The games described below can easily be incorporated into practice sessions for young children. They’re fun, simple to explain and help reinforce basic skills without any pressure.
For the very young Under 6 the game of Red Light – Green Light is an easy game to learn and teaches the children to keep the ball close and under control.
Each player has a ball, except the one player that is designated as the “light”.
Lines from start to finish should be approximately 20 – 30 yards.
Players start from the line opposite the “light”.
The “light” then turns away from the group shouting out “GREEN LIGHT”.
At this signal, the players start to dribble towards the “light”.
When the “light” turns round, calling “RED LIGHT”, players must freeze and stop their ball.
If the “light” catches players or a ball still moving that player must take 5 steps back.
The first player to cross the line where the “light” is standing is the winner and becomes the new “light”.
You can start the game without using balls for younger players, then have them roll the ball with their hands, then use their feet.
North –South – East and West
Players dribble where the coach tells them to, i.e. a direction as suggested in the title or you can make it a colour or an animal, whatever. This again teaches the children to keep the ball close and , hopefully, shows them how to change a direction.
This is a very popular game with the younger crowd. Place players in 2 lines facing each other. Place one football in the middle of the each two players .
The object of the game is to draw the ball back using the sole of the foot. The command to “Draw” is given by the coach. The fun part is that the coach has to tell a story in which he uses the word “draw” to signal the players.
For example: Willy and his sister were working on cleaning their rooms. Willy
said “where should I put these socks? And his sister replied , “In your Drawer.” Make up really silly stories.
You can add progression to this drill by having the players jog in place, have the players only use the non-dominant foot, have the players move up a ladder if they win and down if they lose the round and see who can get to the top first.
Here is a game which involves both passing and dribbling that is fun and engages players quickly. Also, although primarily an individual exercise that allows for differences in ability level, if the players are ready, it can quickly become a cooperative game where players work together to solve a challenge.
- Each player will need a ball. Player ‘A’ is “It” and is the only player to start with a ball. All the other players around the outside of the grided space.
- Player ‘A’ dribbles and tries to hit the other players below the waist with the ball.
- When hit, that player gets a ball and joins player ‘A’.
- The game is over when all of the players have been caught.
- The last player caught is “It” and starts with the ball for the next game.
If you think the task will be too difficult for the one player to get another at the
start of the game, start with 2 players being “It”.
Coaching Points of Get-Em
- Encourage quick movements and sudden changes of direction to catch players off guard.
- Players not caught should run, jump, and use zig-zag movements.
A variation can be added by having all players play with a ball
Here is another game that emphasizes dribbling that is fun and challenging for players. Again, primarily it is an individual game that could lend itself to small group cooperation if the players are ready.
Each player will need a ball, except those that have been designated as “It”. Players that are “It” need to carry a coloured bib or flag in their hand. Players with a ball try to dribble without being tagged. If they are, they exchange places with the “tagger” (The “tagger” hands the bib to the dribbler and takes their ball).
Dribblers are safe in one of the designated bases. Only one player is allowed in a base at a time. if a new player enters a base, the old player must leave the base.
Add “taggers” when the players find the game to be easy.
It seems about right to have one base for every 3 players, but, this number can be adjusted either way to make the game constantly interesting.
This game can also be played by only allowing the “tagger” to “get” someone by kicking their ball away, not just “tagging” the person. (a variation on Shark)
Experiment with different combinations of “taggers” and bases to keep the players engaged.
Basic Passing Game U7: Trick or Treat
This is a drill suggested by Ivan Mann, a coaching colleague from the soccercoach- l mailing list.
Set Up and Execution
Make a square with pretty small sides – players line up on each side. Put an adult in the middle of each side (that means four adults) holding a dozen or so flat cones (you could use anything else similar size and shape). 50 cones or 50 slips of construction paper will do.
On a go signal, players dribble across the square, stop the ball with a foot on it, say “Trick or Treat”, take a cone from an adult, turn the ball, dribble back across, take a cone, etc. When all the cones are gone, who has the most? This requires dribbling at speed, avoiding the clump in the middle, controlling the ball around an opponent, but minimal coordination holding the cones.
After a few rounds dribble across the square, dribble around the coach, and then stop the ball, say “Trick or treat,” etc. Or place the adults randomly in the square, moving at a walking pace. This makes them keep their heads up and look for the target (i.e. the adult).


Latvia  is situated in Northern Europe. One of the three Baltic states, Latvia is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus on the south east, and the Baltic Sea on the west. The most famous travel spot is the capital Riga, a World Heritage Site. It is however higly recommended to go to many other great places, both urban and rural, such as Liepaja with its unique former secret military town of Karosta and a magnificent beach. Kuldiga with Europe`s widest waterfall and Cesis with its medieval castle ruins are also interesting. Tourists can also enjoy the wild beauty of Latvia`s unspoilt sea coast, which is 500 km long and consists mainly of white, soft sandy beaches. Forests, which cover approximately a half of Latvia`s territory, offer many nature trails and nature parks.
Latvia is a famous ancient trading point. The famous ‘route from the Vikings to the Greeks’ mentioned in ancient chronicles stretched from Scandinavia through Latvian territory along the river Daugava to the Ancient Russia and Byzantine Empire.
Across the European continent, Latvia’s coast was known as a place for obtaining amber. In the Middle Ages amber was more valuable than gold in many places. Latvian amber was known in places as far away as Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.
At the 12th century, German traders arrived, bringing with them missionaries who attempted to convert the pagan Finno-Ugric and Baltic tribes to the Christian faith.
The Germans founded Rīga in 1201, establishing it as the largest and most powerful city on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea.
After independence in 1918, Latvia achieved considerable results in social development, economy, industry and agriculture. It has always been a multicultural melting point, where foreigners and locals worked together and brought prosperity to the country.
On June 16, 1940, Vyacheslav Molotov presented the Latvian representative in Moscow with an ultimatum accusing Latvia of violations of that pact, and on June 17 Soviet forces occupied the country. Elections for a "People's Saeima" were held, and a puppet government headed by Augusts Kirhenšteins led Latvia into the USSR. The annexation was formalized on August 5, 1940.
During the time of the Iron Curtain, Latvia was a province of the Soviet Union, but the concentration of heavy industry was enormous. Contacts with the West were regulated. The Baltic region had the reputation of being the most urbanized and having the highest literacy rate in the Soviet Union.
Since regaining independence in 1991, economic and social development has been fast even for Latvians and neighbouring Europeans. Latvia has joined the European Union in 2004.
Because of a tribal past and divisions between occupying nations, there are regional differences between parts of Latvia which are interesting to explore.
The best time to travel to Latvia is from June to mid September, when it is warm and plenty of local food is available. January and February are the coldest months. October and November have autumn rains and daylight is short. Although you might not find plenty of 5 star hotels all around Latvia, you will find comfortable places to stay for a reasonable price.
Half of Latvia is covered with forests which are rich with wildlife. There are many lakes, especially if you go to Latgale region. There are deep river valleys with some sections having sand cliffs on their banks. Heavy industry halted a long time ago, so most places are ecologically clean.
The highest point in Latvia is Gaizinkalns , at 312m (1,023ft) above sea level, just west of the city of Madona.
There are some cultural and social differences between regions, for example, traditional dress is different from region to region. The Latgale region has its own unique culture and language - Latgalian.
Latvia has joined the Schengen agreement, which means that you can enter on a European Union Schengen visa and there are no longer any ID/passport controls on the EU borders.
For those permitted for visa free entry
If you need a visa, getting one can be tricky. Visa costs are on the high side considering size of the country - 20LVL for single or 35LVL for multiple entries. Applications will take 7 days to process, or can take as long as 30 days if additional information is needed. To apply, submit to the Latvian embassy or consulate:
To 'Riga International Airport , you can arrive from various European (London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Barcelona, etc) cities, Middle East (Tel Aviv, Dubai), CIS (Moscow, Kiev, Minsk) as well as North America New York City.
There are bus (0.40 LVL) and taxi (<10 LVL) connections to city centre. Only one cab company operates from airport, so look for red taxis  on the ground floor near the parking lot. Journey times depend on traffic. Airport operates 24h hours. On departure hall help yourself with booklets about Riga.
If departing in morning, allow yourself plenty of time to proceed through passport control as it can get crowded.
SJSC Latvian Railways , 7216664, 7233397.
Non-residents can use their cars up to 3 months without registration. After 3 months the car must be registered.
If you have a driver's licence issued by another country of the European Union, you can use it continuosly. Residents of other countries have to obtain a Latvian licence after 6 months, however it involves only a theoretical exam, which can be taken in English, German, French and Russian.
Air Baltic flies from Riga to Liepaja International Airport . It costs 18.60 lats from Riga to Liepaja and 10 lats from Liepaja to Riga. Sometimes there are huge discounts allowing to get from Liepaja to Riga for as cheep as 4 LVL. Liepaja has direct flights to Hamburg and Copenhagen, too.
Several small airports available across Latvia, two in Riga - Spilves airport and Rumbulas airport.
International car rentals are represented in Latvia. There are many offices in Riga, including some at Riga Airport. Cheaper car rental offices are also available.
Drive with the headlights on all year round. Winter or all-season tyres are required for the winter period (December 1 to March 1). Many gas stations are self-service and operate 24/7. Gasoline with octane ratings of 95 and 98 is available, as well as diesel fuel.
You can browse the car rental companies list at the Riga International Airport website .
There are a vast network of bus connections around Latvia. Buy a bus ticket at the bus station or on bus when boarding. If you have luggage ask the bus driver to put it in the trunk. It depends on the bus company if they will charge extra. There are express bus connections to major towns, which can save time considerably.
It is advised to cycle around Riga in the early morning when there is less traffic, although one should be careful when choosing this time due to reduced drivers attention. Expect heavy traffic from 5 PM to 8 PM. No left turn allowed from middle line. However, it is highly advised to choose by-ways and less densely populated roads due to hazardous traffic. It is vitally important to wear reflectors; reflective belts, bands and bright coloured clothing are advised, as well as having the bike equipped with strong front and rear lights. Generally, cycling is still not very safe in the country, especially during the dark hours. The only "real" bicycle path is existing from the old town of Riga to the Sea resort of Jurmala. But the country is fast developing local cycling routes. The international bicycle project BaltiCCycle  may provide you with a lot of information and help.
Hitchhiking in Latvia is generally good. The roads around Riga present the largest obstacle, unless the city is your destination - there is no clean "by-pass" road, and a considerable amount of local traffic makes hitching very difficult. The easiest way to get around Riga is to find a "cross-country" lift at the border with Estonia or Lithuania. License plate numbers/countries of origin are your friends.
Latvian (Latviešu valoda) is the only official language and it belongs to the Eastern Baltic sub-group of the Baltic language group in the Indo-European language family. From the Baltic language group, only Latvian and Lithuanian remain. Latvian is not at all similar to Russian, since they belong to absolutely different language groups, so there is no bigger similarity between them as between English and Greek. Lithuanian is also very different, even belonging to the same language group as Latvian. It is as similar to Latvian as German to English, so the speakers of one can not understand the others, however, Lithuanian can be somewhat mutually intelligible for a Latvian speaker, but not vice versa. The language is spoken natively by about 60% of the 2.2 million residents of Latvia. All signs, street names and advertisements are in Latvian, which is written with same letters as English, but with some special characters. There is also a lot of native Russian language speakers from the Russian ethnic community and it is mostly understood in Latvia. English is also understood in urban centers, however there still might be problems 'connecting' with older people in English. Latvian youngsters almost all speak at least some basic English. German is another common foreign language being taught at school. French and Spanish are rather rare.
See also: Latvian phrasebook
There is a lot of possibilities to practice winter sports - snowboarding, cross country skiing, downhill skiing etc. Ramkalni , Baili , Zviedru Cepure . Some of slopes are open till late night. Usually need car to access.
As rivers get more water from melting snow, kayaking down the river is one of the favorite past times for young people. It usually gets warmer after Easter.
Latvia has one of the longest sand beaches in Europe. In July and August the water is warm enough to swim comfortably. The sea has a very slow slope.
There are many interesting and old castles around Latvia. Association of Latvian Castles, Palaces and Manors  has links and photos on their website. Note that sometimes castles are reserved for private occasions.
It is popular to go for a stroll in the autumn to watch the different shades of colour, when the trees turn red and yellow. Popular places for such activities are Sigulda and Vidzemes Augstiene.
Speciality shops are open mostly from 8 AM to 6 PM on weekdays, till 4 PM on Saturdays, closed on Sundays. Groceries are open every day till 8 PM or longer. Most supermarkets are open till 11 PM every day. Convenience stores, such as Narvesen are mostly open 24/7.
ATMs are widely available throughout Latvia (including Riga International Airport), even in many small towns. Tax free  stores have their signs clearly displayed.
Banks will accept traveller's cheques with some fee as a percentage of the sum.
Before leaving Latvia, it is advisable to exchange Latvian lats back to your foreign currency, unless you want to keep them as a souvenir, which is not a bad idea, since Latvian Lats is one of worlds most beautiful designed money, especially the many different types of 1 Lat coins and also paper notes. Keeping Lats would also be a good reason to visit Latvia again. However, hurry up, since Euro will be introduced in a couple of years.
This is the best thing that could happen to a traveler in Latvia - the food. The World should learn about bread and milk products here. Latvia is very rich in this aspect. An average supermarket has by far bigger selection of most food products than those in the rest of Europe, where a "plastic" bread with date of expiry of 1 year is considered normal. Not in Latvia. Welcome to the country of real bread, milk products, ice cream, sweets (loose sweets, made by Laima) etc. In the open air markets of Riga, Liepaja and other cities and towns, the local fruits, vegetables and mushrooms are a great option, such as freshly picked wild strawberries or blueberries from the forests, or some big strawberries, apples, rhubarb pie and a crunch made of fresh stalks straight from the garden. This is, of course available mainly in summer and autumn season.
Latvian cuisine comes from the peasant culture, and is based on crops that grow in Latvia's maritime, temperate climate. Rye, wheat, oat, peas, beets, and potatoes are the staples; smoked bacon, sausage, and other pork products are favorites. Since Latvia is surrounded by the sea, smoked and raw fish is common. Lots of food are flavored with caraway seeds, especially cheese and bread. A cheese similar to smoked gouda, but more soft, is the cheapest and, arguably, tastiest variety. Latvian rye bread is heavy and flavourful, and goes well with hearty Latvian meals like pea soup, potatoes, and schnitzels. Restaurants in larger cities often offer stews in clay pots.
Latvian cuisine is typical of northern countries, especially close to Finland; it's high on butter, fat, and grains, low on spice except for caraway and black pepper. If you are from the Mediterranean, you might find it bland, but if you come from England or the Midwestern US, you're not likely to have trouble getting used to it.
A more exotic Latvian dish is a sweet soup made from rye bread (maizes zupa).
Some specific food in this area:
Other mentionable food and dishes:
Beer, being the most popular alcoholic beverage in Latvia, is excellent. Beers, such as Aldaris, Līvu, and Senču can be bought almost anywhere. A special 'live beer' like Užavas can be found in selected pubs and restaurants.
Don't forget to try the Riga Black Balsam (Rīgas Melnais Balzams). It's a strong (45%) infusion of various herbs, roots, and spices. It will cure your flu in no time. Add a few drops to flavour your tea, or a few spoons to lace your coffee, drink it neat or in various cocktails.
Wine is also grown in Latvia in small quantities. It is one of the most Northern places in the world where the wine can be successfully grown. Vineyards can be seen in Sabile  (in Latvian).
Some remarkable places to have a sip:
If you are in a mood to treat yourself and friends to a great fare this restaurant is the right place. With reasonable prices, the quality of the wonderfully inventive but simple European/Oriental food is amongst the best in Riga. Stunning wine list and prompt service come together to make this rather unsung Vecriga fixture one of Riga’s top dining places.
Places serving Chinese, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Vietnamese, and Ukrainian cuisine are also available in Latvia.
It is common to tip 10% of the bill depending on the service you encountered. Make sure you check the receipt, as some establishments automatically include a 10% tip in the bill.
There are many hotels to choose from. Prices start from 20 LVL outside of Riga and from 40 LVL in Riga.
Network of youth hostels  is also developing. Dormitory rooms come around 10 lats, single, double rooms start from 20 lats and above.
Camping in parks is usually not allowed. As regards the stealth camping- most of rural land is private, but camping there is always possible; common sense is to ask for a permission of the owner, which in most cases will be easily granted. However, if there's no such chance, but you decide to camp there nevertheless and are later asked to move, you have to. Paying small money (1-2 lats) helps in most such cases. Overall, camping outdoors on privately owned land is widely understood, common and accepted, however staying in one place for more than two days, or really close to a home are not considered good manners.
Indicated free camp sites can be found in Latvia, especially in national parks, you can easily camp there. Commercial campgrounds as small businesses are becoming more and more widespread.
So called guest houses and country houses (some on farms) are arguably the best places to stay at in the countryside, and usually for much less money than hotels and better quality than hostels, due to very limited numbers of guests and more personal oriented and specialized service (usually run by families). These come with full ammenities and some follow the hotel star ratings. These also provide many recreational activities- from the Latvian popular ancient pirts sauna to horse rides etc. This is not only a good way to spend the night, but also an option to spend your holiday, however, usually, guest houses should be called up earlier than the day you plan to arrive, but this can vary depending on the place. Guest houses can be found fairly frequent throughout the country and are usually listed on tourist booklets.
Museums in Latvia  has list of museums in Latvia on their website.
Not impossible (especially if you are an EU citizen), but you have to find a company which will be willing to pay a 35 LVL fee per month, work permit up to 170 LVL (once) and an additional fee for checking your documents of education 47.20 LVL (once). Salary should not be less than 246 LVL per month.
Job advertisements in Latvian daily newspapers like Diena Tuesday or Saturday edition, some of those ads are in English, German, Russian or French.
It is generally safe to travel around on your own, although some petty crime exists. A thing to watch out for is bicycle theft, and it is advisable not to leave valuable things in your car. Mind the forest roads, collisions with wildlife animals can easily occur.
When visiting bars and restaurants in Riga, make sure you know the price before you order and follow your spending, so no cheating is possible.
The Police of Latvia  has a website with advice for travelers.
Emergency phone number: Fire/Police/Ambulance 112.
If bitten by a dog, wild animal or a snake, seek medical attention immediately. Snakes are not venomous in Latvia, except for the European Viper which is a possible death threat if no treatment is received within the next few hours after the bite. A dog or cat bite can carry the risk of rabies. Mosquitoes carry no disease and are only an annoyance in the summer months. A forest tick bite carries the risk of Lyme disease or encephalitis.
There is no problem turning to any doctor or hospital to seek medical help, just by paying an outside patient fee. However, it can prove difficult to obtain medical assistance in many rural areas, as the service can be slow and unresponsive; therefore, it may be a good idea to bring your own first aid kit. There are virtually no air ambulance helicopters in the country, except for the army, so when exploring sparsely-inhabited, remote areas on your own, it's important to be well-prepared for emergency situations.
Few drugs are available without prescription; bring your own medicine if you require it.
Tap water should be boiled before drinking; purchasing bottled water is an alternative.
One should be cautious when mentioning Latvia in the context of the USSR to ethnic Latvians. Latvia became a USSR province after World War II, and praise of the Soviet (or Russian) regimes is unlikely to be understood or appreciated by Latvians, especially young ones.
It is very common to give up your seat for an elderly passenger on the public transport in Latvia. It is also considered polite to let women board a train or bus first.
There are many waste containers and trash cans on the sidewalks and near most stores. Littering is considered a very bad manner and may be fined.
Latvijas Pasts  is also reliable and a fast way to send letters and parcels (up to 10kg).
Most of the newer GSM mobile phones will work in Latvia. Pre-paid SIM cards are also available and can be easily bought in convenience stores or supermarkets. Most companies provide GPRS/3G/EDGE data transfer. Zelta Zivtina of TELE2 costs as small as LVL 1. Another option is a much more expensive pre-paid card, OKarte  with better GSM/GPRS/EDGE coverage in rural areas. Good alternative for cheap GPRS traffic and voice calls is a prepaid card BiFri. All of these come with English as well as Russian and of course Latvian guide book.
Internet spots are available in cafes, libraries and airports. Most hotels will provide free wireless access spots for laptops.
If you can't find free wireless spot, try Lattelecom WLAN. A wifi card is need to connect to Lattelecom WLAN . A WLAN area can be found around any Statoil gas stations. Internet at no charge is also available in most public libraries, some have free wireless access points as well.
To call from a public phone you need a phone card- "telekarte". It costs 2,3 and 5 LVL. International calls are possible from every public phone.


While diagraming the structure of an organization is relatively easy, describing and influencing an organization’s culture is challenging. The complexity confronting managers is compounded as forces influencing organizational culture are constantly shifting. The evolving nature of organizational culture results from cumulative experience and learning that it is imperfectly shared. This makes managing culture similar to organizing an evolving Jazz “jam” session. Just as managers need time working together to be effective, the repartee of Jazz musicians requires trust developed from experience working together.
The aim of this article is to examine similar aspects of both music and organizational culture to gain a better understanding of how managers can influence organizational culture. Both music and organizational culture involve a collective experience with recognized elements that defy clear definition. We use an analogy of music to better understand both organizational culture and the steps managers can take to influence culture. The following discussion is organized using the elements summarized in Table 1.
Table 1: Elements of Music and Organizational Culture
Aspects of Music
Characteristics of Culture
|Form||Structure||Architecture or layout of segments|
|Genre||Identity||Extent membership and expectations are observable|
|Harmony||Isomorphism||Frequency and consistency of interaction|
|Melody||Path dependent||Established pattern of activity that combines repetition and variation|
|Timbre/Tone||Diversity||Level of consistency or quality of experience|
|Tempo/Rhythm||Pattern and speed of implementation||Pace or speed set|
Form in music describes the order of events in a composition and their relationship to each other. For example, in popular music, form provides a structure involving repetition of a verse and chorus. Similarly, organizational structure enables internal coordination, alignment with a firm’s environment, and a reduction in member uncertainty and stress. An early classification of organizational structure distinguished between mechanistic structures that are more formal, centralized, and focused on efficiency, and organic structures that are more entrepreneurial.
An organization’s structure should align with its strategy and environmental demands for best performance. Mechanistic structures tend to work better in hostile environments, while organic structures are preferable in benign environments. However, successful organizations often have their structure reinforced over time and risk inertia that reduces performance when the environment changes. This has led to suggestions for allowing separate structures to exist within organizations as seen within the organizations of General Electric and IBM that may explain their longevity.
Genre in music provides identity for musicians and provides guidance in creating new compositions. Genre is comparable to an organization’s identity that helps people make sense of what they do in relation to organizational norms. Identity provides a means of control by distinguishing what is and what is not consistent with an organization. A high degree of association with an organization can encourage compliance and reduce the need for formal controls. For example, the retail outlets of Abercombie & Fitch have a distinct identity with low-level lighting, loud music, and the smell of its fragrance that is aligned with providing casual wear for young adults. Walking into one of their stores is an experience that quickly provides a sense of belonging or not belonging.
Effective organizations need a common identity to distinguish them and to provide a means for improved coordination. The degree members align with an organization’s identity has been positively linked with information exchange. Informational benefits result from a consistent format that provides a familiarity and increases the relevance of information. Related managerial actions to build a stronger identity and gain associated information benefits include encouraging social interaction and knowledge sharing. For example, McKinsey is well-known for the strength of its knowledge network in facilitating client solutions.
In music, harmony provides a way to balance the tension between consonance, stability in a composition, and dissonance that relates to temporary transitions. In organizations, harmony relates to isomorphism, or forces that over time make organizations in the same industry converge or become more alike. This results from uncertainty driving firms to look outside themselves for viable choices that when adopted can also increase legitimacy. Within organizations uncertainty and ambiguity leads people to model themselves after people perceived as successful in an organization that can influence career success.
However, a single-minded focus on consonance risks inertia when an organization’s environment changes and requires the ability to handle dissonance or inconsistencies. For example, a technology company trying to become more customer-focused needs to balance pushing the boundaries of technological innovation with the need to focus its members on areas that may hold the most interests to its customers. When balance enables effective transitions, organizations can enable great progress. For example, Josiah Wedgewood transformed the British pottery industry from individual shops to factory work by explicitly transforming the culture of the workplace to achieve enormous profits. However, without balance, dissonance can enable discord and intense reactions consistent with warring factions. Managerial interventions that stress to employees how focused action can actually reinforce the potential impact of innovation can lead to appropriate levels of tension, while hopefully avoiding unintentional negative consequences.
The melody in music sets the theme of a composition. For example, the opening four notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony “Da da da Dah!” set the stage for what follows. Similarly, much of the value created in organizations comes from routines that are developed over time or are path dependent. This results in situations where with time knowledge becomes embedded in routines and workers become dependent on processes in performing work. An example can be seen in the British victory over the French and Spanish fleet at Trafalgar under Lord Nelson that can be partially attributed to a maritime tradition eliciting pride among its sailors. The British enjoyed a seafaring heritage, winning tradition, and superior leadership that reinforced a sense of commitment to shared values and a clear goal. For managers, employee socialization to review traditions, values, and norms becomes fundamental to helping employees work together. Additionally, sustaining a culture likely requires promotion from within and removing people inconsistent with an organization’s culture. The benefits of a clear culture include establishing trust more quickly between organizational members, improving communication, and limiting conflict.
In music, timbre refers to the difference in sound when the same tone is played by different instruments (e.g. piano vs. guitar). It is differences in timbre that can lead a diverse group of instruments, such as those seen in a symphony orchestra, to create a pleasing outcome when playing the same tones. For organizations, tone is set by the consistency between values and actions, while timbre is the value derived from diverse members working together for a common goal. It is difficult to derive value from diversity when a consistent tone is not present. One way to achieve diversity with a consistent tone is to employ people from different generations with similar values to maintain diversity in experience, networks, and views. For example, Southwest Airlines has a high level of consistency in its training and development of new members that begins with selection and allows prospective employees to self-select out of the recruitment process. In one instance, Southwest Airlines, who hires many of its pilots to fly its 737 aircraft from the military, is attributed to hiring only interviewing pilots that were willing to wear lederhosen in an effort to eliminate people inconsistent with its culture. Deliberate selection, training, and retention of employees help maintain a consistent experience among diverse members that sets a consistent organizational tone to facilitate effective operations. For example, consistency of its culture has contributed to employees being an important part of Southwest Airlines branding strategy.
In practice, tone can vary greatly from one organization to another. A less consistent and more diverse culture can be seen in University settings where goals tend to be more fuzzy and training and development is not consistent across disciplines resulting in subcultures or an inconsistent organizational tone. The lesson for managers leading diverse organizations is recognizing that congruence, or consistency between strategy, structure, and culture is needed to increase organizational effectiveness.
In music, rhythm is the pattern of sounds versus silences, while tempo is the speed at which the notes are played. In organizations, rhythm is analogous to strategy (pattern of decisions), while tempo is the speed that strategic ideas are turned into actions. While speed of action is becoming increasingly important, it is not the only factor at play. Implementing strategy quickly before the organization is prepared to support it, can be just as devastating as bringing it to market too late. For example, the acquisition of another company is typically followed by its integration with a parent company, and the resulting speed of integration is almost universally recognized as important to success. However, acquisitions are complex and require time to plan and execute the desired changes, and faster integration can increase employee disengagement as they grieve the loss of identity. This means managers need to understand their organization’s capacity to implement new ideas and be careful to not exceed its limits.
In managing organizational culture, the challenge is not to simply develop a strong culture, but to be deliberate in developing and maintaining an appropriate organizational culture. Table 2 highlights the trade-offs inherent to strong cultures. Culture develops slowly and unintended or intended changes can result from selection, training, and retention of employees, or changes in policies related to reward systems. This underscores the need for changes to align culture with an organization’s strategy or to display consistency and congruence with the underlying values and by extension the operations of an organization. In closing, we hold that managers could likely increase the performance of their organizations by more deliberately managing their organizational cultures, and this may be facilitated by considering culture as setting the appropriate background music.
Table 2: Trade-offs of a Strong Culture
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You’ll be familiar with the concept that data is now the world’s most valuable resource.
And by 2020, there will be 44 zettabytes of data in existence – which, according to the World Economic Forum, means there will be 40 times more bytes than stars in the universe.
The discipline which is distilling this information to unlock its dynamic power for humanity is Data Science – here are five ways it’s changing the world.
1. Speaking your mind
US academics funded by Facebook Reality Labs have built a brain-computer interface which can precisely decode words and phrases from brain signals in real time.
Electrodes implanted in the brains of volunteer patients receiving treatment for epilepsy recorded brain activity while they listened to a set of recorded questions and responded out loud. Then, the data generated was fed into machine learning algorithms which were eventually able to use brain activity alone to decide whether a patient was speaking or listening and to then work out exactly what was being said.
The team hopes that in the future, building biomedical devices with larger vocabularies will allow patients who have suffered strokes or spinal cord injuries to communicate naturally.
2. Data-driven storytelling
Stories have helped humans make sense of the world and predict the outcomes of important decisions since the very first societies were formed.
And corporate publishing houses have capitalised on our insatiable appetite for relatable stories by serving them up as bestsellers – but whether a book ever makes it to print is dependent on the writer having the right connections as well as the required talent.
However, storytelling platforms like Wattpad are democratising publishing with machine learning algorithms that analyse grammar, vocabulary and user engagement to provide data-driven insights to reveal which of the 500 million titles uploaded by its community of 70 million readers and writers are most likely to connect with an audience.
3. Supercharged food production
The CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) is a global partnership of organisations dedicated to a food-secure future.
And its Platform for Big Data in Agriculture actively promotes the many ways in which Data Science can supercharge food production and meet complex challenges posed by population growth and climate change.
For instance, feeding granular data from satellites, telecoms networks, sensors, drones and smartphones into predictive analytic algorithms and making datasets open and shareable would empower farmers worldwide with the most accurate information on everything from optimising soil nutrients to combatting crop diseases.
4. Ecology SOS
With its Science on a Sphere (SOS) data display system, the US-based NOAA (National Oceanic and Administrative Administration) has been helping students and museum visitors visualise concepts like Earth’s weather patterns and Saturn’s rings with eye-popping room-sized spherical projections.
And now, the SOS Explorer app means you can download the same system to your phone – effectively placing 500 powerful human, elemental and interplanetary datasets in your pocket.
These types of applications are a timely reminder that Data Science is an amazing educational tool which will prove invaluable for inspiring the next generation of scientists.
5. Life on Mars (and elsewhere)
Biofilms are some of the oldest forms of life anywhere. They’re congealed collections of bacteria that grow on everything exposed to moisture and leave behind distinctive textures on materials like rocks – strong indicators that some life-form has been present.
With this biological footprint in mind, NASA scientists are now teaching algorithms to identify life on the Moon, Mars and on future missions to Jupiter’s moon Europa.
AI-powered data imaging and analysis tools attached to rover vehicles will decide in real time which rock and soil samples are worth collecting, by identifying whether they have the biofabrics or textures that indicate the presence of biofilms and water.
If these five fascinating developments are merely the tip of the Data Science iceberg, the future breadth and depth of this field might prove to be boundless.
Inspired by AI, machine learning and Big Data? Our Data Science MSc might propel you towards a terrific career.
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Learn English > English lessons and exercises > English test #13303: Agatha Christie's biography
Agatha Christie's biography
Agatha Christie is the world's best-known mystery writer. Her books have been sold over billion copies in English and another billion over 45 foreign languages. She is outsold only by the bible and Shakespeare.
Agatha Miller was born in Torquay,England on September 15th, 1890.In 1914 she married Colonel Archibald Christie,an aviator in the Royal Flying Corps. The couple had one daughter, Rosalind,before their divorce in 1928.
In a writing career that spanned more than half a century, Agatha Christie wrote 79 novels and short story collections. She also wrote over a dozen plays including The Mousetrap, which opened in London on November 25th, 1952, and is now the longest continuously running play in theatrical history.
Christie's first novel, The mysterious Affair at Styles (1920), was also the first to feature her eccentric Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Surely one of the most famous fictional creations of all times , Poirot's 'little grey cells' triumphed over devious criminals in 33 novels and many dozens of short stories. Christie's last published novel, Sleeping Murder (1976), featured her other world-famous sleuth, the shrewdly inquisitive Miss Jane Marple of St. Mary Mead. Miss Marple appeared in twelve novels, beginning with The Murder at the Vicarage in 1930.
Both Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple have been widely dramatized in feature films and made-for-TV movies. Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), And Then There Were None (1945), and Death on the Nile (1978) are a few of the successful films based on her works.
Agatha Christie also wrote six romantic novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. She wrote notification as well - Four books including an autobiography and an entertaining account of the many archeological expeditions she shared with her second husband, Sir Max Mallowan. In 1971, she achieved her country's highest honor when she received the Order of Dame Commander of the British Empire. Agatha Christie died on January 12th, 1976.
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Cable protection system
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2017)
A cable protection system (CPS) protects subsea power cables against various factors that negatively impact on the cable lifetime, normally used when entering an offshore structure. When a subsea power cable is laid, there is an area where the cable can be subjected to increased dynamic forces, which the cable is not necessarily designed to survive over the lifetime of the installation.
Cable protection systems are used to allow the specification, and thus cost, of a subsea power cable to be reduced, by removing the need to include additional armoring of the cable. The resulting cables can be produced more cheaply, whilst still providing the 20 years + lifetime required.
Offshore windfarm developers in particular have adopted the use of Cable protection systems due to the dynamic area where the cable comes from the seabed and enters the monopile/J-tube. This is in part due to the potential for localised scouring to occur near the structure.
A CPS generally consists of three sections, a Centraliser or Monopile interface, a protection system for the dynamic area, and a protection system for the static area.
The installation of J-Tubes for offshore renewable monopiles was viewed as a costly approach, and a 'latching' type of cable protection system which penetrates the outer wall of the monopile, via a specifically designed angled aperture enables the simplification of monopile design, and removes the need for additional works post pile driving which usually involved the use of divers. This approach is becoming the industry standard in monopile design, assisting developers to reduce their costs for construction.
Articulated half-pipe Cable protections systems have traditionally been used for the protection of cables at shore landings, and other areas where cable damage could be envisaged, and burial was not practical. Patents for variations of articulated pipe cable protections date back to 1929. The system was described as a cable armor shield
"adapted to protect the cable from damage and wear occasioned by rubbing on rocks, contacting with ships, anchors or other objects, and has for its object to provide a practical flexible armor shield of this class which can be readily applied to the cable at any point along its length."
From their outset cable protection systems were designed to be simple, effective, and easy to assemble. The systems consisted of a series of half shells which had a convex flange at one end and a larger socket flange at the other allowing the sections to form a flexible universal joint connection between them. Due to the intended use of heavy cast or forged metals they also had the added advantage of increasing the weight of the cable being installed, thus reducing movement on the seabed.
Over the years innovations have occurred improving the articulation of the joints with modern articulated pipes being more akin to ball-joints, and some manufacturers providing 'boltless' articulated pipes, thus saving assembly time.
Today these articulated pipes are also utilised for their bend restriction properties, allowing them to be utilised as bend restrictors for the protected cable.
Cable protection systems are predominantly designed to protect the system from damage throughout the lifetime of the cable caused by fatigue, overbending of the cable, and to provide protection of the cable until it reaches an area of burial.
The cable protection system will be designed to provide protection for a specific lifetime, the 'design life' of the system, which may vary dependent upon the conditions encountered.
Overbending of cable
Overbending of the cable occurs when the cable is bent in a radius of less than the minimum bending radius defined by the manufacturer. Although the cable may initially survive the overbending, this can lead to subsequent fatigue within the cable ultimately leading to cable failure. The CPS selected should maintain a radius which is greater than the specified minimum bend radius.
Fatigue of CPS/cable within
Subsea cable protection systems can encounter wear due to movement, and general changes in composition due to being submerged for a prolongued period of time, such as corrosion or changes in polymer based compounds. Consideration should be given to the induced effects on the CPS resulting from the dynamic elements in the environment. Simple changes such as changes in temperature, current or salinity can result in changes in the ability of the CPS to offer protection for the life of the cable. It is advisable to carefully assess the potential effects of movement of the CPS, relating to the dynamic abilities of the cable. The CPS may withstand the worst conditions seen over a 100yr period, but would the cable inside the CPS survive these movements. In some instances, such as shore ends for fibre optic cables where rocky outcrops are present, dynamic influences can be reduced by securing the articulated pipe to the seabed rock, thus reducing the degree of movement remaining.
Some manufacturers have performed independent empirical testing to provide a simulated 25yr life cycle of the dynamic forces applicable to their product in order to provide customers with improved confidence in the survivability of the system.
Another cause for failure of subsea power cables is caused by overheating, which can occur where a cable is contained within a CPS without adequate ability to dissipate the heat produced by the cable. These lead to early fatigue of the cable insulation, necessitating the replacement of the cable.
Subsea cable incidents account for around 77% of the total global cost of wind farm losses. Since 2007 this percentage, which has varied between 70% and 80%, is statistically reported year after year.
Seabed stability is an important factor associated with cable protection systems. Should the cable protection system be too buoyant, it is less likely to remain in contact with the seabed, thus the CPS is more likely to require additional remedial stability measures, such as installation of concrete mattresses, rockbags, or rockdumping.
When a CPS is being installed to interface with a monopile structure, there is likely to be seabed scouring to some degree. Should the scouring become excessive, the CPS may be suspended within a scour hole, and needs to be capable of supporting its own weight, and that of the cable within. Failure to sustain this loading scenario will lead to failure of the CPS, which will in turn allow the forces to act upon the cable within, ultimately leading to cable damage.
Within the renewables market in particular, installation of CPS's are preferred to be completely diverless, as this reduces the developers cost, and removes risk to human life through diving in a hazardous area.
A final consideration for CPS is that of removal of the cable should a failure occur. Some designs require diver intervention to recover the cable with the CPS. Due consideration should also be given to the removal of a CPS should the CPS itself fail. The costs associated with CPS replacement during the operational lifetime of an offshore wind farm are not insignificant, as the cable will most likely require repair/replacement as part of the process.
|An example of these polymer bend restrictors|
|One supplier with metal half shells for the static zone and polymer based bend restrictor|
|Another example of a polymer and metal system|
Various innovative systems have been developed to provide restriction of bending, including ductile iron articulated pipe, and polymer or metal based vertebrae systems. Vertebrae bend restrictors are available in both metal and polymer based forms. Some cable protection systems include a polymer based vertebrae system which restricts the bend radius to a maximum of a few degrees per segment. These systems are lighter (in water) than their metal equivalents and often more expensive to produce but must be carefully assessed for longevity in the proposed application. Due to the use of polymers these systems tend to be of a larger diameter than their metal counterparts, which presents a larger surface area for drag induced forces caused by currents.
Bend stiffeners are conically shaped polymer mouldings designed to add local stiffness to the product contained within, limiting bending stresses and curvature to acceptable levels. Bend stiffeners are generally suitable for water depths of 35 metres or less, and their suitability is highly dependent on currents and seabed conditions at site. Extreme care must be taken when selecting a stiffener, especially relating to the lifespan of the system as these themselves can become fatigued/fragile. As the stiffness of these products are dependent upon the nature of the plastic used, careful testing and QA of plastics should be carefully considered as flaws introduced during material manufacture, processing, machining and molding.
Various other polymer based systems have been developed which provide a flexible 'tube' which can be attached to the structure in advance of the cable being installed, although these are relatively new to the industry, and considered by some as unproven.
Although there are no specific standards for cable protections systems, DNVGL-RP-0360 Subsea power cables in shallow water includes a section on Cable Protection at the interface to a structure (Section 4.7).
- O, Hoeftmann Alexander (inventor) (September 8, 1931). "Cable shield - US1822624 A". Google patents. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
- "Vos Prodect". www.vos-prodect.com. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
- "CPNL Engineering | cable protection solutions". CPNL Engineering | cable protection solutions. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
- "Protectorshell Articulated / Split pipe". www.protectorshell.com. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
- "Ductile Iron Data - Section 3 - Part 1". www.ductile.org. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
This article may be in the wrong category or belong in further categories. (January 2019)


What Is Distribution?
Distribution is the mechanism by which goods are delivered from the producer to the consumer. In its simplest form, distribution is the system that encompasses the entire process from shipping the goods from the manufacturer to the wholesaler and then to the retailers. The distribution business is one stage of the supply chain that transports products and materials from a manufacturer to retailers.
Distribution is defined as the process of getting goods to consumers. Distribution can be international; for example, packaged corn produced in China is imported into the US and distributed in different states.
What Does a Distributor Do?
The distributor is the name given to real or legal persons who promote or supply products to stores or companies. The distributor accomplishes this task by intermediating between the manufacturer of a product and another business in the supply channel. In short, a distributor is a person or company that buys a product or product line and sells them directly to end-users or customers. Distributors generally work with commissions based on sales they make or mediate.
Manufacturers need distributors to promote and sell their products in the domestic or foreign market. It is complicated for the manufacturer to both produce a good and deal with various items such as distribution, logistics, promotion, and sales alone. Generally, manufacturing companies either work with a different distributor or establish a subsidiary company responsible for the organization of this business.
Functions of Distributors
- Performing sales by marketing the products of manufacturers and/or wholesalers.
- Providing training support to dealers and arranging pre-sales training.
- Informing the sellers about the product and providing training on product features if necessary.
- Marketing and selling the product to both dealers and system integrators.
What Is the Distributor System?
Distributors that are authorized to promote and sell products belonging to a manufacturer or supplier in certain regions are called distributors. While some distributors stock and sell the products, some just forward the incoming orders to the supplier company or regional directorates.
Distributors are wholesale agents that connect manufacturers and retailers. Distributors purchase large quantities of goods from the manufacturer and supply them to individual retailers, thus eliminating the need for the manufacturer to contact multiple retailers individually.
Selection of Distribution Channels
Companies need to deliver their products to the market through a channel that suits their customers’ preferences. For example, a brand targeting a high-income customer base should distribute its product to the stores where potential customers at this income level shop. Today, e-commerce is spreading rapidly, and almost every product is sold on e-commerce sites.
A company that will carry out e-commerce may choose to send its products to e-commerce companies and sell their stocks. Another option is the dropshipping method. The manufacturer company can sell the products through its e-commerce site, or an intermediary company can distribute products between the manufacturer and the e-commerce sites. In each of these four options, the product distribution and customer delivery processes differ.
Briefly, the three major flows in the distribution channel, the physical flow of goods, the flow of information, and providing support, regulate the flow of money and help the firm. Sales and distribution channels vary according to the type of product, the regional conditions, and the structure of the countries. The demographic and cultural structure of the countries and the physical conditions of the countries affect the selection and operation of the distribution channels.
Distribution Channel Types
Distribution channels are sets of organizations that rely on each other and assist in using or consuming the product or service. The distribution (marketing) channel is a series of private and legal marketing persons and organizations, ranging from the manufacturer or producer to intermediate users or consumers. Distribution channels are divided into two as direct (direct; direct) and indirect (indirect) based on the nature of the relations between channel members.
a) Direct Distribution: With the manufacturer’s own sales organization; is the situation where the product is sold directly to the consumer (final or industrial). In other words, the buying and selling transaction is done through the distribution channel, with the producer at one end and the consumer at the other. Indirect distribution, the producer directly addresses the consumer and performs the necessary marketing functions himself. However, for direct distribution to occur, all or some of the following conditions must be present.
b) Indirect distribution: It is the situation in which commercial organizations provide the buying and selling relationship between the producer and the consumer with legal and economic independence. Independent commercial organizations are wholesalers, semi wholesalers, retailers, agents. etc., at various levels of distribution channels.
Classification of Distribution Channels
a) Distribution Channels by Type of Relationship
Distribution channels can be classified according to whether the relationship between channel members is direct or indirect. Direct distribution means that channel members fulfill the full distribution function of the goods or services they undertake to distribute. That is, no other intermediary or intermediaries are assigned in the distribution of the goods.
b) Distribution Channels According to Management Strategies
Distribution channels are divided into two as an individual (traditional) and vertical distribution channels in terms of management.
Traditional distribution channels; consist of individual and autonomous businesses. These types of businesses are weakly linked to each other. They cannot affect each other horizontally or vertically. Companies in traditional distribution channels act independently of each other.
Vertical distribution channels operate within the framework of a system. The activities, management, and behavior of the units or businesses that make up the distribution channel are under control. The distribution channel is under the control and supervision of a manager or leader within the channel. Competition between distribution channels brings some channel members together, causing them to organize among themselves under the leadership of a channel leader.
c) Distribution Channels According to the Direction of Integration
The intermediaries in the distribution channel tend to integrate within the channel to get a larger share of the distribution profits on the one hand and gain a competitive advantage over other distribution channels or to meet the competition on the other hand. Integration can be both vertical and horizontal.
The Role and Importance of Distribution Channels
- Distribution channels offer sales expertise.
- Distribution channels increase distribution efficiency.
- The channels offer products in the required assortment.
- They assist in the commercialization of products.
- Distribution channels help drive the price mechanism between the firm and the end customers.
- Distribution channels help to keep stock.
Examples Of Distribution
- Retail: Ikea
Ikea operates its own retail shops all over the world.
- Wholesale: Apple
Apple company sells 10,000 phones every month to its distributor in Spain.
- Direct Marketing: Best Cleaners
A company that sells cleaning products used in bathrooms and kitchens sells its products through telemarketing and TV sales channels with sales techniques.
- Ecommerce: Amazon
Many companies sell their products from the e-shops they open within the Amazon e-commerce site, over the internet.
- Dealer Network: Ford
Ford automotive company sells through a network of authorized, independently owned dealerships in the US.


One of the case studies of this year's Stockholm Water Symposium is Lake Victoria, an important natural resource in east Africa, which is under stress. The rapidly growing populations in the three riparian states of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania creates a heavy pressure on natural resources and environment conditions. Lake Victoria is also the source of the Nile river, which means that this river transports pollution from the lake all the way to the Mediterranean.
With a surface area of 68,000 sq km, lake Victoria is the world's second largest freshwater lake and is rather shallow with a mean depth of only 40 m and a maximum depth of around 80 m. Several small bays and wetlands dot the shoreline of the lake. The lake is situated in the equator and its water regime is characterised by high precipitation and evaporation in comparison with river inflow and outflow. Precipitation and evaporation, which are estimated to be of equal size, account for 85 per cent of the input and output respectively.
Pollution in Lake Victoria is increasing due to the rapid population growth around the lake basin. Surrounding urban centres have been found to possess a defunct sewage system that releases raw sewage into the lake. Industries in the region are not well-equipped with efficient wastewater treatment plants and they often dump their effluent directly into the lake. In Tanzania, the gold rush puts an additional stress on the environment, with discharges of heavy metals such as mercury. Land use in the catchment zone too plays a major role in the pollution process, since oil erosion leads to higher loads of sediment in the rivers.
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This is one of seven resource pages chronicling how the owner, funder, designers and builders addressed the Petals of the Living Challenge as they planned and built the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech. Click here for similar resources on the other petals.
What does the Energy Petal require?
Under Living Building Challenge 4.0, the Energy Petal consists of two imperatives. Energy + Carbon Reduction requires new buildings to use 70 percent less energy (after accounting for onsite renewables) than typical buildings in the same class. With few exceptions, new buildings may not use combustion, must generate renewable energy and “must demonstrate a 20% reduction in the embodied carbon” construction materials from a baseline. The Net Positive Carbon imperative requires buildings to generate 5 percent more energy than they use, to track embodied carbon from construction, and to incorporate “a resilience strategy” allowing the building to be occupied for a week by relying on energy storage.
The Kendeda Building is seeking certification under LBC 3.3, in which the Energy Petal only had one imperative. Net Positive Energy required the project to generate 105 percent of its energy needs and to have a resilience strategy.
How they did it
Can buildings in hot, humid climates give more clean energy than they take?
That was a core question as the design team began work on the 40,000-square-foot, multipurpose building. It was to become the largest net-positive clean energy building, by far, in the Southeast’s hot, humid climate — with ramifications for similar environments around the globe. The five articles below stand on their own or can be read as a narrative to describe how the architects, engineers and builders figured out how to reach their difficult goal.
Scott Mowinski, mechanical engineer
Nearly any building could attain net-positive energy with a large enough solar array and plenty of battery storage. But without thinking through the way that energy is used, that approach could get mighty expensive. One of the Kendeda Building’s lead engineers explains that the real key is creative problem solving. READ MORE


Fall 2014 begins today at 10:29 p.m. ET, and here's your leaf-peeping forecast. With less daylight and cooler nights, trees begin to change color.
By late September and early October, areas in the United States that see leaves change color are mostly in the northern Great Lakes near the Canadian border, northern New England and in the higher elevations of the Rockies and northern Appalachian Mountains.
By the middle of October, the colorful carpet of leaves begins to slide further south into most of the Midwest, lower elevations of the West and all the way along the southern Appalachians in the East. Major cities that see peak color at this time are Denver and Chicago.
By late October, fall colors slide even further south and ocean-moderated cities that are on the coast in the Northeast such as Portland and Boston begin to see colors peak. Also, the Mid-Mississippi Valley around St. Louis and Kansas City begin to experience colors peak.
In the West, lower elevations in the Sierra Nevada Mountains begin to see color, just outside of Sacramento, California, and up into the Pacific Northwest, Cascade Mountains from Portland to Seattle.
Finally, by Halloween and into early November, leaves peak from New York City to the Carolinas and into Atlanta. Trees in the Southern Plains around Dallas will be getting close to their peak colors as well.
Trees along the Gulf Coast, Florida and coastal California don't really change color because the majority of them are palm trees. There is a small percentage of deciduous trees that do grow in such tropical areas and can change color throughout winter time, but the majority stay green.
If you are wondering what the forecast is for autumn 2014, here is the official NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and CPC (Climate Predictions Center) forecast.
Warmer and drier-than-normal weather will continue for the entire West Coast including cities such as Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Also, milder-than-normal conditions are possible for most of the Midwest, the Great Lakes from Chicago to Cleveland and the East Coast from NYC to Miami.
Wetter and cool-than-normal conditions will continue for the parts of the Southwest and into Texas. Also, Florida could see a wetter-than-normal fall season.


A key aspect of our Physics teaching is to guide you through the key mathematical skills required for the exam. Often understanding number, logs, graphs and units can easily add to your score. As we go through the core topic areas required we will develop these methods, as well as showing you the shortcuts to solving what can seem complex mathematical problems. We keep the mathematics as simple as possible and focus on understanding concepts and how the GAMSAT asks you to apply these. All areas, which have featured over the past eighteen years, are covered and you will again test yourself as you go along with inset problems. The key concepts are reinforced in the accompanying extensive study guide, in addition to thousands of additional problems to reinforce concepts.
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Welcome To All The Wrte Moves Presented By: Priscilla Jones Program Specialist N.J. G&S
Agenda 6:30-6:40 Introduction 6:40-7:50 Slide Presentation and Activities 7:50-8:15 Assessment, Questions, Discussion, and Feedback 8:15-8:25 Evaluation 8:25-8:30 Clean Up Time
Tonight’s Objective Through a presentation of developmental information , performance standards, and hands-on activities, participants will identify the writing process of a preschool child and will be able to develop an appropriate writing program into their daily classroom.
Sylvia Ashton Warner taught for 24 years in a Maori school in New Zealand. This quote explains her philosophy on how children begin to develop a sight reading vocabulary: “First words must mean something to a child. They must be part of his being. They must be words organically tied up, organically born from the dynamic life itself. They must be words that are already part of his being. First words, first books must be made out of the child itself. I reach into the mind of the child, bring out a handful of the stuff I find there and use that as our first working material. This is their key vocabulary. (Sylvia Ashton Warner, 1963) *Source: Beyond Centers &Circle Time: Scaffolding and Assessing the Play of Young Children
Teachers encourage the reading and writing of young children by surrounding them with an environment that is full of meaningful print.
Vocabulary Writing Centers: specific areas within the classroom that encourage writing by providing interesting writing materials and appropriate models. Just tracing letters is not appropriate. Focus on free-form writing. *review make-shift writing center
Class Books: allow each child to contribute an individual page to a group book. Sometimes the basic text is predictable but allow children to make small changes.
Journal Writing: is common in many kindergartens. Journals allow teachers and children to track writing progress over an extended period of time. This is a great way to begin a child’s portfolio. Pocket Stories: encourage children to explore word boundaries and the relationship between spoken and written language. Children dictate a sentence to go with a picture they create. Duplicate words can be matched to the words in their sentence and stored in the pocket at the bottom of the page. Sentence Fill-Ins: allow children to experiment with writing by adding a word or phrase to a predictable text. Children can observe how writing alters the meaning of the original text.
Writing on Interactive Charts: enable children to experiment with the way writing conveys meaning. Children can write a word or phrase to add to the interactive part of the chart. Literacy Suitcases: extend the literacy curriculum from school to home. Literacy suitcases are take-home version of classroom writing materials. *the ones here are for classroom purposes.
Writing Portfolios Writing portfolios are a great way to track the writing progression of a child. They give the child focused experience with writing. They can add illustrations to their writing. You can dictate a child-drawn picture when they first begin writing. Children at this stage are developing object to word meaning. There should be time set aside each week for portfolio writing. BP
Big Books Benefits Big books are enlarged-print versions of predictable books, poems, or songs. The words are printed with large letters for easy child-viewing. Big books are an important component of early childhood reading and writing because they facilitate children's construction of important concepts about written language, such as: Sound symbol relationships Voice –print pairing Boundaries of words Left-to-write and top-to-bottom progression Use of upper and lowercase letters
Make sure that the length and the content of big books are appropriate for your classroom age children. Teachers can make their own big books by using poster board folded in half. You can then illustrate the book yourself, or let the children illustrate the book. You can then write the words underneath the pictures to tell the story. Making a big book for each month in your class will be a great way for the children to experience writing and you will end up with a collection of great big books!
What is a good source of materials for your big books? Predictable books, songs and poems that are of high interest to your children. Making a big book for each of your themes is a great idea. Books that have a repeating line of text, with one or two word changes per page, are good choices. Example: The chicken ran down the hill The chicken ran back up the hill The chicken was surely out of breath But the chicken said, “Oh my, what a thrill”
As children transition into reading, they must construct the _________________________ between the sounds, or phonemes. (phonemic awareness) They must also learn to pair each spoken word with a written counterpart (_________________). When teachers carefully point to each word in a big book as they read it, children begin to form these important relationships. They also begin to discern the __________________ and the significance of the space between two words. When pointed to the text as you read, children gradually realize that the text is always read from __________ and from _____________. They learn to distinguish __________________________and may begin to understand how upper-case letters are used. Example: Children begin to realize that their name begins with an uppercase letter. sound-symbol relationship voice-print pairing boundaries of words left to right top to bottom upper-and lowercase letters
What is a Philosophy? Goals are based on environmental, maturational, and interactional assumptions about how children might learn. You will set goals for yourself and how your classroom will function based on the needs of the children at any given time. Goals have a broad range. A philosophystatement is established at the onset of the program and creates a foundation for how the school overall will operate as a learning facility.
Example At ABC Preschool, we value the natural process of learning and ensure that our program will enhance the children’s learning process. We will provide developmentally appropriate learning experiences that will engage and encourage the natural learning process. Teachers and staff will be of the highest quality and will be hired with the intent that they will adhere to the teaching strategies of the school. Hands-on learning experiences and learning centers will be present indoors and outdoors to encourage independent learning as well as parallel learning with peers. The implemented curriculum will be open-ended and will provide sufficient and appropriate learning experiences. At ABC Preschool our doors are open and we encourage families to be a part of the children’s education and learning experiences. Parents/guardians are encouraged to attend quality meetings to ensure the success of the whole child.
My Writing Philosophy Writing is an fundamental component of the learning process. It coincides with reading and every other part of the developmental progression. Children will be exposed to writing in the dailyclassroom through various use of materials and experiences. Their writing occurrences will be open-ended with plentiful room for creativity and imagination. There will be opportunities for them to share their ideas and stories. The environment will be print-rich with ample writing opportunities and appropriate materials to encourage free-formation of symbols.
Feedback Time Let’s talk about what you can do tomorrow to implement a quality writing center into your program or extend on what you have now… Do you think you will look at writing in a different way in your classroom after this workshop? Why? Do you see that by recycling materials, you can create a quality writing center into your classroom that feeds the imagination of children and keeps them interacting with you and their peers? Let’s talk materials!
Thank you for coming!Some of the information in this presentation was provided by More Than Letters written by, Sally Moomaw and Brenda Hieronymus


Cannons believed to be from Morgan's 'pirate' ships
Photo Donnie Reid
By Thomas H. Maugh II - Seattle Times
Archaeologists have recovered six cannons from the ships of Welsh privateer Sir Henry Morgan, the first artifacts found in Panama to be linked to the man who remains a legend there, the team said Monday.
Morgan had sent three ships and a crew of 470 men to capture the Castillo de San Lorenzo el Real de Chagres, a fort that guarded the approach to the capital of Panama City. Morgan and his men were sailing up the Chagres River to join them when his flagship, the Satisfaction, and at least three other vessels crashed on Lajas Reef, sinking in shallow water.
Members of Morgan's force paddled upriver and walked overland to reach Panama City, which they successfully sacked. But their wrecked ships were abandoned and left to amateur archaeologists and looters.
"Every schoolkid learns about Morgan's activities, but we have never seen any of his materials," said archaeologist Tomas Mendizibal, a research associate at Patronato Panama Viejo, a government agency that is overseeing excavation of the original site of Panama City. "If these are indeed his cannons, it would be a first." Mendizibal was not involved in the discovery.
Morgan is generally thought of as a pirate, but he was commissioned as a privateer by the English crown to attack enemy vessels and protect the British colonies of Barbados and Jamaica because the royal navy was unable to do so. He became the scourge of the Spanish in the Caribbean and was eventually knighted and made governor of Jamaica.
A joint American-Panamanian team has been exploring the mouth of the Chagres River since 2008, documenting its rich history. Christopher Columbus found it in 1502 on his fourth voyage to the New World, and it became the gateway to Panama City, Spain's main port in the Pacific.
Following the decline of the Spanish empire in the late 18th century, the city became a backwater port and an entree for smuggling and illicit trade. With the California gold rush, the Chagres River again saw a flurry of activity, but the construction of the Panama railroad shifted transit traffic to the port of Colon and by 1855 the river was again a backwater.


Macro photography is defined as the type of photography that focuses on capturing small objects. It could be an insect or some small creature, a fine detail of an object, anything small that may catch your fancy.
But as some photographers like Simon Grossett would attest, is also a challenging type of photography as well as there are specific settings to learn and equipment needed to accomplish it. Today, we shall be talking more about macro photography in depth as to how you can accomplish this type of photography.
The most important piece of equipment you would need for macro is the optics. In particular, you would need a lens that can move far away from the sensor since the subject is very close to the lens.
As such, most lenses cannot focus because the elements inside the lens are optimized for “regular” shooting and cannot deliver high quality when the nodal point is too far from the lens. Also, as the nodal point gains distance from the sensor, less light is hitting the sensor. If the lens was rated at, say. f/1.8 for “regular” photographs, it may not be able to deliver f/1.8 when the nodal point is that far away from the sensor.
To optimize your camera’s performance in macro photography, your camera should be equipped with macro lenses which are optimized for shooting at close focusing distances, less limited in getting the nodal point away from the sensor.
Another piece of equipment that can is useful to provide macro functionality is the macro extension tube. It is a circular elements that connect between the camera and the lens.
If you have limited budget to buy such equipment, there are less expensive alternatives. One of them would be the macro filters. There is also the method of reversing the lens which makes it gain macro abilities to an extent.
Another method is using two lenses to create a macro effect somewhat similar to the setup that microscopes use. The first lens creates the image and the second one makes it bigger. You connect the lenses using a coupling ring and step-up rings if needed.
When you shoot macro you have a very limited depth of field. With that shallow depth of field every change in the camera to object distance is crucial and can throw the subject into the blurred zone so you want to make sure that both the subject and the camera stays still, which is what a tripod is for.
LIGHTING FOR MACRO
With the settings in place for macro photography, one drawback with these settings is that light becomes too minimal to capture your subject well. But fortunately, there is a way to overcome the lack of light: strobes.
Strobes put out lots of light, sometimes too much light that you may need to dial the settings down. Another challenge is the light from the strobes can sometimes create unnecessary shadows. That is why it is important to place a diffused strobe pretty close to the subject, and another is using a ring flash.
TAKING THE SHOT
First things first, as it is often reminded, you should set your camera to manual focus. With a limited depth of field, as a photographer, you should be the one calling the creative calls (i.e. what’s in focus) and not depend on the location of the focus sensor in your camera. Proper composition is important.
Tip: If there is a subject you wish to capture from a different or position, it would be very difficult doing so by moving the camera. Instead, reframe by moving subject instead. Just remember to re-focus.
How about the shallow depth of field problem? The good news is that it is completely doable. The bad news is this solution requires some work.
This work is called focus stacking is a method that combines the focused areas from a sequence of images, like different parts of an image then combining them into a single image through software.


Here is a human made disasters list. We can be very destructive creatures and here is the proof and a list of what our species has done.
Disasters caused by humans include aviation (flying) accidents, arson (lighting a fire to burn something), CBRNs (where a country has a powerful weapon), civil disorder (where people riot or do crimes), power outages (where electricity is interrupted), public relations crises where a company must tell bad news, radiation contamination (where nuclear weapons are used or accidentally get out of control), disasters in space, a telecommunications outage (not being able to communicate), terrorism (where a group attacks civilians or says they will attack to gain something), and war (fighting with weapons between large groups)cyclones .
-Inflation and scarcity of resources
-Mobs competing for resources
-Lack of medical supplies
-Polluted water and air
-Nuclear fallout-where to go-what to do-how to prepare
-Tyranny and violent corruption
Surviving Human Caused Disaster
-barricading your home
-staying under the radar
-getting what you need beforehand
-getting what you need after the fact
-keeping a healthy immune system.
-quarantining your home from the outside world. Gas masks etc.
-making a splint
-bandaging a wound
-treating a sick patient
-wilderness first aid
-how to overthrow a corrupt government
-how to resist. Strength in numbers
-If a riot breaks out no more rules apply.
Living through a disaster To live through a disaster, it is important that your family and your city prepare in advance. This may be making a pack of things you need in an emergency, it may be a government sending soldiers to help, or it may be something in between.