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Friday, May 06, 2016

Answering-Islam: The Place of Women in Pure Islam

Here is a bit about the Answering-Islam site:

Who is (behind) "Answering Islam" ?

Many people send us emails asking who we are, what are our qualifications to speak on Islam, what is our statement of faith, etc.

Some say, that they love our site, and would like to recommend it to others, but cannot do so before they know who we are and what exactly we believe.

If you are one who seeks answers to these questions, we would like to ask you: What would you need these answers for? Why is the (usually acknowledged) quality of our material not enough for you?

We have no desire that people believe our arguments just because some respectable names of persons, organizations or churches are attached to the site. Often the question comes from Christians who want to be sure, we are evangelical Christians, before they can trust or recommend us.

We do not want Christians (or anyone else) to believe what we write is correct just because we claim to be evangelical, or because we can tout some academic titles to the names of our authors, but because the arguments are biblical, well documented, and logically sound.
The Bible praises these critical believers:

Now, the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11
The Bereans believed not because it was Paul, the honored apostle, nor because he could claim the endorsement of the Jerusalem Apostolic Council, but because they examined his arguments themselves to find whether they were scriptural and true.

Let our readers be Bereans. We want that Muslims come to faith because they become convinced of the truth of the Gospel through the soundness of the material we present, and we want our Christian brothers and sisters to develop their convictions about their own faith and about Islam for the same reasons: Because it is true.

The sad thing is, not everything that evangelical Christians write about Islam is true (not even everything they write about the Bible and the Christian faith). We would not doubt their Christian faith, but we cannot agree with their statements about Islam. We cannot recommend their writings just because they are Evangelicals, and—to remain consistent—we do not want others to believe us, just because we wear that label.

The same holds for the question of academic qualifications. Some of our authors are teaching Theology, Religious Studies or even Islamic Studies at Universities. But there are too many professors of Islamic Studies who spread false information about Islam, while some self-taught laymen have a much deeper understanding. Evaluate the quality of our writings for yourself, and do not fall into the fallacy of appeal to authority.

This all said, we are Evangelical Christians and agree without reservations with the statement of faith as given, for example, by the World Evangelical Alliance and the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization.

May the Lord God bless you and guide you as you seek to know Him and His Truth.
Your Answering Islam team

To read this article, kindly click on this link:

The Place of Women in Pure Islam

by M. Rafiqul-Haqq and P. Newton

    Contents -
    Men's Superiority
    Women's Deficiencies
    What is a Woman?
    Husband's Rights
    Woman's Rights
    Man's Prerogatives
    The Significance of the Marriage Contract
    The Significance of the Dowry
    Spiritual Standing of Women
Quotes from the article:
The purpose of this booklet is to consider the place of women in the pure teaching of Islam. It must be recognised that not every Muslim, nor every Muslim nation follows all of these teachings. These teachings come from both the Qur'an and the Hadith. The Hadith is 'The Tradition of Mohammad', that is, the stories of Mohammad's deeds and sayings.

The above quotations are not a collection of isolated, eccentric, or uncommon examples, but they are a representation of the main stream of a coherent consistent point of view regarding the place of women in Islam.
We have kept our comments to a bare minimum so that the reader can come to his own conclusions, rather than be influenced unduly by our interpretation.
We can see that the Qur'an, the sound Hadith, the commentators of the Qur'an, Muslim scholars, ancient and modern are consistent in teaching the superiority of men over women.


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Mahira Hafeez Khan (Raees) Profile & Wiki Details Beauty

Mahira Hafeez Khan (Raees) Profile & Wiki Details

The model cum VJ cum Pakistani actress “Mahira Hafeez Khan” is all geared up to venture into Bollywood with none other than Bollywood King Khan “Shah Rukh Khan”. Read on to find Mahira Hafeez Khan or Mahira Khan wiki details, biography, filmography, age and other details.

The Pakistani film and television actress and former VJ, Mahira got to fame with “Humsafar”, “Shehr-e-Zaat” and “Sadqay Tumhare”. She has also acted in Indian films.

The actress will be seen romancing Shah Rukh in Rahul Dholakia-directed film “Raees”. She garnered good reviews and fans from the show “Humsafar” which aired on Zindagi Channel.

After attending Foundation Public School in Pakistan. She moved to United States at age 17 to attend University of Southern California, but dropped in between. She began her career as a VJ on Most Wanted on MTV Pakistan and Weekends with Mahira on Aag TV.

She made her Bollywood debut with “Bol” in 2011. The movie was directed by Shoaib Mansoor. Same year she starred in her first television drama, ARY Digital’s “Neeyat”. Then she appeared in the hit Pakistani program Humsafar. It was a hit in Pakistan and India and she received positive reviews.

Then she did the spiritual romance “Shehr-e-Zaat” in the year 2013 and romantic drama “Sadqay Tumhare” in the year 2014. She played a starring role in the romantic drama film “Bin Roye” (2015), a supporting role in the biographical drama “Manto” (2015).

Mahira has been a big fan of Bollywood movies since her childhood. She fondly remembers Guru Dutt in Pyaasa. She is a fan of Bollywood legends Meena Kumari, Madhubala and Rekha! Mahira stated in an interview that her parents are Pathans and speak urdu! She is married to Ali Askari.

She stood tenth in a ‘Sexiest Asian Women’ poll by Eastern Eye in 2015 and was called Pakistan’s sexiest woman the same year.

Now we gonna see Mahira Hafeez Khan playing the role of SRK’s wife in Rahul Dholakia’s Raees. Mahira admitted that she was very nervous before the shoot to face the Superstar but he is so grounded, that he left her sppechless. She says there was no starry attitude and she bonded very well. She followed her “humsafar” co-actor Fawad Khan’s footsteps into Bollywood.

Lets hope this pretty Pakistani lady makes a place for herself in Bollywood!

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Top 10 best Music schools in Greater Dublin

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Top 10 best Music schools in Greater Dublin

This is the list of the top ten best Music schools in Greater Dublin based on WikiFun users votes. The selection is based on all places located in 489 cities within 50 miles around Dublin. The Music schools listed below are those that received the highest number of votes. Please help us improve the relevance of this page by voting for the best Music schools you would recommend in the area. You will contribute to bringing more fun to all the visitors of this page. To participate and vote, it's really simple : find your preferred places by using the search engine and once you find it click on "Vote" : Your selected places will receive one additional vote and you will increase the likelyhood of them being listed in this page of the Top ten Music schools in Greater Dublin. If you do not find the venue you would like to vote for, you can add it by clicking on 'Add a new place". Thank you for your help !
To vote for your favorite place

(<10 votes)
Waltons New School of Music Dublin 2 Waltons New School of Music  (Dublin 2, )
'...a centre for all sorts of musical activity...and all this while promoting excellence...’
– Irish Times ...
     3 votes   Vote     |  Follow this place   |  Post a message

(<10 votes)
Greystones Music Academy Greystones Greystones Music Academy  (Greystones, )
A music school based in Greystones, County Wicklow, offering tuition on a wide array of instruments for all levels and ages. ...
     1 votes   Vote     |  Follow this place   |  Post a message


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Bahrain EDB hosts IIFM Consultation on Islamic Credit Support Arrangement

Manama, 20th October 2015:  The Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) hosted a Market Consultative Meeting on Islamic Credit Support Arrangement in association with the International Islamic Financial Markets (IIFM) and its Islamic hedging joint-partner International Swaps & Derivatives Association (ISDA) in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Credit Support Arrangement (CSA) is one of the key documentations for risk management where counter-parties transactional risk is managed through collateral and margin maintenance mechanism. The Islamic CSA will be developed under the already published ISDA/IIFM Tahawwut Master Agreement for Islamic hedging transactions. There is a growing requirement from regulators for Islamic CSA in the GCC, Europe, Far East, North America & other regions. As the Islamic finance industry grows in scale, investors are increasingly taking larger positions, creating a requirement for mechanisms to manage that risk.

In accordance with the IIFM standard agreements development process, participants of consultative meeting  included Shari’ah scholars, regulators, banks, law firms, ISDA representatives and other market practitioners to provide guidance on technical, Shari’ah and legal issues to be tackled in the development of a standard Islamic CSA.

The main focus of the meeting was on the impact of new regulations from the Basel committee and other regulators on certain transactions’ clearing requirements and in case of un-cleared transactions, the requirement of additional collateral and margin maintenance. The participants discussed how, given the global expansion of Islamic banking, certain Islamic transactions may be impacted if proper arrangements and master agreements are not put in place.

The participants also explored various Shari’ah compliant alternatives which may be used to develop Islamic Credit Support Arrangement under the ISDA/IIFM Tahawwut Master Agreement, and how the arrangement needs to be efficient to cater for international law requirements of insolvency and close-out netting. The meeting has provided direction to IIFM to work on the development of Islamic CSA.

Mr. Khalid Al Rumaihi, Chief Executive of the Bahrain EDB, commented:

“We are delighted to be playing a role in such a high profile consultative meeting. IIFM plays a vital role in the development of the industry not just here in Bahrain, but around the world and we firmly believe that what is good for the international Islamic finance industry is good for Bahrain.

“As the Islamic finance industry around the world continues to expand, it needs to evolve if it is to thrive in the future.  Enabling institutions to manage risk effectively is important in developing and growing the sector – and doing so in a way that does not compromise the stability of the financial sector.”

Mr. Ijlal Ahmed Alvi, Chief Executive of the IIFM said, “The expansion of Islamic finance industry across the globe has not only resulted in development of new segments such as risk mitigation or Islamic hedging ‘Tahawwut’ but has also resulted into new regulatory requirements such as Basel III and other regulators’ requirements of taking credit support/collateral including margin maintenance which is essential for certain transactions for all banks including Islamic financial institutions. The consultation on Islamic CSA and its subsequent standard development jointly by IIFM and ISDA will lead to another landmark achievement in creating a robust Islamic finance industry from the perspective of Shari’ah harmonization, market practices as well as creation of legal certainty i.e. law reforms”.

“IIFM is grateful to EDB for its support and thankful to all the attendees including Shari’ah scholars, regulators, banks, law firms, ISDA and other market practitioners from GCC, Europe, Far East, North America and other jurisdictions for their active participation in this initiative”, said Mr. Alvi.


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Tuesday, October 12, 2010

"The Secret World" Dark Days Are Coming

"Imagine if every myth, conspiracy theory and urban legend was true."

Thus begins the preamble for Funcom's new online multiplayer game, The Secret World. The game invites you to "Join the Illuminati, the Templars or the Dragon - the three secret societies that pull the strings of our world. Work your way to the top, earn titles and rewards, and play a key role in the battle for world domination."

Take the online initiation and discover which secret society you are best suited to join.

Mine was the Templars.

And you figured I'd be the Illuminati.

(H/T to Rob Mountain)

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12 February 2017

Healthy Dog Food

(First episode about Choco: Sick Pets)

A little update on Choco. He is enjoying the bones of a whole chicken (leftover from a grilled chicken bought at the local market). These bones are obviously cooked, Choco has no problem digesting them.

Many years ago, Choco's vet warned the owners about the inability of a small dog digesting bones, saying that the bones would poke Choco's digestive system.

04 February 2017

Sick Pets

Below is a picture of Choco (7 years old), my brother's dog, happily eating "whole" animals, bones, skin and organs as part of his daily diet. He is free to consume as much as he wants and the parts he likes most.

22 January 2017

Organ Meat (Simple Recipe Included)

I always encourage the consumption of organ meat, or whatever is not lean meat:
  • liver
  • heart
  • brain (I find this to be the most satisfying)
  • bones (in the form of broth)
  • bone marrow
  • kidney
  • stomach
  • skin
  • tendons (rich in collagen for joint health)

06 December 2016

Cancer and Fasting

Read and learn about the different ways to cure cancer. Consult your doctor before starting any protocol.

Stefan developed prostate cancer. He did a 42 days fast to starve cancer cells, following the program described in The Breuss Cancer Cure. Watch the video for more details about his experience.

06 October 2016

Luigi Cornaro - A Temperate Life

Secrets of a Long Life

The First Discourse (1 of 4) written at the age of 83
The Second Discourse (2 of 4) written at the age of 86
The Third Discourse (3 of 4) written at the age of 91
The Fourth Discourse (4 of 4) written at the age of 95

Or how to regain health from serious chronic illness, and live a healthy and long life.

These four discourses: How to Live 100 Years, or Discourses on the Sober Life is the earliest and most detailed account on calorie restriction and fasting I have found so far.


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Is Growth Hacking a thing? The experts sound-off

By Kiki Schirr, {grow} Contributing Columnist As I was beginning to write my second post for {grow}, Mark posted the following to Facebook: Whoops. Guess I shouldn’t write about growth hacking, then! But then I thought, a topic like growth hacking should stir some debate… So I went ahead and asked some industry experts about what they thought about growth hacking–I think ...Read the full article


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Washington, DC - Vice President Mike Pence spoke by telephone today with President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia.

The two leaders discussed the important bilateral relationship between the United States and Colombia that has existed for many years, and they pledged to maintain and deepen their cooperation on security issues. The Vice President congratulated President Santos for the initial steps in implementing the Colombian peace accord. The two leaders vowed to remain in close communication on bilateral and regional priorities.


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Monday, March 31, 2008

What Silvia Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.

You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.

You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.

You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.

You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.

You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.

Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are very hyper. You never slow down, even when it's killing you.

You're the type of person who can be a workaholic during the day... and still have the energy to party all night.

Your energy is definitely a magnet for those around you. People are addicted to your vibe.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.

You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.

You have the classic "Type A" personality.

5:32 pm

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

choices, choices, choices.
will i ever make the right one?

elmo is so cute >.<

The days are seriously flying.
I can't catch up!!

10:36 am

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Time flew, is flying, will fly.
As the days passes by swiftly (maybe a tad too much),
I begin to ponder how much I have achieved since the start of the new year (the Chinese New Year to be exact).
it seems that the only thing I have achieved so far, is weight.

5:21 pm

Monday, March 10, 2008

Don’t live your life in
‘What was…’ or ‘What will be…’

Live life in ‘What it is..!’

People change, for the better or for worse.
Some may forget you while they move on with their own lives.
They might say things that indirectly(only very slightly) hurt(but to a great extent) you.

But so what.

All I have to do is believe in myself.
Accept all that I have been given, whether it breaks me apart or gives me hope.
That is what makes it life.

Thank you, my teachers, for your guidance way beyond what written material could have given me.
I may have fail some, if not most, of you.
But my sincerity is true.
Without you I may not even be where I am today(technically at NUS right now working, but then that's a little not linked.).

Thank you, my friends, to all those who have been there in my life, at one point or another.
You guys made the unbearable school life worth all the effort.
We might not be as close now, but each and everyone of you have left footprints in my heart.
Prints that won't seem to go away.
And I want you guys to know, especially to the 6 other girls, + 3 guys
You have been the best.
There for me when I needed you the most.
We might all be moving on different paths now, but we will all meet again someday.
Just because even parallel lines may meet somehow.

ok i dunno why i suddenly so emo omg.

5:12 pm

Thursday, March 06, 2008

i'm officially addicted to elmo XP

tmr is d day already...
what can i do?
i can only hope taht everything will go well..
well enough to recieve my treat.

tmr.. i may either be a happy elmo, or an emo elmo.

5:36 pm

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

"Everything is possible. The impossible just takes longer."

4:34 pm

love my new blog skin.
kudos do my little bro ^^

in other news,
7th March `08
i sure hope the 7th is my lucky day >.<

this feeling of knowing the results will be out on friday is already making me unwell =(
*starts playing Matchbox Twenty's Unwell*

i totally have no idea what the outcome will be like, and how my life's gonna change on friday 1430 hours.

9:57 am

Monday, March 03, 2008

9:38 am


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Duo No.5 (Gerke, August)

Sheet Music

PDF scanned by Unknown
Ivanov (2010/3/30)

Publisher. Info. Milan: Ricordi, n.d.(1821). Plate 1907.
Javascript is required for this feature.
Javascript is required to submit files.

General Information

Work Title Duo No.5
Alternative. Title
Composer Gerke, August
Opus/Catalogue NumberOp./Cat. No. Op.16 possibly?
Key E-flat major
Movements/SectionsMov'ts/Sec's 3 movements:
  1. Adagio (E minor) - Allegro ma non troppo
  2. Andante sostenuto (B major)
  3. Tempo di Menuetto
Dedication Andreas Romberg
Composer Time PeriodComp. Period Romantic
Piece Style Classical
Instrumentation 2 Violins

Misc. Comments

Possibly from Gerke's Opp.1 (but these are in C minor, A major and D minor acc. to the Dutch Royal Library...), Op.7 or Op.16 (which are all sets of violin duets, according to Fétis?) (Indeed his Op.16 duo in E major also goes by the name "Cinquième duo concertant, Op.16", at least in its Breitkopf incarnation of ca.1823...)

Tchaikovsky's Op.72 No.3 is dedicated to an August Gerke, I gather...?


text:
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Mira-Skin: Ultrasound Skin Care

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Management Accountant

6 days left

Ideal Personnel and Recruitment Solutions
Milton Keynes
02 Feb 2017
02 Mar 2017
Contract Type
Full Time

Our client has a vacancy for a Management Accountant reporting to the Chief Accountant and Company Secretary. The successful candidate will work closely with the Company Accountant and Chief Accountant to deliver a timely and accurate accounting service to the group.

Responsibilities include:
• Assisting the Chief Accountant and Company Accountant with the delivery of management accounts and reporting, budget and forecast preparation and year end accounts
• Ensuring all budget and forecast assumptions are documented
• Ensuring business critical spreadsheets are clearly documented
• Participating in budget holder key meetings to provide sound financial advice and support
• Ensuring all inter company and associated companies are reconciled on a monthly basis
• Annual review of key budget assumptions including recharge methodology
• Preparing and maintaining the accounts team task snapshot
• Assisting with ensuring policies and procedures are created and maintained for the group
• Managing their own workflow and ensuring that correct priority is given to daily tasks
• Deputising for the Company Accountant as and when required
• Ad hoc duties when required

The successful candidate must already have level 5 of the Qualification Credit Framework (QCF). This equates to ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent. It is a requirement of the job that the jobholder already holds a relevant accountancy qualification.

In addition to this we require:
• Minimum 4 years’ accounting experience with a good understanding of accounting functions - in particular management accounting and budgeting
• Good understanding of all corporate accounting and payroll functions
• Knowledge of SUN accounts is an advantage but not essential
• High level of computer literacy, in particular Advanced Excel skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Process and results driven, delivering a high level of team performance through best practice and approved business processes
• Ability to work with a high degree of accuracy
• Previous experience with budgeting software is advantageous

Due to the large number of responses we receive it is not always possible to respond to every application. We will only contact those candidates short-listed for this role. If you have not heard from us within 7 days please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion. If you wish to apply for further roles please do so. We will retain your details on file and contact you should a suitable vacancy become available.


text:
Accounts Payable Assistant

6 days left

Page Personnel Finance
02 Feb 2017
02 Mar 2017
Contract Type
Full Time

Accounts Payable Assistant for leading executive recruitment firm based in the city of London.

Client Details

My client is a global executive search firm, based in the City of London.

  • Processing of Purchase Invoices
  • Daily Banking in GBP, EUR and USD
  • Coding and Processing of Staff Expenses
  • Coding and Processing of Candidate expenses
  • Administrator for Expense System
  • Petty Cash Reconciliation
  • UK Payments & Cheques
  • International Payments for UK companies
  • Dealing with queries on Account Helpdesk
  • Other ad-hoc projects

  • You must have strong communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships and credibility with a variety of professionals and stakeholders at Board level
  • A positive and energetic manner, always ready for a challenge and able to work hard to produce high quality work
  • Proactive in nature and understands what needs to be done. Able to take initiative but also not be afraid to ask for help when required
  • A high attention to detail ensuring work is produced accurately and of the highest possible standard
  • A reliable and trustworthy individual who can always be looked upon to complete work when required and communicate problems clearly
  • Strong written, verbal and numerical skills
  • Experienced working within a fast paced pressured team with strong knowledge of Excel
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  • Maintains confidentiality at all times

Job Offer

This is a great opportunity to work for global executive search firm based in the city offering the following:

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JEE Advanced 2017 Notification, Online Application Form, Eligibility, IIT JEE Exam Schedule Registration

JEE Advanced 2017 Notification has released. Get more details about Online Application Form, Eligibility, IIT JEE Exam Schedule Registration from here.

JEE Advanced Notification

Excellent News……Aspirants who have a dream to take admission in IIT’s and NIT’s are informed that JEE Advanced Notification has been released. JEE Advance Exam is conducted by Indian Institute of Technology. Aspirants who are able to qualify JEE Examination may take admission in B.Tech, Integrated M. Tech or B.Tech-M.Tech Dual Degree in Engineering, Architecture, Science & Pharmacy etc. Contenders, who want to apply, firstly need to read JEE Advanced Notification and ensure their eligibility. Candidates who meet with the eligibility criteria may submit JEE Advanced Online Application Form through web portal that is Here on this web page of we are providing complete details regarding JEE Advanced Notification 2017 such as Required Eligibility, IIT JEE Exam Schedule, JEE Registration Process etc. So, willing applicants may scroll it.

JEE Advanced Eligibility Criteria

Individuals who are aspired to apply against IIT JEE Advanced Exam need to fulfill below given five criteria. Have a glance!!!

Performance in JEE (Main) 2017: Aspirants who are applying for JEE Advanced 2017 Notification must be between the top 2,20,000 candidates by scoring positive marks in Paper-1 of JEE (Main) 2017. OBC-NCL Category candidates applying for JEE Advanced Notification need to score 27% marks, Scheduled Caste category appliers have to obtain 15% marks whereas Scheduled Tribe category applicants applying for JEE Advanced Notification need to obtain 7.5% marks. However, General Category contenders have to score 50.5%.

Category-wise distribution of top 2, 20, 000 candidates

Order Category Number Of “Top” Candidates
1 OPEN 107,767 Total 1,11,100
2 OPEN-PwD 3,333
3 OBC-NCL 57,618 Total 59,400
4 OBC-NCL-PwD 1,782
5 SC 32,010 Total 33,000
6 SC-PwD 990
7 ST 16,005 Total 16,500
8 ST-PwD 495

Age limitations: Applying aspirants for JEE Advanced Notification must have born on or after October 1, 1992. Relaxations in age will be allowed to SC, ST and PwD candidates by 5 years. However, these contenders must be born on or after October 1, 1987.

Number of attempts: Applicants applying against JEE Advanced Notification may attempt JEE Advanced Exam maximum two times in consecutive years. Aspirants who have appeared in JEE (Advanced) 2016 for the first time can also apply for JEE Advanced Notification.

Appearance in Class XII (or equivalent) examination: Individuals who are applying against JEE Advanced 2017 must have attended intermediate for the first time in either 2016 or 2017. While, aspirants whose Class XII (or equivalent) examination Board results for the academic year 2014-15 were released after June 2015 are eligible to appear in JEE (Advanced) 2017.

Earlier admission at IITs: Aspirants who have applied against Joint Entrance Exam Advanced earlier and whose admission will be rejected are not eligible to apply for this session. Contestants have to fulfill all mentioned requirements for applying against Joint Entrance Exam.

JEE (ADVANCED) 2017 Registration Fee

Individuals who are applying against JEE Advanced Notification have to submit Registration Fee as according to categories as presented in below stated table. Have a peek!!!

Examination Centres in India

  • Female Candidates: INR 1200
  • SC, ST, PwD Candidates: INR 1200
  • All Other Candidates: INR 2400
  • Late Fee: INR 500

Exam Centres Outside India (SAARC Countries)

  • All Candidates: USD 135
  • Late Fee: USD 80

Exam Centres Outside India (Non-SAARC Countries)

  • All Candidates: USD 270
  • Late Fee: USD 80

 Mode of Payment & Exam Pattern

Students who are interested to apply for JEE Advanced Notification are informed that they have to pay application fee as framed above. The payment of requisite registration fee will be done through online mode by using Credit/ Debit Card. However, registration fee will not include any service charges, processing fees and any other charges that the bank may charge.

Applicants who will be appearing in JEE Advanced 2017 must have knowledge of exam schedule. This exam consists of two papers i.e. Paper 1 and Paper 2 and the duration of each paper will be 3 hours. Both papers will be conducted on scheduled date in the morning and afternoon sessions. IIT JEE Exam will be consisted objective type questions and there are three sections of question paper i.e. Mathematics, Physics & Chemistry.

Seat Reservation

As per the rules of Indian government, aspirants that belong to below given categories are admitted to seats reserved for them based on relaxed criteria. These categories are as follows. Have a Glance!!

Categories Reservations
Scheduled Caste (SC) 15%
Scheduled Tribe (ST 7.5%
Remaining all 50.5%
Person with Disability (PwD) 03% seats are reserved in each of the categories

Courses Offered

Below given courses are the academic Programs Offered at IITS along with their minimum duration. Have a look!!!

Rank Lists

This Rank lists is arranged on the basis of aggregate marks in JEE (Advanced) 2017. Aspirants who are able to qualify both papers of Joint Entrance Exams will be considered for ranking. There will be no waiting list for ranking.

Rank List Minimum % of marks in each subject Minimum % of aggregate marks
Common rank list (CRL) 10.0 35.0
OBC-NCL rank list 9.0 31.5
SC rank list 5.0 17.0
ST rank list 5.0 17.5
Common-PWF rank list (CRL-PWD) 5.0 17.5
OBC-NCL-PWD rank list 5.0 17.5
SC-PWD rank list 5.0 17.5
ST-PWD rank list 5.0 17.5
Preparatory course rank list 2.5 8.75

Applying Procedure for JEE Advanced 2017

Candidates who fulfill mentioned eligibility criteria and willing to apply for JEE Exam 2017 Notification may follow simple steps to remove the obstacles. Have a look!! First and foremost step is to log on official website that is After reaching the homepage press on “Brochure” tab which is in menu bar. A drop down list will appear. Now, strike on “Information Brochure” tab. Then, press on “Hit Here to Download” link which is present facing “English Version”. Notification will open on your desktop. Read it watchfully. After this, revisit homepage and follow “Examination” tab and then “Registration” tab that will appear in drop down list. Now, fill JEE Advanced Registration Form with required details in proper manner. Upload digital images of all required documents and submit application fee. Take a review of filled JEE Advanced Application Form, correct mistakes, if find. At last, press on “Submit” button. Finally, you are advised to take the print out of JEE Advanced Online Registration form and keep it safe for future use.

Documents Required For Registration

  • Class X certificate if the date of birth is mentioned in it or birth certificate
  • OBC-NCL certificate
  • Physical Disability certificate
  • Class XII (or equivalent examination) certificate (for those who appeared for this examination in 2016 or whose result was declared after June 2015)
  • If the name is not same as in the Class X certificate, gazette notification showing the change of name
  • Request letter to the Chairman
  • Certificate (FORM-DS) issued by a competent authority in the Directorate of Resettlement and Rehabilitation, New Delhi under the Ministry of Defence or the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India
  • PIO card or OCI certificate, as applicable

Important Date, Keep in Mind:

JEE Schedule Important Dates (Declared)
JEE Main 2017 Offline Exam 2nd April 2017
Result Declaration of JEE Main 2017 27th April 2017
Starting date for JEE Advanced 2017 Registration 28th April 2017
Closing date for Registration 2nd May, 2017
Admit Card Downloading Dates 10th – 21st May, 2017
JEE Advanced Exam Date (Paper-1 and Paper-2) 21st May, 2017 (9 – 12 PM & 2 – 5 PM)
Online display of ORS and scanned responses 31st May to 3rd June 2017
Display of Answer Keys 4th June, 2017
Collecting candidate’s feedback on answer keys 4th – 6th June, 2017
Result Declared on 11th June, 2017
Date for the online registration of Architecture Aptitude Test (AAT) 11th – 12th June, 2017
Exam date for Architecture Aptitude Test 14th June, 2017
AAT Result Announcement Date 18th June, 2017
Dates for Seat Allotment 19th June to 18th July, 2017

 Important Links: JEE Advanced 2017 Notification / Apply Online Link

Important Note:

Candidates who want to attain more details concerning JEE Advanced 2017 Notification may go through with the Official Link as stated above. Keep visiting this web portal to obtain latest updates such as JEE Advanced Result, Syllabus, Admit Card, Exam Pattern etc.


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Night Lights Classic Jazz

Posts tagged Nat King Cole

July 3, 2016

Photo of Frank Sinatra late 1940s

Jazz His Way: Frank Sinatra

One of the 20th century's most iconic performers crossed musical paths with artists such as Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, and Ella Fitzgerald.

December 28, 2010

Nat King Cole Carnegie Hall

Best Historical Releases and Reissues of 2010

A look back at musical look-backs from the past year.

October 5, 2010

Autumn Serenades

Autumn’s here, and the time is right for lying in the leaves, with music from Nat King Cole, Johnny Hartman, Sonny Rollins and more.

August 6, 2010

Abbey Lincoln 1992

Pull Your Coat, August 6: Abbey Lincoln, Nat Cole, & Jackie McLean

An 80th-birthday tribute to singer Abbey Lincoln, a Jackie McLean documentary, a newly-discovered Nat King Cole concert, and more.

May 26, 2010

What's My Line

What’s My Line? Ellington, Nat King Cole And Satchmo On TV

Could you have guessed who they were? Three giants of jazz on the 1950s TV quiz show.

July 1, 2009

A July 4th Popular-Song Celebration, On Afterglow

On Afterglow this week, a festive and reflective tribute to Independence Day with music from Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Paul Desmond and more.

October 9, 2008

The Johnny Green Songbook, Part 1

Composer Johnny Green wrote the music for several songs that went on to become staples of the jazz-and-popular-song canon.

December 31, 2007

Favorite Reissues and Historical Releases of 2007

2007 calendarTake with the usual grain/caveat of subjectivity–that said, here are some titles from a year-for-the-ear in review…

December 23, 2007

Music for the Holidays: Nat King Cole

Season's greetings from Night Lights via holiday ambassador Mr. Cole:

March 10, 2007

Miss Peggy Lee, Songwriter

Many listeners know Peggy Lee as a great jazz singer, but she was also a prolific writer of songs—composing or co-composing nearly 200 of them.

Next Page »

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This Week On Afterglow

Put Down The Horn: Jazz’s Unlikely Singers

The part-time jazz vocalists, including trumpeter Chet Baker, drummer Buddy Rich, and clarinetist Benny Goodman.

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Afterglow is WFIU's weekly program of jazz and American popular song hosted by David Brent Johnson.

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3 March 2015

Pincode 515133 - Jagarajupalli Post Office, Ananthapur, Andhra Pradesh | Pin Code: 515133

Find the location of pincode 515133 and get the list of post offices in Pin code 515133 with district, state, address and location info.

515133 Pincode Details of Jagarajupalli Post Office

Jagarajupalli post office pincode is 515133 and it is located in Puttaparthi taluk, Ananthapur district in Andhra Pradesh.
Post Office Name Jagarajupalli B.O
Office Type Branch Post Office
Pincode 515133
Postal Division Hindupur
Postal Region Kurnool
Postal Circle Andhra Pradesh
Contact Number
Taluk Name Puttaparthi
District Name Ananthapur
State Name Andhra Pradesh

Contact Address: Postmaster, Jagarajupalli Post Office, Puttaparthi Taluk, Ananthapur District, Andhra Pradesh, Pincode - 515133.

515133 Pincode - Jagarajupalli Post Office Location Map:

515133 Pincode - Jagarajupalli Post Office Location Map

If you need more information on pincode 515133 - Jagarajupalli post office, please contact your nearest post office.

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Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Patriots Protect BCS Ranking

Coming into this season, I was a fan of the New England Patriots. I found it fun to watch the cerebral-style of football played by Bill Belichick and his crew. Every week the game plan was new, completely tailored to the weaknesses of the opponent.

While I still enjoy watching those aspects of the Patriots game, the way they've run up the score as if they were playing for a BCS bowl game has been disheartening.

Throwing deep from the shotgun formation while up 38-0 with 13 minutes left to play. Going for it on fourth down while up 45-0 with 7 minutes remaining.

As Yahoo! Sports commentator Andy Behrens noted about Tom Brady accounting for his fifth touchdown of the game mid-way through the 4th quarter, shortly after converting it on fourth down: "They elected not to go for the two-point conversion, which was classy."

The most interesting commentary on this trend, however, comes from EPSN's Gregg Easterbrook, who wonders why so many teams have largely taken the late-game pounding from the Patriots without a fight.

According to Easterbrook:
If it were 38-0 in the fourth quarter and the other side still had its starting quarterback on the field throwing deep, I would have called a double safety blitz and slammed Brady to the ground; Belichick immediately would have taken the starters out, and the mockery of sportsmanship would have ended. After the game, Colvin and other Patriots players said that in the pros, you should play full-tilt no matter how lopsided the score. If that's true, no one from New England could have complained if [Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg] Williams had called an all-out blitz to hammer Brady.
I wouldn't be surprised if defenses start heeding Easterbrook's advice if the Patriots continue their ways down the stretch.

And, heck, let's be honest, Randy Moss is going to catch the ball regardless of whether the safeties are in coverage.

SIDE-NOTE: Also check out Easterbrook's extensive commentary, which is at the beginning of the column cited above, on the NFL Network and the Sunday Ticket option that allows viewers to pick between every game on Sunday. He provides some interesting background info on the tension between the NFL and the cable networks.

Monday, October 29, 2007

What Is and What Isn't Single-Payer

John Torinus took his fifth swing at Healthy Wisconsin in his column yesterday, and the theme of the day was "single-payer."

In his previous four columns (see here, here, here, and here), Torinus used the phrase "single-payer" a total of twice. In his column yesterday, it's used seven times.

The fact is, Healthy Wisconsin isn't single-payer legislation. If the situation is right, there's much to like about single-payer models, as evidenced by the successful state farmer's cooperative, which operates under a single payer. But Healthy Wisconsin just doesn't fall into that category.

The key policy difference between a single-payer model and the consolidated payer model of Healthy Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Health Plan is that the latter allows for payer competition.

In a consolidated payer model, based on the ideas of economist Alain Enthoven, consumers are given a direct choice of health plans. If they opt for the most cost effective plan -- which would need to contract with the most cost effective providers to gain that status -- they pay nothing per month aside from what they pay into the system as a whole through some form of taxes or assessments. If consumers opt for a higher cost plan, on the other hand, they pay the difference between that plan and the lowest cost plan.

This type of competition can't exist in a single-payer model since, obviously, the one payer isn't going to be competing with itself in any meaningful sort of way.

There's no question that Torinus understands all of this -- to be sure, David Riemer explained it to him in a debate the two had back in August -- which makes it both odd and eye-rolling that he would push Healthy Wisconsin as a single-payer system.

But why let the nuances and complexity of health care models get in the way of good ol' rhetoric?

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That Must've Been Some Party

From the Journal Sentinel Business Watch blog (emphasis mine):
The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business just announced that Milwaukee native Sheldon Lubar, founder and chairman of Lubar & Co., Inc., became the thirteenth member of the Wisconsin Naming Partnership today, adding a $5 million donation and bringing the total gift to $85 million.

The business school's public relations director Tina Frailey said Lubar was at the Wisconsin football game today with business school dean Michael Knetter just hours after the major gift announcement when he decided to give.
Nothing like dropping $5 million on the spur of the moment. What do they serve in those Camp Randall luxury boxes, anyway?

By the way, Mr. Lubar is officially invited to my house tonight for the Packer game.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Our Superficial Public Policymaking

Considering it stands virtually no chance of going anywhere, State Senator Roger Breske (D-Eland) has received a pretty good amount of press (here and here) for his plan to introduce standalone legislation to bring back the hospital assessment.

In his press release, Breske notes the oddness of including a transfer from the patient compensation fund in the budget but not the hospital assessment that would generate millions more in matching federal dollars than it would cost. It would be interesting if his legislation actually includes a provision to dump the patient fund transfer.

Granted, I don't think dumping the transfer would make the bill any more palatable to the GOP Assembly, which is interesting considering how Republicans have gone after Doyle for segregated fund transfers in the past and how much attention the right has given to medical malpractice suits when it comes to rising health care costs.

To be sure, while the patient fund has had an average annual surplus of $130 million over the past two decades, it's been pointed out that a surplus is necessary to keep premium rates down.

As the Journal Sentinel noted yesterday regarding the patient fund transfer, "pulling $200 million from the fund will mean higher premiums going forward." And, as conservatives love to point out, those types of costs on businesses just get passed along to consumers in the form of higher costs.

Yet, in spite of all of this, the GOP leadership agreed to the patient fund transfer relatively early in the negotiation process -- about a month ago, to be exact -- while absolutely refusing to budge on the hospital assessment that would generate more funds than it would require, leading some health systems to pledge to lower health care costs if it was implemented.

This is the result of the budget process becoming about a final overall figure rather than what makes the most sense for the state.

The hospital assessment fell into the $1.7 billion figure Republicans were denouncing since February, and reducing that amount became the goal, which meant that the hospital assessment had to go, especially if the politically safe cigarette tax was going to be the one big tax that was allowed to stay.

The patient fund transfer, conversely, wasn't part of the $1.7 billion, so it wasn't as big of a problem if it stayed, even if it actually does what Republicans wrongly, for the most part, claimed the hospital assessment would do -- increase health care costs.

It's amazing, and quite sad, that the word "tax" is allowed, without much or any consideration for the actual effect, to have such a hold on public policymaking in the state.

SIDE-NOTE: Just to clarify, I do think the patient fund transfer is a poor public policy choice, but that's separate from the issue of increasing funds for state health care initiatives, which is what the transfer is intended to do. Increasing those funds is a reasonable goal that is worthy of debate, but doing so through a transfer from a segregated fund -- particularly one that isn't funded by public dollars -- is unwise and should be unnecessary.

I don't mean to suggest in this post that it's the job of Republicans to reject a move like the fund transfer -- it shouldn't have been proposed in the first place -- but it is interesting to examine why the transfer wasn't given much or any resistance, while the far more sensible hospital assessment was somehow a deal breaker.

UPDATE: Check out the Recess Supervisor's excellent and interesting take on the Breske bill.

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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Downplaying and Dramatizing the State Budget

It looks like a budget will be passed today. Estimates are that at least 10-12 of the 52 GOP members of the Assembly will vote for it, which should be more than enough for it to pass, even though it wouldn't surprise me to see Dem Reps. Ziegelbauer and Wasserman vote against it.

In an email to rally the troops, Speaker Huebsch notes the following (emphasis mine):
The [LFB] memo shows that the bipartisan budget agreement increases all funds appropriations 6.6% over the biennium. GPR appropriations increase 6.0%. The increase is not 8%, which has been claimed by the governor and reported in the media.

As a point of reference, the US Department of Commerce recently announced that Wisconsin's per capita personal income grew at 4.6% in 2006. With the growth in all funds spending averaging 3.3% annually, the bipartisan budget agreement appropriates almost 1.3% per year below personal income growth and lives within the taxpayers' means.
Interesting admission considering GOPers typically prefer using inflation as the benchmark for determining "taxpayers' means." According to my math, this new standard of personal income growth means that Doyle's initial budget -- which called for an 8.5 percent increase over the biennium -- also would be within "taxpayers' means."

Who'd of thought that's how Huebsch felt all these months?

Also interesting is the budget coverage in the Journal Sentinel, which cranks up the drama dial in an article on "surprise" fees that made their way into the final budget agreement. Of course, if some consideration was given to services in the article -- a radical thought, to be sure -- the inclusion of the new fee increases might not be such a surprise.

As the JS editorial board astutely noted over the weekend regarding the budget agreement, "questions remain, including how the state will pay for transportation projects that even many Republicans agree are crucial to economic development...."

Ending the automatic gas tax increase last year and axing the oil tax from the budget left a hole in the transportation fund. Fees were a natural place to look to fill it considering how they allow Huebsch & Co. to hide behind the argument that fees go to support "specific services," regardless of the fact that it's a bit of a stretch to claim the actual cost to title a car will truly increase by 86 percent in the coming biennium.

It's beyond me why Huebsch can't just own up to the fact that money is needed for the transportation fund and, call it taxes or call it fees, it's gotta come from somewhere if you want the services.

And while the JS was happy to rile up readers about "surprise" fees on the front page of the main section, those who turned to the front page of the Metro section were treated to an article on how the budget shortchanges local governments, which puts police and fire services at risk.

Is it really too much to ask that the concept of funding and services get put together in the same article on the budget?

Monday, October 22, 2007

"Consumer Driven" Health Care Is More Than High Deductibles & HSAs

The Journal Sentinel is fronting an interesting article today on recommendations for comprehensive health care reform coming out of the Committee for Economic Development (CED), which is a group that includes business leaders from around the country.

The article does a good job of explaining how the CED recommendations reject the notion that the only competition that's needed in the health care market is at the point of care. Instead, due to the existence of third-party payers, the CED backs re-working the market so that insurers are put into direct competition for participants rather than working through the employment system.

As the full CED report explains:
The earlier discussion of CDHPs expressed doubt that consumers could drive health-care efficiency by shopping for lower prices for individual treatments and therapies for serious illnesses. However, consumers could have meaningful influence on the health-care market by shopping in a more deliberate fashion for cost-efficient health-care plans.
The JS astutely recognizes the connections between this proposed model and the Healthy Wisconsin plan pushed by legislative Dems over the summer.

Both proposals involve individuals using a fixed publicly-financed credit to select from a grouping of plan options that vary in price -- individuals would pay the difference if the plan costs more than the credit -- and both employ a payroll-driven funding mechanism (an income tax mechanism similar to the "cash out" option proposed by Sen. Wyden is also listed as an option).

In a fairly obvious attempt at "balance," the article misstates the link between Healthy WI and a "Medicare-for-all" model that's rejected by the CED. While Healthy WI does include a public fee-for-service option, that option is just one of many that consumers could select, and in all likelihood it would be among the most costly -- and therefore least chosen -- of the options.

But, overall, the article did a nice job of pointing out that a good chunk of the national business community recognizes there's more to consumer-driven health care than high deductibles and HSAs, and the government is needed to fundamentally re-work the system to maximize the full competitive potential that's in the multi-layered health care market.

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Thursday, October 18, 2007

Rallies and Real Budget Progress

I'm glad the Recess Supervisor wrote this post and the Brawler wrote this post because together they, more or less, cover my thoughts on the dueling rallies held at the Capitol yesterday.

It was unfortunate to see some of the pro-services contingent use profanity in their chants and one-on-one confrontations with the no-tax increase crowd. There's no excuse for that. But while profanity is certainly less civil, it isn't any more ridiculous or unproductive than the "we pay your salaries" line coming from the no-tax increase side.

Yeah, taxes and fees are used to compensate public workers (along with private workers doing business with the public sector), but that compensation doesn't come as a result of public benevolence, it comes because the workers provide a public service. If you don't like paying for the compensation, then call for cuts to the services (and be specific, preferably), don't hang it over the heads of the people who were offered a job to provide those services.

Meanwhile, the real budget news of yesterday is that discussions of a compromise took some small, but important, steps forward.

Assembly Democratic Leader Jim Kreuser said that making HSAs state tax free is on the table if the GOP supports the hospital assessment, while Rep. Phil Montgomery (R-Ashwaubenon) called together a session with Speaker Huebsch and "a handful of Assembly Republicans who want to find middle ground," a meeting that Huebsch, unfortunately, pooh-poohed as "routine."

Based on what took place on the Capitol steps yesterday and in press releases for the past nine months, though, there doesn't seem to be anything that's routine about genuine intra-caucus meetings aimed at seeking out a middle ground.

SIDE-NOTE: "[A] handful of Assembly Republicans who want to find a middle ground"...what are the others out to find?

UPDATE: Looks like Grumps and I are on the same page regarding the "we pay your salaries" line.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

State Budget: What's Next?

As expected, the GOP Assembly shot down the compromise budget. A couple of Dems helped out, including my own representative Sheldon Wasserman.

So, what's next?

According to today's Wisconsin State Journal, "Huebsch said it remains unlikely he could ever accept a hospital tax because he fears it would drive up health-care costs in the long run."

I truly can't figure out the logic behind that claim. But since it doesn't look like Huebsch is going to budge, and the fact is he's the GOP's leader in the Assembly, it's time to start looking at what it would mean to drop the hospital assessment and lower the cigarette tax by 50 cents.

The impact would be on health care initiatives, of course, but the Dems need to ask the LFB for a specific analysis of what would be lost and they need to share that widely with the public.

This may sound trivial, but it would represent a significant shift in the Dem game plan. So far the Dem emphasis appears to be on the effects of not passing a budget. Not a bad line, but it doesn't quite stand up to the "protect the taxpayers" line coming from the GOP.

After all, no budget can be easily framed as a result of the partisan split in the legislature rather than the actions of one particular side of the aisle.

By putting an emphasis on services lost, without abandoning the focus on the need to get a budget passed, the Dems can help remind the public that fiscal policy isn't just a one-sided equation.

Once that view is established, a new budget should be drafted without the hospital assessment and with the lowered cigarette tax. That budget could then go on record as the budget that cut health care initiatives, rather than the one that "protected taxpayers," which is the way the GOP would surely like to frame it.

It's time to get something done, and the Dems have enough votes on the record to demonstrate to voters that they were in favor of passing the health care initiatives but couldn't due to the partisan split in the legislature, which is something that only can be addressed at election time.

Friday, October 12, 2007

The Fight for the Few

It's looking like Speaker Huebsch probably has the votes he needs in the Assembly to shoot down the compromise budget bill, but I'm sure the governor's office is going to be leaning pretty heavily on some Assembly Republicans over the next few days.

The Daily Cardinal highlights Rep. J.A. Hines (R-Oxford) and Rep. Brett Davis (R-Oregon) as two possible GOP votes for the compromise budget, although it seems likely that the Dems will lose at least one vote in Bob Ziegelbauer (D-Manitowoc). Sheldon Wasserman (D-Milwaukee) is the other Dem who signed a no-tax increase pledge, but he has already indicated a willingness to at least vote for the cigarette tax.

That means the governor would still need to flip 1-2 more Republican votes in addition to Hines and Davis, if those two are, in fact, flippable themselves.

Importantly for the governor, the compromise bill is getting some positive press around the state. By rejecting it, the Assembly Republicans risk getting viewed as obstructionists. To counteract that view, the GOP will scream "taxes!" as loud as possible, and the Dems will counter with the other side of the equation -- i.e., what those taxes will fund -- and the fact that not all taxes are created equal in the public eye.

To be sure, increasing the cigarette tax and imposing a hospital assessment to leverage more federal dollars for Medicaid just isn't the same -- for most people, anyway -- as boosting the income tax or the general sales tax.

At the end of the day, if the compromise bill does go down in the Assembly, it's surely going to energize the fiscal conservative base that'll show up for the Americans for Prosperity rally at the Capitol on Wednesday.

But I'm just not so sure the general public is going to look at it with as much excitement and adoration.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

The GOP Tightrope Walk Is Getting Shaky

I just don't understand this position:

Huebsch's offer did not include a hospital tax proposed by Doyle. Democrats had hoped Republicans would go along with it after the Wisconsin Hospital Association dropped its opposition last week.

"The hospital tax is just not on the table," Huebsch said. "It's one where we just don't agree with the policy."

The new tax would generate additional federal aid that would fund increased Medicaid reimbursement rates to hospitals. They would receive a net increase of $285 million, most of which would go to Milwaukee-area hospitals.

But Huebsch said the proposed hospital tax was "counterintuitive" because it would be passed on to regular people at a time when everyone wants to reduce health care costs.

Huebsch's argument is what's counterintuitive; that is, if you understand how health care costs operate, and I have little doubt Huebsch is privy to the notion of cost-shifting and the hidden health care tax stemming, in part, from poor Medicaid reimbursement levels. And I'm sure he understands that Medicaid works on a matching system with the federal government, so the more the state puts in the more the federal government puts in.

Connecting these dots to see how the hospital assessment will increase overall funding for Medicaid and, as a result, help reduce the hidden health care tax for people with private insurance isn't a complicated or convoluted venture, and it's certainly not counterintuitive.

So what's the deal?

I'd say it's pretty clear something is getting to Huebsch, who took a lot of flak after reports surfaced that he included the $1.25 cigarette tax in an offer a couple of weeks back.

And with the rally organized by Americans for Prosperity just a week away, I don't see Huebsch making any other meaningful proposals toward a compromise budget in the near future; unless, that is, he wants his name to be the one that's screamed alongside Doyle's on the steps of the Capitol.

That's what makes Doyle's call for a special session on Monday, two days before the rally, such a shrewd political move. It clearly pits the two forces in Huebsch's political life -- the general public and the fiscal conservatives with the microphones (figuratively and, next Wednesday, literally) -- against each other.

The call for a special session has already made a media splash, and it will continue to do so through next week, which will raise the public awareness of the budget even more. This forces Huebsch's hand rather than allowing him to bide time in fruitless closed-door negotiations until after the AFP rally.

As the Recess Supervisor points out, the special session effectively neutralizes any momentum the GOP had after passing its piecemeal bills on K-12 funding and shared revenue last month, and it places the spotlight back on the GOP as the side that's holding up a budget compromise.

Assuming, that is, Huebsch doesn't relent and bring the governor's new budget proposal to the Assembly floor on Monday. Although he's indicated he'd abide by the call for a special session, actually bringing the bill to the floor for a vote would risk watching the 47 Dems grab the few Republican votes needed to actually pass it.

And, if that happens, Huebsch better not find himself anywhere near the Capitol building on Wednesday.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

How 'Bout Them Cowboys

Not much political to say today, so I'm going to talk fantasy football for a bit.

Intense game last night. I'm not a Cowboys fan, exactly, but I do have Tony Romo and Marion Barber on my fantasy team.

I went into last night's game 14 points down in my weekly match-up, and considering Romo and Barber averaged a combined 42 points per week heading into the game against the 1-3 Bills, I wasn't too worried about it.

By the time I tuned into the game, Romo already had thrown two picks. That surprised me a bit, though I had Romo for part of the season last year, so I know erratic play isn't exactly out of the question. Nevertheless, it was still the first quarter, so I wasn't worried.

Then I proceeded to watch Romo throw his third, fourth, and fifth pick, and lose a fumble. Two of the INTs were returned for touchdowns by the Bills, which actually doesn't matter so much for a fantasy fan.

And therein lies the fundamental difference between a fantasy fan and a team fan. While the team fan wants to see the defender who made the pick dropped immediately, the fantasy fan doesn't lose any more points for a INT that's returned all the way; and, in fact, having it returned for a touchdown means the QB is going to get it back more quickly and probably need to air it out to make up for the opposing score.

This has always made me hesitant as a fantasy fan. Part of the beauty of team sports is the camaraderie that's forged within a team and its fans. As Wisconsinites, we know that camaraderie quite well when it comes to pro football; Packer fans are often heralded as among the most loyal and committed in the sport, and there's certainly a broader social bond that comes along with that.

And while I certainly have camaraderie when talking smack to my friends in the fantasy league, the fantasy mentality itself largely individualizes the sport in a way that works against broader social connections. When I'm cheering, I'm cheering for my players, which isn't something I'm going to have in common with anyone else around me.

But, I tell ya, when Romo threw his second TD of the game in the closing seconds to bring the Cowboys within two and finally give me the points I needed in my fantasy match-up to pull ahead, I bet my arms went up with just as much excitement as Wiggy and Owen displayed at the same time as Cowboy fans.

I just didn't care, at that point, whether they got the two-point conversion.

Friday, October 05, 2007

The New Hospital Assessment Is Much Improved

The big news on the budget this morning is the Wisconsin Hospital Association withdrawing its opposition to the hospital assessment that would be aimed at leveraging federal dollars to help increase the Medicaid reimbursement rates hospitals receive.

The Journal Sentinel covers it here, although the Wisconsin State Journal provides a bit more informative of an article here.

I expressed concern about the hospital assessment when it was initially proposed back in February, and that concern was tied to the fact that the plan relied on federal dollars that aren't the most stable; even a slight regulatory change in how the federal money can be spent could tank the entire equation.

That's what makes this new agreement a really good one. Rather than making the assessment permanent, the budget bill would have it expire after the biennium. This alleviates the concern about relying on federal dollars over the long haul.

At the same time, it does require that another potentially contentious debate take place in two years over where to get the money to continue the increased reimbursement rates. And considering the new agreement calls for a fixed assessment rather than a percentage tax on hospital revenue, it's almost certain that more money will be required to sustain the same reimbursement level as health care costs continue to rise.

Of course, a big piece of the puzzle that's still missing is GOP support. According to the WSJ, Speaker Huebsch declined to comment on the new plan yesterday.

An aide to Rep. Steve Nass -- who doesn't have a position in the GOP leadership -- did, however, express opposition to the new assessment plan and display a general lack of understanding about how health care costs operate. According to the aide, the new agreement "doesn't change the equation in that the assessment is still going to be paid by anyone who goes to those hospitals."

Actually, the assessment would very much change the equation, which right now has everything to do with the fact that a significant chunk of health care costs are derived from cost-shifting. Part of that cost-shifting is as result of the uninsured, and part of it is a result of low Medicaid reimbursement rates (Medicare rates are low, too, but not as low as Medicaid).

Here's a chart (page 13) that helps to explain the situation:

(Click for larger view.)

By increasing the reimbursement rates for Medicaid patients, the hospital assessment would be able to pull down the rates paid by the privately insured. In fact, Children's Hospital -- which treats a large number of Medicaid patients as the only pediatric hospital in the Milwaukee area -- has already pledged to decrease health care costs for patients with private insurance if the assessment passes.

Of course, not every hospital would come out in the black. According to the WSJ article:
There would still be winners and losers under the plan, with about 50 Wisconsin hospitals receiving more money under the plan, 23 receiving less, and 72 remaining unaffected, according to figures provided by the Doyle administration. [WHA spokesperson Eric] Borgerding said the number of losers was actually lower, however, since about half of the losing hospitals were part of a hospital network that was an overall winner under the plan.
It's important to note, however, that even those 10-12 hospitals who would see a loss have the advantage of serving a smaller percentage of Medicaid patients, which means their privately insured patients aren't faced with the same cost-shifting that other privately insured patients face.

In other words, there are winners and losers involved in doing nothing, too.

In the end, if Huebsch and the rest of the GOP leadership do still oppose the assessment plan now that even the WHA has stepped out of the way, it'd be really interesting to see the justification. With the practical concerns absent from this new agreement, as evidenced by the WHA removing its opposition, any arguments remaining would have little to stand on aside from ideological purity.

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Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Walker Already Spinning Tall Tales About Taylor

Lena Taylor's campaign wasn't even officially off the ground when the Scott Walker campaign volleyed over its first tall tale.

Monday brought the second "Walker Weekly" in a row to my Inbox that claimed Taylor, as a member of the JFC, "voted against a compromise put together by Mayor Tom Barrett to protect Milwaukee taxpayers."

It continues: "Several media accounts contend that she voted against the Milwaukee position because of pressure from Finance Committee Chairman Russ Decker. In the end, her vote will cost local taxpayers nearly $28 million."

The Walker newsletter is referring to a plan to fix the funding flaw that exists as part of the school voucher program and results in Milwaukee residents paying more for a student to go to a voucher school than a MPS school.

The only trouble is, Walker's telling of the events is wrong on more than one count.

For starters, there was no JFC vote on Barrett's plan. The motion to consider it was never made.

That leads to the second error in Walker's claims, which is that media accounts identified Rep. Pedro Colon as the legislator who was pressured by Decker to avoid making the motion to consider Barrett's plan. Lena Taylor isn't mentioned once, at least by the JS (and I couldn't find another major outlet that covered it).

The third problem with Walker's claims is that a funding fix for the voucher program was passed by the JFC with Taylor's support. It wasn't the fix that Barrett asked for this past summer -- which would've applied to all voucher students, not just new ones -- but it would save Milwaukee taxpayers millions if it made it into the final budget.

And considering every GOP legislator on the JFC voted against the fix that passed, perhaps Walker should aim his apparent disgust at them.

Bottom line, Taylor has been focused on fixing the funding issue to protect Milwaukee taxpayers since the voucher cap was increased back in February 2006.

Has Walker ever taken the same position publicly?

Side-Note: It's worth mentioning that the Senate's version of the budget did away with the JFC fix in exchange for a new appropriation that would provide increased aid for high poverty districts like MPS. Specifically written into the legislation is a provision (pages 18-19) that allows MPS to use this appropriation, outside of revenue limits, to offset the reduction in aid that results from the voucher program.

The Assembly budget just axed the fix with no other provisions to compensate the loss.

And neither the funding fix nor the new appropriation for high poverty districts were included in the piecemeal bill passed by the Assembly a couple of weeks ago, which supposedly gave the Dems "everything they wanted" on K-12 education.

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India's domain name biz is gaining maturity

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The industry of buying and selling domain names in India is growing at a break-neck speed as the Internet population is exploding and more businesses are looking to set up shop online. In an exclusive with CXOtoday, Rajiv Sodhi, Vice President and Managing Director, GoDaddy India throws light on the trends and challenges in the country’s domain market and how its recent partnership with Microsoft can help small business meet their growing needs.

What are the opportunities and challenges ahead for Indian domain name companies? How different it is from global domain players?

The domains industry is growing at a rapid pace. In just one year, the number of domain names registered globally across all top-level domains (TLDs) grew by 18.5 million to reach 271 million at the end of 2013. As the culture of domain buying for personal and professional use gains traction in India, the domains industry is making significant progress. This is expected to intensify further, as the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) plans to release more domain name extensions every week through 2015. The domain name industry is in the process of expanding from 22 gTLDs, such, .org and .net, to include more than 700 new domain extensions like .shiksha, .photography and .guru.

That being said, the domains industry in India is still nascent, with only 10 to 15 percent of the Indian population online at present. Looking at domain name penetration relative to the Internet population of a country, India stands at just about two percent in comparison to a more mature market like the U.S. (where domain name penetration is upwards of 20 percent), although we believe this is set to grow.

Can you explain the top three trends in the Indian domain name industry?

First of all, in more developed countries such as the US, we see not only businesses, but also individuals buying domain names to build personal websites, create blogs, wedding registries and portfolios, etc. While this is not the case in India, currently, we do believe that the culture of domain name buying for personal use in India is slowly gaining traction. Secondly, unlike the west, India is a ‘Do-It-For-Me’ market where customers expect someone to find the right domain name and setup their web presence for them. And thirdly, it is widely believed that India is a price sensitive market. However, with affordable domain names available for as low as Rs. 99 a year, it is clear that India is a value-sensitive market. No matter how small the amount, business owners in India will only spend if they recognize the value it provides.

How do players like GoDaddy create a niche in the domain market space?

GoDaddy is the world’s largest technology provider dedicated to small businesses. It is our mission to radically shift the global economy toward small businesses by empowering people to easily start, confidently grow and successfully run their own ventures. Having worked with small business owners around the world, we understand their unique needs and what they need to succeed.

Today, more and more customers want end-to-end solutions from their technology providers. GoDaddy offers its customers a complete suite of integrated Web solutions spanning domain registration, hosting, website building, marketing tools and aftermarket services. We also offer easy-to-use and intuitive design tools to help customers create a website with little to no technological experience.

If customers need further assistance, they also have access to our award-winning, 24/7 local customer care. Small business owners in India can call at any time and our experts will be there to help them through any step of the process. Lastly, we are working to create a robust partner and reseller ecosystem to help serve our potential customers better by making it as simple as possible for them to acquire the right domain name and establish a compelling online presence.

Please elaborate on your partnership with Microsoft. What does this partnership mean for GoDaddy?

GoDaddy’s partnership with Microsoft will help us offer Office 365 to small businesses so that they get easy access to enterprise-grade tools that were traditionally available only to larger companies. Additionally, with Microsoft Office 365 from GoDaddy, small businesses will now have access to GoDaddy’s world-class 24/7 customer care, making it even easier to setup and manage their business’ account. In other words, small business customers get the convenience of owning a domain name, domain-based email address and access to Office 365 productivity solutions, all in one place.

Who are your main competitors in India and how are you looking to gain an edge over competition?

As we have entered into the SME space, especially with the Office 365 productivity solutions which has helped us strengthen our foothold, our experience tells us that small businesses are increasingly adopting cloud solutions that help them to be at their most productive and stay connected to their customers so that they can better compete with larger businesses. A recent report by NASSCOM also shows how rapidly SMBs are adopting technology. The new partnership now allows business owners the flexibility to effectively run their business anywhere and from any device. Our biggest competition in India is the market itself. India has over 50 million small businesses with only 500,000 that have an online presence. With just over 10 percent Internet penetration, India presents a sizeable market. We think that there is enough for everyone and don’t really see competition.

In fact, we are always looking for ways to improve our products and solutions to make them relevant to our customers in India, and this partnership with Microsoft certainly has helped us to do that. As an increasing number of small business owners recognize the impetus that technology can provide to their businesses, we see great market potential for such solutions in the country.

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Cellar Door by Brett Gadbois -- New Middle Grade Fantasy Fiction

My little island in the has its share of authors and this is a new book by one of them.  The Cellar Door by Brett Gadbois starts with a father-son fishing trip to Minnesota but it quickly turns into a fantastic adventure complete with shape shifting creatures and dangerous villians.

Sam Bixby accidentally falls through a cellar door while investigating a house that he should not have been in.  There he finds a different world with no easy way to return to his home.  The first creature that he meets helps him learn how to shape shift into different animals and objects but gives him the caution that he should NOT try to stay in that new shape for too long or to try to shift into another shape without returning to your own.

It is up to Sam to try to use this talent to make his way in this new world and try to find the path to return to his own.  The best part of the story comes when the villains enter.  They are pictured on the front cover.

Mr. Gadbois talent lies in his descriptions of place and action.  One of my other favorite parts of this story comes at the beginning, when Sam is testing out his new abilities and turns himself into a cloud. A teacher could easily use that section to spark some great student creative writing.

I have a few students who are reading this book right now with the plan that he will come on our morning televised broadcast and be interviewed.

For more information and to BUY A BOOK, please see Brett Gadbois' own site at www.brettgadbois.com

Monday, January 23, 2012

Do you value SCHOOL LIBRARIES? The White House needs to hear from YOU

 MY DREAM IN LIFE HAS BEEN TO BE A SCHOOL LIBRARIAN... Please consider helping me to continue to live out this dream.

CLICK HERE to sign the petition that is going to the White House.

 Ensure that every child in America has access to an effective school library program.

Every child in America deserves access to an effective school library program. We ask that the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provide dedicated funding to help support effective school library programs. Such action will ensure more students have access to the resources and tools that constitute a 21st century learning environment. Reductions in school library programs are creating an ‘access gap’ between schools in wealthier communities versus those where there are high levels of poverty. All students should have an equal opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to learn, to participate, and to compete in today’s world.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Wildwood Weekend -- Creating a Novel Study for Wildwood by Colin Meloy

This is the view from my backyard window and that tree in the middle is the one that swings wildly during strong storms.  We had a lot of weather this weekend and we chose  to just stay inside in the Pacific Northwest where we are, admittedly "snow wimps."  When I took this photo the rain was beginning to fall on the snow, creating this gorgeously atmospheric mistiness that reminded me of the cover of Snow Falling on Cedars.

The weather made me really thrilled to have an amazing novel to focus on.  The book is Wildwood and it is by Colin Meloy, the lead singer and songwriter for the Decemberists, a Portland art rock band. It features two unlikely heroes, Prue and Curtis who follow Prue's infant brother into the Impassable Wilderness in Portland after he is kidnapped by a murder of crows.  Who knew that this impassable wilderness was actually hiding a whole civilization complete with an evil queen, an avian crown prince, soldiers who are coyotes and bandit heroes.  All within a stone's throw of the Willamette River.

Sounds a little like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis? You would be right in thinking that.

This book is very easy to like and it is quickly becoming a favorite of my fifth and sixth graders, who like quirky adventure stories with compelling heroes that are just average kids thrown into fantastic situations. The fabulous illustrations have been done by Carson Ellis, who is the wife of the author.  She's also known for illustrating The Mysterious Benedict Society.

I created a novel study so that teachers could start to use this book with their classes and small groups.  It is available for download from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  Right now, I've got it discounted to $2.00 because I'm hoping that people will take a look at it.  There are 43 pages worth of student activities, vocabulary builders and comprehension questions. The first 26 pages are a student packet suitable for guided reading. This novel study focuses on vocabulary building as well as analyzing story elements. The novel Wildwood has some great vocabulary! If your school is using NWEA MAP data, this lesson plan is suitable for students with RIT score levels 210-220 and 221-230.

The multiple choice reading comprehension quizzes which are a part of the novel study are also available for a separate download at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

The assignments include an informational text feature called “EVIL IVY" which talks about the problem of invasive English ivy destroying some of the prettiest forests in the Pacific Northwest, including the one that I live near.  Here's a photo of some evil ivy close to my home.

All in all -- a great weekend with a great book! I heartily recommend Wildwood to anyone who needs a good curl up read!

Also, in surfing around in the blogosphere, I found a cool looking Readability Calculator from Joe's Web Tools.  Worth a second look!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

It's a SNOW DAY!

Hello from the normally rainy Pacific Northwest!  This was this morning's view from the backyard and my son and I have been loving the four inches of snow that we've received.  I spent some time today using the app called "Pages" to create a special activity for upper elementary students that helps them to practice their note-taking skills while learning the process behind how their school or school district chooses to call an emergency snow day.

I think that it is important to give students a chance to be reporters and that being able to gather information from an interview is a skill that deserves greater work.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Martin Luther King Day -- What's in my front hall

Happy MLK Day!  I put together this bulletin board display for the front hall of my school.  I found some historical images of MLK and colorized them.  I think that they're realy eye-catching when placed surrounding one of my favorite quotes from his "I Have a Dream" speech.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

It's available on my Teachers Pay Teachers Web site.

A page of these bookmarks are available for FREE from the same site.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor and Alice in Wonderland Book Club Discussion Guide

I've been running book clubs during our lunch recesses for some of my students who need greater challenge.  I've had the most success with Frank Beddor's The Looking Glass Wars which starts an amazing trilogy that is a take off on "Alice in Wonderland."  Only Alyss at the beginning of this story is a bored princess with a strong, but not very disciplined imagination.  Today was my second time running the club with my 5th and 6th graders.

The questions that seem to get the most discussion are about imaginations.  This is my favorite one:

  • Alyss’ magical gift is her imagination.  How do you know when a person is imaginative? What’s the opposite of imaginative? Does Alyss strike you as someone who is particularly imaginative at the start of this story?

 The kids really have strong opinions on the use of imagination in real life.  One student mentioned that, considering that air travel was once an impossible thing, could teleportation someday be possible.  Another student considered that even people who we think could have the most unimaginative jobs might benefit from highly inventive imaginations.

I really enjoyed today's discussion and, since it went so well the last two times, I've decided to make my questions available for download from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Here are some other resources:

Sunday, January 8, 2012

The Liebster Award

This is cool.  One of my favorite teacher bloggers and TPT sellers, Ann Marie from Innovative Connections has given me and four other people the "Liebster Award" with the understanding that we pay it forward.

Here’s an explanation of what the award is all about:

Liebster means “dearest” in German, and the award is intended to help up-and-coming blogs get the attention they deserve.

 In order to accept the award, the blog owner must do the following:

  1. Copy and paste the award on our blog.

  2. Link back to the blogger who gave us the award.

  3. Pick our five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers, and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have been nominated.

  4. Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs.

The Liebster Award has spurred me on to work harder on reading other blogs and I'm working on improving my reading list so that I can enjoy other people's ideas and will try harder in the New Year to comment because I do think that comments can really give people a boost!

Here are the five that I would like to offer the Liebster Award to -- in no particular order as well.

The Teacher Show
 Mr. G's Creative Classroom -- This is from Steve G. who is currently a newer blogger like myself as well.  I love the fact that he's working on root words and has a root of the month on his blog.

Mr. Harvey's Literacy Solutions by Chadwick Harvey.  His blog is very new at this time but I'm always really impressed by what he offers on Teachers Pay Teachers, especially his MLK Day resources.

Mrs. Knapp's Sack -- Cristina Knapp is a fellow SmartBoard user like myself and has an amazing design sense.

SciPi's mission is to cure math phobia.  She is also one of the most collegial bloggers and TPT sellers and is always willing to offer constructive suggestions.  I really like following her.

And I'm returning the award to Ann Marie of "Innovative Connections" because she deserves to collect them... like a string of Oscars on her blog shelf. .

Monday, January 2, 2012

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Jen Runde from Runde's Room offered the chance to make a collage of the images from your blog.  Here's my favorites from the half year that I've been blogging.  Good times, good times!

Thanks for the idea, Jen!

By the way, I created this collage in Picasa.

2012 -- My BEST year EVER!

While I hope that 2012 is my BEST YEAR EVER, I'd also like to help the students at my school realize that they can make it their best year as well.  So I've created a collection of three activities that focus on goal setting and character education.  It's on SALE for a BUCK on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

But I also made the third part of it available for free.  I'm calling that part "So This Year" and it asks students to consider a goal that they plan on achieving this year.  They need to consider the steps that they will take in order to achieve this goal.  Then they illustrate it as a comic strip.

Living it LARGE is my shot at getting students to consider which character traits they admire in their friends and adults that they look up to.  It's called "Living it LARGE" because I think that those traits should be lived as if they are written in ALL CAPS!  LIKE YOU'RE SHOUTING!  OUT LOUD!  REALLY REALLY LOUD!

My goals this year are to continue to love my job and to continue to come up interesting ways to help learners be critical of information as well as LOVE READING!


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One of the things that can be a little tricky about selecting spectacles is the amount of choices for different frames and features. In this infographic, Supersavers Opticians takes your through the always-in-fashion aviator style right through to the color blocking trend.

[Click image for full size version]

Must Have Women’s Eyewear Trends for High Summer 2014

Irma Wallace

Co-founder and Vice President of SearchRank, responsible for many of the day to day operations of the company. She is also founder of The Arizona Builders' Zone, a construction / home improvement portal. Follow +Irma Wallace on Google + as well as Twitter.

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