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American Society of Landscape Architects logo. (PRNewsFoto/American Society of Landscape Architects)

WASHINGTON, April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Society of Landscape Architects is launching two new educational resources that will help young people and teachers explore the landscape architecture professiona newly redesigned Career Discovery website and the new Tools for Teachers. The launch is part of ASLA's outreach for National Landscape Architecture Month in April.

The Career Discovery website, aimed at students in middle school and high school, explains what a landscape architect does and how to become one. With a background that features the evolution of Columbus Circle in New York City from sketch to reality, the website shows how landscape architects creatively solve complex urban and environmental issues through design. Columbus Circle was redesigned by OLIN, a landscape architecture firm, and received a 2006 ASLA Honor Award in the General Design category.

The website also includes two videos"Personal Paths" and "Why Become a Landscape Architect?"featuring landscape architects and designers on why landscape architecture is the perfect career for art- and science-oriented students.

Tools for Teachers is a new education hub for K-12 teachers. It is loaded with fun, free classroom activities that will inspire lesson plans and start classroom dialogues about landscape architecture. It includes links to all of ASLA's educational resources, including:

"Students need to know at an earlier age why landscape architecture is a fun, rewarding, and important career that helps communities become great places to live," said Mark A. Focht, FASLA, president of ASLA and first deputy commissioner of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. "Our educational and career discovery resources will help them and their teachers get excited about what we do and why it matters."

"We invite students and their teachers and families to check out our resources and learn more about the landscape architecture profession," said Nancy Somerville, Hon. ASLA, the executive vice president and CEO of ASLA. "Landscape architects draw upon their knowledge of the environment, science, and art to design outdoor environments and related green infrastructure, such as plazas, campuses, parks, playgrounds, streetscapes, and residential properties. Their work is everywhere."

These resources are an opportunity for students to explore landscape architecture, a career they may not have heard much about, and learn the pathways of becoming a landscape architect.

Note: Media are welcome to download the "Personal Paths" and "Why Become a Landscape Architect?" videos from Vimeo as long as they are unedited and ASLA is given credit. For more information, please contact Karen Grajales.

About the American Society of Landscape ArchitectsFounded in 1899, ASLA is the national professional association for landscape architects, representing more than 15,000 members in 49 professional chapters and 72 student chapters. Members of the Society use the "ASLA" suffix after their names to denote membership and their commitment to the highest ethical standards of the profession. The Society's mission is to advance landscape architecture through advocacy, communication, education and fellowship. Learn more about landscape architecture online at http://www.asla.org.

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American Society of Landscape Architects Launches New Educational Resources for K-12 Teachers and Students

by Eve Sonary Heng, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on April 9, 2014, Wednesday

KUCHING: The Institute of Landscape Architects Malaysia (Ilam) and the International Federation of Landscape Architects (Ifla) Asia Pacific will be holding an international event in conjunction with Architect Month and the Ifla 2014 Asia Pacific Congress from April 28 to 30 here.

This is the first time that Malaysia as a whole and particularly Sarawak play host to the international congress, revealed Ilam president Mohd Fadrillah Mohd Taib.

The event, which will be held at the Pullman Hotel Kuching is themed a Greener Tomorrow which I feel is related to our Sarawak culture, natural resources, and green technology.

The theme means more than just plants and nature; it encompasses the methodology and finding of best practice in handling the environment and improving living conditions, he told the press yesterday.

We plan to look at sustainable, economic, value added benefits for communities in totality and at causing less environmental impact and providing more energy efficient management strategies, he added.

With these principles as guide, he said delegates will delve into sub-themes namely Greener Technology, Greener Tourism and Greener Heritage. On who should attend the congress, he replied they could be policy makers, engineers, planners, architects, developers and contractors, and others including nursery owners, green technology product manufacturers, government agencies, local governments, tour operators, hotel and resort owners, foresters, researchers as well as educators.

The congress will showcase some of the best sustainable technology and research knowledge which takes into consideration natural and cultural context.

He said in conjunction with the Ifla 2014 Asia Pacific Congress, fringe activities will also be held, including International Student Charrette from April 25 to 27, Ifla Asia Pacific Regional Council Meeting on April 27, Malaysia Landscape Architecture Awards and Ilam Gala Night on April 29, Spouse Programme on April 28 and 29 and Technical Visits on April 30.

He explained that at the moment, 160 students from six countries (Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand) have registered for the International Student Charrette, which will be held at the Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV).

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Sarawak to host international landscaping congress

Florida State QB Jameis Winston was the second straight redshirt freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.

Rich Graessle/Icon SMI

In light of your outpouring of questions in response to last week's call to action, I figured why wait the extra week for another Mailbag?

Hi Stewart, since you're in need of football-related questions, here's one: Do you think there's a clear preseason Heisman Trophy candidate this year, other than Jameis Winston? Marcus Mariota seems to be a logical choice, but I also think that Auburn's Nick Marshall and perhaps Georgia's Todd Gurley could have stellar seasons. Plus, I just don't think Winston will be as good without the arsenal of receivers he had last year, namely Kelvin Benjamin. -- RJ, Portland, Ore.

Now that we've seen two straight redshirt freshmen (academic sophomores) break through and win the Heisman Trophy, is it inevitable that a true freshman will win the award soon? -- Matt Farrell, New Albany, Ohio

I hate to break it to you, but there's no such thing as a preseason Heisman favorite anymore. We'll keep putting out watch lists, sure, but a player no longer needs preseason recognition to claim the prize. Three of the past five winners -- Cam Newton (2010), Johnny Manziel ('12) and Winston ('13) -- had not played for their team the year before they won the trophy. Alabama's Mark Ingram ('09) was a backup the year before he won. Baylor's Robert Griffin III ('11) had name recognition, but he wasn't on many short lists heading into the season, and he still beat out a guy, Andrew Luck, who was about as overwhelming a preseason frontrunner as you could find.

And repeating is almost impossible. New wide receivers or not, one thing fans can say with near certainty right now is that if Florida State is anything less than 13-0 again entering Heisman weekend this fall, Winston will not hoist a second trophy. Just ask Manziel, whose passing stats all improved considerably in 2013 (save for four extra interceptions), but he ran less, lost twice as many games and, thus, finished a distant fifth in Heisman voting.

ELLIS: Which redshirt freshmen are poised to break out in the 2014 season?

I'm not yet ready to say that a preseason dark horse will start winning the Heisman every year. Mariota, Marshall and Gurley all have excellent chances. Ditto for Ohio State's Braxton Miller, Baylor's Bryce Petty, UCLA's Brett Hundley, Alabama's T.J. Yeldon and Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, among others. But now, more than ever, the Heisman is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately award. Mariota seemed like he had taken command of the race last season, but as soon as Oregon suffered its first loss against Stanford on Nov. 7, he was done. Conversely, Tre Mason did not garner a sniff of consideration until his 304-yard rushing explosion in the SEC title game on Dec. 7. So, in some ways, preseason hype works against a candidate. It gives him an early leg up, but as soon as he suffers a setback, voters knock him off the throne in favor of the latest flavor. It's hard to come back from that.

As for true freshmen, absolutely, one could win soon. That's especially the case given how many are starting and playing major roles for title contenders, as I wrote about in February. However, it's going to take an exceptionally rare talent now that the Heisman is such a quarterback-dominated award. Then-Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson finished in second in 2004 when he rushed for 1,843 yards for a 12-0 team. Would that happen today? Or does the trophy have to go to a quarterback? If the latter, it becomes exponentially more difficult. The idea of a redshirt freshman like Manziel or Winston who had a full year (or more) in a system putting together a Heisman-worthy season is one thing. Yet even the most talented true freshmen starters, like USC's Matt Barkley in '09 or Penn State's Christian Hackenberg last year, generally don't have immediate, overwhelming success. Most likely it will be a running back for a playoff contender. Perhaps LSU's Leonard Fournette?

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Examining the changing Heisman Trophy landscape; more mail

Florida State QB Jameis Winston was the second straight redshirt freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.

Rich Graessle/Icon SMI

In light of your outpouring of questions in response to last week's call to action, I figured why wait the extra week for another Mailbag?

Hi Stewart, since you're in need of football-related questions, here's one: Do you think there's a clear preseason Heisman Trophy candidate this year, other than Jameis Winston? Marcus Mariota seems to be a logical choice, but I also think that Auburn's Nick Marshall and perhaps Georgia's Todd Gurley could have stellar seasons. Plus, I just don't think Winston will be as good without the arsenal of receivers he had last year, namely Kelvin Benjamin. -- RJ, Portland, Ore.

Now that we've seen two straight redshirt freshmen (academic sophomores) break through and win the Heisman Trophy, is it inevitable that a true freshman will win the award soon? -- Matt Farrell, New Albany, Ohio

I hate to break it to you, but there's no such thing as a preseason Heisman favorite anymore. We'll keep putting out watch lists, sure, but a player no longer needs preseason recognition to claim the prize. Three of the past five winners -- Cam Newton (2010), Johnny Manziel ('12) and Winston ('13) -- had not played for their team the year before they won the trophy. Alabama's Mark Ingram ('09) was a backup the year before he won. Baylor's Robert Griffin III ('11) had name recognition, but he wasn't on many short lists heading into the season, and he still beat out a guy, Andrew Luck, who was about as overwhelming a preseason frontrunner as you could find.

And repeating is almost impossible. New wide receivers or not, one thing fans can say with near certainty right now is that if Florida State is anything less than 13-0 again entering Heisman weekend this fall, Winston will not hoist a second trophy. Just ask Manziel, whose passing stats all improved considerably in 2013 (save for four extra interceptions), but he ran less, lost twice as many games and, thus, finished a distant fifth in Heisman voting.

ELLIS: Which redshirt freshmen are poised to break out in the 2014 season?

I'm not yet ready to say that a preseason dark horse will start winning the Heisman every year. Mariota, Marshall and Gurley all have excellent chances. Ditto for Ohio State's Braxton Miller, Baylor's Bryce Petty, UCLA's Brett Hundley, Alabama's T.J. Yeldon and Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, among others. But now, more than ever, the Heisman is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately award. Mariota seemed like he had taken command of the race last season, but as soon as Oregon suffered its first loss against Stanford on Nov. 7, he was done. Conversely, Tre Mason did not garner a sniff of consideration until his 304-yard rushing explosion in the SEC title game on Dec. 7. So, in some ways, preseason hype works against a candidate. It gives him an early leg up, but as soon as he suffers a setback, voters knock him off the throne in favor of the latest flavor. It's hard to come back from that.

As for true freshmen, absolutely, one could win soon. That's especially the case given how many are starting and playing major roles for title contenders, as I wrote about in February. However, it's going to take an exceptionally rare talent now that the Heisman is such a quarterback-dominated award. Then-Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson finished in second in 2004 when he rushed for 1,843 yards for a 12-0 team. Would that happen today? Or does the trophy have to go to a quarterback? If the latter, it becomes exponentially more difficult. The idea of a redshirt freshman like Manziel or Winston who had a full year (or more) in a system putting together a Heisman-worthy season is one thing. Yet even the most talented true freshmen starters, like USC's Matt Barkley in '09 or Penn State's Christian Hackenberg last year, generally don't have immediate, overwhelming success. Most likely it will be a running back for a playoff contender. Perhaps LSU's Leonard Fournette?

Excerpt from:
Stewart Mandel: Examining the changing Heisman Trophy landscape; more mail

Gardeners repeatedly refer to the space between the sidewalk and the curb as the hell strip. More kindly, one might call it a parking strip. It is the generally the most neglected and abused area of the landscape.

This front-and-center spot is subject to foot traffic, paw traffic, trash and dog waste, and perhaps bicycle and skateboard activity, too.

The strip offers vegetation a restricted root zone filled with poor, contaminated and compacted soil. It is typically poor draining, lacking in nutrients and packed with weeds and weed seeds. It gets too much or too little water and is surrounded by hard surfaces that intensify summer heat. Water easily runs off because compaction prevents it from soaking into the ground.

A homes mailbox is often located on the parking strip. If there is no sidewalk the mailbox exists in the spot where the driveway and road meet. The mailbox is surrounded by many of the same difficulties that beset the parking strip heat radiating from the pavement, contaminated and compacted soil, weeds, and exhaust fumes.

It would be easier to ignore a small area with so many problems rather than deal with it. However, the strip is usually the first part of our landscapes people see as they approach our homes. It can diminish or enhance curb appeal. However, the problem is readily solved with a small, specialized garden.

To develop a parking strip garden, create one or more short paths as a walk-through for people to get from the street to the sidewalk. When people park on the street they look for that access. Mulch, stepping stones and gravel all work well for the surface of the paths. You might also try plants like thyme or Ajuga (bugleweed) that can withstand light foot traffic.

Choose plants that are consistent with your landscape as well as the neighborhood street scape. (Homeowners associations restrictions may be a consideration.) Plan to use low-growing plant material so you can see cars, adults, children and pets as you back out of your driveway.

Small evergreen juniper and cypress shrubs make good anchors for the garden. The intense heat that radiates from cement and pavement makes tough, heat- and drought-tolerant plants a necessity. Carex, catmint (nepeta), dianthus, lirope, mondo grass, phlox, prostrate rosemary, santolina, various sedums and thyme are plants worth considering for the challenging spot. Stella DOro daylilies are an attractive groundcover if you dont have a deer problem. Ajuga offers a number of leaf color options for a shady location.

Keep in mind that your garden soil must be improved before you plant. If you dont have irrigation you will need to get water to your plants while they establish and during drought.

Mulch should end just below curb level so it does not wash into the street. Dense ground cover, gravel or a combination are alternatives to mulch.

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Gardening | Some cures for the parking strip between yard and road

Chakrabongse Villas - Bangkok - Thailand
Info Booking! : http://www.hotelz.tv/info/thailand/bangkok/eFCbkLQReF/chakrabongse-villas.html A former royal residence by the Chao Phraya River Chakrabong...

By: Hotelz Tv - Thailand

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Chakrabongse Villas - Bangkok - Thailand - Video

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( GS ) is contemplating the closure of its dark pool trading segment - Sigma X, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal . However, there has been no official revelation.

Before analyzing the facts that may have prompted Goldman to consider the closure, let us take a look at the concept of dark-pool trading.

Basics of Dark Pool Trading

Dark pool trading, also known as 'off exchange trading', is stock trading in private platforms wherein the secrecy of investors (who are largely institutional investors) is guarded well in comparison to public exchanges. The crux of dark-pool trading is that there is less transparency in trading, minimizing the market impact. Further, price and volumes of trade are predetermined and are only revealed after the trade. Owing to this, such investors reap the advantage of efficient price movement and lower transaction costs.

Notably, dark pool trading is under constant vigilance by regulators as it allows a section of investors and traders to gain at the cost of a general investor.

Goldman's Sigma X Falling from Heights?

Goldman added Sigma X in its operations in 2006 and currently stands as one of the largest dark pools in the market. Other major players in this space include Barclays PLC ( BCS ), Morgan Stanley ( MS ) and UBS AG ( UBS ).

However, the dark-pool market is largely scattered. Further, the industry is combating troubled times with increasing competition. Further, technical faults and issues have heightened the associated risks.

Notably, Sigma X was hit by a pricing error in 2011 that caused many of its clients to incur losses. Goldman is evaluating the optimality of running Sigma X, given the current headwinds across the dark pool trading industry.

Bottom Line

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Will Goldman Shed Darkness by Shutting Dark Pool? - Analyst Blog

S

Where on Earth is this freaky lava pool? Why do people hate love locks? Is it true that fire ants love the suburbs? And what do the soon-to-be-lost sounds of the industrial age sound like? All your answers are here, in this week's landscape reads!

Who hates love? People who care about bridges, apparently. As the fad has grown among the romantically inclined, small footbridges in Paris now groan under the additional metal of an estimated 700,000 locks. And these tiny tokens of affection, taken together, are weighing down the city's aging infrastructure. [The Guardian]

Fire ants first arrived by ship as stowaways from South America in the 1930s, but, for decades, they spread in only a fifty-mile radius around the port of Mobile, Alabama. Then Americans moved out into the suburbs, buying shrubs and sod for their picket-fenced lawns. And fire ants hitched a ride again, as nurseries transported plants and soil across state lines; soon enough, fire ants had invaded the entire South. This piece by Justin Noble is from July, but it was just selected for the Best Science and Nature Writing of 2013, and it's well worth revisiting. [Nautilus]

Torsten Nilsson curates a curious place in Sweden called the Museum of Work. As he's been collecting old factory equipment, he realized that these machines may persist in museums but no one will know what they sound like in use. He's decided to do something about that. "The resulting archive of 600 recordings will focus exclusively on things that clang, screech, hiss, grind, roar, and clatterthat is, noises most of us try to avoid," writes Christ Wright in the introduction to his lovely interview with the Swedish curator. You can also listen to some of the sounds below. [The Boston Globe]

When a mystery chemical spilled into West Virginia's river this January, we wondered how we could know so little about a chemical being stored so close to drinking water. In typical New Yorker fashion, Evan Osnos unravels the tangled web of lobbying and backroom deals that cozied the state up to big business while putting its citizens'- health at risk. [The New Yorker]

Photo: NASA Earth Observatory shared this unearthly photo of the Halema'uma'u Crater in Hawaii this past week. This lava lake formed in the crater just 6 years ago, slowly expanding into a pit over 500 feet across. The lava had sunken slightly from the day before, leaving the glowing cracks on its barely cooled surface. Photo by USGS.

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Where on Earth is this freaky lava pool?

Digging down to find out place names past

10:20pm Tuesday 8th April 2014 in News By Matt Oliver, Reporter covering South Oxford and Kennington. Call me on 01865 425498

IF YOU have ever wondered what the stories behind the name of your street were, you are not alone.

The reasons can often stretch back in history as far as the Anglo-Saxon or even the Roman times.

Now one amateur archaeologist, Katie Hambrook, has uncovered some of the history behind place names in Rose Hill and Iffley.

Ms Hambrook, 54, is a librarian at Oxford Brookes University and has spent more than a year gathering and studying the information with others from archaeology group Archeox.

The findings have now been published online at Archeox.net.

She said: We wanted to get a sense of how people looked at the landscape in the past.

We hope it will complement other studies being done in Archeox.

I focused especially on the old parishes of Iffley and Rose Hill. What was interesting about that was how the area used to be woodland but over time the trees were cleared and it became ordinary fields.

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Digging down to find out place names past

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Theological Seminary (STS) is in urgent need of funds to repair and restore areas in and around the campus that are affected by landslides due to developments and land clearing nearby.

STS principal Rev Datuk Dr Thu En Yu said developments and land clearing in nearby areas had caused severe landslides to the slopes in and outside the campus.

Hence, Thu said there was an urgent need for funds to maintain and restore the areas affected by the landslides which, if left unchecked, could cause accessibility problems from the campus to the chapel.

Thu said this in a courtesy call on Minister of Special Tasks Datuk Teo Chee Kang on Monday.

Also present were STS advisor Datuk Yap Pak Leong, Lim Chin Teck, Rev Dr Wilfred John, Rev Datuk Dr Thomas Tsen and Datuk Lee Khun Choi @ Peter Lee.

During the event, Thu expressed his gratitude to the state government for its annual financial allocation to STS, and hoped that the government would continue to provide financial support to the seminary.

In addition, Thu said the STS Education Centre (EC) was completed in 2010 and there was still a shortfall of RM1 million in the balance of construction costs of the building.

The building is now widely used by STS as well as the public for local and international functions, seminars, concerts, conferences and other purposes.

Apart from theology, Thu said STS also offered courses such as social work and counseling.

Thu said there were currently over 900 students studying on and off campus. STS also provides scholarships and helps to raise funds for students who require financial aid.

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Seminary in dire need of funds following landslides