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Three cities aim to come together on Stafford approach
Patrick Malee
WL council weighs in on draft agreement outlining future development process in rural area
As the West Linn City Council discussed a three-city intergovernmental agreement (IGA) regarding future development in the rural Stafford area at a work session Oct. 29, the state's completion of an Interstate 205 widening project was referenced as a possible benchmark for when urbanization might begin.
The comparison was fitting: both efforts are seen as inevitable, yet carry murky timelines due to funding issues, logistical concerns and bureaucratic barriers. While the I-205 project is widely viewed as a necessity, however, the three cities surrounding Stafford — West Linn, Lake Oswego and Tualatin — clearly agree on one thing: the beloved rural area shouldn't be urbanized.
"None of the cities right now are interested in the development of Stafford," West Linn Mayor Russ Axelrod said. "Our vision for Stafford as principally a rural entity remains, and that hasn't changed at all."
Still, the three cities have to plan for future development as part of a compromise outlined in a separate five-party IGA that they signed with Metro and Clackamas County in 2017. That IGA allowed Stafford to remain under the designation of urban reserve land — which can be incorporated into the urban growth boundary (UGB) within the next 50 years — while handing control of development planning to the cities. As part of that initial agreement, the three cities agreed to compose a second IGA outlining how they would work together during future development processes.
Stafford totals about 6,230 acres surrounded by West Linn, Lake Oswego and Tualatin, and only a small percentage of that acreage is considered developable due to its challenging topography. Debate over the future of the area heated up in 2010, when Metro designated Stafford as urban reserve.
The three cities and many residents said that any development would likely cause significant problems related to infrastructure and transportation, while some owners of larger properties continued to push for urbanization. The Oregon Court of Appeals reversed and remanded the Metro urban reserve designation in 2014; about a year later, Stafford residents approved a Community Vision Plan that called for the area around Borland Road to be developed as urban reserve, with the rest of Stafford in the area north of the Tualatin River falling under the "undesignated" category (and thus not open for dense development).
Debates continued until 2017, when newly-elected Clackamas County Board of Commissioners Chair Jim Bernard stated that solving the impasse was a top priority and the involved parties eventually signed the first IGA. The preliminary stages of drawing up the second IGA began earlier this year, with the goal being to adopt an agreement by the end of 2018.
At the Oct. 29 work session, attorney Jeff Condit — who has represented West Linn throughout the Stafford saga — outlined the "key elements" in the current draft of the IGA, which has already been reviewed by the Lake Oswego and Tualatin City Councils. Those elements included: the establishment of concept planning boundaries defining which areas are planned by the three cities, a proposed 10-year moratorium on concept planning for the area north of the Tualatin River, the aforementioned I-205 provision and possible exceptions allowing parks, open spaces or public facilities in Stafford (such as Luscher Farm) to be annexed into a city without a concept plan for the entire surrounding area.
On the establishment of planning boundaries, most West Linn councilors opposed such an action as part of the IGA.
"I filled a wheelbarrow full of maps when I was involved in the Metro process back in 2009 and 2010," City Councilor Teri Cummings said. "I had so many documents, maps and so forth. … As far as what all of that is worth? Nothing, really. That's why I don't really want to start wasting our time making a bunch of maps and filling another wheelbarrow when what we do know (is) that the transportation infrastructure is at a failing level — it does not meet policy."
Condit said boundaries will have to be set once the cities actually begin concept planning — whenever that may be.
"So really the question is, do you set a preliminary boundary in the three-party IGA at a 35,000-foot level … and then refine it in the concept planning?" Condit said.
City Councilor Bob Martin felt that might be prudent.
"In terms of preparing for a concept plan, I don't really see how you can do that until you have some idea of the boundaries," he said.
Meanwhile, the council felt that the proposed 10-year planning moratorium and the I-205 provision might best be combined to state that concept plans could not be adopted until either 2028 or the completion of I-205 improvements — whichever comes first.
Axelrod, for his part, felt that transportation needs extended well beyond I-205.
"We not only have the 205 matter, which is regional connectivity … but Stafford (Road), Rosemont (Road) and McVey (Avenue in Lake Oswego) are very limiting," he said, adding that the Stafford Hamlet Community Vision Plan was similar to a concept plan.
"Why don't we just sit on that right now?" Axelrod said. "Because we're working on the waterfront, and other cities are working on other areas. There's so many factors to consider and the focus here on 205 is too simplistic."
Martin was concerned about a moratorium curbing necessary dialogue between the cities, but staff said that wouldn't be the case.
"My understanding is that the general idea is to make sure the language doesn't prevent the cities from working together and talking," Community Development Director John Williams said.
Several Stafford residents testified at the work session, each stressing their belief that the area's rural character should be preserved. And Dave Adams, a longtime Stafford resident, was pleased with the idea of a moratorium.
"The 10-year thing is essential," he said. "Let's give it the time the project deserves."
Moving forward representatives from the three cities are expected to discuss the IGA again Nov. 5, then work to complete a new draft of the agreement.
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Hart's Mill is self-governed by "circles," semi‐autonomous working groups which have been formed based on the overall organizational and governance needs.
A circle is a group with a common domain and aim where members make decisions and carry out tasks within an agreed-upon framework.
All members have equivalent voices and decide policy and priorities within their domain and aims.
Circles are linked together in a way that promotes a free flow of information and influence throughout our community.
The General Circle is the policy-making group for Hart's Mill. It is comprised of 2 leaders from each of our five Circles.
Membership & Marketing: develop and manage the membership structure and process, work to cultivate and sustain a welcoming, informed, connected, and well-functioning community, and support and guide recruitment activities and outreach to those potentially interested in Hart's Mill.
Land Stewardship: attend to, advocate for, and manage the integrity and health of the living land in harmony with the Hart's Mill community's activities. Land Stewardship regularly organizes tours and work days to foster connection with the land and carry out tasks such as gardening and trail building.
Planning, Design, and Development: guide the community to conceptualize, plan, design, engineer, develop, and construct an integrated agricultural, built, and natural environment in which to live, play, and work. This Circle is now coordinating the architectural design process.
Financial and Legal: provide guidance, oversight, and management of financial and legal affairs to structure models and protect the viability and prosperity of the Hart's Mill community. This circle is leading the initiative to make Hart's Mill a housing cooperative as well as looking for ways to fund and finance this amazing venture.
Governance & Training: provides training for HM's governance and collaborative culture, as well as orientation toward social justice and racial equity, and supports practice and guidance at all levels of community governance.


If you're looking forward to the next desktop environment, you'll have to wait until March.
Members of the GNOME project gathered at the GUADEC conference in the Netherlands this week where they announced that GNOME 3, the next iteration of the popular open source desktop environment would be delayed until March 2011.
This delays the project by a year, as it's original release was schedule for March 2010. That launch was then pushed back to September 2010, but now, the GNOME project will now issue another incremental update in September.
"GNOME is driven by its goals to provide a quality free software desktop, and we feel that our users and downstream community are better served by holding the GNOME 3.0 release until March 2011," the GNOME project said via an official statement.
Gnome 3 is really worth to wait it is easier to use and ranking them on familiarity for existing GNOME users, performance, good features, extensibility, and compatibility. The principle of "everybody trying to deliver everything and anything to anyone" should be abandoned. No need to spend resources on that when the audience is desktop users because i have searched other people using Gnome 3 now and others that prefer another like Time is better spent improving the parts that matters for desktop users. But Application is not about "Learning". What user really Need, is something that Works as the best as there can be. If you just want to look it better or newer just change the Graphic. Do i make sense?


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Peripsocus pauliani är en insektsart som beskrevs av André Badonnel 1949. Peripsocus pauliani ingår i släktet Peripsocus och familjen sorgstövsländor. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Sorgstövsländor
pauliani

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Logo design. We use the latest print technology in flatbeds and large format roll to roll printers. Small and family ow...print everything from small real estate signage to building billboards, point of sale displays, posters, trade displays, custom wall papers and window art, the possibilities are endless. There is nothing is too big for us to print.
I need a 2-4 page essay done on mycobacterium done by Friday ! When writing about the disease be sure to include symptoms , causative agent , preve...mycobacterium done by Friday ! When writing about the disease be sure to include symptoms , causative agent , prevention / treatment & pathogens . Be sure add at least 5 sources and work cites page .


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St. John's Church (; ) is a Protestant church in St. Petersburg, Russia. The church is situated at the address 54 ulitsa Dekabristov, close to the Mariinsky Theater. Founded in 1859 to serve the Estonian community living in the city at that time, it is considered Estonia's symbol of independence. It was the place where in 1888 Jakob Hurt made the call to resist the Tsarist government's russification policy and on March 26, 1917, 40,000 Estonians began their march to Tauride Palace demanding national autonomy.

Closed in 1930 by the Soviet government, the belfry and portal was demolished and the building used for warehousing and workshops. The church underwent a $8.61 million renovation beginning in July 2009 and was reconsecrated on February 22, 2011, by the Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Estonia Andres Põder with the Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves in attendance.
As of 2014 St. John's Church belongs to Estonia.

References

Lutheran churches in Saint Petersburg
Churches completed in 1859
19th-century Lutheran churches
Estonian diaspora
Cultural heritage monuments in Saint Petersburg


Fly Girl Fitness & Wellness is an online community that supports and teaches our clients how to live holistic lifestyles through mindset, nutrition and fitness. We host online courses and one on one coaching in productivity, simplistic living, family life, nutrition, wellness, exercise, etc. We work on all areas of your life including relationships, business, wellness, and more! All courses are run by certified professionals with a focus on learning about YOU from the inside out.
Fly Girl Fitness and Wellness was started in 2006 and began with physical classes at studio locations for our members. We have evolved to working with clients online as we find that we can actually service more clients this way and have more of an impact in our community.
Hi, I'm Briar Munro, owner of Fly Girl Fitness & Wellness as well as Newbie Solutions. After working in a traditional gym environment, I chose to start my own business with a different approach to fitness and health. I believe in a Holistic way of training. I believe that your mind and spirit are as equal a part of the equation to achieving health goals as exercise and nutrition are. After working with many clients, I have found that the approach of connecting mind, spirit, exercise and nutrition as a whole health practice creates lasting results rather than short term changes.
"If you are looking for a positive, supportive space to get fit, have fun, and to learn, you've found it."


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Height difference in a relationship is the key to happiness, apparently.
If you regularly rely on your partner to fetch things from the top kitchen cupboard, you're about to feel vindicated.
A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Individual Differences found that the greater the height difference between a couple, the happier the wife was.
While science has long claimed women are drawn to tall men for evolutionary reasons (as it's associated with strength) the study led by researchers from South Korea is the first to examine how it affects the happiness of the couple involved.
Analysing data of 7,580 people, the researchers found that a greater height difference in a couple was positively related to the wife's happiness. (Watch: people confess when they knew their partner was the one. Post continues after video.)
While it suggests that it's a potentially key factor in a happy marriage (alongside respect, shared interests and, you know, love) unfortunately it doesn't apply infinitely.
The relationship between height difference and happiness gradually weakened over time, before becoming totally irrelevant after 18 years of marriage.
"'Nevertheless, the long period of the dissipation indicates a powerful impact of male height on women's psychology, probably prepared by evolution," concluded researcher Dr Kitae Sohn, of South Korea's Konkuk University. (Post continues after gallery.)
Celebrities reveal the secret to their relationships.
Megan Gale and Shaun Hampson
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard
With husband Brad Pitt
Lena Dunham and Jack Antonoff
Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie...again
In his conclusion, Dr Sohn suggested a number of possible reasons to explain why the attraction loses its power over time, such as a wife "getting used to her husband's height and its correlates such as physical attractiveness and strength."
As for his other reasons? We're not quite so sure about.
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith are another couple with a notable height difference. Image: Getty.
"She might lose her characteristics that enabled her to marry her tall husband, such as beauty; the loss could cause her unhappiness directly or indirectly by changing her husband's behaviour, such as showing less affection to her, more affection to other women, and providing less childcare," Dr Sohn wrote.
Right... We think we'll just pretend he didn't say that one.
Whatever the reason, it's good news for couples with significant height differences - and hopefully it makes up for all those times you've struggled to get a photo of the two of you in the same frame.
Is your partner significantly taller than you?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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At the Valois "See Your Food" cafeteria on Chicago's South Side, black and white men gather over cups of coffee and steam-table food. Mitchell Duneier, a sociologist, spent four years at the Valois writing this moving profile of the black men who congregate at "Slim's Table." Praised as "a marvelous study of those who should not be forgotten" by the Wall Street Journal,Slim's Table helps demolish the narrow sociological picture of black men and simple media-reinforced stereotypes. In between is a "respectable" citizenry, too often ignored and little understood.
3. Valois as a "Black Metropolis"
Pt. Four: You're White, He's Black, I'm a Sociologist: Who's Innocent?


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This 75th birthday party invitation is being packed with 7 cool design gallery. So, we hope this post will give you an extra inspirations to make your own birthday invitation! Get more creative inspirations below and get inspired!


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Weld gallery puts glass in spotlight
Kelsey Warner
A new show at the Madison and Main Gallery showcases watercolors and glass art in "Transparencies."
The focus of the show, which opened Monday, is on glass and watercolor, which are two mediums that exploit the see-through, overlapping, and interplay of color qualities.
"It is an unusual show," said Judith Meyers, the show's creator and contributing artist. "We've never done this kind of show before."
Local artists will display their works, which range from hand-blown and fused glass to watercolor paintings.
Guest artists include Nancy Condit and her father, William, who will display their watercolors. Esther Kanzenbach will show her hand-painted silk scarves. Husband-and-wife team Craig and Liza Liftee will display Liza's Hawaiian heritage with her fused glass tabletops on steel of Craig's design.
Gallery artists such as Meyers will show new watercolors. Meyers' paintings reflect a recent trip she took to Crete.
"I did a few on-site pieces and some that I did when I got back," Meyers said. "I was remembering the wonderful transparencies of the Mediterranean."
Prices range from $22 to $300. One piece reaches as much at $3,400, which is a pair of matching coffee tables by the Liftees.
The show will run through Sept. 10. The gallery is open 10-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10-4 p.m. Saturday.
Opening reception for "Transparencies"
5-7 p.m. today
For more details about the show or the gallery call 351-6201.


One of the reasons I love working for C.A. Short Company is because they get it. They understand that a company's greatest asset isn't our intellectual property, production capabilities, or financial holdings. It's our employees.
People Are Everything (PAE) is more than the name of our employee engagement, recognition, and safety platform – it's the foundation of every decision we make. The best part is, we're not alone!
More than 200 million eggs from North Carolina. All romaine lettuce from southwest Arizona. Detox teas from around the nation.
Not even our animals are safe.
Over the past few weeks, we have witnessed a deluge of food recalls. And while the news may seem unprecedented, these events are far from isolated. Despite incredible technological and industrial advancements, the number of food recalls in the U.S. has actually doubled over the past 15 years. Globally, that number is far worse – with 20-30 recalls announced each week.
What are the costs of so many recalls?
Employee theft is not a new problem, but companies continue to look for ways to fight shrinkage and other types of loss originating from within the walls of their own businesses.
You want to believe your employees care about the company and its bottom line. In many cases, employees responsible for shrinkage and loss don't have an idea of the affect it has on their company, or they don't care. They may even have a distorted sense of entitlement based on the way they believe they are treated by the company, however wrong this type of thinking may be. What these employees don't realize is that the problem is significant and it affects everyone, including their fellow employees and all consumers.
OSHA®, the Occupational Safety and Hazards Administration, announced a number of major changes in 2016. And with just a few weeks left before the New Year, the administration just revealed another biggie for the manufacturing industry. In an effort to further reduce workplace amputations, a number of states are now facing a major crackdown by OSHA®. Will your job be affected?
In this blog -- the second in our series examining OSHA®'s recently proposed rule changes -- we'll take a look at the organization's remaining set of proposals. If you missed our last blog, where we summarized the first set of proposed rule changes, you can find it here.
OSHA®, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, recently proposed a number of new rule provisions to the agency's general industry, maritime, construction and recordkeeping standards.
The proposed changes are an effort to modernize OSHA standards, while saving employers millions of dollars per year. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels says that, if implemented, the new provisions will "help employers better understand their responsibilities, increase compliance and reduce compliance costs."
This blog post will take a look at the first nine of these proposed changes.
At the conclusion of our last great recession, economists widely agreed the U.S. needed to create more jobs in order to sustain the country's fragile economic recovery. So, how does an organization effectively create new jobs while striving to rebuild their profit margins and market share?
The answer is through SafegagementTM. Safegagement occurs when employees are fully engaged at work and, as a result, are safer and make better decisions that benefit the entire organization. A recent "State of the American Workplace" report from Gallup found employers with an engaged workforce were twice as likely to report their company was in the process of hiring new team members.
Employees are the lifeblood of every organization, and their health and well-being should be the top concern for any company. They work hard and put in long hours so that your business can thrive, and the least they deserve is to work in a safe environment.
Unfortunately, if you don't have an excellent safety awareness program in place, costly accidents are bound to occur.
When employees are injured on the job, it doesn't just affect the employee and their family, it affects your company's bottom line. Your organization will see a noticeable drop in productivity, morale and even profit.
In fact, OSHA® recently announced a substantial increase in fines for companies found to be in violation of their rules and regulations. This 78% increase marks the first time that OSHA has updated their fine structure in the past 26 years.
Safegagement™, a concept developed by Jeff Ross, CPA, CRP (our President/CFO), occurs when engaged employees are safer at work and make better decisions because they care about those they work with, the company they work for, and the overall accomplishments of the organization. This is the fourth post in a series where we discuss the Five Components of Safegagement. As we near the end of our series, we hope you're gaining a clear understanding of how the Five Components of Safegagement work together. Alone, each component holds enormous potential for your workforce and their overall quality of life, both in and out of the workplace. However, when these components are combined and instilled as one, they can truly help your company accomplish a safe and engaging work environment for all.


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Alternating Current Chapter Notes
Notes for Alternating Current Circuit chapter of class 12 physics. Dronstudy provides free comprehensive chapterwise class 12 physics notes with proper images & diagram.
A current which flows first in one direction in a circuit, called the positive direction, then in the reverse direction or negative direction is called alternating current. This cycle shown in figure is repeated again and again and has an average value of zero over a period. Since the variation of the current strength is sine wave as shown in figure, the value of current at any instant say t seconds after it had zero value will be given by the following expression:
where i is the value of current at time t and Imax is the maximum value of the current and
is the angular frequency (
, f being frequency).
Both the emf and current undergo a complete cycle of changes, having positive and negative value, every time wt changes by 360o or
radians as shown in figure.
Different Forms of a.c. emf
The variation of A.C. quantity is sinusoidal hence can be expressed as:
, we have
Phase of An A. C. Quantity
Phase of an A. C. quantity represents the fraction of the time period of that alternating quantity that has elapsed since the current last passed through the zero position of reference. Phase is also expressed in terms of angle in radians. For example phase at A is T/4 second or
/2 radians. In electricity we are more concerned with the phase difference rather than absolute phase of an alternating quantity. Phase difference between quantities indicates the lag or lead of an alternating quantity with respect to other.
A leading quantity is the quantity which reaches maximum (or zero) value earlier as compared to the other quantity, while lagging alternating quantity is one which reaches its zero or maximum value later than the other quantity. In figure two alternating quantities are shown quantity A leads B by an angle
. Hence their equations are
iA = Imax sin wt and iB = Imax sin (
t +
Effective Virtual or R. M. S. value of a Quantity
The r. m. s. (or effective apparent) value of an alternating current is the value of the direct current which produces same amount of heat in the same time in the same conductor. An alternating current is not steady but varies from instant to instant. If i1, i2, i3, …….. in are instantaneous currents r. m. s. value will be
we can also expresses this value as
Mean or Average Value of an Alternating Quantity
The mean value or average value (Iav) of an alternating current is equal to the steady current which transfers across any circuit the same charge as is transferred by the alternating current during the same time.
In case of sinusoidal or symmetrical alternating current, the average value over complete cycle is zero. Hence in these cases the average value is obtained by integrating the instantaneous values of alternating quantity over half cycle only. The alternating currents average value is given by
The ratio of the root mean square (r.m.s.) to the average value of an alternating current gives an indication of the shape of the wave and is known as its form factor and is denoted by K i.e.
Thus for sine wave form factor is 1.11
Representation of AC Current and Voltage by Rotating Vectors
A phasor is a vector which rotates about the origin with angular speed ω, as shown in the fig. given below:
The vertical components of phasors V and I represent the sinusoidally varying quantities v and i. The magnitudes of phasors I and V represent the amplitudes or the peak values vm and im of these oscillating quantities. The projection of voltage and current phasors on vertical axis, i.e., vm sinωt and im sinωt respectively represent the value of current and voltage at that instant.
A.C. Circuit containing Resistance Only (Resistive Circuit)
In a circuit containing pure resistance (ohmic) only i.e. free from any inductance or capacitance in the circuit, the current and potential difference between any two points is given by i = v/R where i and v are instant current and voltage respectively and R is the resistance between the points. The emf applied is
and the current
This shows that the current and voltage are in phase. Graphically it is shown in figure (a) and vectorically in figure (b).
The power in a circuit is given by
The power consists of a constant part ½ Imax Vmax/2 and a variable part
½ ImaxVmax cos 2
t. The average value of variable part of power over a cycle is zero. Thus the average power for one cycle is
A.C. Circuit Containing Inductor Only (Inductive Circuit)
Consider a circuit having no ohmic resistance and only inductance L as shown in figure. When an A. C. current is passed through this circuit a magnetic flux is set up which induces alternating emf in the inductance which is L(di/dt) and opposes the variation of current through it at every instant. If the applied voltage is vmax sin
t we have
Integrating above relation we have
From the above relation it is clear that there is a phase difference of p/2 between voltage and current i.e. current lags voltage by
radians. Graphically, the voltage and current wave are as shown in figure (a) and vectorically as shown in figure (b).
The quantity
L is called inductive reactance or reactance and denoted by
. The power in an inductive circuit is given by
As there is no constant term in power expression, hence the average power in a pure inductive circuit is zero. This is called wattles power.
A.C. Circuit Containing Capacitance Only (Capacitive Circuit)
When an alternating voltage is applied to the plates of the capacitor, they are first charged in one direction and then in the opposite direction. If the applied voltage is
, the potential difference between the plates at any instant will be
and the current (dq/dt) is given by
From above relation it is clear that current leads the applied voltage by 90o or
. The quantity 1/
C is called reactance or capacitive reactance and denoted by XC.
The voltage and current waves are as shown in figure (a) and vectorically as shown in figure (b).
The power in the circuit is given by
Thus the average power consumed in a pure capacitive circuit is zero.
Resistance and inductance in series A. C. Circuit
In a circuit containing a pure inductance L and a pure resistance R connected in series as shown in figure, when an A. C. voltage is applied in this circuit, the voltage drops on the resistance say vR(= iR in phase with current) and on the L say vL (=
L), leading the current by 90o. These voltages are shown by the vector diagram in figure.
The resultant voltage is given by
The term is called impedance of the circuit and denoted by Z (its units are ohm) i.e.
The triangle whose sides are proportional to the voltages are called voltage triangle (fig.(a)) and a triangle whose sides are proportional to R, XL and Z is called impedance triangle (fig.(b)).
Average power in R and L in series circuit when A. C. current passes is given by
is the angle by which vector v leads the vector i. The value of cos
(=R/Z) is constant for a given circuit and is known as power factor. It is defined as the factor by which product of rms current and voltage should be multiplied to have true power in watt.
is 90o i.e. cos
= 0, the ohmic resistance of the A. C. current is zero and the average power also remains zero, i.e. inspite of flow of current there is no dissipation of energy. The current in such a circuit is called wattles current. In practice we can not have a resistance free circuit and hence wattles current is not a reality.
Resistance and Capacitance in Series A. C. Circuit
Such a circuit having resistance, capacitance in series with an A. C. source is shown in figure.
The voltage and current vectors are as shown in figure. The voltage and impedance triangles are shown in figure are given as
C is capacitive reactance.
The power consumed
RLC Series A. C. Circuit
A circuit having resistance R, inductance L and capacitance C in series with an A. C. source shown in figure.
The voltage drop across resistance R be VR in phase with current, voltage drop across inductance L be VL leading the current by 90o and voltage drop across capacitance C be vc lagging the current by 90o. The resultant of vL and vC, (vL – vC) leads the current by 90o, provided (vL > vC) and will lag current by 90o if vC > vL. The resultant voltage is given by
and the impedance is given by
The voltage triangle and impedance triangle are shown in figure
{\bf{1}}/\omega {\bf{C}}" />
The net reactance
is positive hence f is also positive as a result current will lag behind voltage or voltage leads the current.
The net reactance is zero hence
and the voltage and current are in phase and impedance is equal to the resistance.
is negative hence f is also negative and the current leads the applied emf.
Series resonance circuit
The effective reactance is inductive or capcitive depending upon XL > XC or XL < XC. The inductive reactance XL is directly proportional to the frequency while the capacitive reactance is inversely proportional to the frequency. At certain frequency both reactances become equal and this frequency is called resonance frequency. At resonance frequency XL = XC or
The current and voltages are in phase as Z = R. Such circuits are called acceptor circuits. The ratio of vL or vC with applied voltage at resonant frequency is called Q-factor or voltage magnification and is given by
LCR-parallel circuit at resonance
It resistance (R), capacitor (C) and inductor (L) are arranged as shown in circuits.
At resonance condition, the resonance frequency
At resonance, the impedance of the circuit is maximum according to the following graph
At resonance, current flowing through the circuit will be minimum
Quality factor (q)
Qualitative measurement of sharpness of current peak at resonance condition in LCR circuit
another value of Q factor
Different types of ac circuits
One of the great advantages of ac over dc of for electric power distribution is that it is much easier to step voltage levels up and down with ac that with dc. For long-distance power transmission it is desirable to use as high a voltage and as small a current as possible, this reduces i2R losses in the transmission lines, and smaller wires can be used, saving on material costs.
The key components of the transformer are two coils or windings, electrically insulated from each other but wound on the same core. The design of a simple transformer is as shown in the figure.
The core is typically made of a material, such as iron, with a very large relative permeability
. This keeps the magnetic field lines due to a current in one winding almost completely within the core. Hence almost all of these field lines pass through the other winding, maximizing the mutual inductance of the two windings. The winding to which power is supplied is called primary, the winding from which power is delivered is called the secondary .The circuit symbol for a transformer with an iron core, such as those used in power distribution systems, is
Here's how a transformer works. The ac source causes an alternating current in the primary, which sets up an alternating flux in the core, this induces an emf in each winding, in accordance with Faraday's law. The induced emf in the secondary gives rise to an alternating current in the secondary, and this delivers energy to the device to which the secondary is connected. All currents and emf's have the same frequency as the ac source .
Let us see how the voltage across the secondary can be made larger or smaller in amplitude than the voltage across the primary. We neglect the resistance of the windings and assume that all the magnetic field lines are confined to the iron core, so at any instant the magnetic flux
is the same in each turn of the primary and secondary windings. The primary winding has N1 turns, and the secondary winding has N2 turns. When the magnetic flux changes because of changing currents in the two coils, the resulting induced emf's are
The flux per turn
is the same in both the primary and the secondary, the above equations show that the induced emf per turn is the same in each. The ratio of the primary emf
to the secondary emf
is therefore equal at any instant to the ratio of primary to secondary turns.
both oscillate with the same frequency as the ac source, the above equation also gives the ratio of the amplitudes or of the rms values of the induced emf's. If the windings have zero resistance, the induced emf's
are equal to the terminal voltages across the primary and the secondary, respectively; hence
(terminal voltages of transformer primary and secondary)
where V1 and V2 are either the amplitudes or the rms values of the terminal voltages. By choosing the appropriate turns ratio N2/N1, we may obtain any desired secondary voltage from a given primary voltage.
Step up and Step down Transformers
If N2 > N1, then V2 > V1 and we have a step-up transformer, if N2 < N1 then V2 < V1, and we have a step down transformer. At a power generating station, step-up transformers are used, the primary is connected to the power source, and the secondary is connected to the transmission lines, giving the desired high voltage for transmission. Near the consumer, step-down transformers lower the voltage to a value suitable for use in home or industry.
If the secondary circuit is completed by a resistance R, then the amplitude or rms value of the current in the secondary circuit is I2 = V2/R. From energy consideration the power delivered to the primary equals that taken out of the secondary (since there is no resistance in the windings), so
(currents in transformer primary and secondary)
We can combine the above equations and the relation
to eliminate
; we obtain
This shows that when the secondary circuit is completed through a resistance R, the result is the same as if the source had been connected directly to a resistance equal to R divided by the square of the turns ratio, (N2/N1)2. In other words, the transformer "transforms" not only voltages and currents, but resistances as well. More generally, we can regard a transformer as "transforming" the impedance of the network to which the secondary circuit is completed.
Efficiency of a Transformer
In an ordinary transformer , there is some loss of energy due to primary resistance, hysteresis in the core, eddy currents in the core etc. The efficiency of a transformer is defined as
Efficiencies of the order of 99% can be easily achieved.
A radio set operates at 6 V DC. A transformer with 18 turns in the secondary coil is sued to step down the input 220 V AC emf to 6 V AC emf. this AC emf is then rectified by another circuit to give 6 V DC which is fed to the radio. Find the number of turns in the primary.
We have,
LC OSCILLATIONS
The ability of an inductor and a capacitor to store energy leads to the important phenomenon of electrical oscillations. Figure (a) shows a capacitor with initial charge Qo connected to an ideal inductor having no resistance. All the energy in the system is stored in the electrical field:
UE =
At t = 0, the switch is closed and the capacitor begins to discharge (see b). As the current increases, it sets up a magnetic field in the inductor, and so part of the energy is stored in the magnetic field, UB =
LI2. When the current reaches its maximum value Io, as in Fig. (c), all the energy is in the magnetic field : UB =
. The capacitor now has no energy, which means Q = 0. Thus, I =0 when Q = Q0 and Q = 0 when I = I0. The current now starts to charge the capacitor, as in figure (d). In figure (e), the capacitor is fully charged, but with polarity opposite to its initial state in figure (a). The process just described will now repeat itself till the system reverts to its original state. Therefore the energy in the system oscillates between the capacitor and the inductor. As the block-spring system shown in the diagram suggests, the current and the charge in fact undergo simple harmonic oscillations. We will pursue the analogy later.
The oscillations in an LC circuit are analogous to the oscillation of a block at the end of a spring. The figure depicts one-half of a cycle.
Consider the situation depicted in Fig (b) and redrawn in figure (f). The current is increasing
\,0} \right)" />, which means the induced emf in the inductor has the polarity shown, so
Vb < Va.
Fig(f) At the instant depicted the current is increasing, so the polarity of the induced emf in the inductor is an shown.,
According to Kirchoff's loop rule,
In order to relate the current in the wire to the charge on the capacitor, we note that the current causes the charge Q on the capacitor to decrease, so
I = -
With this, the loop rule becomes
Fig. (f) At the instant depicted the current is increasing, so the polarity of the induced emf in the inductor is an shown.,
This has the same form as equation for simple harmonic oscillation.
The charge therefore oscillates with a natural angular frequency
wo =
In an LC circuit, as in fig. (f), L = 40 mH, C = 20 µF, and the maximum potential difference across the capacitor is 80 V. Find
(a) the maximum charge on C
(b) the angular frequency of the oscillation
(c) the maximum current
(d) the total energy
(a) Qo = CVo = (2 x 10-5 F ) (80 V) = 1.6 x 10-3 C
(b) The angular frequency is
= 1120 rad/s
(c) The maximum current is
Io = woQo = (1120 rad/s) (1.6 x 10-3 C) = 1.79 A
(d) The total energy is simply the initial energy of the capacitor
U =


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From Facebook Live to 5 Shows: Why The Parker Group is All-In on Video Series
Published on February 12th, 2020
Amanda Lynch Contributing Author
Amanda Lynch holds a BA in Professional Writing & Editing, with a portfolio including major national brands such as Walmart. She kicked off her career as a corporate blogger for a national exterior remodeling company in 2011. Today, Amanda aims to write extraordinary content that engages and delights. She resides near Cleveland, Ohio.
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In a small Delaware town with a population of just over 2,300, Dustin Parker proves that a successful real estate video series can happen even in rural communities. With a focus on small-town business owners and even hometown heroes, Parker's use of Facebook Live and video marketing to capture the attention of his community is a guide for agents everywhere.
Parker is a top agent based in Bridgeville, Delaware, a small town near the Maryland border, who leads The Parker Group with his wife, Rachel. (They also do business in Maryland due to its proximity.) He's also a 2019 Bombbomb video influencer who creates several real estate video series for his community. Parker made the leap into real estate video marketing in 2016.
"I think at that time it was becoming the thing to do — jump into video. And in our market, we're in a pretty rural area and things seem to happen a little bit more slowly than in more metropolitan areas," says Parker. "We were the first ones probably in our market to really embrace video."
Talk about embracing video: Today, The Parker Group has five different video series, with more on the way. They range from serious to funny and informative to silly. They each help build the Parker Group brand and grow the business in different ways.
Before we share lessons and advice, we'll look at the Parker's current lineup of real estate video series. If you're a real estate agent who doesn't have a Hollywood-sized budget, this is Parker's roadmap to make a little TV show — or several shows — for your hometown.
Video series #1: #parkergrouplive
Source: (The Parker Group / Facebook)
"The first one that we started with was called #parkergrouplive and we continue to do that today," says Parker. "And that's just a Facebook Live video [where] we answer common questions related to real estate."
The average view count for #parkergrouplive videos is between 200-300, although some have 2,000+ views. An episode that covers how to handle multiple offers on a home has 2,600 views and clocks in at about 2:30 long. Some #parkergrouplive videos are longer while others are shorter.
The Parkers take a casual and informative approach to #parkergrouplive. They give detailed and actionable advice, such as explaining the use of an escalation clause and advising buyers to offer more than the listing price during a multiple-offer situation.
There is no call to action at the end of this video and it ends with an outro slide with their logo. Other #parkergrouplive videos end without any outro slide at all — just a simple "see you next time."
Note that intro and outro slides are not typical for a traditional Facebook Live stream where you use raw and real-time footage. If you want to apply slides or other production elements to your own live stream session, you can do so by using a pre-recorded video. You can either
use a paid service that lets you upload a video and schedule it to publish later as if it's a "live" video
take the D-I-Y approach using free OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) for you to pre-record and stream your video on Facebook
Whichever method you use, you can learn about the options and process here.
The #parkergrouplive video 5 Tips to Sell Your Home After the Holidays has a more impromptu style, with no intro/outro slates or other production elements. It's just Rachel streaming outside using the front-facing camera on her phone. This particular video has a simple call to action: reach out to the team and ask questions if you need more guidance. The #parkergrouplive videos are low-to-no pressure sales. Their approach is to offer helpful advice on a wide array of real estate topics without any strings attached.
Video series #2: #getlocal, "a little TV show for the community"
The Parker's next series following #parkergrouplive is #getlocal, which highlights local businesses in a range of industries — restaurants, fitness centers, music stores and more. When the focus is on a local restaurant, the Parkers interview the owner and highlight the atmosphere along with the menu.
Check out the episode that features Plate & Palette — a farm-fresh gastropub with great food and atmosphere in a building that used to be a bank (and still looks like one from the outside).
"Initially, "#getlocal" was really popular because no one was doing that. We've actually had people come up to us and say they would watch our videos every week and that's how they'd decide where to go on date night," Parker says. "It almost became a little TV show for the community."
Parker says this series has brought a lot of awareness to local mom-and-pop shops and created a community feedback loop on social media. "We went around the community and started to interview local businesses, breweries, restaurants, those types of places … and just highlight them and introduce them to our followers," says Parker. "As we started generating some interest in the series, other people began recommending places or other businesses started reaching out to us, asking if we would highlight them. And so it's grown organically through that."
Video series #3: #localheroes
In addition to the #parkergrouplive and #getlocal series, The Parker Group also hosts #localheroes because everyone loves a good hero story.
"It's heart-wrenching for people because there's obviously a lot of sad and emotional stories that people tell," says Parker. "You know, [they] fought in wars or had been nurses or teachers, and some of the things that they've seen."
In one video, #localheroes features a police officer who tells an emotional tale about his most difficult day on the job — the experience as he attempts to save a young girl from drowning.
That video has more than 16,000 views on Facebook since it was published in late 2018. Parker says people are still watching the video and engaging with it more than a year later.
Video series #4: Home Tips with Avery
Another series the Parkers produce is "Home Tips With Avery," which features their toddler-aged daughter sharing cute and funny answers to real estate questions.
Adorable Avery answers all kinds of questions that buyers might ask, such as How do I clean my house when I list it for sale? and When is a good time to put your home on the market?
Avery's videos are pretty short, not unlike a young child's attention span — roughly 45-60 seconds long. The idea here is to put a smile on a viewer's face, and it sure seems to work! This series "has been pretty engaging for people," Parker says. It's not unusual to see double-digit comments and reactions to this series.
Video series #5: Behind the Scenes
"The Office" fans will rejoice when they see Parker's newest series, "Behind the Scenes." It's the perfect parody of the famous sitcom, featuring the team from The Parker Group in everyday office situations with a real estate perspective.
So far, the published videos for "Behind the Scenes" are between four and five minutes long. The only obvious self-promotion they have is a closing slide with their logo at the end.
How the Parker Group benefits from their real estate video series
Why would a real estate team spend four years making five video series and have plans for more? Because it's working.
"We just found an enormous return on investment for it," says Parker. "We had spent very little money to distribute and, in the beginning, very little money to produce. It was working and we just kept doubling and tripling down on it," says Parker.
The benefits come in two forms:
1. Community recognition, branding and authority status
People recognize Parker and his team at restaurants and community events, which creates an easy icebreaker for conversations with new people. Over time, people in the community have come to see the Parkers as local area experts, which increases their trust and authority.
2. More business because they stay top of mind
Parker considers these video series to be a form of digital farming in their community, and they generate a significant amount of business both directly and indirectly. "Eighty percent of our business comes from our sphere of influence and past clients, and we feel that it's through these video series and our social media content that we're top of mind for them."
7 Tips for Creating a Real Estate Video Series
Source: (Hermes Rivera / Unsplash)
You can create your own video series regardless of the size of your market. If you're thinking about giving it a try, here are seven tips to get started.
1. Begin with Facebook Live
The Parkers first series, #parkergrouplive, takes advantage of live Facebook streaming. Facebook Live produces six times the number of interactions than traditional video and users spend three times the amount of time watching live videos vs. pre-recorded videos.
"If you're just doing [Facebook Live] for the first time, it's going to notify your entire friend list that you're live for the first time," says Parker. "And that's really your opportunity to get out there in front of them."
The best part about using Facebook Live is that you don't need any fancy equipment — just a smartphone with a camera and natural light. "You can start with your own live videos and things and just like we did, and I think that you can grow into more professionally produced things over time," says Parker.
2. Create a calendar and plan your series in advance
Knowing what and when you're going to create can save you a considerable amount of time.
Each month, the Parker Group's marketing director makes a calendar with video content plans. Tuesday's are set aside for #parkergrouplive, usually between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. — that's when they get the most engagement.
"If we can capture them kind of early to mid-afternoon, it seems to be the most successful," Parker says.
Although Parker has success with Tuesdays at 11 a.m., know that your mileage may vary. Expect to test different days and times to find your own optimal publishing schedule.
3. Record your videos in batches to save time
To look through the Parker Group's Facebook Page and see all the videos, you might wonder when they have time to sell real estate. The secret to creating all this content is to record videos in batches.
"For planning those shoots, we try to batch them together as much as possible," Parker says. They pick a couple days each week and try to make videos the entire day — sometimes as many as four episodes of a series in one day. "It just makes life so much easier … because you have to get back to selling houses at some point."
4. Be patient and give your series time to find its audience
Video marketing is a long-term game. There's an element of faith where you need to trust the process and continue to produce content — even if you think it isn't working. It's no different from many other real estate marketing tactics.
"Just like anything else — if you're buying leads or whatever it might be — those first two to three to four months, you're probably not going to see a ton of return on it," Parker says.
"It is a leap of faith and it's an investment, I think, in the future of your company. A lot of people aren't patient enough to wait and see that return, but if you are, the benefits are much greater."
5. Crowdsource episode ideas from your followers
In January, when the Parker Group asked their community what local spots to feature on #getlocal, 19 people recommended their favorite small businesses. On your own, you might run out of content ideas. But with help from your followers, you can get ideas to start your new video series or keep it growing.
6. You can get great reach without spending a lot of money
Parker's video series took off in an organic way, with a lot of natural, community engagement. Likes and shares can help boost the reach of your videos.
But spending some money initially might help you get new followers, especially if you don't consistently use Facebook for marketing. The good news is that a little bit of money goes a long way.
"Some of [our videos] are paid," says Parker. "But very minimal, like, like less than $50 in terms of boosting that post to our audience."
You can understand how your videos perform organically on Facebook from this official article.
7. Keep consistent and don't give up too soon
Parker points out that even if only 15 people watch one of your videos, that's 15 people who could become clients or could refer clients to you.
"I think with real estate in general, it's usually at the point where you feel like you're working really hard and not making any money that people tend to give up or get out of the industry completely," says Parker. "And that's usually about a day or a week or a month before you kind of have that breakthrough and you start to see results from whatever it is that you're doing. I think consistency really is the key."
Header Image Source: (The Parker Group / Facebook)
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Destination of the Month
Sri-Lanka-11
Sri-Lanka-5
Lone in the Indian Ocean, a mere teardrop off of India's south-eastern tip, is a tiny yet tantalising island…
Sri Lanka, often referred to as "the gem of the Indian Ocean", is quite unlike anywhere else in the world. Jaw-dropping scenery, an abundance of wildlife, beguiling cultures and defiant humanity. In 2019, Sri Lanka was voted 'Best in Travel' by Lonely Planet, who described it as "a country revived". Find out below why we wholeheartedly agree, and why Sri Lanka takes the crown as Taste in Travel Magazine's Destination of the Month.
With tropical rainforests, dramatic cliffs, hidden waterfalls, lush plains, and paradisiacal beaches, a holiday to Sri Lanka starts with the perfect backdrop…
The scope of nature on this relatively small island is beyond surprising, it's truly remarkable. A scattering of tea plantations, verdant jungle set atop rolling hills, and natural landmarks that carry some of the island's most interesting history, are all among the scenic grandeur that Sri Lanka offers.
There's Adams Peak, a tall, distinctively pointed mountain that doubles as both a natural landmark and world-famous pilgrimage route. Boldly venture to the summit to catch an unbeatable sunrise, or simply marvel from below as the fog gently saunters across the peak. Over in The Hill Country, rolling hills spread for miles and miles, carrying some of the island's many tea plantations. Here the weather is cool(er), and the mountains scattered with lakes and waterfalls.
"The scope of nature on this relatively small island is beyond surprising"
Then, there's Sigiriya Rock Fortress. Also known as Lion's Rock, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is both stunning and imposing, carrying with its might a somewhat controversial piece of history. The striking landmark is surrounded by attractive gardens, rippling ponds and marvellous frescoes. And, if you can make it to the top, you'll be rewarded with panoramic views of the dense jungle below.
Elsewhere throughout Sri Lanka are idyllic beaches with rustling palms, and beautiful marine life thriving beneath the water's azure surface. A haven for divers and snorkelers, Sri Lanka boasts the highest biodiversity per 10,000 square kilometres in all of Asia, and approximately a quarter of its flora and fauna species are endemic, so you really won't find anything like it anywhere else in the world.
WONDERFUL WILDLIFE
With such bountiful nature, comes some quite incredible inhabitants, and so Sri Lanka is said to be one of the best countries in Asia for seeing wildlife.
Much of the plains – ten percent of the whole island, in fact – has been turned into National Parks, where visitors have the opportunity to get up close to some of the amazing animals that reside here; elephants, leopards, buffalo, deer, mongoose, wild pig and more, can all be spotted roaming in their natural habitats.
Yala National Park is the place to spot big cats in Sri Lanka, as it is home to the highest concentration of leopards on earth. As well as elephants, monkeys, crocodiles and aquatic birds, to name but a few. But it's not the only option; Wilpattu National Park offers an exceptional safari experience, with around 30 species of mammals, plus countless birds, reptiles and amphibians waiting to be seen in their natural habitats.
And, if elephants are your thing, there's Minneriya National Park, home of the magnificent 'Elephant Gathering' phenomenon. During the dry season, when water supplies reduce drastically in the region, elephants are known to congregate around the Minneriya reservoir where grasses are rich and fertile. At times, herds as large as 300 – 400 elephants can be seen. A sight to behold.
It's not just Sri Lanka's green areas where amazing wildlife abounds. At the right time of year, you can go whale and dolphin watching from Mirissa harbour, where you can catch a glimpse of these majestic animals breaking the surface. If you're lucky, you may even spot a turtle or two, too! And no matter where you are, remember to look up. Sri Lanka is home to hundreds of bird species which when passing overhead, create the most mesmerising display of colour and noise.
With such a vastness of nature to behold, you would think an island of Sri Lanka's size wouldn't have the capacity for bustling cities. Think again.
Sri Lanka is home to some truly beautiful towns and cities. Including its largest, Colombo; once known as 'the garden city of the east', Colombo's shady tree-lined boulevards and grand old mansions reference its colonial roots, while luxury hotels, excellent restaurants, vibrant nightlife and retail opportunities bring it well and truly into the 21st century.
Galle, however, is considered to be the most perfectly preserved colonial town in Sri Lanka. The Galle Fort enclosed by towering bastions is where you'll find the old Dutch town, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a town of great beauty. The historic fort is surrounded on three sides by the ocean, and its old streets are awash with classic architecture, and boutique shops, cafes and hotels owned by local and foreign artists, writers, photographers, designers and poets.
Then, there's Jaffna, the northern capital of Sri Lanka and the centre of Sri Lankan Tamil culture. Here the streets are filled with crowds of cyclists and the distinctive sound of Tamil music blares from cafés and shops. The town, reflective of Sri Lanka's diverse culture, combines colonial villas, fine Hindu temples, grand churches and a star-shaped Dutch Fort. North of the town is the Jaffna peninsula with a cluster of miniature stupas, hot springs and the Point Pedro Lighthouse that marks the northernmost point of the island. To the west of the town, in the shallow waters of the Palk Strait, are a series of islands, home to more churches, forts, temples and shrines.
And that's just the beginning. There are over 50 cities in Sri Lanka, each offering something unique by way of culture, history, beauty, or all of the above.
CAPTIVATING CULTURES
Channelling diversity in all shapes and sizes, Sri Lanka's indigenous cultures are no exception to the rule.
Rich in history, religion and outside influence, Sri Lanka's beguiling cultures are as much a reason to visit as its aforementioned cities and landscapes. The island has been colonized three times and, despite becoming independent in 1815, remnants of Sri Lanka's Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial pasts are still evident throughout the island's cultures, from the language and cuisine to customs such as high tea.
As well as having been colonized three times, Sri Lanka encompasses four religious' groups: Bhuddists (predominantly), Hindus, Muslims and Christians live side-by-side in harmony, granting each other peace and respect. There are also three official languages and an annual calendar of almost 30 public holidays. And while fishermen on stilts and palm-scaling toddy tappers may lead people to assume Sri Lanka are somewhat 'behind' the western world, it in fact showed astounding modernity by electing the world's first ever female prime minister.
But, despite a myriad of different traditions, religions, languages and influences, it's Sri Lanka's welcoming people that make a lasting impact on many visitors. After almost 30 years of civil conflict that brought the country to despair, the warmth and friendliness of Sri Lankan people defies all odds, and is the metaphorical cherry-on-top of a country already full of charm and character.
A CULINARY KALEIDOSCOPE
Sri Lanka is a land of many different cultures, ethnicities and religions. And along with its diverse traditions, comes an impressive and enticing national menu.
This island, rich in nature's bounty, has a unique gastronomic heritage that combines native ingredients with influences from around the world. Spice gardens, tea plantations and fish and vegetable markets, Sri Lanka, among its many treasures, is a culinary kaleidoscope.
Dutch colonialists, foreign traders and Sri Lanka's South Indian neighbours have all helped to shape the Sri Lankan cuisine of today. Along with its history as a Spice Producer and trading post over several centuries. It is truly a food lover's delight, offering dishes rich in flavour and fragrance, often in the form of rice and curry- Sri Lanka's national dish.
And no mention of Sri Lanka's culinary landscape can pass without the mention of tea. There are countless plantations across the country, but the scenic town of Nuwara Eliya is the centre of the tea growing industry. It is known as 'Little England' due to its association with Britain's favourite beverage, and is a wonderful example of Sri Lanka's British colonial history.
BEACHES, LEISURE & LUXURY
Culture, history, nature and otherwise aside, for many it is the relaxed side of Sri Lanka (idyllic beaches included) that is the most alluring.
While friendly locals, fantastic cuisine, inexpensive prices and a tropical climate (with a cooling sea breeze) make the recipe for a perfect holiday, a character, boutique or luxury hotel can add a finishing touch to your taste. The flawless, palm-fringed beaches then, are the icing on this island's cake. The picture-perfect waters and gentle waves are perfect for snorkelling and surfing, while the pristine golden sands invite you to simply relax and appreciate the sublime surroundings.
Sri Lanka, unbeknown too many, is also a golfer's paradise. It is home to some of the oldest and best golf courses outside of the UK that offer a superb challenge and the opportunity to tee off in tropical climes, amid some of the most stunning scenery in the world. For avid golfers and hackers alike, Sri Lanka presents a golfing experience not to be missed.
And finally, when the sun sets, the island awakes. Nightlife, like many elements of Sri Lanka, differs quite dramatically from one region to the next. But on the whole, the island is as alluring by night as it is by day. Late night drag-racing events, street night bazaars and street food markets, even atmospheric evenings of star-gazing on the beach. Sri Lanka may not be well known for "nightlife" in the traditional sense, but whether the sky is filled with sun or stars, blink and you might just miss something.
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A Relevant but Underreported Issue Health System Leaders Face When Dealing with RAC Audits
As health system leaders continue to react to continuously updated regulations, many have been expressing their concern for the ongoing administrative burden that exists because of expanded Medicare oversight and its Recovery Auditor (RAC) audit program.
Their focus, of course, remains on compliance, and ensuring that providers respond to audit requests in a timely and accurate manner. However, until recently, as we know, the process had been driven largely by the manual administration of tasks – the collecting and compiling of physical records to ensure that claims get adjudicated and paid and that system leaders manage the process efficiently. These tasks represent an obvious challenge. While many other processes are moving toward technology advancement, the RAC process, though it is making some strides, still leaves much to be desired.
Still burdened with how to deal with overwhelming costs of printing, mailing, and tracking of documentation to support their claims to Medicare, one of the biggest and most relevant (but underreported) issues may be just how exactly health organizations should handle compliance with the RAC program (let alone how to address the stress that these audits cause). Many health information leaders and administrators routinely contemplate how best to handle the process: in-house, or via outsourcing to a third-party vendor? Of course, the latter approach can lead to delays during the response period, leading to timing issues and financial ramifications for not complying with audit requests.
For responding health systems, the process can be cumbersome. Many hospitals still must print, sort, package, and mail documents to auditors to support original claims because they are not using digital solutions to avoid this practice. Since one patient record can fill a box or more, hospitals are left paying for the lion's share of all materials, labor, and shipping involved, which can represent an enormous annual cost.
This, of course, is the primary reason for the development of Medicare's Electronic Submission of Medical Documentation (esMD) program, which was launched by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide a mechanism for health systems to electronically submit documentation in response to requests and audits. esMD was launched in 2011. Secure electronic exchange solutions are available for transmitting medical records to auditors in support of claims. Many health systems remain without this capability, though doing so provides clear benefits.
For example, Boca Raton Regional Hospital in Florida started performing electronic document transfers to Medicare in August 2012. The hospital was one of first in the nation to do so as part of Medicare's esMD pilot program, the result of which has seen the hospital improving its revenue cycle management, streamlining the secure exchange of health information, responding quicker to Medicare audits, and, of course, eliminating paper and manual processes when adjudicating claims and responding to payers. Through the use of these solutions, Boca Raton Regional Hospital today ensures that protected health information required for claims and coordination of care is electronically transferable and available in a secure electronic format.
The hospital's solution is also HIPAA-compliant. The hospital's audit response is transmitted through the esMD CONNECT gateway, and transmitting records through esMD means timely filing of support documents, as providers receive an electronic confirmation of receipt from CMS and RAC contractors. For Boca Raton Regional Hospital, the Medicare audit process has been drastically improved because of the hospital now being able to submit documents electronically; as such, denials related to untimely submission of records have disappeared entirely. Medicare allows 45 days from the date of a record request for hospitals to respond, but the organization still sends documentation requests by paper. Typically, by the time the paper request gets to the proper department in the hospital, more than 10 days may have elapsed. This entire process and responding to audit requests requires strict time management, and hospitals often fail to return records to Medicare on time, meaning the hospital loses its right to appeal. By automating the process and securely transmitting medical documentation through the esMD Gateway, Boca Raton Regional Hospital has prevented the loss of at least $350,000 annually.
From a revenue cycle management standpoint, electronic attachment submission also has been a very good thing, ultimately helping the hospital save millions. Since auditors typically "go where the action is," if they continue to recover money from certain hospitals, they'll likely continue to audit them. As such, because of improved clinical processes and documentation, plus enhanced electronic attachment submission, Boca Raton Regional Hospital has seen a dramatic decrease in negative outcomes of audits since 2012. Additionally, engaging in this new strategy has created accountability for all parties involved in the process.
But as we know, today's healthcare providers continue to drown in a sea of paper, even with ever-continuous upgrades and enhancements to practice management systems and the push to electronic health records. Integrating electronic request-and-response processes into the workflow, providing connectivity and interoperability with an electronic health record, can help health systems better control administrative and storage costs, comply with regulations, and respond to Medicare audits. Furthermore, this can reduce the time it takes for payors to process claims, as Boca Raton Regional Hospital can attest.
Additionally, these electronic request-and-response systems help improve security of records during the transfer process and eliminate the numerous boxes of files that providers currently may be required to ship to payors during the claims adjudication process. From a claims perspective, electronic data exchange automates and streamlines adjudication, helping hospitals save money each year related to the identifying, processing, storing, and tracking attachments.
For years, those working with Medicare have wanted more flexibility in the way they respond to audit requests. Payors and health systems continue to be very receptive to creating new efficiencies in submitting records and other documentation electronically. Now that Medicare is finally moving in this direction, health systems can begin doing the same.
And, though it seems like an obvious and simple problem to overcome, personally I feel that it's also one of the most underreported.
Lindy Benton has worked in the healthcare information technology field for more than 20 years and is currently the CEO of EA Holdings, which includes MEA and NEA. Before joining MEA/NEA, Lindy served as divisional executive at The Sage Group, managing a $350 million division with 1,400 employees. Prior to working at Sage, Lindy worked at Cerner Corporation for 15 years. She held various leadership positions, wherein she achieved double-digit revenue growth while building high-performing teams that were consistently recognized year after year with outstanding achievement awards.
Source: RAC Monitor
BLOG: Speeding Up Claims Adjudication with Electronic Attachments
BLOG: The Role of Attachments in the Electronic Claims Process


Being a bit overweight doesn't raise your risk of dying from cancer or heart disease, and could actually protect you from some infections, say government researchers.
The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and based on 2004 mortality stats for 2.3 million U.S. adults, are the latest pieces in the confusing scientific puzzle of body, weight and health.
\– might be okay. It doesn't up the risk of dying from heart disease or cancer, and is actually associated with lower rates of death from emphysema, various infections and pneumonia.
... the results may be misleading. For example, diabetes and heart disease often occur together and both often afflict overweight people.
So when diabetes is listed as a cause of death, heart disease could have contributed, he said.
Eckel also said the study results might reflect aggressive efforts to treat high blood pressure and cholesterol or other conditions that can lead to fatal heart attacks. Those conditions often occur in overweight people and can be costly and debilitating even if they aren't always deadly, he said.
That gets at a very important caveat here: the study looked at death rates, not health or quality of life. So don't cancel your gym membership and stock up on cheesecake just yet. But if you're a bit overweight, it's not the end of the world.


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Leading agents to share proven listing strategies
07 October 2015 Staff Reporter
Australia's top four real estate agents will soon reveal the strategies they use to sell more than 100 properties per year.
James Tostevin, Alexander Phillips, Marcus Chiminello and Ric Serrao, who occupied the top four spots in this year's Top 100 Agents ranking, will appear at this month's Secrets of the Top 100 roadshow.
Each of those agents made more than 100 sales and recorded volumes of more than $200 million in 2014.
They will discuss how agents can win listings, deliver outstanding client service, differentiate themselves from their rivals, and use social media and video to build their brand.
The roadshow will visit Melbourne on 13 October and Sydney on 20 October. Limited tickets are remaining: click here for details.
Australia's top four agents will be joined by eight other agents from the top 40: Glen Coutinho, Michael Clarke, Jason Boon, Adrian Bo, Piers van Hamburg, Tim Heavyside, Nick Renna and Chris Hassall.
Those agents demonstrated their elite status last year by booking an average of $128.1 million worth of business from an average of 95.9 sales.
John McGrath will also present a keynote speech that explains why the top agents are capable of significantly more output than the rest.
[Related: James Tostevin reveals how to hold firm on commissions]
Last Updated: 21 March 2017 Published: 07 October 2015


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School of Information, Pratt Institute
#infoshow
© 2022 Student Work
Parentage on Mount Olympus
July 19, 2020 / 0 comments
When completed, this in-progress project aims to illustrate the overlapping and contradictory parentages of the Greek gods. In the lore and study of ancient Greek mythology, many classical sources have attributed deities' parentage to a variety of other deities; it becomes almost impossible to keep track of how many variations of parentage a single member…
MET Painting API Analysis
Dataset: My project is the MET archive analysis report. I used the API (RESTful web service in JSON format) that provides access to all of The Met's Open Access data. It has all of the artworks at the MET so I chose to focus on just one medium of art to help focus on a…
Brooklyn Museum Cross Stitch Bot
I spent this past academic year working as a web archiving fellow with the New York Art Resources Consortium (NYARC). As part of that work, I was responsible for performing quality assurance on the archives of the Brooklyn Museum's website, so I became intimately familiar with the structure of the site and the metadata of…
Startup Investments
The number of startups has continued to grow over the years but only a few succeed, as a reported 90% of startups fail. With such a high failure rate, I was curious as to what types of startups investors were funding and if there were any trends among these investments. I obtained a spreadsheet of…
For this project, I used Python to determine several insights regarding street trees throughout the NYC area. I was able to perform this analysis by using the 2015 NYC Street Tree Census data from NYC Open Data. First, I downloaded the 2015 NYC Street Tree Census csv file from NYC Open Data then I created…
Pratt listserv Work Opportunities
This project aimed to analyze the different types of work opportunities emailed out on the Pratt Institute School of Information listserv. This project consists of two parts: First exporting the Pratt School of Information listserv emails. In February 2020 the School of Information created separate listservs for each of the different degree tracks, so I…
Groundwater Contamination in Tennessee
August 27, 2019 / 0 comments
This project looks at the effect of coal ash contamination on groundwater in the state of Tennessee. Tennessee relies on coal-power plants for electricity or other processing and has reported a consistent rise in groundwater contamination which could lead to a rise in drinking water contamination by depending on how close the drinking water source…
MoMA's Collection: Gender & Artist Collectives
In working on this project, I first attempted to use MoMA's Artists csv file, which is found on the museum's website, to analyze both the gender dynamics of the collection and the issues those dynamics present. I immediately encountered an important issue: the csv file only allows for binary genders. Additionally, there is no way…
Visit Like a New Yorker
Why am I interested in this topic? This project is based on personal interest.My new yorker story started from fall 2018, my friends visited me when they know I arrived, I am new here, and I was so new that I could not give them too much advice on places to visit,restaurant to check out……
Object Records at the Fogg Museum
This project looked at the database from the Fogg Museum. Through a Harvard API key all the data in the "objects" category were scrapped and using Python they were converted into json files, which were then exported to Tableau to analyze the number of records of the artists' name, birthplace, deathplace, culture and gender, as…
RhinoScriptSyntax Exploration
This was an exploration of RhinoScriptSyntax, a python enabled function of Rhino 3D modeling. By uploading CSV files into Rhino, data can be visualized both in 2D and 3D space, with the customization of any design concept. After a variety of experiments were more finalized to show three useful attributes of this python use. The…
Native Arts at the Denver Art Museum
This project used Python and Beautiful Soup to scrape the Denver Art Museum's collections website (https://denverartmuseum.org/collection) For this project, I focused on the works of art in their "Native Arts" department, which contains artifacts and works of art from indigenous cultures of North America and the South Pacific, as well as ethnic groups in Africa….
Human vs. Machine
At the outset of a keyword tagging project for a museum collection, a question that repeatedly came up during research was artificial intelligence tagging (sometimes referred to as computer vision) compared to human tagging. Larger museums who have tested out computer vision technology currently available have often chosen to go with people for keyword tagging…
Top Songs Sentiment Analysis
Sentiment Analysis is the process of determining whether a piece of writing is positive, negative or neutral. In this project, sentiment analysis is performed on the lyrics of the top 20 songs for the last 10 years. Song Title, Artist Name and Year in which the song was on the list were scrapped from billboard.com….
US Therapists
For my project, I wanted to see how many therapists there are per state in the United States to assess which states have the most access per 100,000 people and which have the least. Writing the Script First, I needed a way to iterate through each state's listings of therapists on PsychologyToday.com using the BeautifulSoup…
Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Archives EAD
This project, created during the Programming for Cultural Heritage course at Pratt Institute iSchool, was designed in response to the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation's Archives (RRFA) request for a CSV formatted finding aid to facilitate shipping of materials for digitization and storage. The EAD XML finding aid used for this conversion is an export from ArchivesSpace….
The New Deal in New Orleans
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was one of the largest and most ambitious federal agencies created by Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of the New Deal. From 1935-1942, the WPA employed millions of Americans throughout the country as a means of ameliorating unemployment and poverty caused by the Great Depression. Eligible skilled and unskilled workers…
311 Live Map
This project attempts to create a 'live' map of 311 data for the City of New York. The data is not truly live since the API is updated only once a day. The project has two parts: a Python script that makes an API call and performs data manipulations before converting to a geojson file,…
Mapping Pre-Prohibition Alcohol in Brookyln
King's County Distillery, established in 2010, claims to be the "oldest whiskey distillery in Brooklyn" because of how lasting the effects of prohibition were on alcohol production in this borough. We were interested in knowing which Brooklyn neighborhoods felt the effects of prohibition most. As our data source in this investigation, we used publicly available…
Confronting Documentation of the US War on Terror
Sorry, your browser doesn't support embedded videos. This project was born out of a love of metadata and a concern for the visibility of human rights violations by the US government under the War on Terror. Confronting Documentation of the US War on Terror takes existing metadata about US government documents collected by the nongovernmental…


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DSU women's basketball starts third straight year learning new system
Patrick Carr
pcarr@thespectrum.com
A glance at the Dixie State women's basketball roster reveals 13 total players, eight of whom are new to the team.
As far as new head coach J.D. Gustin is concerned, there are 13 new players, all trying to learn the new systems under the three new coaches, all trying to figure out how they'll fit into the team.
That's how new it is for the women's basketball team, which is a little more than halfway through fall practice in preparation for its first game on Nov. 11 against Colorado Mesa.
It is such that Gustin is going by the old adage of, "get better every day."
"Right now we're kind of in a, we're a little bit paralyzed with information, so we're trying to work through that currently," Gustin said.
That's how he described last Friday's scrimmage against Snow College, information overload. He doesn't expect it to be an overnight fix, either.
After a long road, Jacob and D'Angelo Mpungi call St. George home
It is a daunting task for Gustin and company to try and replace 72 percent of last season's scoring output, at times dominated by Taylor Mann, who has since graduated.
The leading returning scorer is Ashley Burgee, who averaged 7.6 points per game.
Apart from the learning curves, the talent on the team is evident, as junior college transfer guard Matti Ventling pointed out.
"We have really good streaks (in practice), and when we see the good streaks, we see what we can do and where we can grow from there," she said.
At guard position, the Trailblazers appear particularly deep, with Ventling, returning redshirt sophomore Tramina Jordan, and twin sisters Kili and Ali Franks, from Redding, California.
In practice on Tuesday, all four showed good ability handling the ball and shooting.
For Jordan, it's the third new head coach after Catherria Turner was fired in 2014 and Jenny Thigpin, who was head coach last season, resigned before Gustin took over this summer.
SUU football: Offense is no longer boom or bust
"And it's been new for the past three years, so each year is hard, I have to say," she said.
Another positive that Ventling points out is that this year is the start of a brand-new team, building a program from the ground up, which is what Gustin says is his favorite thing to do as a coach.
"Everyone looks at it as a disadvantage, but we're going to take it and do good things," Ventling said.
The hardest part of the whole learning and transition process, Ventling and Jordan said, is familiarity with each other on and off the court.
In the meantime, DSU, picked seventh out of 14 teams in the PacWest preseason poll, is already starting to prepare for the Nov. 11 game against the Mavericks, a team that flitted in and out of the top 25 last season.
Connect with reporter Patrick Carr on Twitter @PatrickCarr_ and on Facebook at Facebook.com/PatrickJosephCarr1/ or call him at (435) 231-3834.


Join our very popular picking days, where you can help bring in the harvest, then enjoy a family style meal with all your fellow pickers in the vineyard. For grape picking, we normally start the day with coffee and a light breakfast at 7.30. Picking starts at 8 with a coffee break at 10am and then a family-style farm lunch in the vineyard at noon.
We also run events with our sister farm, Black Bicycle Farm, where we combine wine tasting and picnics with lavender days, fruit picking or helping with the olive harvest.
Please send us an email if you are interested in joining the mailing list for these picking days.