For Praying Out Loud: An Exploration of Religious Traditions & Their Prayer Practices

Religions and their prayer practices are an integral part of the history of our world and are an important source of community and individual spiritual development. Religions serve as a community resource for compassion and empathy toward others, an organizing force for community wellness and solidarity, and a safe haven to explore one’s own spiritual journey and purpose in life. There are emotional, moral, logical, and spiritual aspects to all religious traditions and when we have an understanding of not only that which we believe and practice, but also an understanding of that which others believe and practice, we can begin to see a pattern in what we have in common – at home and across the globe. As noted by Diana Eck, in her “Harvard Thinks Big: Religion in the Age of Pluralism” 2012 address, “Religious literacy is critical, not just for those of us who make a business of it, and not just for those of us who think of ourselves as spiritual or religious, but for all of us, no matter what you intend to do in life or where you intend to live.” By increasing religious literacy, my project addresses the need for people of many (or no) faiths to come together and create what we might call a multi-faith public square. Two ways of accomplishing this is through scholarly investigation and through sharing insights as a result of religious practices. Whichever means are used, the most important things we can learn from people of other religions is about people of other religions, in order to develop enriching relationships with them as neighbors and citizens

Training booklet for Optical Coherence Tomography

Retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans permit the structural analysis of retinal structures at high resolution. To achieve the level of precision needed in clinical trials and scientific projects there is a need for good technique and quality control (QC). It is important to recognise rtefacts and measurement errors. Errors will happen with any type of measurement, but if left unchecked they may compromise the outcome of a study and can potentially threaten patient’s safety. Importantly, the OCT operator is the single person who will see the live image during which data acquisition from the patient’s eye takes place. Even the best of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology will not be able to trace back what an OCT operator had done during image acquisition. This is because once done, people will only receive an averaged summary image for further analysis. Therefore recognising well known errors is a skill any OCT operator will need to master. This OCT manual will help you to learn how to: • acquire high quality retinal OCT scans • avoid pitfalls and learn about quality control • recognise pathology through short cases • develop your OCT interpretation skills further by more in-depth review of pathology • recognise the 3 “red lines” relevant for OCT in clinical practice • update your OCT literature knowledge base to 2021 Hopefully you will find this OCT booklet helpful and I wish you success working with this exciting technology

March 2010

A “Fixed” Fight: A Peek Inside One Construction Expert’s Campaign to Make Fixed-Price Contracts and Cost Containment the Industry’s New Normal Construction cost overruns have run rampant for decades. It is an industry that has seen per-worker productivity fall by nearly 25 percent over the past 40 years Leadership & Little White Lies: How Those Seemingly Harmless Fibs and Half-Truths Can Hurt Your Business Author Dave Anderson says that white lies can do serious damage to your reputation and can lead to much bigger issues down the road. Read to see why cleaning up your act can help save your business The Domino’s Theory: What Your Company Can Learn From the Customer-Driven “Pizza Turnaround” Recently, Domino’s Pizza did something practically unheard of in the business world. It asked its customers for honest feedback. Then it actually listened to the painful truth The Year of the Connector: Eight Ways to Make More Meaningful Business Connections in 2010 Read to learn the keys for connecting that could make 2010 your most successful year yet 7 Publicity Myths That Can Hurt Your Business Before you can get your business the publicity it deserves, you need to separate the PR facts from the fiction. Pam Lontos gives the most common publicity myths and the truths behind them. . Let’s Hear It for the Girls: 14 Women Who Made a Big Splash in 2009 Roxanne Rivera says the reason 2009 will truly be one for the history books is because it saw women making big splashes in industries and businesses where the headlines usually go to the men Construction and the Economy Ethics in the Workplace Sales and Marketing Investments and Finance Real Estate Notes Trade Events Calendar Networking and Sales Public Relations and Media Computer/Technology The Lists: Women-Owned Businesses MBA/Executive Programs in the Inland Empire HMO’s/PPO’s Residential Real Estate Brokers Inland Empire People and Events Manager’s Bookshelf New Business Lists: County of San Bernardino County of Riverside Executive Time Out

Interim guidance : Public health communicators get your community ready for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

This interim guidance is based on what is currently known about the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will update this interim guidance as needed and as additional information becomes available.This interim guidance is intended for state and local public health information officers, health communication specialists, health educators, and other public health professionals responsible for planning communication strategies before, during, and after an outbreak of corognavirus disease (COVID-19).This guidance provides information about nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and their use during a COVID-19 outbreak. NPIs are actions, apart from getting vaccinated and taking antiviral medications, that people and communities can take to help slow the spread of respiratory illnesses like COVID-19.COVID-19 is an emerging disease and there is more to learn about its transmission, severity, and how it will take shape in the United States. Everyone can do their part to help plan, prepare, and respond to this emerging public health threat.CDC has developed recommendations for how to communicate with people in your community about a COVID-19 outbreak. The Before, During, and After sections of this guide offer suggested strategies to help you plan for and implement these recommendations.Before a COVID-19 outbreak occurs: Plan -- During a COVID-19 outbreak: Act -- After a COVID-19 outbreak has ended: Follow Up -- Readiness Resources.2020751

June 2012

Texas Firm Targets Inland Empire Homeowners With Foreclosed 2nd Mortgages Adding new uncertainty in the state’s ongoing mortgage crisis, a Texas company is aggressively pursuing hundreds of Californians to collect second-mortgage debt—on homes they’ve already lost through foreclosure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Improve Productivity: Identify Your Staff’s Motivating Factors It is human to try to motivate another person from the same basis as one’s own perspective. Different people are motivated for different reasons both personally and professionally. Diane Ciotta gives us five common motivation factors. . . . . 9 Airport Avatar Enters Brave New World of Customer Service Ron Kaufman gives us a glimpse of future fun which can improve customer service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Value: What Your Customers Really Want Learn how to sell based on value, not price says Nathan Jamail. The key to overcoming price is not a scripted catchy phrase, rather it is learning how to create a real value partnership, and in order to do that, one must practice. . . . . 13 Hiring: Do It the Steve Jobs Way Steve Jobs was an amazing and unconventional leader in many respects. He personally interviewed over 5,000 applicants during his career. When you thoroughly analyze Apple’s philosophy of hiring, you find out that there has always been fundamental, uncompromising attributes needed to get a job at Apple, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Investments and Finance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Motivation and Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Lists: Top Health Care Medical Clinics/Groups in the Inland Empire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Top Savings & Loans and Federal Savings Banks. . . . . . 12 Hospitals Serving the Inland Empire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Customer Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Real Estate Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Computer Column. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Executive Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Corporate Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Restaurant Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Manager’s Bookshelf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Human Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 New Business Lists: County of San Bernardino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 County of Riverside. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Executive Time Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

March 2013

News and Features Would George and Honest Abe Make It in Today’s Business World? Joseph Callaway believes the answer is yes. He states that if they showed up in 2013 and truly lived up to their reputations, they would find themselves in huge demand. . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Make Your Sales Team an Elite Sales Force Creating an elite group of salespeople involves much more than placing a help wanted ad on a job board. It requires a specific hiring process that attracts only the best of the best. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 7 Mistakes to Avoid on Your 2012 Tax Return Rick Rodgers, CFP, gives us seven common mistakes and missed deductions to help you prepare your 2012 tax return. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 How to Succeed When Your Leaders Fail Many people associate strong leaders with the success of an organization, but an organization succeeds through the efforts of many people. . . . . . . . 18 Shining a Light on the Dark Side of Teams: Seven Lessons the Business World Can Learn From the Downfall of Lance Armstrong What interests Bruce Piasecki most about the Armstrong story are the lessons it offers the business world about the nature of teams. People who would not normally be able to succeed alone can reap the benefits of success in the context of teams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Columns Computer Column. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Editorial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Business Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Investments and Finance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 The Lists: Residential Real Estate Brokers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 MBA/Executive Programs in the Inland Empire. . . . . . . 16 Top HMO’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Top PPO’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Women-Owned Businesses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Business Leadership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Restaurant Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Manager’s Bookshelf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Close-Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Real Estate Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 New Business Lists: County of San Bernardino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 County of Riverside. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Executive Time Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Modelling collective learning in design

In this paper, a model of collective learning in design is developed in the context of team design. It explains that a team design activity uses input knowledge, environmental information, and design goals to produce output knowledge. A collective learning activity uses input knowledge from different agents and produces learned knowledge with the process of knowledge acquisition and transformation between different agents, which may be triggered by learning goals and rationale triggers. Different forms of collective learning were observed with respect to agent interactions, goal(s) of learning, and involvement of an agent. Three types of links between team design and collective learning were identified, namely teleological, rationale, and epistemic. Hypotheses of collective learning are made based upon existing theories and models in design and learning, which were tested using a protocol analysis approach. The model of collective learning in design is derived from the test results. The proposed model can be used as a basis to develop agent-based learning systems in design. In the future, collective learning between design teams, the links between collective learning and creativity, and computational support for collective learning can be investigated

An insider perspective of lifelong learning in Singapore: beyond the economic perspective

This study traces the learning journeys of a group of people who overcame economic, social and/or educational disadvantages to engage in lifelong learning in Singapore. Studies in a number of countries have shown that people from economically, socially and/or educationally disadvantaged backgrounds are under-represented in postschool learning. However, in every country, there is a small group that has succeeded in overcoming economic, social and psychological odds to engage in lifelong learning and in this thesis such a group will be investigated in Singapore. In 2002, twenty-three people within this category were selected by the community as lifelong learners in Singapore. Thirteen of them volunteered for this study. Data collected through in-depth interviews were analysed using grounded theory methodology. The model of lifelong learning derived from emergent common themes shows that while it is true that utilitarian reasons usually accounted for the initial decision to engage in post-school learning, learning journeys were sustained by the development of learning careers, through the strengthening of learner identities and the development of learning dispositions.Sociocultural factors, such as presence of positive environments and supportive relationships with significant others, also influenced learning decisions. The findings thus confirm recent studies of the need for a sociocultural theory of lifelong learning and a more holistic approach to lifelong learning. There are important implications for Singapore which has achieved rapid economic growth since independence by adopting a pragmatic approach. Official discourses of lifelong learning are based on human capital theory. Hence, lifelong learning is seen as an investment in human capital, and often equated with skills upgrading for economic and political survival. The implications of this study are, however, that instead of focusing on the political and economic aspects of lifelong learning, future initiatives should examine other micro-contexts like family, work, schools and other institutions, with special focus on how people within these institutions can help support lifelong learning. It is also evident from the findings, that lifelong learning should be seen in its whole spectrum, as learning across the lifespan, from cradle to grave (lifelong learning) and learning that covers formal, nonformal and informal learning (lifewide learning).V

BECTA research project: International Baccalaureate E-Learning Laboratory (iBEL): evaluation report

The International Baccalaureate E-Learning Laboratory (iBEL) investigated the role that design-for-learning (D4L) plays in fostering independent learning on the International Baccalaureate programme using integrated open source platforms, namely Moodle and LAMS. Results from the project indicate these technologies increased independent learning, especially when teachers provided a clear framework by linking to pre-selected, reliable resources, and structured these through appropriate activities. Visual design was highly valued and learners enjoyed using resources containing rich media. In subject disciplines such as Modern Foreign Languages and English they were motivated by the integration of social learning tools, notably forum, glossary tools and chat. Students expected the use of technologies to form a part of their learning. Some teachers found that the use of the technologies assisted with long-term planning and enhanced their relationships with students. Adoption of a D4L system is more likely to succeed if introduced as a repository for existing content to which activities are later added and where it supports flexibility, fits the way that practitioners normally plan for learning, integrates easily with F2F teaching, contains a variety of easy to use tools, and accommodates the integration and updating of existing resources created by staff, such as Word, pdf and PowerPoint