autismPriyanka Sangani | ETtech | March 22, 2019, 06:15 IST
Image Source: TCS
Seven year old Anish moves his hands forward as he reaches out to catch a ball that's coming down towards him.
A while later, he's kicking around a football, all the while standing in a designated spot in the middle of the room. Anish suffers from mild autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and is undergoing therapy at Zep Rehabilitation Centre just outside Pune.
Unlike most days, he's happy doing his physical therapy today because he gets to use VHAB, the virtual habilitation platform that Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Barclays have set up at the center.
VHAB is a digital assistive platform developed by TCS to improve the physiotherapy regimen for children with locomotor disabilities due to cerebral palsy or autism. It uses a mix of motion sensors, progressive analytics, gesture analysis, finger mapping and real-time simulation in an immersive VR environment to create a series of gamified and personalized simulated environments.
Anita Nanadikar, VP & head - incubation, research and innovation, TCS said that the platform has already been deployed in four schools in Kerala in the past year, impacting over 500 children.
The biggest advantage this platform has, is that it provides a way to measure the progress the kids are making and allows the therapist to adjust the level accordingly. There are over a 100 kids who come to Zep, from ages two to 14, with various issues, like Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy and learning difficulties. Netra Patkar, principal at
Zep Rehabilitation Centre said, "All of them need some kind of physical therapy, and because they are visual learners, they respond well to gadgets. They are happy to try the VHAB and it also helps with building multiple skills at the same time."
For instance, a seemingly simple exercise of catching a ball coming towards you and putting it in a basket will build gross and fine motor skills, as well as hand-eye coordination along with abstract thinking and imagination.
Using virtual and augmented reality for therapy is starting to gain traction in the country. In Bengaluru, NewRo Rehab has started experimented with using the 'Holosuit', a full body motion controller with haptic feedback, designed by Kaaya Tech for measuring how patients are responding to physical therapy.
"So far, we haven't had a way to measure brain function. Using the Holosuit, we can measure what the patient is doing and extrapolate it to see whether the therapy is working or not, " said Dr Sharan Srinivasan, neurosurgeon and Chairman, NewRo Rehab. Srinivasan been using the Holosuit for a few months now, mainly on patients who have had a stroke or a head injury, to understand how therapy is helping them.
The biggest advantage of using virtual reality is that it makes it possible to measure and track progress, something that was done more arbitrarily in the past. When working with kids, there's the added advantage of them taking faster to this, as it's a more engaging way to administer the required therapy. For the VHAB platform, the aim is to eventually cover the full scale of the autism spectrum.
"We are looking at technologies like artificial intelligence, brain computer interface & robotics to enhance VHAB for creating more engaging and immersive experiences for differently abled children," said Nanadikar.
The company is keen on working with partners, like with Barclays in Pune, to deploy the platform in India and globally. Sean Dunphy, Senior MD, Barclays, said, "This is the start of an exciting journey towards making a difference in the lives of India's specially-abled population, with the aim to replicate globally."
Tags : Corporate, virtual reality, VHAB, physiotherapy, tcs, Physical Rehab


Information on options for first aid and medical treatment.
Phosgene is a raw material that is used primarily in the production of two other chemicals: methylenediphenyldiisocyanate (MDI) and toluene diisocyanate (TDI). Phosgene is produced by combining carbon monoxide and chlorine with a catalyst.
Phosgene is essential in the manufacturing of products used in everyday life, including flexible foam in upholstered furniture, rigid foam as insulation in walls and roofs, and thermoplastic polyurethane used in medical devices and footwear. Phosgene is important in manufacturing coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers used on floors and automotive interiors. It is also used to make polycarbonate plastics, as well as a wide variety of pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals, and specialty chemical intermediates.


text:
Outreach & Equity, STEM Action Grants
Society for Science awards $165,000 in microgrants to 38 nonprofits diversifying science and cultivating science literacy
STEM Action Grant recipient, Learn Fresh, is among 38 awardees this year. Photo courtesy of Learn Fresh
Today the Society announced $165,000 in microgrant funding to 38 creative, community-driven organizations across the United States through their STEM Action Grant program. While this year's recipients are operated out of 21 different states, each group serves multiple states outside of their base; collectively, this class of grantees is serving the entire nation.
The STEM Action Grant program bolsters and improves outcomes for groups that have been historically left behind in STEM education and careers, including Black and Latinx individuals, women and gender-expansive persons, the hearing and visually impaired as well as low-income students. One organization, for instance, is focused on providing STEM opportunities in some of the most vulnerable populations in the United States. Through programming tailored for refugee youth and survivors of genocide, they are helping to ensure that the refugee population is not excluded from STEM pathways and are empowering them for economic self-sufficiency in the United States. Others among the recipients include a collection of organizations encouraging Black girls to explore marine science, engineering or aviation pathways.
An array of organizations supported this year are leveraging passions for music, sports and nature to draw students into science and engineering fields via hands-on activities. As the United States emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, a cluster of organizations are also using their funding to expand newly established virtual programs, maximizing creative technologies and effectively reaching global audiences and students who face geographic boundaries.
2021 STEM Action Grantees
3D Girls, Inc.
Baltimore Underground Science Space
Be Loud Studios
Black Girls Dive Foundation, Inc.
Black Girls Do Engineer Corporation
Black Pilots of America (Red Tailed Hawks Chapter)
Blue Marble Space Institute of Science
California Desert Land Conservancy
CodeCreate
Connect Crew at Memphis Library Foundation
Envirolution Inc.
Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America
Future Advancers of Science and Technology
Intrepid Museum Foundation, Inc.
Kul Wicasa Wópasi
Learn Fresh
National Forest Foundation
Northwest Ecological Research Institute
'Ohana Kilo Hōkū
OpenWise Foundation, Inc.
Opportunity X
Pink Space Theory
ProCure Hope Inc. (Full STEAM Forward)
Quest Science Club, Inc.
Richmond Minorities in Engineering Partnership
Rosie Riveters
Rural Resources Farm & Food Education Center
Safe Alternative Foundation for Education, Inc.
Science Moab Engagement Initiative
Stem is Childs Play Foundation
Student Global Ambassador Program
Tech Kids Unlimited
The GEMS Camp
The Latino Student Fund
Venture Outdoors
Women's Audio Mission
Youth Code Jam
"If the United States is going to stand as a world leader in science and technology and keep pace in innovation with the rest of the world, we must prioritize investing in grassroots organizations that are doing the hard work on the ground, to engage and educate science learners of all backgrounds. What's most inspiring to me about these organizations is that they are identifying growth areas in their local communities and enacting real change," said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of the Society for Science and Publisher of Science News. "At a time when budgets are tight, these community-driven organizations need our support now. We are thrilled to invest in these 38 organizations, all with a strong record and commitment to inclusive STEM education. At the Society for Science, we live by the principle that talent is everywhere. This is why we are unremittingly steadfast – through all of our outreach and equity programs – in nurturing, attracting and promoting talent across diverse populations in our country and beyond."
This year's class of 38 organizations represents the largest class in the history of the STEM Action Grant program, coming from the largest applicant pool of the program to date. Eleven of the organizations on this year's list have received support through the program previously. Since 2016, (including this announcement), the program has given $410,000 total to 64 organizations.
Learn more about the 38 awardees of the 2021 STEM Action Grant Program here. Funding for this year's STEM Action Grant program comes from Regeneron as well as the Society.
Veteran teacher and Advocate cultivates STEM pipeline in Georgia
Take five: Helping educators reduce stress in and out of the classroom
In the face of shifting learning environments, the Society for Science awards $214,000 to 66 educators tasked with guiding students in scientific research


SIAM requests individuals limit themselves to giving one talk, however, the co-chairs of the organizing committee may make exceptions to this request and will consider allowing speakers to present up to two (2) talks. (This does not apply to invited plenary speakers).
A minisymposium generally consists of four 25-minute presentations, with an additional five minutes for discussion after each presentation. To ensure balance, SIAM prefers a single individual not be the (co)organizer of more than one minisymposium, however, organizers can submit up to two (2) parts per minisymposium, allowing up to eight (8) speakers. In addition, SIAM discourages minisymposia in which most of the speakers or co-authors come from the same institution.
SIAM prefers speakers submit only one (1) oral presentation for the conference, either a minisymposium presentation or contributed lecture. However, the co-chairs may make exceptions to this request and will consider allowing speakers to present up to two (2) talks.
It is recommended that a minisymposium organizer make the first presentation. Each minisymposium speaker should submit an abstract no longer than 1500 characters, including spaces. The organizing committee will referee minisymposium proposals. The number of minisymposia may be limited to retain an acceptable level of parallelism in the conference sessions.
Prospective minisymposium organizers must submit a proposal consisting of a title, a description (not to exceed 1500 characters, including spaces), a list of speakers and presentation titles using the Conference Management System available at: http://meetings.siam.org/start.cfm?CONFCODE=nc17.
Contributed presentations in lecture format are invited in all areas consistent with the conference themes. A lecture format is generally a 15-minute oral presentation with an additional 5 minutes for discussion. Talk lengths will be determined by the co-chairs at the close of submissions.
Each contributor must submit a title and a brief abstract not to exceed 1500 characters, including spaces.
Please submit contributed presentations in lecture format using the Conference Management System available at: http://meetings.siam.org/start.cfm?CONFCODE=nc17.
Authors were notified by e-mail on Thursday, December 8, 2016.


Nibal Henderson is the director of learning and development for New Directions Behavioral Health. Serve 16 million people in 50 states. Nibal's focus is internally on their employees, developing them with knowledge and skills to succeed, and be fulfilled.
Grew up in Kuwait and moved to Texas as a teenager. Credits exposure to different cultures and travel as being important to perspective, identity and who people are and how they fit in.
The book "Growth Mindset" by Carol Dweck was a pivotal book for Nibal.
Believes in putting humans first. Leading with kindness. Ask the question was this helpful, was it kind, was it necessary? Does it help you move forward?


Amazon.com has tested a new wireless network that would allow customers to connect its devices to the Internet, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The wireless network, which was tested in Cupertino used spectrum controlled by satellite communications company Globalstar, said the people who asked not to be identified because the test was private.
Leslie Letts, a spokeswoman for Amazon, didn't respond to a request for comment. Katherine LeBlanc, a spokeswoman for Globalstar, declined to comment. Milpitas-based Globalstar shares rose 9.6 percent to 66 cents in Friday's trading. The company trades over the counter, which means buying and selling isn't done through an exchange.
Amazon isn't the only Internet company that has tested technology allowing it to be a Web gateway. Google (GOOG) has secured its own communications capabilities by bidding for wireless spectrum and building high-speed, fiber-based broadband networks in 17 cities, including Austin, Texas and Kansas City, Kansas. It also operates a Wi-Fi network in Mountain View and recently agreed to provide wireless connectivity at Starbucks' coffee shops.
Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos is aiming to make Amazon a one-stop shop for consumers online, a strategy that spurred a 27 percent increase in sales to $61.1 billion last year. It's an approach investors have bought into, shown in Amazon's stock price, which has more than doubled in the past three years. The company's Kindle devices have always been able to connect to the Internet. Some e-readers have a wireless delivery system called Amazon Whispernet, which uses the same nationwide data network as mobile phones, or can access via Wi-Fi.
Globalstar is seeking regulatory approval to convert about 80 percent of its spectrum to terrestrial use. The company applied to the Federal Communications Commission for permission to convert its satellite spectrum to provide Wi-Fi-like services in November 2012.


text:
Les Kentucky Colonels est un groupe américain de bluegrass. D'abord formé en 1954 autour de trois frères, Clarence,  et Eric White Jr., sous le nom de Country Boys, le groupe prend le nom de Kentucky Colonels en 1961 quand  remplace Eric White à la basse.

Membres
  - mandoline, chant (1954–67, 1973)
 Clarence White - guitare, chant (1954–67, 1973)
 Eric White Jr. - banjo, contrebasse, chant (1954–61, 1966–67, 1973)
  - banjo, chant (1957–65)
 LeRoy Mack - Dobro (1957–65)
  - contrebasse, chant (1961–65)
 Bobby Slone - fiddle (1964–65)
  - banjo, fiddle (1965)
 Dennis Morris - guitare (1966–67)
 Bob Warford - banjo (1966–67)
 Bobby Crane - fiddle (1966–67)
  - banjo (1973)
  - banjo (1973)

Discographie

Albums
 The New Sound of Bluegrass America (1963, Briar International 109)
  (1964, World Pacific 1821)
 Kentucky Colonels (1974, United Artists UAS 29514 ) — réédition au Royaume-Uni de Appalachian Swing! avec deux pistes supplémentaires
 Livin' in the Past (1975, Briar BT-7202) — divers enregistrements live de 1961–1965
 The Kentucky Colonels 1965–1966 (1976, Rounder 0070) — enregistrements live
 The White Brothers: The New Kentucky Colonels Live in Sweden 1973 (1976, Rounder 0073) — enregistrement live d'un concert en Suède en 1973
 Scotty Stoneman, Live in LA with the Kentucky Colonels (1978, Sierra Briar SBR 4206) — enregistrement live de 1965
 Kentucky Colonels 1966 (1979, Shiloh SLP-4084) — demo studio d'un album inédit
 Clarence White and the Kentucky Colonels (1980, Rounder 0098) — enregistrements live
 On Stage (1984, Rounder 0199) — live recordings.
 Long Journey Home (1991, Vanguard VCD 77004) — enregistrement live de 1964 au Newport Folk Festival.
 Live in Stereo (1999, Double Barrel DBL/BRL 1001 ) — enregistrement live d'un concert à Vancouver en 1965
 Bush, Latham & White (2011, Sierra 6033) — enregistrement live de 1964
 Live in Holland 1973 (2013, Roland White Music RW0001) — enregistrement live d'un concert à Breda en 1973

Singles
 Head Over Heels in Love with You/Kentucky Hills (1959, Sundown 131) [sorti sous le nom de Country Boys]
 The Valley Below/High On a Mountain (1960, Republic 2013) [sorti sous le nom de Country Boys]
 To Prove My Love For You/Just Joshing (1962, Briar International 45-150) [sorti sous le nom de Country Boys]
 Ballad of Farmer Brown/For Lovin' Me (1965, World Pacific 427)

Bibliographie

Références

Notes

Groupe de bluegrass
Groupe musical américain des années 1960

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: How to make VoiceOver acknowledge link with SVG inside it? I have an anchor with an svg inside of it. Using Voiceover on iPhone, I cannot get the link to have focus by tapping on it. If I replace the  tag, with an inline <svg> tag, I can. It also works fine on OSX.

I would prefer not to have an inline svg here. This seems like a bug to me. But is there some way to make VoiceOver acknowledge this link?

A: I encountered a similar issue on iOS 10.1.1, where in cases like this, VoiceOver would acknowledge the link, but would not read the image's alt text:

As a related issue, VoiceOver would not acknowledge an  with an svg as its src, and thus would not read its alt text.

I was able to work around this by adding a redundant role="img" to the :

Judging from these bug report threads, this seems to happen only when the svg has no accessible contents.

*

*Bug 145263 – AX:  elements with an SVG src are ignored by VO despite valid alt attribute

*Bug 160705 – AX: @alt and bounds ignored when using img[src] points to an inaccessible SVG

A: In order to make the SVG accessible in best practice, unfortunately I believe you would have to use the <svg> tag.  There are some examples here:  Tips for Creating Accessible SVG.  I don't think this is a bug, I think it is by design.
However, there may be ways to go with what you are wanting.  If you want to remain with the existing code, you may have to put in a span tag with a sr-only class on it.
To the Left

CSS:
.sr-only {
  position: absolute;
  width: 1px;
  height: 1px;
  padding: 0;
  margin: -1px;
  overflow: hidden;
  clip: rect(0, 0, 0, 0);
  border: 0;
}
.sr-only-focusable:active,
.sr-only-focusable:focus {
  position: static;
  width: auto;
  height: auto;
  margin: 0;
  overflow: visible;
  clip: auto;
}

Hope this helps your cause.


text:
Is Bangladesh 5G Ready?
Maimun Mustafa
The Bangladesh government has pledged to have 5G introduced in the country by 2021. However, the debate rages on over whether the dreams of the utopia promised by this technology is coherent with the realities of a market that could still be struggling to adopt the existing benefits of mobile bandwidth. The question of whether it should be adopted may rely on realistic use cases, availability of the technology to the masses and its relevance to the nation's context.
Filling the Generation Gap
The previous generations of mobile networks have been 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G respectively. The first generation (1G) delivered analog voice in the 1980s. 2G or Second generation introduced digital voice (eg CDMA- Code Division Multiple Access) in the early 1990s. The Early 2000s saw third generation or 3G bring mobile data (e.g. CDMA2000) in the hands of the masses. Then, the fourth generation, better known as 4G LTE, became available in the 2010s 4G LTE and welcomed the age of mobile broadband. 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G all have steered the way for 5G.
The 5G Frontier
5G, as the 5th generation mobile network, it is designed to provide more connectivity than ever available in all past eras. 5G allows a new class of network that is intended to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices. The higher performance and improved efficiency is intended to empower new user experiences and connect new industries.
The 5th Generation Advantage
While 4G LTE focused on providing quicker mobile broadband services than its predecessor 3G, 5G is designed to be a unified, more efficient. 5G can also natively support all spectrum types (licensed, shared, unlicensed) and bands (low, mid, high), a wide range of deployment models (from traditional macro-cells to hotspots), and new ways to interconnect (such as device-to-device and multi-hop mesh).
Qualcomm states the following reasons why making the jump from 4G to 5G would make sense:
• 5G is significantly faster than 4G
• 5G has more capacity than 4G
• 5G has significantly lower latency than 4G
• 5G is a unified platform that is more capable than 4G
• 5G uses spectrum better than 4G
Futuristic Use Cases
5G is used across 3 main types of connected services:
• Enhanced mobile broadband
As well as making our smartphones better, 5G mobile technology can usher in new immersive experiences such as VR and AR with faster, more uniform data rates, lower latency, and lower cost-per-bit.
• Mission-critical communications
5G can enable new services that can transform industries with ultra-reliable, available, low-latency links like remote control of critical infrastructure, vehicles, and medical procedures.
• Massive IoT
5G is meant to seamlessly connect a massive number of embedded sensors in virtually everything through the ability to scale down in data rates, power, and mobility—providing extremely lean and low-cost connectivity solutions.
Benefits for Bangladesh
4 main categories of beneficiaries in Bangladesh are subject to benefit from the arrival of 5G.
Explosive growth in video traffic as mobile is increasingly becoming the source of media and entertainment, as well as the massive growth in always-connected cloud computing, ride sharing, food delivery and more and experiences Dtac Vice President Reduan Hasan Khan explained that this will contribute to cutting-edge user experiences such as boundless seamless IoT capabilities, extreme reality (XR), new enterprise applications, local interactive content, instant cloud access, HD streaming and gaming services, seamless video conferencing and sharing, as well as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) services among others.
With high data speeds and superior network reliability, 5G will enhance the efficiency of businesses while also giving users faster access to more information. Reduan believes, for example, smart factories could use 5G to run industrial Ethernet to help them increase operational productivity and precision. Another opportunity will also help the fledgling SME and Corporate businesses of the country to migrate to Cloud supporting various cloud-based software, unified communication and conferencing needs. Furthermore, the companies in the RMG, Pharmaceuticals and FMCG sectors will be able to utilize various assembly line and supply chain automation techniques. Conversely, asset tracking, logistics & workers' safety apps can help the businesses to improve their productivity.
According to Qualcomm, smart cities could use 5G to provide greater efficiencies like more connectivity between people and things, higher data speeds, and lower latency than ever before in areas like automotive safety, infrastructure, VR, and entertainment. The Dtac Head of B2B Products writes in his blog that 5G powered Smart Cities can implement use-cases like smart parking, smart waste-management, smart street-lights, smart public safety, etc. and enable smart decision making and planning to optimize the quality of life for citizens and increase productivity.
Reduan suggests in his Linkedin Blog, that the most transformative impacts of 5G will be in the government sector for Bangladesh. He explains that 5G can accelerate implementation of Smart Grid/Utilities in Bangladesh to a great extent, enabling use-cases like smart metering, service quality monitoring, fault localization, automation and control, infrastructure management and demand management. In addition, 5G can help the government implement digitization and automation projects across several sectors like health, education and agriculture.
Mobile Data Growth in Bangladesh
Even though Bangladesh has already reached a 100% mobile penetration rate sometimes users cannot talk on 3G, they don't get any speed on 4G, and the network is rare on 2G. The 4G service rolled out in December 2016 by Teletalk and in February of 2018 by the three private operators. The initial eagerness for fourth generation (4G) mobile services started to fall off in the absence of reasonably priced 4G-enabled handsets in the country, a report quoted the 2nd largest mobile phone operator Robi's officials. The telecom industry had invested Tk 32,000 crore in total for 3G but the revenue from it was only Tk 7,000 crore. This is not a positive growth trajectory for the 4G-enabled handset penetration to follow. Currently smartphone penetration in Bangladesh is around 40% of which approximately only half of the handsets are 4G-enabled. The majority of the country still uses 2G enabled phones and this is projected to GSMA phones to be a trend that will continue to dominate.
The Telco Angle
In an interview with a local newspaper, Banglalink's Chief Executive Officer Erik Aas agreed with telco Robi top boss, Mahtab Uddin Ahmad that this is not the right time to go for 5G. Aas said it will be costly as opposed to the investment and utilization. The Norwegian CEO further explained that from a technological viewpoint, having access to smartphones and digital services in the next few years was not more important than high-speed internet to the general people. The top boss of this Banglalink posed a very relevant question that even if 5G may result in industry automation, driverless cars on Dhaka's roads and a digitized harbour at Chattogram port, do these services exist in the metros presently let alone the majority of the country? Moreover, he explained Covid-19 has taught that while there is a need for digitization not everyone had the means to own devices to reap the benefits of accessing data on the internet. According to Reduan, the key features of 5G, i.e. speed, reliability and capacity mainly come from more and new bands of spectrum. Price and allocation modality of spectrum will play a major in the business cases of the 5G operators.
Additionally, the comparatively high spectrum price in Bangladesh is another factor that all telco stakeholders may see as a great impediment to launch 5G. Reduan comments that unlike 2G/3G/4G, the use-case driven 5G technology requires close engagements with devices and application developer communities, government agencies and telecom industry. Taxation regime for IoT sensors/devices and connectivity (e.g. SIM TAX, VAT/SD/SC) needs to be reformed to encourage proliferation of IoT applications. The Dtac B2B Device Boss blogs that as 5G networks are expected to become the backbone of many critical national IT applications, such as Smart City, Smart Grids, Healthcare, etc. the integrity and availability of those networks will become major concerns and challenges from a national security perspective. To access the 5G service you need a 5G enabled phone and the cost to upgrade may not be accessible to everyone's wallets in a lower middle income nation.
5G can improve economic growth, enhance citizen experiences and expedite commercial prospects. However, the implementation of 5G in Bangladesh is unique compared to other countries as the South Asian nation is leap-frogging from a complete analog to a digital economy (bypassing many intermediary steps). Moreover, though there may exist potential benefits, without a proper plan, market players have shown significant skepticism regarding the investment case of 5G. This can be improved if carefully crafted with realistic spectrum, infrastructure, taxation and cloud hosting policies. If addressed, this can reduce business doubts and create a promising investment climate for the beneficiaries of this technology. Joining the 5G bandwagon without a proper consumer and business friendly roadmap would most definitely not be in Bangladesh's best interest. However, not treading onto the 5G wave at all would inhibit at least a generation of citizens and institutions from building a vibrant 5G based ecosystem.
The Writer is the CEO of MCFG and the Executive Director of Global Chamber © Dhaka.
He can be reached at maimun@globalchamber.org
The writer is the CEO of MCFG and the Executive Director of Global Chamber Dhaka. He can be contacted at maimun@globalchamber.org
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