text:
From Darkness to Dawn: Ivan Gonzalez won't let his undocumented status slow him down
Kore Chan/Senior Staff
By Hooman Yazdanian | Staff
Last Updated October 24, 2015
At 5 years old, all Ivan Gonzalez was worried about was keeping his head down.
He and the other four people in his family were crossing the California border to come to the United States from Mexico, trying to hide from the helicopters that patrolled the evening skies. The trip had spanned a couple of nights, and the family had driven from their home in Mexico City to a spot closer to the border — but to remain undetected, they needed to complete the rest of the journey on foot.
Or, rather, on hands and knees.
The family was forced to crawl through random farmlands as they moved closer to where they would try to cross the border. As they crawled through these strange, foreign fields, the moon lit the night sky only enough so that the family could see dirt building up under their fingernails. The faint noise of rustling leaves could easily be mistaken for the snakes with which these fields were said to be filled.
"I remember my dad just being like, 'Oh, don't get up, don't get up — just keep crawling,' like we were just playing a little game," says Ivan, a sophomore Cal track and field athlete.
The night not only provided protection from being detected, but proved critical for another reason: If the family was to travel during the day, the heat of the Mexican summer would literally melt the children's shoes into the ground. But that wasn't the only concern.
"I remember one time that Ivan got poked in the eye by something he couldn't see. I think it was a stick, and he wanted to cry," says Antonio Gonzalez, Ivan's father, in a translation by his son. "But I had to cover his mouth to make sure he wouldn't cry, or we'd all get caught. He was only 5."
As the family continued their trek toward the border, there was more than just the physical path that needed to be illuminated for the Gonzalez family. All that was certain about their future was that it was uncertain.
The Gonzalezes successfully crossed the border, and Ivan's aunt and uncle, Rigoberto and Rosario Gonzalez, picked them up and took the family in for three years in Los Angeles. Knowing they had this place to come to made the decision to cross the border easier for the family.
The ultimate decision to move the family to the United States, however, came only after extreme heartbreak.
Before he moved the family, Antonio worked in the United States as a welder and brought money back home. While this was necessary to put food on the table, it kept Antonio away from what was most important to him — his family.
During one of the few trips that Antonio was able to make across the border to visit his family, a 3-year-old Ivan was unable to recognize his father as Antonio leaned in for a hug, so Ivan pushed Antonio away.
"It was so sad for me to see my own children — for my own blood to not want me. For Ivan to not know me, it was hard," Antonio remembers through tears. "It made me realize I wanted our whole family to be together in a single place — together. That's why I wanted to move here. I saw a better life for all of us. I just wanted to be with my family all the time."
This drove Antonio and his wife, Patricia, to decide to move their family to the United States. But it was Patricia's pregnancy that determined when, because the couple wanted to cross the border in time for their daughter Jackie to be born an American citizen. So Ivan; his parents; his older sister, Lorena; and his older brother, Manuel, prepared to cross the border.
After the crossing, Antonio continued his work as a welder but was paid less than his peers, largely because of his undocumented status. Despite this, the Gonzalezes accumulated enough money that they were able to move out of Rigoberto and Rosario's home and into an apartment of their own in Los Angeles. After four years in Los Angeles, they left for a home in Bakersfield, California.
Living in California put the family in a climate where the immigration debate was especially prevalent. But there were benefits to living there as well, as it provided a ready-made community of fellow immigrants. This also gave Ivan and his family a look at how risky living there was, and how terrifying the worst-case scenario could be.
"I've met other immigrants who came to this country, but for some reason or another, they haven't been able to get their papers fixed, and one of them gets deported — either the wife or the husband," says Patricia, in a translation by her son. "The family ends up separated, and the kids have to grow up missing a parent."
When Ivan first started attending school in the United States, he was in a wholly different environment from the one from which he had come. And his classmates made sure he knew they were aware that he was different. Each mispronounced word brought mockery and the renewed taunts that Ivan should go back to where he came from. It was enough hatred and derision to make anyone — let alone a child — feel ostracized.
Perhaps the most biting words Ivan heard were not those of his fellow students, but of his elementary school teacher.
"She told me I probably wasn't even going to make it," Ivan says. "She said, 'It's gonna be tough here. You're not gonna fit in here.' "
Adam Setser, Ivan's health teacher as well as track and cross country coach, remembers him being especially quiet in class — something Setser partially attributes to Ivan's fear of pronouncing something imperfectly and getting ridiculed for it. It began to seem impossible for Ivan to thrive or enjoy life in the United States. As the bullying continued well into high school, and more and more vitriol was spouted about immigration, it would have been easy for Ivan to become discouraged.
Instead of being consumed by the public debate surrounding him, Ivan focused on school and running. He took advantage of opportunities such as his school's English language development program, or ELD, from fifth to eighth grade — which was a source of more bullying.
"You didn't want to tell people that you were there," Ivan says. "They'd be like, 'Oh, what class do you have third period?' and I had ELD. So I was like, 'Oh, English — it's a second English class.' And some people would say, 'No you don't. You have ELD.' And then the jokes and stuff like that started."
Ivan also turned to athletics in high school, where he began to show star-athlete potential.
"I know he always dreamed of being an Olympian or a professional at his sport," Setser says. "As he became more successful in track, it kind of made him realize that his dream may actually be able to come true here."
Ivan's track career eventually led to a California state championship in the 800-meter race, with a time of 1:50.71 — close to the NCAA qualifying time that year, in just his second season on the high school team. His successes brought him to UC Berkeley as a cross country and track athlete, making him the first in his family to attend a university.
Ivan, who had a solid first year at UC Berkeley, has had a few injuries that have marred his sophomore season, which can prove difficult in a sport that hinges so much on being in perfect competition shape and having a mileage base. In his redshirt freshman year on the cross country team, Ivan needed to get oral surgery, which kept him from running for three weeks. This put him out of shape for the rest of the season and shifted his focus to getting in shape in time for the track season. But Ivan had to redshirt the 2015 track season because of shin splints.
"When I found out I was coming to the world's third-ranked university, I was like, 'Dang, you know, I'm running for them,' " Ivan says. "It's a miracle, you know, being here. That's what I like to call it."
This new chapter in Ivan's life coincides with new good fortunes for his family. Ivan's brother, Manuel, fell in love with and married an American citizen, which has opened the door to what could be legalization for the whole family. Patricia already has a green card, and Antonio and Ivan will be next. Antonio's career as a welder is becoming more lucrative, and the family finds itself in better shape than they would have been in if they hadn't come to the United States.
In many ways, the whole family believes it has achieved the American Dream.
"I'm very happy that we came here, because all of the kids and all of us have made lives here and reached goals that we probably wouldn't have been able to reach in Mexico," Patricia says. "There were opportunities here that I'm very thankful for."
This is not to say that the often-harsh rhetoric surrounding immigration does not still affect Ivan's family. To them, it is hurtful and disturbing that people are questioning whether they belong in their new home, and that they have been made to look like villains who are here to steal American jobs.
"We were all made to be free. That's what God made us for — to be free, to make our own decisions," Patricia says. "There are opportunities for everybody. Everyone has the opportunity to become what they want. I don't know why people are worried about immigrants coming to this country. We're all here for the same reasons — to work, to give our families a good life. We don't come here to rob or to steal. We come here for the same reason that they're here."
Ivan has taken this opportunity and done more with it than he could have imagined. Now he hopes to get rights and recognition for the DREAM-er community — the people who meet the requirements of the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors, or DREAM, Act — and to make it known that they are people and deserve to be treated as such, just like everyone else.
"We're just here to live those opportunities, just to live the American Dream, I guess — to make our kids have better lives than we had," Ivan says. "I'm not ashamed to say I'm a DREAM-er."
The little boy who came to this country with his head down can now look up.
Contact Hooman Yazdanian at [email protected].
Cal Track and Field, ivan gonzalez, sports profiles


text:
Q: Haskell Aeson with HTTP Request I'm a complete newbie to Haskell and having some trouble parsing JSON from a url. I have managed to code the parsing sides of things and have tested with Strings and they work fine. The trouble I'm getting is when I start working with IO.
I have the following code :
data Movie = Movie
    { adult :: Bool,
      backdrop_path :: Maybe String,
      id :: Int,
      original_title :: String,
      release_date :: String,
      poster_path :: Maybe String,
      popularity :: Int,
      title :: String,
      vote_average :: Double,
      vote_count :: Int
    } deriving (Show)

data MovieList = MovieList {getMovies ::[Movie]} deriving (Show)

instance FromJSON Movie where
    parseJSON (Object v) = Movie <$>
                   (v .: "adult") <*>
                   (v .:? "backdrop_path") <*> -- Optional
                   (v .: "id") <*>
                   (v .: "original_title") <*>
                   (v .: "release_date") <*>
                   (v .:? "poster_path") <*> -- Optional
                   (v .: "popularity") <*>
                   (v .: "title") <*>
                   (v .: "vote_average") <*>
                   (v .: "vote_count")

instance FromJSON MovieList where
    parseJSON (Object o) = MovieList <$> o .: "results"
    parseJSON _          = mzero

movieAPIRequest :: String -> IO String
movieAPIRequest movieURI =
    do resp <- simpleHTTP request
       case resp of
         Left x -> return $ "Error connecting: " ++ show x
         Right r ->
             case rspCode r of
               (2,_,_) -> return $ rspBody r -- Request Fulfilled
               _ -> return $ show r -- Request Failed
    where request = Request {rqURI = uri, rqMethod = GET, rqHeaders = [], rqBody = ""}
          uri = fromJust $ parseURI movieURI

convertToByteString s = BS.pack s

main = do
    response <- movieAPIRequest url
    decoded <- decode (convertToByteString response):: Maybe MovieList
    return $ decoded

I can't get the main to work. I want to automatically retrieve JSON from a url. The movieAPIRequest gives me the body of the request (JSON) as IO String. convertToByteString takes a String and converts to Data.ByteString.Lazy.Char8.ByteString as the decode function in Aeson takes a bytestring as an argument. With the above code I'm getting the following error:
[1 of 1] Compiling MovieDataType    ( MovieDataType.hs, interpreted )
MovieDataType.hs:62:20:
    Couldn't match type `Maybe' with `IO'
    Expected type: IO MovieList
      Actual type: Maybe MovieList
    In a stmt of a 'do' block:
      decoded <- decode (convertToByteString response) :: Maybe MovieList
    In the expression:
      do { response <- movieAPIRequest url;
           decoded <- decode (convertToByteString response) ::
                        Maybe MovieList;
           return $ decoded }
    In an equation for `main':
        main
          = do { response <- movieAPIRequest url;
                 decoded <- decode (convertToByteString response) ::
                              Maybe MovieList;
                 return $ decoded }
Failed, modules loaded: none.

I've tried fixing it but keep getting different that I can't get my head around. For example this one is telling its expecting IO MovieList but decode should return a Maybe MovieList.

A: I see a couple of errors in your main function
main = do
    response <- movieAPIRequest url
    decoded <- decode (convertToByteString response):: Maybe MovieList
    return $ decoded

First of all, if you look up "decode" at http://hackage.haskell.org/package/aeson-0.6.1.0/docs/Data-Aeson.html, you will see that it is of type
decode :: FromJSON a => ByteString -> Maybe a

Note that no IO is involved in this definition, so you can not extract any data from it using "<-".  Instead, use "let decoded = ....".
You can read up on the theory behind this distinction as you learn more Haskell, but for now, just note that if a function returns type IO a, you extract data from it using "value <- function x y" (this is why the movieAPIRequest is fine), whereas if the function has no side effects, you extract the value using "let value = function x y".  (it is more complicated than this, but this is the 90% answer that will keep you going until you learn about monads).
Second, you are returning a value from main, which is of type IO().  This is the hardcoded type of main in any Haskell program, so you can't return any value except "()".  Instead, you have to do something with the value "decoded" (like print it) before the program ends.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


We've all probably poured over one of those monster lists of cognitive biases at one time or another. It's interesting stuff, but isn't much use unless you know what to do with it.
Daniel generously answered some questions about biases, breaking the rules, adviser education, adviser alpha, and rule-based behavioural investing.
Tell me a bit about you, your business, and what you do from day to day?
I have two primary roles; one as a consultant around financial behaviour and the second as an asset manager.
My consulting work is through Brinker Capital's Center for Outcomes, a program designed to help advisors become better at doing what they do best — manage investor behaviour.
Studies from Vanguard, Morningstar, Aon Hewitt and others show that investors who work with advisors receive a 2 to 3% boost in annualised returns as a result of behavioural coaching. Of course, an advisors best advice is only as effective as it is influential to the client, so we help advisors become more persuasive.
On the asset management side, I incorporate the great body of research around decision-making into my stock selection at my firm, Nocturne Capital.
I am of the opinion that asset management is grossly over-engineered and fails to implement much of the extant behavioural finance research. So, if there is an overarching goal it is to help investors make and keep more money by adherence to sound psychological principles.
How did you get started working in behavioural finance?
I was originally a finance major in college but took a two-year break (after my Freshman year) to serve a mission for my church in Manila, Philippines. After two years of helping people turn their lives around and seeing lots of untreated mental illness, I thought that the best course for me would be to pursue a degree in psychology.
About halfway through grad school I was already getting stressed out by having to talk to people at the lowest points in their life and wanted more positivity in mine. I began to look for business applications of psychology that would combine my love of thinking about why people do what they do with a non-clinical setting. I'm the son of an advisor and so investment management was where I started and ended my search!
It's pretty easy to find a list of behavioural biases, but knowing how to use that knowledge to prevent or minimise the impact, is tricky.
Can you share some examples of how we can apply some of this knowledge in practice (with clients and with ourselves)?
The enumeration of the myriad ways in which we are irrational was a useful point for behavioural finance to break from traditional approaches, but it isn't all that helpful in the moment.
For instance, we've now identified well over 100 ways in which we all make money mistakes but knowing that does very little to impact my decision-making day-to-day and it may actually harm me.
Part of what I did in The Laws of Wealth was to break down the existing universe of investor misbehaviour into five fundamental pillars. There may be 117 different ways to get it wrong, but fundamentally they all load on to one of the five.
Susie note: Here's a snippet from The Laws of Wealth (p.65), sharing a practical example from the research. And imagine if we put photos in Statements of Advice?
'The process of mentally bucketing money in multiple accounts is often combined with earmarking the accounts for specific goals.
While it seems like an inconsequential process, earmarking can have a dramatic effect on retirement savings.
It's common for people to think that biases apply more to other people than themselves. And advisers probably focus mostly on client behaviour, rather than their own. But no-one's immune.
Who do you think is responsible for more financial destruction — biases in clients or professionals? Why?
I like to say that the less you think the lessons of behavioural finance apply to you, the more that they do. There is some research to suggest that fund managers and advisors are prone to the very same mistakes that retail investors are.
For example, fund managers consistently have their highest cash positions when stocks are the cheapest and have the best projected forward returns.
The difference seems to be that we are able to give others good advice even when we don't follow it ourselves. So, even though an advisor might make all of the same mistakes in his own portfolio, he can keep you from doing it in a sort of "do as I say and not as I do" scenario.
In a way, I kind of like how helpless we all are by ourselves because I guess it means that the members of the human family really need each other!
I write books and speak about these things daily and I still pay an advisor because I know that all of my knowledge is for naught when things get truly scary in the market.
Do you sometimes break your own rules? i.e. become a victim of your own biases, even though you know what's good for you?
I'm actually struggling with a decision right now about whether to pay off my house or not. It would take a sizeable chunk out of my retirement savings to pay off my house and I know the sort of negative impact that would have on the ability of that money to compound.
On the other hand, it would just feel so good to have it taken care of, regardless of the fact that my expected returns in the market are much higher than the interest rate on my house. I haven't made a move yet but it's something I think about almost constantly. Not a very dramatic mistake, perhaps, but it's where I'm at today.
Where can advisers learn more about behavioural finance?
The most affordable (and perhaps best) option is to start with some of the books on my list.
More and more we are seeing continuing education on the topic as well. IMCA has a formal program that is informative if rather dry and beyond that I think you'd be talking about graduate school.
I understand that Europe has a number of excellent MS degree programs in behavioural finance and behavioural economics, but the US is sorely lacking in that regard.
I've said before that I hope one day that behavioural finance will be so deeply integrated into core courses that no distinction will be made between what is "behavioural finance" and "traditional finance." Inasmuch as all finance is behavioural so why make the distinction?
Australia is currently undergoing reforms for the education of financial advisers. If you could design the course/qualification of your dreams, what would it look like?
Vanguard has a fantastic white paper out called, "Advisor's Alpha" that speaks to where advisors add value. They show that advisors add about 300 bps of value per year and that behavioural coaching accounts for fully half of that. Nothing else an advisor does accounts for anything like 150 bps of value.
Any advisor education course that doesn't have behavioural finance at its core is lacking and out of step with the research.
How does this all apply to active/passive investing? What do you see as the implications?
Part of what I take on in the book is what I see as the false dichotomy of active versus passive investing. What we refer to as "passive" investing is subject to human bias too, inasmuch as the index itself is created by a committee who sometimes breaks their own rules to include growth names. Inasmuch as market cap indices are slanted toward growth, large market capitalisation and expensive stocks, I think that we can do better.
On the other hand, what we refer to as "active" investing has problems as well. The sad truth is that nearly ¾ of active funds (so-called) are low conviction and don't differ meaningfully from their benchmark. So, you're getting high fees and no real differentiation, the worst of both worlds. Active funds also tend to overtrade and tactical funds are especially guilty of this.
Instead of engaging in a false discussion around what is active and what's passive, I advocate investments that meet the following criteria — diversified, low turnover, moderate fee, and account for behavioural bias. Passive investing hits the first three points, but fails to capture the final point and that's where I try to add value.
What book have you read that you'd recommend and why?
It's a great question and one that I get asked so frequently that I actually prepared a list of my favorites. Of course, in a nod to overconfidence, my book is at the very top of the list.
Susie note: I've read Doctor Crosby's book and think it's a cracking read. It's like a combo of Ariely and Kahnemann. Easy to read, lots of interesting examples and research, and deep in its ideas and application.
What piece of software or tool is integral to your day?
I use an online value investing portal called GuruFocus that has some of the obscure academic metrics that are a big part of my decision-making. Some of them are quite hard to find but the folks at GuruFocus do a great job of putting it all in one place.
If you weren't a behavioural finance guy, what would you be doing?
I would be a writer. I'm never happier than when I'm writing, I only wish it paid a little better. I would love to write children's books and think I might actually take a run at it now that I've written a few finance books.
Susie note: Daniel's already written a kid's book called Everyone You Love Will Die.
What's the best way to find out more about you?
Susie note: Daniel's worth a follow on Twitter. Both funny and educational.
New Post: What does the Brexit mean for your long-term financial goals?
Me: Its your night, we can do anything you want.
Kid: Lets eat at Subway and watch the Jar Jar Binks Star Wars.


text:
Patricians and Emperors (ePub)
The Last Rulers of the Western Roman Empire
Ancient History Military
By Ian Hughes
File Size: 21.4 MB (.epub)
Illustrations: 8
eBook Released: 2nd September 2015
Get Patricians and Emperors (ePub) for FREE when you purchase 2 other eBooks.
Other formats available - Buy the Hardback and get the eBook for free!
Patricians and Emperors Hardback Add to Basket £25.00
Patricians and Emperors Kindle (28.2 MB) Add to Basket £4.99
Patricians and Emperors offers concise comparative biographies of the individuals who wielded power in the final decades of the Western Roman Empire, from the assassination of Aetius in 454 to the death of Julius Nepos in 480.
The book is divided into four parts. The first sets the background to the period, including brief histories of Stilicho (395-408) and Aetius (425-454), explaining the nature of the empire and the reasons for its decline. The second details the lives of Ricimer (455-472) and his great rival Marcellinus (455-468) by focusing on the stories of the numerous emperors that Ricimer raised and deposed. The third deals with the Patricians Gundobad (472-3) and Orestes (475-6), as well as explaining how the barbarian general Odoacer came to power in 476. The final part outlines and analyses the Fall of the West and the rise of barbarian kingdoms in France, Spain and Italy.
This is a very welcome book to anyone seeking to make sense of this chaotic, but crucial period.
The author had a clear intention in writing this book. He mentions in the Introduction that there have been a number of publications concerned with the Fall, many focusing on "Why?" His intention with this book was different – to largely avoid such speculation, and to instead concentrate on writing a coherent chronological narrative of events. And that he does, in spades!
... The book jacket states "This book is the perfect starting point for anyone seeking to make sense of this chaotic, but crucial period of Roman history." No argument there. It is dense with material. Every page is populated with new characters, plots, and intrigues. I plan to re-read this book – the author has whetted my interest in what was a fascinating historical period.
UNRV - Alex Johnston
About Ian Hughes
A full-time author, Ian Hughes specializes in the military history of the late Roman Empire. He is the author of Belisarius: The Last Roman General (2009); Stilicho: the Vandal who saved Rome (2010); Aetius: Attila's Nemesis (2012); Imperial Brothers: Valentinian, Valens and the Disaster at Adrianople (2013); Patricians and Emperors (2015); Gaiseric: The Vandal Who Sacked Rome (2017) and Attila the Hun (2018). In his spare time he builds or restores electric guitars, plays football and historical wargames. He lives in South Yorkshire.
More titles by Ian Hughes

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Democrats are unveiling their first bill for the new Congress, a good-government package to limit big money in politics, make it easier for citizens to vote and require presidents to disclose their tax returns.
The legislation, H.R. 1, sets the tone for Democrats as they take the majority in January.
The bill would create national voter registration and expand access to early, online voting. It also would increase federal support for state voter systems, including paper ballots to prevent fraud.


text:
4 Temples Near Mount Faber In Singapore For An Unforgettable Experience In 2021
Singapore is considered to be one of the most-visited nations, essentially because of the presence of various tourist sites that attract people from all over the world. The country has seen major developments over a period of time after it gained freedom from the rules of the British Empire and the Imperial Japanese Army. These developments came in the form of architectural, technological, and financial growth. However, the cultural and religious structures of this country did not experience a setback after this developmental phase. You'll find many temples all over the country that will ensure you undergo one of the best sightseeing experiences. You'll even find some of the major temples near Mount Faber that will surely satiate your spirits.
The country of Singapore is known for its picturesque landscapes and is covered with lush greenery that pleases the eyes and the beholder's heart. Mount Faber is a famous hill in the country that stands at the height of 105 metres and is lying in Buki Merah – a town in centremost region of the island city state. From here, you can have a mesmerising view of the area of Telok Blangah. There are interesting sites around this mountain and some of them are very famous temples of Singapore.
5 Temples Near Mount Faber
Since the country of Singapore has multiple religions practised by the people here, including Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and more, you'll find numerous churches, monasteries, mosques, and temples here. The religion that is followed the most here is Buddhism and this is why the Buddhist temples or monasteries are widespread in the country.
A religious tour in this country would definitely be spiritually enlightening as you'll get to learn a lot, especially about the eclectic culture followed by Singaporeans. Listed below are some of the best temples that are located around the awe-striking Mount Faber. Don't forget to include them in your itinerary.
1. Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple
This temple has been established out of devotion to Lord Krishna. This temple was constructed in the year 1855 and has been constructed in Dravidian architecture. The highlight of this temple is the five-tiered Gopuram that stands at the height of 20 metres, featuring mesmerising embellishments. This temple is a venue to the Thaipusam festival that is celebrated every year in the honour of Murugan, a Hindu God.
Location: 397 Serangoon Rd, Singapore 218123
2. Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple
This temple is more than 150 years old and its consecration happened in 1850 – this was after some people found the idol of Lord Vinayagar under the tree of Sengapa, beside a pond. After that discovery, a very small abode was made for the idol along the Sengapa tree. Currently, this temple, located on Ceylon Road, is known all over the country of Singapore for its brilliant Chola architecture.
Location: 19 Ceylon Rd, Singapore 429613
3. Thian Hock Keng Temple
Thian Hock Keng Temple is the oldest Chinese temple and the most prominent Hokkien temple of the country. There are two temples, one is dedicated to Mazuthe Taoist goddess of the sea; and the second one at the back is dedicated to Kuan Yinthe Buddhist god of mercy. The temple has vibrant interiors with bright colored tiles and colorful carvings of peacock and roses. The grand entrance with the lions, tigers and the Door Gods guarding the door feels like a different world altogether.
Being the oldest one built in 1842, it attracts many tourists with its splendor. Famous among the Chinese historical monuments of Singapore, the temple is great place to be at for some calmness and serenity.
Timings: 7:30 am to 5:30 pm
Read More: Religious Places
4. Burmese Buddhist Temple
A fine example of art and architecture, this temple houses an eleven feet tall Buddha statue weighing 10 tonnes made of pure white marble. The statute originally came from Mandalay and is one of the largest marble Buddha statues in the world. The Bodhi tree here is said to have been originated from the same tree under which Buddha got enlightenment. The temple made in 1875, is the oldest Theravada Buddhist Temple, which makes it one of the most famous Buddhist temples in Singapore.
Location: 14 Tai Gin Rd, Singapore
Timings: 6:30 AM – 9 PM
Read More: The Most Magnificent Temples In Singapore
5. Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple
One of the oldest temples in Singapore, Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple had been built by the migrant Indians who came there to work, live in the city and finally settle there. This temple is dedicated to the Goddess Sri Veeramakaliamman or Kali, also known as the destroyer of evil. Due to unique architectural and historical significance of this temple, it remains the center of attraction and is considered one of the most spectacular tourist spots for the tourists and the believers of Hinduism.
Read More: Popular Hindu Temples In Singapore
Singapore is known worldwide to be the most technology-ready nation. A Singapore holiday would be considered to be worthwhile if you'll cover most of the major aspects the country is known for. Moreover, adding the above-listed temples to your travel plan would definitely make your whole experience memorable.
Category: Singapore, Temples
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5 Temples In Trivandrum That You Shouldn't Miss On Your Next Trip To Kerala
8 Best Temples In Mysore To Explore The Heritage & Grandeur In 2021!
Top 21 Temples In Himachal Pradesh To Visit In This Heaven's Abode In 2021!


text:
Q: MVC - Cocoa interface - Cocoa Design pattern book So I started reading this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Cocoa-Design-Patterns-Erik-Buck/dp/0321535022
On chapter 2 it explains about the MVC design pattern and gives and example which I need some clarification to.
The simple example shows a view with the following fields:
hourlyRate, WorkHours, Standarthours , salary.
The example is devided into 3 parts :
View - contains some text fiels and a table (the table contains a list of employees' data).
Controller - comprised of NSArrayController class (contains an array of MyEmployee)
Model - MyEmployee class which describes an employee.
MyEmployee class has one method which return the salary according to the calculation logic,
and attributes in accordance with the view UI controls.
MyEmployee inherits from NSManagedObject.
Few things i'm not sure of :
1. Inside the MyEmplpyee class implemenation file, the calculation method gets the class attributes using sentence like
" [[self valueForKey:@"hourlyRate"] floatValue];" Howevern, inside the header there is no data member named hourlyRate or any of the view fields.
I'm not quite sure how does it work, and how it gets the value from the right view field. (does it have to be the same name as the field name in the view).
maybe the conncetion is made somehow using the Interface builder and was not shown in the book ?
and more important:
2. how does it seperate the view from the model ? let's say ,as the book implies might happen, I decide one day to remove one of the fields in the view.
as far as I understand, that means changing the way the salary method works in MyEmplpyee  (cause we have one field less) , and removing one attribute from the same calss.
So how is that separate the View from the Model if changing one reflect on the other ?
I guess I get something wrong... Any comments ?
Thanks

A: *

*The valueForKey: method implementation is discussed here. Note that valueForKey: can actually access the ivars directly without calling any methods.

*If you remove a column from your NSTableView you don't have to remove it from your model object class. It's still there, it just doesn't get displayed.


E.g. any general question that looks a bit like Fermat's Last Theorem gets sucked into the Fermat's Last Theorem attractor.
What should we say about the psychological variables?
Suppose for the sake of argument that theorems are the attractors. And suppose that the (chaos) theory turns out not to depend on any psychological variables very much. Then maybe this will make a good argument for (a pragmatist form of) mathematical realism.
A fantastic idea: what are the psychological variables involved in repellors? Good example: non-Euclidean geometry. What sorts of schools should we run to train kids to think the repellors? And what about mystical traditions: can they help us go towards repellors?
Jason - I was writing this as an e-mail but it got long and I though this might be easier.
Great idea. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/reflective-equilibrium/ might be helpful … although the history is a bit odd, because Goodman almost certainly got the idea from Quine, who isn't mentioned. BTW, Goodman is one of my heros, but I don't think he's good on this topic. But Quine might be. I have the relevant books in my office.
A worry with Rawl's concept in the moral sphere is that convergence is not guaranteed - intuitive moral principles may be incompatible with specific judgements to the extent that the system just oscillates, resulting in cognitive dissonance or outright rejection of the process. I don't think this worry is as acute in the mathematical sphere, as intuition here settles more reasily (lol… guess that's readily/easily). good word However, this obviously isn't always true (whence the AC joke). Good. I think you hvae to use that joke somehow.
[[blue I think perhaps we were coming from two different angles at this point. Tell me if you agree. On the one hand, if we view the above as a diachronic 'sociology' of mathematical practice, then there is no problem if intuitions do not settle or are deductively inconsistent. We are simply describing a phenomenon and it does what it does.
On the other hand, if we are thinking about a particular mathematician, then the story looks different. The degree of belief she has in axioms or their consequences may motivate her direction of research, and perhaps even affect her beliefs about the physical world. To me it seems that it would be rational for this mathematician to desire (deductive) consistency in her degrees of belief. ]] This is very helpful. My idea was that believing in the consistency of her degrees of belief isn't the same as those degrees of belief being consistent. There is no sense in her having different degrees of belief in AC and WOP, because these two statements have the same implications regarding her other beliefs and her future actions. There's no sense in it. And yet it happens. And it may have good consequences. Or are you sure it doesn't? Thus, while her gut feeling may favour one over the other, she would (for instance) fail a Dutch book-style argument by favouring one in her actions. Right. But you can't use Dutch books — at least not in the normal way — because you don't believe in deductive closure. And that's an important point even aside from my issue about AC, WOP etc. Which I'm mentioning because I think the point I made earlier in this paragraph might be wrong, but no matter what you think about that you should mention the Dutch Book problem.
This might seem a bit trite. Aren't the Dutch book arguments meant to be a bit less literal than this? No! They're meant to be very literal. And lots of people agree that deductive closure is a problem (I can give you a recent example later) … but hardly anybody has anything interesting to say about it, which is why this is such a good topic. [[blue However, I think it's possible to see any argument of this form as a requirement of consistency among existing beliefs. Thus, a bookkeeper who knew the same things as our mathematician could catch her if, for example, she ignored the law of finite additivity. Of course, if the bookie knows more than she does, he can catch her out no matter how consistent she is. So I'm only extending this assumption of 'knowledge equality' to include knowledge of formal logical truths.
This is basically why I think the difference between known and 'potential' logical truths matters. Hope that this makes some kind of sense… ]] Yes, this is all good.
Great example: We're taught that infinity is naughty (in arithmetic / analysis), but then it keeps turning out that one-point compactifications are useful.
Can you reformulate set theory to separate the truth of AC and Zorn's Lemma? Other examples along these lines?
Dutch books: obviously if the bookie knows more than the punter, he can win. If the bookie uses deductive relations which the better is unaware of, the bookie will win. What's going on? "Knowing more" isn't usually taken to include deductive relations, but it should be.
So a mathematician should have two aims: (1) inductive consistency, AND (2) learn as many deductive relations as possible [but only interesting ones].
Could do some classification of different uses of degrees of belief. Each of these will work in a different way. Some of them will be normative: e.g. a mathematician proves something which contradicts a well-known simple result, but without realising this. Then she SHOULD have realised that her proof was wrong.
The gut feeling definition is important, but there's no point in imposing logical constraints on it.
The community definition is also important.
Start the essay with the analogy to physics.


Posted on May 12, 2016 by Eduardo Marin, D.Min.
Reminder for IECEP National Midyear Convention 2016 (few more days). See https://www.facebook.com/iecepmidyear2016/ and http://goo.gl/forms/ftU2kzRd0w for more details.
Posted on May 7, 2016 by Eduardo Marin, D.Min.


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Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is an action role-playing game, the third main game in the Star Ocean series. The game was developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2 console. It was released in Japan, North America, and the PAL territories. The original Japanese release date was in February 2003 by Enix, its penultimate release before its merger to become Square Enix. It was re-released in 2004 as a two-disc Director's Cut version with bonus features such as new characters and dungeons. The North American and European versions are based on the Director's Cut version with Ubisoft handling publishing rights in Europe. Till the End of Time takes place four hundred years after the events of Star Ocean: The Second Story.

Gameplay
While having many similarities to its predecessor, Star Ocean: Till the End of Time includes many elements that make it unique among the majority of role-playing video games. Instead of menu-driven combat, Star Ocean 3 offers real-time interactive combat, similar to the .hack and Tales series. Battles occur when running into enemies on the main travel field or when certain pre-scripted events occur. In battle, the player directly controls one character, while the other two characters are controlled by AI. The player can, however, choose the tactics used by AI characters or switch which character they are directly controlling.

Enemy attacks can target either a player's hit points (HP) or mental points (MP). Players will also lose HP from using special attacks or lose MP from using symbology or runeology, which is functionally equivalent to magic in other games.  If a character loses all of their HP or, unlike most games, if they lose all of their MP, they are knocked out and unable to continue participation in the battle (unless certain revival items are used). Each character also has a Fury meter, which governs how fast the character moves over the battle screen, and how often actions can be performed. Standing still will replenish Fury, while any movement will continue to drain it or cause the character to lag. If all three characters are defeated, the game is over and the player must reload from their last saved game. If all the enemies are defeated, the player is awarded money (Fol) and experience points (EXP). When some groups of enemies are defeated, the player's characters can also receive a small amount of HP/MP, to counteract the HP/MP that was lost as a result of using special attacks or symbology/runeology.

When the player strikes an enemy, the Bonus Battle Gauge will fill. When the gauge reaches full capacity, the player will enter "Bonus Battle". In "Bonus Battle", the player receives special bonuses, which can help benefit a character's EXP, Fol, items received after battle, etc. However, if a character receives a critical hit, runs away from battle, or dies, the gauge will deplete completely, resulting in the end of "Bonus Battle" and any bonuses the player received. The Bonus Battle Gauge will also reset if the player turns the game off and turns it back on, or restarts their save file.

Like the previous games in the series, the game contains an Item Creation feature that allows the player to create and enhance a multitude of items. A variety of trades are offered, including Cookery, Alchemy, Engineering, and Smithery. Workshops for Item Creation are scattered throughout the towns and dungeons of the game and can be invested in by the player to allow a wider variety of items to be made there. Once a player invents an item, they can file for a patent, and get money from the profits made off selling those items in various shops. The player is also able to recruit inventors to aid them in creating various items.

The Director's Cut version added a VS. Mode to battle against a second player or against the computer. Up to two human players could compete, either against each other or against another character controlled by the computer. Another addition was the use of "Battle Trophies" which may be acquired by completing various challenges in combat. For example, a player can receive a battle trophy for winning a battle in under 30 seconds, or for defeating a boss without receiving damage. Earning battle trophies unlocks bonus options such as harder game difficulty levels, alternate costumes, and a sound test.

Story

Setting
The universe of Star Ocean is science fiction in nature, although like the first two games in the series, much of the plot is set on an "underdeveloped planet."  The game is set in S.D 772 (A.D 2858). It features a galaxy-spanning government in the Pangalactic Federation, several races and species of aliens, different factions, multiple colonized planets, and advanced technology. But despite this science fiction atmosphere, a form of magic exists in the universe: symbology, also translated as heraldry in the Japanese version and in Star Ocean: The Second Story. Standard symbology involves tattooing crests and runes onto one's flesh to draw out apparently latent power in the form of spells, and numerous underdeveloped planets make extensive use of it. Despite its supernatural connotations, Symbology is treated as a legitimate field of scientific study in-universe.

Plot
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time begins on the planet Hyda IV where a young man, Fayt Leingod, and his childhood friend, Sophia Esteed, are on vacation with Fayt's family. Fayt is the son of Robert Leingod, a famous scientist in the field of symbological genetics. For an unknown reason, the Vendeeni — an alien civilization with highly advanced technology that spans only a single planet — attacks Hyda IV unprovoked, thus initiating a war with the Pangalactic Federation. Fayt and Sophia escape on the starship Helre, but are separated from Fayt's parents, Robert and Ryoko Leingod. The Helre is also attacked by the Vendeeni, and the two are separated.

Fayt's escape pod lands on the "underdeveloped planet" Vanguard III, a planet with technology equivalent to 16th Century Earth, and discovers an off-world criminal, the exiled Rezerbian Norton, plotting to take it over. Cliff Fittir, a member of the anti-Federation organization Quark, then lands and helps Fayt defeat this criminal. Fayt learns that Quark's leader wishes to speak to him and plans on rescuing his father, though Cliff does not reveal the reason behind this interest. After getting off the planet with Cliff and meeting his assistant Mirage, the Vendeeni again attack them — but they escape and crash-land on another underdeveloped world, Elicoor II. Elicoor seems to be around 17th Century Earth in terms of technological advancement. Fayt, Cliff, and Mirage crash-land into the capital of the Kingdom of Airyglyph, who believe that their ship is a weapon developed by the country they are at war with, Aquaria. Fayt and Cliff are imprisoned as a result Mirage escapes, though they are soon rescued by an assassin-like agent, Nel Zelpher, who believes they are engineers from the technologically advanced continent of Greeton. She rescues them under the condition that they aid her country, Aquaria, with their technological knowledge or that she will kill them to prevent them leaking secrets to Airyglyph. This leads the two directly into the war between the two kingdoms and eventually into a great final battle between them. Then a new — at least to the Elicoorians — foe appears in the skies above, a Vendeeni battleship that has found their quarry. However, Fayt destroys the battleship with a previously unknown power of his, though another battleship remains in orbit. During the distraction, the leader of Quark, Maria Traydor, manages to arrive on Elicoor. It seems that both Quark and the Vendeeni knew of Fayt's unusual abilities, and he had been their target the whole time. The party vies with the Vendeeni over control of an unusual "out of place artifact" and Fayt's father, who is killed before Maria can finish interrogating him over his "crimes."

Fayt finds himself space-borne once more, and the galaxy has not stood still. Shortly after the apparently unprovoked attack on Hyda IV, a threat of destruct-full magnitude emerges in the form of ultra-powerful space-borne beings calling themselves "Executioners." The best ships of the Federation and the Vendeeni are nearly powerless against these new beings, and are quickly being forced into full retreat. The party, acting on a hint from Fayt's father, venture to the Moonbase research station, and Fayt is reunited with Sophia. While on the station, they are confronted by an angelic-looking Executioner that calls itself Proclaimer. It launches itself to attack, telling them that they must be destroyed.

Investigation of the Moonbase records reveals the truth behind the Executioners and their appearance. During the charting of a planet called Styx, explorers encountered an extremely advanced and extremely old Time Gate. When activated, it informed them that their forays into the field of symbological genetics had angered the Creator, and that they were to be destroyed. Even if they were to abandon symbological genetics, the reins would be taken up by another soon enough, and that they were not being warned — they were being sentenced.

The explorers beat a hasty retreat and informed the Federation of what they had found. Studies soon suggested that the statement came from another plane of existence; an entirely new universe. Further study revealed that symbology might be used to access this universe. The scientists agreed to use their own offspring; the subjects were Fayt Leingod, Sophia Esteed, and Maria Traydor. Fayt was the son of Robert and Ryoko Leingod, while Sophia was the daughter of Clive Esteed. Maria was an orphan who was later adopted by the fourth member of the team, Jessie Traydor. The three were symbologically altered in such a way that if they worked together, they could gain entry through the Time Gate. Maria was given the power of Alteration, which would allow her and those with her to remain in physical forms in the new world. Fayt was given the power of Destruction, as it was assumed they would need to physically defend themselves. Two years later, the younger Sophia was given the power of Connection - the key ability needed to make contact with 4D space. The Vendeeni had been attacking in hopes of handing over Fayt to the Executioners and staying their wrath.

The party goes to Styx and finds the area flooded with Executioners. Escaping their ship in a small shuttle, they witness the mysterious beings and their awesome might first-hand as the Federation battleship Aquaelie which had escorted them is destroyed. Reaching the Time Gate, the party enters "4D space," a dimension higher than their own. According to the 4D beings, their universe is actually not real in relation to 4D space; rather, it is a computer simulation developed by Luther Lansfeld, the owner of the Sphere Company. Dubbed the "Eternal Sphere", it is similar to a real-world massively multiplayer online game for the inhabitants of 4D space.

Fayt and his allies learn that the Executioners are anti-viruses sent to delete anomalies in the Milky Way section of the Eternal Sphere. With the help of Blair Lansfeld, programmer and sister to Luther, the party manages to find Luther. Blair and the group believe that the residents of the Eternal Sphere have managed to achieve a level of intelligence equal to that of 4D citizens; Luther, however, considers them "mere data", and in a rage decides to delete the entire Eternal Sphere. The party fights and defeats him, causing him to be deleted himself, but fails to stop the deletion. Ultimately the universe is not destroyed, hinted to be due to the combined sentience of its inhabitants willing its continued existence, and now exists independent of 4D space. The party goes their separate ways, with Fayt's "affection" level dictating whether he goes with one of them or goes off on his own.

Development
One of the major influences of the design changes from Star Ocean: The Second Story to Till the End of Time was Star Trek. The combat system was mostly unaltered from the previous title, but characters were rendered in 3D instead of 2D and more strategy was incorporated into the fights. Transitioning to a completely 3D environment from a 2D/3D mix was a lengthy process, and was only possible due to the increased power of the PlayStation 2 console. In terms of story message, game producer Yoshinori Yamagishi stated that the main message the game communicates is one of "trust". Several characters and dungeons did not make the cut for the final version of the game, but most of what developers wanted found its way into the game. Gameplay balance was adjusted between the Japanese and American releases, as well as fixing various technical errors that occurred in the original Japanese release.

Soundtrack
The music for this game was composed by Motoi Sakuraba, a long-time collaborator with tri-Ace. The soundtrack was eventually released in four parts:
 Original Soundtrack Volume 1 - A 2-CD set containing mainly the softer and orchestral pieces from the game.
 Original Soundtrack Volume 2 - Another 2-CD set containing the upbeat music, primarily the battle and dungeon themes.
 Arrange Album - A selection of tracks from the game reworked in different styles.
 Voice Mix - Similar to the Arrange Album, but featuring dialogue sampled from the Japanese version of the game along with the music.

The limited edition of Volume 1 also came with a box to hold all four albums.

When the game was revised into the Director's Cut, Sakuraba composed a few new pieces of music and released an album for them.

The song "The Small Bird That Forgot How To Fly" (飛び方を忘れた小さな鳥, Tobikata Wo Wasureta Chiisana Tori) by the JPop singer Misia was used to accompany the game's ending credits.

Reception

Initially, the game received a somewhat negative impression in Japan. Parts of the game were alleged to be buggy, and the game refused to work at all in older SCPH-10000 PlayStation 2s. Enix blamed Sony, as they had coded Star Ocean 3 with features from updated libraries that were apparently not backward-compatible.  Sony denied all responsibility. Regardless, it impacted the game's sales, and Enix released the Director's Cut in 2004 to assuage grievances about the original by fixing the bugs and adding features. In North America, the game was initially well received among both critics and players, with GameRankings, a compilation of critical reviews, giving it an average score of 80.99%. Star Ocean 3 was the 96th-best seller among console games of the PS2/GameCube/Xbox generation as of July 2006; it had estimated U.S. sales of 630,000 copies, with revenues of $23 million. In Japan, the original release sold 533,373 in 2003, while the Director's Cut sold 207,881 copies between 2004 and 2009, bringing worldwide sales to 1,371,254 units. IGN placed Till the End of Time at number 58 on their "Top 100 PlayStation 2 Games" list.

Notes

References

External links

  (Director's Cut)
 Star Ocean: Till the End of Time at GameFAQs

2003 video games
Action role-playing video games
Enix games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
PlayStation 2 games
PlayStation 2-only games
Space opera video games
Square Enix games
Till the End of Time
Tri-Ace
Tri-Crescendo games
Video games scored by Motoi Sakuraba
Video games developed in Japan
Video games set on fictional planets
Video games with alternate endings
Video games about virtual reality
Simulated reality in fiction
Video games set in the 29th century
Science fantasy video games
Works about vacationing

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Pantene Pro-v3 minute miracle is enriched with a pro- vitamin formula to repair damaged hair in three minutes. It revitalises the damaged surface layer of the hair with concentrated conditioning treatments. It also replenishes hair moisture.


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Iron-rich foods do not increase chance of pregnancy: Studyhttps://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/iron-rich-foods-do-not-increase-chance-of-pregnancy-study-5782175/
Iron-rich foods do not increase chance of pregnancy: Study
Researchers from Boston University in US also found that non-heme iron, which is found mainly in vegetables and dietary supplements, has a modest effect only for women who are more likely to be iron-deficient because of heavy menses or having previously given birth.
By PTI |Washington | Updated: June 15, 2019 4:50:28 pm
Diabetes and pregnancy: Understanding the risks and treatment
'High-fibre diet can reduce the risk of preeclampsia during pregnancy'
Soni Razdan smoked when pregnant with Alia: How cigarettes can harm an unborn baby
The research finds that heme iron, which mostly comes from meat, has no effect on how long it takes a woman to conceive. (Photo: Getty Images)
Consuming foods rich in iron does not significantly increase the chances of pregnancy in women, a study has found.
The research, published in The Journal of Nutrition, finds that heme iron, which mostly comes from meat, has no effect on how long it takes a woman to conceive.
"For the average pregnancy planner, it is probably wise to take a preconception multivitamin, but more for the folic acid than for the iron content," said Elizabeth Hatch, professor at Boston University.
"If you have extremely heavy menstrual cycles, it might be a good idea to have your iron status checked by your healthcare provider," she said.
The team analysed data from over 4,600 women, who completed questionnaires every eight weeks for one year or until they conceived.
The researchers estimated heme and non-heme iron intake from the questionnaire responses about diet and about dietary supplement use.
They found no association between a woman's intake of heme iron and the number of cycles it took for her to conceive.
However, consuming more non-heme iron — both from dietary supplements and from food — was associated with a slightly increased chance of pregnancy in women who had previously given birth.
1 Health tips: Why you should drink more water during summers
2 Sauna sessions as exhausting as moderate exercise: Study
3 AI tool detects rare diseases from portraits, health data


Swing on by Keef's IMVU Homepage and grab yourself a badge to help share the news of these Pixel Pusher Community Forums!
Re: Community Badge Now Avaialble!
I got mine....and I will be grabbing it on my alts too!
Tired to make it attention getting.
Snagged it and placed it on my canvas!
Grabbed the badge and it's proudly displayed on the badge canvas. Thank you for the badge!
Thanks and I got it.Love the new badge and forum here. Thank you!
Thanks Keef I Got it, looks great!
Thanks, Keef! Wearing it proudly.


Can You Guess This Big Secret about the Internet of Things?
Today the Internet of Things (IoT) is connecting a vast array of new devices to the web, and produces mountains of data that designers, manufacturers and consumers can use to improve their products' experience. But the big secret about the IoT isn't how devices can communicate with people—it's how they can now communicate with one another.
A great example of this inter-device communication is the ability of new Audi vehicles to communicate with traffic lights in Las Vegas, telling them how much longer the driver will need to wait at the intersection before proceeding.
The Audi side of this new technology was first revealed by Road & Track in August. They call it Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I), and you can let your imagination run wild with the possibilities inherent in that phrase. Think about a connected runway updating an aircraft's crew on its own conditions in real time. Or a parking lot that can tell your self-parking Volvo (see the video below) which spaces are open before you arrive at the store. With the knowledge of which spots are open, your can plan its parking while dropping you off at the door.
When approaching a connected traffic light, Traffic Light Information displays the time remaining until the signal changes to green in the driver instrument cluster, as well as the head-up-display (if equipped). Providing the driver with this additional information helps reduce stress and allows the driver to relax knowing approximately how much time remains before the changing of the light.
This "time-to-green" feature will be the first feature to leverage the Audi Traffic Light Information service. In the future, it may be possible to integrate information from these advanced traffic management systems into vehicle start/stop features, navigation systems to optimize routing, and predictive services such as presenting the driver with a speed recommendation designed to maximize the number of green lights one can make in sequence. All of these services would be designed to either improve efficiency, drive time or traffic management.
The Department of Transportation is looking ahead to this connected vehicle future and planning accordingly. There's a major study underway called the Connected Vehicle Pooled Fund Study, and aims to "support the development and deployment of connected vehicle applications." The program has already created a report on best practices for the technology, and has completed field tests of a "multi-modal intelligent traffic signal system." The DOT has also organized the creation of an industry group called the Vehicle to Infrastructure Deployment Coalition, to bring together the various industry, government and engineer stakeholders.
This rapidly advancing technology has the ability to fundamentally change the transportation industry. Technological advances like these can create massive profits and wealth for those who take advantage of them. At Young Research & Publishing we track market changing trends in technology and advise readers of Richard C. Young's Intelligence Report, and our exclusive research client—Barron's Top 100 investment advisory firm, Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. (sign up here for the firm's client letter, free even for non-clients)—on the best course of action to take to maximize returns and minimize risks. You too can benefit from our research by subscribing to Portfolio Strategy, the free weekly roundup of our analysis.


. InsideOut Music has set an October 11th North American release date for Pain Of Salvation's new album, "Road Salt Two".
The band checked in with a statement about the release date as follows: "For 'Road Salt' we have followed one northern star: be brave in every decision.
"Part two is as brave, unique and uncompromising as the first one. But don't take it from us, we are as subjective as all reviewers out there. Let the album speak for itself - become subjective you too!"


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You are here > Home > Social Security and Child Support Tribunal (SSCS) > Venues > Birmingham ASC (South East) > Oxford
Seacourt Tower
Botley
OX2 OJJ
How to find us at Oxford
Fourth Floor, Seacourt Tower, West Way, Botley Road, Botley, Oxford, OX2 OJJ
Tel: 0300 123 1142 Fax 01264 347 983 Email: ascbirmingham@justice.gov.uk
Seacourt Tower is situated approximately one and a half miles west of Oxford town centre, near to Botley Interchange. The hearing centre is on the fourth floor of Seacourt Tower which is a modern high rise building with a spire. From the A34 take the exit for the A420 towards Oxford, turn right at the first set of lights onto B4044. Before the bridge turn right and follow the road around the front of the building that is Seacourt Tower.
Car parking is at the back of the building to the left and the right.
Oxford Railway station is approximately 20 minutes walk from the hearing centre. Exit the station and turn right. At the end of the road turn right again onto Botley Road. Follow the road and the venue will be on your right just before you reach a bridge. For more information about train times, please visit: www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Oxford Bus Co. Nos 4, 4a, 4b & 4c and Stagecoach No's 11 & UI stop by the traffic light junction at Seacourt Tower. For more information about bus times, please visit: www.transportdirect.info.
There are disabled toilet facilities are available.
View venue details for Oxford using Google maps


I'm excited to introduce you today to my friend Marie. Marie has a passion for incorporating Montessori principles into day to day life with her two adorable children. She has graciously agreed to write a series of articles for us, focusing on setting up your home in a Montessori friendly way when you live in a small space. Check back every Monday in September for "Montessori at Home Mondays"!
The Montessori Method is versatile in so many beautiful ways. The world is the classroom and even a small space can be used to engage young learners. I would love to show you some of the ways we have our small space Montessori setup with Montessori At Home Mondays five part series. Check back each Monday in the month of September where I will give you a tour of our small space Montessori setup.
I am grateful to be here at Trillium Montessori. Thank you, Seemi, for this opportunity!
We have lived in all sized homes after traveling the country for many years as a military family. Through it all, I have noticed one thing. Young children want to be wherever you are! No matter how big or small your living space is, more than likely they will be within arm's reach. With this in mind, we found ourselves living in smaller and smaller homes. The smallest home our family of four lived in was a one bedroom apartment without a balcony, in the city.
Our family is an outdoor family so having a small space Montessori setup in the city was a bit of a challenge, but we found some of our most rewarding lessons from this space.
I found the secret to Montessori homeschooling in small spaces is to use the vertical space for storage and to leave only a select amount of activities out at one time. Rotating activities often throughout the house can keep your child's interest when there is not a lot of space to run around.
Samuel was 3 years old when we lived in this space and Avalyn was 18 months. Much of our Montessori work around the house focuses on practical life work since these are appropriate lessons for their age group.
Let me show you around our small space setup!
The common space in a small home is used very often. This is the classroom, playroom, community room, and reading room all in one. I divided the living room in our one bedroom apartment into different free flowing areas.
We start with our entry way. We have a small mat for shoes and a child size bench. Our routine was to sit on the bench to put shoes on before we left and then again to take them off when we got home. My children did this without prompting since this was a consistent routine of our practical life work.
Check back next Monday where we will go over how we use free shelves in our living room to create a budget friendly Montessori space for our children.


The Collective is a worship gathering for all of Metro Detroit Young Adults.
We gather together weekly for worship and life-changing teaching. We also meet during the week in small groups for more in-depth study, discussion and to develop community.
Sunday, 6 pm (September – May) and Sunday, 7 pm (June - August) at our Troy campus.
We are committed to helping men know God, follow God and grow in their relationship with God. We have groups for men to study God's Word and connect with others, while being encouraged and challenged in every season of life.
Woodside values marriage and we know the importance of having a strong marriage. We also know it can be pretty tough in today's world to stay connected and focused on God and His plans and purposes for your relationship. Whether you're newly married or have been married for what seems to be a lifetime, our desire is for you to have a strong marriage built on God's Word while finding support, encouragement and friendship in community.
Welcome! It is the desire of the Special Needs Ministry to minister to everyone affected by disability, including families and caregivers. With programs, classes and events, our participants feel valued and welcomed as they grow in their knowledge and faith in Christ. Click on a campus and find out which special needs ministries are available. We'd love to get connected!
Seniors are such a vital part of the body of Christ. Our desire is to honor God by bringing lives into harmony with Him and one another in worship, fellowship, evangelism, and discipleship while ministering, serving and encouraging each other.
If you are a woman who has outlived your spouse and are looking for community, we invite you to join our gatherings filled with compassion, care and connection. You will discover oportunities for conversation, events and simple service projects that support various ministries in the church. Join us for our monthly First Tuesday Serve here at the church.
Our desire at Woodside is to come alongside people during difficult and challenging times. The cross of Jesus Christ calls us to find people in the broken places of life and provide real and practical assistance, education and support. If you are in a place where you need to put the pieces of your life back together because of a death, divorce, addiction or other life circumstance, it is here you will find knowledge that will heal and restore, and the support and compassion of God's people.


Thank you to all who helped on stalls / wrapping or donated goods over the Christmas period.
The annual stall at the Christmas lights turn on (was a tombola stall stocked by the donations from the children for a non-school uniform day).This raised a massive £305.
The Christmas Hamper raised £95.
FOC's organised a Christmas film night. The children came to watch Miracle on 34th street or Santa Clause 3 (depending on showing). Whilst watching the film they had hot chocolate and doughnut's.
A huge thank you to Morrisons in Scunthorpe who donated towards the food and drink (organised by Alison Kilmore via Pamela Smith). The film night raised £169.
The books and selection boxes were bought as a result of our fund raining.
The next FOC's meeting is on Wednesday 18th January at 6pm here at Crowle Primary Academy. Please feel free to come along and discuss any fundraising ideas you may have as all are welcome.


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In this middle section of your introduction, your job is to provide context or background that your reader will need to be ready to consider your thesis. By providing this context, you make yourself look more intelligent and credible as a speaker on the topic. Basic Thesis Statement Help. A very basic but effective thesis statement is the "three prong" thesis. For most high school writing, it will suffice, though more sophisticated writers learn to transcend this.
Check the prongs closely: In the example above, focus, talk, and struggle are all verbs. This leads to strong parallel construction in a thesis. A complete thesis can then be composed through a little math: Voila, a functional thesis.
Blood imagery in Macbeth most vividly symbolizes the effect guilt can have on a psyche when the main characters focus on the bloody daggers, talk of wading through blood, and struggle to remove the sight and smell of blood. The same pattern can apply to any essay which seeks to establish and prove a proposition:.
In this case, the first words of each prong are each adjectives. The completed thesis would therefore read as follows:. The American government should increase funding for cancer research because increasing numbers of Americans are affected by cancer each year, innovative technologies require funding support and better understanding of cancer will lead to better preventive care. The result is a clear proposition and a succinct preview of what the argument will discuss.
What does the word "conclusion" really mean? What does it mean "to conclude"? Too often we think that it just means "to finish" or "to bring to a close. A conclusion, therefore, is not merely a summary of what you just wrote in your essay. I have found that this pattern seems to help construct conclusions which go beyond simply "summarizing":.
Here is a document which shows a side-by-side literature based introduction and conclusion. Using an essay from the internet and passing it off as your own work is plagiarism , will be caught, and will be punished severely.
As a reminder, my class policy on plagiarism is articulated in my syllabus see tab above. If you find a link that you think is a great resource and which you find useful, email it to me!
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First, go to our order page. The next your step will be completing the order form and submitting it. Be sure, that we will find the writer, who can write the essay for college in a proper way. Of course, there will be an opportunity to discuss all the details with you writer. Conclusion The conclusion brings closure to the reader, summing up your points or providing a final perspective on your topic.
All the conclusion needs is three or four strong sentences which do not need to follow any set formula. Simply review the main points being careful not to restate them exactly or briefly describe your feelings about the topic. Even an anecdote can end your essay in a useful way. Write the Introduction and Conclusion Your essay lacks only two paragraphs now: Begin with an attention grabber.
Your entire essay will be a response to this question, and your introduction is the first step toward that end. Your direct answer to the assigned question will be your thesis, and your thesis will likely be included in your introduction, so it is a good idea to use the question as a jumping off point.
To learn how to write an essay introduction in 3 easy steps, keep reading! Why You Need a Good Introduction. Think about how narrow or how broad your introduction should be and what you'll include in your opening paragraph to help readers understand what you're writing about. Home Writing Help Academic Essays The Introduction Paragraph(s) Writing Help Academic Essays by Adam Kissel The Introduction Paragraph(s) In a short essay, you have space for only a one-paragraph introduction. Once your essay gets beyond about 10 paragraphs, you can consider a two-paragraph introduction.
The introduction, in a regular essay format, is the starting point and needs to tell readers what the subject of the write up is. It should tell the readers that your paper is well organized and this is where you give a brief about the main points and arguments that will be covered in the essay. Whole Essay Scaffold for Literary Analysis guesssoftdown5.tk form. Note: this is a form you type directly into to help you with organizing your essay draft. Note: this is a form you type directly into to help you with organizing your essay .


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Beyond the United States
Book Title Archive
Christian. Feminist. Nerd. Traveler
Tricia Marries a Seven-Year-Old
May 4, 2015 May 4, 2015 TrishLeave a comment
Fatick, Senegal – April 2010
"I'll be the queen," Melody said. She pointed at me, "You can be the princess, and Ethan will be the bodyguard."
I leaned back, enjoying the shaded hut in the Forsythe's front yard. "I want to be the queen," I said, lazily stealing a 9-year-old's dream. "I don't want to have to move."
Melody is nicer than me, so she quickly agreed. "Okay, I'll be your servant!"
This selflessness made me uncomfortable. "No, I mean. You can be a princess. You can sit here with me."
"No, no, no. I'm your servant. What do you want to drink? Can I get you something to eat?"
"…Well. A Vimto would be nice." Melody ran inside to satisfy my whim.
Ethan stood nearby with a stick. "Do you want to jump on the trampoline, Miss Trish?" he asked.
It was so hot. "I don't think queens jump on trampolines," I said sadly.
Melody returned, carrying a can of Vimto with a straw. "I had the best idea!" she said. "The kingdom is under attack, and you have to get married!" Continue reading →
Story, TravelerEthan F., Fatick, Holly F., Kimberley F., Melody F., Senegal
Bizarre Celebrations with My Fatick Family
April 10, 2015 March 25, 2015 TrishLeave a comment
Nearly five years ago, I created this dance video while I was living in Senegal. Today, I am traveling to Tennessee to visit a whole bunch of people who lent their groove thangs to the making of this work of art.
There's so much I love about this video. There are, of course, my hilarious and beautiful friends awkwardly dancing in restaurants, grocery stores, and on rooftops. There are the "oh no, how do I fill this space?" moments where I single-handedly address the camera. But mostly, I love how so much of my Senegal experience is captured in these tiny moments.
That's the school room where Liz and I taught English and practiced the Kochibama skit with high school students. That's the rooftop where we sang hymns until the sun set and I couldn't see anyone's faces. Those are the birthday decorations for Liz and Kim's combined birthday party, hosted in the guest house in Dakar where I once had horrifying food sickness. That's my tiny bed with the mosquito netting I used regularly after hearing about a lizard snuggling into someone's pillow. Those are the pictures of friends I brought, assuming I would be paralyzed by home-sickness, only to find a new family in Fatick.
My Fatick family. I shared life with them for five months, and that could have been the end. But I love them, and five years later, I never want to stop hanging out with them.
Cool People, Personal, TravelerBizarre Celebrations, Dakar, dance, dance video, Fatick, Holly F., Liz P., Mallory H., Of Montreal, Senegal, Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games
The Story of a Friendship: the Forsythes and Tricia
February 20, 2015 February 20, 2015 TrishLeave a comment
Moving to rural West Africa to work for five months with a missionary family that you've never met could go catastrophically wrong. Luckily for me, the family I worked with were the Forsythes. Made up of six people who could speak four languages in order to connect with Senegalese people by discussing daily problems and spiritual significance, the Forsythes could be an intimidating bunch. However, they are also delightfully weird, and this makes them infinitely relateable.
Kimberley and Travis Forsythe are a power couple of emotion (Kim) and logic (Travis). They get things done, whether its arranging to get a new generator for the local hospital or starting a kids' Bible study in their front yard.
The fact that I love Travis is astounding, since our first conversation was about how he enjoyed shooting stray cats for his neighbors. My overlooking this horrific hobby ought to demonstrate just how great he is in every other area of life. One afternoon when I was napping at their house, I woke to see he had moved two standing fans from the living room (where he was) to the foyer, so I could sleep in a cool breeze.
Kimberley began as a mentor, and while she still very much is one (she helped me decide to go to Greece by reminding me to "never make a decision based on fear"), I am so happy to call her my friend as well. Her passion overflows whenever she talks about God, her family, the people she loves, or the hurt in the world. She has a childlike joy that is infectious to be around, just like her wonderful laugh. Continue reading →
Cool People#toubabs2015, Fatick, Senegal
Tricia Makes a Japanese Friend in Senegal
February 16, 2015 February 7, 2015 TrishLeave a comment
Fatick, Senegal – March 2010
One of the most powerful bonds between people is formed when people who feel like outsiders find solace in each other. This is especially fun when there is nothing connecting these people other than the fact that they are outsiders.
While I lived in Fatick, there were fourteen people in the city who were "toubabs," and eight of them were on our mission team. There were three other Americans in Fatick doing work with the PeaceCorps. There was one Korean girl who worked at the hospital and two Japanese girls who taught at one of the schools. "Toubabs" are people whose light skin obviously differentiates them from the local Senegalese. Any further national divisions were often hilariously wrong. I was usually recognized as being from the United States, but only because I am tall. My housemate Liz, also from the United States, was usually assumed to be from Japan, because she is short and has dark hair. But no matter what, whether from Asia or America, we fourteen were all "toubabs." Continue reading →
Cool People, Story, TravelerAmerican, Fatick, Fruits Basket, Japanese, Korean, Laputa, Senegal, Studio Ghibli, toubab, Yayoi
Tricia Barely Learns to Speak French
January 20, 2015 January 21, 2015 Trish1 Comment
Fatick, Senegal – January 2010
Growing up in central Illinois, there was really no reason to learn any foreign language. High school required it, however, so I took Spanish. Naturally the only place I've lived overseas predominantly spoke French, the other option I didn't choose. When I arrived in Senegal, I found that the other six members of my team spoke French fluently. Since my self-worth is entirely dependent upon my ranking as compared to others…I was not feeling so confident. No one had to know that, though, so off to my first French lesson I went! Continue reading →
Story, TravelerFatick, Senegal
Tricia Has a Not-So-Near-Death Experience
October 27, 2014 January 21, 2015 Trish1 Comment
Fatick, Senegal
When my dear friend Lindsay paid good money to travel to Senegal while I lived there, I repaid her kindness by stepping on her glasses. She simply taped them up and continued to help me hang mosquito netting over the air mattress we had set in the tiled foyer of my house. My mom was visiting as well, and as the rules of seniority dictated, she got my bed in a private bedroom.
After we had fallen asleep, a booming crash jolted me awake. I was rigid with awareness, and just as I began to relax, the loud noise rang out again. It felt loud enough to shake the house.
Beside me, Lindsay sat up and screamed, "What was that!?" I rolled my eyes at her over-reaction, but as my sleep-addled brain caught up to reality, I realized I had a death-grip on her arm. My mom ran out of my room to crouch outside our protective mosquito netting.
"Is that a normal noise?" she asked.
"No," I answered, fear creeping into my voice. "I mean, donkeys or something, yes. But I have no idea what that was."
"It sounded like your washing machine fell off a shelf," Lindsay suggested.
"My washing machine is not on a shelf."
"What if someone is trying to break through your gate?" Mom suggested. Now that she mentioned it, the noise had sounded like a battering ram against our metal compound gate. I stared at the dark windows two feet away, but I couldn't see the flashlight beams of any thieves or assassins. My mom hugged us through the netting.
"Liz!" I called. "LIZ."
My roommate stumbled out of the back room, rubbing her eyes. "What is it?" she asked grumpily.
"Did you hear that crash?" I asked.
Lindsay, Mom, and I all gasped. "But it–it was so loud."
Liz sighed. "Do you want me to check outside?"
The three of us nodded desperately. Liz had lived in Fatick a full year before I moved in with her. She knew things.
Liz reemerged from her room with a flashlight. She shone the light through the window and waved it across the yard twice. "There's nothing out there," she announced, returning to her bedroom.
My mom still had her arms around Lindsay's and my shoulders. "Do you want me to pray for us?" she asked.
"Yes," Lindsay said. Mom prayed earnestly for our safety from…loud noises, then reluctantly went back to my room. I let go of Lindsay's arm and settled back into the mattress. We lay there silently for several minutes. Every normal sound suddenly felt dangerous. Was that scraping sound someone crawling over the compound wall? Were they going to tear away the window screen and shoot us from between the bars?
"Lindsay? Are you still awake?" I whispered.
"Yeah," she answered immediately.
"Do you want to…maybe move to the living room?" I suggested.
We left the netting hanging from the ceiling and dragged the mattress into the living room at the back of the house. There was now a wall between us and the dreaded windows, but my feet could still be seen through the doorway. I curled into the fetal position and prayed that God would save me.
He did, because when we woke up, the sun had lit the house and Liz was standing over Lindsay and me. "Are you serious?" she asked.
"We were scared!" I insisted.
"Of a noise?" she asked.
"A loud noise."
Lindsay held her broken glasses to her face and exclaimed, "Oh good. We're still alive!"
Story, TravelerFatick, Lindsay W., Liz P., Mary M., Senegal
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