A friend of mine bought his girlfriend a birthday present over two months ago. The present was to be a completed paint by numbers picture. Unfortunately, she has yet to receive the completed painting. Last I checked, the painting was about 25% done and the man swears his girlfriend will get the completed gift by Christmas. We’ll three months late is better than never. In all seriousness, aren’t there times in our lives when even the most straight forward projects get placed by the wayside in favor of the day-to-day tasks vying for our attention?

Along the lines of waiting for “things” – I myself have recently experienced a few delayed starts. For example, I recently bought a new computer bag which had to be immediately returned due to a malfunctioning handle. Cutting to the end of the story, I ended up saving an addition sum of money on an already discounted bag because the bag was reduced an additional 10% between the first and second purchase dates. Similarly, I finally decided to buy an external hard drive to back-up computer files, etc. but when a friend braved the “black Friday” crowds to purchase one for me, he was told they were out. Upon his return home (around 5:30am black Friday) he went on line and found one for less money and with a better warranty.

As we near the end of 2009 it’s true, some of us have not obtained all that we would have liked this year. For some (like my friend’s girlfriend) it’s a gift. For others it’s a need such as a new job to replace the one lost due to the economic downturn. Yet for others, it’s something in between a gift and a need; such as a new computer bag. So what’s to be made of all this? What can we deduce when we did all we could to paint inside the lines but despite our efforts, did not get the result we wanted? Conversely, what if we took a chance to paint outside the lines, taking a risk and trying something new, but still failed to obtain the goal?

Well, as best as I can see, good things do truly come to those that wait. Economies have life cycles to them, change has its seasons, and the race is not always won by the swift. So what’s this mean for us all? I’m going to go out on a limb and say that our good things are coming, we’ll pay less for them, and they will be what we should have when we should have them. To that end, I’m happy to announce that I’m going to extend my discounted life coaching offer through the end of 2009. While I can not predict when the economy will be in full swing again or when your new computer bag will arrive, I can safely say that by taking the time now to ensure you maximize your skills and talents, you’ll be well positioned to fill it with life’s blessings.

To learn more about this topic contact Dr Marilyn at www.DrMarilyn-EAW.com

Normalerweise schreibe ich hier, wenn ich selbst etwas sagen möchte.

Jetzt möchte ich einfach mal etwas weiterverbreiten, von dem ich hoch begeistert bin, weil es etwas, wofür ich viele Sätze bräuchte, perfekt auf den Punkt bringt:

Warum die, die das Internet nicht raffen, das Internet nicht raffen

sprang mir heute in twitter ins Auge.  Nix wie hin, denn eine zutreffende Antwort auf diese Frage ist nicht nur wichtig in der Auseinandersetzung mit den Medienskeptikern oder für das Verständnis, warum Web 2.0 so schwer in der Schule zu implementieren ist.

In dem wunderbaren Text von live.hackr wird darüber hinaus noch deutlich, worin das Hauptmerkmal der Informationsgesellschaft/”Lernkultur”/Wissensgesellschaft liegen wird:

Die Menschen und sozialen Systeme werden alle haben müssen, was bis jetzt nur die internet residents haben, und was denen, “die es nicht raffen”, auf jeden Fall fehlt:

der grund dafür ist, dass ihnen das organ fehlt, wichtiges von unwichtigem zu unterscheiden.

Ein Organ zur Beurteilung. Man kann es wirklich ein neues Organ nennen, das als funktionelles System im Gehirn gebildet werden muss – offenbar durch die Tätigkeit der adäquaten Nutzung des Internets. Und es ist offenbar ein Glücksorgan:

die größten glücksgefühle entstehen im einen selbst überraschenden übergang von vermeintlich unwichtigem in persönlich wichtiges, …

So schön habe ich den Vorgang der Sinnbildung noch nicht beschrieben gehört.

Zur Präzisierung, worum es geht, bringt es der Kommentar von doren sehr schön auf den Punkt :

Man sollte betonen dass das bedeutet dass sie aus einer Welt kommen in der ANDERE für sie entscheiden was wichtig ist. [...] Man kann sich darauf einstellen mit welcher Gewalt solche Menschen ihr System aufrechterhalten wollen.

Die möchten nicht selber lernen wichtiges von unwichtigem zu unterscheiden – die möchten das jemand für sie das Internet zensiert. Ganz dringend. [...] Jemand muss doch BESTIMMEN was wichtig ist und was nicht.

Ganz genau. Es handelt von persönlichem Sinn, Selbstbestimmung und Demokratie.

Eigentlich gehört das post samt Kommentar in jedes dieser “Manifeste”, die so beliebt geworden sind.

Ich bin richtig glücklich, dass ich das im Internet gefunden habe und von Unwichtigem unterscheiden konnte.

Funding Source: NASA Headquarters
Funding Type: Discretionary, Cooperative Agreement/Procurement
Total Available: N/A
Award Ceiling: N/A
Deadline: 12.16.09
Eligibility: Unrestricted

Description:
The goal of the Verification and Validation of Flight-Critical Systems (VVFCS) project is to develop multidisciplinary verification and validation tools and techniques that advance safety assurance and certification of complex, networked, distributed flight critical systems. Here flight critical systems are defined to be any system that directly controls the safe conduct of an aircraft’s flight. This includes air and ground systems, concepts of operation as well as technology, and recognizes that human performance is a key factor in flight-critical systems and must be accounted for. The increasing complexity of flight critical systems proposed for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) will require new paradigms and real-time distributed system infrastructures providing high levels of confidence and safety assurances. The cost of proving a flight-critical system is safe is often expected to far surpass the costs for other aspects of design and implementation.

Asa daaa.

Doua piese superbe instrumentate de Next Generation Pop Symphony.

Filmarea e  din septembrie, de la teatrul de vara din Herastrau.

back to school,

back to those grey days

when I was just a creep

the most ignored

at first adored and then ignored

2029 india

They can woo you with more jobs, better facilities, lesser taxes etc. But is this all that we expect from the government? Is this what will make India of your dreams? What about stance on protecting girl child? Provision of enough resources for employment ? Better education and hygenic environment ? Eradication of pollution and traffic problems ? Eradicating corruption and caste partiality ? Communal riots ? These issues never go in manifestos but affect our live one way or the other. Are we looking for a government which gives us just conveniences and merely carries us through their 5-year term? Or do we want a progressive government who would give an open environment to the next generation? A government which makes sure India would be first in scientific research or let’s say top in man-made wonders. Are we looking for just a convenient government? Not your demands, but put your dreams on government manifestos.

Last week, PNSR was afforded a great opportunity by World Politics Review, a forum we hold in high regard for its writers’ insight and depth of analysis of important issues. WPR hosted three op-eds authored by PNSR President and CEO, James R. Locher III, adapted from PNSR’s recently released report, Turning Ideas Into Action. Each piece focused on a significant initiative discussed or recommendation made in TIIA, and explained their objective.

The first in the series focused on PNSR’s call for a Next Generation State Department, one that “possesses [and] exercises sufficient authority to manage the full range of international civilian programs effectively:”

http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/Article.aspx?id=4648

The second explains the need for empowered interagency teams. In an era of “czars,” the president still runs high-risk with this unchecked, informal set up, and institutionalization of stand-up issue teams would be beneficial to the way national security is managed:

http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/Article.aspx?id=4663

The third op-ed deals with the need of improvement to high-level, national security strategic planning. “With the National Security Staff consumed with day-to-day priorities, and without comprehensive strategies for the medium- and long-term timeframe in place, planning and budgeting inevitably lack coordination and coherence,” Locher said.

http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/article.aspx?id=4673

Please follow the links to read each op-ed at World Politics Review, and download the whole Turning Ideas Into Action report here. Also, please share your thoughts in the comments section of our blog, or by emailing info@pnsr.org.

-Michael Drohan

(CFD.net.au – Contract for Difference, Share, Forex, ETFs, Commodities Traders) – Senior executives from Telstra have hit back at the Federal Government this morning, saying its plan to split the company is unnecessary and damaging.

They were addressing a senate inquiry in Melbourne to explain their reasons for rejecting the Government’s demand that they voluntarily separate Telstra’s retail and wholesale arms.

It is about a month since Communications Minister Stephen Conroy made Telstra the type of offer it could not refuse, but it has refused it and now a Senate committee is scrutinising the bill that dictates what the consequences will be.

Telstra was asked to voluntarily separate its fixed-line copper network from its other businesses or lose the option to acquire any new wireless spectrum, which is essential to deliver the next generation of mobile phone services.

This morning Telstra’s executive director of regulatory affairs, Dr Tony Warren, hit back at those who argue separation has been a success in the UK and New Zealand.

“Well, it’s been a success if your objective is to hamstring the incumbent. I think the pretty clear outcome is that it’s harmed shareholders, it’s harmed consumers,” he argued.

Senior Telstra executive Geoff Booth delivered a long list of reasons why the Government’s plan is a bad idea.

“It will impede the achievement of the national broadband network vision [and] reduce competition, especially in the mobile and media markets,” he said.

“[It will] harm consumers, particularly those in rural and remote Australia. It will not necessarily result in industry reform, it will provide the ACCC with expanded powers, unparalleled in any other industry.

“It could destroy value for the 1.4 million shareholders who have purchased Telstra shares from the Government over the past 12 years.”

Mr Booth argues forcing Telstra to run its wholesale and retail businesses separately would require products to be switched from one system to another and then possibly another when the broadband network is up and running.

He estimates the process would cost $1 billion and could lead to chaos around Australia.

“Multiple migration does significantly add to risk of customer service in building programs with millions of customers involved. It does really magnify the potential for some chaos,” he said.

One of the main arguments for separating Telstra’s wholesale and retail arms is to ensure the company does not favour its own retail customers over its rivals, who rely on its wholesale services.

Dr Tony Warren says Telstra’s IT system is already being upgraded so the company can prove that all customers are treated equally. He says that is a better plan than breaking the company up.

“We have to take what Telstra’s done and break it and give part of it to open reach, part of it to wholesale and part of it to retail. At the moment we’re saying a better way is to keep it whole and ensure it’s equivalent.”

Having rejected the Government’s ultimatum to structurally separate, Telstra’s future as an integrated company is now at the mercy of the Senate.

As it stands the bill would enforce “functional separation” with new competition rules.

Even then, Telstra would have to offload its 50 per cent share of the Foxtel pay TV group and the network that carries Foxtel.

Dr Warren says the Government’s plan will harm all mobile phone and pay TV users.

“Taking us out of the upgrade path, the 4G market would basically reduce competition in that market and particularly reduce competition in that market for rural and regional consumers for whom we are the only network,” he said.

“Then secondly, in the Foxtel space, clearly if we were forced to divest, Foxtel is most likely that a media player would be the company that would acquire that. How a greater concentration of media can be in a consumer’s interest, we have not seen a good argument for that.”

While Telstra is keen to link its arguments with the Government’s plan to build a national broadband network, its main rival says that is a red herring.

Optus’ general manager for economic regulation, Andrew Sheridan, also faced the Senate committee this morning.

“Whilst the NBN is an important consideration, this reform package stands on its own. It addresses problems that exist in the market today and impact all users of telecommunication services,” he told the committee.

Mr Sheridan points to limits to the services available, and the prices charged for them, as evidence the current regime is failing Australian businesses.

“The reform package will deliver the foundation for a more competitive fixed line market, an outcome that will benefit all 22 million Australians,” he said.

The Senate committee is due to report in less than a fortnight.

Source: Telstra hits back at company split proposal

O.K., O.K. – enough already! All right, it’s really time to achieve that life goal already… Sound familiar? Have you hit that place, have you entered that season of life, or have you simply gotten fed up with being fed up? Goals, daily to-do-lists, action items, the list goes on and on. Sometimes, rather than rush in, we have to stop and take a moment to breath, a moment to prioritize our to-do-lists. Often this process is called “slowing down to be quicker”.

Years ago when I was a police cadet our range master explained the concept of slowing down to be quicker. Now while I don’t anticipate having to focus on shooting a felon in the commission of a crime any longer (given I’m no longer a police officer), the range master’s words have stuck with me over the years. In short, the concept reminds us to slow down (i.e., don’t get caught-up in emotions or adrenalin) when there is work to be done. As we know, often when we rush through a task for whatever reasons, we run the risk of creating a less than optimal outcome. That “less than” outcome then leads to a need to redo the work which causes the task to take longer than it would have had we slowed down and done it right to begin with. As you can imagine, law enforcement work does not lend itself to “do overs” when lives are at stake.

While the majority of our work does not result in life ending outcomes, there are times when the work choices we make alter our lives or the lives of others for better or worse. If you are finding yourself in a conundrum regarding your current workplace choices, now may be the time to slow down to be quicker. Every day we impact the lives of those around us; in positive or negative ways, but never with total neutrality. It’s often been said that those around us either bring us up or bring us down. As you make your workplace choices each day you’ll want to ensure that you have solid counsel around you. People who have your best interest at heart and who do not possess ulterior motives regarding your success. For a free 30-minute introductory consultation on slowing down to be quicker contact Dr. Marilyn at info@DrMarilyn-EAW.com or 01-408-340-0561.

To learn more about this topic contact Dr Marilyn at www.DrMarilyn-EAW.com

I haven’t blogged in a couple weeks.  I’ve been away on a planning retreat.  Thanks for your patience.

In my last blog, I discussed the importance of investment into friendships.  Today I want to talk about something that I have discovered through our church that has helped cultivate friendships -real friendships.

In the early stages of our church as we began to grow, we noticed that we were losing something I like to refer to as the “Cheer’s Factor” –you know, where everyone knows your name, and they are all so glad you came.  It is that sense on community that we feel when we are with people we know and love.  When our church had 50-150 people it seemed that we did everything together.  All the announcements were to everyone in the church, and it seemed that everyone attended all church functions.  We went to all baby showers. We visited all sick people. We attended all weddings. Everyone came to all events.  This was great because we were experiencing the friendships, the fun,  and the excitement of community within our church. 

However, something bad happened — we kept growing.  Growing isn’t bad, in fact it is an awesome thing; however, it was bad for the Cheer’s Factor in our church.  The Cheer’s Factor was not so much a factor anymore, especially after our attendance grew beyond what our auditorium could hold.  Then, when we added a second worship experience, it seemed like the Cheer’s Factor was completely gone, and it would be all but gone had we not added something to our church community that saved the Cheer’s Factor.

I’ll tell you what we added later.  If you attend faithco, you probably already know.

It is incumbent to await the coming of Moshiach every single day, and all day long.. It is not enough to believe in the coming of Moshiach, but each day one must await his coming..

Furthermore, it is not enough to await his coming every day, but it is to be in the manner of our prayer ‘we await Your salvation all the day,’ that is, to await and expect it every day, and all day long, literally every moment!

- Chafetz Chaim, Chizuk Emunah

These words lay out another important principle for the building of a mature Messianic Judaism and that being the primacy of our righteous Messiah and the hope of His return to bring the Messianic age.

This is important in dealing with two potential issues:

1. That Yeshua gets lost in practicing Judaism.

2. That we get so focused on the Messiah’s return that we don’t build a mature Messianic Judaism for the future.

The first point is seen by many critics of our movement to be our critical error, in that Yeshua is secondary to our Jewish practice. We need to realize that Yeshua is the one that is so ever present in the prayers of the siddur and embodies the hopes of Judaism, including the Judaism of today. As Judaism has developed since the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the messianic hopes of the Jewish people have sought for the coming redeemer. We who are followers of Yeshua know that this one that is alluded to each day in the prayers of the Jewish people is our righteous Messiah, Yeshua.

This plays a significant role and was a part of a homily that I gave one Shabbat during Passover, relating the eating of matzo per the Torah’s command to an act of love for Yeshua. A Messianic Jewish life within Judaism, seeking to follow Torah is performing an act of honoring the Messiah. So then this is also another response to those who hold to a Yeshua-Judaism dichotomy.

The second point and actually more direct to the words of Chafetz Chaim, is the prime duty to await the coming of Messiah. Yeshua is the long awaited Jewish Messiah that will come and establish Yom Shekulo Shabbat (A time of unending Shabbat). Though much of those in the Jewish world are expecting this to be the first appearing of Messiah, we know that this will be His glorious return. The coming of Messiah will be the full flowering of G-d’s consumation of history and the hope of the ages, yet this Messianic hope must not keep us from seeking to continue to build a mature Messianic Judaism for the future.

We must as the words say “await the coming of Moshiach, every day, even every moment”, but while waiting we must be doing those things necessary to building our future, including establishing new Messianic syangogues, establishing educational programs, writing books, mentoring future leaders, writing children’s curriculum, dealing with formation of Messianic halakha and other vital tasks.

We need to see that our Messianic hope be tied to the work that will bring about this consumation of all things and to do our part to fulfill the words of Rav Shaul in Romans 11:26,

“On that day all Israel shall be saved”.

The renewal and atonement of the Jewish people is intrinsically tied to the work of our righteous Messiah and we as His followers must do our part to establish a place wherein the over 1900 year old breach of Yeshua from Jewish space will again be bridged and we can be the place where Jewish people can follow Torah, live in Jewish space and honor the Messiah of Israel and this can be done if we build a mature Messianic Judaism.

May we be worthy to see the coming of Yeshua, our righeous Messiah and if he tarries may we earnestly await His appearing and do our part in His service to establish Messianic Judaism for the future.

http://www.towardblog.com

by Gramma Willi

Relatives – like so many of us, I find myself more and more pleased that being an activist has become an easier road to walk. Victories for human rights and for the Earth increase in number and significance and we hear about them sooner than we used to. Everyone’s talking about green jobs. Our hopes are up, we may actually have an activist leading the free world – Yes We Can! It’s quite a time to be a part of it all, isn’t it?

One of my favorite stories about the changes in public attitude towards environment and health concerns feeding our children. So much has changed in my lifetime. As a young mother, it was almost impossible to find, let alone afford, organic baby food; it was tricky to find a place to breast-feed a baby in peace. These days, parents can find a wide variety of organic baby foods and formula in almost any supermarket; my grand-babies were all breast-fed (even the twins!) and fed organic baby foods. Now that the monopolies have more “natural” offerings available to consumers, are we happy with the production? Is there a next step that we need to take?

IICPH (International Institute of Concern for Public Health), whom I have worked with for many years, has a stellar reputation for providing independent, thoughtful analysis and corroborating community environmental health concerns. Most of our works for communities report on contamination of the air, land and water. It has always given me sadness when we report arsenic, tritium, mercury, lead or other highly damaging pollution where people have food gardens or farms. Food discussions at our youth and elder gatherings took on sad notes when realizing how very careful we must be where we grow our food, where it comes from and how it is prepared. We can make sensible choices when we consider our health.

The good news is, learning to choose, grow and cook good food provides not only sound environmental education, but when applied, benefits everyone’s health and saves people money! The truth is out there, people want clean food and groups like IICPH are uniquely positioned to help them to learn about it. Never has environmental health education been more timely and important… and good food is a delicious place to focus.

Perhaps the silver lining of the economic collapse is that the cards are on the table. Finally, the voices of old hippies and tireless activists are welcome and needed. The public continues to become informed and grows in wisdom as the next generation begins making its mark in history books and business reports. Let’s fill their bellies and minds with good things.

Remember that I love you

All My Relations,

Gramma Willi

~~~~

Gramma Willi has been working with IICPH since 1997. Expressions of her dedication to the clean food revolution can be found at http://roughtimes.ca and http://YouTube.com/roughtimescooking.

~~~~

Here are a few more resources to get you started if you want to do more about clean food:

http://www.foodsecurity.org/
The Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3), North American organization dedicated to building strong, sustainable, local and regional food systems that ensure access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food for all people at all times.

http://www.toronto.ca/health/tfpc_index.htm
Toronto Food Policy Council, 277 Victoria Street, Suite 203, Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W1l: Wayne ““Taking control of our food” Roberts, Project Co-ordinator: 416-338-7937. Friends of Toronto Food Policy Council is on Facebook.
Their aim “is a food system that fosters equitable food access, nutrition, community development and environmental health.

http://www.foodsecuritynews.com/Resources.htm
The Food Security Network of Newfoundland and Labrador have a great page full of links to action going on all over!

Please email to Gramma Willi if you know of any more independent and reliable resources to help our Rough Times mission:

Good Clean Food For Everyone!

Last  week Julie and I spent five days in San Francisco visiting this historic city for the first time. We had a great time enjoying all that San Francisco has to offer – cable cars, Fisherman’s Wharf, China Town, the BART, Union Square, etc. What a great city!  One of the highlights of our trip was attending church. Located a short distance from Haight-Ashbury in the middle of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s congressional district is the thoroughly biblical City Church of San Francisco. City Church is part of the RCA (Reformed Church of America) in which a good friend of ours named David Moorhead is a church planter in Shafter, CA.

What made City Church so memorable? I noticed a series of contrasts. The band included knit-capped musicians while the sr. pastor wore a suit and tie. The music we sang during worship included well-known contemporary songs as well as old hymns (both familiar and unfamiliar). There was no media – no powerpoint, no video – just a complete printed worship program with actual music and not just lyrics. City Church seems to have mastered the mix of the ancient and the modern with spoken liturgy and communion in a non-traditional setting of a rented space for Sunday ministries. It was a packed house at the first of three services which was attended mostly by young professionals who participated fully in worship and were especially attentive throughout the sermon. We were greeted with warmth by this friendly group.

I love City Church’s mission statement:  a worshipping community that seeks to be the very presence of Christ in word, deed, and lifestyle – through many people in multiple ministries doing one thing – following Christ in mission to a beautiful and broken city, and through the city, the world. City Church’s commitment to their mission is demonstrated by their involvement in both spiritual formation and community service as they call their members to connect, celebrate, and contribute to this mission.

Sr Pastor Fred Harrell spoke with clarity from Philippians 3.10-21 demonstrating an ability to draw contemporary application from the ancient text by focusing on being a member of the colony of Christ just as Phillipi was a colony of Rome. Pastor Harrell asked several penetrating rhetorical questions that were met with what I sensed was a “holy hush” as the Word of God penetrated the hearts of regular attender and visitor alike. City Church matches Christ-centered worship with Christ-centered biblical teaching and Christ-centered ministry in their city.

If you live in or are visiting San Francisco in the future I would recommend that you check out City Church of San Francisco. We’re glad that we included City Church in our San Francisco vacation.

Notes from Leaders Retreat

• ENVISIONING: Paint the Big Picture. Help people to see the possibilities for great contribution to the cause of Christ and to His kingdom. This is what Leaders do. They cast vision.
• INFORMING: Too many times we give people information without a vision and our teaching becomes stale and dry. It is even hard to swallow at times. Information – necessary – the details needed to fulfil vision.
• ENLISTING: Recruiting is what leaders do. People want to do something. People want to know what their roles, responsibilities and authorities will be. Help them by giving as many specifics as possible.
• INVOLVING: Delegate Tasks! Give people hands on opportunities to be involved. Max Capacity. When people do not sense that they are really making a valuable contribution they tend to move on to something where they can find meaning, worth and a sense of purposeful service.
• ENCOURAGING: Lit. ‘to put courage into’. 4 most powerful words from a leaders mouth ‘YOU CAN DO IT!
• EQUIPPING: Paul wrote, “Equipping the saints for the work of service for the building up of the body of Christ.” (Eph. 4:11,12) Leaders are resource suppliers as well as spiritual inspiration to help people accomplish what they are called to do.
• EMPOWERING: A continous prayer: Ask God to infuse us with His power, might and authority to accomplish everything related to His great commission.
• ENTRUSTING: “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others also.” (2 Tim. 2:2) Find a Timothy. Be a multiplier of the grace, love and truth He has given you.

Resource: American Solutions for Winning the Future

While there is a lot of focus on what’s wrong, and while there are many things to fix, we must remember our students.

See the complete article at:

http://www.americansolutions.com/education/2009/10/lets-start-a-revolution-in-public-education.php

Action Item: Our students and youth are the future of our country, and money, time, and care must be given to this sector of our economy that produces the leaders of our next generation.

“Supporting local communities. Building local economies.”

www.GoodAmericanPost.com

Filmmaker Richard Lucchesi, a Kyung Hee University English Professor wanted to know more about the Su-neung (수능), a test that everyone in Korea knows about, and that virtually all high school students have taken since 1993. It’s a university entrance exam, and is still the most common way to enter university in Korea.  Offered once a year in November, as many as 600,000 high school seniors students sit for the exam each year. They traveled the streets of Seoul speaking to its residents about their experiences. This film is dedicated to the millions of people who have studied for and taken the Su-neung (수능) university entrance exam in Korea, and for those who have yet to do so.

I am once again a little late, but I simply had to join this week’s discussion! I am a long time fan of Star Trek! I used to watch Spock, Kirk, and Bones explore the galaxy with my dad when I was little. I grew into The Next Generation which is still a favorite. I have watched all the movies and am currently making my way through Star Trek the Animated Series. I’ve seen some of Deep Space Nine and Voyager and was an avid watcher of Enterprise. Obviously, I love all things Trek. One of my favorite memories was a Saturday Star Trek-a-thon my dad and I had before going to see Star Trek VI. Yes, we spent an entire day watching 5 movies and then went to the theater the following weekend! It was fun and fabulous! My sweetheart and I saw the newest Star Trek movie in the theater twice and I am excited to hear about it’s coming DVD release. I so loved the new movie that I can’t wait to see it again! As for the question of my favorite Trek goodness, it is without a doubt The Original Series and The Next Generation.

Se pregăteşte un nou standard, HTML5. În momentul de faţă este doar recomandare W3C, dar browser-ele au început să fie adaptate pentru a putea interpreta şi paginile care folosesc limbajul HTML5. După aproape 10 ani, perioadă în care HTML 4 a făcut legea şi care a cunoscut doar foarte puţine modificări, se apropie o schimbare semnificativă prin apariţia lui HTML 5. Unii din giganţii Internetului mizează serios pe acest nou standard.

Dar ce aduce nou HTML 5?

În primul rând o serie de tag-uri noi cu funcţii specifice. Iată câteva exemple. Câteva tag-uri speciale pentru conţinut.

<canvas>

<video>

<audio>

După cum le spune şi numele, sunt tag-uri care ajută la inserarea de conţinut video, audio şi zone de desenare. Pentru interacţiunea cu utilizatorii se foloseşte Javascript.

Câteva tag-uri noi pentru organizarea conţinutului.

<section>

<header>

<footer>

<nav>

<article>

<figure>

Aceste tag-uri sunt utile pentru o structurare mai bună a informaţiilor din cadrul unei pagini web.

S-a renunţat la o vastă listă de elemente:

• acronym
• applet
• basefont
• big
• center
• dir
• font
• frame
• frameset
• isindex
• noframes
• noscript
• s
• strike
• tt
• u

O serie de noi elemente interesante sunt pregătite pentru HTML 5:

• <details> – poate fi folosit pentru specificarea unor informaţii suplimentare despre ceva specific. În acest sens poate fi folosit pentru a oferi hint-uri în cadrul unei pagini web.
• <datagrid> – poate fi folosit pentru interacţiunea dintre date şi client. Astfel, spre deosebire de tabelele clasice, în care informaţia era fixă, în noua variantă se poate modifica textul de către utilizatori.
• <menu> – un element care fusese eliminat din variantele mai vechi, revine acum odată cu HTML 5. Acest element poate fi folosit pentru imbricarea până la un nivel avansat a meniurilor, cu atribute care îi permit folosirea de icoane.

Un alt element de noutate îl reprezintă asocierea unui nou DTD: <!doctype html>. Acesta are avantajul de a fi mult mai uşor de folosit şi cu siguranţă va fi îndrăgit de cei care dezvoltă pagini web.

Acest limbaj se anunţă de succes şi dacă ne gândim că unul din cei mai mari jucători de pe piaţa Internetului, Google Com, mizează pe HTML 5. Direcţia de interes pentru Google este creşterea interacţiunii dintre utilizatori şi site-uri, iar noul limbaj permite crearea facilă de interfeţe flexibile.

Un alt mare jucător din industria Internetului, Mozilla, şi-a manifestat interesul pentru HTML5 prin prezentarea vicepreşedintelui Jay Sullivan, care susţinea că este nevoie să se tempereze dominaţia plugin-urilor, care sunt proprietate privată(JavaSun, FlashPlayer, Silverlight) şi să se dea mai multă atenţie uniformizării mediului de programare.

Având în vedere atenţia de care se bucură din partea giganţilor industriei, este de luat în seamă, mai ales de către cei care se ocupă cu dezvoltarea aplicaţiilor pentru Internet, pentru că sigur va fi standardul generaţiei următoare de pagini web.

Mai jos este un filmuleţ în care un specialist Google prezintă avantajele HTML 5.

Enjoy!