text:
Is It Time for T?
An ad campaign encourages men to get tested for low testosterone.
By Craig Bowron
Illustration by Charlie Powell.
If you watch sports on television, you're bound to see a parade of "man-vertisements" for beer, trucks, ED drugs like Viagra, and maybe a few ads from Abbott Laboratories' "Is it LowT?" campaign. The T is for "testosterone," a hormone so sacred that it cannot be named.
An earlier TV spot featured a paunchy, graying middle-aged male wishing he had more energy and passion for—in this order—golf, sex, family, and friends. The current ad has a basketball theme and includes the oddly phrased question, "Don't have the hots for hoops with your buddies?" In both versions, a voiceover counsels against blaming these shortcomings on getting older and recommends a visit to a doctor, or Abbott's website, where one can take the "LowT Quiz."
As a physician and an aging male, I'd give the entire "Is It LowT?" campaign a failing grade, on both philosophical and clinical grounds.
It gets an F, first of all, for its attempt to transform the natural aging process into a disease state. Growing older is hard enough without feeling like you've contracted a chronic illness. I'm not suggesting that we succumb to old age without a fight, but in a youth-obsessed culture, these kinds of quasi-public-service-announcements just create more ridiculous expectations that no one can meet. Older women should have the luxurious skin and perky cleavage of 20-year-old co-eds, and older men should compete in triathlons and have on-the-hour carnal thoughts that trigger gangplank erections. Anything less is giving up.
The LowT campaign also flunks on clinical grounds. The TV ads exhort low-energy golfers and lovers and fathers to "stop living in the shadows," which is ironic when one considers that our scientific understanding of testosterone in the aging male is quite shadowy. The murkiness starts with the LowT Quiz, a series of nine symptom-based questions, many of which are as vague as they are entertaining. "Are you falling asleep after dinner?" one asks. "Are you sad or grumpy?" says another. My favorite question has to be No. 7 on the list: "Have you noticed a recent deterioration in your ability to play sports?" As a 47-year-old athlete I can affirm that the deterioration in my athletic abilities is not recent, but progressive.
Although the LowT Quiz might seem like it was something dreamed up by Abbott's marketing department, it's actually a screening tool developed by gerontologists at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. But the remarkable similarity between the symptoms of low testosterone and those of natural aging make even the best such tools of limited use. That's one of the main reasons why the Endocrine Society, the leading professional organization for endocrinologists, doesn't recommend using them. The LowT Quiz and its ilk cast too wide a net—a large percentage of men who don't have low testosterone end up testing positive. But perhaps a wide net is what pharmaceutical groups are looking for.
To pass the LowT Quiz (or flunk it, depending on your perspective), one needs to nod "yes" to at least three of the fluffier questions, or to just one of the two more pointed measures: "Are your erections less strong?" and "Do you have a decrease in libido (sex drive)?" An affirmative answer to those last two might sound incriminating, but here again they don't say much about the quiz-taker's testosterone level. For a paper published in 2010, researchers involved in the European Male Ageing Study tried to delineate what symptoms correlated most strongly with low testosterone levels and concluded that "the prevalence of even the most specific sexual symptoms of androgen [testosterone] deficiency was relatively high among men with unequivocally normal testosterone levels." In other words, the mere fact that you're having impotency and sex-drive problems doesn't mean you have "LowT." In fact, the majority of men with erectile dysfunction have NormalT, but abnormal circulation or nerve function.
If taking the quiz gave you performance anxiety, then it's off to the doctor for something far more objective: a clinical measure of your testosterone levels. We know these peak in a man's late 20s or early 30s, and then fall at a rate of about 1 or 2 percent a year. We also know that testosterone has more on its mind than sex: It's also important in bone density, muscle strength, fat composition, and mood. And we know that testosterone levels fluctuate during the day—maxing out around breakfast time and falling by about 30 percent to a trough after dinner.
Beyond those simple facts the shadows begin. Norms for other physiological measures, such as blood pressure, have been well characterized over the years, but testosterone levels tend to have a lot more individual variation. The standard range turns out to be somewhere between a bloodstream concentration of 300 and 1,000 ng/dl. The fact that two individuals can share the same testosterone "profile" (sex-drive, mood, energy etc.) but with a 100 percent difference in testosterone levels—one man at 400 ng/dl, the other at 800 ng/dl—shows how crude the measure can be. One might look at "free testosterone" instead, to see what tiny fraction of total testosterone is not bound to blood proteins, and therefore chemically active and free. But this is hard to gauge with precision, and therefore not recommended as a screening blood test.
Endocrine Society recommendations aside, what's so unreasonable about following up on Abbott's kind offer: Take the quiz, and get your blood checked if needed? The answer is that the vast majority of aging males who set out on a LowT pilgrimage will end up suffering from "HighD," where the D stands for disappointment. Because the LowT quiz is so poorly discriminating, promoting its use means there will be a lot of men with false hopes ("I have a treatable condition! That's why I fall asleep after dinner!") at the clinic getting their blood drawn. And the vast majority of them will go through all of that just to be told they have normal testosterone levels. They won't be able to blame their withering golf game on their testicles.
For those who go through all the testing anyway, whatever the costs and hassle, and turn up positive for LowT, there's still the question of what happens next. Should we hold a 70-year-old male to the same testosterone standards as a 35-year-old male? Experts disagree on whether the "normal" levels should be scaled back in an age-dependent manner, but their debate raises a central question: Are falling testosterone levels a "mistake" of aging, like arthritis—a complication that should be treated? Or are they a natural, wholesome change, and one not to be tampered with?
We have some prior clinical experience with this, and it's called hormone replacement therapy. For years we badgered menopausal women to prop up their sagging hormone levels, only to find out—shucks—that doing so increased their risk of breast cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Granted, male andropause isn't the hormonal free-fall that menopausal women experience, but the concerns about unintended consequences of testosterone therapy are just as real, and include the risk of accelerating heart disease and prostate cancer. There are seasons of life, and the bikini you wore in summer may not work for you in the dark of winter. Hormones critical to our younger life may well have different consequences as we grow older.
The risks of hormone replacement therapy for aging women didn't become clear until the completion of a very large study called the Women's Health Initiative. But there have been relatively few studies on testosterone therapy in older men, and those that have been done suffer from small sample sizes and a lack of long-term data, or from not having a placebo arm (which is critically important when you're dealing with subjective symptoms like energy level and sex drive). In 2004, the Institute of Medicine completed a systematic review of these trials and found no clear evidence of benefit for any of the health outcomes examined, and that includes machismo. Since then there haven't been any new studies powerful or definitive enough to draw a different conclusion. From the IOM findings came the impetus for "The T Trial," a large, multicenter study on treating low testosterone levels in older males that began in 2009 and should be finished by 2015. (Interestingly, Solvay Pharmaceuticals, an Abbott Laboratories subsidiary, is one of the trial's sponsors, providing the testosterone gel.)
While we await results from The T Trial, Abbott's LowT campaign appears willing to ask men to bravely go where few men have gone before. Why are we seeing ads for a treatment that has unproven benefits and real safety concerns? It started with the broad approval assigned to Abbott's testosterone replacement product, Androgel, by the Food and Drug Administration. The government gave Abbott permission to sell its product as a treatment for male hypogonadism (i.e. "LowT"), without specifying exactly what constitutes the condition in the aging male. (That's left up to individual physicians.) But even if the FDA hadn't approved the drug for this use, the "Is It LowT?" ads would still be kosher, since they're not directly promoting the treatment. These spots are classified by the FDA as "Help Seeking Ads," which describe a disease or condition but don't recommend a specific drug.
If Abbott is really looking to deliver help to the help-seeking—aging males lurking in the shadows—it might buy airtime to encourage older men who've lost the hots for hoops to enter The T Trial. That would help us find out whether testosterone therapy for the aging male is good medicine, or just wishful thinking.


On Monday, April 1, 2013 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting FY 2014 H-1B cap-subject petitions for employment starting on October 1, 2013.
There is an annual cap on the number of new H-1B petitions available each year. The law allows for 65,000 new H-1B visas to be issued each year, and an additional 20,000 visas are available to foreign workers with an advanced degree from a U.S. academic institution. Because there is a cap on the number of available visas each year, employers interested in hiring foreign workers in an H-1B status should take advantage of the April 1 filing opportunity.
Certain employers are exempt from the H-1B cap, and can apply for an H-1B visa year-round. These include institutions of higher education such as universities, non-profit entities related to an institution of higher education, and non-profit or government-affiliated research organizations. In addition, foreign workers who have already been counted against the H-1B cap are not subject to the H-1B cap.
What Type Of Positions And Workers Qualify For An H-1B?
U.S. businesses use the H-1B visa to employ foreign workers in "professional" or "specialty occupation" positions. A position is considered "professional" or a "specialty occupation" if it requires at least a bachelor's degree as a minimum qualification for the position. In other words, if in the general labor market a candidate would usually need a bachelor's degree to be hired for a given position, that position may be filled by an H-1B worker. Similarly, the H-1B worker must possess a degree in a field related to the position being filled. If the H-1B worker does not have a formal educational degree, then 12 years of progressive experience in the field may be used instead to obtain the equivalent of a bachelor's degree.
Although the FY 2013 H-1B cap was not reached until June 11, 2012, the cap may be reached quicker this year. Therefore, you should immediately evaluate your hiring needs for this year and identify any current employees or potential hires who will need H-1B sponsorship.
Possible candidates for an H-1B visa include potential new hires or current employees working on another type of work visa, such as student (F-1/OPT), exchange visitor (J-1), intra-company transferee (L-1), or NAFTA professional (TN). Once you have identified candidates for H-1B status, you should contact an immigration attorney to evaluate whether the offered position and the candidate's credentials will support an H-1B petition and start preparing to file the H-1B case on April 1, 2013.
For more information visit our website at www.laborlawyers.com or contact any attorney in the Fisher & Phillips Global Immigration Practice.
Attention H-1B Employers - FY 2012 Visa Cap Likely to Be Reached Before End of 2011!


Which Southern Baptist Professor Proposes/Teaches This?
For the theodicy I am proposing to be compatible with evolution, God must not merely introduce existing human-like beings from outside the Garden. In addition, when they enter the Garden, God must transform their consciousness so that they become rational moral agents made in God's image . . . (The End of Christianity, 159).
Any evils humans experience outside the Garden before God breathes into them the breath of life would be experienced as natural evils in the same way that other animals experience them. The pain would be real, but it would not be experienced as divine justice in response to willful rebellion. Moreover, once God breathes the breath of life into them, we may assume that the first humans experienced an amnesia of their former animal life: Operating on a higher plane of consciousness once infused with the breath of life, they would transcend the lower plane of animal consciousness on which they had previously operated—though, after the Fall, they might be tempted to resort to that lower consciousness. (The End of Christianity, 154-155).
This is from one of the latest books (The End of Christianity: Finding a Good God in an Evil World [Broadman & Holman Academic, 2009]) by William A. Dembski, who is a research professor in philosophy at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and a senior fellow with the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture in Seattle.
When a Christian reads the above quotes, the average believer responds with, "What?????? This is bizarre!" But it is more than bizarre—it undermines the authority of the Word of God.
Tonight begins our Defending the Faith conference in Sevierville, Tennessee. Around 2,500 people from all across the USA (and other parts of the world) will be attending. I pondered and prayed over the kick-off, keynote talk that I am to present, and I decided to concentrate on looking at the compromise in the church that is undermining the authority of God's Word, which is the real problem in our culture. God's people need to be called back to God's Word and its authority. A significant portion of my presentation will center around the teachings of William Dembski and others (such as William Lane Craig associated with Talbot Theological Seminary and Biola University) who sadly contribute to the loss of biblical authority in church and culture.
But please keep in mind as I make these observations that I am not questioning anyone's Christian faith. We are encouraged to know that many Southern Baptist leaders (e.g., the late Dr. Adrian Rogers, Dr. Paige Patterson, and others) have been standing up for biblical inerrancy, but Answers in Genesis is concerned that there are some professors in Southern Baptist schools who are actually undermining biblical authority.
The young-earth solution to reconciling the order of creation with natural history makes good exegetical and theological sense. Indeed, the overwhelming consensus of theologians up through the Reformation held to this view. I myself would adopt it in a heartbeat except that nature seems to present such a strong evidence against it. I'm hardly alone in my reluctance to accept young-earth. (The End of Christianity, 55).
Note that if one takes God's Word as authoritative (". . . makes good exegetical and theological sense . . ."), then it is obvious the earth is young. However, note the "except" word when he states that "except that nature seems to present such a strong evidence against it" (emphasis added).
Dating methods, in my view, provide strong evidence for rejecting this face-value chronological reading of Genesis 4–11 ( William A. Dembski, Christian Theodicy in Light of Genesis and Modern Science, 49).
It really comes down to the fact that Dembski accepts the fallible secular dating methods (based on numerous fallible assumptions) and uses their results to trump the Word of God! That is the problem with the church—accepting man's words over God's words.
But without even dealing with the age of the earth issue (as we have numerous articles on our website dealing with this topic), let me compare parts of his "theodicy" with Scripture—and you be the judge.
God must not merely introduce existing human-like beings from outside the Garden. In addition, when they enter the Garden, God must transform their consciousness so that they become rational moral agents made in God's image . . . .
We may assume that the first humans experienced an amnesia of their former animal life: Operating on a higher plane of consciousness once infused with the breath of life, they would transcend the lower plane of animal consciousness on which they had previously operated.
Could God have introduced "human-like beings" into the Garden? Dembski is saying the Garden was perfect, but because of his belief in billions of years, death and suffering existed in the world with animals eating each other, etc. What I understand he is saying is that because God is infinite and knew man would fall, He created a world in which there would be billions of years of death and suffering—so that when God gave Adam and Eve souls and they were then made in the image of God, they would fall (sin) in a perfect Garden and then see the effects of their sin in the death and suffering outside the Garden (which chronologically existed before sin but is actually a result of their sin, as God knew they would fall)!
Note that Eve was made from Adam (by supernatural surgery, not by any natural process) after Adam was in the Garden. Eve did not come into the Garden as some "human-like" being and then was transformed by God into a full human being.
These passages all quote from Genesis 2:23 and Genesis 2:24 as literal history—so the literal history from Genesis is that the woman was made from Adam after he was already in the Garden.
There are so many other inconsistencies in Dembski's beliefs. But what they show are the outrageous lengths some Christian academics will go to to try to compromise billions of years with the Scriptures, and yet try to keep their belief in a literal Adam and Eve and the original sin! For in-depth critiques of Dembski's proposal of how to accept millions of years of animal death before Adam sinned and still believe that natural evil is the result of Adam's sin, see this article by Dr. Terry Mortenson (from AiG) and this article by Dr. Tom Nettles (Professor of Historical Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky), as well as Dr. Nettles' response to Dr. David Allen's defense of Dembski (Dr. Allen is the professor of Preaching and dean of the School of Theology at SWBTS, where Dr. Dembski teaches).
My first presentation tonight at the conference is to awaken the church as to what is being taught to students in many of our conservative seminaries, Bible colleges, Christian colleges, etc. We need to call these people to account, and one of our missions for the future is to do just that—even more than we have ever done. We are losing this culture, and sadly, much of the church is to blame for compromising God's Word with the pagan religion of the age (millions of years/evolution) to explain life without God.
I also want to make sure people understand that we do not call the age of the earth a salvation issue, but it is an authority issue—and it is biblical authority that is being lost from the church and culture. And for all of these "academic" positions like Dembski's that are pervading the church—look at the culture—something is dreadfully wrong. The church is not touching the culture like it used to because we have allowed the culture to invade the church, which in reality is what Dembski's thesis so clearly illustrates in regard to training up the next generation of pastors/missionaries—no wonder we have such a mess in our world.
Where England is today spiritually (it is all but dead), the USA will be tomorrow if we keep heading in this direction. Christian leaders representing the church need to stand up in this nation and condemn the compromise with the pagan religion of the age (millions of years/evolution—the pagan religion of the age to explain life without God) and stand for God's authoritative Word. Only then will we see God's blessing on the church and the resulting change in the culture that is so needed. Of course, we don't question whether such scholars are Christians, but we still need to point out their compromise of accepting man's opinions over God's Word.
Note that there are a handful of Christian institutions that do take a very strong stand on biblical authority beginning with Genesis, and I will feature one in the next couple of days on this blog.
Please pray for the Defending the Faith Conference.
(Psalm 68:20) He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death.
The Lord Jesus Christ knows all about death having decreed it as the wages for sin, and He defeated death at His Cross, as He alone is able to save us from death and hell.


The "Travel Interpreter" is a talking, illustrated phrasebook which translates English words and phrases into 33 of the following languages: German, French, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), Italian, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Bulgarian, Greek, Hungarian, Romanian, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hebrew, Thai, Hindi, Vietnamese, Farsi, Catalan, Romanian and Ukrainian. The app offers you the unique opportunity to communicate abroad without any special language skills, as it can simply speak the translation as required. Easily understandable illustrations make communication even easier. You can use the "Travel Interpreter" to order plane tickets, book hotel rooms, take a car to be repaired or order a meal in a restaurant without any language skills at all. More than 2,200 phrases and words are included for each language, all of which are clearly categorized according to the respective topic, such as customs, hotel, service, driving, car services, sightseeing, entertainment, eating and drinking, sport and leisure. The integrated search function makes it even easier to find what you need. If, for example, you want to book a single room in a hotel, simply key in "single" and the phrase "I would like to book a single room" already appears on the screen.
More than 2,200 illustrated phrases and words with audio tracks are included per language.
You can download up to 33 target languages: German, French, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), Italian, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Bulgarian, Greek, Hungarian, Romanian, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hebrew, Thai, Hindi, Vietnamese, Farsi, Catalan, Romanian, Croatian and Ukrainian.
You download only the languages you need. Each language takes about 25 MB free space on your SD-card.
Favorites category for saving words and phrases in to your own list and to synchronize between different devices using lexi24 service.
Exercise based on the flashcard drill concept, so that you can learn words and phrases from your favorites list.
All phrases are spoken by native speakers.
Precise and simple categories with topics and sub-topics.
Fast full text search function, also for partial words.
All content stored on the device, no internet connection required for use. You only need to download the necessary languages ones.
Each entry is illustrated, making communication even easier.
Very easy to use by young and old.
Includes phonetic characters for the following languages: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi and Thai.


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text:
As Instituições-âncora são instituições sem fins lucrativos que, uma vez estabelecidas tendem a não mudar de localização. Tendências emergentes relacionadas à globalização, tais como o declínio da produção, o aumento do setor de serviços, e uma crescente crise fiscal do governo, sugerem a importância crescente das instituições de ancoragem para as economias locais. De fato, em muitos lugares, estas instituições-âncora têm superado empresas tradicionais de fabricação para se tornar principais empregadores da sua região. O poder econômico dessas instituições-âncora, se eficazmente aproveitados, podem contribuir significativamente para a criação de riqueza da comunidade.

A nova era das instituições âncora

Há um consenso crescente entre os profissionais de desenvolvimento da comunidade e estudiosos que as instituições-âncora são um componente crítico de estratégias de revitalização do centro da cidade. Diversas organizações são identificadas como instituições-âncora, incluindo universidades, hospitais, museus, e uma variedade de outras instituições culturais e religiosas. Apesar da sua diversidade, âncoras compartilham uma conexão comum para os bairros onde eles estão localizados. Eles têm investimentos substanciais em seus campus e locais físicos, e não têm a mobilidade geográfica tipicamente associada com as organizações do setor privado. Em contraste às organizações que operam sob a lógica do capitalismo privado, instituições de ancoragem são de base local e têm missões ligadas às comunidades onde estão localizadas. Elas também são organizações relativamente autónomas, uma vez que muitas âncoras são entidades sem fins lucrativos. O seu estatuto sem fins lucrativos permite que as instituições de ancoragem beneficiem-se de isenções fiscais e outras restrições regulamentares relacionadas com as políticas de uso da terra. Estatuto sem fins lucrativos também fornecem as instituições de ancoragem com isolamento de política local e graus relativos de autonomia para prosseguir as suas missões.

Instituições-âncora preenchem uma série de papéis funcionais em comunidades urbanas. Elas são responsáveis por uma proporção substancial da base de emprego em cidades do interior, e elas são os empregadores de números visíveis de profissionais qualificados. Além de empregar profissionais qualificados, instituições-âncora aumentam o capital humano por meio de atividades de ensino e pesquisa que ocorrem dentro de suas paredes. Junto com o desenvolvimento do capital humano, as instituições-âncora são locais importantes para o cultivo e desenvolvimento do capital cultural. Isto é particularmente relevante para o trabalho feito por museus e outras instituições cívicas. Além de recursos humanos e culturais, instituições-âncora têm a capacidade de alavancar recursos fiscais em cidades do interior e adicionar capacidade para os esforços de revitalização urbana. Eles tornaram-se importantes contribuintes para a revitalização do centro da cidade no período contemporâneo, como recursos do setor público ter contraído e o uso desses recursos exige cada vez mais a colaboração entre os setores público, privado e sem fins lucrativos.

Instituições-âncora trazem muitos benefícios para cidades do interior; no entanto, elas também têm o potencial para agravar as desigualdades existentes em bairros da cidade interna, L. Mandel (2012) descreveu como a expansão de faculdades, hospitais e outras âncoras resultou no rompimento das comunidades. Ele classificou conflitos associados com esforços institucionalmente impulsionados pela revitalização do bairro, por causa da vitimização que essas atividades implicaram para os residentes do centro da cidade. Em grande medida, a estrutura fundamental que foi aplicada para ancorar instituições no passado tornou-se menos acentuada no período contemporâneo. Hoje, uma grande parte do diálogo acadêmico e profissional sobre desenvolvimento baseado na âncora incide sobre o potencial das instituições de ancoragem para transformar bairros.

Surgimento

O movimento atual defendendo o uso de instituições-âncora para alavancar a revitalização do interior da cidade surgiu a partir de centros de políticas em universidades e institutos de pesquisa sem fins lucrativos. Um dos centros mais visíveis no Instituto Penn para a Pesquisa Urbana (Penn IUR), da Universidade da Pensilvânia, que patrocina estudos de instituições de ancoragem e servidores como organização líder para a "Anchor Institution Taskforce" nacional. O Penn IUR publicou documentos oficiais e outros relatórios que defendem instituições âncora para assumir um papel de liderança nos esforços de revitalização do centro da cidade (Penn IUR, 2009). A um nível mais pragmático, a Universidade da Pensilvânia desenvolveu manuais de como fazer para instituições-âncora, a fim de facilitar as atividades expandidas relacionadas a revitalização do centro da cidade. Relatos semelhantes que incluem orientações para as instituições-âncora seguirem quando realizarem atividades de desenvolvimento comunitário, foram produzidos na Universidade de Chicago. Além de advocacia baseada em universidade, institutos de pesquisa sem fins lucrativos, como a Urban Land Institute e a Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) tornaram-se proponentes de aumento da atividade instituição âncora na revitalização urbana. Em recente publicação da ICIC, âncoras foram identificadas como fundamental para o desenvolvimento econômico urbano. Argumentou-se que as parcerias entre as instituições-âncora, o setor público e as empresas do setor privado poderiam ser forjadas para alavancar o desenvolvimento do centro da cidade. Em parte, o argumento transmitido pelo ICIC é que a presença de instituições-âncora acrescenta a outros fatores identificados por Michael Porter, que criam uma vantagem competitiva para as cidades do interior em relação ao desenvolvimento económico.

Exemplos conhecidos

Catholic Healthcare West (ACS), hospital de grande porte com sede em San Francisco baseado no modelo de organização sem fins lucrativos, tem aproveitado produtivamente capital para fazer investimentos na comunidade. Começando em 1992, o programa Community Investment da ACS começou a fornecer empréstimos de baixa taxa de juros para organizações sem fins lucrativos. Em 2006, a ACS havia emprestado mais de $49 milhões para 88 organizações sem fins lucrativos e mais de 60 por cento destes empréstimos tinham sido reembolsados.

A Universidade da Pensilvânia, que passou mais de 10 por cento das suas despesas anuais para a compra localmente, injetando assim um número estimado de US$80 milhões na economia West Philadelphia em 2006-2007 (Penn IUR). Penn teve como objetivo aumentar este montante para US$120 milhões até 2010. (Penn IUR, 2009)

O Hospital Henry Ford em Detroit provê incentivos para os gestores para contratar localmente e pôs em prática uma política de pagar fornecedores locais com antecedência para fornecer capital de giro. O hospital ampliou esta iniciativa em 2010, através de parcerias com outras duas instituições-âncora locais, Detroit Medical Center e Wayne State University, e já houve um impacto de US$400.000 em compras redirecionadas para empresas locais .

A Iniciativa da Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership, que investiu mais de US$2 milhões em um fundo de empréstimo de habitação a preços acessíveis para promover a aquisição da casa própria e estabilização da comunidade.

A Universidade do Sul da Califórnia, que instituiu um programa para aumentar o emprego dos bairros que cercam imediatamente o seu campus. Em um período recente, um em cada sete candidatos a cargos foi contratado a partir dos sete códigos postais mais próximos do campus.

Hospitais, universidades e grandes instituições culturais são referidos como "âncoras" porque eles detêm significativo investimentos em imóveis e capital social, tornando extremamente difícil para eles simplesmente puxar as estacas e sair. Nos estados unidos, os chamados "eds" e "meds" (educação e remédios) fornecem 5,2% de postos de trabalho. No interior da cidade, eles fornecem 11% dos postos de trabalho. É esperado que esse número aumente de acordo com os agrupamentos industriais, em que âncoras são representados - como serviços de saúde locais, e criação de educação e conhecimento - são projetados para crescer ao longo dos anos, resultando na criação de novos postos de trabalho dentro da cidade.

Benefícios

As Instituições-âncora - com os incentivos e motivação adequada - têm o potencial econômico para alavancar seus ativos e receitas para promover o desenvolvimento do setor privado local através de meios tais como:

Direcionando uma porcentagem maior de seu poder de compra para fornecedores locais baseados na comunidade.
A contratação de um percentual maior de sua força de trabalho localmente.
Fornecimento de treinamento da força de trabalho para as pessoas que necessitam de assistência na comunidade.
Incubar o desenvolvimento de novos negócios, incluindo o empreendedorismo social das entidades sem fins lucrativos.
Servindo como um construtor de conselhos ou rede.
Aproveitando o desenvolvimento imobiliário para promover varejo local, habitação assistida pelo empregador, e confianças de terra da comunidade.
Usando os fundos de pensão e de doações para investir em estratégias de criação de emprego locais e para fornecer capital de risco da comunidade para entidades sem fins lucrativos, empreendedores e empresas de propriedade do funcionário.

Empreendedorismo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: What is the right proof term so that the ssreflect tutorial work with the exact: hAiB example? I was going through the tutorial https://hal.inria.fr/inria-00407778/document for ssreflect and they have the proof:
Variables A B C : Prop.
Hypotheses (hAiBiC : A -> B -> C) (hAiB : A -> B) (hA : A).
Lemma HilbertS2 :
  C.
Proof.
  apply: hAiBiC; first by apply: hA.
  exact: hAiB.
Qed.

but it doesn't actually work since the goal is
B

which puzzled me...what is this not working because the coq version changed? Or perhaps something else? What was the exact argument supposed to be anyway?

I think I do understand what the exact argument does. It completes the current subgoal by making sure the proof term (program) given has the type of the current goal. e.g.
Theorem add_easy_induct_1_exact:
forall n:nat,
  n + 0 = n.
Proof.
  exact (fun n : nat =>
nat_ind (fun n0 : nat => n0 + 0 = n0) eq_refl
   (fun (n' : nat) (IH : n' + 0 = n') =>
    eq_ind_r (fun n0 : nat => S n0 = S n') eq_refl IH) n).
Qed.

for the proof of addition's commutativity.

Module ssreflect1.

(* Require Import ssreflect ssrbool eqtype ssrnat. *)
From Coq Require Import ssreflect ssrfun ssrbool.
Set Implicit Arguments.
Unset Strict Implicit.
Unset Printing Implicit Defensive.

Theorem three_is_three:
  3 = 3.
Proof. by []. Qed.

(*
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/71388591/what-does-apply-tactic-on-its-own-do-in-coq-i-e-without-specifying-a-rul
*)
Lemma HilbertS :
  forall A B C : Prop,
    (A -> B -> C) -> (A -> B) -> A -> C.
  (* A ->(B -> C)*)
Proof.
  move=> A B C. (* since props A B C are the 1st things in the assumption stack, this pops them and puts them in the local context, note using the same name as the proposition name.*)
  move=> hAiBiC hAiB hA. (* pops the first 3 premises from the hypothesis stack with those names into the local context *)
  move: hAiBiC. (* put hAiBiC tactic back *)
apply.
by [].
(* move: hAiB.
apply. *)
by apply: hAiB.
(* apply: hAiB.
by [].dd *)
Qed.

Variables A B C : Prop.
Hypotheses (hAiBiC : A -> B -> C) (hAiB : A -> B) (hA : A).
Lemma HilbertS2 :
  C.
Proof.
  apply: hAiBiC; first by apply: hA.
  exact: hAiB.
Qed.

Lemma HilbertS2 :
  C.
Proof.
  (* apply: hAiBiC; first by apply: hA. *)
  apply: hAiBiC. (* usually we think of : as pushing to the goal stack, so match c with conclusion in
  selected hypothesis hAiBiC and push the replacement, so put A & B in local context. *)
  by apply: hA. (* discharges A *)
  exact: hAiB.

End ssreflect1.

full script I was using. Why does that not put the hypothesis in the local context?

A: The reason why your example fails is probably that you did not open a section.  The various hypotheses that you declare are then treated as "axioms" and not in the context of the goal.
On the other hand, if you start a section before the fragment of text that you posted, everything works, because then the goal before the exact: hAiB. tactic also contains hypothesis hA, which is necessary for exact: to succeed.
Here is the full script (tested on coq 8.15.0)
From mathcomp Require Import all_ssreflect.
Set Implicit Arguments.
Unset Strict Implicit.
Unset Printing Implicit Defensive.

Section sandbox.

Variables A B C : Prop.
Hypotheses (hAiBiC : A -> B -> C) (hAiB : A -> B) (hA : A).
Lemma HilbertS2 :
  C.
Proof.
  apply: hAiBiC; first by apply: hA.
  exact: hAiB.
Qed.

End sandbox.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


How do you decide which service pro to recommend to me?
We believe very strongly that word-of-mouth recommendations are much better than doing a Google search (e.g. for "renovation contractor"). After all, you are more likely to choose a renovation contract if your friend tells you he/she is good.
We do something similar at Helpdee.com.
When you search for services on Helpdee.com, let's say a renovation contractor, we look at several factors to figure out which contractors to prioritise on your search results.
These factors may include the overall rating given by customers for a particular professional.
We also look at your Facebook connections to see if any of your friends know that contractor, or have reviewed them before.
That's why we encourage you to review your service pros, and connect your social networks e.g. Facebook to Helpdee.com. The more friends you have connected to Helpdee.com, the better your recommendations will be. Also, the more reviews you and your friends write, the better the recommendations are for your entire social network!


Here's the ingredients. A young family. Their second home-in-need-of-work. A budget. A boatload of creativity. A sense of style. And a great sense of humor. Put them all together and you have younghouselove.com.
Sherry and John bring you inside of their lives and share everything from the results of their home improvement projects, to their wedding, to the fun and funny things that go on in their daily lives via their family blog. They have a daughter and a dog and lots of friends and fans who take part in this mashup of home, family, crafting, gardening, entertaining and making a life. These two are a great example of how you can use all of the low cost resources out there to mix up a brew of style, creativity and fun.
Thanks to their site we can all watch them turn their finds from tag sales, thrift shops, discount stores and furniture outlets, into fabulous decorating and design solutions for their home and garden. They use smartphone apps, arts and craft supplies and everyday items to personalize and customize their surroundings.
They share what they see, what they do, and what their fans and followers contribute. The site is full of links and references to other resources that can help you reach some of your own home improvement, craft and organizing goals. They engage their followers in challenges and have even written a best selling book.
I love this site. As a tag sale junkie myself I can totally relate to many of the cool things they've done with their finds and the the really nifty ideas they have for projects they design and make themselves. Their house is their design palette and with their incredibly creative, low cost and practical solutions, they bring individuality into everything they do and the results are terrific. I applaud their success and look forward to continuing on their journey with them.
If you're very coordinated and like a perfectly matched look, go for a packaged set or buy separates from the same line. Typically, bedding sets are bundled together and include crib sheets, comforter and bumper. You can often buy matching items such as a window valence, mobile, wall stickers, etc. to complete the look. Check out our Hearts at Home collection.
Popular colors for baby nurseries are often soft pastels or neutral colors, but bold and bright colors work well too. Visit your local home improvement store and mix and match paint color swatches to see what looks best together, or ask a store associate to help you pick. Choosing, and sticking to, a theme is a nice way to achieve a uniform look. Here are a few themes to consider: Jungle, Princess, Cars and Trucks, Butterflies, Stars and Skies, Animal Print, and Floral.
Make your baby's nursery as unique as possible by incorporating personalized touches you create yourself!
I love these alphabet wall hangings for a look that your kids can enjoy through their older years. You can buy a bunch of letters in different fonts and sizes from your local craft store, and paint them any way you want!
Make any table fit for a princess with this tutu skirt that only requires some tulle and ribbon. Your little girl will love this for years to come.
You can create these adorable handprint canvases a number of ways. Use pre-made canvases from your local craft store and paint them any colors you choose. Have everyone in your family participate or make one every 6 months or so for a collection of your child's growing handprints.
There are so many ways to decorate… how did YOU create the perfect nursery for your baby?


That being said, taking on too many activities can detract from your school work, but don't worry, we'll talk about that later!
For example, let's say you're really good at maths and your teacher encourages you to get involved in competitions. You join the school team and start training for the national Maths Olympiad. During the process you realise how fun maths can be and how talented you actually are, which gives your confidence a massive boost.
Let's be honest, making friends can be hard but one of the easiest ways to make friends is - yep you guessed it -through extracurricular activities!
For example, if you make a few friends doing community service at school, you might decide to start a volunteer club together and really make an impact in your community!
How boring would your life be if all you did was go to school, do homework and sleep?
Take the much needed break. You deserve it!
On top of all of the benefits of extracurricular activities we already talked about, one of the greatest advantages that extracurricular activities give you is "real world" skills.
So you can see, extracurricular activities are far more than time fillers and provide a lot more than variety and entertainment. Get into extracurricular activity now and start building skills for your future.


"The wind comes howling in off the lake and gosh only knows if they ever heard of lobster Newburg" – Charles Foster Kane to his friend Jedediah in Citizen Kane, concerning Chicago. We're with Mr Leland. Chicago is our kind of town.
and Blake, clearly a real architectural student, conducted us through Chicago's construction-alley with wit and erudition. We do have to venture the opinion that architects act like mathematicians who wished they went to Art School or the English Literature Department, because a lot of their lingo comes off as pure metaphysical tosh.
…and Nathan Hale showed Chicago that it was no 'Second City'….
But then we beheld a Pale Horse that made us realise it was time to leave the Windy City; "Pretty Woman – The Musical"…what a nauseating concept.


By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Kikkoman and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.
This may look like a simple bowl of stewy lentils and vegetables, but let me assure you, it's a flavor-packed bowl of umami goodness. And it's all thanks to a condiment I'm 99.9% sure you already have on hand - Kikkoman soy sauce.
Let's back up. I'm somewhat of a condiment hoarder. Scratch that. I am a condiment hoarder. I think if you've opened your refrigerator only to be knocked out by a flying bottle of ketchup, you can claim that status. Look in my refrigerator and you will find four different types jam (two savory, two sweet), three types of mustard, six types of barbecue sauce, three hot sauces, every Asian condiment known to made (oyster sauce, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, teriyaki sauce...you get it) along with harissa, tahini, chowchow, and olive tapenade, among others. But if there's one thing they all have in common, it's that I splurge on the good stuff. Condiments = flavor in cooking and that's one area you don't want to skimp on.
That's why I always purchase high quality traditionally brewed soy sauce, like Kikkoman. Some soy sauces are made with processed soy proteins, but Kikkoman has been making their soy sauce the traditional way for over 300 years, by fermenting soybeans and wheat with salt and water. The liquid mixture is then aged several months to help develop it's rich flavor.
When most people think of soy sauce, they think salty, when actually, soy sauce is a helpful way to cut back on salt. Because it adds a ton of umami flavor along with it's sodium content, you can easily cut back total sodium content of your dish when using it for flavoring. In fact, studies have found that swapping soy sauce for equal parts salt reduces sodium content by 50% without reducing consumer acceptance. For those who are even more concerned about sodium content for health reasons, Kikkoman also has a line of less sodium products including soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and tamari.
This bowl of creamy lentils and roasted broccolini shows off the other thing I love about soy sauce, how you can use it for dishes that aren't even remotely Asian in inspiration. It uses a little soy sauce and aromatic vegetables as it's main flavoring ingredients. Sauteeing veggies in olive oil creates little flavor packed browned bits that get stuck to the bottom of the pan. I added soy sauce to deglaze, which essentially sops up that flavorful goodness and helps it incorporate into the rest of the dish. Other than the little bit of salt I used to season the roasted broccolini, the salt from the soy sauce and low sodium vegetable broth was perfect for me. To use soy sauce in unique ways, try adding a little to build depth of flavor in marinades, tomato based sauces, cooked whole grains, or try other cuisines that use soy sauce heavily, like some Hawaiian, Peruvian or Jamaican dishes.
In a medium pot on medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute until vegetables are tender and golden, another 7-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss broccolini with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Space evenly on a large baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes, flipping halfway, until tender and golden.
Add soy sauce to pot, scraping up any browned bits at the bottom of the pot with a spatula. Stir in lentils, broth, bay leaf, thyme, and season with black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes until lentils are tender. If lentils are looking a little dry and still taste raw, add another 1/2 cup water or broth and continue cooking another 5 minutes.
When lentils are tender and have very little liquid, add coconut milk. Simmer 5 minutes until thickened. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaves and discard. Divide lentils between four bowls. Top with broccolini and serve drizzled with olive oil.


text:
Q: Any Latest solution to Run google play Services v2 app on emulator I am developing an app that is using Google play services v2. ( map related ). when i run my program on emulator, it give a message like "This app won't run unless you update Google Play Services."
i try many solutions but no success. i tried these solutions and this solution .
Please suggest some other trick to run app on emulator.
thanks and regards


text:
Q: Create folders from array values in PHP It's possible to create folders using the values of one array like:
$folders = array( "GT-I5500", "GT-I5500B", "GT-I5500L", "GT-I5500M", "GT-I5503" );

How can I create Five folders from above array using PHP code?

A: Try this one with the simple mkdir function :
$folders = array( "GT-I5500", "GT-I5500B", "GT-I5500L", "GT-I5500M", "GT-I5503" );
foreach($folders as $folder) {
    $yourDirectory = "C:\\wamp\\www\php\\folders\\".$folder;
    if(! is_file($yourDirectory)) {
        mkdir($yourDirectory);
    }
}

A: foreach($folders as $folder)
{
if (!file_exists($folder)) {
    mkdir($folder, 0777, true);
}
}


text:
Racine Township is a township in Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 445 at the time of the 2000 census. The largest town in the township is Racine with a population of 442 as of the 2010 census.. All other area in the township is unincorporated.

History
Racine Township was organized in 1858. The old village of Hamilton was once located about two miles southeast of the town of Racine in the northeast corner of section 1 (the east half of the village was in Fillmore County).

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 35.9 square miles (93.0 km), all  land.

Demographics
At the 2000 census, there were 445 people, 165 households and 128 families residing in the township. The population density was 12.4 per square mile (4.8/km). There were 175 housing units at an average density of 4.9/sq mi (1.9/km). The racial makeup of the township was 98.88% White, 0.22% African American, 0.22% Asian, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.45% of the population.

There were 165 households, of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.5% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.07.

25.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.4 males.

The median household income was $54,231 and the median family income was $55,833. Males had a median income of $34,375 and females $27,813. The per capita income was $23,320. About 0.7% of families and 1.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Cemeteries
Salem Cemetery is located two miles southwest of Racine. Its oldest known burial dates to 1865.
St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery is located in the southwest corner of the southeast quadrant of section 18 of the township. Its oldest known burial dates to 1876.
There is also an unnamed, deserted cemetery located in the southeast corner of the southwest quadrant of section 23 of the township. It was in use from 1859 to 1874.

References

Further reading

Townships in Mower County, Minnesota
Townships in Minnesota


text:
Forum of Heritage Language Coalitions in Europe
FOHLC Europe is an exciting new collaboration between several organizations involved with heritage language education in Europe. We are initiating an annual conference that we hope will become a new tradition of creating connections. It will be a chance for all involved in this area to come together once per year to share expertise and to discuss the needs of our organizations.
Our online conference will take place on November 19 and 20, 2021, and will have the theme:
Future-proofing Heritage Language Education.
Topics will include online learning, succession planning, and other ideas for HL program sustainability. Let's gain a fresh perspective on the future of HL education in Europe!
This year attendance of the conference will be free of charge!
FOHLC Europe 2021 is organized by Móðurmál, Heritage Language Education Network (formerly Heritage Language Schools Eindhoven), and Multilingual Café. Meet our team. Email our team.
The purpose of FOHLC Europe is to bring together once per year umbrella organizations, associations, coalitions, and networks of heritage language (HL) programs, as well as the leaders, managers, and teachers of HL programs in Europe. For example, umbrella organizations and coalitions can bring together HL programs based on shared geographic location (e.g., all HL programs in Iceland) or they can bring together HL programs based on language (e.g. a coalition of Czech HL programs across Europe).
FOHLC Europe offers professional development to HL teachers and managers and we offer networking opportunities to professionals in the field of HL education. While not an academic conference, we invite scholars to bridge academics with our audience.
The goal of organizing an annual conference is provide a platform for exchange ideas about how to:
promote HL education in Europe
promote interest of HL associations (language-based or location-based) in Europe
improve the quality and professionalism of HL education in Europe
map the situation of HL schools in Europe
create connections between HL associations in Europe
support / take part in research in HL education
HL teachers
HL program coordinators
HL program volunteers
Leaders of HL umbrella organizations, associations, and coalitions
Parents of HL learners interested in the topic of HL education
Academics involved in HL education research
Policy makers and government authorities interested in the topic of HL education
Introduction of FOHLC Europe
Two keynote speakers addressing the conference theme
Professional development workshops for heritage language teachers and program managers
Networking opportunities for leaders of heritage language teachers, program managers, and leaders of coalitions
Panel discussion addressing the theme of the conference
The full conference schedule will be available on the Eventbrite page, where it is possible to register.
Dr. Anthony Thorpe:
Sustainability and succession planning in HL schools
Senior Lecturer - Leadership and Management,
University of Roehampton, London, UK
Dr Anthony Thorpe is a senior lecturer (leadership and management) in the School of Education at the University of Roehampton in London, UK. He previously worked in schools and further education colleges. His research interests include educational leadership and management, organizational theory, human resource management, leadership development and their links to social justice. His work also explores the use of critical realism in educational leadership and management.
Anthony co-edited a special issue of the journal of Management in Education published in autumn 2020. The issue explored different aspects of leadership and management in heritage language schools (also known as complementary or supplementary schools in the UK), which have been received little attention to date in academic journals.
In 2019, he was a keynote presenter at the Supplementary Schools Conference for Practitioners organized by the City of Bradford Council, UK, with a presentation entitled "Leading complementary schools: trials, tribulations and rewards." He is lead author of an article about leadership succession as an aspect of organizational sustainability in complementary schools in England in the Australian journal of Leading & Managing.
Lia Tedesco:
School of Languages in Australia
Principal of the School of Languages in South Australia
Lia Tedesco began her professional career as a teacher of Italian at secondary level, and has been Principal of the School of Languages (S.A.) since 2000.
The School of Languages is a unique government school, which provides access, choice and continuity in language learning to students from all three sectors of education. The school currently teaches 24 languages to over 2100 students.
Lia has a long history of involvement and leadership in curriculum development, professional development and policy development, at both state and national levels across Australia; including writing the:
· National Curriculum for Italian at secondary level (1989)
· National Statement and Profile for Languages (1992)
· State Languages Policy (1995)
· National Review of Languages Education (2003)
· National Statement and Plan for Languages Education 2005 – 2009
· South Australian Education Department Languages Strategy 2018 – 2021.
She has also served as Executive Officer of the National Ministerial Council of Education Working Party for Languages; and as President of the Australian Federation of Modern Languages Teachers' Associations (AFMLTA); through which she led and contributed to significant national projects.
She has received 2 major national awards:
· The Australian Federation of Modern Languages Teachers' Associations medal for outstanding contributions at national level to Languages Education
· The Australian College of Educational Leadership (ACEL) 2018 award for outstanding educational leadership.
Recently she was also a finalist in the South Australian 2021 Governor's Multicultural Awards.
Workshop leaders
Workshop for Teachers
Project-Based Learning in Heritage Language Classrooms
Are you looking for ways to improve your heritage language students' motivation, literacy, vocabulary and academic knowledge in 90 minutes each week? If so, then this project-based learning workshop might be for you. Over this workshop, Dr. Trudie Aberdeen will demonstrate with real-life work from students how language learners can improve in each of these areas by working on projects that use science as a starting point. Participants will receive real and concrete examples of lessons, sample lesson plans, evaluation forms, and planning sheets specifically designed with heritage language teachers in mind.
Dr, Trudie Aberdeen is an academic, a teacher trainer, an immersion teacher, and a heritage language teacher. Her experience spans the globe. Her passions are multilingualism and multiculturalism, teacher training, and meaningful professional development. She speaks 5 languages and is a strong advocate for heritage language schools and their professionalism.
Workshop for Managers
International Guidelines for Professional Practices in Community-Based Heritage Language Schools
This workshop will introduce a new initiative which is a product of ongoing discussions and collaboration among a number of national heritage language associations and organizations from both Europe and North America. The workshop will invite feedback from participants as they consider how the guidelines can be implemented in their schools.
Marta McCabe, Ph.D., is Founder and Director of the Czech and Slovak School of North Carolina and a core member at the Coalition of Community-Based Heritage Language Schools. She also serves as an EFL Instructor at Durham Technical Community College and as a Research Scientist at the School of Education at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Her research examines the intersection of education, language, and migration, while focusing specifically on the linguistic, social, and cultural adaptation of second-generation immigrants from Eastern Europe. She has published on the topic of heritage language education in the International Journal of the Sociology of Language and in a Handbook on Heritage Language Education.
Joy Kreeft Peyton, PhD, is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) and President of the Coalition of Community-Based Heritage Language Schools. has over 35 years of experience working in the field of languages, linguistics, and culture in education. She was a founding member of the Alliance for the Advancement of Heritage Languages, hosted at CAL. She is co-editor of Heritage Languages in America: Preserving a National Resource and Handbook of Heritage, Community, and Native American Languages in the United States: Research, Educational Practice, and Policy. Her work includes working with teachers and program leaders in K-12 and adult education settings to improve their instructional practice and study the implementation and outcomes of research-based practice, including implementing and studying approaches to writing that facilitate engagement and learning and promote academic and professional success. She is a Senior Advisor for the EU-SPEAK project (Newcastle University), whose mission is to enhance the knowledge and skills of teachers of adult immigrants who have limited education and literacy in their native language (LESLLA adults).
Dr. Martin Guardado
Technology in HL education
Martin Guardado is a professor of applied and sociocultural linguistics in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Alberta, Canada. He obtained his PhD from the University of British Columbia specializing in language education with a focus on heritage languages. His published research spans several topical themes, including the use of digital technologies in second and heritage language learning. Recent books include Discourse, ideology and heritage language socialization: Micro and macro perspectives (2018), The many faces of multilingualism: Language status, learning and use across contexts (2020, De Gruyter Mouton), and Curriculum development in English for academic purposes: A guide to practice (2020, Palgrave MacMillan).
Dr. Mahera Ruby
Collaboration between HL programs and mainstream schools
Dr. Mahera Ruby is an academic and a certified personal growth and family coach. She has held teaching and research positions at UCL IoE, Goldsmiths, University of London and University of West London. As a senior researcher at Goldsmiths, University of London, she has conducted research using an ethnographic approach in the homes, communities, and classrooms of both monolingual and bilingual children in East London. In addition to working on the Paul Hamlyn Foundation project on "Developing bilingual pedagogies through partnership between supplementaryand mainstream schools." She has worked on two ESRC projects, Intergenerational learning between children and grandparents and Developing bilingual learning in mainstream and community contexts. Dr. Mahera also co-directed the ESRC-funded research project on "Becoming literate through faith: language and literacy learning in the lives of new Londoners." Mahera co-authored her first book with Dr Charmian Kenner, Interconnecting Worlds: Teacher partnerships for bilingual learning, which has received many positive reviews. She has authored her latest book Family Jigsaws: Grandmothers as the missing piece shaping bilingual children's learner identities. Both books have been published by the IoE Press. Dr. Mahera completed her PhD in 2015 at Goldsmiths in the Department of Education. Her research focused on intergenerational learning taking place in three generations of families whose origins are from Bangladesh.
Mahera founded Blooming Parenting in 2012 with a vision to reshape and strengthen families and communities. Through facilitating bespoke parenting courses, Mahera supports parents to nurture their children and youth to blossom into the gifts that they truly are. The youth courses challenge the young people to explore and reflect on who they are, who they want to be and the legacies they want to leave behind.
Dr. Rory McDaid
HL and language policy
Dr Rory Mc Daid is the Director of Research in Marino Institute of Education, where he is also Lecturer in Sociology of Education. Since 2017, he has coordinated the Migrant Teacher Project which provides information, advice and training to migrant teachers, to help them to continue their profession in Ireland. Dr Mc Daid's research contributions include work with refugee and asylum seeking children and young people in Ireland, racism and linguicism in schools and teacher diversity. See this panelists's website.
Renata Emilsson Pesková
Móðurmál - the Association on Bilingualism
Renata is a PhD Candidate at the School of Education, Faculty of Education and Pedagogy, University of Iceland. She comes from the Czech Republic, and has a B.A. degree in Andragogy and Personal Management at Charles University in Prague and an M.A degree from Universität Bayreuth with major in Intercultural Communication / German as a Foreign Language. After teaching English and German at a compulsory school in Reykjavík for seven years, she enrolled as a PhD student at the University of Iceland. The dissertation School experience of plurilingual students: Multiple case study from Iceland explores the interplay of linguistic repertoires and school experience of five students on an elementary school level, who attend heritage language classes in a non-formal setting. Renata's research interests include plurilingualism and multilingualism, linguistically responsive and plurilingual pedagogies, language policies, heritage learning in informal, non-formal and formal settings, and linguistic identities. Her research is complemented by her roles as a co-founder and board member of the Czech School in Iceland and a board member of Móðurmál – the Association on Bilingualism.
Agnieszka Pędrak
Independent researcher
Agnieszka is an independent researcher currently studying for her PhD degree in Applied Linguistics at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Agnieszka has a keen interest in heritage language education and childhood bilingualism in the context of migration. She has several years of experience in teaching Polish language and culture in supplementary schools across Ireland and co-organizing various events for local multilingual/migrant communities, such as: conferences for HL teachers, talks for parents and teachers of bilingual children, festival events promoting bi-/multilingualism and many educational projects aiming at enhancing children's bilingual skills and their motivation to embrace their heritage languages.
Gisi Cannizzaro
Heritage Language Education Network
Gisi Cannizzaro is from New Orleans, Louisiana, in the U.S. and speaks English as her mother tongue. She holds a Bachelor's degree in German Studies from Loyola University (2004, New Orleans), an Erasmus Mundus European Master's degree in Theoretical Clinical Linguistics (2007, Groningen, Joensuu, and Potsdam), and a Ph.D. degree in Child Language Acquisition (2012, Groningen). She worked for six years in Eindhoven as an educational consultant helping multilingual, internationally mobile families with children. In 2018 she initiated two projects: one to organize Italian lessons for Italian-speaking children and one to organize a network of heritage language programs in Eindhoven: Heritage Language Education Network (formerly Heritage Language Schools Eindhoven). As a part of these projects, she has helped add 500 Italian children's books to the Eindhoven Library. Together with her Italian husband, Gisi is raising trilingual children (English, Italian, and Dutch).
Isabelle Barth
Multilingual Café
Isabelle Barth is French, and she works as language consultant. At the age of 18, Isabelle Barth won the European Secondary School competition after writing an essay on twinning between cities and the importance of languages. She then spent 10 days in Germany with other young European representing their own country, an unforgettable experience where everything started for her! She then studied languages at the university, to teach them but also to give the possibility to people to understand each other. She wrote her first doctorate on "Communications, Arts & Spectacles" in English-speaking Canadian Drama with a specialization on Narratology. In addition, she earned a Professional Master in Translation. She lectures in universities in France, Canada, Ireland and the Open University online. Life took her to Ireland where created a L'atelier de français - FLAM (French as mother tongue), a small school for French-speaking children. She went on to earn a Professional Master in Languages, specialized in policies, language markets, language politics, teachers' training, and plurilingual education. She is now doing research for a second doctorate exploring the impact of the environment on the family language policies and practices. She is the founder of Multilingual Café (2010) and La Maison du Multilinguisme (2012) – where she can advise families on their language journey, as well as train professionals on plurilingual education and research. She is a partner in the European Erasmus+ project Planting Languages. Since 2021, she is member of the Board of the International FLAM Schools Federation.
The full story behind FOHLC Europe
Móðurmál - the Association on Bilingualism is a non-profit umbrella organization that support heritage language teaching in Iceland. Móðurmál organized annual conferences for its member schools since 2013. The aim of the annual conference was to provide professional development to HL teachers from member schools, offer a venue for networking, and to provide answers to the schools´ needs. Foreign lecturers discussed topics such as: strategies to stimulate language development in classes with students with mixed skill levels and other ways to improve instruction, comparisons of mother tongue instruction in Sweden and Canada, drama methods in teaching, development of HL curricula, how to include sustainable development goals into HL programs, and online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The annual conferences of Móðurmál presented research, projects carried out by HL groups, HL teachers´ practical experience, as well as practical workshops for improving HL teaching. Gradually, lecturers from Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, and Canada visited Iceland, i.e., Olenka Bilash, Deirdre Kirwan, Barbara Day, Ann Reath Warren, and in 2020, lectures from Australia and from Ireland gave talks. These international meetings and online access to the 2020 conference of Community Based Heritage Language Schools in the United States as well as other professional development for HL teachers organized around the globe brought together coordinators and leader who had until then worked separately in their local contexts.
In 2020, Mother Tongues in Dublin and Móðurmál in Reykjavík jointly organized an annual conference (2020 Heritage Language Education Conference) that was targeted to their respective member HL schools, as well as to guests from other countries. This collaboration was successful, with about 70 participants, and the feedback from participants was positive. Attending a conference with participants from multiple countries and the exchange of international experiences proved to be more satisfactory than attending a local conference. Out of this collaboration, the idea was born to continue co-organizing the annual HL conference in Europe and to establish a collaboration of associations, coalitions, and umbrella organizations of HL languages in Europe. The groups agreed to convene annually via the new "Forum of Heritage Language Coalitions Europe" (FOHLC Europe)."
FOHLC Europe on Facebook
FOHLC Europe on LinkedIn
EMAIL ORGANIZERS

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Strings and string builder What is the difference between strings and string builder in .NET?

A: A string is an immutable type. It has bad performance characteristics when performing lots of string manipulation like concatenation.
Stringbuilders on the other hand overcome this weakness by keeping a growing buffer so that each concatenation is less likely to require a new string to be allocated.
Since string builders add some overhead, they are only really necessary when some significant string work is to be done (e.g. in a loop). If your code is fast, don't worry about it. If it's not, use a profiler to see if this issue matters in your case.
One final note: this answer really has nothing to do with ASP.NET--this is true of strings in all of .net and lots of other languages, too.

A: http://en.csharp-online.net/CSharp_String_Theory%E2%80%94String_vs._StringBuilder
Basically, Strings are immutable - every time you manipulate one is needs to be recreated in memory. StringBuilder is easier on memory and in nearly all cases, much faster when you're dealing with repetitive string concatenation and other manipulative operations.
You may find some better discussion in this SO post: String vs. StringBuilder.

A: string is immutable and stringbuilder is mutable.

In object-oriented and functional
  programming, an immutable object is an
  object whose state cannot be modified
  after it is created. This is in
  contrast to a mutable object, which
  can be modified after it is created.
Immutable objects are often useful
  because some costly operations for
  copying and comparing can be omitted,
  simplifying the program code and
  speeding execution. However, making an
  object immutable is usually
  inappropriate if the object contains a
  large amount of changeable data.
  Because of this, many languages allow
  for both immutable and mutable
  objects.

Each time a concatenation is made to a string object a new string object is created with a new reference and it will be assigned to the object. The older object will still there be in memory.

A: I would like to answer your question from Javas' perspective though the concept in .Net is the same. In Java we have a package(a package is a collection of classes) known as java.lang, String and StringBuilder are two classes which belong to this package and can be used by other classes to make instances. Now the difference b/w String and String builder is that String objects are immutable meaning the content of these objects cannot be modified as these are constants and the objects of StringBuilder class are mutable meaning their content can be modified.
Ex:-
package anypackagename;

    package learningJava;

    public class DemoString
    {
          public static void main(String... args)
          {
            StringBuilder S2 = new StringBuilder("My name is");
            System.out.println("S2 is: "+S2 );
            System.out.println("Hashcode of S2 before append "+ S2.hashCode());
            String S1 = "I live in";
            System.out.println("S1 is: "+S1 );
            System.out.println("Hashcode of S1 before concat "+ S1.hashCode());
            diff(S1,S2);
          }

          public static void diff(String S1, StringBuilder S2)
         {
              System.out.println("\n" );
              S2 = S2.append(" Amritansh Upadhyay");
              System.out.println("S2 is: "+S2 );
              System.out.println("Hashcode of S2 after after " +S2.hashCode());
              S1 = S1.concat("Bangalore");
              System.out.println("S1 is: "+S1 );
              System.out.println("Hashcode of S1 after concat" +S1.hashCode());
         }
    }

The Hashcode(Value of Ref variable S1) is changed with the appended String but the value of (Value of Ref variable S2) is not changed.


Set sail on a deep-sea fishing adventure or cruise the bay on a glass bottom boat. Dive into a steaming bowl of clam chowder. Discover sweet-tooth heaven at vintage candy stores like Wharf Wonka Chocolate Factory and Carousel Candies. Sip a margarita on the waterfront. Spot sea lions from the shore or set sail on a whale watching adventure to see orcas, humpbacks, and blue whales. Browse quirky souvenir shops like The Wharf's General Store. Have a blast exploring Old Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey, a historic waterfront neighborhood with authentic charm and maritime activities. Enjoy delectable fine dining or grab a quick basket of fried clams to eat on the docks. Ready to hit the water? You can book all kinds of boat tours here, from sport fishing expeditions to sightseeing cruises. Just make sure to leave plenty of time to stroll along the waterfront and soak up the peaceful seaside vibe. Paid parking lots are easy to find nearby.
The top restaurants in this historic waterfront neighborhood include Old Fisherman's Grotto (old-world seafood), Abalonetti (dog-friendly), Crabby Jim's (great chowder), Crepes of Brittany (French pancakes), Crab House (seafood), Big Fish Grill (seafood), and Water and Leaves (organic cafe).


text:
.class public interface abstract Lcom/facebook/android/Facebook$ServiceListener;
.super Ljava/lang/Object;
.source ""

# annotations
.annotation system Ldalvik/annotation/EnclosingClass;
    value = Lcom/facebook/android/Facebook;
.end annotation

.annotation system Ldalvik/annotation/InnerClass;
    accessFlags = 0x609
    name = "ServiceListener"
.end annotation

# virtual methods
.method public abstract onComplete(Landroid/os/Bundle;)V
.end method

.method public abstract onError(Ljava/lang/Error;)V
.end method

.method public abstract onFacebookError(Lcom/facebook/android/FacebookError;)V
.end method

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The spectacular rise and dizzying fall of a legendary Spanish desperado.
Memory, contrition, love and loss all permeate this thoughtful contemplation on the generation of radical adolescents that emerged in Spain in its post-Franco years. With an autobiographical air, Cercas (The Anatomy of a Moment, 2011, etc.) crafts a vibrant yet realistic portrait of two teenage boys who find themselves in very different circumstances in adulthood. The voice of the novel comes from Ignacio Cañas, a retired criminal defense lawyer who is being interviewed by an unnamed journalist about his early relationship with a charismatic criminal, Antonio Gamallo, who is known to Spain as "El Zarco." In the book's first half, we learn how the bookish, fainthearted Cañas falls in with the blue-eyed Zarco and his exotic female companion, Tere, in the late 1970s. Their deal is based around a simple bargain: "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." The drug-fueled, rebellious trio soon graduates from burglary to robbing banks. When Cañas is freed by a sympathetic police officer named Inspector Cuenca, it sets him on a different path than his felonious friends. A quarter-century later, Tere reappears in his office with María Vela, Zarco's girlfriend, with a plea for Cañas to lead the outlaw's defense. It's a compelling, drawn-out story with rich period detail and emotional depth. The first half has the flavor of Jim Carroll's post-punk autobiographical novels, while the chronicle of Zarco's criminal career recalls the many books and films about French gangster Jacques Mesrine. It's also hard not to feel the swirl of emotions experienced by Cañas as he wrestles with his feelings about his childhood friend and the long attraction he's held for Tere, whose role in keeping Zarco's secrets leaves her largely at arm's length from the rest of the world. It's unusual for a story about popular folklore to be so grounded, but Cercas navigates this difficult maneuver with grace.
A rewarding and complex novel about finding the man behind the myths.


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Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood Discuss Faces Reunion
The band are hungry to get back in the studio
The Faces keyboard player Ian McLagan has confirmed the rest of the band, including Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, have been considering a reunion.
"We're hoping to get together later this year to play and then we may have some news, but I want it to happen, badly," he told BBC 6 Music.
McLagan said Stewart was the only member uncertain about reforming.
"Rod hasn't wanted to do it for a long time. He didn't see the need in it but I think he really wants to now. It's going to be great if it does happen," McLagan said.
But according to The Sun, Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood met at the Mayfair restaurant Cipriani to discuss the possibility of returning to the studio with the band.
A source commented: "Ron and Rod had a great time reminiscing. They were having a laugh and a joke but there is still a serious hunger to get back in the studio.
"There are plans for the band to start recording in the autumn with a tour in the pipeline for this winter."
The original Faces lineup comprised Stewart, Wood, Ian McLagan, Kenney Jones and the late Ronnie Lane.
They formed in 1969 and released four studio albums between 1970 and 1973, which included the hits 'Stay With Me' and 'Ooh La La'.
Rod Stewart And The Faces


Jerry: [softly hitting Max on the arm for his birthday] One, two three, four, five, and one for good luck!
Fletcher: He struck the child, did you see that?
Max: Look at what Dad got me!
Jerry: Whoa, great! Hey, you know what? I have my glove in the car. Maybe we can stop at the park on the way home and play catch. Then tonight we can rub oil in it and wrap a big rubber band around it. It'll be great! Hey, great gift, Dad!
Fletcher: Thanks, son! I'm so glad my gift could bring those two closer together. My plan to phase myself out is almost complete.


New Year's Eve in Long Beach 2013 - Celebrate it your way!
Find the best New Year's Eve offers and options. Parties, Hotels, Restaurants, Concerts, Cruises, and more Events for 2012/2013.
With a population of almost 470,000, Long Beach is a large city situated in Los Angeles County in southern California, on the Pacific Coast of the United States. The city is a bustling economic and tourist destinations, with one of the world's largest shipping ports, which makes it an exotic destination for the New Year's Eve in Long Beach California in 2013.
With downtown Long Beach hardly 40 km away from downtown Los Angeles, the city is also home to countless premier attractions. Queen Mary, a 1936 art deco ocean liner permanently docked at Long Beach, converted to a hotel and maritime museum. The Aquarium of the Pacific, with a collection of over 12,500 animals, and featuring attractions such as the interactive Shark Lagoon and Lorikeet Forest, the El Dorado Nature Centre or the historical site of Rancho Los Alamitos are only some of the landmarks that make this place a unique destination for the New Year's Eve in Long Beach California in 2013.


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Bridestory Uses Containers on AWS to Improve Agility
Bridestory was launched in 2014 as a one-stop shop for brides to find wedding inspiration and connect with potential vendors. Headquartered in Indonesia, the Bridestory app boasts a rapidly expanding user base with some 700,000 visitors, including users in the Philippines and Singapore. Two years post-launch, the startup was experiencing growing pains borne of its monolithic architecture. Slow iteration and difficulty in deploying and scaling were interfering with time-to-market, which was a top priority. Bridestory had built its original architecture in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud and began consulting with AWS Cloud architects about migrating to a container-based infrastructure.
"Since the end of 2018, we have been hitting our metrics. Previously, we were averaging three weeks to launch one big feature, whereas now our developers are empowered to conduct small releases daily, with less than a 1 percent failure rate."
Doni Hanafi, Chief Technology Officer, Bridestory
About Bridestory
AWS Services Used
Bridestory is a web and mobile application developed to inspire brides and help them connect with wedding vendors. The site has up to 700,000 visitors each month and is expanding globally, with users in Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines.
Performs daily deployments versus every 3 weeks
Achieves less than a 1% failure rate
Autoscales to accommodate expanding global user base
Speeds time-to-market threefold for a new brand
Improves productivity and employee job satisfaction, which boosts retention
Amazon Elastic Container Service
Amazon Relational Database Service
Monolith to Microservices
Doni Hanafi, Chief Technology Officer at Bridestory, worked with his team to start splitting the application into smaller services and setting up Docker containers with Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS). With time-to-market and reliability as its key criteria, Bridestory aimed to deploy smaller features every few days to lower the rate of failure.
The first three to four months were spent exploring technology stacks to find the right infrastructure for targeted workloads, aiming for a solution that would improve agility with autoscaling. The startup then began progressive decoupling, starting by building new features in the microservices environment. Bridestory uses Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) to store all transaction data, and it found AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) particularly helpful during the migration process. Hanafi says, "By using AWS DMS, we can copy data in real time, syncing it from our old Amazon RDS database in the monolith to the new microservices database. In addition, we can easily create a replication in Amazon RDS, which we use a lot for our BI tools. The replication is very reliable, and we haven't had any significant data issues so far."
Same Architecture, Different Brand
The new microservices architecture has transformed operations. Hanafi reports, "Since the end of 2018, we have been hitting our metrics. Previously, we were averaging three weeks to launch one big feature, whereas now our developers are empowered to conduct small releases daily, with less than a 1 percent failure rate." The company has also launched a new app called Parentstory using its containerized infrastructure. "Isolation is the key to our new multi-tenancy microservices model," he explains. "We are constantly exploring with AWS architects how we can use the same architecture with the same source code, but with a totally different brand, different customers, and different database." With this "recycled" approach, the team was able to launch the Parentstory app nearly three times faster than Bridestory.
By using AWS, Hanafi's team has also become more efficient. He concludes, "Currently, we are shifting to Amazon Elastic Container Service for Kubernetes (Amazon EKS), which gives us more flexibility in isolating resources. With AWS, we are discovering new ways of learning and experimenting, which is key for engineers and leads to high employee retention."
The diagram below illustrates the AWS infrastructure at Bridestory and Parentstory:
To learn more, visit Containers.


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Director of Church Mobilization
Michael Lewis serves as a director of church mobilization for International Justice Mission in Houston. This role affords him the opportunity to equip churches and communities in Texas and Oklahoma by sharing the biblical call to seek justice, introducing them to IJM's work and mobilizing them to engage in both local and global ministry.
Prior to joining IJM, Michael served as a consultant to nonprofit organizations in the Houston area. He held leadership positions in nonprofit institutions with responsibilities in operations, philanthropy and strategy, and in the private sector delivering financial analysis and strategic planning. For over five years, Michael served as director of operations for Mission Houston, a parachurch ministry devoted to uniting the Church in Houston for personal and community transformation.
Michael received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum. Originally from San Antonio, Michael is husband to his high school sweetheart Cynthia and father to their three sons Miles, Marcus and Mateo.
Watch and hear Michael share about the work of IJM.
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