The twenty-fourth annual Grand Canyon Star Party will be held from Saturday, June 21 through Saturday, June 28, 2014 on the South and North Rims of Grand Canyon National Park. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/grand-canyon-national-park-hosting-24th-annual-star-party.htm

At approximately 5:45 a.m. the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a call alerting officials to a potential suicide. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/possible-suicide.htm

Alejandro Bussot, 25, of Miami, FL has been identified as the potential suicide victim at Grand Canyon National Park. Body recovery teams were able to reach the victim, who was located approximately 250 feet below the rim, earlier this morning. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/victim-identified.htm

The twenty-fifth annual Grand Canyon Star Party will be held from Saturday, June 13 through Saturday, June 20, 2015 on the South and North rims of Grand Canyon National Park. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/free-telescope-viewing-at-grand-canyon-june-13-20.htm

At approximately 2:30 pm on Saturday, September 26th the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a call alerting officials to a potential suicide west of the South Kaibab Trailhead. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/south-rim-suicide.htm

The twenty-sixth annual Grand Canyon Star Party will be held from Saturday, June 4 through Saturday, June 11, 2016 on the South and North rims of Grand Canyon National Park. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/star-party-2016.htm

The 27th annual Grand Canyon Star Party will be held from Saturday, June 17 through Saturday, June 24, 2017 on the South and North Rims of Grand Canyon National Park. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2017-star-party.htm

At approximately noon on Sunday, May 21, the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a call about a single car accident on Center Road in Grand Canyon Village. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/motor-vehicle-accident.htm

The National Park Service (NPS) announced today that Grand Canyon National Park will modify its entrance fees beginning June 1, 2018 to provide additional funding for infrastructure and maintenance needs that enhance the visitor experience. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2018-entrance-fee-changes.htm

The 28th annual Grand Canyon Star Party will be held from Saturday, June 9 through Saturday, June 16, 2018 on the South and North Rims of Grand Canyon National Park. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2018-star-party.htm

National Park Rangers at Grand Canyon National Park are strongly urging visitors to Grand Canyon, especially inner canyon hikers, mule riders, and backpackers to be prepared for excessively hot days in the coming weeks. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/hike-smart-at-grand-canyon-national-park.htm

Tanner Howe, a singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, hoped that his performances would brighten up isolating neighborhoods—and he was 100% correct.

The post Musician Uses Truck Bed to Play Drive-By Concerts for Friends in Quarantine – and the Video is Incredibly Heartwarming appeared first on Good News Network.

Since 1960, the Forest Service has been guided by the multiple-use concept, which recognizes five major uses for public lands-timber, water, range, recreation, and fish and wildlife habitat-and mandates that all five should be equally considered in management plans.

Added a click to open and also a reclick to close feature.

Using minimal jQuery and css3 to create responsive videos with playlists, video play state and multi occurrences.

A vertical concertina animated menu suitable for PCs, Tablets and Smartphones.

A tutorial for a responsive video (iframe) aspect ratio converter using calc()

A tutorial for CSS only responsive video (iframe) aspect ratios.)

This report chronicles a large-scale effort to map place values across the Pacific Northwest Region (Washington and Oregon) of the U.S. Forest Service.

SurreyLive has detailed the times and locations the aerobatics team is expected in the county

Creative Commons, Royalty-free, and General Public License (GPL) are types of licensing for images, graphics, and video. Designers, photographers, software developers, and content creators regularly access and use licensed media for a variety of projects. The question is, which license is best? Licensing gives users the ability to legally use a piece of media in […]

The post Licensing Showdown: Creative Commons vs Royalty Free vs GPL appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

The effects of mechanical disturbance from traditional ground-based logging and site preparation on volcanic ash soil and associated tree growth were investigated by using two study approaches in a retrospective study. This research was conducted on volcanic ash soils within previously harvested units in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon and southwest Washington. We assessed soil and tree attributes and their association with higher and lower levels of soil disturbance. The two approaches were independent efforts that yielded very different results.

Existing models and predictions project serious changes to worldwide hydrologic processes as a result of global climate change. Projections indicate that significant change may threaten National Forest System watersheds that are an important source of water used to support people, economies, and ecosystems. Wildland managers are expected to anticipate and respond to these threats, adjusting management priorities and actions. Because watersheds differ greatly in: (1) the values they support, (2) their exposure to climatic changes, and (3) their sensitivity to climatic changes, understanding these differences will help inform the setting of priorities and selection of management approaches. Drawing distinctions in climate change vulnerability among watersheds on a national forest or grassland allows more efficient and effective allocation of resources and better land and watershed stewardship. Eleven national forests from throughout the United States, representing each of the nine Forest Service regions, conducted assessments of potential hydrologic change resulting from ongoing and expected climate warming. A pilot assessment approach was developed and implemented. Each national forest identified water resources important in that area, assessed climate change exposure and watershed sensitivity, and evaluated the relative vulnerabilities of watersheds to climate change. The assessments provided management recommendations to anticipate and respond to projected climate-hydrologic changes. Completed assessments differed in level of detail, but all assessments identified priority areas and management actions to maintain or improve watershed resilience in response to a changing climate. The pilot efforts also identified key principles important to conducting future vulnerability assessments.

The North Cascadia Adaptation Partnership (NCAP) is a science-management partnership consisting of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Mount Baker-Snoqualmie and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests and Pacific Northwest Research Station; North Cascades National Park Complex; Mount Rainier National Park; and University of Washington Climate Impacts Group.

The Blue Mountains Adaptation Partnership was developed to identify climate change issues relevant to resource management in the Blue Mountains region, to find solutions that can minimize negative effects of climate change, and to facilitate transition of diverse ecosystems to a warmer climate.

This assessment evaluates the effects of future climate change on a select set of ecological systems and ecosystem services in Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula and Chugach National Forest regions. The focus of the assessment was established during a multi-agency/organization workshop that established the goal to conduct a rigorous evaluation of a limited range of topics rather than produce a broad overview.

Here's how families can still make the most of this Friday's 75 year anniversary of Victory in Europe Day

The RADIO ADVERTISING BUREAU's next webinar in its "Business Unusual" program's "Open for Business" series, “Creating Audience Engagement,” will … more

AUDIOSWEETS has released the latest in its imaging POPCORE series, POPCORE VOL. 14 from ASX. POPCORE VOL. 14 features 220 imaging elements with 11 categories in the update including Artist … more

Speaking on the current status of the The Voice’s return Brooke said she’s in constant contact with fellow finalists and production

Eight-year-old Grace O'Reilly was left "buzzing" after the European champions sent her a special gift.

Francis Su’s book Mathematics for Human Flourishing is both an invitation and a challenge 

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

A recent paper uncovers a unique pair of shapes

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

The Village Voice was founded by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, and Norman Mailer in 1955 as “the nation’s first alternative newsweekly.” Winner of three Pulitzer Prizes, the Village Voice introduced free-form, high-spirited, and passionate journalism into the public discourse.

WASHINGTON, D. C., 3 de abril del 2020— Hoy, más de 200 organizaciones de protección de pacientes, médicas y de salud pública enviaron una carta a altos funcionarios de la administración de Donald Trump, en la cual se apela a la Administración para que...

Research Highlights: Young adults using e-cigarettes experienced arterial stiffness and blood vessel damage similar to those who smoke traditional cigarettes. There was no evidence that using e-cigarettes reduced the cardiovascular injury associated...

Research Highlights: The Vein-Chip device, a miniaturized version of a large human vein, allowed scientists to study changes in vein wall cells, blood flow and other functions that lead to deep vein thrombosis in humans. The device focused on venous ...

“Viral Sockpuppets” is a character-driven crowd-sourced conversational story-making game, played within the YouTube community. Every time someone asks you a question it has the potential to change the direction of your own personal narrative, but two people can only develop a narrative for a short period of time before it eventually dies. Equipping a community of storytellers with the power to design and resolve conflicts on a public stage can not only guarantee a committed audience for his or her story, but will also produce a one-of-a-kind experience. The creation of a good story does not need to be linear, formulaic or built around a single plot. The “Viral Sockpuppets” is a virtual “story-world” populated by characters that create new organically developed stories through an “exquisite corpse”-like game. The protagonist asks the community to help resolve a dilemma by responding to the question with a “sub-plot” story suggestion. Players are then divided into categories: the active players who produce “sub-plots” and the passive players who vote on which sub-plot is selected for the narrative. Once an active player wins the public vote two times within the active narrative (it does not need to be consecutive), that player assumes the role of protagonist. At that time, the current dilemma is resolved and a new one is launched featuring the new protagonist. In this way, the “story-world” of the game never ends facilitating “sub-plots” and narrative chapters to continue the story forever.

The following is a guest post by Austin Gunter of WPEngine.com. If you’re looking to boost performance for a content-heavy WordPress installation, adding a cache like Varnish is a great way to boost your site’s performance. NB - This is an advanced topic, and only relevant if you have full control over your server (e.g. you're on a VPS). It does not apply to regular webhosting.

Tthink about the great relics of human civilization—the pyramids, the magnificent castles of Europe, the Great Wall of China, meticulously detailed sculptures from different eras, the awe-inspiring churches and temples that dot almost every landscape we’ve ever inhabited… All made of stone. All hundreds of years old. All crafted with the intention of permanence and […]

Serving as state representative of House District 85 for the past few years has been a privilege and an honor. I have worked hard to stand for the people of my district fighting for issues that are important to them and to the voters of Iowa City. I want to continue that advocacy and am running for another term in the Iowa House and ask for your vote.

I vigorously support adequate funding for education from pre-school to our community colleges and universities. Our young people are Iowa’s future and deserve the best start available through our excellent education system in Iowa. But we need to provide the dollars necessary to keep our teachers in the classroom so our children are prepared for whatever may lie ahead of them.

I have advocated for the fair treatment of workers in Iowa and support their right to organize. I have worked on laws for equal pay for equal work and whistle blower protection.

I am for essential funding for mental health services for Iowans of all ages. Children and adults who are struggling with mental health issues should have services available to them no matter where they live in this state.

I have fought to keep government open and accessible to Iowans. I support open records and open meetings laws to ensure that availability and transparency to all Iowans.

Keeping voting easy and accessible to voters has been a priority of mine. I support a fair and balanced redistricting system for voting in Iowa.

I have advocated to keep the bottle deposit law in place and expand it to cover the many new types of containers available.

I have worked on oversight legislation after several investigations into defrauding government which involved boarding homes, government agencies and pharmacy benefit managers (the “middleman” between pharmacies/Medicaid and the healthcare insurance companies.)

I cannot avoid mentioning the challenge of the coronavirus in Iowa. It has impacted our health, jobs, families and businesses. No one could have predicted this pandemic but as Iowans, we need to do our best to limit contact and the spread of this disease. My sincere appreciation goes to those workers on the frontlines of this crisis: the healthcare workers, store owners, businesses, farmers, teachers and workers who show up every day to keep this state moving forward. Thank you all!

There is still much work to be done to keep Iowa the great place where we live, work and raise our families. I am asking for your vote to allow me the privilege of continuing that work.

Vicki Lensing is a candidate in the Democratic primary for Iowa House District 85.

Please join me in voting for Christina Bohannan for Iowa House of Representatives District 85. Christina is an energetic and passionate leader. She has broad experience as a law professor, an environmental engineer, and an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion. These experiences give her a unique perspective and the ability to comprehend legislative issues from many different points of view. She sees the big picture and knows that she can support economic growth and small business while also advocating for basic human rights and fairness.

Christina shows up for people all over the community and is an advocate for people of color, immigrants, and others from disadvantaged or marginalized backgrounds. She is a strong voice for labor, collective bargaining rights, and a living wage. She will stand up against wage theft and other unfair practices.

In the state Legislature, Christina will be a fearless and energetic advocate for each and every member of her district. She also will be a dedicated and collaborative partner with local government. This is why so many local officials are endorsing her.

Please join me and many others in voting for Christina Bohannan for Iowa House District 85.

Mazahir Salih

City Council member

Mayor pro tem

Iowa City

My litmus test for a sheriff is someone who understands the community, partners well with different levels of government and law enforcement and stands up for the powerless. Brad Kunkel has been coordinating with all levels of local government as part of the Johnson County Emergency Operations Center pandemic meetings. He knows his community, and I’m confident he will continue to work hard for the most vulnerable, especially victims of domestic violence and at-risk children. That’s why I am voting Brad Kunkel for Johnson County sheriff. I hope you will, too.

Janice Weiner

Iowa City

Release announcement of version 2.2.0 of the Exhale WordPress theme.

https://kottke.org/20/05/pandemic-creativity-edible-versions-of-famous-artworks

Creating vintage style designs for company brands, T-shirts, packaging designs, book covers, window signs, and countless other graphic design project scenarios has never been easier with this huge bundle of 200 editable logo templates from Heritage Type Co. Logo Templates are ready-made designs that can be easily customised to quickly create stunning badges and emblems […]

The post All The Vintage Logo Template Designs You Could Ever Wish For! appeared first on Spoon Graphics.

Having too many WordPress themes to choose among is of course better than having too few. But there are times when searching for what you really need is like looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack. If you’ve been looking for a top-of-the-line multipurpose theme you will probably find it right here. We’ve listed […]

The post “Needle in a haystack” search problem? Check 15 of the very best WordPress themes for 2020 appeared first on WebAppers.

Tags: coronavirus, New York Times, Stuart A. Thompson, vaccine

Deciding between Stripe vs PayPal for your WordPress site can be a daunting task. They both bring many features to […]

The post Stripe vs Paypal: Which Is Best for WordPress? appeared first on WPHacks.

Michiel Dullaert, data visualization expert and trainer from the Netherlands, has updated his Chart Guide poster to version 4! A free PDF is available for download from his website, and introduces a new category, 19 new charts and 4 extra design tips. You can also purchase a full-size printed poster version.

As the November 2019 Giveaway, I have a pair of Chart Guide posters, that will be shipped to one lucky winner. That way you get one for yourself, and one you can give to a friend or coworker.

Register HERE by November 30, 2019 at 11:59pm CT, and the winner will be randomly chosen on December 1st!

This poster shows 84 charts to choose from and includes 16 chart design tips to help you make the Perfect Chart. The poster is available as a big poster or you can download the PDF file for free. Let this ChartGuide poster help you choose and design your Perfect Chart.

You can see his complete write-up about the new version HERE. I was able to ask Michiel a few interview questions about developing the posters:

Cool Infographics: What’s your background and how did you get into visualizing data?

Michiel Dullaert: Years ago I have been working in the boardgame and puzzle industry. Part of my work was discovering new boardgames and puzzles and introduce them to the market. I was working for two different companies, both at the time that a new product of theirs really changed the market. For the boardgame industry I worked for the company that introduced a new type of boardgame (the game of Catan) that made playing boardgames a popular hobby. After that, I worked for a company that created puzzle magazines at the time the Sudoku puzzles was introduced. And here the same happened again, a new type of puzzle that changed the way people would puzzle and talk about puzzles. Both were very nice jobs, with a lot of enthusiastic conversations with customers about new products.

In both companies I was working in the product development. I always had a large personal interest in the data behind the products. So it felt logic to do more with data, and I changed careers. I started working for a large company as an analyst. And it was not long that I found out that my colleagues were not interested in my reports. Although the reports contained interesting information it was shown in large tables and busy charts. People seemed to be not interested and if the looked into the numbers, they did not seem to understand them. My work did not seem to matter. The contrast between my previous jobs and the work as an analyst could not have been bigger. At that time I decided I would try to find a way to make people as enthusiastic about data as they were about boardgames and Sudoku puzzles. 

The first step was reading books on the topic of data visualization. Because I was working in the business intelligence field, the most logic choice were the books of Stephen Few. I bought them all and a whole new world opened for me. When Few was in the Netherlands to give a course I felt very lucky I could join. The workshops inspired me to learn more on this topic. So I bought more books and the next year I joined a class of Alberto Caïro. This gave me multiple perspectives on the same topic. The things I learned were applied to my work, and I was getting more and more responses on my visualizations. People actually started to read and understand them. 

My manager asked me to explain my choices in visualizations to my colleagues, so they could learn from me. And then I discovered how great it is to teach about data visualisation. I met a couple of UX designers and they inspired me learn more about that topic and to get an UX certification. The knowledge I gained in learning UX helped me in developing my own perspective on good data visualization. And in my workshop I try to inspire others to create such. For these workshops I wanted an overview of charts. Although there were already some great overviews, none of them had the point of view I was teaching in class. So I decided to design my own. That’s how Chart.Guide started. 

Cool Infographics: Who is the Chart Guide poster intended for?

Michiel Dullaert: The website and the posters are intended for everyone who makes charts. For me it does not matter if you are working as a data-journalist or a data scientist, a infographic designer, project manager or a financial analyst. As long as you need help or inspiration when making charts or tables, Chart.Guide can help you. Online in the form of the website and offline in the form of the poster. Because I want to inspire as many people as possible I made the PDF of the poster free to download. I know that the poster is used in business departments, newsrooms and in school classrooms.

Cool Infographics: What was your design process for the poster?

Michiel Dullaert: The main source for updates to the poster or website, is the conversations I have with people I teach or work with. If they have a need for certain chart types, or make design mistakes, I try to add that topic. 

The first poster edition (picture DPG Chart Chooser) was just a collection of charts I created for my students. For each chart a few words on when to use the chart and, more important, it gave advice on what charts were not recommended. On the second edition (the first under the Chart.Guide brand) I added chart design tips.  The reason, I saw people choose a good chart but then mess up the design. Last year, I got questions about maps, so I decided to add them on poster edition 4. 

The design process starts with insight I get from conversations I am having. Next step is cutting the old poster and rearranging everything. (see picture ChartGuide rearrange) now, will lead to more insights on the poster in the future. Although it make take some time to transform everything to the screen or paper. I still need to find some time to explain on the website why some charts are “not recommended”. 

Cool Infographics: You asked your followers to help choose the design of the new poster. How did that go?

Michiel Dullaert: The poster is made to help people. So it seems to be logic to give them a role in the design process. As a UX designer I like to test my designs before releasing them. Most of these tests are done in class, because I like to observe the users in how they use the new design. The online voting was suggestion of a student. It did give me a lot of useful feedback. Especially when people wrote a lot of text explaining their choice. For future editions I will do the same.

Cool Infographics: How can people follow you for updates?

Michiel Dullaert: People who have downloaded the PDF will get an email when a new poster is available, or when something interesting is added to the website. For this and more chart related inspiration, they can follow me on Twitter: @Chart_Guide or on facebook: /ChartGuide1.

This helpful reference guide is one of over 25 FREE data visualization guides I maintain links to in the Cool Infographics Tools pages. See them all on the DataViz Reference Guides page, and let me know if I’m missing any.