forever changed two local men's lives. From young athlete, to coach, to client, Dr. Nate Hearne shares his perspective on trust.
Dr. Nate Hearne grew up in poverty: one of eight children living in a small three-room house that lacked indoor plumbing. His mother worked as a domestic helper and his father a gas station attendant in a small West Texas town. He struggled with trust issues. But he left a lasting legacy on many young people along the way.
Dr. Hearne met another strong influencer when he tried out for seventh grade football.
Hearne went from being a kid who hated school to wanting to be a coach and a science teacher.
Dr. Hearne was an assistant coach in the Permian High School football program when they won six State Championships. In 1988, an author followed Permian through their football season and wrote "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, and A Dream," which made the New York Times "Top Ten Bestsellers" List. In 2004, the film was released. A few years later the television show became an Emmy-Award winning series.
Today, Tony Carimi is the Chief Operating Officer at Irving–based Park Place Dealerships.
For this drill players would run out of the main gym and up into the stands. They would run up and down the stairs, snaking their way through the stands, across all the stands. And they'd have to do this before practice even began.
"Carimi, slow down. You're making the rest of us look bad, if you don't slow down we're going to get you after practice," his teammate said.
"You have individuals and experiences that leave an everlasting impression on your life," remembers Carimi.
Dr. Hearne and Carimi recently teamed up to make a dream come true for Dr. Hearne's wife, Callie.
Park Place has just the right touch with its "One Touch" solution, providing clients with a single person to walk them through the entire purchasing process. This allows the sales associate and client to build trust to help with all of the client's needs.


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Home Article Nicky Romero's Protocol Recordings Celebrates 5 Years with New Releases and Activities
Nicky Romero's Protocol Recordings Celebrates 5 Years with New Releases and Activities
Nicky Romero's Protocol Recordings Celebrates 5 Years with New Releases and Activities
by Michael Beas
Work Hard, Play Hard… That is how best I can describe Nicky Romero's Protocol Recordings team and crew. Nicky Romero himself is by and far one of the best Dance Music Producers on the planet. His work ethic, his determination and drive to create an artistic element in all that he does reflects in the hearts of millions and in heart of all of the artists that are on the Protocol Recording label. https://youtu.be/jAVM9srKmn8 That being said the ultimate party is about to begin with the 5th birthday of the label. In a series of events and new music releases the label is about to through down like never before! The 250th episode of Protocol Radio, and the celebrations will last until their showcase at ADE this October. Thats right it is going to last until OCTOBER. https://soundcloud.com/protocolrecordings Mark it on your calendar, Protocol Radio kicks off their 250th episode with a live broadcast on May 26th. On this day they will feature both tracks from the past and new music that has not be heard before that has been saved until this moment. On May 29th, Protocol is treating longtime fans to a five hour mix of sonic highlights from 2012 to 2016. Here is the skinny that you have to remember, five major new tracks – for five weeks. Protocol will be releasing a fresh remix of some of their biggest hits from the last five years! The exact tracks will be announced closer to their release dates, but we have gotten a sneak peak and I can tell you that they are going to be massive. Fans will also have a chance to experience the electricity of a Protocol party during Balaton Sound in July before the culmination of their months-long celebration at the Amsterdam Dance Event. In an exclusive interview with Nicky when we featured him on the cover story, Nicky mentioned Raver Mag: Has there been a point in your career where you've wanted to change your sound? I'm not one to categorize musicians by genres, but there are many musicians in their career who convert to Progressive from Trance or switch from Hard Style to Big Room. Nicky Romero: I'm sure my style has found a natural progression over the years and sure sometimes I can see the appeal of thinking 'this is what's popular now, if I make something like this, I could have a #1', but personally I'd find it hard to make music that I didn't like and I don't think I'd feel good about it.
At the end of the day, it may be 5 years but Nicky Romero and Protocol will last an eternity. For me personally his sound represents a new beginning in my own life. It is the place where my own dreams have quickly become a reality. His sound and seeing the smile he placed on someones face is an image that I will never forget and it's the reason why I personally will always support him and Protocol in this lifetime and the next.
Full Support from us at Raver Magazine.
More on Protocol Recordings
Founded by Nicky Romero in 2012, Protocol Recordings has established itself as a major player in the hotbed of electronic dance music labels, bolstered by its progressive approach to music and its extraordinary live events. The label has thrown major events at some of the most prominent electronic music gatherings in the world, such as Miami Music and the Amsterdam Dance Event, treating their fans to a true sonic experience that feeds both their hedonistic indulgences and cravings for new music. Protocol's focus on developing emerging artists has garnered them a roster of incredible talent, from veterans like Tom Tyger and Arno Cost to new discoveries Volt & State, Florian Picasso, and more. Between their ever-evolving imprint, captivating stage presence, and consistently incredible, cutting-edge new music, it's safe to say that Protocol has more than earned their spot at the top. http://ravermag.com/new/nicky-romero-exclusive-interview/]]]]>	]]>
Amsterdam Dance Event.
Arno Cost
Florian Picasso
Nicky Romero
Protocol Radio
Tom Tyger
Volt & State
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Zachary Cohen and Jacob Thomasson are serving as stewardship interns for Tar River Land Conservancy this summer. Mr. Cohen and Mr. Thomasson's duties include inspecting many of the TRLC's protected properties located across an eight-county region. Additional projects have included trail-building with community groups and volunteers at the Ledge Creek Forest Conservation Area and updating TRLC's land and monitoring records.
Mr. Cohen is a junior in the University Honors College program at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, majoring in Geography and Agribusiness. He is a 2016 graduate of Chantilly High School in Chantilly, Virginia. Prior to college, Mr. Cohen was active in the Boy Scouts of America, where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout and was selected as a member of the Order of the Arrow. He previously worked for the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Alexandria, Virginia.
Mr. Thomasson is a 2017 graduate of J.F. Webb High School in Oxford. He is currently enrolled at Vance-Granville Community College with plans to transfer to N.C. State University to major in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. Mr. Thomasson grew up working on his family's tobacco farm in Granville County. He is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting and fishing. He previously worked for Revlon, Inc., and Creative Turf, Inc., in Oxford.
Mr. Cohen and Mr. Thomasson were selected for 12-week summer internships following a competitive application and interview process. Since 2002, Tar River Land Conservancy has offered summer internships to one or more college students working towards degrees in natural resources management, forestry, agriculture, wildlife management or related discipline. To receive future internship announcements, please send an email with your name and contact information to internship@tarriver.org.


1. This Act may be cited as the Petroleum Products Act .
(j) "wholesaler" means a person, other than a retailer, who sells a petroleum product or keeps a petroleum product for sale.
(2) This Act does not apply to a wholesaler in relation to the sale by the wholesaler of a petroleum product to a person other than a retailer or the keeping of a petroleum product by the wholesaler for sale to a person other than a retailer.
(b) motor fuel used for marine purposes except where the motor fuel is purchased from a retailer who sells that type of motor fuel for other purposes.
3. (1) In addition to the powers conferred on the board under this Act, the powers, practices, procedures and immunities of the board under the Public Utilities Act apply to the board in carrying out its duties under this Act.
(2) Sections 13 and 14 of the Public Utilities Act apply, with the necessary changes, to the assessment by the board of wholesalers and retailers who refine petroleum products in the province or bring petroleum products into the province, or receive delivery of them in the province from a wholesaler or retailer outside the province who does not carry on business in the province, of amounts to defray the expenses of the board under this Act.
(b) the assessment under section 13 shall be based on the volume of the designated petroleum products sold by the wholesaler or retailer in the province as determined by the board, whether or not the product is subject to regulation under this Act.
(b) to determine the minimum and maximum mark up between the wholesale price to the retailer and the retail price to the consumer of heating fuel and motor fuel.
(2) The board may divide the province into zones and may set a different maximum wholesale and retail price that a wholesaler and a retailer may charge for heating fuel and motor fuel for each zone.
(3) Notwithstanding subsection (2), the board may set a different maximum wholesale and retail price that a wholesaler and a retailer may charge for heating fuel and motor fuel within a zone taking into consideration the criteria prescribed for that purpose by the regulations.
5. (1) A wholesaler shall not charge a price for heating fuel or motor fuel greater than the maximum price set by the board.
(2) A retailer shall not charge a price for heating fuel or motor fuel greater than the maximum price set by the board.
(3) Where the board determines the minimum and maximum mark up between the wholesale price to the retailer and the retail price to the consumer of heating fuel and motor fuel, a wholesaler or retailer shall not set a mark up different from that determined by the board.
6. (1) The board shall establish a petroleum product base wholesale and retail price for each type of heating fuel and motor fuel sold by a wholesaler and a retailer using the criteria prescribed for that purpose by the regulations.
(2) The petroleum product base wholesale and retail price set by the board for each type of heating fuel and motor fuel, as adjusted periodically under section 7, shall constitute the maximum price chargeable by a wholesaler or retailer for those types of heating fuel or motor fuel.
7. (1) The board shall establish a procedure for determining adjustments to the petroleum product base wholesale and retail price of each type of heating fuel and motor fuel applying for the purpose the criteria prescribed by the regulations.
(2) The board shall periodically, using the procedure referred to in subsection (1), adjust the petroleum product base wholesale and retail price for each type of heating fuel and motor fuel to set the maximum allowable retail and wholesale prices for each type of heating fuel and motor fuel.
(3) The board shall inform wholesalers and retailers of the new maximum allowable prices for each type of heating fuel and motor fuel as determined under subsection (2) and the date on which the price comes into force.
(e) the other information that may be prescribed by the regulations.
(c) set another price that the board considers appropriate in the circumstances.
(3) A price change ordered under subsection (2) takes effect on the date set out in the order.
(4) Only one application may be made by a wholesaler or a retailer in a 12 month period.
(5) Where the board makes an order under paragraph (2)(b) or (c), the board, after giving notice of the application and an opportunity to be heard, may order the price change to apply to other wholesalers or retailers in addition to the applicant.
(6) The board may order that an applicant pay the costs in relation to an application, and those costs shall be paid within 30 days of the order of the board.
8.1 (1) The board may, on its own motion, conduct a review of the maximum mark up between the wholesale price to the retailer and the retail price to the consumer or allowed service costs to ensure they are justified, and may order adjustments to the mark up or the allowed service costs after the review is completed.
(2) The board may, on the request of a wholesaler or retailer or on its own motion, review the suitability of the pricing mechanism for benchmark prices, and may provide the minister with its recommendation on the matter.
(3) The board shall, on the request of the minister, review the suitability of the pricing mechanism for benchmark prices and shall provide the minister with its recommendation on the matter.
9. (1) The board may, at any time after the filing of an application for approval of a price change and before making an order under section 8, make an interim order setting a temporary price of the heating fuel or motor fuel that is the subject of the application.
(2) An interim order expires on the date an order made under section 8 takes effect.
10. Where a price change with respect to the wholesale and retail pri c e of heating fuel and motor fuel reflects a change in the price that is w h olly attributable to changes in taxation, the board shall be considered to have issued an order approving the proposed price on the date on which the change in taxation is to be effective.
11. (1) The board may give notice to a wholesaler or a retailer directing the wholesaler or the retailer to appear before the board at a hearing for the purpose of making a submission to assist the board in determining whether or not the prices being charged by that wholesaler or retailer for heating fuel or motor fuel are in accordance with the prices set by the board.
(2) Where a wholesaler or retailer fails to appear at the hearing as directed under subsection (1), the board may proceed in the absence of the wholesaler or retailer.
12. (1) The board may conduct an investigation to determine whether a price being charged by a wholesaler or a retailer for heating fuel or motor fuel exceeds the maximum allowable price set under this Act.
(2) When the board as a result of an investigation conducted under subsection (1) believes that a wholesaler or a retailer has charged or is charging a price for heating fuel or motor fuel that exceeds the maximum price set by the board, the board shall order the wholesaler or retailer to sell or offer for sale the heating fuel or motor fuel at a price not to exceed the price set by the board.
(c) inquire into all matters relating to the sale by the wholesaler or retailer of heating fuel or motor fuel.
(2) Where a person authorized by the board under subsection (1) removes books, records or other documents under paragraph (1)(b), he or she shall give to the person from whom those items were taken a receipt for those items and shall immediately make copies of those items and return the originals to the person who was given the receipt.
14. (1) Where a person authorized by the board believes on reasonable grounds that a person is contravening or has contravened this Act, or where entry onto a premises where a contravention of this Act is believed to occur or have occurred is refused or denied, the person authorized by the board may, with a warrant issued under subsection (2), enter those premises and do all those things referred to in section 13.
(2) A Provincial Court judge who is satisfied on oath or affirmation that there are reasonable grounds for believing that a contravention of this Act has occurred or that entry onto a premises has been refused or denied, may issue a warrant authorizing the person named in the warrant to enter the premises and search for and inspect anything that will provide evidence with respect to a contravention of this Act and to do all those things referred to in section 13.
(3) A wholesaler or a retailer or an employee of either and a person found there shall give the person named in the warrant reasonable help to enable him or her to carry out his or her duties and functions under this Act and shall provide the information that the person may reasonably require.
15. (1) Th e board may hold a hearing in respect of a complaint made against a wholesaler or retailer and in that case shall notify the wholesaler or retailer complained of as to the nature of the complaint and the time, date and place of the hearing.
(2) In a hearing under this section, the wholesaler or retailer and the complainant shall be entitled to be heard and witnesses shall be permitted to attend to give evidence on their behalf.
16. (1) The board shall have the power of summoning persons as witnesses and of requiring them to give evidence under oath or affirmation, orally or in writing, and to produce those documents and things that the board considers necessary to the full investigation of the matters into which the board is authorized to inquire.
(2) The board shall have the same power to enforce the attendance of persons as witnesses and to compel them to give evidence and produce documents and things that is vested in a board under the Public Inquiries Act .
(3) The board may administer the oath or affirmation to a witness.
17. An appeal lies from a decision of the board to the Trial Division.
the person is liable to a penalty imposed by the board of not more than $5,000.
19. Each day or part of a day during which a prohibited activity subject to a penalty under section 18 is continued gives rise to a separate and distinct liability to a penalty under that section.
20. The act, failure, neglect, omission or refusal of an officer, agent or other person acting for or employed by a wholesaler or a retailer, acting within the scope of his or her employment, shall in every case be considered to be the act, failure, neglect, omission or refusal of the wholesaler or retailer.
21. Where the amount of a penalty imposed under this Act is not paid within 15 days after imposition, the board, in addition to other remedies under this Act, may proceed to recover the amount in the same manner as for the recovery of a debt.
22. A provision, term or condition in an agreement or contract that provides that the contract is terminated or that a wholesaler or a retailer is permitted or authorized, or purports to permit or authorize, a wholesaler or a retailer to reduce, limit or cease to supply a petroleum product or services on the ground that an enactment or an order of the board or a judicial body, prevents a price or change in the price provided from being effective or becoming effective is of no effect.


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Why Elon Musk Used to Read 10 Hours a Day (and How You Can Do Less and Still Gain Success)
Reading has been shown to enhance confidence, decision-making, and empathy, and can even prevent depression and relieve stress.
By Peter Economy@bizzwriter
"Books, and then my parents."
That's the official word on what and who raised Elon Musk, according to the successful innovator and billionaire himself. In a 2017 interview for a Rolling Stone cover story, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO revealed that he was, "raised by books."
"I didn't really have a primary nanny or anything," he remembers. "I just had a housekeeper who was there to make sure I didn't break anything," Musk details. "I was off making explosives and reading books and building rockets."
It is even said that he read the entirety of the Encyclopedia Britannica at age 9, and would read science fiction novels for more than 10 hours a day.
But why read this much? For Elon, some of these books provided inspiration for his career and ideal world:
"The lesson I drew from the works of Isaac Asimov, science fiction writer, is you should try to take the set of actions that are likely to prolong civilization, minimize the probability of a dark age and reduce the length of a dark age if there is one."
Reading so much also contributed to his introverted way of thinking. According to his brother, Errol,
"Elon has always been an introvert thinker...where a lot of people would go to a great party and have a great time and drink and talk about all sorts of things like rugby or sports, you would find Elon had found the person's library and was going through their books."
Admittedly, not all of us have the time or the stamina to pore over books for hours on end. But note that many top business entrepreneurs and leaders personally make sure reading is part of their regular routine -- one study of 1,200 wealthy people reported that they all have reading in common as a pastime.
Reading helps inspire, and many successful people specifically read biographies and autobiographies in order to gain guidance for career moves too.
Most of all, spending time with books can massively benefit your health -- reading has been shown to enhance confidence, decision-making, empathy, and can even prevent depression and relieve stress.
If you want to follow in the footsteps of successful businesspeople like Warren Buffett -- who reads six hours a day -- cozy up with a book for an hour.
Or, if you can handle it, 10.


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MEDIATED LEARNING IN VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS Raija Latva-Karjanmaa 14.5.2001 This presentation explores what does mediation mean, when developing virtual learning environments where a physically present human mediator is not available but where a humanistic component is highly needed in the learning process. The mediated learning experience is studied when using an interactive tutoring method IQ-FORM to support students in their learning. IQ-FORM gives information about learner's qualities. The theory of mediated learning experience of Reuven Feuerstein provides a meta-level theoretical background for this research. This research is a part of a large national research venture in Finland for new tutoring and counseling methods in a Web-based learning for the Finnish Virtual University Consortia. 1. INTRODUCTION The presentation gives one example of the methods of mediating students in their learning process. The method acts as a mediator of learning through providing support and tools for better self-awareness when studying in technology based environments. Studying in a virtual environment sets new kind of demands on learning skills. Students have different abilities to learn in a virtual environment but they should be given equal opportunities to success. It is important to find out, how learning skills for technology based studying can be developed. It is essential to explore if cognitive and intellectual skills can be modified so that the student can benefit of studying in this new mode of learning. This critical issue will be analysed and reflected in the framework of Feuersteins theory of Structural Cognitive Modifiability. The virtual environment is deprived in one essential sense: there is no physical presence of a teacher or peer students. When thinking about how to make studying in a virtual learning environment successful the author came across the theory of mediated learning experience (MLE) of Reuven Feuerstein and its basis in the theory of structural cognitive modifiability (SCM). This study is a part of the authors' study on learning in virtual university environments. The research has three purposes: to explore how does the theory of MLE fits the new technology based learning environments to study empirically, what are the student experiences of mediated learning when using mediated tools to develop theoretical principles, how to enrich virtual learning environments to increase students' potential to manage their own learning and learning environments This presentation focuses on the first question of the study. The aim is to create a theoretical basis for empirical phases of the research and for developing criteria, which could be used in creating the criteria to enrich virtual university learning environments. 2. THE OF THE CONCEPT OF MEDIATION The concept of mediation is becoming quite significant when describing and discussing learning in virtual learning environments. Feuersteins theory of MLE emphasizes strongly the role of the mediator in learning. Can one state that mediation in Feuersteinian sense is can take place in net based studies? When analysing the concept of mediation and the actual process of mediation, one needs to ask, what is this message form especially in net based learning? It is not teaching, it is not writing, it is not speaking, it is not throwing images and sounds from Internet, it is not expressing feelings. It is a combination of this all and yet -something more. In the context of virtual learning environments mediation can be regarded form at least two aspects mediation in view of learning research in view of communication sciences When thinking about the learning research view on mediation Feuerstein theory of MLE and his description of mediation offer a comprehensive explanation of the phenomena of mediation. His criteria for MLE are targeting the learning process and its conditions comprehensively. According to Feuerstein MLE is a universal modality of interaction and appears, to a greater or lesser degree, in all cultures which perpetuate themselves, irrespective of the level of technological content of functioning and of the richness of the language used in the interaction (Feuerstein 1991, 21). An expert of communication sciences, professor Tapio Varis (2001, 194) makes adequat and challenging remarks about the concepts of communication, media and mediation. He states, that, when using the word communication we usually refer to transmission and mediation of information. According to him it is essential to notice that media is much more than only means of transferring information. The media extents human senses and the dominant media of different eras determine, which sense is primarily used in the search for information and in the process of thought. Varis remarks that media affects the ways of thinking, constructing science and belief systems. (2000, 192-193). Varis refers to the French philosopher Rgis Debray, in who's thinking "communication" is a modern but late answer to a more difficult and permanent problem of mediation. (ibid., 194). 3. THE CONTEXT OF THE STUDY: RESEARCH FOR VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY The Consortium of the Finnish Virtual University (FVU) was established at the end of the year 2000. The Finnish Virtual University is an alliance of all universities in Finland and it will create channels to deliver courses and other study options in different universities. The portal of the FVU combines and makes available the supply of the partner universities to students, who may select individual courses or larger combinations. They may also connect conventional campus-based studies and FVU studies with each other. The FVU does not serve as a direct provider of instruction. However, it has certain meta-level counselling and tutoring services. 3.1 The research task of the IQ-FORM project IQ FORM research project began at the end of 1999 and it is a co-operative project with educational, computing and information technology sciences (WWW-site http://www.edu.helsinki.fi/iqform/). IQ-FORM has as task to develop one of the core service utilities of the Finnish Virtual University. It provides tutoring and counseling tools for student during their individual learning processes and study performances in Web-based learning environments. The Project Director is Professor Hannele Niemi, Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Helsinki. The project will explore how different learners study in virtual environments and what kind of support they would need. The project has been developing a flexible IQ FORM data bank, which will be used during 2001 in virtual university courses. The project is also developing a tutorial package, which can be adapted according to the needs of specific courses, students and teachers. (IQ-FORM research team, http://www.edu.helsinki.fi/iqform/) Students will have a virtual university Web portal from which they can select different options. Some of the options provide tutoring for learning skills. These options will be e.g. "Who am I as a learner" or "How to become an active learner". The IQ-FORM -project will promote tools for students to develop high quality learning skills and help them to become self-reflective and co-operative learners (Niemi 2000a; 2001). The researchers of the IQ-FORM project are mainly from University of Helsinki but there are co-operation and networking with partners in universities of Oulu, Tampere and Joensuu which will apply new learning and tutoring tools in their virtual courses. 3.2. Virtual university as a learning environment Professor Hannele Niemi states that the virtual university means a space in which university studies are served to students using the newest environments of communication and information technology. The studies can be organised fully in technology based environments (for example, through computers and digital TV) or they may be a combination of contact hours and different variants of distance learning methods. The capacity and speed of technical environments make it easy to combine different technological tools as well as different sources of information, such as texts, pictures, simulations and voices. (Niemi, 2001) Steve Ryan and co-writers (Niemi 2001; Ryan 2000: 2) define virtual university using the following two levels: "Virtual Education Institution may be defined as: (a) An institution which is involved as a direct provider of learning opportunities to students and is using information and communication technologies to deliver its programmes and courses and provide tuition support. Such institutions are also likely to be using information and communication technologies for such other core activities as: - administration (eg, marketing, registration, student records, fee payments etc); - materials development, production, and distribution; - delivery and tuition; - career counselling, advising, prior learning assessment, and examinations (b) An organisation that has been created through alliances/partnerships to facilitate teaching and learning to occur without itself being involved as a direct provider of instruction. Examples of such organization would be the Open Learning Agency of Australia, the emerging Western Governors University in the United States, and the National Technological University (in Canada - the author's addition)". 4. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK The theoretical framework of this presentation comes from Reuven Feuerstein's theory of mediated learning experience, which provides the meta-level theoretical background for the research. The mediated learning experience is studied when using a new tutorial advice/instrument/ facilitator, the IQ FORM tools, in virtual learning environments. The IQ-FORM tools consists of an IQ-FORM databank which is the tests sets for assessing learner qualities and and a IQ-FORM tutorial package. The theory of mediated learning experience of Feuerstein is a basis when analysing the phenomena of supported learning in a virtual learning environment. The theories behind the creation of IQ -FORM databank for defining the learning qualities of students are H. Gardner 's multiple intelligence theory (Gardner 1983) and P. Pintrich's & P. Ruohotie's motivational theory (Ruohotie & Pintrich 2000). The questionnaires work as a data bank, from which students may select different combinations to become more conscious of their learning styles and motivational strategies and changes in these qualities during the course (IQ-Research group 2001a and IQ-Research group 2001b). The profiles based on the tests tutor the students to find help and support from their teachers or peers and to encourage them to use new kind of learning material or routes to find more effective learning strategies. 5. THE METHOD TO MEDIATE LEARNING IN VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY IQ FORM forms a tool set, which can be regarded as an instrument aiming at mediated learning through mediated learning experience. IQ-FORM databank giving information about learner's qualities The first tool is called IQ-FORM databank intelligent questionnaire), which is an interactive databank and gives information about learner's qualities e.g. learning profiles and motivational structures as well as social navigation during their virtual studies (Niemi 2000a). IQ-FORM tutorial package for students, student groups and teachers The other tool, or set of tools consists of a tutoring package for learners and teachers. This package contains guidance packages for students, student groups (in specific virtual classes) and teachers. The student packages will lead the student for example to analyse their learning styles, strengths and weaknesses and help them, when a problem situation occurs. The student group packages will guide the students for example to team work and goal settings in discussion groups. The teacher packages will advice the teacher, what to do, when she/he gains information about the students with IQ-FORM in form of learning profiles and group profiles, for example if the study motivation of the group as a whole is low, how to proceed (IQ-FORM research team, http://www.edu.helsinki.fi/iqform/). The first virtual courses which will use the IQ FORM as the supportive tool will be starting Fall 2001. A part of students participating in the courses will also be interviewed to get information how they use the IQ -FORM as data bank during the courses and how it helps them to grow as learners. 6. JUSTIFICATION FOR THE USE OF THE THEORY OF MEDIATE LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN IQ-FORM There are theoretically solid reasons for using Feuersteins theory of Mediated Learning Experience in IQ-FORM. The view about the human being The goal of meaningful learning The goal of an empowering learning environment 6.1 The view about the human being The belief system about human potential and Feuersteins theory of structural cognitive modifiability form a kind of paradigm, theoretical basis, in his thinking. This paradigm with a theory of cognitive modifiability comes close to the views representatives of latest learning research laying the basis to IQ-FORM project. Burden presents Feuersteins theories in a shape of an iceberg (Burden, in Kozulin 1991, 47), where the base is in the understanding of cultural transmission and a belief system about human potential. This lays the basis to the theories of structural cognitive modifiability and mediated learning experience and their applications. Feuerstein presents the view that the human cognitive processes are modifiable. According to him "we refer to structural changes, or to changes in the state of the organism, brought about by a deliberate program of intervention that will facilitate the generation of continuous growth by rendering the organism receptive and sensitive to internal and external sources of stimulation" (Feuerstein, 1980). The human beings can learn to learn how to learn. The human is capable of modifying the underlying structure of his cognition. Feuerstein defines intelligence as "a process broad enough to embrace a large variety of phenomena that have in common the dynamics and mechanics of adaptation. According to him, intelligence is this adaptability of the organism, that we refer to as modifiability (1990)." It is quite uncomplicated to reflect Feuersteins thoughts to learning research: Niemi writes about a transition in the learning paradigms. During the last few decades, we have had three different paradigms of research on learning and knowledge, philosophical views of knowledge and their impact on educational research and practice. This traditions are empiricist, rationalist and socio-historical (Niemi, 2001, Case, 1996; Raynolds, et al. 1996). A differentiating factor is what is seen as the main agent in knowledge creation. Knowledge creation comes close to the view of Feuerstein about cognitive modifiability, when looking at Niemis definition of it. According to Niemi the empiricist tradition sees that knowledge is created by the experience that we have with the environment with which we are interacting. The rationalist tradition assumes that knowledge is created in our minds, while the socio-historical tradition sees that knowledge is socially constructed. Niemi states all the different paradigms are needed as complemantary forces, because we cannot undermine thinking processes as key factors for the creation of knowledge. (Niemi 2000a). Niemi (2001) writes: We may see in learning paradigms a transition from external to more internal determinants, from unidimensional to multidimensional research designs and explanations, from decontextual to more specific, situational and contextual knowledge, and from static to more individually and socioculturally constructed knowledge. The research of learning is in a transitional stage. Feuerstein calls the process through which we help humans develop the capacity to adapt to their environments the mediated learning experience. Feuersteins theory of mediated learning requires that teachers set themselves between the child and his or her experiences. IQ-FORM also has a view of the human being as ever developing creature. Niemi (2001) states that Learning is an intentional, purposeful process. Human beings want to see a purpose in their life. The higher education period is unique in a student's life. They want their studies to give them something valuable and ew. Students will work very hard if they comprehend the meaning of their studies. 6.2 The goal of meaningful learning The IQ-FORM postulates of meaningful learning of professor Niemi has a familiarity with the criteria of mediated learning experience of Feuerstein. Postulates of meaningful learning: What makes meaningful learning? (Niemi, 2001): 1. Fearless interaction. There is a need of cultural change of learning. This means moving towards encouragement and sharing - a culture which allows risk-taking and open collaborative problem-solving. It is a challenge without fear. The interaction in a virtual learning environment should be encouraging. - not making the students stiffened with fear. 2. Experience of mastering something - learning a process that supports self respect - which means learning for competence, not for control. 3. Sense of sharing: giving something to others and having a feeling that my part is important and valuable. 4. Positive tension: the drive to make an effort, towards something that a person considers as valuable, overcoming difficulties - students are not seeking an easy life - they are seeking meanings. When reflected to the main criterias of MLE of Feuerstein, intentionality and reciprocity, transparency and meaning one can state that the goals are the same: to awake the students intentionality and self-awareness to study for meaningful goals. 3. The goal of an empowering learning environment The virtual learning environment can regarded in view of Feuersteins analyse of culturally different and culturally deprived individuals. This might look strange at first, but when regarding a learner studying in a virtual learning environment one can state that this environment is deprived. It is not an environment, which has the characters of a natural learning environment with physical components and an authentic experience of comprehensive human interaction is missing. We may say that human mediation is limited and there is a danger that it is seriously missing. It is also important to notice, that the virtual learning environment is a fact, which cant be avoided in the learning situations of today, the most common example of this are the ATM:s of banks. VLE is also a challenge and an opportunity. Professor Niemi states that The learning process should be an active process, in which the learner has ownership and initiates. Learners are expected to build their own learning environments using traditional information sources and learning materials, and modern knowledge technology. The main message is: Learning should empower people. It also includes the ideals that assessment confirms progress rather than branding failure. The virtual university is a forum which provides new learning opportunities for different learners. In IQ FORM project the aim is develop to advance different learners capacity to become active learners and to take their responsibility to manage own learning processes. The project is built on the following epistemological principles and values: Learning is an intentional, purposeful process. Human beings want to see a purpose in their life. The higher education period is unique in a student's life. They want their studies to give them something valuable and new. Students will work very hard if they comprehend the meaning of their studies. (Niemi, 2001) When studying the theory of MLE, one can state that the basic motivation of Feuerstein to fight the deprived learning situation can be applied to many human learning situations, also, or one could say specially well, to a situation, when the learner is confronted with novel learning technology and virtual learning environments. According to Feuerstein the culturally deprived individual is an individual whos modifiability is restricted - the one who either has not been exposed or has not been able to benefit from his exposure to mediated learning experience. He is the devoid of learning tools, habits, dispositions and propensities to learn. (Feuerstein 1991, 5). The individual studying in a virtual learning environment can be culturally deprived, namely lacking tools, or alphabets to understand the educative offering of the net based course or its technological tools. Feuerstein began to build tools to assist children in a culturally deprived environment and created the Instrumental Enrichment (IE) programme and the Learning Potential Assessment Device (LAPD) along with this developments his theory of Structural Cognitive Modifiability (SCM) and Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) took shape. (Burgess, 2000, 6-20) Feuersteins program aims to make an intervention in the learning process and develop the cognitive modifiability of the learners. If his theories are well adopted, one can utilize them build an empowering learning environment. The IQ-FORM project also strives to active involve in the learning process with the IQ-FORM tools in order to assist students for developing as learners by becoming aware of their learning strategies and help them to develop their learning skills. 7. CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING MEDIATION IN VIRTUAL ENVIROMENTS 7.1. Criteria for Mediated Learning Experience Feuerstein presents twelve criteria of Mediated Learning Experience. This parameters are in presented different scripts in different order and with some slight differences of phrasing, but the first ones always mentioned first. This are (Feuerstein, 1991, 15): 1) Intentionality and Reciprocity 2) Transcendence 3) Mediation of Meaning 4) Mediation of Feelings of Competency 5) Mediation of Regulation and Control of Behavior 6) Mediation of Sharing Behavior 7) Mediation of Individuation/Psychological Differentiation 8) Mediation of Goal Seeking, goal setting and goal achieving behavior 9) Mediation of challenge: the search for novelty and complexity 10) Awareness of the human being as a changing entity 11) Mediation of the search of optimistic alternatives 12) Mediation of Feeling of Belonging Feuerstein states (1991, 15) that of these twelve the first three, intentionality and reciprocity, transcendence and mediation of meaning are all necessary conditions for MLE. Intentionality and Reciprocity According to Feuerstein (Feuerstein, 1991, 17-20) the specific content of interaction is shaped by the intention to mediate to the mediatee ad reciprocity is a way to turn an implicit intention into an explicit, volitional and conscious act. Feuerstein asks: how different is the mediated event from the regular one? It is important to note that the "intentionality" of the mediator is different differs for example from an ordinary teaching situation where a teacher simply transmits information. Feuerstein states that the intention transforms the three partners involved in the interaction: the stimuli, the mediator and the mediatee. A particular event is transformed in some of its characteristics by the mediators intention to make it experienced and not only registered by the mediatee. The transformation means that the mediator strives to transform the mental, emotional and motivational state to the mediatee. (ibid.), It seems clear that mediation is a deeper act that simple information sharing. According to Feuerstein this modality of interaction (intentionality and reciprocity) creates in the mediatee an awareness of the learning process and the didactics underlying it. I his view the metacognitive components form an important part of the meditional interaction, taking the form of induced self -reflection, insight and articualion of the total field of components. This orientation, once internalised, becomes the streering power towards more efficient learning, and in turn, leads to higher levels o modifiability.(Feuerstein, 1991, 20) Transcendence Transcendence means going beyond the goals of the interaction and can be described as bridging learning in the current situation to new situations. It is one of the most important components of mediation addition to intentionality and reciprocity is according Feuerstein transcendence. Transcendence creates the mediatee a possibility to enlarge his cognitive and affective range of functioning. Feuerstein points that the mediation of transcendence is present from the very beginning of mediation and it should not be seen to be attributed only to a situation where generalisations and conceptualizations and abstract functions are mediated. Even an uneducated or low functioning mother may transcend the immediate goal of the interaction. (Feuerstein, 1991, 20-24) Mediation of Meaning If the first two criteria (representing the structure of interaction, answer to the questions when, where, how, what etc. MLE is performed. The mediation of meaning answers to the questions why, what for and other questions related to the casual and teleological relationship reasons. F points out that the pedagogic and didactic reasoning of teachers or parents is often kept secret, but MLE animated by the intention to transcend mediates to the mediatee the meaning of the interaction.(Feuerstein, 1991, 24). Lack of meaning affects both the mediator and mediatee has a negative outcome. (Feuerstein, 1991, 24-28) The above three criteria are essential in defining MLE. However, the mediator also pays close attention to other aspects of learning from experience, which are listed above. 7.2. MLE criteria in Virtual Learning Environment When assessing if the criteria for mediation of Feuerstein can be used in studies of virtual learning environment and especially in the IQ-FORM project certain questions arise: How do the three main criteria of MLE, intentionality and reciprocity, transcendence and meaning fit to adults studying at university level who already have a good capacity to learn? How do they fit the technology based learning environment? What do the criteria mean for the design of the IQ-FORM tools such as the tutoring package? MLE and university students The ideas of MLE were developed, when studying learning behaviour of groups of children deprived in some aspects and with problems to learn. Nevertheless even university students need to develop their cognitive functions. Rafi S. Feurstein states, that a high level engineer, who works in an absolutely new technological environment, is likely to meet difficulty in learning effectively similarly to a child with Down syndrome who has trouble learning something quickly. People like this can be similar to normal, but culturally deprived child, who do to a mediational deficiency learns slowly and in a defective manner (Rafi Feuerstein 2000, 156). Rafi S. Feuerstein continues, that there are certainly people that are on a lower level of modifiability but a state of lower modifiability is likely to appear in every person. This kind of state can appear as well in an university student. When studying difficult topics or topics which are boring (for example any kinds of formulas or law paragraps needed to be memorised) it is important that the students see the intention of the studies and wake up their volition and conscious will to learn. IQ-FORM project uses the theories of Pintrich & Ruohotie (2000), which are to a large extent oriented to adult learner with normal learning skills. It is important to see that even university students can learn to develop their consciousness in the act of learning. IQ-FORM starts with testing the motivational structure of the students in a given course, the a tutorial package is offered to students to help them to become more active learners, to increase their intentionality, to help them to transcend the things they have learned to new learning situations and to help them to see the meaning of their studies. The principles in the construction of the IQ Form tools are (Niemi 2000): Flexibility IQ-Form will give qualitative and quantitative data, which can be used for different purposes to develop the quality of learning. Interactivity IQ Form allows a dialogue between learners and tutors. Support IQ Form offers learners with information about their own learning and effective ways of steering it. Tutoring IQ Form provides supervision to learners for finding options, which help them to learn more effectively. IQ-Form helps the course tutor to supervise and support students to become more effective learners. IQ-Form can also be used by the course designers who need to understand different learning routes and difficulties. In a net based learning environment IQ-FORM is needed for (Niemi 2000): Accepting learners differences Interaction between learners and peers Interaction between tutor and the students Interaction between learners and course providers Awareness of ones own learning processes Keeping up motivation Providing new learning skills MLE and a technology based learning environment The core topic of this research project is what does mediation mean in virtual learning environments. MLE stresses the role of the human mediator. One can ask, can supportive tools such as IQ-FORM partly replace the human mediator, especially when IQ-FORM also offers an opportunity to human interaction although without face to face situation? The starting point of IQ-FORM was to find something to support the student when studying, often lonely, only accompanied by the computer. The goal is to find humanistic components, such as tutorial packages to help the student. The packages involve also interactive components, where the student can get in contact with the teacher and the peer students. Criteria of MLE and IQ-FORM The three first criteria of MLE form a theoretical basis when building the argumentation for good learning environments. Intentionality and reciprocity, transcendence and meaning are all classic terms of learning research with long tradition of philosophical and epistemological groundings in phenomenology and existentialism. All the twelve criteria on MLE are an essential help, when looking for well functioning tutorial package for the IQ-FORM project to develop theoretical principles, how to enrich virtual learning environments to increase students' potential to manage their own learning and learning environments. The questions arising in this phase of the study are: Intentionality and Reciprocity: -How does IQ FORM help the learner to understand how she/he is using her/his cognitive abilities? Can IQ form help the student to build conscious volitional acts in his/her learning process? Transcendence -How do IQ FORM assist the students when "bridging" he experience and lessons learned in the current situation to new situations? Mediation of Meaning -Does IQ FORM give tools to the student understand the meaning of her/his learning accomplishment in a deeper sense. The above mentioned being the necessary conditions of MLE are going to be studied, however also the rest of the MLE criterions also are also studied: Does IQ FORM support the development of a feeling of competence? Does IQ FORM support the student when she/he strives to regulate and control the learning process? Does IQ FORM encourage the student to a sharing her/his knowledge with other students? Does IQ FORM support the student to become aware of her/his individual psychological qualities as a learner? How does IQ FORM support goal seeking, goal setting and goal achieving behaviour? Does IQ FORM challenge students to search for novelty and complexity when studying? Does IQ FORM makes the student to become aware of the human being as a changing entity in other words to become aware of the modifiability of her/his cognitive structures? Does IQ FORM support the search of an optimistic alternative in means of anticipating positive outcomes of their studies? Does IQ FORM mediate a feeling of belonging in a study group? 8. LOOKING FORWARD - IMPLEMENTATION MLE CRITERIA IN EMPIRICAL RESEARCH During Fall 2001 IQ-FORM learning support tool is going to be used in courses at the partner universities of IQ-FORM in Helsinki, Tampere, Oulu and Joensuu. A selection of students using are going to be interviewed. The theories of Structural Cognitive Modifiability and Mediated Learning Experience gice a comprehensive theoretical background to developing theoretical principles for how to enrich virtual learning environments to increase students' potential to manage their own learning and learning environments. The forthcoming research tasks of the author are to study the broad variety of empirical verifications of theories of Feuerstein and to explore further how does the theory of MLE fits the new technology based learning environments and to study empirically, what are the student experiences of mediated learning when using mediated tools. The final and most demanding task is to develop theoretical principles, how to enrich virtual learning environments to increase students' potential to manage their own learning and learning environments. References Burden, R. (2000). Feuersteins Unique Contribution to Educational and School Psychology. In Kozulin, A. Rand, Y. (2000). Experience of mediated learning. An Impact of Feuerstein Theory in Education and psychology. Pergamon: Amsterdam Burgess, R. (2000). Reuven Feuerstein: Propelling the Change, Promoting Continuity. In Kozulin, A. Rand, Y. (2000). Experience of mediated learning. An Impact of Feuersten Theory in Education and psychology. Pergamon: Amsterdam Case, R. (1996). Changing views of knowledge and their impact on educational research and practice, In Olson, D.R. & Torrance, N. (Eds.) The Handbook of education and human development. New models of learning, teaching and schooling. London: Blackwell, 75-99. Kozulin and Pressesein (1995) Mediated Learining Experience and Psychological Toiols: Vygotskys and Feuerstein Perspectives in Study of Learning. Educational Psychologist, 1995, 30(2), 67-75. Feuerstein, Ra. S. (2000). Dynamic Cognitive Assessment and the Instrumental Enrichment Program: Origins and Development. In Kozulin, A. Rand, Y. (2000). Experience of mediated learning. An Impact of Feuersteins Theory in Education and psychology. Pergamon: Amsterdam Feuerstein R. and Feuerstein S. (1991). Mediated Learning Experience: A Theoretical Review. In Feuerstein, R., (1991), Klein, P. & Tannenbaum, A. (Eds.). Mediated Learning Experience: Theoretical, Psychosocial and Learning Implications. Tel Aviv and London: Freund. Feuerstein, R., Falik, L. H., and Feuerstein, Ra. S. (1998) The Learning Propensity Assessment Device: An alternative approach to the assessment of learning potential. In Samuda, R.J., Feuerstein, Re., Kaufman, A.S., Lewis, J.E., and Sternberg, R.J. (eds.) Feuerstein, R, (1980) Instrumental Enrichment: An Intervention Program for Cognitive Modifiability. Baltimore: University Press. Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences. The theory in Practice. New York: Basic Books. Gardner, H. and Hatch, T. 1989. Multiple intelligences go to school. Educational Researcher, 18 (8). IQ-Research group (2001a). A test based on Gardners multiple intelligence theory called: "What kind of person am I? Department of education, University of Helsinki IQ-Research group (2001b). Three test sets adapted from motivation tests developed by P. Pintrich and P. Ruohotie, A test about the students view on herself as a student, a test of learning strategies and a test about cognitive functions. Department of Education, University of Helsinki Niemi, H. (2000a, September 23). Identification of learning profiles and motivation strategies in virtual university learning spaces. Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, 20-23 September 2000, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K. Session under the title Issues in Open and Virtual Learning, September 23rd. Niemi, H. (in preparation). Empowering learners in Virtual University through identification of learning profiles and motivation strategies. A paper for a book on e-Learning (in preparation, edited by Ruohotie & Beaistro), May 2001 Pintrich, P. & Ruohotie, P. (eds.) (2000). Conative constructs and self-regulated learning. RCVE: Hmeenlinna, Finland. Reynolds, R.E., Sinatra, G.M. & Jetton, T.L. (1996). Views of knowledge acquisition and representation: A continuum from experience centered to mind centered. Educational Psychologist, 31 (2), 93-104. Ryan, A.M. & Gheen, M.H. & Midgley, C. (1998). Why do some students avoid asking for help? An examination of the interplay among students academic efficacy, teachers social-emotional role, and the classroom goal structure. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90 (3), 528-535. Varis, T (2000). Media Education. An Urgent Challenge for Teachers and Teacher Education. In Niemi, H. (ed.).(1999). Moving horizons in education. International transformations and challenges of democracy. Department of Education: Helsinki University Press.


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A Pebble watchface for telling the time with British preciseness.

This watchface is based on code from the [fuzzy time](https://github.com/pebble-examples/fuzzy-time) watchface published by Pebble under an MIT license.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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A seriously fast portable SSD, but only if you have the right USB port
SanDisk Extreme Portable SDD V2 review
A new and improved portable SSD with an oddly familiar name: the 2020 SanDisk Extreme Portable SDD.
A new and improved portable SSD with an oddly familiar name
By Mark Pickavance, Contributor | 16 Dec 2020
Should I buy the SanDisk Extreme Portable SDD V2?
Faster than SATA SSDs
USB-A + USB-C
Confusing naming
A much better option than the previous Extreme Portable SSD. The new design has double the speed and encryption baked in.
SanDisk Extreme Portable SDD V2 full review
Back in 2018, SanDisk launched a new generation of portable SSDs under the 'Extreme' branding, and they were generally well received.
They were repackaged SATA SSDs bundled with a SATA to USB 3.0 adapter, capping their performance at the same level as SATA-connected internal drives.
At that time, fewer PCs and laptops had NVMe M.2 storage, but these days it's the norm, rather than the exception.
For a system with NVMe main drives, external storage can be the bottleneck in any transfer between the two, and SanDisk has set out to address this with new Extreme and Extreme Pro variants of its portable drives.
I'm reviewing the Extreme here, a drive that looks remarkably like the one it replaced until you run some benchmarks.
Out of the box I immediately had déjà vu because, ostensibly, this SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD V2 looks just like the previous product and has an almost identical name.
What compounds this opacity is that the box doesn't mention V2 at all, only 'SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD', precisely the same name as the product it replaces. To be clear, this isn't the old box, since it mentions the new speeds that only the V2 can achieve.
On close inspection, and we're talking near-forensic, it appears that on the new design the hole on the top right of the unit is marginally larger on the new model.
Subjecting it to the ignominy of digital callipers, the new Extreme is also a tiny bit longer, wider, and thicker. It's an assumption, but those companies that product carry cases might need to make only small if any, adjustments to cope with both designs.
But the patterning on the enclosure, placement of the USB-C port and protective rubberised coating all look the same, although I didn't have a previous model on hand to directly compare them.
What they both share is two-meter drop protection and IP55 water and dust resistance. I should say that IP55 water resistance is much less than the IP67 and IP68 standards, and the V2 won't handle being submerged.
SanDisk must be confident that the V2 is more robust as it has extended the warranty period from three years before to five years now.
The drive and cable combination are remarkably light, at just 80g, making this one of the most lightweight external drives we've tested at Tech Advisor.
Specs & Features
Out of the box, you get the drive, a noticeably short 20cm long cable and a small adapter. The drive has a USB-C port, and an adapter for a USB Type-A socket, if you don't have USB-C on your computer.
It needs saying that the technology behind the port is the critical factor, not that it is USB-C or USB-A.
The drive comes pre-formatted using the exFAT structure and on the drive are utilities to access the encryption features from Windows 8 and 10, and also the Apple Mac OS. Encryption is new for this range and, along with the extra speed, is one of the virtues of choosing the new model.
What you don't get are any tools to sync the contents of folders on the PC to the drive, although it should work with any third-party applications designed to achieve this task.
As these types of activities are what people buy these drives for, that hardware makers don't provide the software to exploit them properly is disappointing.
The quoted speed of the drive is 1050MB/s reads and 1,000MB/s writes, making it identical to the Pro version of the original Extreme Portable SSDs.
And, that's about it. It is an external USB drive that you can connect and use as you would any other, and it can be used with desktops, laptops, and even some mobile devices.
The original version of the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD had a quoted speed of 550MB reads, and 500MB writes, as tested by the often optimistic CrystalDiskMark.
And, using the same synthetic benchmark I achieved 1,027MB/s reads and 958MB/s writes, almost exactly double. The performance limitation here isn't the NAND modules inside, but the USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface.
It has a total bandwidth allocation of 10Mbits, and once the various packaging protocols and error checking overheads are removed, around 1,100-1,000 Mb/s is the absolute limit.
Therefore, when USB 4.0 becomes available, this drive won't go any faster, as it will still be connecting using the USB 3.2 Gen standards.
While I didn't test the Pro version, that design offers 20Mbit USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 mode, with double again the bandwidth and resulting performance. However, ports with Gen 2x2 are rare, and it isn't a mode that will be supported under USB 4.0 when that arrives.
Overall, performance on this drive is decent if you have USB 3.2 Gen 2, and almost identical to the first generation Pro drives. It's certainly worth checking if the devices you plan to use this drive with support Gen 2, otherwise you won't see transfer speeds this fast.
Where the previous version of this product came with a 250GB option, the 'V2' comes in just 500GB, 1TB and 2TB options.
These are priced at £99.99, £164.99 and £304.99 respectively and are available direct from Western Digital's store - WD owns SanDisk, in case you weren't aware. Retailers such as Amazon and Ebuyer haven't picked up the V2 yet but you can still buy the older model.
In the USA, the 500GB model is $119.99 (but discounted to $94.99 when I checked), and the 1TB version is $199.99 (on sale at $149.99). The top-end 2TB costs $354.99 direct from the Western Digital Store, but was $249.99 in the sale.
For comparison, the previous Extreme 1TB sells for £135 or $139.99, so could be a money-saving option for those who need the space and are less interested in the speed and encryption advantages of the V2 model.
Those prices make the V2 more expensive than the similarly specified Crucial X8 and Samsung T7. But a little cheaper than the LaCie Portable High Performance External SSD, and G-Technology G-Drive Mobile.
If you like what you've seen here, just make sure you're getting the V2 when buying and that the listing quotes 1050/1000MB/s and not 550/500MB/s.
Putting aside the confusion between old and new models, the hardware in the V2 is worth purchasing for those with 10Mbit/s USB-C ports. Without those ports, this drive isn't any quicker than its predecessor, as the 5MBits of USB 3.1 Gen 1 (aka USB 3.0) will cap performance at around 550MB/s.
The problem for SanDisk here is that there is a slew of rival portable SSDs, most notably the Crucial X8, that offer the same performance for less outlay.
The V2 weighs less, but I'd contest it is less damage resistant than the X8. Plus, for those that don't have a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, the original SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is still available, and more affordable.
Those that want ultimate performance can buy a Thunderbolt 3 SSD if they have that port. Or, the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD V2. But those are both more expensive choices, and to get the outstanding performance of the Pro V2 requires a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port, something that very few computers have, or ever will have.
The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD V2 has already dropped in price a bit since I started this review and I hope this continutes as the external SSD storage market is becoming increasingly competitive, and this is a well-engineered device that performs admirably. So if you see it at cheaper prices, it's an even better deal.
SanDisk Extreme Portable SDD V2: Specs
Capacities: 500GB/1TB/2TB
Capacity tested: 1TB
Tested 4KB performance: 43.52/87.12 MB/s
Tested sequential performance: 1,027MBs read, 958 MB/s write
Quoted sequential performance: 1,050MB/s read, 1,000MB/s write
Connection: USB-C or USB-A
Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s), down gradable to USB 3.0 or USB 2.0
Encryption: 256-bit AES hardware encryption
Durability: IP55-rated for water and dust resistance
Dimensions: 8.95mm x 52.42mm x 100.54mm (WxHxD)
Author: Mark Pickavance, Contributor
Mark is an expert on displays, reviewing monitors and TVs. He also covers storage including SSDs, NAS drives and portable hard drives. He started writing in 1986 and had contributed to MicroMart, PC Format, 3D World among others.
Recent stories by Mark Pickavance:
AOC AGON AG493UCX review
Philips 242E1GAJ review
BenQ DesignVue PD2705Q review


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The blog China turned to for "toxic chicken soup for the soul" has shut down
Mind your words.
Image: Reuters/Bobby Yip
Echo Huang
PublishedFebruary 22, 2019
Mimeng, seen by many as the queen of personal-development clickbait on the WeChat app, this week shut down her hugely popular four-year-old blog—possibly because its content was increasingly at odds with the "positive energy" China wants to see spreading online.
Started by 42-year-old Ma Ling, a former journalist, who adopted the pseudonym Mimeng, the blog has been surrounded by nearly constant controversy since she began writing about young people's lives in 2015. With around 14 million followers on its WeChat public account (similar to Facebook Pages), Mimeng became known for posts offering cold get-ahead advice, crude essays on sex and relationships—one popular post was titled "I work hard in order to afford a gigolo (link in Chinese)—and stories about the downfall of people who should've made it. Over time, it expanded into a team of writers and multiple accounts. On microblogging platform Weibo, articles about the blog's closing have gathered more than 170 million views (link in Chinese) as of today (Feb. 22).
Mimeng's end on Feb. 21 came after an outcry over the authenticity of a recent hugely popular first-person article that, like much of its fare, tapped into China's economic and social anxieties. Titled "The death of a top academic scorer from a poor family" (一个寒门状元之死 ), it was published at the end of January, and within a day, it garnered more than 100,000 views, a benchmark for popularity on WeChat. But it ran into trouble when many accused the writer of making up the story to attract traffic, and readers realized the account that published it was associated with Mimeng. State-owned People's Daily (link in Chinese) called it "shameless" to concoct tragic tales to get readers. WeChat deleted the article the day after publication for violating content rules.
Mimeng didn't specify what caused the shutdown, but the backlash against the article—and an increasingly tightly regulated internet—offer some clues, China media analysts say.
"Authorities will take care of 'trouble makers' who cause debates online—this tells you there's only one kind of voice that can exist, which is the 'positive energy' approved by the officials," said Luqiu Luwei, a media scholar at the Hong Kong Baptist University.
A true story, or a fake?
In the Jan. 29 story, the author depicted herself as a city girl from a well-off family while her classmate, Zhou Youze, the main character of the story and the author's high school classmate, was a hard-working person who died of cancer at the age of 24.
Zhou came from a modest family from China's rural area, such that a fake Adidas down jacket would cost his family two weeks' food spending. He ranked first in science during China's grueling national college entrance exam and later went on to become an accountant of high integrity—he refused to take bribes from his boss who asked him to manipulate the numbers. He worked three part-time jobs in order to support his sister, but died with just 3,700 yuan ($500) of savings at the end of his life. Zhou's death made the author—a woman who can deal with demanding investors and smoothly navigate society's unspoken rules—reflect on her own life, and how she's lost herself chasing money and power.
The author said Zhou was a pseudonym for a real person (link in Chinese), and included photos of their high school with the piece. Yet many said they couldn't verify the details—for instance, a user on Zhihu, a Quora-like site, said he went through public records of the national exam during the period the author mentioned, but couldn't find a matching score (link in Chinese) for Zhou's result.
Mimeng.
Image: Weibo/iFeng Chongqing
Soon after criticism flooded in, Mimeng shut down her Weibo account, which has 2.6 million followers, and suspended WeChat updates for two months in early February, saying the company would spend time exploring how to be a more responsible media outlet and deliver more "positive values." In the past, she has been temporarily suspended from updating by platforms for other articles considered too sensational.
Yet suddenly, the WeChat account was closed. Soon after, online news iFeng and Bytedance-owned news aggregation platform Jinri Toutiao also shut down Mimeng's accounts.
"We must make those pay a heavy price for seriously affecting social stability," read iFeng's statement (link in Chinese).
Making money by selling anxiety
Mimeng offered something China's internet users call "toxic chicken soup for the soul" (link in Chinese) in reference to the popular, rose-tinted self-help books. The phrase is used to describe content that seems like it'll be good for you but is actually very, very bad—for example it's (barely) disguised marketing, or misinformation.
As one Zhihu user wrote (link in Chinese), when positive chicken soup for soul stops attracting readers, catering to people's sense of envy and grievance works, because people love reading about the downfall of people such as professors and students who are at the top of the social pyramid. "Parents and teachers love comparing the audience [who read such articles] with that group of people… The more hatred there is, the bigger the audience," the user wrote.
In one sense, Mimeng's success is connected with sang culture, the feelings of hopelessness and pressure that many young people in China say they experience in the face of immense competition. Articles that talk in a highly emotive way about class divides, internet startups, success, and struggle are resonating with young people, Wu Qiang, an independent political commentator told BBC Chinese (link in Chinese).
One post titled "It's a bit shameful to admit that my assistants are only making 50,000 yuan a month," drew a lot of readers, since that's actually an incredibly good salary, particularly for people with little experience. Mimeng explained the headline by saying (link in Chinese) how her two assistants always deliver beyond her expectations, making her feel she just can't pay them enough. "A lot of people ask what makes them good enough to make 50,000 yuan a month just two years after graduation? Of course, it's their capabilities, aspirations, and flattering abilities."
Her ability to know what would make people click made for a successful business. Mimeng's WeChat account reportedly charged as much as 750,000 yuan ($110,000) for a mention in an article. One story, "Do you know why you are poor? Because you like saving money" appeared to be little more than a marketing vehicle for a shopping event by JD.com, China's second-biggest e-commerce company.
As part of the backlash, after the January article went viral, some people began judging their social circle by looking at how many friends subscribed to Mimeng's account (link in Chinese)—with fewer subscribers meaning a more sophisticated circle.
"We encourage methods that use proper marketing and give real information to the audience, but if you are only creating conflict, chasing trending topics, or just playing on the sentiments of the general public, you will ultimately disappear," one Mimeng critic wrote on Weibo (link in Chinese).


text:
We are committed to achieving an inclusive workforce which values, respects and thrives on diversity.
Applications from Recruitment Agencies will not be accepted/assessed. Individuals are encouraged to apply.
We're always looking for people to employ from a range of different backgrounds, skills and experience who are passionate about their work and want to become part of Team Kalamunda. If this sounds like you, have a look at our current employment opportunities below.
The City of Kalamunda reserves the right to withdraw advertisement of opportunities listed prior to the closing date.
Environmental Health Officers x 2
Closing Date: 5pm, Monday 25 January 2021
Position Type: 1 x 8-month Fixed Term Contract | 1 x Permanent Part-Time
Salary: Level 6 $79,134 -$85,107
As the successful applicant, you will play a vital role in providing a safe and healthy environment for the community and contributing to the Community Health & Wellbeing Plan. Working in areas as diverse as food safety, water quality monitoring, environmental pollution control and health promotion planning. Every day will bring new experiences and challenges. You will build relationships with individuals, businesses and community agencies throughout the City.
One position is approximately 8 months and may suit a person wanting to learn more from experienced staff and to work in a diverse environment that provides great opportunities and challenges. The other permanent part-time position may suit someone wanting to return to work for school hours.
Download Candidate Pack
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Register your email to receive City of Kalamunda Job Alerts for advice on future vacancies as they arise.
If have a query relating to a particular opportunity, please contact our People Services Office via:
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The DCPC is designed to strengthen and mobilize communities to prevent substance abuse amongst youth in Wards 1 and 2 by disseminating education and increasing awareness about alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; identifying community leaders and building community prevention networks to prevent substance abuse in their communities; facilitating Community Conversations and coordinating community forums to strengthen community capacity and address priority risk and protective factors by implementing evidence-based strategies; and providing training and technical assistance for community prevention networks. All of the strategies implemented by the DCPC are based on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF).
Avery Gollinge, DC Prevention Center Wards 1 & 2 Director, avery@layc-dc.org, (202) 660-1636.


text:
Q: Filter out array values that result in errors Basically I have 2 data structures. For simplicity lets suppose they are both 1 dimensional arrays. Assuming all functions are defined correctly, I want to do something like
Array1.delete_if(Array2.find(element in array 1) results in error)

I have no idea how to approach this. I've tried rescue statements and the such but I still end up with errors. Is there an efficient and easy way to filter out elements in an array based on if a method call results in an error?
Thanks.

A: What you're looking for is this, then:
array1.delete_if do |e|
  array2.find(e) and false

rescue
  true
end

Where that will remove anything that causes an exception when calling find.

A: The correct way to filter elements would be:
first_array - second_array

If you want to raise an error if you find any element from one in another:
raise 'error' unless (first_array & second_array).empty?

Last attempt:
first_array.select { |element| condition_with_second_array(element) rescue false }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Cucumber Serenity NoSuchMethodException cucumber.runtime.SerenityBackend(ResourceLoader, TypeRegistry) I am trying to run a sample cucumber test with Serenity which works perfectly fine when run with Cucumber.
However, i get the below error though I made sure all the dependencies are added to maven pom file.
Below are the versions of Serenity and Cucumber.
serenity: 2.0.40
serenity-cucumber: 1.9.31
cucumber: 4.2.5
Below is the Exception trace:
cucumber.runtime.CucumberException: java.lang.NoSuchMethodException: cucumber.runtime.SerenityBackend.<init>(cucumber.runtime.io.ResourceLoader, io.cucumber.stepexpression.TypeRegistry)
    at cucumber.runtime.Reflections.newInstance(Reflections.java:54)
    at cucumber.runtime.Reflections.instantiateSubclasses(Reflections.java:36)
    at cucumber.runtime.BackendModuleBackendSupplier.loadBackends(BackendModuleBackendSupplier.java:52)
    at cucumber.runtime.BackendModuleBackendSupplier.get(BackendModuleBackendSupplier.java:39)
    ... 27 more
Caused by: java.lang.NoSuchMethodException: cucumber.runtime.SerenityBackend.<init>(cucumber.runtime.io.ResourceLoader, io.cucumber.stepexpression.TypeRegistry)
    at java.lang.Class.getConstructor0(Class.java:3082)
    at java.lang.Class.getConstructor(Class.java:1825)
    at cucumber.runtime.Reflections.newInstance(Reflections.java:46)
    ... 29 more

Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

A: If you want to use Cucumber 4, you need to use the serenity-cucumber4 library - see https://github.com/serenity-bdd/serenity-cucumber4-starter.


Is there anything more annoying than when you have a day off work/uni so go out to do blog photos… and then it rains!?? Still, we didn't let that stop us so please excuse the damp-ish hair in these photos. At the beginning of the year we made it our goal to have more fashion posts up on the blog as it's something we love writing about. We're now 3 months into the year and look at us, we've written a total of.. 3 fashion posts, better than nothing ay!
I'd been wanting a jacket in this particular style for so long, so I was super grateful when Darren got me this one for Christmas. It's a lovely suede-ish material with faux fur inside so it keeps you really warm, just a shame it's not rain appropriate! It's so easy to style with jeans, dresses or skirts and I love coats that are super versatile when it comes to styling. It's a little over-sized on me, I'm not sure whether that's the style of the coat or where I'm small it just comes up a little big but who wants a tight coat anyway?
I'm not really one for wearing colour unless it's spring/summer and i'm wearing florals, so this outfit is kind of a standard every day one! I'm never really a fan of jeans, I don't find them to be comfortable but sometimes it's so much easier to shove them on and pair them with a baggy tee – as you can see here. This printed tee from H&M is quickly becoming one of my faves and I haven't stopped wearing it over the last few months. It's a lovely soft material and I love the look it creates with a pair of ripped knee jeans. These Jamie ones aren't the most comfortable pair I own but I love the look of them! To finish this outfit I wore my newest pair of Docs which kinda look like trainers. They really don't look like Docs but I kinda like the fact that they are so different to what I usually wear. These are also super comfy so no blisters for me – yipee!! My gigantic bag is from Topshop and is perfect for me to fit all my stuff in, from notepads to umbrellas. To me you can't beat a nice big Mary Poppins bag!!!
This outfit is a pretty casual one which I'd normally wear to go to shopping or uni. I love this moth bitten top as the colour is quite subtle and doesn't clash with the rest of my outfit. I don't really wear a lot of colour so it's nice to wear something which has a slightly pink tone but isn't in your face! The little ripped details on the neckline and sleeves add a bit of a grungy vibe to the outfit which make it more than just a boring plain t-shirt. I've styled it with some cropped jeans with fishnets underneath (which I think looks cool but also keeps my legs a bit warmer!) and some Dr Martens shoes. These make a casual outfit look a little smarter and it makes a change from wearing boots like I usually do. You can't really see my bag in these pictures, but my Lush 'fighting animal testing' tote bag comes everywhere with me. It's perfect for putting all my stuff in, especially my camera, and the strap is comfortable on my shoulder. It also has an important message on it which is always good!
Here's to hoping the weather will cheer up a bit so we won't need to wear out coats anymore! Hopefully we'll have a few more fashion posts up soon, especially since it'll be spring soon which is the perfect weather to go out and get blog photos. No more damp hair, yay!
Great photos of both of you,you make very good models.


text:
/**
 * Class: OpenLayers.Editor.Control.DeleteAllFeatures
 * The DeleteAllFeatures provides a button to delete all features
 *     from a given layer.
 *
 * Inherits from:
 *  - <OpenLayers.Control.Button>
 */
OpenLayers.Editor.Control.DeleteAllFeatures = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Control.Button, {

    /**
     * Property: layer
     * {<OpenLayers.Layer.Vector>}
     */
    layer: null,

    title: OpenLayers.i18n('oleDeleteAllFeatures'),

    /**
     * Constructor: OpenLayers.Editor.Control.DeleteAllFeatures
     * Create a new control for deleting all features from given layer.
     *
     * Parameters:
     * layer - {<OpenLayers.Layer.Vector>} The layer from which selected
     *     features will be deleted.
     * options - {Object} An optional object whose properties will be used
     *     to extend the control.
     */
    initialize: function (layer, options) {

        this.layer = layer;

        this.title = OpenLayers.i18n('oleDeleteAllFeatures');

        OpenLayers.Control.Button.prototype.initialize.apply(this, [options]);

        this.trigger = this.deleteAllFeatures;

        this.displayClass = "oleControlEnabled " + this.displayClass;

    },

    /**
     * Method: deleteAllFeatures
     */
    deleteAllFeatures: function () {
        if (this.layer.features.length > 0) {
            this.layer.destroyFeatures();
        }
        if (this.map.editor.editLayer) {
            this.map.editor.editLayer.destroyFeatures();
        }
    },

    CLASS_NAME: 'OpenLayers.Editor.Control.DeleteAllFeatures'
});


text:
Вальтер Шевенель (; 1894, Андерлехт — 6 марта 1966, Брюссель) — бельгийский профсоюзный деятель, генеральный секретарь Международной федерации профсоюзов (1931–1945).

Биография
Вырос в семье сторонников социализма. Его отец был секретарём Национальной федерации рабочих-металлистов (NFM), а дед - одним из основателей брюссельской секции Первого Интернационала.

По профессии — металлист. В 1917 году стал главным редактором газеты «De Nieuwe Tijd». Во время Первой мировой войны примкнул к организации социалистической молодежи. Работая в реформистском профсоюзе металлистов в Антверпене, стал быстро выдвигаться, благодаря поддержке старых руководителей реформизма, видевших в молодом оппортунисте достойного для себя наследника.

Когда в Амстердамском Интернационале профсоюзов разразился кризис руководства, то, в связи с решением перенести местонахождение Интернационала из Амстердама в Берлин, руководящая верхушка сочла необходимым для противодействия влиянию немцев заменить генерального секретаря немца Ш. Засенбаха, поддержанным французской реформистской Всеобщей конфедерацией труда (Жуо); в 1929 году В.  Шевенель был назначен заместителем генерального секретаря, а в 1903 году - генеральным секретарём Амстердамского Интернационала профсоюзов.

В 1946–1948 годах - генеральный секретарь Всемирной федерации профсоюзов, в 1949–1966 годах был  генеральным секретарём Консультативного комитета профсоюзов при Организации экономического сотрудничества и развития,  в 1950–1966 годах  был  генеральным секретарём Европейской региональной организации профсоюзов.

Умер от сердечного приступа.

Примечания

Литература

Редакторы Бельгии

Ссылки
 Некролог
Профсоюзные деятели Бельгии
Профсоюзные деятели
Умершие от сердечной недостаточности

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Avoid multiple classes with only few different properties I have two classes which are close to the same, except for one variable type.The following example should demonstrate the problem.
class Customer
{
    byte Reputation;
    const byte MaximumReputation = 255;
    int Data;
    string MoreData;
    Briefcase EvenMoreData;

    public Customer(byte reputation, int data, string moreData, Briefcase evenMoreData)
    {
        Reputation = reputation;
        Data = data;
        MoreData = moreData;
        EvenMoreData = evenMoreData;
    }

    public float Level()
    {
        return Reputation / MaximumReputation;
    }

    public string Information()
    {
        return Data.ToString() + ", " + MoreData + EvenMoreData.Id;
    }
}
class CustomerDeluxe
{
    ushort Reputation;
    const byte MaximumReputation = 255;
    int Data;
    string MoreData;
    Briefcase EvenMoreData;

    public CustomerDeluxe(ushort reputation, int data, string moreData, Briefcase evenMoreData)
    {
        Reputation = reputation;
        Data = data;
        MoreData = moreData;
        EvenMoreData = evenMoreData;
    }

    public float Level()
    {
        return Reputation / MaximumReputation;
    }

    public string Information()
    {
        return Data.ToString() + ", " + MoreData + EvenMoreData.Id;
    }
}

Since Customers reputation won't exceed 255, I can store in a byte. In my application this field is a large array. That's why I would like to choose the smallest type possible. But there has to be another class for the few cases where the field can exceed a byte.
How can I "merge" these two classes?

A: Use generics:
public class BaseCustomer<TRep>
{
    protected TRep Reputation;
}

public class CustomerDeluxe : BaseCustomer<ushort>
{
}

public class Customer : BaseCustomer<byte>
{
}

With generics, you are basically saying: "I am not sure what the type of TRep is but it will be manifested." A generic is said to be open when it is like above in BaseCustomer<TRep>. We will need to close it before we can use it. When we inherited it, then wevcloseed it with a specific type: in one instance we specified it to be ushort, in another we specified it to be byte.
And with some refactoring you can push most of the code to the BaseCustomer<T>:
public abstract class BaseCustomer<TRep>
{
    protected TRep Reputation;
    protected const byte MaximumReputation = 255;
    int Data;
    string MoreData;
    Briefcase EvenMoreData;

    public BaseCustomer(TRep reputation, int data, string moreData, Briefcase evenMoreData)
    {
        Reputation = reputation;
        Data = data;
        MoreData = moreData;
        EvenMoreData = evenMoreData;
    }

    public abstract float Level();

    public string Information()
    {
        return Data.ToString() + ", " + MoreData + EvenMoreData.Id;
    }
}

public class CustomerDeluxe : BaseCustomer<ushort>
{
    public CustomerDeluxe(ushort reputation, int data, string moreData, Briefcase evenMoreData)
        : base(reputation, data, moreData, evenMoreData)
    {
    }

    public override float Level()
    {
        return Reputation / MaximumReputation;
    }
}

public class Customer : BaseCustomer<byte>
{
    public Customer(byte reputation, int data, string moreData, Briefcase evenMoreData)
        : base(reputation, data, moreData, evenMoreData)
    {
    }

    public override float Level()
    {
        return Reputation / MaximumReputation;
    }
}

A: class CustomerDeluxe : CustomerBase
{
    ushort Reputation;

    public override ushort GetReputation()
    {
        return Reputation;
    }
}

class Customer : CustomerBase
{
    byte Reputation;
    public override ushort GetReputation()
    {
        return Reputation;
    }
}

abstract class CustomerBase
{
    const byte MaximumReputation = 255;
    public abstract ushort GetReputation();

    public float Level()
    {
        return GetReputation()/MaximumReputation;
    }
}


Event 1 of the Epic Lakes Open Water Swim Series, across 3 locations within the Lake District, takes place in Glenridding, Patterdale. You can choose the 500m, the 1 mile or the 'Iron' 3.8k distance swim. On the day, we will also be hosting our annual village fete, with a host of activities. Bring the family, bring a picnic and have an EPIC day out in the Lake District.


Stocks are likely to continue rising over the long term but there is also a rising probability of a near-term correction. Expectations of further significant gains in the mid-term is waning.
Whatzzs a cautious and value-oriented investor to do? Selling in an up-market is likely to cause underperformance while staying fully invested could cause some stomach-churning moments.
The remedy: Seek the stocks that have underperformed this bull market. That means Toyota Motor (TM – Get Report) , Honda Motor (HMC – Get Report) and Verizon (VZ – Get Report) .
Why are they underperformers? The trick is to identify those stocks that have done so as a result of the market mispricing the stock, not because of a systemic issue with the company.
For those willing to do their homework and stick with a strict and consistent investment discipline, these three underperformers could shine over the next 12 months.
* TM still (only) has a trailing P/E of 10.5.
* With a dividend approaching 3%, Toyota could be a smart investment over the next few years.
Honda: At close to $34, the stock is down over 18% for the year to date and 11% for the past 52 weeks, in part as a result of a string of disappointing earnings reports. Whatzzs to like?
* The company seems to have righted the ship.
* HMC has grown revenue and profits at a good clip over the past two quarters.
* Analysts expect Honda to grow earnings by some 85% over the next five years, making this an attractive growth stock for patient investors.
* It has a near 4 3/4% dividend yield.
* With its expected EPS growth rate of 7 1/2% over the next five years, Verizon is a good core holding for more cautious investors.
Please note: Two of the three stocks above are in the automotive industry. By no means should you add to this category if you are already holding enough in that sector.
Above all in this environment, remember to stay well diversified. My personal rule of thumb: For any single sector, 15% of my portfolio is the limit.