EC84-406 Take Cover: A Guide to Selecting Furniture Fabrics

There are two general categories of furniture fabrics: those meant for use as slipcovers, and those for use as upholstery. Slipcovers are designed to fit snugly and yet be removable for cleaning. Upholstery fabrics are generally heavier; they are nailed or stapled directly to the furniture's frame or bonded to the padding. They are not removable. This publication is for persons considering an investment in upholstered furniture or upholstery fabric. It covers basic information on fabric components and construction to help the reader make a wise purchase.

Information and Communication Technologies for Educational Development: The Case of Cybercafés at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

This study examines the use of Cybercafés/Internet resources and the evaluation of their usefulness. About eight Cybercafés located in the university community were used in this study. Questionnaires, interviews with the Cybercafé owners, staff and users as well as personal observations made during inspection of these cafés were used in this study. The data were analysed according to the background of the Internet users. The richness and high speed, accuracy, and authority were used by users to judge the quality of the Internet. Information such as the establishment of the café's facilities, membership and the future of the Cybercafés were also looked into. Finally, one can clearly see that the dominating impact of digital technology has crossed the Rubicon of controversy. The result of the survey shows that forty percent of the users learnt to use the internet by self instruction, thirty five percent learnt from colleagues or friends. Those in the sciences use the internet the most, the channel mostly used in obtaining information is the search engines. A large number of students, faculties and researchers make use of the internet in obtaining information. Many of those of those users make use of the Cybercafés in the university community.

Science and the Climate Change Debacle

As I write this on the first business day of 2010, I find myself thinking about the importance of respecting alternative views --- not only alternative political views, but also alternative scientific views. Good science requires that we understand the limits of knowledge and continuously seek the truth through respectful questioning, replication and review. In the climate change debate, which recently culminated in a disappointing and largely ineffective conference in Copenhagen, these salient principles of science were grossly violated. Well respected climate scientists proceeded well beyond the limits of their knowledge and became policy advocates. They demeaned anyone who dared to disagree with their findings or to suggest that limiting CO2 emissions may not be the best policy choice at the present time. Disagreeing with the “experts” became disrespected professional behavior, even within the academic community. This approach has not served the interests of anyone very well.