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There are quite a few challenges in the development of an automated writing placement model for non-native English learners, among them the fact that exams that encompass the full range of language proficiency exhibited at different stages of learning are hard to design. However, acquisition of appropriate training data that are relevant to the task at hand is essential in the development of the model. Using the Cambridge Learner Corpus writing scores, which have been subsequently benchmarked to Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) levels, we conceptualize the task as a supervised machine learning problem, and primarily focus on developing a generic writing model. Such an approach facilitates the modeling of truly consistent, internal marking criteria regardless of the prompt delivered, which has the additional advantage of requiring smaller dataset sizes and not necessarily requiring re-training or tuning for new tasks. The system is developed to predict someone's proficiency level on the CEFR scale, which allows learners to point to a specific standard of achievement. We furthermore integrate our model into Cambridge English Write & Improve™--a freely available, cloud-based tool that automatically provides diagnostic feedback to non-native English language learners at different levels of granularity--and examine its use.

The article presents information on Landscape Design Study program of Harvard University, which has moved from the Radcliffe College of the university to the Arnold Arboretum with effect from July 1, 2002. The change has been brought under the leadership of John Furlong and the current faculty of the program. It is mentioned that the Radcliffe Seminars, which started in 1950, will now become a part of the Arnold Arboretum.

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience of visiting various gardens in south of France.

A personal narrative is presented, which explores the author's experience as an editor, designer, and producer of the journal "Perspectives," and his educational career in landscape design.

The article reviews several web sites related to botanical and horticultural resources on the Internet including the Internet Directory of Botany, www.helsinki.fi/kmus/botmenu.html, the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta, www.aabga.org, and the International Plant Names Index, www.ipni.org.

The article presents information on two Japanese landscaped gardens, My-Toi on Chappaquidick Island, Massachusetts and the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury, Massachusetts. It mentions that My-Toi was developed by Mary Wakeman over many years. It was partly destroyed in 1991 by Hurricane Bob and is being redesigned. It informs that North Tisbury Azaleas at the Polly Hill Arboretum designed by landscaper Polly Hill are known throughout the plant world.